All The Furry Creatures In The Beast World Are Farming With Me – CH14

Chapter 14

The other sub-adult black wolves hesitated a little.

Perhaps because the distance was too great, the scent of food they smelled seemed a bit off. It was far too fragrant. It did not smell like anything their tribe could make, so much so that they suspected they had walked too far on empty stomachs and were hallucinating.

But seeing the leading black wolf’s completely certain expression, the other black wolves looked at one another and finally followed his steps.

At the border between the Snow Wolf Tribe and the Black Wolf Tribe.

Chief Lang Yan asked the black wolf beside him, “Qi, are you sure this is where they got lost?”

The latter nodded in confirmation. “It was here.”

Today was the second day the sub-adult black wolves had participated in hunting. In order to prevent the scene from the previous few days from repeating itself, Lang Yan had divided more than twenty sub-adult black wolves into two teams. He led one team, while the rest were handed over to Lang Qi.

The team Lang Yan led had only frightened off one group of prey and nearly got hit by the prey because they ran too fast. There had been no major problems. Everyone thought this group of sub-adults had made progress—until evening, when they returned to the tribe and received terrible news.

The other group of sub-adult black wolves led by Lang Qi had been counterattacked by a herd of curved-horned beasts while chasing them. In the chaos, they had scattered. Five of the sub-adult black wolves were separated from the entire team, and the hunting party had searched for an entire afternoon without finding them.

If it were another season, missing members could be searched for slowly. After all, the territory was only so large. Even if they got lost, they could not run too far. As long as they were not stupid, they would not leave the tribe’s territory. Searching a few more times would eventually find them. At worst, they would go hungry for a few meals outside.

But the snow season was different.

Nights in the snow season were much colder than daytime, and it could also snow. With many people together, they could keep one another warm. With fewer people, they could suffer frostbite. In severe cases, they might even freeze to death. The situation was even worse when they were exhausted and hungry.

Sub-adult black wolves looked strong and sturdy, but in truth, they had never suffered much hardship. If they got lost in the snow, they would only run around blindly.

Moreover, temperatures were low in the snow season. The markers at the edges of the tribe’s territory often lost their effect after being covered by ice and snow. If they could not smell the scents, it was very easy to enter another tribe’s territory.

Seeing the sky grow darker and darker, Lang Qi could only return to the tribe and seek the chief’s help.

Lang Yan had brought another team of members back. As soon as he entered the tribe and heard the news, he went out to search. They had already searched most of the territory and called out as well, but there had still been no trace of those members. They could only think of the worst possibility.

The missing black wolf members had very likely entered another tribe’s territory by mistake.

This was no longer just a problem involving a few members.

Lang Yan’s gaze swept over the vast white territory, and he raised his head to call out.

The wolves behind him echoed him.

Every race had its own unique way of calling, reminding tribe members who had become separated or gone too far to return home while also informing them of their own location.

However, their calls spread out one after another, and all that answered them was the sound of wind. There was not the slightest response.

Lang Yan looked at the territory before him.

The Black Wolf Tribe had members specifically patrolling the edges of the territory. Lang Yan knew that a small Snow Wolf Tribe had arrived here this year. Their numbers were probably no more than a hundred, less than one-fifth of his tribe’s. Even so, Lang Yan had no intention of interfering with the other tribe.

Before the snow season, this place had been unclaimed territory. The Black Wolf Tribe’s territory was large enough, so members rarely came here. Whether there was a tribe here or not made no difference to them and would not damage the Black Wolf Tribe’s interests. Their tribe would not go occupy land they had no use for either.

The two tribes had never had much interaction. However, now that several members of his tribe were missing, they had to look for them. The lost members were young, and there were only five of them. If the other side treated them as invaders, they would suffer.

After thinking for a moment, Lang Yan divided the people into two teams.

“Qi, take some people back. Bring two curved-horned beasts over. The rest of you, follow me.”

After giving the order, Lang Yan led his people away from the edge of their tribe’s territory and stepped into the Snow Wolf Tribe’s territory.

Entering another tribe’s territory was equivalent to provocation. The curved-horned beasts were compensation to the Snow Wolf Tribe.

As for those troublesome sub-adult black wolves, Lang Yan only hoped the Snow Wolf Tribe would be gentle enough to let them last until he arrived.

…

Snow Wolf Tribe.

The members in the settlement still did not know that beastmen had arrived uninvited. The fragrance of bamboo-tube roasted meat was too tempting. For a moment, whether they were members washing tools by the river or resting outside the cave, everyone gathered around the fire.

During the roasting process, the meat had been wrapped the entire time, sealing the aroma inside the bamboo tubes. After they were opened, the scent was released all at once. The fragrance was extremely rich, the smell of meat mixed with the fresh aroma of bamboo. Even though bamboo in the snow season was not as fresh as it was in the other seasons, it was still enough to make a group of wolves who had never eaten anything good drool.

The second batch of bamboo tubes had already been set over the fire, and stone slabs had also been set up to ensure that the hunting party and gathering team could eat immediately after they returned. Therefore, for the first batch, Lang Shuo made the decision to divide it so everyone could have a taste.

Their luck had been good these past few days. In addition, everyone’s bodies had been somewhat depleted along the journey, so for the past few nights, Lang Yu had not strictly portioned the meat and had let everyone eat until full. The members were also very self-aware. There had been no cases of secretly hiding food. Once they were full, they stopped.

Because of this, whether they ate earlier or later made no difference. They could taste some now and then focus on helping roast meat for the members who had not eaten yet.

The several meat-cooking methods Lang Shuo had taught everyone recently all produced meat that tasted better than what they had roasted before. The only flaw was that the cooking speed was a little slower. Cutting and marinating both required time. Preparing in advance could make up for this time difference so they would not still be eating in the middle of the night.

The outside of the bamboo tubes had already carbonized, so they definitely could not be eaten directly. Lang Yun had experience dividing food for the cubs, so she picked them up and divided them directly now. Each person got a small half bowl. It was definitely not enough to fill their stomachs, but it was enough to satisfy their craving.

Lang Shuo also received half a bowl. It was still somewhat hot. He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and blew on it. Just as he was about to put it into his mouth, he suddenly felt several unusually scorching gazes.

Ever since waking up, Lang Shuo had become extremely sensitive to others’ gazes. The feeling this time was even more obvious than when he had eaten roasted meat in front of the cubs or drunk soup in front of the sub-adults.

He stopped the chopsticks in his hand and looked behind him.

Night came early during the snow season. However, no matter how dark the sky was, wolves covered entirely in black had nowhere to hide in the snow.

Lang Shuo: “???”

Lang Shuo: “!!!”

In that instant, Lang Shuo felt his tail, which he usually did not feel much about, explode into a puff.

Whether it was Lang Yu’s repeated warning not long ago or the figures of the black wolves he saw now, everything was conveying one important message to Lang Shuo.

Danger, danger, danger!

Only these two words kept cycling in his mind.

Almost at the same time Lang Shuo looked over, the other Snow Wolf members also discovered the black wolves emerging from the forest. Unlike Lang Shuo, whose body was inconvenient to move, they reacted very quickly. Lang Nuo had just finished eating his last mouthful of meat. He threw away the bamboo bowl, carried Lang Shuo on his back, and rushed toward the cave. Lang Yun drove the cubs and sub-adults back into the cave. The remaining members guarded the cave entrance.

In the blink of an eye, only the fire and the black wolves not far away remained outside the cave.

Lang Yun looked warily at those black wolves, feeling deeply regretful over her carelessness.

Many times, wolves relied on smell and hearing to judge things. Just now, everyone had been too excited while dividing the meat. They had also been on the windward side, and with the mountain blocking things, they had not smelled the scent of the Black Wolf Race immediately.

Every snow wolf’s expression was grave, their gazes sharp.

On the other side, the few black wolves froze.

The black wolves behind the leader looked at one another and read the same meaning in each other’s eyes.

See? I knew something was wrong. We really did go the wrong way.

But it was too late now.

Not only had they entered another tribe’s territory, they had also walked into the other side’s settlement. Most importantly, they had been discovered.

Although they were young, the black wolves knew at this moment that the situation was somewhat bad.

However, at a time like this, they could not retreat. The words “avoid battle” did not exist in the blood of the Black Wolf Race.

Just as both sides were at a stalemate, a gust of wind swept past the cave entrance.

The rich fragrance of roasted meat drifted into the black wolves’ noses.

“Gulp—”

The leading black wolf swallowed.

“Gulp, gulp—”

The remaining black wolves also failed to hold back.

From the time they set out in the morning until now, they had not eaten a single thing. Normally, hunting would not be anywhere near this exhausting, but they had chosen an abnormal method and picked the wrong hunting target. They had been chased for half a day by a group of large male curved-horned beasts and were long since utterly exhausted. The only reason they had managed to run here was by relying on the support of the food’s aroma.

It was not that there had been nothing to eat along the way. At first, they had seen quite a bit of food, such as snow fruits. But at that time, they had not been especially hungry and had disliked snow fruits, so they did not want to eat them and walked away directly. By the time they were so hungry that they wanted to eat, they could not find even snow fruits.

Now, smelling the aroma of food—and an aroma they had never smelled before—the black wolves’ eyes went straight.

Black wolves would not lose without a fight.

But at this moment, they felt that for the sake of food, it was still possible to lower their heads.

The leading wolf forcefully suppressed the urge to drool and explained toward the cave, “We got lost. We didn’t come here to fight.”

After saying that, he could not hold back and sniffed hard at the remaining meat fragrance in the air.

Before the Snow Wolf Tribe members could speak, he spoke again.

“Can you lend us some food? We don’t have the strength to return to the tribe.”

This sentence really was not a lie. They truly had not a bit of strength left right now. If the ones across from them were not unfamiliar wolves they were meeting for the first time, they would have already been lying on the ground, just like they usually did after returning to the tribe from a hunt.

The situation now was different. They did not dare lie down. The belly was one of the most vulnerable parts. A black wolf’s belly could only be exposed before the closest and most trusted beastmen.

As the black wolf spoke, Lang Yun, Lang Shi, and the others had been observing them the whole time.

The first thing they needed to confirm was the condition of these black wolves, as well as whether there were other black wolves behind them.

Going over directly would be more accurate, but approaching rashly represented declaring battle and provocation. Even an utterly exhausted wolf would attack with all his strength.

There was another reason they did not move casually. Lang Yun wanted to delay time and wait for the hunting party and gathering team to return. That way, even if there were hidden black wolves in the forest, they would not be too passive.

To stabilize the black wolves, Lang Yun asked about the reason they got lost. “This place is very far from the Black Wolf Tribe. Why did you run all the way here?”

The black wolves looked at one another. Even in beast form, the embarrassment on their faces was visible.

To show sincerity, the black wolves transformed into human form one after another. The leading black wolf explained, “We were chased by a herd of curved-horned beasts. There were over a hundred curved-horned beasts in that herd, and the males were very fierce. They scattered us from the main group and chased after us. It took us a very long time to shake off the curved-horned beasts. After walking very far, we suddenly smelled food and thought this was the direction of our tribe.”

As for why the curved-horned beasts only chased them and did not chase the main group, he absolutely did not mention it. Even though they had not experienced many hunts, they still knew that picking the wrong prey and being chased in return by the prey was somewhat embarrassing.

Lang Yun judged the truth and falsehood in the black wolf’s words. She could tell that these black wolves were all sub-adults, but for the time being, she could not determine whether they were truly lost or deliberately using this appearance to deceive them.

For a while, no one spoke again.

The fire crackled. It was the bamboo tubes that had not been turned for a long time. Because they had been heating for too long, the side near the fire had completely caught flame. Amid the tempting aroma of meat in the air, there was now a burnt smell.

The sub-adult black wolves smelled the burnt scent and became so anxious they nearly jumped.

“It’s burning, it’s burning!”

At this moment, they felt even more heartache than when they had been chased by prey.

Inside the cave, Lang Shuo had originally been quietly listening to the sounds outside and guessing the situation. Suddenly hearing this sentence, he glanced at the sub-adults beside him who had been driven inside. Each and every one had a grief-stricken expression, clearly just like those black wolves, mourning the food outside.

Lang Shuo: “…”

Suddenly, he felt that the group of black wolves outside might not be lying.

Lang Yun had the same thought. Although the appearance of these unfamiliar black wolves was somewhat abrupt, she had no way to watch food go to waste before her eyes. This was food the hunting party and gathering team had worked hard to bring back. She exchanged a look with Lang Shi, and in the end, Lang Yun half-squatted down to turn the food, while Lang Shi continued staring tightly at the other side.

Under Lang Yun’s turning, the burnt fragrance of the food became even stronger.

The gazes of the black wolves had already stuck to that meat.

The surroundings were very quiet. Suddenly, two bursts of footsteps came from different directions. Hearing the familiar footsteps, Lang Yun let out a breath of relief.

Today, the hunting party and gathering team returned one after the other. When they reached the open space in front of the cave, both teams discovered something was wrong at the same time and immediately locked onto the cause of the abnormality.

Several sub-adult black wolves.

The hair color of beastmen was the same as their fur color. Therefore, from the color of their hair in human form, one could infer the color of their beast form.

They were actually sub-adults from the Black Wolf Tribe.

Lang Yu frowned, swept his gaze toward the direction of the cave, and discovered that although the tribe members were standing ready, their expressions were not panicked. Understanding that nothing had gone wrong, he shifted his gaze back onto the unfamiliar wolves.

The black wolves were very perceptive. Seeing that this was the chief of the Snow Wolf Tribe, they repeated their experience again.

Lang Yu turned back to glance at the prey behind him.

The reason they had returned late today was because they had caught one more prey animal than yesterday. This territory had little prey. Yesterday’s situation had already been very rare, but today had been even more outrageous. On their way back after catching one prey animal, they had successively seen two curved-horned beasts with broken legs.

Judging from their injuries, both curved-horned beasts had been knocked down by adult curved-horned beasts that suddenly erupted. Curved-horned beasts had violent tempers, and male curved-horned beasts would protect the herd. But when they charged around recklessly, they could easily injure their own kind by mistake. Of course, the hunting party would not refuse prey that delivered itself to their door. It was just that because the load was heavier, their return speed had been somewhat slow.

Lang Yu had originally not understood why the curved-horned beasts were so irritable today. Now he knew.

There were several black wolves frolicking wildly in their territory.

The fact that they had been able to catch prey so easily these past two days was thanks in no small part to the sub-adults of the Black Wolf Tribe.

Lang Yu looked at the sub-adult black wolves’ position and walked over to check behind them once. On account of the fact that they had helped them catch four curved-horned beasts over two days, Lang Yu said, “Wait here. I’ll go get food for you. Leave immediately after eating.”

Lang Yu could not possibly let these black wolves approach the cave. Aside from the injured, the cave was full of cubs. Even though the other side currently looked very harmless, he would not take the risk. But the black wolves were clearly in no condition to walk anymore. It would be better to give them some food and have them leave quickly after eating.

The black wolves did not care about Lang Yu’s attitude at all. They only heard the words “get food.” They automatically ignored the rest and immediately agreed. Seeing Lang Yu go over to get food, their eyes followed his movements.

Lang Yu was very generous. He placed several steaks into a basket, added the bamboo-tube roasted meat Lang Yun had just opened, then finally filled several bamboo bowls with soup and carried everything over to the sub-adult black wolves.

So when Lang Yan hurriedly arrived at the Snow Wolf Tribe’s settlement with a group of black wolves, the first thing he saw was several figures eating happily.

In that instant, Lang Yan had only one thought.

Throw them away.

These wolves could no longer be kept.

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