Chapter 296: Independent Investigation (1)

Chapter 296: Independent Investigation (1)

We retraced our steps back the way we had come. With the temperature rising, we made no stops to collect plants or for anything else. As a result, we managed to return in less than half the time it had taken us to get there.

“Bumo? Welcome back~”

“Ah, we’ve returned. But...”

“There are more of them now.”

The ones who greeted us upon our return to the temporary base were Shuu and a noticeably increased number of small animals compared to before we left. There were only cats, small birds, and squirrels, so while the types of animals hadn’t increased, their total number had surpassed thirty.

The three types of small animals each had their own unique way of gathering. Cats, with their large ears, seemed to prefer living in groups. They were the most numerous and huddled together in the shade. They got along quite well, which might indicate that they were a family.

Next were the small birds, which grouped together in mating pairs rather than in flocks. They seemed to act in pairs rather than in groups. Finally, the squirrels were completely individualistic and they kept their distance even from their own kind.

Unlike the cats, the small birds and squirrels were out in the sunlight. The birds stood on one leg while intently watching the ground, and when they suddenly moved, they aligned their lifted foot like a spear and swiftly stabbed it into the ground.

The tip of the leg they withdrew from the ground held a small insect, which they pinned to the ground to peck at with their mates. It appeared they were hunting. I had not expected them to use their long, slender legs in such a manner.

As for the squirrels, they made a more striking visual impact. This was because their already long and thick tails had spread out like fans.

There was shade under the spread tails, and under them the squirrels seemed to be sleeping with their eyes closed. It was surprising that their tails could serve as natural sunshades... though one might wonder why they wouldn’t just sleep in the shade.

However, these small animals did not panic at our presence like they had the day before. Although they did stop moving and glared at us warily, none of them attempted to flee or hide behind Shuu. It seemed that since none of the animals from the day before had shown alarm, they assessed that there was little danger.

“Before I knew it, I noticed they had increased in number Bumo.”

“Hihiin! You were probably just too busy eating to notice!”

“Bumooo...”

Shuu tried to gloss over it, but Apao cut him off sharply. It seemed he had hit the mark, as Shuu groaned in an indescribable way.

Nevertheless, I felt no need to drive the small animals away from here. In fact, Chris was gently stroking the cats. And the animals were clearly quite fond of her too.

However, they still avoided Woodsorrel just like before; the animals would flee to keep their distance whenever she approached. Could they instinctively sense that she has a voracious appetite?

“Oh!”

“Muuh! Why do they run away?”

My destination was to the north. I planned to head further north from the location where we had turned back at the salt mine. I wanted to see what it was like closer to the mountains.

Fortunately, the initial goal of the northern exploration, the salt survey, had been smoothly completed. So, I decided to freely investigate a wider area by myself.

When I was leaving, Chris who was holding a cat’s front paw waved it as if to say goodbye. The cat did not seem to understand what was happening, but Chris seemed to think the cat’s behavior was cute and smiled gently, as one might with small children.

I left behind the sulking Woodsorrel, Lorenz who was busy observing plants, and Shuu and Apao who were enjoying their nap, and set off on my own. In order to cover as much ground as possible, I picked up a decent pace. The morning had passed slowly, but at my pace it wouldn’t take long to reach the site of the salt mine.

“From here on, it’s uncharted territory. There doesn’t seem to be any particular danger, but I’ll stay on guard just in case.”

I was about to step into an unknown area. Although I didn’t detect any strong presence within my range, there was a chance that something was cleverly concealing its presence. I was alone, without anyone to rely on. I had to be cautious, and I braced myself for whatever might come.

However, nothing particularly dangerous occurred. In fact, it had been a while since I’d seen any unusual animals or such. The area was overrun with low-growing plants, and the only signs of life were the familiar insects and small rodents hiding in their shade.

“Oh, what is that...?”

I finally discovered a new creature just when I was about to return empty-handed. Entering my field of view was an animal resembling a fox with black fur. It was walking northward with a squirrel in its mouth.

At first, I thought it might be a member of the demon fox race, so I tried to communicate telepathically with it, but there was no response. Instead, it looked around confusedly. It appeared not to be of the same species, nor did it seem particularly intelligent.

But in a way, I felt I understood why the small animals at our temporary base avoided Woodsorrel. It was likely that they instinctively knew Woodsorrel was of the demon fox race. They feared her who was a close relative of their natural predator, the fox.

It seemed difficult to ease the wariness that arose from the instincts and experiences of the local animals. If Woodsorrel wanted to befriend the small animals, it would certainly be a thorny path for her.

“I feel like it’s unfair to Woodsorrel. I’ll just talk to Lorentz about it... What’s that?”

As I intently watched the black fox to etch its image in my mind, I noticed a strong presence approaching from above. Without moving my head, I focused my attention through the compound eyes atop my head on the source of this presence. It was a bird of prey plummeting towards us at incredible speed.

My knowledge identified it as a hawk; its feathers were generally dark brown, but there were some nice orange feathers mixed in here and there. The white feathers around its eyes resembled antennae .... they looked good, though I’m not sure if that would be taken as a compliment.

As it folded its wings and continued to accelerate, it seemed to propel itself by shooting flames from its tail feathers. Just before it collided with the ground and the fox, the falcon extinguished its flames and spread its wings to slow down and swoop down with its clawed feet to strike the black fox.

“Ah, impressive.”

The bird of prey struck with its claws right at the base of the fox’s head, snapping its neck with overwhelming speed. It was a hunter of exceptional skill and it secured its kill with a single decisive blow.

It seemed to be aware of my presence as it held the squirrel, the fox’s prey, in its beak and stared intently at me. But when it realized that I had no intention of interfering, it grabbed the fox firmly with its paws and took flight into the sky.