Snow Leopard Elegy

Chapter 4 Snow Leopard Elegy (4)
Go ahead, with our loyal blessings and a bright vision for the future, bravely walk into the mountains and create a new life of your own.

Qiangba and I waited at the observation station with trepidation until the afternoon. When the sky was full of sunset, the snow demon came back along the winding snow line on the hillside.When I saw it, my heart was half cold.It was splattered with mud and grass, sloppy like a beggar, its face was covered with dirt, its eyes looked around in a panic, and it looked like a magnified snuggle cat.Look at its abdomen again, it is so empty that it almost touches the spine.No doubt it wandered all day in the mountains and woods, finding nothing, not even a wild pheasant.When I walked to the wooden fence of the observation station, I saw Qiangba and me. It purred softly, and didn't know whether it was greeting us or asking us for food.

I asked Qiangba to cut six pounds of beef to feed it. As soon as the piece of meat was thrown into the broken washbasin, it couldn't wait to rush over, hugging the piece of meat and the washbasin tightly in its arms, as if afraid of being snatched away. In the corner behind the tent, he swallowed six pounds of beef in a maximum of 2 minutes, and licked off the meat scraps and blood stains on the washbasin.Then, it squatted down in front of Qiangba and me, raised its head and looked at us eagerly, telling us clearly with a hopeful expression that it still wanted to eat, and hoped that we could throw some more meat to it.

It was half hungry and half full last night, and it can be said that it is already hungry after running around in the mountains and forests all day. Of course, six pounds of beef is not enough to eat. The hunger has not disappeared, and most of its stomach is still empty. It's on.

Naturally, Jamba and I will not accommodate it.

I thought it was going to grin and threaten us again like last night.To my surprise, it didn't act impolitely. Seeing that we ignored it for a long time, it stretched itself and shook its head vigorously, as if it wanted to get rid of all the unhappiness, and changed into a pleasant face , shaking that fluffy leopard tail, walked up to us, stuck out his tongue to lick and kiss the shoes of Qiangba and me.It licks intently, fervently and reverently, like a servant thanking a generous master.Of course, animals' tricks cannot be concealed from human eyes. I knew in my heart that it was using the snow leopard's unique way to please and please us. The purpose was very obvious, hoping that we could add more pieces of meat to it.Life is like this, if you can't be hard, you can be soft. In order to meet your needs, you will use all kinds of means.

"Look at its bear, it's so pitiful, why don't you give it another six pounds of beef?" Qiangba suggested to me with compassion.

I shook my head vigorously, expressing my firm disapproval.

I have a feeling that the snow demon is like the unemployed in human society. Of course, appropriate relief should be given, but the relief should not be too high, and it can only draw a minimum living security line. If the relief is too high, it will cause the relief. Inertia breeds dependence on thinking. Since you can live well without working and lying in the arms of the government and eating relief, why do you still need to find a job?Relief funds can only meet the minimum living needs. To put it bluntly, you can’t eat enough and starve to death. Only in this way can the recipients be motivated to learn new livelihood skills and finally get out of the predicament.

Life is elastic, life is tenacious, and life can be reshaped.

I believe that under certain conditions, pressure is motivation, or that there is pressure to be motivated.

The Snow Demon performed for a long time, wasted a lot of effort, and didn't get the beef it needed. With a flick of its tail, it walked out of the observation station and went into the woods.

It was dusk, and there was still a little snow in the sky. Qiangba looked at the back of the snow demon who was going away and said worriedly: "Will it never come back? It hasn't learned to prey, if it really leaves us now , I'm afraid I can't survive."

I said, "It won't leave us. There are many caves in this area. It is estimated that it will find a cave as its lair, but it won't run far. It will definitely come to the observation station tomorrow evening."

I say this with a basis.A life, when it has not found a better living environment, or when it has not found a better way of foraging, will never give up its original living environment and way of foraging easily.Although we only feed it six pounds of meat a day, which is not enough for it to eat, but it can maintain its life.For now, these six pounds of meat are a reliable guarantee for its survival, which is much better than nothing. No matter how resentful it is in its heart, it will not get angry and give up these six pounds of meat.Animals have no self-respect at all, everything is for survival.Unless the snow demon suddenly has a sudden enlightenment tomorrow morning and learns how to catch prey, otherwise, it will definitely appear in front of the wooden fence of the observation station on time according to the schedule we set, and I am very sure of this.

Sure enough, as the sun went down the next day, Jamba and I had just finished making a specimen of a mute swan after a busy afternoon, when we heard the roar of the snow demon.When I walked out of the tent, I saw that its front paws were lying on the wooden fence, and it was eagerly calling us to open the door for it.I opened the gate, but it didn't come in, just squatted at the door, yelling at us grotesquely, apparently asking us for the six pounds of meat.I opened its mouth and checked it. The lips and teeth were as clean as if they had just brushed their teeth, and there was no bone residue or meat crumbs to be found.Smell the smell in its mouth, it is as faint as the breath exhaled by a vegetarian monk.Alas, another unlucky day for Snow Demon.

Jamba weighed six pounds of wild boar meat from the ice cellar where we store food, and thought of roasting the frozen rock hard meat by the campfire before feeding it, but just as Jamba blew the flames, it suddenly looked like a thief cat He jumped up like a scorpion, and took the lump of frozen wild pork away in one gulp.As he walked, he began to chew, click, click, like chewing ice. Within 20 meters of walking out of the wooden fence, he swallowed all six pounds of wild boar meat in his stomach, and he was not afraid that his stomach would be frozen.

After that, for a month and a half, the situation was similar to the first two days.At dusk, the hungry snow demon appeared in front of the wooden fence of the observation station on time, waiting for us to give it six pounds of meat, just like a desperate poor waiting for a bowl of gruel in front of the relief station.There was only one exception. When I checked its mouth, I found finely shattered snake bones. I guess I picked up a frozen snake by chance in the mountains.

Due to the lack of ability to catch prey to supplement nutrition, the Snow Demon is undoubtedly living a tight life with the six pounds of meat we feed.It was visibly thinner, its shoulder blades protruded, its big copper bell eyes were deeply sunken, its fur that used to be as smooth as brocade had also become gray and dull, and its face was always full of hunger.

"Give it another six pounds of meat, otherwise, I'm afraid it will get sick from starvation." Qiangba suggested again.

I still shake my head, the system cannot be destroyed at will, and the rules cannot be changed at will.Besides, my practice of feeding it six pounds of meat a day is by no means an unfounded whim, but a measure consistent with the breeding habits of wild snow leopards.

In the wild, a female snow leopard gives birth to her cubs and raises them to about one and a half years old. Then she takes her cubs out to hunt for food, teaches them how to hunt for food, and then begins to reduce the frequency and quantity of feeding, forcing them to use their brains to go out to find food by themselves. Food, just like some parents now let the children of college students do tutoring, sales promotion and part-time jobs to earn pocket money.Several months later, the mother snow leopard brought back only a small amount of food every day, or a piece of steak, or half a sika deer, which was only enough for the cub to live on.At this time, the little snow leopard, in order to fill its belly, walked out of the den at dawn and looked for prey to satisfy its hunger. Sometimes it was lucky to catch a small goral or a small wild boar, and sometimes it found nothing. Next to the female snow leopard, enjoy the limited dinner.

According to field observations by zoologists, even if a female snow leopard captures a large herbivore such as a wild yak during this period, she cannot eat so much in one meal, and she will not bring more meat back to the nest.In this matter, the female snow leopard seems to be born with the ability to count, tearing off the meat from the yak that is just enough to sustain the life of the young snow leopard, and throwing away or burying the rest of the prey in the snow.

Someone explained that the main reason why the mother snow leopards do not want to bring more food back to the nest is that the cubs grow up, and the mother’s love gradually loosens. They feel that these cubs are no longer cute babies, and they gradually grow disgusted and reluctant to leave. Take out all the prey that you have worked so hard to catch and share with the cubs.The basis for those who hold this point of view is that the mother snow leopard is becoming more and more indifferent to her cubs. During this period, some cubs moved to other nearby caves, and some cubs were injured while hunting alone and could not return home. Don't ask or hear, just let it go, and stop looking around anxiously.

Some people also explained that the reason why the mother snow leopard did this was out of sensible considerations, forcing the cubs to lose their dependence on the mother beast formed by long-term feeding, and cultivate their ability to live independently.The basis is that although the mother snow leopard only brings home a limited amount of food, she must bring it home every day, unless she can't eat anything herself, so she won't miss it, so as to ensure that the cubs who are unlucky and get nothing will not starve to death.People who hold this point of view also call the starvation stage that cubs will inevitably encounter during adolescence as the "practice period of life" or "the tempering period of character".

I certainly lean towards the latter interpretation.In any case, one thing is certain. The mother snow leopard only brings a small amount of food back to the nest. This period is the stage when the cubs have the highest accidents. They are still immature physically and mentally. They were seriously injured while fighting with stubborn prey, some accidentally fell into an unreachable ice ditch while chasing their prey, some devoured rotten things with hunger and caused severe diarrhea...According to statistics, about one-third of One of the cubs failed to cross the threshold of youth to adulthood and unfortunately died.But at the same time, this is also the period when the cubs mature the fastest physically and mentally. Their hunting skills are becoming more and more refined, their bodies are getting stronger day by day, and their personalities are becoming more determined and brave.

I thought, I was just imitating what the mother snow leopard must do, and it should work.

Another week later, the situation changed. The snow demon came to the observation station at dusk, and it seemed that he no longer showed the strong sense of hunger as before.Give it a piece of frozen meat, and it will patiently squat by the campfire, watching Jamba roast the piece of meat in the flames, and wait for the ice to melt before it begins to chew.If it is fresh meat, it will pick up a six-pound piece of meat without any haste, walk unhurriedly, leave the observation post, and go back to its lair to eat.I take that as a signal that its urgency to get our food is diminishing.

"This is a good sign," I said excitedly to Jamba, "it is not so eager to get these six pounds of meat, and it doesn't care much about this limited quantity of food of average quality. I think this is a good sign." It means that it is possible that it has learned how to hide and approach prey, how to chase and kill prey."

"Not necessarily." Qiangba sized up the Snow Demon with his scrutinizing gaze, and said, "Look at how thin it is, it's almost skinny, if it really has learned to prey, it's time to grow its body , as soon as you eat a few full meals, you should grow flesh immediately."

"It's a female leopard, maybe it thinks it has too much fat on its body and is trying to lose weight on purpose." I said with a smile.

"Look at its belly again, it's as flat as a flat tire, does it look like it's been full?"

"It has always been slender, with a thin waist and wide hips, and its belly may not bulge out after eating." I said.

"Didn't we check it by opening its mouth just now? Its mouth is very clean and there is no trace of eating." Qiangba still insisted on his opinion.

"Maybe it was the prey caught in the morning. I washed my mouth clean when I drank water in the afternoon, just like people brush their teeth. The mouth is clean and hygienic, and there is no trace of eating." I said.

"Nonsense, I've never heard of animals rinsing their mouths."

"Then tell me, why is the Snow Demon not so interested in the six-pound piece of meat we put in?"

"This..." Qiangba pondered for a while, but couldn't think of a logical reason, so he had to use assumptions to deal with my question, "Maybe, it has a stomach problem and indigestion, so it is not hungry; maybe, it The throat is stuck by the bone, it is difficult to swallow, and I don’t want to eat more; maybe, it has a toothache or something, and it is difficult to chew, so I have to reduce the amount of food.”

"Don't always think about the bad side, scare yourself."

"Don't always think about the good side, and lie to yourself."

The two of us bickering like this, of course, can't get any results.The only way to understand why the Snow Demon is not as eager to get the six pounds of meat we regularly ration it as it was a few days ago is to follow up and observe how it solves the hunger problem.

The next morning, Jamba and I got into the fir forest, found the snow demon's footprints on the snow, searched around with binoculars, and soon saw the snow demon's figure in the crescent-shaped cave near the snow line.It squatted at the entrance of the cave, staring at the eastern sky, as if waiting for something.The sun was covered by mist, and a dazzling white light flashed deep in the clouds. The sun was about to penetrate the mist soon, and smeared the earth with a layer of brightness and warmth.It may have waited for the sun to dispel the mist before setting out to hunt for food in the Gamar grassland below the mountain, I think.It is not diligent enough. According to the activity rules of the snow leopard, it should get up and go to the hunting ground to hunt when the sky is dark, so the possibility of successful hunting is much greater.The seasoned snow leopard had already returned to its lair with its prey when the sun broke through the mist.

Jamba and I waited in the bushes for about half an hour, the mist dissipated, the bright sun came out, and the snow demon stepped out of the cave with all four limbs.We thought it would go along the hillside to the Gamar Grassland where herbivores are infested. Unexpectedly, after walking 80 meters, it stopped in front of a rock shaped like a cow's back, and then swooped up the rock. Go, lie down on a stone.

Jamba and I looked at each other, wondering why it was lying on the rock.

"What kind of medicine does it sell in its gourd?" I muttered in a low voice, "It sleeps late as soon as it steps out of the nest. There is no other such slob in the world!"

"It may be damp and cold in the cave, and it wants to bask in the sun to warm its body before foraging for food," said Jamba.

The two of us waited patiently in the bushes for a full morning. The snow demon seemed to be competing who could sleep in the most. He lay softly on the stone warmed by the sun, with his head resting in his arms, whistling big sleep.It didn't wake up until noon, and without moving its nest, it squatted on the rock, washed its paws slowly, and kept licking its lips and beard with the tip of its tongue.I am familiar with felines, grooming their paws and paws, licking their lips and whiskers, generally speaking, it is a behavior after a full meal, just like a person picking his teeth, washing his hands, wiping his mouth or something after a full meal.Snow Demon hasn't eaten anything from early morning to noon, why is there any need to do this post-course action?How strange!
At this time, there was no wind in the bushes under the hillside, and there was the sound of branches knocking. Oh, it was a green sheep going through the bushes to the pasture below the mountain.This is a good opportunity for hunting, for Snow Demon.I saw clearly through the telescope, the snow demon's sensitive hearing has already detected the abnormal movement in the bushes under the hillside, stood up quickly, raised his eyes to look at the bushes, raised his nose in a sniffing gesture, his leopard's eyes were round and his lips were curled up. Ting, the expression on his face showed the tension and excitement before hunting.It is about to run after the Qingyang, and I think a bloody and brutal killing may be about to kick off.

To my surprise, the Snow Demon didn't jump off the rock, let alone chase after it. It just watched Qingyang with interest, and the corners of its mouth dripped involuntarily, but it didn't take any action.It really makes people wonder if this guy has turned into a Buddhist who believes in the precept of not killing.The green sheep walked down the mountain along the bushes and disappeared into the golden meadow in late autumn.A great hunting opportunity was lost.I paid attention to the reaction of the snow demon, and it seemed that there was no regret or annoyance. As the blue sheep went away, it slowly lay down again, licked its lips, and dozed off again.Jamba and I can only continue to wait patiently to see the final result.

The sun gradually set in the west. In the late autumn of Gaoligong Mountain, the days are short and the nights are long. At four o'clock in the afternoon, the sun sits on the top of the snow mountain, and it is almost dusk.Xue Yao slept for a long time this time, sleeping for a full three and a half hours.The faint sunshine lost its warmth, and the cold wind blew in, making Qiangba and I shiver.At this moment, Snow Demon woke up, yawned, squinted his eyes and looked at the westward sun, as if he was estimating whether the time had come, stretched his limbs and stretched his long cat-like waist, and stood up , and walked towards our field observation station.

I raised my wrist and looked at my watch. It was exactly 10:04. It took about 30 minutes to walk from here to the tent of our observation station. Usually, the snow demon came to our observation station at [-]:[-] to ask for six pounds of meat. .

Its timing is accurate and admirable.

In the next few days, we will continue to pay close attention to the snow demon secretly. It is similar to what we saw on the first day. After the sun came out, we went to sleep on the ox-backed rock, and slept until around four o’clock in the afternoon, yawning, stretching and getting up. We're at the Observatory for that not-so-great dinner.

I think we've solved the mystery of the snow demon's anomalous behavior that's not as desperate for a six-pound hunk as it used to be.It uses the method of basking in the sun and sleeping late to minimize the calorie consumption in the body and delay the arrival of hunger, so as to adapt to our feeding standard of only six pounds of meat for each meal a day.No extravagant hopes, no pursuits, muddle along, tighten your belt to live a poor life.

(End of this chapter)