Worthless

In the category of herbivores, rabbits are granted the least points. Only 1 point. The highest one was a moose. It granted 3 points. 

If you want a higher score, aim for carnivores. Snakes, tigers, bears… Those animals gave more than 5 points each or maybe 10 points, depending on what you were able to bring back. The head? The skin, perhaps? Or maybe the teeth and claws? 

But then, Zeke recalled the additional information about the game. Getting this animal was like a free pass, guaranteed with a flying score. And that particular animal was… 

The head of the Alpha wolf of this forest. 

However, no one seemed to want to hunt this vicious animal. There was only one reason that could back this up. 

One plus ten. 

It was like an extremely generous package. Buy this one and you get an extra ten more with similar features. 

Go for the Alpha, be prepared for the other ten members of the pack to tear you apart. 

No one with the right and healthy mind would go and actually hunt for these beasts. It was even better if people were hunting them, but what if it was the other way around? 

Don't even think of going out of the forest alive. It was considered lucky enough if you even managed to save your limbs, one of your limbs, to be exact. 

Zeke himself didn't even want to meet the pack of wolves. Hunting a tiger or bear? With enough strategy and spectacular aiming skills, it was easy to take down. But a pack of wolves? Just go and die. Even though you shot one down, you wouldn't have enough time to escape before the others tore your limbs. 

The black-haired Alpha sneezed, rubbing his nose as cold wind blew past him. What was this? A bad omen? Bad premonition? Wait-- that's the same thing! 

Zeke sniffed. He really just hoped he wouldn't run into something unexpected. But he definitely knew once he wished that, nothing would ever go as he wished. 

He should have stopped his crow mouth from opening. 

XXX

Two hours of slogging through wind and snow, the two of them wandered aimlessly. The air was cold and thick, snowflakes stuck to them. However, the two of them stayed silent throughout the ordeal. 

In truth, Zeke was getting restless. 

They actually didn't run into any kind of animals! Aside from the occasional sounds from insects and birds and wind, since they were in nature, their surroundings were extremely still. 

How could that be?! He knew exactly and precisely about this area. This was the east side of the forest, a little further down and they would see a river with clear water, maybe frozen water as it was winter now. 

Normally there were at least a few deers passing by or even a moose! But no, they had yet to meet any up till now which made Zeke frown in confusion. 

Normally with Mika, after hunting the animals they wanted, finding a cave was their next target. However, he and Jian Yu hadn't even gotten a glimpse of any kind of animals. 

It was strange. Weird. And it somehow sent chills down his spine. 

Did the deers decide to exchange habitats with the tigers? Tired of the same old boring territory and wanting to breathe new fresh air? Zeke wondered what kind of negotiation had been established. Wouldn't that be so much fun to watch? 

There indeed had a frozen river down below so Zeke was so sure they were on the right track. The temperature was so low that the Alpha noticed Jian Yu rubbing his arms insistently as if doing so could warm himself up, maybe it helped a bit. He resisted the urge to reach out and brush the snow that had piled on Jian Yu's shoulder. 

Zeke was also in need to stitch his mouth from blurting out nonsense like 'let's embrace for the night is cold' so he just resorted to violence. 

He smacked his handsome face. 

SMACK! 

The smack wasn't exactly loud but it still echoed throughout the forest, disrupting the tranquility it tried hard to maintain. 

"What? What's wrong?" Jian Yu was startled. 

The baby monkey threw a stone at Zeks's head as it screamed at the Alpha, hitting Zeke right at his forehead. 

The once silent forest erupted into various kinds of noises and all of them were directed solely at Zeke. 

Zeke had something to say. He felt really wronged here! 

Spotting Jian Yu's mortified face from a distance, Zeke rubbed his neck in embarrassment, his cheek still stinging from the smack. "My blood is so delectable that a mosquito decided to make a nest there." 

Looking at how Jian Yu's expression distorted into a more disgusted one, the Alpha finally realized how wrong his statements were. 

"N--No wait, that sounded really wrong," Zeke forced out a laugh but it didn't seem to improve his situation. 

His "ha ha ha" was so fake that even he himself cringed at it. However, after a while, Jian Yu snorted softly before chuckling. Coughing into his fist as gently as he could appear to be, Jian Yu spoke. "It's winter. There can't be any mosquitoes in here. Besides…" 

Jian Yu turned and gestured to the whole area that was covered in white with his arms. "Don't you think it is a bit too quiet in here? I thought you said there is a herd of deer live here--" 

A rustle sounded from the bushes close to Jian Yu. 

Note: Crow's mouth is when one is prone to jinxing things.. They'll muse on a bad, worse-case scenario and it will inevitably happen.