The next morning, we were awakened by the cold. The campfire had extinguished while we were asleep. Without the warmth of the fire, even though we huddled together, a chilling sensation crept through our limbs, threatening to freeze us. Glancing up, I saw that dawn was already breaking. I decided to wake up the girls, urging everyone to move around and rebuild the campfire.
In such weather, the campfire couldn't afford to go out, and physical activity would help circulate our blood, alleviating the icy feeling in our limbs. I, on the other hand, cautiously observed the surroundings at the cave entrance and then stepped outside. The fierce beast wouldn't be waiting for us in the snowy wilderness all night, right?
The outside of the cave was silent. Snowflakes fell heavily, and the biting cold wind swept across the land, penetrating my heart with a bone-chilling sensation. I quickly reached the side of Wang Qin's lifeless body. Her corpse looked gruesome and bloody. Please forgive me for not wanting to describe those scenes in detail. What angered me at this moment was the sight of dark and ugly vultures circling and pecking at her remains. In this icy wilderness, how could these vultures find food and consider themselves lucky?
Filled with anger, I grabbed an axe and charged towards them. I thought I might have to battle these vultures, as in the frigid winter, for food, the combat capabilities of vultures were not to be underestimated, and their talons were quite formidable. However, to my surprise, after my charge, the vultures were quickly frightened away, soaring high in the sky, unwilling to leave.
I paid them no mind and swiftly buried Wang Qin's body in a nearby small mound. I used pieces of wood to carve a simple tombstone for her. I thought that if anyone came to this place in the future, they would know that a vibrant life, a beautiful girl, had once existed here.
"Xiao Wei, don't blame yourself too much. This was an accident, and anyone would have been powerless in such a situation," Su Jie consoled me, embracing me warmly with her soft body, bringing an unexplainable sense of peace. The other girls, some comforting and others tearful, shared in our grief.
Although we had only known and interacted with Wang Qin for a few days, she was someone we had gotten to know and befriend. Seeing her life taken away by a ferocious beast, we all felt a sense of grief. Recalling the events of yesterday, shivers ran down our spines. Later, during discussions, we speculated that the giant creature was likely a predatory marsupial called a Thylacoleo.
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Thylacoleo, a marsupial, was closely related to kangaroos and koalas, distinguished by the marsupial pouch like that of kangaroos. Similar to a saber-toothed tiger, Thylacoleo was believed to be an extinct species, thriving around thirty thousand years ago. That era coincided with the late period of Homo sapiens, the time when modern humans were just emerging. Later, I discovered that Thylacoleo had a bite force three times that of a lion of similar size. This explained why the creature effortlessly killed the grey wolf.
Thylacoleo was also hailed as the most likely extinct animal to be brought back to life through scientific means. If news of Thylacoleo's discovery on this island spread to the field of biology, the entire academic community would likely erupt with excitement and astonishment.
"On this deserted island, even such extinct prehistoric creatures appear..." I couldn't calm my inner turmoil. I vaguely understood why Peggy had said that the dangers on this island far exceeded our imagination.
After the Thylacoleo attack, we became even more cautious. First, we dug a toilet inside the cave. Since there was flowing water underground in the cave, our waste would be washed away, maintaining cleanliness inside the cave. Next, we had to reduce the ratio of our food portions. I continued searching for food every day, but due to the need to be vigilant against Thylacoleo attacks, my hunting speed slowed considerably.
Every time we reached a new location, I observed the surroundings for quite a while, checking for traces left by the creature on tree trunks. I noticed that Thylacoleo had a habit of sharpening its claws on tree trunks. If it had recently appeared nearby, there would be its enormous claw marks on some trunks. Upon discovering such marks, I quickly distanced myself. This method likely saved my life multiple times.
Due to the decreased hunting efficiency, despite my daily efforts, I often returned empty-handed. Occasionally, when there was a harvest, it was meager, and we had to endure hunger. It's not that I was afraid of death; I just knew that if I died, the girls would have an even harder time surviving. This kind of life persisted for more than a week. Suddenly, I realized that for four or five consecutive days, I hadn't seen fresh claw marks on the tree trunks.
This almost confirmed that the creature had left this area. This discovery brought a tremendous relief to my heart!