I escorted them back to the vicinity of the cave, waved to the two girls, and then turned towards the northern forest. Since discovering that the forest was a territory of gray wolves, I had rarely ventured inside. I feared that one day they might target us. Considering the cunning and ferocity of the wolf pack, there was a real danger to our lives.
However, with the winter food supplies depleted, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and head towards the depths of the forest. During this period of training, my marksmanship had improved significantly compared to the first time I entered this forest. I hoped that this time, I would have a fruitful outcome.
Considering the late hour, I quickened my pace and soon delved deep into the forest. To my surprise, as I reached the base of a large crooked-neck tree, I quickly spotted a type of prey suitable for hunting—a large bird I had never seen before.
This large bird was about the length of an adult's forearm, with a long neck and an ugly head, somewhat resembling an osprey. I named it the osprey. As I looked under the crooked-neck tree, I instantly discovered three to five ospreys perched on its branches, standing in a dense and vulnerable formation! Typically, birds perch on branches in a scattered manner, and they are also smaller in size. However, these large and densely clustered birds made for an easy target—it was almost unbelievably foolish!
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I felt elated, acknowledging that fate truly worked in mysterious ways! Lifting my gun, I fired a shot, causing a loud bang, and one large bird fell down. The other two were scared away, flying off the tree. I quickly approached and secured the fallen bird, tying it to my waist with wire. Then, I continued to chase after the two ospreys that had escaped.
I vaguely noticed that there were more of these foolish birds in that direction. Hastening my steps, I confirmed my suspicion—there were indeed many more of these birds in the vicinity. Although my marksmanship was relatively poor, I quickly shot down five, enough for us to eat for a day or two.
However, I chose not to continue. On the one hand, these birds seemed to have become smarter, flying away when they saw me approaching, and I knew that continuing to shoot would significantly reduce my hit rate. On the other hand, using a gun against these foolish birds, I felt a bit reluctant.
My ammunition was running low, and considering the possibility of other people on the island and more ferocious wild animals, a gun was a highly intimidating weapon. I couldn't recklessly deplete all my bullets. Yet, the sudden appearance of these foolish birds, which I had never seen before, and their gathering raised my suspicions.
Curiously, I walked towards the direction where these foolish birds were concentrated. After a few steps, I found myself in a small valley. The scenery in this valley was incredibly beautiful, and to my further surprise, I made a new discovery!