Chapter 14 14. Who did it!

wait!This is the most haunting, alluring and tormenting feeling. It was the third day of the wolf den surveillance, and both of them were fidgeting. They were looking forward to the surprise discovery when they retracted the camera, but also worried that they would find nothing like the water source surveillance.You must let yourself find something to do, otherwise you will be tortured to death by this sense of expectation. I cut fresh shepherd's purse and prepared to make dumplings to satisfy my hunger. It is now mid-May, and the mountains outside the hut are covered with shepherd's purse and ash. They can be picked until September. There is no need to worry about no vegetables to eat. The shepherd's purse itself is very clean after a night of dew, without the grime in the city. Next, the water after washing is clear chlorophyll juice.

I looked out the window while chopping mutton stuffing.Yifeng also found a way to divert his attention, and played on the grass early in the morning with Luwang.This little dog is more than four months old. He looks like a fool, and is very sticky to Yifeng. Every time he sees Yifeng coming back, he is so excited that he can't hold back his urine.I narrowed my eyes and watched them play on the grass, and vaguely saw the shadow of Green, as if the little guy was still by our side. I sighed softly, pushed aside the ashes, added a pinch of cow dung to the hearth, and watched the fire slowly grow up in a daze.

Not long after, Yifeng pushed the door open, and came in with a gloomy face: "Pour me the washing water! Hurry up." "What's the matter?" I was quite surprised, since he came to the water-scarce grassland, he was rarely so particular about it.A few days ago, when Rinzeng Wangmo chatted about whether he was used to living in the grassland, Yifeng said: "I haven't washed my face for more than two months."Renzeng Wangmo replied with a smile: "You are modest." Yifeng's theory is that the more you wash your face on the plateau, the rougher it will be, and the skin will peel off in the sun. The best sunscreen is not to wash your face.Why do you want to be civilized today?

"Don't mention it, Luwang boy, huh! Last time Rinzeng Wangmo said that her family's Motuo could be spiritual. She had heatstroke while herding sheep and lay on the grass. Motuo ran home in a hurry to report. I think If I pretended to have a heatstroke and passed out, how would Luwang save me? So I tried it stupidly, but the guy came over and sniffed it, found the air-dried meat in my arms, sat on my face, and The thing is that when he is happy... the urine... oh, don't talk about it, just pour water for me to wash my face." I imitated his fainting posture and fell on the bed, letting go of my stomach and laughing loudly.

Yifeng feigned anger, pulled up my sleeve and rubbed dog urine on me. I turned over and dodged, grabbed the towel and soap and threw it at him, and said with a smile, "I'll just wash it with the water for washing vegetables. It hasn't rained for more than ten days, so I have to save it." I gave him the basin and held back my smile , straightened his messy temple hair: "After washing, help me make shepherd's purse dumplings. After dinner, you bring the horse back. We have to go to the earliest fox den to see. It's been eight or nine days, and it's time for surveillance."

Before going out, I took a few raw eggs, which are gifts for the little foxes.Last time I saw the mother fox bring home a few eggs the size of broad beans, but the little ones scrambled too hard and crushed them all.The mother fox is so thin from hunger, but she can't even bear to eat a few birds' eggs by herself. It is really not easy to raise a litter of fox cubs by herself. I wrapped the egg in a scarf and carefully carried it in my bosom, happily stepped on the horse, sat behind Yifeng, and said with a smile: "You can ride slowly, be careful of my egg!" "Don't worry, I've practiced it early." Yifeng smiled and reined in the rein and waved Luwang away, "Go home! Go back!" He was afraid that Luwang would follow along all the way and disturb the fox.

Lu Wang reluctantly backed away, and Lai whimpered and screamed on the hillside, hanging us both from a distance, but refused to go home.As he grows up, he likes to follow his master more and more. "Let him follow, go out for a walk, it's better than sleeping at home all day. When you get near the fox den, take him away and don't let him make trouble." After finishing speaking, I yelled at Luwang , "Luwang, let's go!" With an order, the guy wagged his tail and immediately followed. A family of three headed for the fox den. We have observed foxes for a long time, and found that although they are cunning and clever, they are really simple and lovely animals. They are not so afraid of people, and they are not too scruples about dogs, because they have no conflict of interest with humans.Foxes are weak and harmless, and they don't need much food. A few prairie mice can satisfy them a little. If they are lucky enough to catch rabbits and marmots, the whole family will be like Chinese New Year.When the mother fox brought the otter back to its nest, the little foxes would often do somersaults with joy, and would hop far away to snatch the food.Foxes are not harmful to humans and animals, at most they just take away a few sick and weak lambs during the spring famine.In autumn and winter, foxes like to mix with cattle and sheep, and prey on pikas and wild mice that are disturbed by cattle and sheep. At that time, the lambs have already grown up, and even if they see foxes, the shepherds are too lazy to drive them away.

It is said that there is no reason for people to hate such a good-natured animal, but they still hate him, why? In ancient times, the fox was originally a spirit god and auspicious beast. The fox culture was originally a totem culture and amulet culture, but in the later period it evolved into a goblin culture.Even when the fox was worshiped as a fox fairy, it was never included in the sacrificial ceremony and has always been within the scope of obscenity.As a goblin, the fox demon is the leading role in the huge group of goblins.After the fox culture entered the aesthetic culture from religious folk culture, it has undergone a new value judgment and aesthetic transformation. The fox symbolizes hypocrisy, treachery and cunning. Starting from Daji, beautiful and enchanting bad women are often labeled as "vixes".What about beautiful but not bad?A netizen said: "The fox is not perfect, it is purely coquettish!" Regardless of whether he is a good fox or a bad fox, if he looks too charming, it will inevitably arouse people's envy.With the increase of marriages in modern times, the hatred of foxes has intensified.What's more, the fox has a gorgeous fur that can be plundered.

Yifeng reined in his horse a few hundred meters away, and I dismounted and continued walking towards the fox den. Today's fox den is not the same as in the past.Except for the hooves of passing cattle and sheep, there are no small paw prints left recently.I checked around, and there was no fresh little fox dung.I bent down suspiciously and listened carefully at the entrance of the cave, but there was no movement.I frowned, and simply lay down on the mound, with my ears on the ground, and followed the direction of the tunnel, but there was still no sound. I beckoned Yifeng to come over, and I half-kneeled in front of the cave to spy.The entrance of the cave with the dead grass hanging there looks particularly depressed.

"I don't seem to be at home." I whispered to Yifeng, looking down at my side, looking for a small stone to throw into the hole to explore.Just touching the egg in his bosom, he took out one and gently rolled it in along the sandy slope at the entrance of the cave. Before I could concentrate on listening, Lu Wang saw it, and ducked into the hole to snatch the eggs out, and ate them while running.Even though the dog got through the cave, the cave is still deserted and there is no movement. "Has this family moved?" I was a little disappointed. During this period of time, I was busy exploring the "Wolf Mansion", ignoring the "Fox Mansion". If I really moved, it would be hard to find.

"It's possible that the mother fox took the cubs to learn how to hunt. Didn't we see the mother fox take the cubs to hunt otters some time ago? Maybe they will come back. If you leave the eggs, they will be able to see them when they come back. " "Hehe, do you want to leave a note?" I smiled and put the remaining eggs on the sand where the little foxes often play, leaving a camera on duty. "The remaining two cameras are installed next to the black-necked crane's nest, and then observe the hatching of the crane's eggs." Yifeng rolled his eyes and suddenly smirked, "Let's save an egg and put it in the black-necked crane's nest to see what they do reaction?" "Hehe, the couple must break up." The two rode around the swamp, and it was already afternoon when they reached the water bubble of the black-necked crane. When we got off the horse, the horse took the time to eat grass and drink water. Since entering May, it has not rained for half a month.The sun was burning all day long, and the water in the bubble was obviously reduced. I tried it with bare feet, and the water that was originally hip-deep was now no more than knee-deep. "If it doesn't rain anymore, the water will dry up!" I stood in the water, propping up the shore with one hand, "Hey, pass me the camera." Taking advantage of Yifeng holding the camera, I looked around and muttered: "Strange, why is the black-necked crane not at home today? Usually, it never stays away from the nest." While installing the battery, Yifeng also looked around: "It's a bit weird, I didn't see them when I came here, it stands to reason that the big crane should shade the eggs in such a big sun, and the eggs are basking like this. It's all cooked. Go over and have a look first!" I was a little uneasy at first, but after being told by Yifeng, I panicked even more, and hurriedly turned around and went to the crane's nest... The eggs are gone! ! ! My head exploded!There are still eight or nine days before the little crane hatches. We haven't been here for a few days. Where did the eggs go? I hurriedly searched.The black-necked cranes are extremely precious to these two eggs. Every time they hatch, they carefully arrange the eggs in the nest.Has the fox been here?No, it is impossible for a fox to take away two eggs at a time. At most, it can eat one and take one away. The eggshell should be left behind! I searched on the edge of the nest, took off my hat to cover the reflection of the water surface, and bent down to explore the bottom inch by inch, but I didn't find any broken eggshells.Did the fox really come and steal the eggs twice?Haven't been spotted by black-necked cranes twice? No, it's impossible!I tried to calm myself down and think.Not to mention that foxes never dare to provoke black-necked cranes, even when we approached the crane's nest, Yifeng warned me: "Be careful, cranes know kung fu, otherwise there will be a double shape of tiger and crane." The black-necked cranes usually never leave their nests. We have seen how he protects the nests. Once a yak came closer to the cranes’ nest. The couple of cranes yelled loudly and jumped up, clawing, pecking, and flapping their wings. , tossing so that the yak almost got stuck in the swamp and couldn't get out.This is true for yaks, not to mention the dwarf fox, which may drown if it is pressed into the water by the crane's claws. Could it be a wolf?I lay down on the soft, rotting grass of the nest pile to check for wolf paw prints, and found a large indentation.I gently peeled off the weeds and saw that it was a deep rain boot print. It's over! I walked back to the shore with heavy steps, and Yifeng handed me a wet cigarette butt: "I just found this by the water, 'Tianxiaxiu', it's not my cigarette." He looked at me, waiting Looking at my answer, I seem to have guessed the result. I nodded and sat down on the grass: "The egg was stolen." "Who did it?" Yifeng gritted his teeth with hatred, "Who else would come in such a secret place?" "The herdsmen won't touch the eggs of god birds." I numbly polished my feet and put on my shoes, my heart split into eight petals. Black-necked cranes are so trusting in people... "Go to Zeren and ask, see who has been here recently, and get the egg back!" Yifeng called Lu Wang, threw the backpack on the horse's back, took the rein, and pulled me towards Zeren Yuanmu's house to go. I followed Yifeng's footsteps dully.Where can I find an egg thief on this vast grassland?So what if you find it? Can you convict me?Does anyone care?Maybe he ate the eggs already.Even if the eggs have not been eaten, crane eggs are very sensitive to temperature. If they stop hatching overnight, the embryos will undoubtedly die.Seeing that there are still a few weeks before the new little life will be hatched. At this time, when the eggshell is cracked, the little crane that is taken out has already taken shape... I turned my head step by step, and the water bubbles went away inch by inch, the water dried up and the flowers withered, the cranes went to empty their nests, and the dreamlike fairyland of the past disappeared before my eyes. "What are you talking about? The divine bird's eggs were also stolen!" Renzeng Wangmo was shocked and angry, and immediately called Zeren. Renzeng Wangmo said to us: “During this period of time, a pasture road will be built in the village leading to the mountain, and many tractors pulling sand and gravel pass by here. Every time they pass by, the black-necked cranes are very unsteady, for fear that someone will I found them hatching eggs. I seemed to hear black-necked cranes screaming loudly yesterday afternoon, and I didn’t see them again this morning. But there are so many cars coming and going, and I don’t know who did it!” After a while, Zeren came back on a motorcycle with a lot of wire loops hanging on the front of the motorcycle.He stopped the car and turned off the engine, took off the wire, and stepped into the tent angrily: "The crane egg was stolen? Did your camera catch who did it?" Yifeng regretted endlessly: "Just a few days ago, we moved the camera from the crane's nest to the newly discovered fox's nest. We haven't monitored the black-necked crane in the past few days! We are going to continue to install the camera today. Gone……" Yifeng told Ze Ren the story in detail again. Ze Ren blushed with anger: "There are too many outsiders on the ranch these days, poaching and poaching will do everything! I patrol the farm every day, but I still can't prevent these people from playing tricks, look!" Ze Ren spread out his hands, a large number of wire covers that had not been taken back, there were twenty or thirty of them, some were rusted, and some were still new. "It's all a trick of the Han people, and those Han people are still wearing our Tibetan clothes..." Zeren suddenly shut up. I noticed that it was Rigzin Wangmo who quietly tugged Zeren's sleeve.Yifeng and I are also Han Chinese, they didn't want to hurt our feelings.This small act of protecting my friend made me even more panicked: "Why do those Han people wear Tibetan clothes?" "It can confuse the public. It is not easy for the herdsmen to find them. The most important thing is that the animals on the grassland see Han clothes and run away from a long distance. Wearing Tibetan clothes can get closer to the animals, which is convenient for poaching. Those people It's blind, you are intellectuals, it's different, don't worry too much..." The more tactful Zeren's tone was, the more we felt overwhelmed.The creatures were speechless, and the spiritual fortress built by the Han people for thousands of years was shattered by the natural reaction of the animals in front of the clothes.shame!This topic cannot be bypassed. People who end up wearing fur and consuming wild animal products are not blind people. "There was a trap that strangled a fox in the middle of the pasture," Zeren said. "I just found out this afternoon, and the body was already rotting." I thought our news was bad enough, but Zeren brought back even worse news.I thought of the deserted fox den, and an ominous premonition struck me: "Where is the dead fox? Take us to see it!" Tsering started his motorcycle to lead the way, and Rigzin Wangmo led me a white horse.Yifeng tied Luwang to the side of the tent, mounted a chestnut horse, and followed. This little fox died at the mouth of a marmot hole, which should be a tragedy a few days ago. Yifeng and I got off our horses and took a closer look. The remains of the little fox had been pecked badly by vultures and crows.The internal organs and muscles had been eaten, the thin ribs were exposed, and a small piece of fur remained under the body. The original bright red hair had turned dark brown.His tail was less than thirty centimeters long, not yet fully fluffy, and the vertebrae had been dragged apart by the gnawing animals, only the head was still tightly strangled in the wire sheath.The base of the snare made of multiple strands of thin wire was bitten and twisted, and a broken tooth was still caught in the wire. It is not difficult to imagine how painful and hopeless this fox struggled when it died.His eyes had been pecked by crows, and the empty eye sockets were filled with sand, and tiny deciduous teeth were exposed under the rotten skin of his mouth.This is this year's little fox, less than three months old.Is it the member of the fox family we observed? It is so broken that it is difficult to identify.But the location of his quilt was less than a kilometer away from the fox den. "I didn't take this set," Zeren said. "Other animals can be vigilant when they see it. This set is very professional." Yifeng painstakingly pieced together the remains of the little fox, and asked, "Since it was done by poachers, why didn't you pick it up when it was caught? Do you think he is too small?" "No, poachers eat all sizes. Besides, this is fox fur, which is much more valuable than the fur of a rex. This was originally a rex hole, and the poachers may be trying to trap a rex, but foxes often go through the hole to catch a rex. , so inexperienced little foxes are often trapped and become a windfall for poachers." Zeren said, "there are many reasons why they didn't come to pick it up, maybe too many traps at one time, and they can't remember it , or they may be eaten by eagles before they can get them in time, or they may be scruples about herdsmen patrolling the field, and they can't find a chance to get them, so these animals are allowed to rot on the grassland. This is not the first time I have encountered such a situation. This fox is The smallest one I have ever seen, it is said that it has not been completely weaned, so it is so young to go into the hole to catch the otter by itself, it is pitiful... If there is a big fox following, maybe it can help him break free." I pulled the rein and leaned against the horse's neck, the pain and uneasiness made it hard for me to breathe, and I spoke incoherently for a while: "Is there any more...the cover! Fox..." I gritted my teeth and looked at the sky, forcing back tears, and my hands and feet trembled. Yifeng got up and patted my shoulder comfortingly, and asked for me, "Have you taken all the other condoms?" Zeren pointed to the back and the right side: "I searched the pastures on the north and west yesterday, took a dozen or so, released two otters, and they are still alive. The east of the search today, there are dozens of sets, I found this dead fox, and before Nanmian had time to look at it, I rushed home after receiving your call." "Let's search together before it's dark!" I said, jumping on the horse. The three fanned out and headed south. "What did you find?" I noticed that Yifeng had been standing in front of a mound for several minutes. Yifeng glanced at me, hesitated to speak.My heart sank, and I rode my horse and ran. Yifeng rushed up to meet him, stopped the horse and reined in: "Don't go, don't look!" I was on the horse, but I saw it—another fox carcass lying on the mound. I rolled off the horse, broke away from Yifeng, and ran up the mound.This is what I am most afraid of seeing - the dead mother fox.She died earlier than the little fox, but her body was still intact.The messy fur was covered with wind and sand, only a head with open eyes and a big tail were exposed, and the absent eyeballs were covered with a gray-white film, and flies settled on her dry eyeballs. My legs went limp, and I was on the verge of falling.Yifeng stroked the back of my head and leaned my head on his shoulder, sideways blocking my sight: "Don't look at it, it hurts to see it." I pushed Yifeng away, and stubbornly brushed away the sand from the fox's body, my throat tightened: "I need to know how she died!" The mother fox's body is already dry and hard, without a cover on her head and neck, and there is even a tail protruding from the side of her body.I squeezed my heartbeat and lifted the mother fox's body. A little fox body was lying weakly under the mother fox. Only the head, tail, and claws were intact. The little fox had the mother fox's teat in its mouth. His body was already highly rotten, with maggots crawling around and the stench flying. I covered my mouth with a cry of pain, and tears rolled down the back of my hand.It's only been a few days, what's going on? "This is poisoned to death by the fox." Ze Ren came over to look, and then looked up at the fox den in the distance, "Poor thing, the mother fox is still looking at home when she is dying, but she can't crawl back." I frantically dug under the sand: "There are two little foxes, where are they?" There were no other corpses under Mother Fox. Yifeng grabbed my wildly waving hand, but couldn't say a word of comfort with red eyes. The mother fox died, covering the weakest child in the family.Maybe the slightly older little fox couldn't bear the hunger and tried to forage, but fell into a trap.We searched the ranch but did not find the remains of the two little foxes left. They may have died of starvation in a hole, or they may have been taken away by poachers... The eggs we brought this morning are still placed next to the fox's nest, and the little foxes can no longer eat them. Let's check the surveillance records of the fox den.Since the poachers set up traps around them, they did not enter the range of the camera's induction and activation, so they failed to take pictures of the criminal evidence. In the video, the remaining two little foxes sat by the nest and waited eagerly, from dusk to night, and their mother could never come back.In the last shot in the early morning, the two young foxes stood upright, huddled and sitting facing each other, no longer as lively as before.A little fox put its paw on the shoulder of another little fox, as if to comfort him, and then they left home side by side. The little fox without its mother could only die. The video recording ended in the early morning of May 16th, and it told us the irreversible past. The family of black-necked cranes and the family of foxes were the most pleasant surprises we found after we arrived in the grassland.In those days, we counted the time and waited for the baby cranes to hatch. We witnessed the black-necked cranes desperately protecting their eggs in the snowstorm. We saw the black-necked cranes standing still under the scorching sun and sleepiness. Trusting and friendly, I still remember the warmth of the crane's eggs against my cheeks.We watched the mother fox save every ration to raise her children, we watched the little foxes grow up day by day while playing and chasing, and we looked forward to seeing the little foxes grow up to be independent... Who would have thought that the two families would collapse overnight up. Who did this! I can no longer escape the catastrophe of tears, let it silently crawl all over my cheeks. The twilight is all together, the grassland is deeper and more magnificent, and we are smaller.Layers upon layers of dark clouds were pressing in front of us. I couldn't see anything, and I didn't want to see anything anymore. I let go of the rein and let the horse carry me into the boundless darkness.