Chapter 7
1038 Words
Sandra was aware of her situation. But the wolf was stalking them, so she bit her lip to stop herself from screaming, and her face flushed red. She even forgot to pull up her pants until it was embarrassingly late.
"It's nothing..." Sandra replied awkwardly. But the wolf behind them made a sudden move. She panicked and curled up in Anthony's arms again.
To ease the awkwardness, Anthony said quickly, "I need to find a way to get rid of this wolf!"
Sandra hurriedly pulled up her pants and hid to the side.
A soft whimper suddenly came from behind the wolf.
Anthony's eyes widened as he saw a wolf pup following its mother. He observed closely and noticed that both the adult and the pup were extremely thin, almost to the bone.
Anthony had learned a unique form of sign language in the army. He could communicate simple messages with most mammals.
Using gestures, he asked the mother wolf about her situation, and he could hear her whimpering back, "I'm hungry. My baby is also starving."
The wolves had probably come there because of extreme hunger. Thus, Anthony quickly motioned with his hands. The mother wolf whimpered in pain, as if expressing the pain of hunger.
Anthony rushed to get a grilled fish left at the cave entrance. The cooked fish smelled much better than the raw ones. It probably attracted the wolf in the first place.
He threw the grilled fish directly to the wolf. It was quickly devoured by the eager pup. After the pup had its fill, the mother wolf ate the leftovers.
Anthony breathed a sigh of relief. The fish he gave was the biggest of the five they had caught. The pup was sated, and the mother wolf's belly was slightly fuller, at least enough to stave off starvation.
Then, a surprising scene unfolded. The mother wolf tucked her tail between her legs and knelt on her front paws. It lifted her head high and exposed her neck.
Anthony knew from his study of wildlife that the neck was the most vulnerable part of a wolf. In wolf packs, showing the neck like this was a sign of submission. The pup mimicked her. The sight was truly astonishing.
Despite their wild nature, their intelligence was evident. They seemed to understand Anthony's gestures. However, considering that wolves are usually social animals, he gestured for the mother wolf to leave and not return for now.
Sandra had composed herself and adjusted her pants. She watched Anthony communicate with the wolf, and her face was a mix of amazement and relief. She had been so scared that tears had wet the corners of her eyes.
"Pretty impressive, huh?" Anthony boasted lightly.
Sandra responded with a shy nod, "I thought we were going to be wolf food. I almost thought I’d never see my parents again."
Anthony also felt relieved. "Well, we were lucky this time. That mother wolf came here starving with her cub. A grilled fish sent them on their way. But what if next time it's a different wolf, or a hunting pack?"
At this thought, Sandra’s eyes widened in panic. "What do we do then?"
"The only thing we can do is run. Let’s get out of the wolf’s territory," Anthony said, looking into the distance.
He really couldn’t understand why the show Wild Survival would be set in such a perilous place with no supplies and no medical support. It all seemed rather ominous.
Sandra looked up at Anthony. Her eyes were still filled with tears. She felt a flicker of hope as she met his steady gaze. It was as if anything could be solved when Anthony was around.
"Where can we go if we leave this cave?" For Sandra, at that moment, Anthony was as solid as a mountain. He would shield her from any danger.
"First, we'll put out the fire in the cave and block the entrance with vines. It's getting dark, and the damp area will surely fill with fog. It might attract a wolf pack if they catch our scent," Anthony suggested.
Sandra quickly agreed, "Alright, let's do it your way!"
Anthony originally wanted Sandra to put out the fire. Instead, she managed to make it blaze even more fiercely. "Why don't you head to the cave for now, and leave this to me?" he said.
Sandra knew she was being sidelined, and felt embarrassed. She blushed, agreed, and stood at the entrance, watching Anthony.
Anthony kicked aside the leaves on the ground and covered the flames with damp soil. It was snuffed out instantly. After extinguishing the fire, he began to pile up vines, some dry branches, and leaves at the cave entrance.
He kept piling them up until he was sure that it was unnoticeable from a distance. He finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew! Done!”
Both Anthony and Sandra collapsed to the ground, looking at each other, feeling an emotional connection and a sense of shared hardship.
Now, it was time to move on. Anthony grabbed Sandra's hand, and they quickly made their way through the jungle. They needed to be away from the territory of the wolves and find a suitable cave.
Fortunately, they had filled up on grilled fish and water in the morning. Now, they had plenty of energy. They walked for half an hour and finally spotted a cave in the distance.
Sandra was ecstatic. "We found another cave! Let's go check it out!"
Anthony felt lucky too, and they walked towards it together. Upon reaching the entrance, they realized this cave was much wider—almost ten times the size of the previous one.
Sandra grinned, "Great, now you won't be crowding me in the cave, you rascal."
Anthony frowned and gestured for her to be quiet. "Don't get too excited yet. This cave might already have occupants." He had noticed a clue that definitely proved others had been there.
Sandra looked surprised and followed the direction of Anthony's pointing finger. Sure enough, there were rows of messy footprints on the ground. They were made by someone at least as tall as Anthony.
With his extensive military reconnaissance experience, Anthony felt a sinking feeling. "Danger!"
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