Chapter 109: Best Friend Reward
"Dig a big hole?"
"A hole?"
"Why? Are we not hunting?"
"What does this even mean?"
Confusion rippled through the clearing as the hunters murmured among themselves.
"Okay, okay, listen to the strategy," Nuan said, kneeling on the ground to cut through the skepticism. "If you can set your hunting pride aside for a second and think about a low-risk, big-reward hunt, here is how you do it."
She began drawing a rough blueprint in the dirt with her finger.
"We are going to dig a huge hole. It needs to be deep enough that even if three adult bulls fall inside, there are still two bulls’ worth of height remaining to the surface so they can’t jump out. And it needs enough floor space to hold them safely."
She sketched lines over the pit. "Then, we cover the top with a few long, weak sticks and conceal the whole thing with a thick layer of ryegrass and leaves. When the herd comes here to graze, they won’t see it coming."
One of the younger hunters stepped forward, ears twitching doubtfully. "But Witch, once the first one falls inside, the others will see it! They’ll stay far away from the exposed trap."
Another nodded in agreement. "And what if not even one of them steps on it? All the energy we use digging will go to waste."
"Well, you don’t just sit back and wait for them to stumble into it blindly," Nuan explained with a sharp grin. "Look, chasing massive bulls the old way takes an immense amount of energy, and fighting them upfront is incredibly risky. Even though you have the whiteclaw herb for healing, I highly suggest this method instead."
She pointed to her dirt drawing. "After we finish digging and hiding the pitfall trap, the hunter troop will hide in the brush and wait, just like you always do. When the herd wanders near the trap, you march out and ambush them from specific angles—flanking them from the sides where their only instinct will be to bolt in one direction."
Nuan looked up at them. "You herd them right toward the trap. They run, they fall, and we succeed."
"Ohh..." The murmurs shifted from skeptical to intrigued.
"And how do we get these heavy bulls back out of the pit?" one hunter asked.
"Hmm, start digging first, and I’ll explain the retrieval method once they’re caught," Nuan replied, flashing a mysterious smile. "Now come with me. I’ll show you the exact spot to break ground."
She stood up and marched out onto the wide, open expanse of green ryegrass. Man, what a beautiful, tactical spot, she thought.
Selka fell into step beside her, her silver fur catching the midday light. Furless... speaking as a wolf, a trap like this scratches at my predatory pride. But looking at it practically, my hot-blooded, reckless children might find this useful when they eventually leave the pack on their lone wolf journeys.
"Right? It’s great, isn’t it?" Nuan said softly. "And to be honest, after watching Kael hunt that giant moose by himself, I realized just how easily wolf pride can get you killed. I wanted to introduce some safer, smarter methods."
Selka smiled warmly. Nuan stopped right in the middle of a natural bottleneck in the clearing. "Okay, we are going to dig right here. Hunter troop, Koda’s group—everyone start digging!"
"Yes!" they chorused.
In a wave of fluid motion, the hunters shifted into their massive wolf forms. Claws hit the dirt, sending chunks of soil flying into the air as they began excavating the ground.
Kael, however, remained in his human form, standing right beside Nuan with his arms crossed, watching the pack work.
Nuan squinted her eyes at him, placing her hands on her hips. "What, did your joints suddenly get old like the elders? Dig with them!"
Kael blinked, pointing a thumb at his own chest. "Me too?"
"Yes, hurry up!" Nuan hissed. "Help them finish the trench before the afternoon herd gets here."
Kael gave a quick nod, shifted into his powerful silver-grey wolf form, and dove into the pit, his large paws moving dirt twice as fast as the others.
Nearby, the elders laid down in a wide circle around the perimeter, keeping a sharp, vigilant eye on the surrounding jungle.
Selka and Nuan walked over toward the shaded treeline.
What exactly are you scouting for, Furless? Selka inquired.
"Hmm, the perfect vantage point to hide," Nuan said, scanning the upper canopy. "Somewhere I can see the entire clearing. A sturdy tree to climb would be ideal."
Why?
"Well, wild bulls can be unpredictable. They might scatter when panicked, and there’s a real chance one or two might turn around and try to charge at the pack members who are herding them. If that happens, I can stay safely above the chaos and shoot them down with my bow from a nearby tree. Like this one."
She stopped in front of a massive, ancient tree with low, thick branches overlooking the clearing.
Selka looked up at the branches, her eyes gleaming with deep respect. So you kept that threat in mind. I was wondering how we would handle a rogue bull breaking formation.
"Haha, of course I did. An apex hunt isn’t truly safe unless you’ve accounted for the worst-case scenario," Nuan said.
Satisfied with the location, she circled the trunk, found a good foothold, and began climbing up. "You see, Miss Selka, my sharp wooden-tipped arrows might not pierce deeply enough to kill a massive bull instantly, but it will at least wound them and buy the pack enough time to react."
She found a wide, comfortable branch high up and swung her legs over it, settling in. Man, if only I had some actual steel or iron pieces to forge proper, armor-piercing arrowhead tips, Nuan grumbled internally.
Ding!
[ Securely elevate Mate Kael to the status of ’Best Friend’, Host. ]
[ Reward: 50 Kilograms of High-Grade Forging Steel. ]
Nuan’s foot slipped, and she almost tumbled right off the branch. Say what now?! Fifty kilograms of steel?!
[ Yes, Host! A generous reward for a high-quality friendship! ]
Holy crap, Nuan thought, her mind immediately exploded with crafting possibilities. With that much pure steel, I could easily forge cooking pots, frying pans, and proper metal containers to boil water directly over a blazing fire without relying on hot stones!
She sat back against the tree trunk, staring down at the silver wolf digging furiously below, a highly calculating, mischievous smirk spreading across her face.