"It's alright, I'm afraid I'll ruin it if you have it..."
Gyatso shook his head, his gaze towards the fledgling eagle filled with affection.
"Destroy it? How could that be..."
Zhuang Rui was puzzled. He cherished this little thing so much, how could he possibly destroy it?
Gyatso waved his hand and asked, "Xiao Zhuang, do you know how to train eagles?"
"No," Zhuang Rui answered decisively; he simply liked it.
"Falconry, also known as 'falcon training,' is a very ancient skill. Only people on the grasslands can train the best hunting falcons, making them partners of the herders and brothers of the hunters..."
Gyatso began to explain to Zhuang Rui.
After listening to Gyatso's words, Zhuang Rui realized that raising eagles was not an easy task after all.
After buying the eagle, the falconer puts on leather gloves and holds the eagle on his hand to begin "training the eagle." "Training the eagle" is the first step in falconry. After removing the eagle's eye stripe, the falconer has to get up before dawn every day, hold the eagle on his arm, and take it wherever there are many people.
At night, the dog must be tied up beside the eagle to prevent it from being afraid of the dog. Eagle hunting requires the cooperation of the eagle, the dog, and the person; none of them can be missing. Once the eagle can eat and sleep peacefully on the falconer's arm, the "eagle training" is basically complete.
This process sounds easy, but it is very difficult to do. Few people can train an adult eagle well, so eaglets become extremely precious.
Raising a fledgling eagle from a young age not only fosters a bond between you and the eagle, but also, through long-term, subtle influence, allows you to command the eagle as it grows into an adult. Such an eagle is the dream of every herdsman on the grasslands.
"Hehe, this little guy of mine will definitely be as intelligent as the white lion when he grows up, he won't need any training at all..."
Upon hearing Gyatso's words, Zhuang Rui chuckled inwardly. The purpose of training was merely to make the golden eagle obedient; he could do the same without training.
Zhuang Rui suddenly thought of a question and asked, "By the way, Brother Jiacuo, even if this falcon is excellent, it's no longer of any use. Is it really necessary for you to spend so much money to buy this little thing?"
"Sigh, this is one of my dreams..."
Jiacuo sighed and began to tell Zhuang Rui that Jiacuo's grandfather was once a famous hunter on the Tibetan grasslands, and his grandfather had raised a hunting falcon.
That falcon was also a large eagle. Although it wasn't as good a breed as the golden eagle, after being trained by Grandpa Gyatso, it was able to catch its prey almost every time. Once, in one winter, it hunted 20 grassland wolves on its own and was revered by all the hunters on the grassland as the Eagle King of the Great Grassland.
When Gyatso was very young, he saw the majestic eagle perched on his grandfather's shoulder. The dream of raising an eagle took root in Gyatso's heart from childhood.
However, it wasn't until he saw Zhuang Rui's little eaglet that he remembered those unforgettable memories, and that's when he impulsively decided to spend all his money to buy the little guy.
“Brother Gyatso, hunting is prohibited now, so please don’t be so insistent on it…”
Although he admired Gyatso's dedication to his dream, Zhuang Rui had no intention of giving up the fledgling eagle. This little thing was his precious treasure, and he would never sell it under any circumstances.
While they were talking, Gesang had already prepared the roasted meat. After eating something and resting for a while, they prepared to go down the mountain. If all went well, they should be able to return to the village around seven or eight o'clock in the evening.
The group descending the mountain was quite interesting. Leading the way were the white lion and its fiancée, followed by Gesang Gyatso and others, while Zhuang Rui and the snow leopard leisurely brought up the rear.
Except for a few steep sections near the summit, the terrain was relatively flat. After hiking for about five hours, we had already passed the snow line, and the villages with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys in the distance were clearly visible.
"Is that Gyatso? Have you found Xiaozhuang yet? White Lion, it's White Lion!" On a gentle slope, a tent was set up. Suonan had been waiting for more than 20 hours since yesterday morning. If he weren't so calm, he probably would have already gone down the mountain to get help.
Upon seeing a group of people coming down the mountain, Suo Nan had just asked a question when he saw the white lion running ahead. He couldn't help but shout out happily. With the white lion there, Zhuang Rui was naturally there as well.
"Brother Suo Nan, thank you for your concern..."
Zhuang Rui took a few steps forward, walked to the front of the line, and waved to Suo Nan.
"You brat, you almost killed me..."
Upon seeing Zhuang Rui, Suo Nan angrily rushed forward and punched Zhuang Rui hard on the shoulder.
Before the white lion in front could react, Xiao Xue, not to be outdone, bristled and roared at the man.
"What...what's going on?"
The sudden appearance of a ferocious beast in front of you would be unbearable even for someone with a strong heart. The appearance of the snow leopard startled Suo Nan so much that he plopped down on the grass.
"Snow Leopard, come back..."
Zhuang Rui grabbed the snow leopard by the skin on its neck, pulled it to his side, and gave it a lecture on not hurting people. Then he turned to Suo Nan, who looked like he had seen a ghost, and explained.
"No, I can't agree to this. Wouldn't that be deceiving the people of Tibet?"
After hearing Zhuang Rui's nonsense about being a reincarnated Living Buddha, Suonan naturally didn't believe a word of it. When Zhuang Rui asked him to tell the villagers about it, Suonan refused outright.
"Go, Snow Leopard, get intimate with Brother Suo Nan..."
Seeing that Suo Nan refused to help, Zhuang Rui nudged the snow leopard. The leopard, ever the helpful fellow, gently licked Suo Nan's face, which was already stiff, unaware that it had nearly scared the man out of his wits.
"I'll help you, I'll speak on your behalf, okay? And this guy will listen to you?"
After a long while, Suo Nan finally came to his senses and looked at the snow leopard with some surprise. Such a human-like creature, maybe Zhuang Rui was telling the truth?
"Of course, Brother Suonan, when have I ever lied? It really was the Living Buddha who told me in a dream..."
Zhuang Rui said shamelessly that he wasn't lying, but not a single word of his was true. Zhuang Rui didn't believe in Buddhism and had no psychological barriers to it.
"Gah... Gah gah!"
Just as Zhuang Rui and Suo Nan were arguing, two black dots appeared in the sky above them, and the clear cry of an eagle rang out.
"Oh dear, Xiao Zhuang, you've got me in deep trouble! This...this giant eagle is here looking for its fledglings, it...they'll fight you to the death..."
Gyatso, who came from a family of hunters, looked so bitter after seeing the two golden eagles in the sky that you could practically squeeze out tears.
Chapter 757 The Sorrow of Parting (Part 1)
Eagles and falcons generally have excellent eyesight, able to distinguish prey the size of a rabbit on the ground from thousands of meters in the air. Large golden eagles, on the other hand, have eyes that are like fire-eyed demons; they probably can't even see the movement of a mouse.
Gyatso had a deep understanding of eagles and knew that the two eagles in the sky must have come to find their eaglets. If the eaglets in Zhuang Rui's arms were discovered by them, they would definitely fight to the death with his group.
"Xiao Peng, get your guns ready. If they really pounce, shoot them and wound them..."
After hearing Gyatso's explanation, Suonan also picked up a military-grade Type 56 assault rifle. He reasoned that such a large eagle could even grab cattle and sheep, and that they would definitely be at a disadvantage if they were unarmed.
Although this creature is a nationally protected animal, the animal protection regulations do not state that people cannot defend themselves when attacked. Does that mean they are going to be captured and taken on a trip in the sky?
"Chirp chirp... Chirp chirp..."
Just as Jiacuo and the others were busy like rabbits being chased by eagles, trying to come up with a solution, the little eaglet on Zhuang Rui's chest, who was smiling, heard its parents' calls and immediately started fussing in the backpack, squeezing its fluffy little head out of the backpack zipper.
Seeing the little guy's anxious look, Zhuang Rui simply opened his backpack, took out the little thing, and held it in his hands.
"Xiao Zhuang, what... what are you doing...?"
Gyatso was really desperate this time. He came from a family of hunters and didn't want to hurt the two eagles unless absolutely necessary. But now it seemed he had no choice, because the eagle that had been circling in the sky had swooped down in their direction.
"Brother Suo Nan, Peng Fei, don't fire! This is my friend..."
Zhuang Rui pressed down on the gun barrel that Suo Nan had raised, turned to look at Jiacuo, and said, "Brother Jiacuo, didn't I tell you before that this little guy was given to me by his parents? Why won't you believe me?"
"You...you're telling the truth?"
Gyatso was completely stunned. At noon, he had completely taken Zhuang Rui's words as a story and hadn't believed a single word of them.
"Hey, Brother Gyatso, I'm just joking with you because I'm bored, right?"
Zhuang Rui pursed his lips, raised his hands high, and the little creature in his palms cried out loudly, its two downy wings flapping incessantly. Of course, it still couldn't fly.
Zhuang Rui believed that the two golden eagles had already discovered the little guy's existence, and that these two guys had come looking for him. Under this sky, it seemed that no creature could escape their eyes.
Zhuang Rui once read a report that said eagles' eyes contain extremely rich selenium, more than a hundred times higher than that of humans. Furthermore, eagles' unique visual system can magnify objects several times over. Just as people use binoculars to observe eagles high in the sky, they can also magnify and observe things on the ground.
"That giant eagle was still clutching something..."
As the two golden eagles drew closer to the ground, everyone could see more clearly that one of the eagles was clutching a dead argali sheep in its talons.
Judging from the size of that argali sheep, it must weigh at least over 100 pounds, but the eagle's flying posture was not affected in the slightest.
As soon as Gyatso's voice rang out, two golden eagles flew over the heads of the crowd. The golden eagle that was holding its prey released its talons at a height of thirty or forty meters, and the huge argali sheep landed in front of Zhuang Rui with a loud thud.
"Damn it, have some public decency! Don't throw things from high places..."
Zhuang Rui was genuinely startled by the argali sheep falling from the sky. If he hadn't dodged to the side, it might have hit him.
"Gah...gaah..."
Perhaps because there were too many people here, the golden eagle flew dozens of meters away before gracefully landing on the ground, flapping its nearly three-meter-long wings and calling out to Zhuang Rui incessantly.
"Heh, go find your parents. White Lion, you're not allowed to move, just stay here..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and placed the fledgling eagle on the ground. The little guy hopped and skipped towards the golden eagle. Zhuang Rui followed behind with a smile. Before leaving, he reminded the white lion that this guy and the golden eagle were mortal enemies yesterday. He warned it not to let them fight again in a little while.
Zhuang Rui's actions left the others stunned.
They hadn't expected that the two eagles had actually come to bring food to Zhuang Rui. There was no need for guessing anymore; the argali sheep on the ground were the best proof. This also showed that the golden eagles giving Zhuang Rui the eaglets wasn't just something Zhuang Rui made up.
The group had heard of hunters who would heal wounded wild beasts, and the beasts would often bring the hunters small animals they had caught after they recovered. But this was just a legend, and no one had ever actually seen it happen.
The scene before them overturned their understanding of animals; this concept of gratitude is not just applicable to humans.
As Zhuang Rui continued to approach the two giant eagles, Jiacuo's heart was also burning with excitement. He couldn't resist and ran over there to observe them up close. Peng Fei and the others were even more eager to take advantage of the opportunity to come into contact with such intelligent animals.
"Gah...gagga..."
When Zhuang Rui arrived, the two golden eagles did not react, but when they saw the group of people approaching, the male eagle immediately flapped its wings and let out a sharp cry, warning the group.
"Peng Fei, don't come any closer..."
Zhuang Rui stopped and waved to the people behind him. He also wanted to get closer to the two golden eagles, because after today, he was going to leave. He didn't know when he would be able to come back again, but golden eagles have a lifespan of eighty or ninety years, so there should be a chance to see them again.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Peng Fei and the others stopped a dozen meters away from the two eagles, watching with envy as Zhuang Rui approached the two golden eagles and began to preen their feathers.
"Chirp chirp... Chirp chirp..."
The little one also ran to the golden eagle's feet, but it was too small and could only wander around under the eagle's claws. It was so anxious that it kept screaming and pecking at its mother's feathered legs with its sharp beak.
"Hehe, come on up..."
Zhuang Rui laughed, picked up the little guy in his hands, and sat down on the grass. As soon as he sat down, the majestic appearance of the two golden eagles was revealed, with the shorter female eagle being a head taller than Zhuang Rui.
The mother eagle's sharp eyes were now filled with tenderness. She brought her hook-like beak close to Zhuang Rui's hand and rubbed the edge of the beak back and forth on the eaglet's body.
Even Peng Fei and the others, who were more than ten meters away, could feel the reluctance emanating from the mother eagle.
The male eagle remained aloof throughout, but its eyes would occasionally glance at the little one, as if it could sense that it was about to part with its child.
"Did you come to see us off? Thank you for the food you brought..."
They became friends through a fight, and their bond grew stronger over time. This pair of golden eagles also represented Zhuang Rui's fond memories of this snowy mountain. To be honest, Zhuang Rui was truly reluctant to leave.
"Gah...gagga..."