To the east of the tribe was the dense forest where they had previously picked mushrooms.
Passing through that forest would lead to a valley, which was where the warriors usually trained. To the west of the plain where the tribe was located was a vast, sprawling grassland, and the river where they caught fish was also in this direction.
Remembering the fresh, delicious taste of the mushrooms they had picked last time, Eric decided to take Leo with him towards the forest. The patrol team made a round of the tribe every morning and evening, so Eric felt quite safe going into this area.
He followed the sweet fragrance of ripe fruit and soon had gathered a large amount.
Everyone had liked the fruit jam he made last time, and he wanted to make some more. At the base of the trees, clusters of thick-fleshed, brown mushrooms grew closely together.
Today, Eric had intentionally brought several large baskets, determined to pick a lot of mushrooms to dry. Dried mushrooms not only lasted longer but also tasted better.
While searching for mushrooms, he also discovered a type of tree that secreted resin.
Eric poked at the dried part of the resin and found it quite solid. Its stickiness seemed good, and it could be used as a natural adhesive. He used a fish-scale knife to scrape some of it into a bamboo tube, planning to take it back for further testing.
Leo was digging for mushrooms at his feet, following the trail of mushrooms right into a bush.
"Hey, there are a lot of mushrooms here, and even wild chicken eggs!" Leo exclaimed in surprise.
Hearing this, Eric put away the bamboo tube and crawled into the bush as well. Clusters of mushrooms were crowded together inside, and there were also several nests of wild chicken eggs as large as ostrich eggs.
The two of them carefully placed the eggs on the very top of the basket so they wouldn't break. There were so many mushrooms in the bush that they became engrossed in picking, not realizing how far they had wandered.
When the large baskets were full, just as Eric was about to call Leo back, a sudden chill ran down the back of his neck. Almost instinctively, he lunged forward, grabbing Leo into his arms and rolling, just in time to dodge an attack from behind.
With a "clank," the spot where they had just been standing was now embedded with long, sharp black spines.
Not far away was a black wild boar the size of a truck, its bristles standing on end like spears. It was stomping its feet in place, head bowed and panting heavily, its bloodshot eyes staring intently at them.
Seeing the situation was bad, Eric didn't even have time to grab his things. He held Leo and ran for his life.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, the sharp black spines shot out again. Eric hastily transformed into his beast form, holding Leo firmly in his mouth, using his small body to weave back and forth between the attacks.
The Snow Wolf people were naturally very fast, but unfortunately, Eric was still just a pup. Transforming into his beast form helped him dodge the black spines, but he was still too small and couldn't run nearly as fast as the giant wild boar.
Good heavens, I didn't do anything to provoke it!
Eric screamed frantically in his mind. His and Leo's bodies combined weren't even as big as one of its tusks, so why was it wasting its energy chasing them?
Once again, he was almost sent flying by the wild boar. In that hair-raising moment, an idea flashed through Eric's mind.
He quickly leaped up to a high branch, still holding Leo in his mouth. The black boar snorted and panted below, ramming its large head straight into the tree trunk. Fortunately, the trees in this world were especially large and sturdy, and he had chosen the largest one nearby, so the trunk only trembled slightly.
Seeing the stubborn black boar refuse to leave, Eric couldn't help but shiver. If it wasn't afraid of a headache and just kept ramming, this tree would be knocked down sooner or later.
"Awoooooo!" He tilted his head back and let out a series of desperate howls for help.
Anyone, please, come save us! This world is too dangerous; even a young beast can't run around freely in his own territory.
He carried Leo and leaped to an even higher branch. On the dense branch, Leo huddled fearfully in Eric's embrace, his golden fur trembling.
Suddenly, the black boar at the base of the tree seemed to have gathered all its strength, and the trunk shook violently. Eric lost his footing and fell. Leo quickly stretched out his claws to grab him, but ended up being pulled down as well.
It's over! My life as a wolf ends here!
Eric could only hold Leo tightly; this time, if they weren't eaten by the black boar, they would fall to their deaths.
Just when he thought his life was over, a pair of strong, large hands caught them both in mid-air. Eric opened his eyes and saw that it was Max who had heard the commotion and rushed over.
With tears welling in his eyes, he huddled in Max's arms with Leo, watching as Max leaped down from the branch.
Max's expression was as cold as ice. He landed on the ground and immediately leaped up, delivering a straight punch to the wild boar's skull. A cracking sound of breaking bones was heard, and the black boar let out a pitiful cry, fresh blood spewing from its mouth as it fell to the ground with a loud "thud."
Max sidestepped in disgust, then frowned at the two young beasts. "Why did you two run off so far on your own?"
Eric was still a bit shaken, his white fur trembling slightly. "I just wanted to pick some mushrooms. I didn't mean to go so deep, but I guess I got carried away while picking and wandered too far without realizing."
That's right, his mushrooms!
Eric anxiously stomped his feet on the spot. "My things are still over there. I couldn't bring them when I ran."
He tilted his head to look at Max, his eyes pleading for help. When he transformed into his beast form earlier, he didn't have time to pick up the fallen animal skin. Now, if he went back to get his things, he would have to run back naked.
Max's lips curled into a smirk. Seeing him smile, Eric felt a little annoyed.
What's so funny about me being chased by a wild boar? Hmph!
As if sensing Eric's displeasure, the smile on Max's handsome face didn't fade as he said:
"That spiky boar had just given birth. Their attack power is strongest at this time. Just getting near their nest will trigger an attack."
So that was it. Eric thought to himself, no wonder that black boar acted like it was on stimulants.
On their escape route, the spiky boar had trampled countless trees.
They followed that trail back, and soon Eric spotted his large baskets left where they were.
He scampered towards the baskets.
Phew, what a relief. The spiky boar had only chased them and hadn't destroyed his things.