Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl

The brown bear that had rushed over swung its paws at the wolf pack, its sharp claws slicing through skin and flesh, causing it to peel and burst open.

It charged forward valiantly, its claws never missing their mark.

The wolf pack, which had already been contemplating retreat, could no longer withstand the onslaught and, with a long howl, the alpha led the remaining four or five wolves to quickly withdraw.

The brown bear wanted to pursue, but Chen Ying suddenly called out, "Big Bear," and it turned to glance back, its fierce expression gradually calming.

It really was Big Bear, and Chen Ying took two excited steps forward.

Even when it was just a cub, Big Bear had dared to confront wolf packs with its mother; now grown, it had become even more courageous than the previous year.

Big Bear also recognized Chen Ying and walked over to him for a while before sitting down with a huff to catch its breath.

"Are you alright? Where are your mom and Xiong Er?"

"Ao ao, roar."

Big Bear was not as articulate as Xiong Er, but Chen Ying still understood; it had split from its mother and brother during the summer and was living alone now, moving along the mountain range, intending to keep going until it found a place it liked to settle down.

Mama Bear was still living by the big lake—she preferred that environment.

As for Xiong Er, its territory was adjacent to Mama Bear's. Since its fighting strength was a bit weaker, Mama Bear had decided to keep it by her side for another year.

Mama Bear hadn't mated this year, so she was probably waiting until next year to find a partner and give birth to a new litter of cubs.

Xiong Er could spend another winter with Mama Bear, learning how to survive the long cold season alone.

"What about you? Why didn't you stay with Xiong Er for a while longer?"

"I can live on my own." Big Bear bit the tip of its claw, still covered with wolf blood and flecks of meat, "My appetite is too big; there wouldn't be enough food if I stayed with mom and brother."

True, although the number of Tibetan antelopes and other hoofed animals had increased several times over the past decade, so had the number of fierce beasts and birds of prey.

An over-concentration of apex predators could wreak serious havoc on the ecological environment.

"I'm taking off now. If you see my mom, tell her I fought with wolves and that I'm not afraid of them."

"Sure, I'll pass that on." Chen Ying rubbed Big Bear's head; its hair was coarse, the texture tougher, not as soft as when it was a cub.

"Go on, be careful, and stay safe. Oh, and there's a big bear deeper in, it's very fierce, you're not strong enough to beat it yet. Let's not go head-to-head with it; wait till you're a bit bigger, then you can fight."

The bear Chen Ying was talking about was the brown bear that had previously injured someone and been banished deep into the uninhabited area. It was unclear whether it was still alive.

Given its strength, it might very well have become the ruler by now.

After all, Big Bear was still a juvenile; it wasn't shameful for it to strategically retreat. Times can change, so never underestimate a young bear.

Yellow Fur wasn't familiar with Big Bear, but since it was known by the Two-legged Beast, they were friends now.

It approached and sniffed, memorizing Big Bear's scent, then dragged over a wolf carcass to share with Big Bear.

Predators normally didn't share their food, and Big Bear's swipe at the wolf was influenced by a previous near-death experience from being bitten, but when it came to meat, it preferred the tenderness of lamb.

After pretense nibbles, Big Bear reared its head and howled, took another look at Chen Ying, and then bounded towards the tallest mountain.

The Snow Leopard that had fought the wolf pack with Yellow Fur and Little Snow Leopard didn't come closer to them. After watching from a distance of about a dozen meters, it turned and ran in a different direction.

"What was that Snow Leopard here for anyway?"

Yin Li came up to ask, but without waiting for Chen Ying's reply, he urged him to hurry up and finish eating so they could pack up and hit the road.

Their ultimate destination was the River Source Protection Station, so on the third day, they walked halfway around the lake and then turned to continue.

By the lake, Chen Ying saw Mama Bear and Xiong Er coming to drink.

Though Big Bear and Xiong Er were similar in size, their presence was vastly different.

Xiong Er seemed more mellow, and its calls were somewhat deeper.

After seeing Chen Ying, Xiong Er approached him with a nuzzle and even offered its uneaten food to share.

Xiong Er had a sweet tooth, while Big Bear wouldn't touch anything sweet.

Seeing this clingy Big Baby, Chen Ying pulled out some cheese candies he'd bought on the way from River Source.

They weren't excessively sweet and wouldn't stick to teeth. Suitable for human toddlers, they were unlikely to affect animals much.

Xiong Er tugged at Chen Ying's hand, wanting more after finishing, but was scolded by Mama Bear and let go of him, sulking and sitting with its head down.

After leaving the lakeside, the two bears followed them for quite a stretch. About twenty kilometers away from the River Source Protection Station, they took a detour.

The two students from the geological team hadn't stopped talking the whole way, and the interactions between Chen Ying and the wild animals had given them a false "I can do this too" notion.

But the senior student studying birds bluntly dashed their hopeful illusions.

"If you two don't believe it, try getting close to that Snow Leopard with the yellowish fur. If you manage to touch its tail, consider me beaten, and I'll treat you to a whole roasted sheep."

Dao Meihua interjected, "I'll raise the stakes—a pot of hand-grabbed mutton; eat till you don't want to anymore."

The two didn't even try, simply conceding.

They were momentarily deluded, not truly foolish.

After all, hadn't they seen how the others carefully steered clear of the two Snow Leopards?

Even back when they were with Xiong Er and Mama Bear, only Station Head Yin Li dared to get a bit closer, but he hadn't ventured to stroke the bear. The others didn't even dare to get out of their vehicles, afraid that one wrong move might anger the brown bear.

As they left the deep uninhabited area and headed outward, the injured student's condition had much improved, and by the last day, he could manage to walk a few steps leaning on his classmates' shoulders.