Landlord in the Arctic-Chapter 65: Wolf Pack

Before going to sleep.

Feng Mountain communicated with the tribe’s Fire Seed.

An image of the vigorously burning Fire Seed appeared in his mind. Within the radius of its glow, Nash sat by the fire pit, staring off into space.

The White Feathered Eagle that had paid its protection fee stood on a rock by the fire pit. Several other eagles, these with black and white feathers, had appeared nearby, but they dared not approach the fire.

Meanwhile, the moss transplanted from the Tundra, bathed in the Fire Seed’s light, slowly sent its roots deeper into the soil.

The sown vegetable seeds lay in the soil, and Feng Mountain could clearly feel the vibrant life force contained within their shells.

’Everything will get better.’

Feng Mountain picked up Coca-Cola, tucked the pet under the covers, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

...

October 3rd.

Sunrise: 09:03:37

-5 degrees, 80% humidity, overcast with sleet, level 3 easterly winds. A major snowfall warning is in effect for the Far North Tundra Region for the next three days.

The weather receiver mounted on the wall displayed real-time daily weather information.

Feng Mountain had put away the old, simple thermometer, replacing it with a new device he’d brought back from Fairbanks—a gift from the Titan Star Company.

It could receive information from the National Weather Service, providing not just the latest daily weather but also a forecast for the entire week.

Unfortunately, there was no time to install it before Aunt Susan’s accident. If it had been installed, they would have known about the Blizzard at Kevik Camp.

There was a major snowfall warning for the Far North Tundra Region for the next three days.

Usually, whenever there was a heavy snow warning, Kevik Camp would broadcast a reminder over the radio.

Now that Aunt Susan had been attacked by a brown bear and sent to Fairbanks for treatment, Feng Mountain took it upon himself to handle the task. He turned on the radio and broadcast the heavy snow warning over the channel.

The old-timers on the radio thanked Feng Mountain, which naturally earned him a lot of goodwill.

One shouldn’t underestimate such a warning. For the people living in the Far North Tundra Region, this information could be a lifesaver.

Receiving the warning allowed them to take precautions: stock up on food and firewood, and avoid going outside unless absolutely necessary.

Every year, people tragically freeze to death in Alaska.

After joking around with the old-timers on the radio, Feng Mountain began his day’s work.

Life in the Far North Tundra seemed easy and carefree, but for anyone not inclined to be lazy, there was always endless work to be done.

Now that the wooden cave door was repaired, the supplies needed to be moved inside. They had already gone through a lot of the firewood collected earlier. With Black Hide and his group arriving at the Crown Territory soon, wood consumption would increase even more, so he had to prepare in advance.

Then there was the food. Xiaohua was pregnant, and she couldn’t just eat smoked and air-dried meat every day. It wasn’t good for the baby.

Sigh!

He ticked off the tasks on his fingers; the list was endless.

Feng Mountain got a headache just thinking about it and went into the kitchen to start preparing breakfast.

Just then, the bus door was pushed open from the outside, and Nash stepped inside. Feng Mountain was about to greet him when he saw Nash’s grave expression. "Khilla, a wolf pack is here!"

’A wolf pack is here?’

Feng Mountain’s expression changed instantly. He dropped what he was doing, grabbed the Type 56 carbine from the wall, and demanded, "Where?"

A wolf pack near the camp was never a good thing.

Having spent some time in Alaska, Feng Mountain had learned a thing or two about its wildlife.

For people living in the Far North Tundra, brown bears were the most dangerous, but wolf packs were the most destructive.

Because whenever a wolf pack appeared, the local reindeer herds would flee far away. For the Far North Tundra People who depended on hunting for their livelihood, reindeer were food and money. No reindeer meant death.

Brown bears were dangerous, but you were safe as long as you kept your distance. Besides, a gunshot would scare them off, sending them far away.

Wolf packs, however, were different. Especially in winter, a starving pack would travel for hundreds of kilometers, hunting anything edible. Wherever a pack appeared, no animal could escape its jaws. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Sometimes, a pack would even dare to enter a remote village specifically to attack humans. Just a few years ago, a 32-year-old female teacher was attacked and killed by wolves while out for a walk. It was a horrific death; her body had been torn to shreds.

There are many species of wolves in Alaska, but two main types occupy the top of the predator food chain: the North American Gray Wolf and the Alaskan Taiga Wolf.

These two types of wolves are the largest members of the wild canine family in the world. They are apex predators who usually move in packs and will even dare to attack brown bears when hungry.

Feng Mountain stepped out of the bus. The carcass of a reindeer lay on the ground, already devoured by the wolf pack, leaving only a pile of skin and bones.

Prince was clutching a reindeer leg bone, noisily gnawing on it.

"Where did you find this?" Feng Mountain crouched down and saw the marks of wolf fangs on the reindeer bones.

Nash pointed in the direction of Moonlight Forest. "At the edge of the forest. Lots of wolves."

’How did a wolf pack end up near the camp?’

Feng Mountain frowned, but then his brow relaxed.

They had hunted a lot of animals near the camp recently—a bear, and reindeer. The scent of blood must have been picked up by the wolf pack.

After thinking for a moment, he looked at Nash. "A heavy snow is coming. First, let’s move the supplies into the cave. Then we’ll go find that wolf pack and drive them out of the Crown Territory."

Then he gave Prince a light kick.

"For the next couple of days, you’re forbidden from going to the riverbank to collect your protection fees. There’s a wolf pack out there, and a little scrap of meat like you wouldn’t even be a mouthful for them."

GRRR!!

Prince pressed a paw on the reindeer bone, letting out a low, possessive growl.

Feng Mountain smacked Prince on the head. ’Daring to get possessive with food? You’ve forgotten who’s in charge around here.’

After breakfast.

The two of them got busy moving supplies.

Luckily, the cave was right behind the bus. They loaded the supplies onto the sled, and it was just a few steps to pull it to the cave entrance.

They moved box after box of supplies into the cave. Unfortunately, there was no way to install lights inside, so they had to rely on a kerosene lamp to move around in the pitch-black cave, which was a bit creepy.

The military supplies in the cave were a bit in the way, taking up a lot of space. He had forgotten to mention this to Frank a couple of days ago, so for now, they could only stack the supplies along the sides of the cave’s passage.

By the time they had moved all the supplies into the cave, it was already afternoon.

After a simple lunch, the two of them prepared to go cause trouble for the wolf pack. Hunting in the Crown Territory? They were courting death.

Considering the wolf pack’s incredible stamina, they definitely wouldn’t stay in one place.

The 2,000-square-kilometer Crown Territory had hiding places everywhere.

Feng Mountain prepared for the long haul, planning to spend a few days out in the territory. The goal was to drive every last predator out of the Crown Territory.

With Nash along, they could carry more supplies.

A tent, sleeping bags, a waterproof tarp, cooking utensils, jerky, seasonings...

As for weapons, Nash finally set aside his handmade bow and arrows, choosing a Type 56 carbine just like Feng Mountain.

Prince and Coca-Cola had to come along, of course. With the camp empty, if any other predators were to show up, the two pets would be nothing more than a free meal.

Once everything was ready, the whole family set out.

Feng Mountain locked the bus door, checked the work shed and the cave one more time, and after making sure nothing was missed, led the group headfirst into the Tundra.

Their first stop was the place where Nash had found the reindeer carcass.

It was at the border between the forest and the Tundra. Wolf tracks were clearly visible in the snow, along with drag marks. Fragments of the reindeer’s carcass were scattered everywhere.

After examining the scene, Feng Mountain picked up a tuft of black wolf fur. He took out a thin cord of grass. Focusing his thoughts on finding the fur’s owner, his fingers moved quickly, tying a knot in the cord.

Then, an indescribable premonition rose in his heart.

Feng Mountain looked up toward the northwest of Moonlight Forest. The divination had shown him the wolf pack’s location.

"Found them!"

...