Black Tiger barked as he headed down the western slope.
Strangely enough, Cyan Dragon and Black Dragon hadn’t reacted to Little Bear’s barking, but the moment Black Tiger called out, they both followed him!
"Let’s go!" Zhao Jun slung the gun from his shoulder, called out to the three others, and started running down the slope.
On the western slope of West Mountain, near a gully pond. Beside a Bojiwaizi—a dustpan-shaped depression—grew a leaning Amur cork tree. Dense hardy kiwi vines crawled all over it, their countless branches twining around the limbs of the tree, laden with clusters of fruit.
Straddling a fork in the tree, less than a meter and a half off the ground, sat a black bear. It was using both paws to strip hardy kiwis from the vines and stuff them into its massive mouth.
After eating for a bit, it would twist its hips, stick up its short tail, and drop a load at the base of the tree.
By now, several puddles of green, runny shit surrounded the tree’s roots.
The large black bear ate leisurely, its two hind legs draped on either side of the branch, occasionally giving them a little swing.
But just then, a torrent of barks ruined the black bear’s pleasant meal.
The sound came first, and the dogs followed right behind!
Eight dogs appeared, strung out in a line as they galloped down the slope.
The big black bear paid them no mind, continuing to strip hardy kiwis with its paws. It would swipe a pawful, bring it to its mouth, and take a bite, splattering green juice all over its face.
"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"
Little Bear and Xiaohua were the first to arrive. They stood before the tree, tilted their heads back, and let loose a volley of barks at the black bear.
But the big black bear still ignored them and kept eating.
Da Huang and White Dragon arrived next. They came to the tree and barked a few times at the bear, but it just kept stuffing its face.
In the local Northeast dialect, you’d say the bear wasn’t giving them the time of day.
Da Huang and White Dragon must have felt provoked. They split to the left and right, both leaping up to bite the black bear’s hind legs.
White Dragon latched onto its right hind leg first. The bear tilted its body to the right, lifted its leg, and swiped down with its right paw.
White Dragon immediately let go and remained under the tree, barking upwards. Just then, Da Huang bit its left leg. The bear lunged to the left, forcing Da Huang to release its grip as well.
But the instant the bear moved left, White Dragon shot up again and bit its calf.
The bear hastily shifted its body back to the right, but this time, it suddenly lost its balance and tumbled headfirst out of the tree!
THUD!
The bear was only a little over a meter from the ground, but its fall still sent dust flying when it hit.
At that moment, Big Fatty, San Pang, Flower Cat, and Hua Lang also arrived. Seeing the black bear fall from the tree, all eight dogs swarmed it.
The black bear rolled on the ground, scrambled to its feet, reared up, and let out a sharp "HNK!"
The eight dogs scattered instantly, barking nonstop at the bear.
The black bear stood like a man, its front paws held up at its chest. Its small eyes darted from side to side as roars rumbled from its throat.
"RAWR! RAWR!"
Unexpectedly, the first of the eight dogs to attack were Big Fatty and San Pang. They assaulted the bear from behind; Big Fatty bit its rear, and San Pang latched onto its left thigh.
The bear swiped back repeatedly with its left and right paws, forcing Big Fatty and San Pang to retreat. But the moment the bear pulled its paws back, Little Bear, Xiaohua, and Da Huang, who had just circled around behind it, all lunged in to bite.
The bear swiped back again with its right paw while turning around. But as it turned, White Dragon led Flower Cat and Hua Lang in another attack on its rear.
The enraged black bear spun around again, scattering White Dragon, Flower Cat, and Hua Lang. But now, seven or eight meters in front of it, a large black dog with two smaller dogs was barking at it relentlessly.
"AWOOOO..."
The barks of the two smaller dogs were drowned out by the large black dog’s strange calls. The black bear opened its mouth and let out a threatening roar of its own.
It just wanted to peacefully strip some hardy kiwis and eat, but this pack of dogs wanted to eat its flesh!
But who cared how much anger was in its roars? Little Bear, White Dragon, and the rest of the hounds surrounded the bear, attacking its rear, swiping and biting.
Meanwhile, Black Tiger, along with Cyan Dragon and Black Dragon, howled from the sidelines, cheering on their companions.
Before autumn, this black bear had weighed just over 300 jin. But in the last month or so, it had eaten its way up to 350 or 360 jin, packing on a thick layer of fat.
Getting fat makes you lazy.
Besides, bears aren’t naturally fond of fighting. It had spent all morning eating; if it fought for a while, all those calories would be burned off. Wouldn’t that mean it ate for nothing?
So, after breaking out of the Dog Gang’s encirclement once more, the black bear dashed straight for a large oak tree. It slapped its front paws against the trunk and prepared to climb.
It wanted to climb the tree, but the Dog Gang wouldn’t have it. They hadn’t had any meat for almost a month; how could they let the bear just get away?
A group of dogs rushed to the tree. Led by Big Fatty, with White Dragon, Da Huang, and San Pang assisting, they latched onto the black bear’s rear and hind legs, starting a tug-of-war with the bear, which had all four paws gripping the trunk.
Then, Flower Cat and Hua Lang also leaped up repeatedly, managing to find places on the bear’s body to sink their teeth into.
The six dogs clamped down hard on the black bear’s rear, calves, thighs, and the pads of its hind paws, determined to pull it down.
There were too many dogs crowded at the front, leaving no room for Little Bear and Xiaohua to get a bite in. They had no choice but to join Black Tiger’s "cheerleading squad" and support their packmates with their barks.
The black bear dug its four bear paws into the tree, trying to climb, but it just couldn’t get any higher!
In its panic, the bear kept its left front paw clinging to the trunk and swiped down with its right, trying to force a few dogs back.
But before its paw could land and the six dogs could retreat, the bear, now holding on with only three bear paws, was forcibly dragged off the tree by the dogs.
The black bear crashed down on its back, and only then did the six dogs release their grips and back away!
It slammed onto the ground, all four paws in the air. Its head hit the dirt, and the impact left it stunned for a moment!
At this, the pack of dogs scattered to the sides. But Black Tiger, who hadn’t moved until now, suddenly charged toward the dazed bear.
"AWOO! AWOO! MMMMPH..."
The first two "AWOO"s were Black Tiger’s normal barks. But the "MMMPH" that followed was the sound of him biting into something.
Seizing the opportunity while the black bear was still on its back, Black Tiger showed no mercy. He charged under its raised hind legs and sank his teeth right into its groin!
"AWOOO..." This cry didn’t come from Black Tiger, but from the black bear. The attack on its vital parts snapped it out of its daze. It kicked down with both hind paws, and Black Tiger quickly let go and retreated.
This was the first time since the fight began that the bear had made such a sound. Hearing its wretched cry, the Dog Gang hesitated, not daring to attack for a moment.
Zhao Jun, still on his way down the mountain, heard the bear’s agonized scream. Gun in hand, he pushed himself to run down the slope with all his might.
Zhao Jun was baffled. ’In my experience,’ he thought, ’a black bear only makes that sound when it’s been seriously wounded.’
’But a bear’s fur is long, its hide is thick and tough. A hound’s bite might be vicious enough to tear the flesh from a wild boar, but it shouldn’t be able to injure a black bear.’
Zhao Jun couldn’t imagine what, other than a blade or a bullet, could have inflicted such a severe injury on it.
But he knew that an injured bear would be even more ferocious. Fearing for his dogs, Zhao Jun ran for his life down the mountain.
The black bear, driven by the intense pain in its lower body, instinctively tried to do something like a sit-up to get itself upright.
But before it could sit up, Black Tiger was on it again. He targeted the same spot, bit down, gave a vicious backward tear, and then, before the bear could even react, let go and ran!
"AWOOO..." The black bear’s shrill, heart-rending scream tore through the air. It no longer tried to sit up. Instead, it rolled onto its stomach, paused for two seconds, and then surged to its feet. Ignoring the attacks of Little Bear and the other hounds, it charged straight for Black Tiger.
By this time, Black Tiger had already reached a safe distance, watching with Cyan Dragon and Black Dragon. Seeing the bear charging his way, Black Tiger turned and bolted back up the slope, retracing his steps.
Cyan Dragon and Black Dragon froze for a second, but seeing the bear coming, the two dogs also turned to follow Black Tiger.
"AWOO! AWOO! AWOO..." Black Tiger let out a series of howls as he ran.
Behind Black Tiger were Cyan Dragon and Black Dragon, and further behind them was the black bear.
The black bear ran, roaring continuously, but the distance between it and Black Tiger only grew wider.
Normally, the bear would have given up the chase by now.
But today, even with eight dogs snapping at its heels, the black bear refused to abandon its pursuit of Black Tiger.
At this point, Zhao Jun was still over a li away from the black bear, but the first thing he saw was Black Tiger running straight toward him.
"That damn dog!" Unaware of the situation, Zhao Jun gritted his teeth in frustration. ’He’s fucking leading it back this way again!’ he cursed inwardly.