Forest Ranger: Help! A golden eagle cub is relying on me

Chen Chuan pushed aside the fatigue that was almost crushing him, and all his attention was focused on the two weak little lives on the wool mat, which formed a sharp boundary with the vast, snow-ravaged world he had just passed through.

The thrilling rescue operation was over, replaced by a more meticulous and tiring busyness, a completely different test from the previous adrenaline-fuelled run in the snow.

He knelt beside the mat, his movements somewhat stiff due to the cold and excessive exertion, completely different from his usual smooth and agile movements in the mountains and forests.

A cub let out a tiny hum, a sound so soft that it was almost swallowed up by the whistling wind outside the window. It was like its first fragile protest against this harsh world, forming a vital contrast to the violent wind and snow.

Glutton, this Husky that usually only causes trouble at home, is now squatting unusually quietly next to the stored supplies. His concentration is completely different from his usual energetic and jumping around appearance.

Dahuang, a local dog that usually basks in the sun lazily on the ranch, now gently uses his nose to push a folded piece of clean cotton cloth to Chen Chuan's hand. This uninvited hospitality is completely different from its usual laxity.

"Good boy, good-for-nothing."

Chen Chuan's voice was still hoarse. He took the food bucket and held it in his mouth without tearing the cotton cloth. This was a small miracle for a Husky, in contrast to its glorious history of destroying the house.

Dahuang's tail flapped slowly and powerfully on the wooden floor, making a dull sound. Its pure eyes looked at Chen Chuan intently. This sincerity was in stark contrast to its usual indifference to people.

He needed a small bowl to make milk. The rice bucket seemed to understand his intention and pushed one down from the low shelf with its wet nose. This cleverness was very different from its usual stupid image.

Chen Chuan carefully measured the goat milk powder and glanced at the drone camera that was quietly recording in the corner. The countless pairs of eyes behind the camera and the two hungry little lives in front of him were two completely different worlds.

"These two little ones," he said, his voice full of fatigue, "need to be fed every three hours."

This feeding cycle, as precise as a pendulum, formed a daily and trivial contrast with his previous life-and-death rescue at all costs.

"'Diapers' need to be changed just as often."

He added with a hint of helpless mockery in his tone that the tediousness of caring for a new life was a completely different experience from the determination he had faced the wind and snow before.

The small red indicator light of the drone was on steadily, like a silent eye, conveying the hard work in the deep mountains to the thousands of viewers outside the screen. Their relaxed observation formed a sharp contrast with Chen Chuan's hands-on efforts.

In the makeshift live broadcast room on his mobile phone screen, the barrage of comments rolled as densely as snowflakes blown by the wind. The virtual bustle and the silence in the wooden house were in two different dimensions.

"Every three hours? Oh my god, Brother Chuan is trying to cultivate to become an immortal!"

A barrage of comments passed by, and the surprise and worry were clearly felt even through the screen, forming a contrast with the usual calmness on Chen Chuan's face.

"He has to be a full-time dad right after coming back from the brink of death. It's not easy to be a live streamer. The effort he puts in is not proportional to the attention he gets."

Another comment was full of deep sympathy. This warmth on the Internet was completely different from the biting cold he was feeling at the moment.

After feeding, Chen Chuan sat next to a small wooden basin with a small stack of wet cotton cloths in front of him. He rubbed them with his frozen hands. This primitive cleaning method, combined with the high-tech windbreaker he was wearing, formed a collision of ancient and modern.

The water in the basin was icy cold, and every time he wrung out the cotton cloth, it felt like countless tiny needles piercing his fingertips. This sharp pain formed a sharp contrast with the tenderness he felt when taking care of the cubs.

He hung a piece of washed cotton cloth on a makeshift rope next to the fire. The damp cloth, illuminated by the faint firelight, was a different kind of damp and cold than the heavy snow still falling outside the window.

Some puzzling questions began to appear in the barrage of comments in the live broadcast room.

"Brother Chuan, it's already this late, why don't you use disposable diapers? That would save a lot of trouble!"

This suggestion from a modern city seems somewhat out of place with the pristine environment of this deep mountain snow valley.

"Yeah, yeah, seeing how hard the anchor works, using disposable ones will make it a lot easier."

The kindness of the audience seemed a little unrealistic at this moment, and formed a cognitive deviation from the real dilemma faced by Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan glanced at the scrolling words, and a barely perceptible arc appeared at the corner of his mouth. That well-intentioned "ignorance" formed an interesting contrast with his current situation.

He did not answer immediately, but continued to scrub the next piece of cotton cloth in silence. His concentration formed a sharp contrast with the noise outside.

He finally wrung out the water stains on the last piece of cotton cloth. The cloth became exceptionally soft in his rough hands, forming a sharp contrast to the cold tingling that remained on his fingertips.

He glanced at the good intentions that were still scrolling on the screen, and explained in a hoarse voice with a hint of imperceptible fatigue: "Using disposable items here is more troublesome."

This sentence, as plain as stating a fact, forms a subtle conflict with the suggestions in the live broadcast room that are full of convenient experiences of modern life.

"With the weather outside, the snow you see is just the surface."

His gaze was cast towards the endless white outside the window. Hidden beneath that white was a predicament that was unimaginable to ordinary people. It was two completely different worlds from the faint fire in the house.

“It’s almost impossible to get rid of the dirty stuff.”

Chen Chuan paused, as if he was choosing his words carefully so that these people living in the convenient city would understand the weight of his words. This was completely different from the directness when he usually communicated with animals.

"Bury it, and it will soon be dug out by other hungry beasts."

That scene, even if it was just a description, carried a kind of primitive cruelty, which formed a huge gap with the warm and nurturing imagined by the audience in front of the screen.

"Burning it is even more wishful thinking."

He shook his head, the faint light of the fire flickered in his bloodshot eyes. The feeling of powerlessness was completely different from the strength he had just shown when he fought the pig with his bare hands.

"With such heavy snow, the air is humid and there is snow everywhere. Even dry firewood for making a fire is precious. How can we have the energy to burn those things?"

This explanation laid bare the predicament of being trapped in the snow in the mountains, forming a sharp contrast with the naivety of some viewers in the live broadcast room who thought, "Why not eat meat?"

"If they pile up in the house, it will be unbearable to stay here in two days."

He gestured toward the small wooden house, where every inch of space mattered, a far cry from the spacious homes in the city.

"Bacteria and smells are deadly to these newborn babies." This cautiousness is in stark contrast to his usual rough and casual demeanor when walking in the mountains and forests.

The comments in the live broadcast room obviously decreased a lot after Chen Chuan's words. The light-hearted jokes disappeared, and were replaced by a silent understanding, which was in sharp contrast to the previous liveliness.

Chen Chuan didn't look at the screen again. He hung up the washed cotton cloths one by one, his movements neither hurried nor slow. His calmness formed a strange harmony with the fatigue between his brows.

After doing all this, he did not go to his simple bed. That bed was at the other end of the room, some distance away from the little life that he was most concerned about at the moment.

He simply found a relatively clean piece of ground next to the wool mat and spread out a thick bear skin. His movements were skillful and natural, completely different from his previous struggle in the wind and snow.

He lay down on his side, fully clothed, exhausted and cold, with his back against the cold wooden wall, facing the two little lives nestled against Hu Niu's belly. This simple way of resting was in stark contrast to his previous heroic act of saving people from danger.

His breathing gradually became steady and his eyelids closed heavily, but even on the edge of sleep, his body maintained an alert posture, which was completely different from a completely relaxed sleep.

The fire was still burning, making a slight crackling sound, providing the only warmth for this lonely wooden house in the wind and snow, and forming a fragile barrier against the all-consuming cold outside.

Fantong and Dahuang lay quietly at his feet. The Husky rarely whimpered in his sleep, and the local dog just rested its head on its front paws. Their presence added a touch of life to the silence, creating a temperature difference with the cold furniture.

The drone's camera slowly moved down, framing Chen Chuan's curled-up figure and Hu Niu and her son sleeping not far away. This peaceful scene formed a sharp contrast with the thrilling blizzard on the way home a few hours ago.

The night was like thick ink, filling every crack in the wooden house and forming a light and dark gap with the faint scarlet of the fire embers inside the house.

The fatigue of the past few days was as heavy as a mountain, pressing Chen Chuan, Fan Tong and even Da Huang into a deep sleep, which was completely different from their usual alertness that would be awakened by any slight noise.

Beside the fire, on the wool mat, a tiger cub kicked the air with its tiny paws a few times. Its almost negligible weight rolled off its mother's warm belly, making a faint noise with the even breathing of Tiger Girl in her sleep.

This little life seemed to express its dissatisfaction with the cold wooden floor. It twisted its chubby body, and its weak "eagle" sound was almost completely drowned out by the howling wind and snow, forming a childish contrast with its future identity as the king of beasts.

Its world is very small, with only hunger and cold. At this moment, a strange existence with a warm breath attracted it, which was a completely different feeling from the hard wooden board under it.

It was Da Huang lying at Chen Chuan's feet.

This Chinese native dog, which usually runs rampant on the ranch and even has to give way to Xiong Er, is now sleeping defenselessly. Its even snoring is completely different from its usual vigilant barking.

The tiger cub followed the warmth that made it feel safe, and crawled forward clumsily with its limbs that could not yet support its body. Each move seemed to be gathering strength. It was a far cry from the agile steps of its father, Hu Zi.

Its small, milky body rubbed against Dawang's thick belly. The warm touch made it let out a contented sigh in comfort, in contrast to its previous uneasy humming.

The tiger cub used its head, which was not even as big as Dahuang's paws, to arch its back among Dahuang's soft belly fur, found the warmest spot, curled up, and fell into a deep sleep again. This complete trust in the strange creature was incompatible with its ferocious bloodline.

Chen Chuan's brows were slightly furrowed in his chaotic sleep. An inexplicable palpitation made his eyeballs move restlessly under his eyelids, which conflicted with the extreme sleepiness of his body.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and his bloodshot pupils swept towards the wool mat in the dim light. His heart seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand at that moment, and he was completely different from the dazed person he was when he just woke up.

One is missing.

This realization was like a basin of ice water poured over his head, instantly waking him up. The fatigue in his body was dispelled by extreme panic at this moment, which was completely different from the sleepiness he had just been immersed in.

He almost jumped up from his seat, the movement so great that it triggered the unhealed aches and pains in his body. The stinging pain formed a sharp echo with the anxiety in his heart.

At this moment, he caught a glimpse of Da Huang beside him out of the corner of his eye. Its posture was as stiff as a frozen sculpture, which was completely different from its usual relaxed sleeping position.

Dahuang's eyes were wide open, staring at his hairy belly motionlessly, his eyes were full of incredible fear, and a hint of... despair, which was completely different from his usual fearless look.

Even its breathing was extremely light, with only the slightest rise and fall of its chest and abdomen. Its cautious appearance formed a sharp contrast with its usual heavy breathing.

Chen Chuan looked in the direction of Da Huang's almost bulging eyes. His heart, which had been in his throat, suddenly fell back to its original place the moment he saw the small ball of fur. Then came a feeling of helplessness that made him feel both amused and helpless, which, together with his previous shock, formed an emotional roller coaster.

The missing tiger cub was lying peacefully on Da Huang's warm belly, sleeping soundly, and even smacking his lips twice, as if he was dreaming of something delicious, which formed a wonderful irony with the dog under him who was "desperate to live".

Chen Chuan carefully stretched out his hand, his movements as gentle as brushing a feather, and picked up the ignorant little fellow from Da Huang. The preciousness of having lost and regained it echoed with the slight trembling of his arms.

The tiger cub seemed to sense the change in the heat source. It hummed twice in dissatisfaction, rubbed its little head against his arms, and then calmed down again. This heartless dependence was in contrast to its "running away from home" just now.

After placing the tiger cub back next to Hu Niu and settling him down, Chen Chuan looked at Da Huang, who still maintained a stiff posture. His eyes were full of sympathy, which was slightly different from the way he usually ordered Da Huang around.

"Woo..."

When Dahuang saw that the "little ancestor" on his body was finally removed, his tense body collapsed like a deflated ball. He let out a long breath, and a long, drawn-out whimper full of grievance came from his throat, which was completely different from his previous forbearance of not daring to make a sound.

It looked at Chen Chuan with its watery eyes, and the accusation in its eyes almost overflowed, as if saying that it had suffered a great injustice, which was completely different from the guilty conscience it felt when it made mistakes on a normal day.

Da Huang stretched out his front paws and gently touched his belly which had just been pressed by the tiger cub. He looked at Chen Chuan pitifully and swept the ground with his tail weakly. The meaning was clear: he had woken up a long time ago, even earlier than Chen Chuan, which was completely different from his usual lazy sleep until noon.

But the little thing was lying on it, and it was afraid that if it moved, it would hurt this precious little thing. Its cautiousness was a far cry from its usual ferocity when fighting.

Chen Chuan looked at Da Huang's aggrieved and frightened look, and the irritability caused by fatigue in his heart was diluted a lot by this warm scene, which conflicted with his body's instinct that just wanted to fall asleep at the moment.

He reached out and rubbed the big yellow furry head. The feeling of his hand was thick and warm, which contrasted with the slightly cool air in the room.

"Good job, Da Huang."

Chen Chuan's voice was a little hoarse, but his tone was full of obvious approval. This sincere compliment was different from his usual teasing of Da Huang.

Dahuang seemed to understand the compliment. His eyes brightened instantly and his tail began to wag happily. His proud look was completely different from the grievance he had just shown.

Chen Chuan dug out an individually wrapped egg yolk pie from the pile of supplies nearby, tore open the package, and handed it to Da Huang. This sudden reward was a far cry from the usual dog food treatment.

Da Huang grabbed it without hesitation, swallowed it in two or three gulps, then stuck out his tongue and licked his mouth with satisfaction. His satisfied expression formed a happy contrast with his nervousness just now. (End of this chapter)