Animal Detective

Chapter 375 She Wants to Steal Her Own Wealth and Prosperity
The falcon flapped its wings and flew high in the sky.

Sometimes it hovered, sometimes it swooped down, and faintly, you could hear its shrill cry.

It doesn't seem like predation, but rather... courtship?
Although the golden eagles hold a greater place in the hearts of the herders on the grasslands, who regard them as the guardians of the grasslands.

But the saker falcon, also a bird of prey, receives just as much attention.

This thing is incredibly fierce; it even dares to take on golden eagles that are larger than them.

Outside the northern border, it is regarded as the national bird.

Therefore, Donya was no stranger to this animal. She had heard from the village elders about the past when golden eagles were tamed and even falcons were used for hunting.

In Donya's mind, falcons used various methods to show off their flight and call out to attract females.

The problem is that, if Donya remembers correctly, the falcons on the grasslands begin courting and preparing to reproduce every April.

By mid-April, they had found partners and started choosing where to build their nest.

Generally, choose a high place.

For example, cliffs and steep mountain walls.

The towering Mount Uyaste, thousands of meters high, is incredibly steep and difficult for humans to climb, making it a suitable nesting ground for falcons.

But it's already May, and at this time of year, the female birds are already laying eggs.

By then, it might be too late to find a mate.

Seeing that the man who fired the gun was still shouting, the man with the mustache kicked him again and cursed, "What are you standing there for? Get to work!"

As he spoke, he picked up the cage of chipmunks, then grabbed the slightly smaller travel bag, and hurriedly got on the motorcycle.

The two rode side by side, both starting their motorcycles. Just as they were about to leave, the man with the mustache suddenly stopped.

"Stay put, I know who you are and where you live."

After giving a fierce threat, the man twisted the accelerator and sped away.

Clearly, they went after the falcon.

Donya immediately understood that their target was the falcon.

There are cases of poaching falcons and golden eagles on the grasslands, and Lakshin had previously publicized related cases in the village.

This creature is a Class I protected animal; poaching even one results in a five-year ban.

The chipmunks and larks in the cage earlier were probably bait prepared for the falcon.

Falcons eat small animals like pikas and birds.

But right now, getting out of there is the more important thing.

The other side didn't shoot him immediately, but that was only temporary.

That man with the mustache was shouting that he only wanted money, but did he really not want to kill anyone?

Having already crossed paths with them, do you think they'll let me off the hook?
Donya, anyway, didn't believe it.

Despite the pain in her shoulders and arms, Donya twisted her body, trying to break free of the ropes.

But the other party tied it very professionally, not only binding its arms behind its back but also making a tight knot to secure it to the tree, making it impossible to break free.

Donya tried to shake the little poplar, but to no avail.

Even the smallest one is as thick as an arm; you simply can't move it.

Looking around, Donya set her sights on the remaining travel bag.

The dagger that had been close to her body was stuffed into the bag by the man with the mustache.

Donya stretched out her legs, trying to reach it.

But it's fifty centimeters short, so it's impossible to reach.

Donya looked around, trying to find a sharp stone to see if she could cut the rope.

The rope was the kind of hemp rope about the thickness of a little finger, which was probably very difficult to cut, but if we didn't try, there was no hope at all.

Despite the pain, Donya stretched her legs as far as she could to reach a rock. Then, she moved the rope inch by inch to stand up and kicked the rock behind the tree trunk, within reach of her hand.

He slowly sat down, and after some fumbling with his hands, he finally managed to get his hands on the stone.

But he couldn't get any strength in his hand. After trying for a while, he was sweating profusely, but the rope still wouldn't budge.

In the distance, the falcon was still circling in the air, and Donya could vaguely see the motorcycle heading towards the foot of the main peak.

Donya had no idea how exactly they planned to do it.

For small birds like larks, you can use a sticky net.

However, it's estimated that the falcon will be difficult to catch; a trap will have to be set.

Donya deduced that the two had gone to set traps, and that their earlier departure from the campfire was likely also to find a place in the mountains to set traps.

As long as the falcon is still circling in the sky, I still have time.

Donya took a few quick breaths to calm herself down, then grabbed the rock with her other hand and continued cutting the rope.

Ineffective.

After cutting for a while, the falcons in the distant sky seemed to be about to land.

Donya couldn't help but start to get anxious, and her gaze shifted to the campfire in front of her.

My heart skipped a beat, and an idea popped into my head.

Using fire might burn the rope through.

However, there is also a high chance that you might set your own clothes on fire.

If the clothes were set on fire and the rope hadn't broken, he might not have been killed by those two, but instead burned to death first.

Just as Donya was anxiously wondering what to do, she suddenly heard some noises behind her.

Donya turned her head with difficulty, her eyes widening in disbelief.

A horse slowly descended from the hillside.

"Honggul!"

Donya felt a surge of joy that brought her to tears.

A hundred meters away, Hongguer was walking leisurely when he heard the shout. He suddenly stopped and turned his head to look.

Then... there was no reaction; they continued strolling around as if they hadn't seen anything.

Although she was quite far from the main peak, Donya still didn't dare to shout at the top of her lungs. Seeing that Honggul didn't move, she shouted a few more times in a hurry.

Finally, Hongur stopped and looked up at himself.

"Honggul, come here, save me!"

Donya called out anxiously.

At this point, Hongur seemed to realize that Donya was in trouble and slowly walked over.

As it approached, it looked Donya up and down and called out twice.

It's as if it's asking you what you're doing.

"Ropes, look, I'm tied up and can't move. Untie me." Donya turned her back to Hongur to show him.

She knew that there were some clever horses on the grassland that could untie their own ropes and couldn't be tied up.

To Donya's great surprise, Honggul actually understood.

It walked up and lowered its head to tug at the rope with its mouth.

Didn't move.

It's tied in a tight knot, very sturdy.

Donya then tried to get Honggur to fetch her the travel bag.

Once I get the dagger, I can cut the rope myself.

Hongur didn't react and started chewing the rope with grunts.

Donya tried to stay still, watching anxiously.

In the distance, the falcon seemed to be attracted, suddenly swooping down and disappearing from sight.

Donya was extremely anxious.

Once the falcon is snareted and captured, the two men will return quickly.

But Honggul behind him wasn't in a hurry at all; all that could be heard was the crunching sound of it chewing.

Meanwhile, at the foot of the main peak, two men lay prone in the shadow of a boulder.

They did not set any snares.

Snagging can damage prey, and they need a whole, uninjured falcon.

Once damaged, its value plummets.

Therefore, the method they chose was to lure and trap.

They applied anesthetic to the chipmunks and voles they had prepared beforehand, tied fishing lines to their legs with sticks attached to the other end, and inserted them into the ground.

In this way, the mouse can move around freely and is a living creature, enough to attract the attention of the falcon.

And so that they don't get lost.

Once a falcon hunts and eats a field mouse that has been drugged with anesthetic, it will be paralyzed.

"Brother, why isn't it coming down yet?" the man who fired the gun asked, looking up.

The man with the mustache lay on the ground, staring intently at the falcon high in the sky, and said, "What's your rush? It's courting, it won't give up anytime soon."

They had been tracking this albino falcon for quite some time and knew its condition very well.

Because of its albino nature, it was regarded as an alien by female birds and suffered contempt.

Poor thing, I haven't found a partner since April.

But for humans, albino falcons are extremely rare, one in ten thousand.

Especially in the market, those wealthy gentlemen love white the most.

“It hasn’t come out all day. Once it gets dark, they stop hunting. Trust me, once the female bird ignores it, it will definitely start hunting.”

Outside of the breeding season, saker falcons are nomadic, hunting across areas of tens of square kilometers.

This is a resting spot that this falcon often comes to in the Uyastai Mountains.

They followed us all the way here and came here several times.

So the man knew that there were still falcons in this mountain range.

Right on the main peak.

It's so steep that people can't climb it at all.

The problem is, people are all in pairs, so they won't bother with it.

Sure enough, the white falcon displayed its elegant flight posture in the air, but there was no response.

After letting out a mournful cry, the white falcon left the main peak and, just as the man had predicted, began searching for prey.

He hovered at an altitude of a thousand meters, yet he could clearly see everything happening on the ground.

Several chipmunks moving around immediately caught its attention.

When a man fails to find a mate, he can only soothe his heartache by having a big meal.

With a flap of its wings, the white falcon swooped down at speeds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour.

Like a cannonball hitting the ground, it aimed precisely at a chipmunk.

Just as it approached the ground, it spread its wings in time, judging the distance perfectly, and its sharp claws instantly gripped the chipmunk.

With just that one blow, the chipmunk lost all ability to resist; its spine had been broken.

A white falcon landed gracefully on the ground, looking around.

There was no movement.

On the grasslands, while hunting prey, one may also become prey oneself.

The white falcon did not return to its resting place but began pecking at food on the spot.

In the far distance, a man with a mustache held up a monocular telescope, extremely excited.

They tracked it for a long time and tried many methods, but felt that doing it this way was the safest option.

"Don't rush." ​​He calmed his restless companion.

If you rush over at this moment, the falcon will definitely be startled and take off immediately, making it impossible to catch up.

We should wait until it finishes its use and the anesthetic takes effect before making our move.

The man who fired the gun shouted excitedly, "Brother, we're rich!"

The man with the mustache said that this white falcon is one in a million and could sell for millions of dollars.

"I know, don't shout."

The man with the mustache was equally excited, but he kept his composure, knowing he couldn't open the champagne halfway through the game, and simply lay low, waiting patiently.

Soon, the white falcon finished its prey, flapped its wings, and soared into the sky.

The man with the mustache wasn't in a hurry; he waited patiently for the medication to take effect.

This process may take several minutes.

The white falcon was still circling in the sky; a chipmunk wouldn't even be enough to fill its teeth.

But it was visibly slowing down the frequency of its wing flapping.

The medicine is taking effect.

The man with the mustache pulled another man onto a motorcycle, ready to reap their prey.

The falcon in the air could no longer control its flight and glided towards the ground.

Just ahead.

But just then, a black horse suddenly darted out from the distant hillside.

The man with the mustache felt a jolt in his heart.

No, how did Donya get away?

And where did this horse come from?

"Brother, that woman."

His companions kept patting him on the shoulder.

The man with the mustache just twisted the accelerator and shouted, "Ignore her."

At this moment, the falcon is important, and people are irrelevant.

Once you've caught the falcon, leave immediately.

Who cares if she calls the police or not?

But the next moment, the man with the mustache almost cried out in panic.

Then the white falcon glided to the ground, and unfortunately, it landed to the right front of Donya's direction as she descended the mountain.

Most importantly, Donya hesitated for a moment, then turned right and charged towards the falcon along the east-west mountain range.

She wants to steal my wealth and status!

The mustachioed man, who had just been shouting that people weren't important and that he only cared about money, suddenly became agitated and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Shoot! Kill her!"

His companions behind him frantically tried to draw their guns.

At that moment, Donya, as one with her horse, charged straight at the falcon.

Once they were close, they slowed down slightly, grabbed the mane with one hand, hooked one foot on the horse's back, and pressed their body completely against Hongur's side.

Running a horse without a saddle is actually a very dangerous and extremely difficult maneuver.

However, Donya, a skilled rider, managed to keep her balance.

Hongur cooperated perfectly with her, slowing down and gliding precisely past the white falcon.

Donya reached out and caught the dizzy falcon that had fallen to the ground.

He immediately grabbed the mane and got up.

The white falcon was still struggling, scratching Donya several times.

The next moment, a gunshot rang out.

Donya instinctively bent down.

"Honggul, hurry!"

Without her prompting, Honggul, like a black lightning bolt, plunged headlong towards the west.

(End of this chapter)