Little wildcat

Author: Zhu Xinwang / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The forest has always been a place that city children yearn for. Children living in the forest and animals are so mysterious to them. The stories that happen in the forest every day, the coexistence of humans and nature, and the competition among animals, are all things they are eager to learn about. Fairy tales are children's friends, and the forest is their playground. The fairy tales that take place in the forest will amaze the children. Give a child a pair of wings and let them fly into the distant primeval forest, experience the magic of nature firsthand, and explore the dangers of the wilderness. And the guide for the children is this series, "The Black Forest Series." This book is one of the series, which will lead children into the boundless forest and let them see the stories that unfold there. In a mountain village, the villagers told me that recently, someone had killed a "native donkey" in the upper mountains. The villagers said, "This is a rare thing, we haven't seen one in this area." They called the "native donkey" a "object," as if it were not a living being. This made me feel uncomfortable. Another wild animal has been killed, yet their tone was so casual. How many beasts are left in the Taihang Mountains? Are they planning to exterminate them all? Moreover, based on the villagers' description, I am confident that the "native donkey" they killed was actually a wildcat. The wildcat is a Class II protected animal. In the past, in the Taihang Mountains and the plains and plateaus of North China, this agile and clever animal, resembling a mountain cat, was very common. Once upon a time, now the residents of the mountain village called it a "rare object," saying they had never seen one in this area. What does this indicate? An animal that is already so rare is still being killed! Is it only allowed to have humans left in the Taihang Mountains, on this planet? The sky grew dark. The forest became lively. The birds that had flown all day returned to their nests. The old birds called the young ones, the male birds called the female birds, the birds standing on the branches called the birds flying in the sky. "Gagaga, gugu, gagaga gugu," "chirp chirp, chirp chirp," "seed black, seed seed black," "gagagagagagagagaga, gagagagagaga." Some birds had rough voices, some had fine voices, some had round and pleasant voices, and some had noisy and unpleasant voices. All the bird calls merged into one, creating a unique evening chorus to the forest. The little wildcat was awakened by the noise. It was sleeping on a big tree. The black hair on the tip of its ears twitched, and it opened its eyes. But it still stayed on the big tree branch, just rolling its eyes up to look at the birds that were making a fuss on the tree tops and in the sky. After a few more minutes, it shook its whiskers, lazily sat up, and washed its face with its paws. Then, it leaped lightly, "puff," from the high tree to the ground. It was very happy that no one disturbed it today, and it had a sweet nap. Now, it was full of energy and at ease. Another lively evening had begun. The little wildcat started its "exercise." It bent its waist, used its four limbs to grip the ground tightly, and let out a "meow" before shaking its whole body. It shook it with great force, its belly swaying violently left and right, and the joints on its body making a clattering sound. With this shaking, dust, leaves, and small insects hidden in its fur flew into the air. This is the "exercise" the little wildcat does every time it wakes up. Shaking like this not only cleans the body but also stretches the muscles, promotes blood circulation, and reduces the risk of illness. — This little guy knows that there are no hospitals in the forest, so it must take care of its hygiene and exercise itself. The forest grew dim, but the birds were still making a lot of noise. Thin, misty smoke rose from between the branches of all the big trees and shrubs. This was the evening mist. The night was about to fall. Behind a patch of shrubs, a gray shadow flashed. Blinking, the shadow appeared at the base of a big tree. This was Old Wolf with Split Ears. As soon as it got dark, wolves came out to hunt. Old Wolf with Split Ears heard the clattering sound, trembled all over, and stopped. It cautiously peered out from behind the tree and immediately flew into a rage. Its lips curled, its steel-sharp teeth flashed, and its scarred, long face twisted, as if sneering. It saw that what startled it was actually a little wildcat. Old Wolf had traveled far and wide, what had it not experienced? What had it not seen? It had fought with big wildcats before and knew how formidable these feline animals were. The wildcat, though dignified, was taller than a cat but shorter than a wolf. Its face was like a cat's, but it had whiskers on its cheeks and black tufts of hair at the tips of its ears. Its tail was short, its legs long and sturdy, its fur grayish-brown with brown spots, fine and soft. — But this "big cat" with fine and soft fur almost cost Old Wolf its life. The wildcat, as big as a dog, was as agile as a leopard and as fierce as a tiger. After just a few rounds, Old Wolf, known for its ferocity, could no longer hold its ground. If it hadn't been battle-hardened and experienced, it might not have even been able to escape. Even so, its ear was torn into a big hole and swayed like a torn leaf when it shook. But that was a big wildcat, and Old Wolf was not afraid of this little one. The little one had only been in this forest for a short time, and this was the first time Old Wolf had seen it. But Old Wolf had smelled its tracks and followed them for a long way. The little one was probably only a year old, very tender! Yet, it dared to show off in Old Wolf's territory and acted so boldly today, scaring Old Wolf badly! P2-3