Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl
Chapter 372 - 370 What is this thing, take a bite and try

It took no more than ten minutes before the Little Tiger Cub emerged, holding something in its mouth that was neither a mouse nor a rabbit.

Walking up to the Tiger mother, the Little Tiger Cub put down its prey and let out a soft cry.

The viewers in the livestream room immediately took screenshots and zoomed in to have a look.

"It's a Rock Squirrel, what we call a Stone mouse here."

Inside the large office of the breeding center in Shaos City, several young people were watching the livestream via a projector.

They, too, recognized the identity of the prey.

Although not as big as the pheasants, Rock Squirrels are harder to catch. The fact that the Little Tiger Cub caught one on its own indicated that its hunting skills, at least fundamentally, were solid.

The Little Tiger Cub, having caught the Rock Squirrel, was not in a rush to eat; in fact, it didn't seem to want to eat at all. It had just caught any prey to demonstrate that it was capable of hunting.

As researchers who studied tigers, they could guess what was going on in the Little Tiger Cub's mind with a bit of thought.

"It seems that it really does take following an adult tiger to train properly."

Even the researchers who were originally not very supportive of Chen Ying's methods had to admit that, although his ideas were a bit out there, the results proved he was on the right track.

In fact, similar ideas had been proposed by others, but no one else had managed to find a surrogate mother for the tiger cub, let alone a wild one.

Even a bit of experience in the wild would have sufficed.

However, most Huanan Tigers were bred in captivity, and the few that had been spotted in the wild all resided in this region, mostly within uninhabited areas.

Counting each encounter, every sighted wild tiger had a close connection with Chen Ying.

Like the bereaved mother tiger, which was led here by the Tiger mother Chen Ying had rescued in the past.

The Tiger mother looked at the Rock Squirrel with a snapped neck and gently called out. The Little Tiger Cub flicked an ear as if it heard nothing.

It wasn't particularly hungry and wasn't too keen on eating the squirrel.

Just then, Jinya came to check on the two tiger cubs, carrying a wild rabbit in her mouth.

The Tiger mother didn't recognize Jinya and growled lowly as a warning when she noticed the intruder on her territory.

Jinya, clutching the rabbit, sat perched on a tree and watched for a while before letting go, allowing the rabbit to experience free fall.

The Little Tiger Cub had a good relationship with Jinya; back at the rescue station, Jinya would curl up and nap with the two of them.

It was Jinya who personally taught the two cubs how to catch rabbits.

"As long as you two are fine, I can rest easy. Dong Sheng is really worried about you, afraid you won't have enough to eat."

The Little Tiger Cub looked at the rabbit, then at its surrogate mother, and finally settled its gaze on the Stone squirrel on the ground.

It ran over to the poor squirrel and let out a huff, pressing it down. Jinya tilted her head.

"Should I bring this to Dong Sheng? Did you catch it yourself?"

Jinya gracefully leapt down from the tree without getting too close to the Tiger mother and the two cubs.

Knowing the Tiger mother was on high alert, as a mature Big Cat, it was wise not to challenge the maternal tiger's nerves.

Jinya picked up the Stone squirrel and was about to leave when it looked back at the two tiger cubs staring eagerly at her.

"While you're hunting, you might as well stop by and see Elder Tiger; it's also quite concerned about you."

The Tiger mother's ears twitched, not quite understanding what the Leopard was saying.

One moment about Elder Tiger, the next about Little Tigers—were there many tigers living together in the place where she resided?

Curiosity made the Tiger mother silently make a decision.

Chen Ying was also watching the livestream. Unlike others who only heard the tiger's roar and the Lynx's call, he heard the fluffy conversations.

"Little Sen, Mengmeng, you two be careful for the next few days. The Tiger mother might bring the Little Tiger Cub back for a visit; don't get scared. If you do get a little frightened, just hide for a while. They probably won't stay too long."

After speaking, Chen Ying went over to the platform to check on Dong Sheng, who was playing alone.

Without his two companions, Dong Sheng seemed a bit subdued.

Big Tiger had been busy practicing hunting recently, even taking Elder Tiger out with him, leaving Dong Sheng alone at home.

The treatment had also reached a plateau.

The previously mobile leg was doing well and could now support Dong Sheng to stand and walk slowly in coordination with his front limbs.

However, the reactions from the other hind leg, which had shown some responsiveness, had suddenly disappeared, and no amount of stimulation seemed to work.

Little Sen was a bit worried. After Chen Ying had researched non-stop all night, he had a long talk with Professor Bai, the senior brother, and Professor Everett. He decided to suspend acupuncture and herbal baths for the time being.

The focus was on training the leg that Dong Sheng had recovered.

A three-legged tiger was better than a two-legged one that could only crawl.

He opened the door to the first floor, allowing Dong Sheng to slowly learn to descend the stairs.

There were only five or six steps, so even if he fell, it wouldn't hurt too much.

Dong Sheng braced himself and managed a few steps before hopping down onto the grass.

His hind legs gave way slightly, nearly collapsing, but he ultimately managed to stand shaky but steady.

"Great job, Dong Sheng, keep it up."

Little Sen and the others saw Dong Sheng's effort, and Chen Ying, relieved, stroked his head and gave him a beef jerky stick to gnaw on.

Dong Sheng persevered on the grass, walking for about ten minutes before lying down to rest, then getting up again when ready.

When his legs got too weak to hold him, Chen Ying told him to lie down, and he began massaging Dong Sheng's hind legs.

At this time, Dong Sheng felt the most comfortable.

Chen Ying's massage strength and technique made Tiger hum with pleasure.

Before lunch, Big Tiger and Elder Tiger returned.

This time they went out not to hunt, but to patrol the surrounding area.

A tiger's territory spans at least 100 square kilometers and must have enough animals like deer, antelopes, and wild boars.

The Jiamu Gully area covers roughly 200 square kilometers, but two-thirds of it is difficult for humans to access.

Places like the summit of Snow Mountain; even visiting once a year would be considered frequent.

Only Yin Li and Elder Tiger had been up there before the rescue of Snow Leopard, and after that, people went up during the rescue.

From the time Yin Li left for River Source until now, no human traces remained above the snowline.

Tigers would not go to such high places; they would travel farther and encircle more forests.

Looking at the map, the jurisdiction of the Jiamu Gully Protection Station covers just enough for an adult tiger to survive, at most sharing the territory with a female from the neighboring station—any more, and there wouldn't be enough food.

Currently, one-third of Elder Tiger and Big Tiger's food comes from human feeding, so a lack of food isn't immediately apparent.

However, this problem will become evident in the winter.

Luckily, all three tigers had disability certificates and were on the official payroll, so in the winter when food was scarce, they could survive on the national aid provisions; otherwise, Chen Ying would have had to tearfully send them to a zoo to perform and beg for subsistence.

After returning, Elder Tiger and Big Tiger casually found spots to lie down and rest.

Big Tiger preferred higher ground, so the wooden frame he built for Jiaojiao and her cub became his favorite spot.

Elder Tiger was truly casual and could lie down anywhere, snoring away as soon as he settled.

Dong Sheng slowly stood up and moved next to Elder Tiger, lying down and meticulously grooming his fur.

Lately, he particularly enjoyed being with his kind, even without much interaction; just lying beside them was quite satisfying.

Chen Ying glanced at Dong Sheng, then whipped out his phone and began to furiously type.

Jinya returned with Little Tiger's "gift" for Dong Sheng.

Putting the Stone Squirrel in front of Dong Sheng and telling him it was caught by Little Tiger himself, Dong Sheng's excitement was visible.

He earnestly tore into the squirrel's skin and gobbled up the meat within a few bites.

For Dong Sheng, now not so little, consuming a Mouse Bar was like eating a spicy strip—a cursory moistening of the mouth that felt digested before it even reached his stomach.

Dong Sheng had more interactions with a few Two-legged beasts, especially Ruan Mengmeng and Old Gao's younger sister from college.

The girls would massage his legs, groom him, and chat while working.

Dong Sheng didn't understand much, but he did pick up on certain words.

A gift should be reciprocated.

So what should he bring back for Little Tiger?

Dong Sheng looked around with big eyes but couldn't find anything suitable to offer in return, leading him to sulk and start gnawing on his paws.

After sending the message, Chen Ying looked at Dong Sheng again and noticed the cub's mood was less than stellar.

"What's wrong? Didn't Little Tiger bring you a gift?"

"Ow-ow-ow, I don't know what to bring him in return."

Turns out he's a Tiger with manners.

Chen Ying offered some suggestions, but Dong Sheng thought none of them suitable. He wanted to give Little Tiger something he found himself.

Chen Ying frowned, glancing at his leg; Dong Sheng was still not able to freely move through the woods, let alone hunt.

But if not hunting, what could he give Little Tiger?

Dong Sheng's gaze eventually settled on a small swing.

He remembered that Little Tiger's favorite toy used to be the tire hanging from the swing.

Besides this big swing made from a tire, there were a few smaller tires hung on the side frame, used for the little ones to practice biting.

Maybe he should give that to him?

Dong Sheng got up, limping over to the small tire, and began gnawing the rope that suspended it.

Chen Ying was momentarily surprised, then quickly grasped Dong Sheng's intention.

"Do you plan to give this to him?"

"Is that not okay?"

Chen Ying really didn't know if it was acceptable or not; after all, wild tigers had never played with tires!

But trying couldn't hurt. Looking at the mother tiger's state, they'd at least stay near the cave till winter, if not until next spring before leaving.

The tire probably wouldn't last two months; its appeal to Little Tiger might be limited. As they grew bigger, the forest would become the best playground for the cats.

Chen Ying doted on the little ones, particularly on Dong Sheng, and was generally willing to indulge any request that wouldn't harm him.

Unable to deliver the tire himself and Jinya also not being an option, it was Chen Ying who personally brought the tire to Little Tiger the next day.

Not only did he deliver the tire, but he also hung it on a tree trunk next to the cave.

Set at a height a little above the ground, Little Tiger could just reach it with a leap, making it especially suitable for practice biting.

Even the mother tiger came over out of curiosity to paw it twice, then grabbed and bit the tire—

pfft, with a wooden expression and without any sentiment, she tossed it aside and returned to the entrance of the cave to lie down.

She kept smacking her lips while lying down, as if she really disliked the taste of rubber.

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