The primeval forest was dense and foreboding, shrouded in an oppressive gloom. Poisonous insects swarmed, and the distant roars of beasts echoed like thunder, carrying the pungent scent of fierce predators like tigers and vipers, sending chills through one's bones.
“Roar!”
A thunderous roar came from deep within the mountains, causing rocks to tumble and reverberations to echo. The trees swayed violently, leaves flying in all directions, signaling the presence of a large, ferocious beast.
A group of children turned pale. They had strayed some distance from Stone Village without informing the adults and had ventured into the old forest. Fortunately, they had not yet entered the true lair of the feral beasts.
“Big Brother Da Zhuang, the forest is too dangerous. We’re still young; we can’t go any further,” one child said, trembling.
Growing up in the primitive forest, they were well aware of the dangers it held. There were various ferocious creatures, and even their parents had to be cautious when entering the forest, or they might lose their lives.
The group of children, all quite young, numbered around a dozen. The leader was Stone Da Zhuang, who had once lifted a thousand-pound bronze cauldron. With his thick eyebrows and large eyes, his robust physique made him nearly as tall as an adult. He turned to another child and asked, “Pi Hou, how much farther?”
Pi Hou, whose real name was Stone Zhong Hou, was lean but immensely strong and clever. He replied, “I heard from Uncle Lin Hu that the cliff is not far from the village. It should be in this direction, so we should be getting close.”
“What do you think, Shi Hao?” Da Zhuang asked.
In the past, Shi Hao had been just a follower among the older children, but ever since he lifted the bronze cauldron, even the adults regarded him as a little monster. Naturally, the other children saw him as one of the “key figures” among them.
“It will be very dangerous if we continue,” Little Shi Hao said, his voice clear and his black-and-white eyes glistening.
“But we’re really close now,” Da Zhuang said.
More than half of the children were tempted to press on.
“If you’re going, I’ll come too,” Little Shi Hao said, with youthful determination.
Thus, the group of children continued their journey. They ventured another mile, with the dense trees thinning out, vegetation decreasing, and large rocks becoming more common. A fierce aura pervaded the air.
The jagged rocks formed a vast stone forest, eerily silent, with scattered giant beast bones lying on the ground, stark white and striking.
Pi Hou glanced around and whispered, “This is the place. I heard from Uncle Lin Hu that its lair is built into the cliff face in the depths of this stone forest.”
Da Zhuang also lowered his voice, warning the children, “These beast bones might be from its prey. Although it should be away from its lair at this time, we still need to be cautious. If we’re discovered, it could be fatal.”
The children, all raised in the wilderness, were highly alert, darting into the crevices of the stone forest with the swiftness and agility of small beasts. After a brief observation and sniffing the air, they nodded in agreement and moved stealthily towards the deepest part of the stone forest.
Along the way, they encountered many bones—large and white, some as long as five or six meters, others as big as millstones. These were the remains of fierce beasts and predators that had been torn apart. The area was filled with a sense of death.
“It seems it really does dwell here. If it breeds and produces offspring over time, the people of Stone Village will face a deadly threat when entering the mountains,” one child said.
“Uncle Lin Hu and the others have been planning for days and have already studied its habits,” another added.
The children whispered among themselves as they sped through the forest like a group of small whirlwinds.
A cliff stretched ahead, where it was even quieter and devoid of vegetation. At the top of the cliff was a massive nest made of black wutong wood, exuding an oppressive feeling.
From a distance, the children hid among the rocks and carefully observed. The black nest was about ten meters in diameter, clearly the lair of a fierce, unusual bird.
“It’s really here,” one child said.
“This green-scaled eagle has been lurking here for a long time and has now built a massive nest. Has it really laid eggs, as Uncle Lin Hu said?” another wondered.
The children’s eyes sparkled with excitement—this was their primary goal.
The bird was a powerful and ferocious creature with bloodline traits from ancient magical birds. It was difficult to deal with, and any typical beast or predator it targeted would be doomed.
“According to Uncle Lin Hu, the male green-scaled eagle hasn’t been seen for several days and might have died deep in the mountains. The female bird hunts for food alone every noon, so this might be our chance to get close,” Pi Hou explained.
The children clenched their fists, clearly nervous but also excited. Growing up in the wilderness, they were bold, or else they wouldn’t have ventured into such a dangerous place on their own.
“Hide in the cracks of the stones. I’ll throw a rock to test it,” said a dark-skinned child named Stone Meng, also known as Er Meng. He had once knocked down a large wild bull during village training and almost lifted the thousand-pound bronze cauldron. Among the children, he was only second to Shi Hao and Da Zhuang.
With a whoosh, a large stone was hurled towards the cliff, landing with a loud crash among the scattered rocks.
The group jumped in surprise but saw no immediate reaction from the cliff.
“Er Meng, don’t be so reckless. Be more cautious,” came the admonition.
“I’ll check if it’s in the nest. It seems safe for now, so let’s hurry,” Er Meng said, preparing to rush forward.
“Er Meng, wait,” Little Shi Hao interjected, grabbing a sizable stone and hurling it. The stone flew towards the cliff and landed near the nest with a loud bang.
After a moment of silence, no sign of the green-scaled eagle appeared on the cliff.
“Let’s go.”
The children, like a pack of beasts, howled and swiftly approached the cliff. When they were close, they divided into groups: some stood on the large rocks to keep watch, while others prepared to climb the cliff.
“Da Zhuang, you all wait here. I’ll go up and check,” Shi Hao said.
“You’re just a kid; stay here and watch. We’ll go up,” Da Zhuang replied, and the other children laughed. Little Shi Hao was still drinking beast’s milk and was often teased about it.
“I’ve been eating meat for a long time. I just occasionally use it as water,” Little Shi Hao retorted, his nose wrinkling in annoyance as he defended himself.
Of course, the little guy was smart enough to understand that the older kids weren’t really mocking him but were looking out for him and didn’t want him to take the lead and risk danger.
“I’m faster than all of you. If there’s danger, I can escape quickly,” Little Shi Hao said, not waiting for their response. Like a small monkey, he swiftly climbed the cliff with agility and finesse.
“Don’t let him take unnecessary risks. We’ll go up too,” Da Zhuang, Er Meng, and Pi Hou followed closely behind, scaling the cliff with the agility of monkeys.
The cliff had many crevices that allowed the children to find footholds and climb rapidly. Raised in the mountains and accustomed to the dense forest, they were adept climbers, almost as skilled as the mountain demons.
“Phew, finally made it up.”
The cliff was about three hundred meters high. After Little Shi Hao reached the top, he waited for the other three before heading towards the enormous nest.
“What a huge bird’s nest!” Pi Hou marveled.
Standing close by, the sight was profoundly shocking. The nest was about ten meters long, constructed of black wutong wood, occupying most of the cliff’s top, and was even larger than the houses in Stone Village.
In addition to the nest, there were also some large bones with traces of blood on the cliff. Each bone was thicker and longer than an adult's limb, which was quite unsettling.
Especially horrifying were the huge beast bones, as large as millstones, with several terrifying claw marks and residual blood, making them look particularly gruesome.
“These are dragon horn elephant bones. It’s terrifying that a ferocious bird would prey on such enormous beasts,” Er Meng said with shock and dismay.
“Forget about that for now,” Da Zhuang said, as he began climbing towards the black nest.
Upon reaching the nest, they were immediately met with a chilling atmosphere and a strong smell of blood. The edge of the nest was dark red, indicating that the green-scaled eagle often fed at the nest’s edge. The place had been deeply stained by various beast blood over time, creating a very sinister aura.
“The ferocious bird isn’t here,”
“Look, there are several eggs!”
The children exclaimed in surprise. Bold as they were, they had come to collect the ferocious bird’s eggs after overhearing the adults’ conversation in the village.
“This is great! Let’s move quickly and take them back to the village for incubation. In the future, we will have powerful ferocious birds to hunt beasts and bring back prey,” Pi Hou exclaimed excitedly.
Inside the nest, there was a soft bed of golden silk grass, making it appear very comfortable. Three eggs, as translucent and jade-like as emeralds, lay quietly in the nest. They were adorned with some patterns and spots, shimmering with a gleaming luster.
Each of these ferocious bird eggs was as large as a basin, translucent and shiny, with a jade-green color like agate. The patterns on them sparkled brilliantly under the sunlight.
No comments:
Post a Comment