Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl

Pure rabbit jerky, low-temperature roasted, original flavor, though possibly a bit hard on the teeth, everyone who has tried it has praised it.

When he found the rabbit cat, it was nibbling on a mouse rabbit.

Actually, for it, this was quite a spectacle already, but having seen the unreserved manner in which his few cats at home ate, the rabbit cat seemed incredibly graceful by comparison.

The rabbit cat calmly glanced at him then continued to show off by eating.

Three minutes later, it suddenly looked up, staring at Chen Ying with a face full of disbelief.

Chen Ying frowned too, wondering if the rabbit cat had suffered brain damage, as it seemed quite slow in its reactions.

Or could it be that it was too cold and its brain had frozen over?

With such reaction speed, wouldn't it easily be caught by predators?

After watching the rabbit cat with a pitying gaze for a while, he left behind a small bag of rabbit jerky, feeling it was better to rely on himself.

He moved down a difficult path and arrived at the river beach area.

A highland river beach is actually just a very shallow stream formed by melting snow and ice.

Now, with the freezing temperatures, there was no water, just a thin layer of ice covering the rocky beach, so thin that a poke of a finger could make a hole.

Don't be fooled by the thin ice; it's very easy to slip on.

Chen Ying carefully walked forward treading on grass roots, spending quite a while before he managed to cross to the other side of the river beach.

There were noticeably more small animals on this side compared to up the mountain. Besides mouse rabbits, he also spotted two weasels foraging.

The weasel in the north is considered among the mystical creatures, respectfully referred to as Yellow Immortal.

But in the south, they are commonly called weasels!

Their underworld status was clear at a glance.

Apart from the weasels, he discovered a nest of snow quail in a brushy area.

The snow quail's appearance was not as flashy as other pheasants. They gathered near the bushes by the river beach, pecking at plant seeds and moss under the thin snow.

These little fellows weren't afraid of humans, and as long as one didn't deliberately startle them, one could even take a close-up photo with them.

Carefully circumventing these little treasures, Chen Ying continued exploring below the brush area.

Between the brush area and the river beach, there was a not-so-small, elongated meadow area which was also well-suited for the rabbit cat's habitat.

A male rabbit cat's territory could encompass the territories of up to five female rabbit cats, whereas female rabbit cats, due to their need to nurture their offspring, wouldn't have very large territories but required a plentiful food source.

This river beach area fit their cub-rearing needs perfectly.

Indeed, after walking for about fifty meters, at the border between the brush and the meadow area, under a layer of rocks, he found a cave with fresh traces.

Chen Ying carefully took out a soft light flashlight and shone it inside; two pairs of small eyes stared back at him in fright.

Chen Ying quickly retreated, then after some distance, he found a rock to hide behind.

Soon, perhaps sensing that Chen Ying was no longer there, two rabbit cats, one after the other, crawled out of the stone crevice cave.

The cubs had already grown their fur, appearing to be about four to six months old.

Their mother wasn't with them, likely out hunting.

Normally, a rabbit cat mother keeps her hunting grounds as close to the cave as possible while caring for her cubs, so she can return quickly to protect them if there is any disturbance.

This mother being able to leave briefly also indicated that the two young rabbit cats were either strong enough to protect themselves or knew how to avoid predators.

Chen Ying took out his phone and recorded the coordinates.

He had observed along the way down that there were no infrared cameras nearby; it seemed likely that no one had previously discovered the rabbit cat or any other valuable protected animal here.

After taking enough photos, Chen Ying carefully made his way down from the other side of the river beach.

A bit further down, they would enter the high mountain fir forest area.

This time, he keenly sensed a watching gaze and looked up to see a one-eyed Flower Leopard laying on a tree branch, silently staring at him.

Not sure of the Flower Leopard's temperament, Chen Ying didn't dare to speak and just silently exchanged glances with it.

After about fifteen minutes, the Flower Leopard gracefully descended from the tree and draped its tail as it lay down on a rock at the base of the tree.

"You emit a scent that feels somewhat familiar, but I'm sure I've never seen you before."

The Old Leopard's voice was deep and hoarse, belonging to a female.

Chen Ying didn't know what to say, his own scent was a mix of many things, chiefly dominated by Little Monkey and Jinya, wasn't it?

Those two rubbed against him every day, and even if he changed his clothes, the scent was already embedded.

The Old Leopard was merely curious, it had no intention to delve into whose scent it was.

Its vitality was already waning, and it just wanted to peacefully spend its last days.

Born in the wild, raised in the wild, and die in the wild.

That's the inevitable end every free wild animal must confront.

"I was born here, traveled a lot when I was young, and now I've decided to come back to spend my final days."

The Old Leopard spoke slowly, like a kind old grandmother at home, rambling regardless of whether you wanted to listen or not.

Chen Ying studied the Old Leopard closely, its skin was loose, its fur had lost its shine, and when it yawned, one could see a missing tooth among others heavily worn down.

The Old Leopard chattered away at Chen Ying for quite some time until it grew a bit hungry and decided to go look for food.

Chen Ying thought about offering his help, but then thought better of it, suspecting the Old Leopard might not appreciate his "kindness."

After the Old Leopard left, Chen Ying sat down, hanging his head for a long while before finally picking up his phone and calling Little Sen.

"Leopard Sister? She is sleeping on the tree, you looking for her?"

Little Sen was feeding Little Cub bamboo shoots when he received the call.

He looked up at the two on the tree, hesitating whether he could disturb Leopard Sister.

"Just put your phone under the tree and turn on the speaker; I'll talk to Leopard Sister."

Little Sen gave his phone a complex look, realizing Brother Ying wasn't being subtle at all.

Following Chen Ying's instructions, he saw both Brother Leopard and Leopard Sister on the tree open their eyes simultaneously, then they jumped down, approached the phone, and sniffed vigorously.

"Roar, are you trapped in here? Need my help?"

Seeing Leopard Sister about to claw at it, Little Sen was terrified and stepped forward, "Leopard Sister, spare the device!"

Brother Leopard turned and roared at him.

Little Sen stepped back with a pained expression, looking regretfully at his trusty old smartphone he had used for three years.

"Leopard Sister, it's okay, can you still smell me? Follow the scent to find me, I have something I need your help with."

Brother Leopard and Leopard Sister exchanged a glance and without a word, headed toward the northeast.

Jinya and Little Jin emerged from the cat den and before they could even ask what was wrong, seeing Leopard Sister and Brother Leopard running, Jinya didn't even think before chasing after them.

Little Jin hesitated for a moment but decided to follow.

"No, this…" Little Sen watched blankly as their four figures vanished in an instant, unable to finish his sentence.

And Great Bai and Jiaojiao were also stirred, abandoning Little Cub, they chased after them, one leading and one following, their bodies bouncing with fat.

Leo, seeing his parents run, wanted to follow but was swiftly held back by Little Sen.

"Little Ancestor, don't go, you're still so young, what are you going to do, deliver takeout?"

Leo was very annoyed, turned his head towards Little Sen and roared, even biting his arm.

Fortunately, the little guy didn't bite hard, and since it was winter and Little Sen was wearing thick clothes, plus a sturdy work jacket to prevent water and scratches, otherwise his down jacket would have been scattering fluff all over the sky.