Chapter 1415: Chapter 2: Pacifying the Furious Spirit (Part 2)

Upon hearing the Beast Spirit Speaker’s command, Little White extended his arm behind his back, not daring to move his torso at all.

He kept his eyes fixed on the wolf pack approaching the hillside, fearing he might startle them.

“[Herde Language] Don’t be afraid.” Bell calmly advised, “[Herde Language] The wolves won’t see you.”

With the Beast Spirit Speaker’s guidance, Little White grew a bit bolder. He crawled forward to the Beast Spirit Speaker, lay prone on the hillside, and slowly unfolded the bipod, carefully inserting it into the ground while holding it steady.

Bell’s hunting “stand” was specially designed for shooting on inclined terrain.

Matchlock guns commonly used in the army were difficult to steady without an iron forked rest. The hunting rifle that Winters and Anna gifted to Bell extended even longer than the military matchlock gun.

Though they had lightened it as much as possible, without support, it was nearly impossible to aim accurately using just one’s arms.

Across the Great Wilderness, rolling, expansive hills covered only in grass abound.

Unlike a forest, where a tree branch could prop up a gun, there’s often nothing on a grassy slope to support a gun.

Shooting while lying down also severely limited visibility.

Thus, a young hunter, deeply reflecting on this, specially crafted a unique rifle stand, unlike ordinary

So the young hunter specially had a portable stand made, different from the usual iron forked stances. His stand had two foldable legs and was carved from wood, making it more stable and lightweight.

Bell lifted the rifle from his knee, gently placing it onto the stand, his shoulder firmly against the stock, finger on the trigger.

He felt the wilderness’s breath, gauging the distance between him and his target with his eyes. He determined the wind’s direction and strength by the waves in the grass, the gun gradually becoming an extension of his body. He could already envision where the lead bullet would land, patiently waiting for the wolf pack to come a bit closer, and then a bit more.

The wolf pack in his view became increasingly clear, the dewdrops condensing on their fluffy fur almost visible.

Big White and Little White hardly dared to breathe, feeling time drag infinitely long. They dared not move, fearing to disturb the Beast Spirit Speaker or startle the prey, silently praying to the heavens in their hearts.

Once the wolf pack reached the hillside, with only two hundred paces between them, the leading giant wolf suddenly stopped. Only then did Bell Ralphnovich Pradov calmly pull the trigger.

The lead bullet entered between the giant wolf’s eyes, shattering the skull base and cervical vertebrae along the way, finally flying out above the spine, carrying flesh and blood.

The giant wolf shuddered and fell headlong, ceasing to move.

The rest of the wolf pack, an adult wolf along with two juvenile wolves, immediately turned to flee back the way they came.

The gunshot, like an exploding thunder, awakened the dawn prairie, startling a large flock of birds from the distant woods.

“[Herde Language] Did we hit?” asked Little White anxiously, holding onto the stand, unable to see anything: “[Herde Language] Did we hit?”

“[Herde Language] The gun.” Bell efficiently stowed the rifle by his side and reached out to Big White.

“[Herde Language] It’s a hit! Don’t move!” Big White answered his brother while offering the spare rifle to the Beast Spirit Speaker. The three of them brought three rifles, all preloaded and ready to shoot.

Little White, anxiously awaiting, was overjoyed to hear that the gray-furred beast, which had plagued at least four handfuls of young lambs, had been eliminated. He couldn’t help but exclaim “Hiyah,” clapping his hands on the ground with vigor.

However, as soon as his hand left the stand’s leg, it tilted downhill. Little White was caught off-guard and tried to salvage it, but it was too late. The other leg also slipped from his hand, and the dislodged stand rolled downhill, sliding ten meters away.

Big White was startled, but Bell, having taken hold of the spare rifle, moved without hesitation, shifting to a seated position with one leg outstretched, using his knee to support his arm, and aimed at the fleeing wolf pack.

Little White knew he made a mistake. He wanted to act quickly but, seeing the stand’s position, realized it was too late.

Gritting his teeth, he quickly got up and knelt on one knee before the Beast Spirit Speaker, using his right shoulder to hold up the rifle’s barrel.

Bell and Little White briefly locked eyes.

Though Bell was unsurprised by Little White’s mishap with the stand, he raised an eyebrow slightly in surprise at this moment.

Little White held onto the barrel, grimacing, bracing for the impending loud roar that would surely leave him dizzy and his ears ringing.

“[Herde Language] Don’t move,” Bell said softly.

Then, he pulled the trigger.

The rifle roared again like thunder, the adult wolf at the front of the pack running toward the forest staggered abruptly.

Hit in the hindquarters, the bullet’s force and pain spun it around before it collapsed, lying in place and writhing in agony, howling pitifully.

Big White immediately handed over the third rifle and patted his brother on the back. Little White nodded at his brother and bowed his head to clear the line of sight, waiting for the third gunshot.

However, even though Bell aimed at the target, he ultimately did not pull the trigger, watching as the two juvenile wolves fled into the forest without looking back.

Big White and Little White looked puzzled.

Raising the rifle’s muzzle, Bell fired a shot into the open air before handing the rifle back to Big White.

“[Herde Language] Nowadays, the wolves are led by a male and female with some cubs. Killing the adults means the young ones won’t dare to return,” Bell explained. “[Herde Language] Go fetch the horses.”

Little White got up and ran behind the hillside, taking quite a while to fetch the horses — they had hidden them further away to avoid detection by wolves.

The three packed up the rifles and mounted their horses, galloping downhill first to the giant wolf’s corpse.

Big White and Little White dismounted, clicking their tongues in admiration: “[Herde Language] Such a massive gray-furred beast!”

They grabbed the giant wolf’s head, tapping it against their foreheads three times.

Then Big White drew a small knife from his person, cut out the giant wolf’s tongue, and respectfully handed it to the Beast Spirit Speaker, as there was a Herders’ custom of preserving and drying the tongues of the beasts they killed to make amulets.

“[Herde Language] An extraordinary creature.” Big White tried hard to say something auspicious: “[Herde Language] Certainly destined to become a remarkable talisman.”

However, Bell uninterested, shook his head: “[Herde Language] Keep it.”

“[Herde Language] It only works if it’s one you killed yourself.”

“[Herde Language] This wolf was killed by both of us.”

After some thought, Big White, without hesitation, returned the tongue to the giant wolf’s mouth. He and his brother lifted the giant wolf’s corpse onto their horse and proceeded toward where the second wolf had fallen.

Unexpectedly, the wolf shot in the waist was still alive. Its eyes open, it lay in its blood pool, twitching slightly.

Big White looked at the Beast Spirit Speaker.

Bell nodded once.

Big White stepped up and mercifully ended the wolf’s suffering.

This time, Big White and his brother together placed the wolf’s body on Little White’s horse, then turned and asked, “[Herde Language] Shall we hunt again tomorrow?”

Bell gazed across the misty dawn wilderness: “[Herde Language] A temporary ceasefire.”

—————–

[West Bank of Big Horn River]

[Bell’s Camp]

The news of the Beast Spirit Speaker’s triumphant return quickly spread through the camp, with nearly everyone, young and old, coming out to greet them.

Children laughed and joked while running behind the horses carrying wolf carcasses;

The women covered their noses with sleeves to shield themselves from the stench of the wolf corpses, observing the wolf’s exposed teeth with curiosity and fear;

Men who rushed back from outside the camp expressed amazement at the giant wolf’s size, showing relief — these gray-furred beasts had disturbed the pastures, forcing the camp to assign more descendants to guard the livestock at night. Now they could finally have a good night’s sleep.

The elders all bowed to the Beast Spirit Speaker, pressing their hands against their chests.

Riding amid the crowd, Little White felt immense pride, unconsciously lifting his chest.

Big White’s expression also carried a hint of pride.

Though they had not pulled the trigger that shot the vicious wolf, the wolf corpses were undoubtedly the result of their tireless efforts tracking the wolf pack for days.

However, Bell only nodded politely to the elders as he returned their greetings, his demeanor calm.

Until he noticed, at the back of the crowd, Pierre smiling and watching him.