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Chapter 188: Let’s Run, Fox (IV)

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    “是雉狗的脚印。”穆图蹲下身，望着草地上的痕迹，沉声道，“至少有200人。”

“These are avani tracks.” Mutu squatted down to take a closer look at the footsteps left behind and spoke heavily, “About two hundred of them.”

    狮族部落总人口有四百多人，其中二分之一是没有多少战斗力的老幼妇孺。如果雉狗趁狮族战士外出狩猎的时候过来偷袭，两百人足以将他们的部落吞没。

The total population of the lion tribe was around four hundred; about half of them were elderly or young lions that couldn’t really fight. If the avanis chose to attack the tribe while the warriors of the tribe were out hunting, two hundred avanis were enough to kill them all. 

    尚可皱了皱眉，雉狗的行动比他预计的提前了几天。不过系统既然没有提示任务失败，那就说明偷袭还没有成功。

Shang Ke frowned. The avanis have acted a couple days earlier than he assumed. But since the System hadn’t notified him of his mission failure, they had yet to annihilate the tribe.

    “走！”穆图加快了的速度，和尚可一起奔向部落。

“Let’s go!” Mutu quickened his steps and bounded for the tribe with Shang Ke.

    随着距离越来越近，隐约可以听到杂乱的交战声。部落外围竖起了一圈三米多高的防护栅栏，栅栏后站着一百多名狮族人，有男有女，阵形零散，各自拿着一把武器，正在抵挡雉狗群的疯狂进攻。附近已经躺了不少尸体，有狮族的人，也有雉狗族的人。

As they got closer to their destination, the chaotic sounds of a battle reached them. The tribe had a defensive fence over three meters tall. Many lions and lioness beastmen held their place in front of the fence. Their formation was a bit scattered as they each held their weapon and defended against the attack. Countless bodies were already lying around, some to the lions and others to the avanis.

    尚可看到栅栏，立刻明白为什么雉狗还没有占领狮族部落。因为他们这次有了防范，不像原来那样，被打了一个措手不及。

Shang Ke immediately understood how the avanis had not taken over the lions when he saw the fence. They were warned ahead of time and had placed defenses, so they were not badly beaten like the original story. 

    不过看他们的样子，估计也坚持不了多久了。部落现在明显战力不足，一部分应该还在外面寻找穆图，另一部分可能是外出狩猎了。

But from the looks of the situation, they wouldn’t be able to last much longer. The tribe clearly did not have enough warriors. A portion should be out trying to find Mutu while another portion were out hunting.

    穆图看到自己的族人被雉狗杀害，喉咙里发出愤怒的低吼，正准备冲上去助阵，却被一只手拉住了。

Watching his tribesmen being slaughtered, a low angry growl lingered in Mutu’s throat. He was about to rush in and fight when a hand stopped him.

    穆图转头看向身边的狐狸，脸上露出焦躁和不解的神色。

Mutu looked at the fox. Impatience and confusion were clear on his face.

    尚可朝某个方向指了指，然后用树枝在地上简单勾画出一只动物的形态。

Shang Ke pointed in a specific direction, then drew a simple animal on the ground with a branch.

    穆图心念一动，想起刚才回来时在河边看到的骡牛群，问道：“你的意思是利用那群骡牛驱赶雉狗？”

A lightbulb went off in Mutu’s head. He remembered the bull herd they saw at the riverbanks while making their way here. He asked, “Are you trying to say to use that herd of loch bulls to drive away the avanis?”

    尚可点点头。雉狗人数众多，即使加上他和穆图，估计也起不了多少作用。毕竟雉狗可以毫无顾忌的杀戮，但他们还要尽可能保护族人的安全。

Shang Ke nodded. There were so many avanis, even if they joined the battle, it wouldn’t matter much. After all, they still had to protect the tribe while avanis could fight purely on offense without worry. 

    “好主意。”穆图没有犹豫，当即和尚可一起向河边跑去。

“Good idea.” Mutu did not hesitate and headed for the river bank with Shang Ke.

    骡牛是卡洛奇山的一种食草动物，也是兽人的食物来源之一。但它们皮糙肉厚，身形庞大，而且数量众多，猎捕难度比较高，在食物充足的时候，兽人一般很少将它们当作猎捕目标。

The loch bulls were a herbivore animal of Kaloch Mountain and one of the food sources for beastmen. But they were huge with thick pelts and flesh and a high population. Hunting them was a bit harder. When beastmen had enough food, they usually didn’t hunt them.

    河边，四、五十只骡牛正在悠闲地喝水散步，穆图和尚可悄悄潜到附近，选了一个合适的方位，然后就见穆图瞳孔收缩，面目狰狞，金色毛发根根竖起，身上散发出属于狮王的强大气息。

By the riverbanks, fifty or so loch bulls were leisurely drinking water and walking about. Mutu and Shang Ke hid themselves nearby with the wind blowing toward them. Mutu’s pupils shrunk as his face pulled back into a vicious look of a hunter. His golden hair stood on its end as the aura of a lion king flowed off him.

    骡牛群感受到这股气息，开始惶惶不安。

The loch bulls sensed it and became alarmed.

    “嗷——”穆图发出一声巨吼，威震四野，气势磅礴，惊得山林中的鸟兽纷纷飞起。

“Aoooo—” Mutu roared loudly, disturbing the peace of the area and showing his majestic aura as a racket of birds flew away from the forest in alarm.

    他从树丛中跳出来，直奔骡牛群的首领，纵身一跃，跳上它的背脊，顺势抓住它的牛角。动作一气呵成，快如闪电。

He rushed out of the thickets and headed straight for the head of the loch bulls. With a mighty leap, he was on the bull’s back and grabbed its horns. He moved efficiently and quick like lightning.

    “哞——”骡牛首领发出惊慌的叫声，然后在穆图的控制下，蹦跳着朝狮族部落的方向仓惶奔去。

“Mooo—” The loch bull made a noise of panic and charged in the direction of the tribe with some manipulation from Mutu.

    其他骡牛见首领跑，也纷纷跟在后面跑，完全没想过换个方向。

The rest of the herd saw their leader running and followed without a thought or consideration in changing directions.

    为免被颠下来，穆图的双腿紧紧夹住骡牛的身体，手上也不自觉加大力度。但这样一来，方向就不好控制了，发狂的骡牛开始偏移既定的路线，向部落外围奔驰。按照这个角度和距离，等骡牛群抵达目的地时，很可能与雉狗擦肩而过，无法达到冲击的效果。

So he wouldn’t get thrown off, Mutu’s legs clamped tightly around the loch bull’s stomach while he unconsciously held the bull horns harder. But by doing that, it became harder to control the direction of the loch bull. The panic-stricken loch bull started to diverge from the direction he wanted and galloped away from the tribe.

    正在穆图试图调整方向时，耳边忽然传来一阵破空声，随即只听“啪”的一声，骡牛的脖子似乎被什么东西抽了一下。

As Mutu tried to adjust the direction, he heard something flying through the air and then tied itself around the loch bull’s neck.

    穆图回头望去，只见尚可正趴伏在另一只骡牛背上，右手还拿着一根藤条，时不时往骡牛脖子上抽一下，一点点纠正他偏移的方向。

Mutu looked back and saw Shang Ke crouching on the back of another loch bull. His right hand was holding a vine that he would tug from time to time to adjust the direction of the bull. 

    疾风吹起他的长发，露出一张精致的面容。他神色从容，身姿飒然，一双清澈的眼眸，闪闪发光，脸颊因为运动，微微泛红，雪白的尾巴随风舞动，美得让人炫目。

The wind blowing by parted his hair and revealed his delicate face. He looked calm and refined as his eyes flickered brightly and his cheeks were flushed from the exhilaration. His white tail streamed behind him with the wind. He was just so dazzling.

    晃神间，穆图差点被身下的骡牛给颠下去。他连忙收敛心神，稳住身形，再看身边的狐狸，心中不免奇怪，他为什么可以骑得这么优雅？

While his thoughts drifted, Mutu was almost thrown off the bull. He immediately pulled back his drifting thoughts and steadied himself. When he looked back again at the fox, what occupied his mind was— How did Yanu ride his bull so gracefully?

    没有时间多想，首领骡牛在尚可的藤条鞭策下，重新奔上正轨，朝着雉狗冲击而去。

He didn’t have much time to keep mulling over it as the loch bull continued on the correct path from Shang Ke’s adjustments and charged into battle.

    雉狗们此时已经取得了优势，狮族众人脸上都露出绝望之色。眼看栅栏即将被攻破，忽然感觉大地震颤，一阵纷乱的奔腾声由远及近。

The avanis held the upper hand in battle now, causing the lion tribe to despair. As they watched their fence being a step away from destruction, they felt the ground shake followed by the sounds of galloping hooves.

    众人心中惊异，纷纷循声望去。只见一个高大的身影，骑在一头骡牛背上，威风凛凛地从树林深处冲出来，带起滚滚烟尘。

Surprise overtook them as they all turned to look in the direction of the sound. They watched as a tall figure, riding a loch bull majestically charged out of the forest followed by a wave of dust.

    “是族长，族长回来了！”狮族众人无不惊喜欢呼。

“It’s the Chief, the Chief is back!” The lion tribe cheered.

    几十只健壮的骡牛，在穆图的带领下，迅猛地冲进雉狗群中，将他们冲得四散奔逃，溃不成军。不少雉狗在逃跑中被发狂的骡牛踩伤踩死，毫无还手之力。

The herd of loch bulls charged at the group of avanis under Mutu’s guidance. They scattered as they utterly lost in the face of charging bulls. Many avanis were trampled over and killed before they could do anything.

    驾驭着骡牛的穆图，就像战神一般，势不可挡，在雉狗心中烙下恐惧的印记。

The bull-back Mutu was like a war god, unstoppable before his enemies. It left a firm trauma within the avanis.

    他们不敢停留，狼狈逃窜。不过眨眼间，便跑得一个不剩，只留下一地残缺不全的尸体。

They did not dare to stay and ran away in a sorry state. All of them were gone in the blink of an eye and all that remained were corpses.

    穆图见胜负已定，抬手勾住一根树枝，翻身而上。稳住身形后，他立刻朝尚可所在的位置望去，见他背对着他，倒吊在树梢上，尾巴微微卷起，身体一晃一晃，似乎正在欣赏天边的夕阳。

Mutu saw that victory was obtained, he raised the branch he was holding and hopped off the bull. After he steadied himself, he looked for Shang Ke. He saw him hanging upside down in a tree with his back to him, watching the sunset as he swayed with the wind and his tail curled happily.

    穆图发现自己的目光总是不受控制地被他吸引，把他兜进自己怀里，好像比获得一场胜利更让他欣喜。

Mutu noticed that his eyes were always being pulled to the fox. Holding him in his arms made him even happier than obtaining victory.

    “下来，我们回家。”穆图站在树下，仰头凝视着倒吊的尚可，向他伸出自己的手臂。

“Come down, let’s go home.” Mutu stood under the tree and raised his head up to look at him. He extended his arms out.

    尚可身体一晃，从树上翻身而下，稳稳落入穆图怀中。

Shang Ke flipped himself upright in a flash and fell stably into Mutu’s arms.

    穆图将他放下，手臂顺势搭在他的腰上。

Mutu placed him back down on his feet and placed an arm around his waist.

    两人一起回到部落，迎接他们的是族人热烈的欢呼和崇敬的目光。不仅是因为穆图赶走了雉狗，解决了部落的危机，还因为他驾驭骡牛的样子，给他们带来了很大的震撼。在这个没有骑士的远古时代，驾驭野兽，足以被当作勇气和威猛的象征。

The two of them returned to the tribe under the tribesmen enthusiastic and worshipping gazes. It was not only because Mutu had driven away the avanis and saved the tribe, it was because the way he rode the loch bull into battle was a great shock to them. In this ancient era where there were no horsemen, riding a beast was enough to show one’s courage and power.

    穆图的威信，因为这次出奇制胜而大大提升，并且更加稳固。

Mutu’s prestige rose greatly and became more stable due to this unexpected victory.

    他集合剩下的族人，统计伤亡，清扫战场。此次战斗，狮族一共牺牲了十一名族人，重伤五、六十人，轻伤不计。雉狗死亡四十三人，俘虏四人。这对狮族而言，已经算是一次不小的胜利了。毕竟当时部落中只有二十几名青壮年，后面连女人和年纪稍大的孩子都被派上场了。若非事先竖起了防护栅栏，部落恐怕早就被雉狗血洗了。

He gathered his remaining tribesmen to count the casualties and tidy up the battlefield. Eleven tribesmen were killed in battle while fifty to sixty were seriously injured. Forty-three avanis were killed and four were captured. This was already an overwhelming victory in the lion’s point of view. After all, they only had some twenty or so qualified fighters in the tribe at the time. Even women and older children had come to make up numbers and fight. If it weren’t for the fence that had been put up beforehand, the tribe would have been massacred already.

    随着善后工作的进行，外出的狮族战士相继返回，得知部落经历的危机，都感到无比愤怒和后怕。随即又听到族人眉飞色舞地诉说族长的威猛，更是惊得目瞪口呆。

As they dealt with the aftermath of the battle, the lions who had been out of the tribe returned in succession. When they found out about the crisis the tribe went through, they were furious and fearful. Then they heard of the happy recounts of their chief’s might, they were shocked even more.

    “穆图，真高兴你能平安回来。”西特走过来，伸开双臂用力抱了抱穆图。

“Mutu, I’m so glad you could come back safely.” Xite walked over and tightly hugged Mutu.

    穆图不动声色地推开他，平静道：“这段时间辛苦你了。”

Mutu silently pushed him away and calmly replied, “You have worked hard.”

    “哈哈，我们是兄弟，说什么辛苦不辛苦的。”西特露出一个毫无城府的笑容。

“Haha, we’re brothers, it’s only natural to help.” Xite smiled in a completely innocent way.

    看着眼前的西特，穆图不敢相信他竟然就是背叛自己的人。他们是同胞兄弟，从小亲密无间。如果他想成为狮王，完全可以堂堂正正地向他挑战，为什么要用这种卑鄙的手段，与雉狗勾结，不惜陷族人于险地？

Seeing this Xite in front of him, Mutu still couldn’t believe that he was the one that betrayed him. They were full-blooded siblings and had a good relationship since young. If he wanted to become the Lion King, he could have just challenged him openly. Why did he need to do something so dangerous, to collude with the avanis and place their tribesmen in danger?

    穆图很想质问他，但最后还是忍住了。这次他们俘虏了四名雉狗，只有从他们口中坐实西特的背叛，他就可以名正言顺地处置他了。

Mutu really wanted to question him but endured the impulse. They had captured four avanis this time. As long as he got the information of Xite’s betrayal out of their mouth, he could deal with Xite with a justified reason.

    处理完一大堆善后事宜，已是深夜，穆图回到自己的屋子，眉宇间透出几分疲色，正打算好好休息一下，突然感觉少了点什么。环视一圈，房间里空空荡荡，冷冷清清，少了一只毛茸茸的大尾巴狐狸。

After finishing the pile of post-battle affairs, it was already very late when Mutu returned home. His face showed his weariness and was just about to have a good rest when he suddenly felt that something was missing.

    他转身走出屋子，思索了片刻，才记起亚努的住处。

He left his house and pondered over the problem, then remembered about where Yanu lived.

    因为是外来者，所以亚努被安排在靠近外围的一个偏僻角落。

Because he was an outsider, Yanu had been placed in a remote location near the edges of the tribe.

    穆图循着气味一路找过来，随即在一个土坯房前停下脚步。这个土坯房低矮残破，好像已经废弃很久了。地面坑坑洼洼，寸草不生，门外铺着一条石板路，断断续续地延伸了十几米就到头了。

Mutu tracked him by scent and stopped in front of a mudbrick house. The mudbrick house was short and dilapidated, like it had been abandoned for a long time. The ground was full of potholes and barren. The ground in front of the door was paved with flagstones and ended about ten meters away.

    穆图感觉有些不舒服，正准备敲门，发现房门只是虚掩，昏黄的火光从缝隙中透出来。

Mutu felt a bit uncomfortable at the sight. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but then noticed that the door wasn’t closed all the way. The light of a fire could be seen from within.

    他轻轻将门推开，一眼看到那个白色的身影正盘腿坐在炉火旁，低垂着头，安静地编织着衣服。

He softly pushed open the door and instantly found that white figure sitting cross legged by the fire. His head was hanging low as he quickly weaved some cloth.

    兽人的衣服材质，主要是兽皮。但是如果有耐心的话，也可以采集麻棉，用特殊手法抽取丝线，再用长针进行编织。虽然面料有些粗糙，但轻便透气，适合温暖的季节穿。

Most of the beastmen wore clothes from animal hide. But if they had patience, they could gather fiber and use special technique to extract threads and weave it with a needle. Although it was a bit of a crude material for clothes, it was lightweight and breathable, great for when it was warm.

    房间中，除了一张桌子、一把椅子和一张床之外，再没有其他家具。床上铺着一块老旧的兽皮，墙角摆放着一把自制的弓箭和石斧，炉灶边摆放一些陶制的碗盆和破旧的厨具。碗盆和厨具都被洗得干干净净，陈列得整整齐齐。

Within the room, there was no other furniture aside from a table, a chair and a bed. An old animal hide was spread out on the bed, a handmade bow and arrows sat in a corner with a stone hatchet. By the stove were some pottery bowls, basin and shabby kitchen tools.

    将一只雪白的狐狸摆在这种环境中，穆图总觉得有些格格不入。

Placing a snow-white fox in such an environment, Mutu felt that it was very incompatible.

    察觉到他的到来，尚可抬起头，用那双藏在白发下的眼睛静静地望着穆图。

Sensing his arrival, Shang Ke raised his head. He quietly stared at Mutu with eyes hidden under his bangs.

    穆图站在门口，闷声闷气地说：“明天给你换一个住处。”

Mutu stood at the entrance and spoke rather muffledly, “I’ll get you a new place tomorrow.”

    尚可摇摇头，表示不用。然后指了指他对面的草席，示意他坐。

Shang Ke shook his head to express that he did not need it. Then he pointed a finger at the straw mat across from him, telling him to sit.

    穆图走过去，挨着他坐下，视线不自觉移到盘在他腿边的大尾巴上。

Mutu walked over and sat down near him. His eyes unconsciously went to the large tail next to his leg.

    看了半晌，终于还是忍不住伸出爪子，正在这时，鼻间突然闻到一阵肉香。

After staring at it for a while, he finally couldn’t hold back the desire to touch it. As he was about to make his goal, the fragrance of meat stopped him.

    他猛地抬起头，看到尚可掀开了汤锅的盖子，露出里面煮开的肉汤。

He abruptly raised his head and watched Shang Ke removing the lid of the pot to reveal the meat soup boiling within.

    穆图顿时感觉肚子咕咕直叫，这才想起自己从回来到现在，还没吃过东西。

Mutu immediately felt his stomach rumble. He then realized he hasn’t eaten anything since he came back.

    尚可给他盛了一碗汤，将大部分肉块都舀进他碗中，然后又从火堆里拨出一个椭圆形的泥疙瘩。

Shang Ke gave him a bowl of soup and placed most of the meat in it and gave it to him. Then he dug out a dirt lump from within the fire.

    正在美美喝汤的穆图眼睛一亮，立刻认出了那个泥疙瘩正是他曾经吃过那种烤鸡。

Mutu who was happily drinking the soup was immediately delighted. He recognized it as the roasted pheasant he had eaten before.

    尚可将鸡肉切好，放在盘子中，又摸出五只焖熟的大河蟹，剥开两颗嫩白的怪鸟蛋，再倒上两碗用野果碾成的果汁，一顿丰盛的晚餐就完成了。

Shang Ke sliced the pheasant and placed it within a tray. Then he pulled out five crabs cooked the same way as the pheasant and peeled two stymph bird eggs. He poured two cups of fruit juice he made from crushing fruit and a rich dinner was completed.

    穆图看着这一桌子食物，一天的疲倦和紧绷顿时烟消云散，只剩下一种被美味和软毛包围的幸福感……

Mutu’s entire day of weariness and stress was gone just like that at the table of food. All that was left was happiness from eating delicious food and fluffy fur… 

SnowTime: Happy Monday~

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