Chapter 78

With McGee's intimidation, the latter half of the night finally became peaceful. Apart from the distant howls of wolves and the chirping of unknown birds in the forest, nothing could disturb everyone's rest.

McGee and the dogs' performance put everyone at ease. The latter half of the night was the most tiring time, and within ten minutes, everyone had fallen asleep. When Qin Yi was half-asleep, he vaguely heard someone snoring, wondering if it was Trevor or Colin outside.

Not sure if it would disturb others, Qin Yi, who was extremely sleepy, soon fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, when Qin Yi woke up, Ryan was already up. Checking his watch, it was almost 6 o'clock. He rubbed his face, crawled out of his sleeping bag, and put on his coat. The night on the mountain was very cold, and the morning was a bit chilly. He stepped out of the tent.

The air in the forest was very fresh, even better than on the ranch. He took a deep breath, greeted Ryan, patted the heads of the dogs that came over, and went to brush his teeth and wash his face.

When Ryan got up, the fire had already gone out. He started a new fire and was boiling water. By the time everyone woke up, each person could have a cup of coffee. As for cooking, it was still up to Yi. Without bread, they only had beef and vegetables. Eating grilled meat for breakfast didn't seem quite right, so Yi decided to make beef soup, which everyone loved!

After washing up, Qin Yi started cooking. Half an hour later, the aroma filled the entire campsite. Everyone gradually woke up, finished their personal hygiene, and gathered around the fire to chat. Early in the morning, McGee didn't go fishing. Susa gave most of the remaining vegetables to McGee and her puppies, leaving a little for lunch.

The dogs, without fish to eat, didn't bother Qin Yi. He had already prepared food for McGee and the dogs, but it wasn't as good as fish. He cooked a pot of rice, scooped a few spoons of beef soup, added more soup and less meat, mixed it, and that was the dogs' breakfast. The dogs weren't picky eaters; they cleaned the two large food bowls in no time and then lay down to continue their guard duty, which Qin Yi found very satisfying.

After breakfast, everyone went for a walk around the campsite. When they arrived yesterday, it was already dark, so they hadn't had much time to appreciate the surroundings. Now was the perfect time to explore.

The dogs took the lead, scouting ahead. Everyone followed the stream, slowly walking up the mountain. Along the way, Qin Yi picked some wildflowers and made a wreath for Angel, who giggled with delight. She then looked at her mother, who didn't have a wreath, and said, "Uncle Yi, Mom wants one too!"

Susa, holding Angel, was very happy. What a good child, always thinking of her mother.

"Okay, I'll make one for Mom."

As they walked, he picked wildflowers along the way. They were everywhere, and the air was filled with the fragrance of grass and wildflowers.

"Why don't you help Aunt Liu make one? Aunt Liu wants a wreath as beautiful as Angel's!" Liu Qimeng couldn't stay idle; it seemed she found it less fun not to tease Angel.

"Right, right! Angel, Auntie wants one too. Can you ask Uncle Yi to make one for me?" Colleen and Christine also joined in the fun.

Angel pouted, unhappy. "But Uncle Yi is so tired..."

Everyone laughed at her words. This little girl, her mother and Uncle Yi were the closest to her, and she couldn't bear to trouble Uncle Yi for others! Of course, it might also be that she wanted a gift. Now that she was more lively, she had more little thoughts, but they were just playful ideas, nothing bad.

"Angel, Aunt Liu can make ice cream. Do you want to eat some?"

That's right, Liu Qimeng couldn't cook, but she could make ice cream, and it was very delicious. She had made it at home before, and not only Angel, but Qin Yi and Susa also thought it was great.

Qin Yi guessed that maybe girls nowadays couldn't cook but could make ice cream or pudding, while boys were more likely to cook.

Sure enough, at the mention of ice cream, Angel smacked her lips and pointed at her chin with her little finger. "Then, Aunt Liu, make it every day!"

This was bargaining, and the little girl had even learned this. Qin Yi wondered who she had learned it from.

Liu Qimeng found it amusing to tease the cute little girl and pinched her cheeks despite Angel's small hands pushing her away. "Then you can't eat it without Mom's permission."

Angel nodded happily and then looked at Qin Yi. "Uncle Yi, can you make wreaths for Aunt Liu, Aunt Colleen, and Aunt Christine? We'll have ice cream at home, and we'll eat it with Mom!"

Qin Yi couldn't help but laugh. After all, she was a child, unable to resist the temptation of ice cream, but at least she remembered to include him.

They walked and stopped, and eventually, all the women had wreaths. The group had walked a few miles when they saw a huge bird's nest on a large poplar tree in the distance, covering the entire treetop, like a small house!

Ryan glanced at it and introduced it to the group, "That's an eagle's nest. They're not uncommon here. It could be a bald eagle or a golden eagle. You know, their nests are similar."

"Will they attack us?" Christine looked at the huge nest, a bit worried. She knew these raptors had a wingspan of over 2 meters, and a peck or a claw could tear off a piece of flesh!

Everyone looked at Ryan. He had lived here all his life and should know these things well.

"Of course, if they notice us, especially now. Bald eagles are approaching the egg-laying period, and golden eagles might already be raising their young. The forest isn't suitable for their movements, but they might chase us down the mountain. So now, it's best to hide behind the trees or retreat before they notice us."

Qin Yi thought about it and decided to leave. If they were discovered, it wouldn't be good. Could they shoot them? No, better not to ask for trouble!

But before he could speak, he saw a black object fall from the nest. He raised his gun and looked through the scope, seeing it was a chick, flapping its wings but unable to stop its fall!

"Look, a chick fell!" Qin Yi quickly called everyone's attention, but before they could raise their guns, the chick had already hit the ground, and it was unclear if it had survived.

"Is it really a chick? It must have died from the fall!" Although Colleen said this, her expression showed she wanted to check, but she was afraid of being noticed by the adult eagles, so she didn't voice her thoughts.

"Should we check? If a chick falls, it likely means the parent isn't around, or it wouldn't have no reaction!" The kind-hearted Susa also wanted to check. If the chick was still alive, they might be able to help it.

Ryan, who had been the quickest to react, had seen the black shadow fall. It was indeed a chick. Hearing Susa's words, he found them reasonable and nodded to Qin Yi. Qin Yi told everyone to stay, and he followed Ryan to check, with Hei Mi and Xiao Mai following, while the other dogs stayed behind.

Up close, they saw a bloodied chick struggling under the tree. Its white tail feathers were mostly gone, its wings had grown hard feathers, and its body was still covered in down. Large patches of skin were missing, as if torn off by something, looking very pitiful.

One of its wings and a leg were already broken, hanging to one side. Seeing Qin Yi and Ryan approach, it opened its lead-gray beak and let out a weak cry, trying to crawl away with its other wing and leg, but it was futile!

Hei Mi and Xiao Mai, like they had found prey, stared at the chick. Qin Yi quickly calmed them down, not wanting the chick to be bitten to death after surviving the fall!

"Oh, poor little thing! Yi, this is likely a golden eagle. It seems the little one fell while trying to avoid something!"

Ryan sighed, explaining what he knew to Qin Yi. "If the parent doesn't bring food for a long time, the hungriest chicks will peck and eat their siblings, even eating them all! It sounds unbelievable, but nature is that cruel!"

"Yes, if McGee and Teddy hadn't been found by Susa and me, they might not have survived. Nature is indeed cruel!"

Approaching, Qin Yi took off his cowboy hat and placed it on the ground, gently picking up the struggling chick and placing it inside. He patted its head to comfort it, but it didn't help much. Fortunately, the chick calmed down after realizing it wasn't being attacked.

As Qin Yi and Ryan were walking back, they heard a clear, weak cry from above, followed by the sound of flapping wings. Looking up, they were surprised to see another chick falling from the sky. Before they could react, it landed with a thud, scattering a few leaves!

They quickly went to check. This one was similar to the first, covered in blood, with chunks of skin missing, both legs broken, but its wings were fine. Qin Yi and Ryan looked at each other and smiled bitterly. It seemed the older chick had attacked this one too, a pitiful brother!

Bringing the two unfortunate chicks back, everyone looked at them with pity. Angel also said how pitiful these birds were, coming to make friends!

The two chicks were seriously injured, and everyone lost their interest in exploring. Back at the camp, Susa found the first-aid kit and bandaged their wounds, stabilizing their broken limbs.

The two bandaged chicks, unable to escape and with no one to harm them, gradually adapted and stayed quietly in the basket. Qin Yi cut a piece of beef into thin strips and fed them, while everyone gathered around the basket, watching them eat and quietly discussing what would happen when they grew up.

After chatting for a while and having a cup of coffee, they started packing up. It was about time to return to the ranch before dark.

They rode their horses at a trot, moving much faster. They had seen enough of the scenery and didn't stop much, except for rest. They arrived home by 5 PM. The two days had been eventful, and everyone was happy but also quite tired, so they went to their rooms to shower and rest.

Qin Yi took the two chicks to the barn, telling the dogs not to bully the little ones, and then went back to his room. After a quick shower and change of clothes, Qin Yi thought about what to have for dinner.

Right, the leeks in the vegetable garden had been well cared for and were now ready to eat. Angel and Susa hadn't had vegetable dumplings yet, so it was perfect to have them for dinner. They should like it.

After a while, Qin Yi decided what to have for dinner.