The Golden Eagle swooped down closer and closer to the Brown Bear. Tashi Danba knew how eagles hunt large animals: using the force of their claws, they aim for the prey's lumbar region, the weakest point of their spine, which is difficult to resist. A single strike would break the spine, rendering the prey immobile and unable to resist. Once successful, the eagle retracts its claws, which have a spring-like mechanism that locks onto the prey, preventing it from escaping.
The Brown Bear, unwilling to be easily dominated, suddenly turned around and opened its mouth to bite. The Golden Eagle, unflustered, spread its wings and halted in mid-air, sending a gust of wind that swept up the sand and rocks. The Brown Bear roared loudly, but the eagle calmly soared back up into the sky, waiting for its next attack. On this icefield, the large Brown Bear had nowhere to hide.
The Brown Bear ran a few dozen meters west, then seemed to sense something was wrong and turned back. The Golden Eagle, spotting the opportunity, swooped down again. The Brown Bear raised its head, ready to fight back, but this time the eagle did not give it a chance. Using air currents, the eagle shifted direction with a quick motion of its left wing, its claws sinking into the Brown Bear's neck. It then pecked out the Brown Bear's right eye!
The Brown Bear cried out in pain and stood upright again. This time, Tashi Danba saw clearly that the Brown Bear was covered in scars, bleeding from several wounds. However, these injuries were not caused by the Golden Eagle; it seemed like something else had bitten it.
The Golden Eagle's claws tightly gripped the Brown Bear's back, and despite the eagle's best efforts to lift it off the ground, the Brown Bear was simply too heavy. The Brown Bear roared in frustration, slapping its back but failing to reach the eagle. The two massive beasts stood locked in a deadlock, neither letting go. The eagle repeatedly pecked at the Brown Bear's head, but the skull was too tough for it to make a significant impact. The Brown Bear, in a frenzy, took a step forward, trying to charge, but the eagle clung on, continuing its assault. The Brown Bear charged directly at a rock.
With a mighty "thud," the Brown Bear collided with a rock nearly a meter high, causing it to flip over. The Golden Eagle managed to flap its wings and avoid injury. The Brown Bear, with its thick skin, seemed unfazed by the impact and quickly regained its senses, charging at an even bigger rock. The Golden Eagle struggled to pull the Brown Bear back, but the bear's strength was overwhelming. With another powerful "thud," the Brown Bear crashed into a massive rock several meters high. The Golden Eagle barely avoided being crushed, releasing its claws and soaring into the air, ripping off a patch of bear skin. The Brown Bear roared in fury!
Zhang Li said, "The fight's over. That big guy can't take much more. Do you think the Golden Eagle will come after us?" He turned to Tashi Danba.
Tashi Danba replied, "Probably not. That Brown Bear will be enough food for the eagle for the whole winter. As long as we don't get in its way, it shouldn't bother us."
Just then, the Golden Eagle spread its wings and dove back down, the Brown Bear charging to meet it. The eagle was unrelenting, pecking fiercely at the Brown Bear's face, targeting its nose. The Brown Bear's nose was its most vulnerable spot, and the attack was almost fatal. The bear let out a painful cry and fell heavily to the ground, motionless. The Golden Eagle retracted its wings and landed, cautiously approaching the fallen bear. It examined the Brown Bear for a while before probing its back, legs, and head with its talons. Satisfied that the bear was truly incapacitated, it strutted to the front, preparing to strike at its vulnerable belly.
The Golden Eagle suddenly turned its head and stared directly at Tashi Danba and Zhang Li. Zhang Li froze, whispering, "It… it's looking at us."
Tashi Danba grinned and, with a forced chuckle, said, "We mean no harm, we won't steal your food. Haha, we'll be gone soon enough." But the expression on his face was anything but amused.
The Golden Eagle didn't seem to understand Tashi Danba's words, but it did spare the two humans, turning its head to scan the surroundings with a watchful expression.
Zhang Li asked, "What's going on? What's it looking at?"
Tashi Danba shook his head, suddenly recalling that when they first saw the Brown Bear, it had rushed out from behind a rock, clearly wounded and being pursued by something else. Only then had it encountered the Golden Eagle. Now that the Brown Bear had fallen, whatever had been chasing it seemed to have reached the area. This is why the Golden Eagle was so cautious. He asked Zhang Li quietly, "Have you ever heard of anything in Tibet that's more dangerous than the Golden Eagle?"
Zhang Li paused, unsure of Tashi Danba's intent. He replied, "I haven't heard of anything like that. That's impossible."
Tashi Danba said, "Just watch. I can feel it. Something is making the Golden Eagle uneasy, and it's closing in on us."
Zhang Li shivered and looked at Tashi Danba. "You… you're not joking, are you?"
Tashi Danba replied seriously, "No, it's here!"
Zhang Li looked around. The wild wind howled, and the withered grass rustled. It was eerily silent, nothing seemed out of the ordinary—until suddenly, the grass moved.
First, a sharp black outline emerged from the grass, showing sharp fangs, with saliva dripping and a red tongue flicking. Then came a pair of triangular eyes, glaring fiercely at the Golden Eagle, and a pair of upright ears on either side of its head. Zhang Li didn't expect it, but it was a regular grey wolf stepping out from the grass. Zhang Li thought, "What's going on? These two aren't even on the same level. For the Golden Eagle, this thin wolf and a lamb are the same, right? How dare this foolish wolf try to steal food from the Golden Eagle's mouth? It must be starving."
What surprised Zhang Li even more was that the wolf, showing its teeth and growling lowly, seemed to warn the Golden Eagle: "That's my prey, stay away." The Golden Eagle turned fully around, assuming a stance ready to fight to the death.
Tashi Danba thought to himself, "Could it be that the Brown Bear was bitten by this wolf? How could it have done that? The Brown Bear is at least ten times heavier!"
The grey wolf walked slowly, every step calm and deliberate, but full of deadly intent. With each step, its rear paws dug into the frozen ground, preparing to leap at any moment. The Golden Eagle also made a low rumbling sound in its throat, its talons digging into the earth as it seemed on edge, its posture completely different from when it fought the Brown Bear.
The grey wolf continued its advance, each step drawing it closer to the Golden Eagle, its eyes locked on the giant bird with murderous intent, accompanied by a terrifying growl. As it neared, the size difference between the two became even more pronounced, but the atmosphere was entirely different. The Golden Eagle made the first move, flapping its wings to create a gust of wind to obscure the wolf's vision, but the wolf stood its ground, unfazed, moving steadily forward.
Zhang Li asked, "Can't the wind blow that wolf away?"
Tashi Danba said, "Wrong. The Golden Eagle's flapping is a sign of retreat—it's losing in terms of momentum and has no choice but to strike first." He thought, "Why is it so alert? Why is it making the first move against the wolf? Could it be that the Golden Eagle has been defeated by this wolf before?"
Zhang Li was silent, unsure what to think.
The Golden Eagle's wingbeats became faster and faster, even jumping in the air, trying to protect its kill, but it was clear that it was struggling, much like a young girl trying to protect her virginity from a predator. The grey wolf was now within striking range, and the Golden Eagle had no choice but to take flight, shooting up into the air with lightning speed. Zhang Li said, "Watch, the fatal blow will come from above."
The Golden Eagle searched the sky for the perfect moment to strike, but the grey wolf seemed unfazed, facing the Brown Bear instead. Zhang Li remarked, "See? I told you, this wolf is so hungry that it doesn't care about its life just to get some meat."
The Golden Eagle folded its wings and swooped down like an arrow, aiming for the grey wolf on the ground. The wolf, however, did not look back, seemingly unaware of the danger coming from above. But just as the Golden Eagle was only a few meters away, the wolf suddenly rolled to the side, effortlessly dodging the deadly strike, then stood up and continued towards its prey. The Golden Eagle had to pull back into the air and dive again.
Zhang Li was stunned, exclaiming, "No way! What kind of wolf is this? It didn't even look and still managed to dodge the Golden Eagle's attack!"
Tashi Danba replied, "It's the wind! The powerful gust created by the Golden Eagle's descent hit the wolf's back early, allowing it to judge the eagle's position. The eagle's aerial attack didn't pose a threat to it."
As the grey wolf stood before the Brown Bear, the Golden Eagle was unwilling to let its prize slip away to the wolf. It dove again with a gust of wind, but the wolf stood its ground, seemingly waiting for the eagle's next move. Sure enough, when the Golden Eagle was halfway down, the wolf flipped over, exposing its soft belly to the eagle's sharp claws. It curled into a ball, a position that reminded Tashi Danba of a bow pulled taut.
The Golden Eagle, clearly familiar with this defensive posture, spread its wings and attempted to ascend, but it was too late. Its claws descended toward the wolf, but just before impact, the wolf sprang into action. It kicked with its powerful hind legs, striking the eagle's claws, and then, with its mouth wide open, it almost seemed like the eagle had offered its neck to the wolf. The Golden Eagle quickly retracted its neck, aiming its sharp beak at the wolf's nose, but it missed, instead striking the Brown Bear!
It turned out that the wolf had been lying in front of the Brown Bear, using its large body as a shield. As the Golden Eagle pecked at the Brown Bear, the wolf used its strength to bite the eagle's neck. Though the Golden Eagle retreated quickly, it lost some feathers from its neck. The eagle screeched and took flight, but this time it lacked its previous strength, flying erratically like a kite with a broken string.
Tashi Danba marveled, "There was another one, hiding in the grass all along, waiting for the right moment to strike! What a perfect team effort!" He now understood why the Brown Bear had fled so desperately—against such enemies, the size advantage was meaningless.
The victorious grey wolves nuzzled each other's faces in celebration. Then, one of the wolves howled to the sky, as if declaring to the icy plain that it was the true ruler here.
Tashi Danba turned to Zhang Li and said, "I wasn't wrong, was I? What's wrong with you, Zhang Li? Zhang Li?"
Zhang Li, head lowered, muttered, "A team member shows up, distracts and exhausts the enemy, while another waits for the right moment to strike the enemy. If there's a third person, they monitor the surrounding area and inform the others of enemy movements…"
Both men turned around and saw, from the grass behind them, a pair of cruel, triangular eyes, staring at them intently!
Tashi Danba, astonished, asked, "How… how did you know?"
Zhang Li nearly cried, forcing a bitter smile. "I don't know… I was just reciting a special forces training manual. How did it end up like this?" "Gulp…" Zhang Li had never heard himself swallow so loudly.
The wolf standing behind them, seemingly the smallest of the three, looked far from harmless. Zhang Li was now wary of its speed and power. Could it be just as fast and agile as the other two wolves? They turned slowly, but the two larger wolves weren't like the Golden Eagle, leisurely enjoying their meal. Instead, they were growling threateningly at the fallen Brown Bear. One wolf tugged at the Brown Bear's short tail, while the other bit its front paw and slapped its belly with its claws. Occasionally, one wolf would crouch on the bear's head, letting out terrifying growls.
Zhang Li asked in confusion, "What… what are they doing?"
Tashi Danba whispered, "If I'm right, that Brown Bear is their living food."
"Living food?" Zhang Li still didn't understand.
Tashi Danba explained, "If they came from farther north, crossing this barren ice field without enough food would be impossible. But in the snow and ice, catching small prey is hard, and carrying food is inconvenient—other creatures might steal it. But this Brown Bear is fat and ready to hibernate, and its fat and muscle will provide enough warmth. Plus, its large size makes it hard for other animals to get close. Only the Golden Eagle is an exception."
Zhang Li gasped, "You mean they drove the Brown Bear across the ice field?"
Tashi Danba nodded, "Yes. When the weather turns freezing and food is scarce, the Brown Bear becomes their food."
Sure enough, not long after, the Brown Bear, as if enchanted, suddenly woke up, flipped over, and dashed off to the west. One wolf calmly followed, while the other turned around and flanked Tashi Danba and Zhang Li, trapping them between the two wolves. Watching the Brown Bear flee in desperation, its pitiful eyes reminded Tashi Danba of pigs or cows being led to the slaughterhouse.
Zhang Li trembled, his voice quivering, "What… what kind of wolves are these?! It… it… it's here! Are we surrounded?" He couldn't bear to turn around, feeling as though the other wolf was already on his back, its forelegs resting on his shoulders.
"Run," Zhang Li said to Tashi Danba, but his legs felt rooted to the spot. He couldn't move. Then, Tashi Danba made a shocking move.
Tashi Danba slowly raised his foot and began walking toward the wolf that was watching them. The grey wolf made a low growl, its mane standing on end, its body leaning back, its claws deeply embedded in the frozen soil, ready to pounce and bite Tashi Danba's throat. With each step he took, Zhang Li's heart raced faster. He wanted to stop him but didn't know what to say, watching helplessly as Tashi Danba got closer to the wolf, closer… closer…