bullyxtreme Chapter 117: Boil the Eagle
Chapter 117: Boil the Eagle
Just as dawn was breaking, Yang Jianwu dragged Puyang Xuan out of bed, thinking that if he wanted to catch a hawk, he had to get up early.
The two carried a cage to the wild, which contained two small sparrows. Actually, rodents would have been more suitable, but Yang Jianwu disliked rodents, so they changed to a more palatable bait.
To make it easier for the eagles to spot the cage, they deliberately found a place with a wide view and buried the bottom of the cage with sand.
"Sword Dance, what kind of eagle can this catch?"
Yang Jianwu really didn't want to pay attention to Puyang Xuan. How would she know what kind of eagle she could catch?
The Accipitridae family is very diverse, including familiar birds of prey such as eagles, hawks, harriers, and vultures. Besides, there are countless animals flying in the sky, many of which prey on sparrows. Even magpies feed on sparrows; who can guarantee they'll catch an eagle…maybe they'll catch a raccoon instead.
"Sword dance?"
Yang Jianwu snapped out of her daze and continued to carefully bury the surrounding wire coils. Puyang Xuan was too greedy; he had tied so many wires that they were almost completely blocking the cage...
"Sword dance?"
"Tame whatever you catch!"
"Oh……"
After setting the trap, the two hid in a haystack some distance away. Eagles have sharp eyes, no joke.
Before long, a sparrowhawk with a predominantly white belly and brown stripes on its back flew over. It was very beautiful, and Yang Jianwu was even a little tempted when she saw it.
The sparrowhawk did not approach the cage from a distance, but tentatively hopped a few steps toward it. The sparrows inside, suppressed by the blood of their natural enemy, huddled together tightly in a clump.
After several attempts to probe the cage without finding any danger, the sparrowhawk leaped over it and stretched out its supposedly imposing, crippled leg. Its sharp claws kept trying to grab the sparrows inside, but it failed several times. After circling back and forth twice, its claws unknowingly slipped into the coil.
The sparrowhawk stood on its cage, contemplating its next move, when two more large birds flew in from a distance. It was unclear what species they were, but they were clearly there to steal the food!
The sparrowhawk became restless and tried to peck at the cage with its beak and claws, attempting to tear it off. However, its efforts only resulted in it trapping itself in the cage.
Puyang Xuan was overjoyed, his mouth practically stretched to his ears. Yang Jianwu pouted in slight disgust, secretly wishing for a cute little one too.
When Xiaobai was little, it was very pretty and cute, white, tiny and fluffy. But as it grew older, it lost its cuteness and became a king of the skies, indulging in a life of luxury.
The gyrfalcon is much smaller than the white eagle and the golden eagle, but the largest sparrowhawk is only about the length of an adult's forearm. It is a small bird of prey. No matter how much it eats, it can't compare to the gyrfalcon. Oh dear, I'm so conflicted. Should I ask Puyang Xuan for it?
Puyang Xuan asked Yang Jianwu in a low voice, "Jianwu, did we succeed?"
"Okay, once it's wrapped itself up a bit more, we'll take it back and tame it."
"Haha~" Puyang Xuan laughed excitedly!
The laughter startled two large, unidentified creatures, which immediately flew away from the scene!
Meanwhile, the sparrowhawk in the cage also noticed something was wrong! It desperately spread its wings to escape, its claws wrapped with several layers of wire coils. Whenever it flew, it would be pulled back by the weight of the cage, and when it was strong enough, it would even lift the cage off the ground.
"Calling you a pig is an insult to pigs!" Yang Jianwu angrily smacked Puyang Xuan on the head. "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and catch it, or the cage will be taken away too!"
"Okay! I'll go right away!"
Puyang Xuan ran to the cage and tried to grab the sparrowhawk. His lack of experience made it look like a battle between man and bird!
A few feathers of the sparrowhawk fluttered to the ground, and Yang Jianwu quickly went over to help by covering it with a cloth. If the creature tried to catch them with its bare hands, the sparrowhawk would become a bald eagle...
Yang Jianwu carefully wrapped up the sparrowhawk and let Puyang Xuan carry it himself. She opened the cage, and the frightened sparrow quickly flew into the forest for shelter.
Yang Jianwu picked up the empty cage and walked back, saying, "Let's get out of here, let's go back and prepare to train the hawks!"
In Puyang Xuan's mind, a large pot of boiling water appeared, with a sparrowhawk taking a bubbling bath inside...
"Sword Dance, Eagle... Won't they be cooked?"
Yang Jianwu was momentarily confused. "What? You won't get used to it?"
"Eagle, won't training an eagle to be cooked?"
Forgive Yang Jianwu for not thinking straight, "How could they be familiar?"
Puyang Xuan was a little anxious, "The eagle is being boiled in the pot, and once it's heated, it'll definitely be cooked!"
Yang Jianwu looked disgusted and suddenly didn't want to talk to him anymore. This guy was an idiot... what was he thinking? He didn't even know how to train a hawk, let alone talk about hawk taming!
"Hey... Sword Dance, wait for me!"
……
The sparrowhawk, fresh from its capture, retained its wild instincts, flying around wildly, scratching and pecking, and even attacking people! Puyang Xuan, initially bewildered, was pecked quite a few times…
"Sigh... Once you've ensured your own safety, you need to subdue its wild nature first. Don't feed it today, or give it very little, to exhaust its energy!"
"Oh, you should have said so earlier..."
Yang Jianwu had never actually trained an eagle before, and all he could offer Puyang Xuan was theoretical knowledge. Since Puyang Xuan wanted to train one himself, he should try it based on what he knew.
She took out a 1,000-watt light bulb and a solar-powered photovoltaic panel from her spatial storage, connected them all in an empty room, and left the rest to Puyang Xuan to handle. That was all she could provide. Asking her to stay up all night? That was impossible! Girls who don't get enough rest at night are prone to becoming ugly.
Puyangxuan tied the sparrowhawk's feet to a wooden stick so that its feet could not leave the stick, and the light bulb prepared by Jianwu was also kept on for twelve hours a day.
At first, the sparrowhawk could keep moving around, but once Puyang Xuan noticed that it was slacking off or couldn't hold on any longer and wanted to rest, he would shake the pole to prevent the sparrowhawk from resting. That's how he learned what "enduring the hawk" meant, and he also understood why Jianwu had a disgusted expression.
After a day and a night, Yang Jianwu, having eaten and drunk her fill, came to see Puyang Xuan's results. By this time, Puyang Xuan had developed dark circles under his eyes, but Song Queying was still in good spirits...
"Waaah~ What a sword dance! Could you watch it for me for a while? Just let me sleep for an hour... or even half an hour..."
"Tsk tsk tsk~ What are you after..." Seeing his pitiful appearance, Yang Jianwu agreed to watch over him during the day.
Strangely enough, the sparrowhawk was particularly obedient in front of Yang Jianwu, doing whatever he was told and never going against his orders, which made Yang Jianwu very happy.
When Puyangxuan came again that evening, the sparrowhawk was already sleeping peacefully in Yang Jianwu's arms, like a little baby.