The food problem was basically resolved, and the tribe swept away the sluggish atmosphere before and began to actively prepare for the winter.
Shang Ke manages the vegetable garden during the day, pickles vegetables, brews fruit wine, and sews animal skins. Mutu handed over all his private property to Shang Ke, including food, animal skins, and various precious metals and rare minerals, as if he regarded him as his internal helper. After the cold season, he plans to formally apply to the elders to log in and establish a family with Shang Ke.
Although it is somewhat uncommon for lions to choose to start a family with a male, in this era, orcs still approve of marriage between males. After all, the Lion King is not a hereditary system. As long as they have the courage and strength, anyone can challenge the Lion King.
"Fox!" Mutu walked into the room in a furry fur, strode in front of Shang Ke, and smiled wickedly.
Shang Ke gave him a strange look.
Mutu took out something from his arms, wagged his tail and said, "Give it to you."
In his hand is a pendant, shaped like a small gourd, with white teeth, small and cute.
Shang Ke took it over and took a closer look, and found that it was a bone flute carved from animal bones. Although the shape was simple, it was hand-milled, smooth and delicate, which obviously took a lot of effort.
"This is the bone flute I made with my own hands. If you want to call me in the future, just play this flute. I will be there right away." Mutu patted his chest and said.
Shang Ke was silent: This is the first time I met a big guy who made a "dog flute" for himself, and did it so naturally and unpretentiously...
He happily accepted the gift, hung it around his neck, and looked up to see someone looking at him with a gleaming face, his tail wagging very happily.
Shang Ke smiled, hugged his neck, and gave him a warm kiss.
Mutu was satisfied, his hair stretched out like a big cat being stroked.
In half a month, the lions got a lot of catches in the ice lake, the weather is getting colder and colder, everyone discussed and decided to collect the net again to end this season of fishing and hunting.
A group of people happily came to the ice lake, each looking for the position of their nets, and began to collect the nets skillfully.
Shang Ke didn't go to help, but searched for available materials or minerals nearby. There are many novel substances in this world, such as snow rock trees that can form salt crystals. This kind of tree grows in low valleys and mountains and absorbs nutrients from the underground salt river. There are no flowers or leaves on the branches. As long as there is no rain for three days, white salt crystals will condense.
There is also a kind of berry, the juice is viscous, adding oil, like flour, can be used to make berry cakes, steamed buns, buns, dumplings and other foods, with a unique flavor.
And so on, and many more. All natural ingredients, both nutritious and clean.
While searching, I suddenly heard a terrified shout in the distance. Shang Ke looked back and saw a wonderful scene across the lake. The large forest seemed to be frozen quickly, condensing layers of silver-white ice, and it quickly spread to this side.
"It's the ice of death!" The orc dropped the tool in his hand and fled in the opposite direction in panic.
While running wildly, Mutu yelled at Shang Ke who was still in a daze: "Fox, run!"
It is still understandable, and immediately turned around and ran away. The two were separated by the lake, each on one side, and quickly ran in different directions.
The ice of death moved to this side at a very fast speed, and whirlwinds like ice blades made a whistling sound of sharp blades cutting through the air. Wherever he passed, the ice flickered, and the cold was pressing.
Mutu watched helplessly as the figure of the fox disappeared from his sight, anxious but helpless. But after a while, something even more terrifying happened. The ice of death swept across the lake, circling and chasing in the direction where the fox fled.
The people who stood with Mutu were all out of danger, and the few people who fled to the other side were still in crisis.
Shang Ke ran wildly without even daring to turn his head. The four fields are empty, and it seems that he is the only one left between the heaven and the earth. All he could hear was his rapid breathing and the whistling sound coming closer and closer behind him.
The gust of wind is invisible and unavoidable. Even if there is only a gap, it can get in, not to mention that there is no place to shelter from the wind.
Shang Ke felt a chill on his back, and death was only one step away from him. In the midst of a crisis, a small river with fast-flowing water suddenly appeared ahead. His eyes lit up, and he jumped off without thinking.
When the body was in the air, a layer of frost had condensed on the tip of the tail, and only a plop was heard, and the ice of death whizzed over the river surface, freezing the water waves just splashed in the air, like a blooming ice flower, in winter. A cold light flickered below.
The turbulent river water was also frozen into an ice stream, trapping Shang Ke under the ice layer.
Shang Ke held his breath, grabbed the water plants with one hand, and hammered the ice above his head with the other. Although the ice layer wasn't very thick, Shang Ke, who was underwater and was frozen stiff, could not exert any strength at all. His brain almost lost the ability to think, his fingers were numb, and his heart seemed to stop beating at any moment.
The closed and cold glacier is full of despair and fear. In the confusion, there seems to be a familiar figure in front of him, the memories of the past flooded to him like a tide, happy, painful, sad, beautiful...
No, can't die!
Shang Ke regained his energy, gritted his teeth, pulled out the dagger from his waist with difficulty, used his last strength, and stabbed the ice above his head with his backhand. With a click, a crack appeared in the ice layer.
It was still possible to gouge again and again, and finally succeeded in breaking down the ice layer before the force was removed.
He quickly rushed out of the ice, raised his hand and plunged the dagger deep into the snow. Secure your figure with a dagger so you don't slip into the water yourself.
After doing all of this, he couldn't exert any more strength, he was panting tiredly, and a faint white mist was exhaled from his mouth. A gust of cold wind blew, bringing snowflakes. His hair, eyelashes, end of eyes, arms and upper body soon formed a thin layer of frost.
The surrounding area was white, and there was no human voice. Half of Shang Ke was leaning against the shore, and the other half was still underwater, unable to move. He couldn't speak, couldn't ask for help, he could only weakly clawed at the snow on the shore, shivering from the cold.
Is it about to end? Shang Ke is not reconciled, if he can, he doesn't want to experience the inexplicable separation of life and death again. In the past, he only regarded completing tasks as a way to survive. Now, he feels that every life is his own life and should be decided by himself.
MD, system, if you let me die, I have to die? I want to live for you!
Anger made Shang Ke regain a bit of strength, and he used his spare hands to fumble around to find a way out of trouble. At this moment, his fingers touched an object, and when he looked down, it turned out to be the bone flute that Mutu gave him not long ago.
Shang Ke's eyes suddenly lit up, he put the bone flute into his mouth tremblingly, blowing it hard, a crisp and long flute sound immediately came from the bone flute, echoing between heaven and earth, scraping circles into the distance.
Mutu has been following the track of Bing Ling to pursue the trace of Shang Ke. The death vortex spreads over a wide range, breaking into several strands from time to time and spreading around. Coupled with the cold climate, the orcs' sense of smell was seriously affected. Mutu could not make an accurate judgment immediately, and could only look for clues along the way.
As time went by, Mutu's mood became more and more impatient. The longer it drags on, the less hope there is, but as long as he doesn't see Shang Ke's body, he won't give up.
At this moment, a faint sound of flute suddenly sounded in the distance, like a guiding light, instantly illuminating Mutu's world.
His heart was beating violently, his eyes glowed with excitement, the wind was blowing under his feet, and he ran wildly in the direction from which the flute sound came.
Fox, fox! My heart kept calling his name.
However, when Mutu rushed out of the woods, the flute sound suddenly disappeared. He came to a small river, and the turbulent river water was frozen.
Mutu's heart tightened, and he went downstream along the glacier.
But after a long time, he paused in his footsteps, and a splash of water condensed into ice appeared in his line of sight. Looking along the splash to the shore, he saw a figure lying on the snow, covered with a thin layer of frost and snow. As if dead, lifeless.
Mutu's pupils shrank abruptly, then quickly rushed to Shang Ke's side, knelt on his knees on the ground, stretched out his hand tremblingly, and gently probed for his breath.
Although weak, but still alive!
Mutu almost wanted to roar up to the sky to vent his joy.
Trying to suppress his excitement, he carefully carried Shang Ke out of the river.
Seeing the ice hole on the river, Mutu could probably guess what the fox experienced. In that case, he still survived. Mutu thinks his fox is really amazing!
The body in his arms was cold and stiff, his breath was dying, and the originally fair skin looked even more icy now. The soft hair lost its former fluffy, and a layer of frost was condensed, and a little snow fell with a single tap.
Mutu was very distressed, and saw that Shang Ke was still holding a dagger in his left hand. He was about to take him down, but was stopped by a cold hand. Looking down, he found that Shang Ke, who was in a coma, didn't know when he woke up.
"Fox, you're awake! Great, I'll take you home right away." Mutu happily took him into his arms and warmed him with his own body temperature.
Shang Ke greedily absorbed his temperature, listened to his heartbeat, and felt the joy of being reborn again.
"I'll help you take down the dagger first." With that said, Mutu went to take the dagger again.
Shang Ke avoided and shook his head.
Mutu was puzzled at first, but then found that the dagger was already stuck to Shang Ke's hands, and if he forcibly broke it apart, it might even tear his flesh off.
He wrapped the stiff hand with his own, his eyes hot and his heart cramping.
This kind of distressed feeling is not the first time, it seems to have been experienced a long time ago, and it keeps repeating.
Shang Ke seemed to sense Mutu's emotions, wagging his tail laboriously, and gently brushing his cheek with the tip of his tail, as if to comfort him.
Mutu stared at him deeply, with suppressed pain in his eyes.
Shang Ke opened his mouth and silently said: Take me home.
Mutu's eyes softened, he picked him up by the waist, and strode in the direction of the tribe.
Returning to the tribe, the lion clan immediately gathered around in surprise and asked about Shang Ke's situation.
Mutu didn't have time to deal with them, so he ordered someone to bring hot water, carefully took off Shang Ke's clothes, and then warmed his body with a hot towel. After all the ice on his body melted, he was put into warm water.
Shang Ke's skin was frostbitten in many places, and the wounds that had healed before were also cracked, but there was no sign of pain on his face, and he wore a shallow smile from beginning to end.
"Fox, I'm sorry." Mutu touched his wet hair and said distressedly, "If only I could find you earlier."
The fox immersed himself in the icy river water for at least two hours and had no way to call for help. He didn't know how desperate he was at that time. He is not only his own clan, but also his lover, but he is always unable to protect him.
Shang Ke slowly picked up the bone flute hanging around his neck, put it on his lips and kissed it, then raised his head and kissed Mutu's lips again, looking at him with clear eyes: Thank you, Mutu, you The bone flute for me, saved my life. So, don't blame yourself.
Shang Ke has a feeling that fate's control over them has become weaker and weaker. Sooner or later, they will be able to truly control their own lives, and they will no longer have to go through the painful separation of life and death.