novelden Chapter 325 Successfully Training an Eagle
Chapter 325 Successfully Training an Eagle
Several more hours passed, and even the brightest light could not awaken the utterly exhausted eagle. Its only desire was to sleep. Drowsiness washed over it like waves, overwhelming the eagle.
Eagle trainers have their own set of wisdom, employing an ancient and effective "rotation tactic." Whenever one eagle trainer reaches their physical limit, another will take their place. A pot of steaming hot tea becomes their secret weapon to refresh their minds and continue this contest of will and endurance.
Li Ju'an secretly rejoiced that he had made a wise choice. Instead of bringing the eagle back to the noisy village, he brought it directly to this vast pasture to fight alongside Zhao Pao, a master eagle trainer in the village, and train the eagle together. Zhao Pao was like a reassuring presence to him, giving him a sense of security and peace of mind.
The eagle-taming skills that Old Zhao generously promised to teach him back then are now waiting to be fulfilled.
Li Ju'an asked Old Chen for a fountain pen, tore off a piece of paper, picked up the pen, and began to write a simple message to pass on. He called over Hua'er, tucked it into the strap under Hua'er's dog collar, and folded it.
Then he patted Hua Er's bottom and called him Bai Danzi. Hua Gu Niang would accompany Hua Er back to the Li family's self-built house to send a message back to his mother and Lin Mei. He might stay in this area for a few days until things stabilized before returning.
He chose Flower Ears for two reasons: firstly, Flower Ears was a former lead dog and an old dog. Not only was it calm and collected, but its sense of direction was also very reliable. Flower Girl and White Egg were help dogs bought along with Flower Ears; these two were quite adept at hunting, and it was a miracle they didn't slip around. He felt at ease having them accompany Flower Ears back. Another dog bought at the same time was Black Tiger; Black Tiger was brave and could contribute, so he kept it.
And so, the three of them took turns battling it out on the two sub-adult eagles.
During those three or four long and agonizing days, the group took turns trying to keep their tired eyelids open. The eagles, on the other hand, neither ate a drop of water nor a bite of meat. Their eyes gradually dimmed from sharp to dull, as if they had exhausted all their pride. If they continued, they feared they would truly become crippled eagles in the wind.
At this moment, the eagle's eyes no longer held the fierceness of the past. The way it looked at the eagle trainer was as docile as a helpless little white rabbit in early spring, pitiful and exhausted from being tortured.
Li Ju'an, his eyes wide and dark-circled, stared intently at the eagle and said, "Is it finally cooked up? Can we eat the meat now?"
The method used by falconers to determine whether a hawk is docile is simple and ancient, relying solely on a piece of fresh mutton as a litmus test. The tender meat is gently placed before the hawk, and its reaction is observed. If it finally lowers its once proud and unyielding head and deftly pecks at the food from the falconer's palm, then its inner defenses have crumbled, and it has willingly submitted.
If the eagle stubbornly refuses this gift from human hands, it means that the journey of training the eagle is not over, and this process will continue until its mind changes.
Zhao Pao cut off a piece of tender meat from the young ibex he had hunted. The meat was so tender that even he himself was reluctant to taste it easily, as the golden eagle had already enjoyed quite a bit of it over the past few days. But now, he generously cut off this small piece, just to test the eagle's intentions.
He handed the mutton to Li Ju'an and said, "Give it a try."
Li Ju'an gripped a piece of tender mutton tightly, observing the two eagles. The eagles were already exhausted and starving, but their instinct and desire to survive grew stronger. He was also a little uneasy; if the eagles refused to yield, it would truly be back to square one, and he would have to keep enduring.
A piece of succulent mutton was served. The slightly larger eagle, already too weak to open its eyes, was barely breathing and didn't even glance at the mutton.
Zhao Pao slapped his thigh and whispered, "Damn it, we still have to keep going."
Old Chen's heart skipped a beat. Had they really to continue? This eagle looked like it was about to die; its temperament was too tenacious, it was incredibly arrogant, and it truly refused to bow its head even if it died.
Zhao Pao had a different opinion. He said, "There are no eagles that can't endure hardship. If there are, it's because they're not hungry or tired enough! They just have to keep enduring!"
Li Ju'an and Lao Chen thought to themselves, "This is really ruthless, much worse than the punishments of the Qing Dynasty."
If the first one didn't work, Li Ju'an tried holding the mutton up to the second eagle.
These past few nights, he's been sleeping with his days and nights reversed, even in his dreams he's training eagles—it's much more tiring than training dogs. The second eagle is about two sizes smaller, so it takes less energy, and he can keep his eyes drooping and open them a crack.
The smaller eagle, upon smelling the aroma of mutton and seeing the delicious meat right in front of its beak, looked somewhat incredulous.
Taking advantage of the situation, Li Ju'an reached his hand up and offered the mutton, almost feeding it to the eagle's beak. The second eagle opened its beak without hesitation, as if it were a mother eagle, and cried out as if it were waiting to be fed, swallowing the mutton in one gulp.
Inside the duty room, Lao Chen and Zhao Pao cheered together.
Old Chen was so excited he could cry. These past few days, although he wasn't part of the main force in keeping Li Ju'an awake, he only helped Li Ju'an by holding him off for half an hour when Li Ju'an was tired, but even that half hour made him incredibly sleepy.
Zhao Pao has been going to town every few days these past few days, either to sell pheasant meat or to exchange for other goods and bring back some dry rations. He also fills in for Li Ju'an for half an hour when Li Ju'an is too sleepy to continue. Looking at this young man like Li Ju'an, who hasn't slept for days and nights, he thinks of his own youth, when he trained hawks with the same reckless dedication and hard work, determined to defy the hawks.
A cheer erupted in the duty room, filled with excited sounds.
Li Ju'an was so moved that he almost shed tears, and he cursed, "This thing is too hard to learn. If it weren't for Zhao Pao, I, a self-taught person, really wouldn't have been able to do it."
Zhao Pao laughed heartily and said, "That's good. Okay, let's try another one."
Old Chen, the forest ranger, didn't quite understand. The first eagle had already refused to eat, so why try a second time?
Zhao Pao said, "These two eagles came from the same nest. Didn't you look at your comrades before you betrayed them? If your comrades have already raised the white flag, what are you still struggling for?"
Old Chen felt uneasy upon hearing this. Although it made sense, the words still made him uncomfortable. He said, "Can we raise the white flag? We'd rather die than surrender!"
The group laughed heartily, not making a fuss about it.
Li Ju'an held up the mutton and tested it on the first eagle. At first, the first eagle was just like before, doing whatever it wanted, perched on the hemp rope like a hen, with an expression that said, "Good sir, just kill me if you want."
But after the brother begged for mercy and ate, it made intimate sounds like a fledgling eagle flapping its wings and calling to its mother. It even tried to turn its buttocks up and poop, so that Li Ju'an could pick it up and carry it out of the nest.
The first eagle couldn't bear to look, straining to open its eyes as if it found its brother's sight unbearable. But after four days of hunger, it had reached its limit, its legs trembling. This future falcon finally gave in, sighing as it opened its beak and swallowed the mutton from Li Ju'an's hand in one gulp.
The cheers and jubilation in the duty room grew even louder.