The joy of moments ago was instantly washed away. Hunger, when you try not to think about it, becomes overwhelming.
More than hunger, it was thirst that was the main issue. My throat felt like it was on fire, my mouth so dry I could barely open it.
Wen Siqiang knew what I was thinking. "When I was looking for firewood earlier," he said, "I saw a stream in a corner. I was too focused on gathering enough wood, but now that I think about it, without water, we won't be able to hold on."
"If there's water, it's manageable," I replied. "Before it gets completely dark, let's find a way to get some to drink or bring some back."
"It's too dangerous to go now," he said. "There are many large trees on that side of the mountain. I suspect large animals might jump out from there."
"Let's think of a way to make a torch. They fear fire. We'll get water and come back quickly."
Wen Siqiang: "Alright, but how do we get it? What do we use to carry it?"
Indeed, finding water was one thing, but carrying it back was another.
If we couldn't bring it back, it was as good as nothing. We could only risk it this once; a second trip would be unlikely.
"Let's quickly find torches," I said. "Whether we can carry it back or not, let's replenish our fluids first. The more we wait, the greater the danger."
Without a word, Wen Siqiang picked up two burning pine branches from the fire, handed one to me, and said, "Let's go!"
I looked at the branch in my hand. Although it had flames, I figured the wind would blow them out as soon as we stepped outside. Still, it was better than nothing. The glowing embers might also be useful.
We walked out holding the branches. The area was small, and the stream was only a few dozen meters away. But in the darkness, danger lurked everywhere. We, two living humans, were prime prey for animals. We might end up as their food before we even drank any water.
Wen Siqiang, familiar with the path, ran ahead with his smoking branch. Just as I thought, the flames died out as soon as we were outside, leaving only a glowing, smoking ember.
Wen Siqiang: "Boss, hurry up! You drink first when we get there. Rest a bit, then drink again until you're full. Carrying some back won't be easy."
I knew there was no other way.
The journey was smooth. I could even hear the cheerful sound of running water. Just as we reached the stream and bent down to drink, we heard a terrifying roar!
I flinched. I saw Wen Siqiang drop his branch. "Pick it up quickly!" I yelled. "That's a leopard!"
Wen Siqiang fumbled to pick up the smoking branch. "The water is right here, but where is it?"
"From the sound of it, it's still a bit far," I said. "Let's both drink quickly and retreat."
"I'll keep watch. You drink quickly!" he said.
There was no time for pleasantries. I handed him my branch and quickly bent down to drink.
The water was ice-cold, pure mountain spring water. I didn't care about anything else – leopards, wolves, or tigers. I just needed to drink my fill.
The roaring from the mountain continued, growing louder. I guessed it, or they, were closing in on us. We didn't have much time to play games with them.
I took the branch back from Wen Siqiang. "Drink quickly and fill up," I told him.
Without hesitation, he crouched down and cupped water in his hands to drink.
The mountains in the distance were pitch black. Even with the leopard's roar, it was impossible to determine its location or distance.
Wen Siqiang stood up, his voice urgent. "Boss, you retreat first. I'll cover the rear."
"Cover what rear? Let's go together. It's only a few steps. I'll count to three, and we run!"
Then I counted, and we both ran back towards the cave.
The leopard's roars from behind never stopped, but thankfully, we made it back safely.
However, there was no doubt that they now considered us prey.
Whether they would continue to observe or attack directly, we couldn't tell.
We returned to the cave, panting. The bonfires were burning brightly. I glanced at our stockpile of firewood. If we burned it sparingly, we had enough to last until dawn.
Most animals fear fire. My father told me that when I was little. He taught me many practical life skills, though I'd forgotten most of them. Now, I realized how much effort my father put in. Parents can't be with their children forever. The more knowledge a child has when they need to survive independently, the greater the chance of saving their life.
Wen Siqiang, of the same age, didn't know this principle. If I hadn't known it either, we would likely have become leopard snacks.
I remembered asking my father why wild animals feared fire. He said that in ancient times, wildfires would rage for months, even years, killing wild animals caught in their path. Animals' fear of fire was inherited, a fear stemming from ancient trauma.
As for the argument that trained tigers and leopards in circuses don't fear fire, and that jumping through flaming hoops is a common act, that was the result of rigorous training to overcome their fear of fire.
I asked Wen Siqiang to move some branches from the two inner fires to create another bonfire at the cave entrance.
As it stood, the snakes hadn't shown themselves, likely intimidated by our fire formation. Now that the leopards had declared war on us, we had to face them with all our might.
I felt the leopards were very close. I could even see dark shapes flickering in the distance. And I was certain it wasn't just one; it could be a whole family!
Wen Siqiang lit the other pile and added more logs to make it burn brighter. "I think I see them not far away, several of them," I told him.
Wen Siqiang, perhaps from staring at the flames for too long, couldn't see anything when he looked outside.
"As long as the fire doesn't go out, they won't dare to come near, no matter how brave they are," I said. "We don't both need to keep watch. One can stand guard. I'll watch the fire, and you rest. We need to conserve our strength."
Wen Siqiang: "If anyone needs to rest, it's you. I'll stand guard."
"Alright then," I replied. "If anything happens, don't act rashly. Wake me up first, and we'll handle it together."
Wen Siqiang grunted in agreement and fiddled with the fire with his branch.
I leaned against the stone wall and sat down. Honestly, I was quite tired.
I sat down, closed my eyes to rest, knowing that Brother Leopard and Lan Yajing Lei must be extremely anxious, like ants on a hot pan. Our phones had been confiscated, and we were going to meet the most dangerous people in the border region. What did losing contact mean? No one could be optimistic.
Even if we didn't come back, as long as we could make contact, it would be fine. The problem was, we had lost contact since the afternoon, and five to six hours had passed.
Although we knew we were at least safe for now, the leopards, while fearsome, wouldn't approach easily, not just because of the deterrent of the fires, but also the threat of the snakes. They were probably just disappointed they couldn't get their meal, and there was nothing else they could do.
I told Wen Siqiang, "Add wood sparingly. As long as it doesn't go out, that's enough. We're not here to roast ourselves. We just need flames so they don't dare to come near. The snakes in the cave are even simpler; they won't dare to come even with smoke if the fire goes out. So, the fires inside just need to stay lit. The main ones are these two at the entrance."
He agreed, saying he understood, and told me to rest quickly.