After the two left, Eric happily hugged the newly finished comforter, rolling around on the bed. The soft, warm, and light feeling enveloped his whole body, many times more comfortable than the wild fowl feather quilt.
He thought to himself that this magical beast down was truly top-grade; it was just a pity it was too rare. This time, it was truly lucky to encounter a Jin bird that didn’t flee because it was worried about its eggs. Normally, with such a giant flying magical beast, the Snow Wolf tribe had no way of catching it.
If he wanted more down, relying on hunting flying magical beasts was too far-fetched. Eric thought it was still more reliable to catch wild fowl and wild ducks.
But hunting by himself was quite strenuous, especially with those cunning wild ducks.
Suddenly, he remembered the simple traps the villagers in his past life used. After becoming a beastman, he had gotten used to hunting with strength and had almost forgotten this clever method.
Excited by the new idea, he went to find Leo and the children playing nearby: "Hey kids, let’s go dig traps!"
A little Dwarf girl named Xiao Ding was wandering around his feet. Eric picked her up with one hand, and she asked curiously, "Eric, what is digging traps?"
Eric explained: "Um... it means we’ll dig a really big pit, then camouflage it with grass and plants on top. When prey walks over, it will fall in, and we just have to wait at home to collect it!"
"Then what if we fall in?" Flower asked worriedly.
Eric chuckled, bending down to pat her head: "Then we’ll make a secret sign next to it. Prey can’t read, so they won’t know."
Hearing there was something fun to do, the Dwarf children, who were wrapped up so thickly they looked like mobile cotton balls, also eagerly raised their hands, wanting to go along. The more the merrier. Considering it as taking this "mischievous little army" on an outing, Eric happily agreed.
To ensure safety, he even went specifically to the cafeteria to "grab" Sam, who was skipping the afternoon training session.
And so, a mighty procession, led by Eric and escorted by Sam, set off for the riverbank.
"Hey Eric, if you want to eat wild duck, just say so, I can catch them for you. Why go through all this trouble, and even drag this bunch of kids along," Sam grumbled the entire way.
He had a right to be aggrieved. Afraid the children, especially the short-legged Dwarf kids, couldn’t keep up, Eric had "requisitioned" him as a mount, carrying the whole group of kids on his back.
Eric just chuckled silently: "Just think of it as an outing. We’ll walk a bit further along the riverbank. There’s a big reed bed up ahead, there must be plenty of wild ducks there!"
The Snow Wolf cubs cheered, bouncing on Sam’s broad back, while the Dwarf children were calmer, sitting quietly and curiously playing with the long wolf fur, their eyes looking into the distance.
Forced to be a nanny, Sam’s wolf face was full of resentment, but he still obediently moved forward.
The reed bed Eric chose was indeed ideal. The reeds grew overhead-high, yellowed in the cold winter, woven densely together, obscuring the sunlight, and were covered with a thin, unmelted layer of snow.
The noise from the group startled the small creatures hiding inside. The reeds rustled as they fled. The Snow Wolf cubs immediately became restless, their hunting instincts aroused, just waiting to dash in.
But this reed bed was too large; it was easy for the children to get lost if they ran in.
Sam had to take responsibility for grabbing these hyperactive "little hunters" by the scruff of their necks. Soon, his two front paws were dangling with several wolf cubs, while his big wolf face was written all over with the words "utterly fed up".
"No running around! Everyone stick close together, watch the person next to you." Eric said sternly: "Anyone who doesn’t listen won’t get a share when the trap catches prey!"
For children, not getting delicious food was an extremely effective threat. The whole group immediately became obedient.
Eric still wasn’t at ease, so he assigned Sam, Leo, and Robin the task of continuously checking the headcount.
He led the way, followed by a little army tiptoeing along, the atmosphere both tense and exciting, like a real expedition. Sam trudged along at the very back, bringing up the rear.
It seemed this place was indeed a giant "bird’s nest." They found quite a few wild duck eggs as big as leather balls. Eric didn’t stand on ceremony, letting the children collect them all.
After going deeper, he chose an empty spot and stopped. Digging holes was the Snow Wolves’ specialty. Eric used his claws to draw a large circle on the ground.
"Alright, we’re going to dig a really big pit in this area!" he said to the children, who were watching with wide, expectant eyes.
They all cheered. The little Snow Wolves immediately stuck their butts in the air, using both front paws to dig furiously at the ground.
Leo also joined in enthusiastically, the little yellow lion cub looking very conspicuous amidst a pack of silver wolf cubs.
The Dwarf children pulled tiny shovels from their clothes, diligently shoveling soil at the side.
Truly a characteristic of their race, Eric mused. Although they were small, their strength was not weak at all. Soon, the place had turned into a miniature construction site.
Sam stood aside, watching eagerly, his two large paws itching, constantly stamping on the ground.
Eric’s eye twitched: "Sam, don’t tell me you want to join in too."
Sam looked at him with a gaze full of resolute longing, but he was flatly refused by Eric.
"Don’t cause trouble! Don’t you know how destructive you are? I just want to make a trap to catch ducks. If you dig, you might break through to the riverbed. I don’t want to go swimming in the middle of winter!"
Sam dejectedly buried his head in his paws, his large tail drooping behind him, swishing back and forth, sending reed flowers flying everywhere.
The kids were working extremely hard, digging and laughing, throwing dirt at each other. Dirt flew everywhere, but the efficiency was quite high. Soon, a pit nearly ten meters deep had been formed. Eric hurriedly called for a stop, afraid they’d really hit river water if they dug any further.
He didn’t let them plant sharp stakes at the bottom of the pit, fearing these mischievous kids might accidentally fall in. After getting all the children out, he told the bored Sam to cut down a patch of reeds, then carefully covered the mouth of the pit, camouflaging it to look like flat ground.
The trap looked rather crude.
Eric wasn’t sure if it would be effective, especially since most animals in this world knew how to use magic.