The Wolf of Los Angeles-Chapter 431: The Scent of Blood

The vehicle bounced significantly. The serval lay down and seemed almost asleep.

The savannah wasn't flat; you could see clusters of hills and sparse trees.

As they approached a wooded hill, the vehicles ahead slowed down.

Onard said, "We're near a leopard's territory."

Hawke grabbed Shana's head and gave her a vigorous rub, saying, "Get up, Shana! Time for work! Wake up! Don't sleep now!"

The serval opened her eyes, lifted her body, looked toward the nearby woods, let out a small meow, jumped off the vehicle, and dashed back the way they came.

The sight was misleading. You'd think such a graceful animal would be no match for anything, but it wasn't so simple.

Everyone stopped their vehicles, turned them off, and got out, spreading around.

Onard told Hawke, "Leopards usually hide in trees and are very fierce. To avoid accidents, we'll set a trap and see if we can lure it out."

Neither Hawke nor Erica had experience hunting leopards, so they followed the guide's suggestion. "Sure."

Onard signaled, "We'll proceed on foot."

Erica slung her M700 rifle onto her back and checked her gear.

Hawke pulled out some insect repellent from his bag and sprayed her. Then he took a small bottle of menthol oil and rubbed it on her forehead. "Keeps you sharp."

Within a few breaths, Erica felt a cool sensation spreading from her head, refreshing her mind.

Hawke did the same -- carrying his AKM, checking his pistol and hunting knife before following.

He passed by Edward, who grabbed a glass bottle and shook it. "Want some?"

"I have some," Edward said, carrying a shotgun, pulling out the same type of bottle from his pocket. "This stuff works really well during action."

Hawke glanced at him. "You actually use it?"

Edward grinned, showing his white teeth.

...

Ahead, four black guides walked. One suddenly stopped in a low spot in the dirt road, parted some dry yellow grass, pulled out a clump of dried scat, sniffed it, and said, "This looks like yesterday's. That leopard is still active around here."

Onard turned and told Hawke, "We're in luck; it's still nearby."

Two guides lifted a dragged bag and pointed toward the thickest acacia tree at the edge of the woods. "We set the trap there. Pick a good spot."

The wind was almost still, barely noticeable. Onard grabbed some soil to check the wind direction, gestured, and led the way behind a nearby caterpillar bush.

This spot was downwind and the bushes were good for hiding.

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Hawke took off his gun and crouched behind the bushes.

Erica came from behind and used the long barrel of her M700 to flick a snake from the branches, tossing it away.

Onard was hitting another bush with a stick. "This is Africa. Watch out for snakes and insects."

Raul and his two companions began checking around.

At the outer perimeter, Bosque and his team kept watch nearby.

As Onard hit more bushes, another snake slithered out and disappeared into the distance.

Erica adjusted the rifle scope slightly according to the wind.

Hawke's AKM was simpler -- already calibrated for quick shooting.

Edward grabbed binoculars, watching the trap side. "They tied a wild chicken by one leg to the tree and blood it a little. Now they're walking back."

The distance was just over a hundred meters, so Hawke clearly saw everything. He signaled Edward to keep quiet.

Lowering his gun's barrel, Hawke focused intently on the trap.

The injured chicken kept calling out, the cries drifting toward them.

Two guides returned and hid behind the bushes as well.

...

After a while, Hawke noticed movement and signaled Erica.

Erica raised her rifle but then lowered it again.

At the edge of the sparse woodland, a hyena with a strange hairstyle showed up.

Today's target was meat-eating predators like leopards, so the hyena was ignored.

The chicken's calls and the scent of blood spread, but they didn't lure in the working leopard. Instead, it attracted a pack of hyenas.

Four spotted hyenas traced the scent to the chicken.

With the hyenas' arrival, the working leopard wouldn't appear.

Erica immediately spotted a female hyena and gestured to Hawke.

They worked in sync as Hawke raised his gun and aimed forward.

Just as Erica locked on the female hyena through her scope and pulled the trigger, Hawke fired his AKM.

Bang!

Tick-tick-tick--

The shotgun and the AKM's short bursts sounded simultaneously.

The female hyena collapsed instantly.

The male hyenas turned and fled. One stumbled and fell right away.

With the gunstock pressed against his shoulder, Hawke quickly moved his aim. Before Erica could fire a second shot, he fired two more short bursts.

Two fleeing male hyenas fell almost simultaneously.

The loud gunfire startled the hyena, which quickly ran off, its tail raised like an antenna. As it sprinted, it sprayed dung balls behind -- whether from fear or to lighten its load, no one knew.

Erica had no other prey and quickly turned her rifle to fire again.

At the sound of the shot, the hyena abruptly stopped, its head down, falling near a tree.

From the first gunshot to silence was only three or four seconds. Onard glanced at Hawke and Erica, wondering if these two were professional hunters.

The working leopard wasn't coming back. Hawke told Onard, "Go collect the kills."

Onard quickly gathered his companions and headed over.

Hawke told Edward, "Have them bring the vehicle here."

Edward took out a radio and called the others.

...

Hawke carried his AKM with one hand and quickly walked toward the woods.

Getting closer, he smelled a strong scent of blood.

Erica's eyes scanned the nearby trees, hoping the blood would lure out the leopard.

But the gunfire had already scared off the animals.

Onard asked, "Want to take some pictures as souvenirs?"

Edward arrived with a camera.

Onard didn't say more, directing the team to pile the four spotted hyenas and a warthog together.

Hawke and Erica stood behind the prey, supporting their guns as Edward took the pictures.

The prey was loaded onto the vehicle.

...

Onard led the way south. The sun had shifted to the west. They were quite far from the lion pride's territory, which they planned to hunt tomorrow.

The savannah was full of herbivores, so hunting these animals involved little challenge.

A shot could bring them down within a few hundred meters.

Hawke let his men take turns testing their guns.

Following the licenses and the list, they hunted some antelope and zebras.

When the sun set, they returned to the temporary camp.

...

Onard gave an impressive demonstration of skinning.

Lions didn't eat hyena meat, so they took the carcasses back for taxidermy.

Bosque's two Latin mercenaries had also brought back an antelope and the fallen hyena, skinning and butchering them.

Everyone cleaned the area and lit a campfire, preparing for a wild savannah picnic.

One black guide carried a box of wine from their vehicle over to Bosque's security team. "This is our specialty wine -- a gift."

Bosque politely declined. "No thanks, we don't drink on missions."

The guide looked a bit embarrassed.

Onard came over. "No problem -- you can take it with you when you leave."

"Thanks," Bosque had the wine set aside.

Hawke's group also received a bottle, and he had Edward carry it onto their vehicle.

Andrei directed his team to open the truck bed of a pickup, unloading a large amount of food and picnic cookware.

Knowing Hawke's character and Bosque's professionalism, they wouldn't eat or drink anything given by others in this remote wilderness.

They prepared their wild game themselves, skinning and cooking without outside help.

Hawke grabbed a chilled Coke, popped it open, took a sip, and felt an unexpected rush of refreshment.

...

As darkness fell, the generator started, lights flickered on, and the campfire blazed.

The temperature in Ethiopia at this time of year could drop below 68°F at night but was generally comfortable.

Sliced and tenderized antelope meat was placed on the grill, sizzling with oil and sauce, filling the air with aroma.

Suddenly, two small lights appeared in the dark, accompanied by a kitten-like meow.

Shana, the serval, had followed the scent of blood and emerged.

Erica picked up a piece of meat and tossed it to the serval.

The serval decided to stay for good.

Being a working cat isn't easy. Even the working leopard had better take it easy sometimes.

...

Meanwhile, Onard and the others prepared dinner.

They cut antelope meat, sheep tripe, and intestines, throwing them into a pot to make a hearty stew.

One guide pulled out his phone and started playing the classic Snake game, happily passing the time.

His phone's GPS began sending signals out.

He glanced toward the guards and frowned slightly.

Those men were disciplined -- dividing into two shifts even while eating: when one group ate, the other kept watch.

Bosque had already arranged the night watch schedule.

They were near South Sudan, so for safety, he set up both visible and hidden sentries, even double layers of stealth guards.

*****

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