Chapter 65 Catching a Little Rabbit

Chapter 65: Catching a Little Rabbit

Jump rabbits are exceptionally agile creatures. With their formidable escape abilities, they are far from easy to catch.

Right now, Chu Ye spotted a small rabbit hiding among a nearby patch of bushes, foraging for edible food within the grass.

Generally speaking, during the dry season, rabbits have virtually no fresh green grass left to eat and are forced to resort to chewing on grass roots. This is because a vast majority of the green grass withers away during the dry season.

Although these grasses wither, they are not actually dead; they simply shed their leaves and stems to conserve moisture and protect their roots buried deep beneath the earth.

At times like this, no matter how withered and dry the above-ground portions of the grass appear, the parts beneath the soil remain extremely tender and fresh.

Unable to find any fresh grass on the surface, the little rabbit had no choice but to dig up grass roots to stave off its hunger.

Chu Ye concealed himself within the nearby bushes, quietly waiting for the rabbit to draw closer to him.

Chu Ye knew very well that if he wanted to catch a jump rabbit, he had to exercise a good deal of patience.

Rabbits generally move about within their own territories, which are riddled with countless burrows. The moment they detect any sign of danger, these little rabbits can dive into their hideouts at lightning speed.

Therefore, catching such little rabbits is an immensely difficult task. Without a shred of patience, success would be nearly impossible.

On a previous occasion, Chu Ye had attempted to catch a jump rabbit. However, just as he was about to close in on his target, the jump rabbit suddenly vanished down a burrow.

Once the jump rabbit slipped into its underground refuge, Chu Ye was utterly helpless. After all, he was far too big to squeeze into a rabbit's burrow.

This time, Chu Ye was determined to learn from his past mistake; he could not afford to let this rabbit slip away into a hole again.

Consequently, Chu Ye hid amidst the brushwood, resolving to wait until the rabbit was extremely close before suddenly bursting out from the foliage. Only by doing so could he possibly capture the rabbit in a single pounce.

Watching the little rabbit still nibbling away at the grass, Chu Ye could not help but salivate. After all, for days now, he had been yearning to catch a rabbit to find out what African rabbit meat tasted like, yet every previous hunting attempt had ended in failure.

This time, Chu Ye resolved to proceed with utmost caution and ensure a successful hunt. Otherwise, there was no telling when another such opportunity might present itself.

The present opportunity was exceptionally favorable. The jump rabbit was completely oblivious to the small lion lurking nearby, and it was hopping closer to Chu Ye step by step!

"Very well, I shall wait here by the stump for the hare, and I will undoubtedly catch this little rabbit." Concealed within the bushes, Chu Ye felt a surge of elation as he watched the rabbit draw nearer.

Beholding the plump, chubby little rabbit, Chu Ye drooped with saliva out of sheer eagerness. Yet, he forced himself to remain patient; if he rushed out of the bushes too hastily now, he might let the rabbit slip through his paws once again.

However, the rabbit hopped forward sluggishly as it ate, making its progress agonizingly slow.

Presently, the rabbit was still a dozen meters away from Chu Ye, who had decided not to launch his attack until the prey came within a five-meter radius.

Thus, Chu Ye had no choice but to wait patiently inside the thicket.

As he watched the rabbit slowly approach, Chu Ye's mind wandered to various facts he knew about the African jump rabbit.

Resembling a miniature kangaroo in appearance, jump rabbits are relatively large rodents weighing between three to four kilograms, possessing extraordinary leaping capabilities. Their coloration ranges from reddish-brown to pale grey, tipped with a black tail.

With highly developed hind limbs, jump rabbits can leap distances exceeding two meters, which is how they earned their name. They inhabit the arid grasslands of southeastern Africa.

Primarily nocturnal, they feed on vegetation and insects. In captivity, jump rabbits can live up to thirteen or fourteen years.

A jump rabbit has a body length of thirty-five to forty-five centimeters, a crouching height of twenty-eight to thirty-two centimeters, a tail length of thirty-seven to forty-eight centimeters, and ear lengths of seven to nine centimeters.

Their fur is dense yet thin and soft, with a relatively short undercoat. Their hind feet possess four toes with hoof-like claws, which are longer than those of their forelimbs.

Their neck muscles are well-developed, complemented by a short skull, large eyes, and ears equipped with tragi designed to prevent sand from entering during digging.

Although primarily nocturnal, jump rabbits are occasionally active during daylight hours. By day, they reside in self-dug tunnels, sealing the entrances with soil. During the rainy season, digging is a relatively easy task. Sometimes, they venture out of their dens at night, bounding on their hind legs like kangaroos and retreating to their subterranean homes at the first sign of fright.

Despite being called a jump rabbit, this peculiar African rodent bears a closer resemblance to a squirrel due to its thick, powerful hind legs.

Normally, jump rabbits crawl on all fours, but the moment they feel threatened, they can leap as far as four meters—a distance sufficient to evade leopards, lions, and other predators.

Jump rabbits occupy different burrows on different days, tending to construct a network of three interconnected burrows, preferably digging them during the wet season when the soil is damp.

Most of these burrows are located near large trees or shrubs. A jump rabbit's territory generally spans a radius of twenty-five to two hundred and fifty meters around its burrow, though they expand their territory during times of drought.

During the day, jump rabbits hide inside spacious underground cavities, emerging at night to forage. They feed primarily on plants, roots, and tubers, showing a particular fondness for barley, wheat, and oats, alongside occasional insects, using their front paws to unearth roots from beneath the ground.

The jump rabbit Chu Ye was currently observing was busy feeding on the roots and stems of needle grass. Because of the dry season, the leafy upper portions of these grasses had withered away, leaving only the subterranean roots and stems exceptionally tender and fresh.

The jump rabbit was currently munching on these needle grass roots, gradually moving closer to the thicket where Chu Ye lay hidden as it ate.

Unaware of the impending danger, the jump rabbit believed the area to be entirely safe. After all, nestled within the grass, a jump rabbit remained concealed from animals in the distance, becoming visible only when approached closely.

Hiding in the brush, Chu Ye waited for the jump rabbit to draw near. The moment the target entered a five-meter range, he would strike.

This time, Chu Ye displayed remarkable patience, though his heart raced with tension. Jump rabbits are exceptionally sensitive creatures; the slightest rustle in the grass sends them bolting straight into their nearby burrows.

Jump rabbits generally limit their activities to a radius of a few hundred meters from their dens, reluctant to venture far for fear of being caught defenseless by apex predators.

Their sense of hearing is extraordinarily acute, allowing them to detect the presence of predators from over a hundred meters away.

Nevertheless, due to their small stature, once they find themselves within an attacker's strike zone, escaping a predator's pursuit remains an uphill battle.

Concealed within the brush, Chu Ye knew that the instant the rabbit crossed into his strike zone, the prey would be his.

Perhaps driven by hunger, the rabbit grew somewhat careless while devouring the grass roots, under the impression that the vicinity was completely devoid of predators.

Consequently, the jump rabbit continued to eat and wander slowly toward Chu Ye.

Holding his breath, Chu Ye waited quietly. Finally, the jump rabbit crossed the threshold of his ambush zone, coming within a distance of less than five meters.

"Now, I can strike."

Seeing that the jump rabbit had come within five meters, Chu Ye burst forth from the bushes without hesitation.

Shooting forward like a sharp arrow, Chu Ye closed the distance instantly.

The jump rabbit was completely caught off guard. With Chu Ye only five meters away, the surge of speed was so terrifyingly swift that even if the rabbit wanted to flee, it was already too late.

Chu Ye clamped his jaws viciously around the jump rabbit's neck.

Though the little rabbit struggled frantically to break free, its strength was no match for Chu Ye's. No matter how desperately it thrashed, escape was impossible.

With a powerful clamp and a sharp twist of his jaws, Chu Ye snapped the jump rabbit's neck. After a few final, convulsive twitches, the rabbit went entirely still.

Seeing that the jump rabbit was dead, Chu Ye felt a surge of unadulterated joy. He had finally succeeded in hunting a jump rabbit on his own! For a long time, he had been eager to taste jump rabbit meat, yet every prior attempt had fallen short.

While he had occasionally tasted jump rabbit from catches shared by Lisa and Aisha, those instances involved chaotic squabbling over food among the lion cubs.

To be frank, amidst such chaotic brawling, Chu Ye could hardly appreciate the flavor of the prey. Everyone was merely focused on securing enough food to fill their bellies, leaving no room for culinary appreciation.

In truth, for carnivores on the vast savannah, eating served solely to stave off hunger rather than to savor gastronomic delights.

Only humans deliberately paused to taste the flavors of their meals. For animals, dining was purely about survival, with little regard for taste.

Animals certainly did not bother savoring flavors; during the dry season, they were often forced to resort to scavenging rotting carcasses. Naturally, carrion possessed no culinary appeal whatsoever.

Therefore, animals on the grassland never paused to appreciate the taste of their food, swallowing their meals whole and ravenously rather than chewing slowly and deliberately.