Chapter 24: Xiao Tao's First Experience Releasing an Eagle

With the previous sand-partridge serving as a baseline, the newly caught Flying Dragon bird naturally couldn't be allowed to be killed by the hawk. Yue Feng swiftly swapped the dead bird for the Flying Dragon, stuffed the bird into his sock, and handed it to Xiao Tao.

"Turns out, these Flying Dragon birds are actually quite easy to catch!" Having secured his third prey, Xiao Tao couldn't help but remark with emotion.

In Xiao Tao's view, catching Flying Dragon birds in the forest was indeed quite easy. In an open mountain clearing like this, one could spot them from over a hundred meters away with good vision, and since the Flying Dragon birds were somewhat dull and not very afraid of people, they were easy pickings for a skilled Great Green Sparrowhawk.

"What's easy isn't hard; what's hard is what you don't know how to do!" Yue Feng curled his lip.

"Brother Feng, if we encounter more prey, will you let me release the hawk once to get a feel for it?" Xiao Tao asked, shamelessly leaning in.

"Got ideas, do you?" Yue Feng squinted his eyes with a chuckle.

"You've already mastered handling the hawk, so just let me try!"

Yue Feng stopped teasing his brother and nodded. "Fine, but you have to pay attention to a few details!"

"Tell me!"

"First, there is a specific technique for holding a hawk. It goes like this, and then like this..."

Yue Feng taught Xiao Tao every detail without reservation, including the technique for holding the small hawk, how to approach the prey, and how to release the hawk from a held position.

The two brothers conversed in low voices as they continued their journey. After walking less than half a mile, Xiao Tao spotted three more Flying Dragons moving on the ground from at least fifty meters away.

"Brother! Look over there, a bird!!!" Xiao Tao pointed excitedly at the distant prey for Yue Feng to see.

Yue Feng nodded without speaking. He then raised his right hand in front of Xiao Tao and spread his fingers.

At this moment, the Sparrowhawk, accustomed to being held gently, lay comfortably in Yue Feng's palm. Even when Yue Feng spread his fingers, the hawk didn't move, remaining in its tucked position.

"Hold the hawk more lightly. Your hands are slightly smaller than mine. When holding the hawk, aim a bit lower; if your grip is too wide, you won't hold it steady. And remember to align the hawk's talons with the center of your palm!" Yue Feng taught Xiao Tao more practical details on the spot.

Under Yue Feng's meticulous instruction, Xiao Tao quickly managed to hold the Great Green Sparrowhawk in his hand.

It had to be said that some things look easy, but when it comes to actually doing them, they are not so simple.

Xiao Tao's fingers were slightly shorter than Yue Feng's, making it very difficult to hold the Great Green Sparrowhawk. An average hawk weighing about half a jin is difficult for an adult to hold in their palm, let alone this premium specimen of Yue Feng's, which had a plump weight of seven and a half jin.

While holding the hawk, Xiao Tao's gait became unsteady, as if he were sneaking around a minefield. He held his right forearm level, palm up, holding the hawk as he crept sneakily toward the position of the distant Flying Dragons.

To Xiao Tao's surprise, when Yue Feng had approached the previous Flying Dragon, it hadn't flown away even at twenty meters. But this time, as soon as Xiao Tao reached the thirty-meter mark, the lead Flying Dragon bird craned its neck alertly and stared fixedly at him.

As Xiao Tao took two more steps forward, the wary Flying Dragon let out sharp, piercing *zizizi* alarm calls, and the three birds instantly prepared to flee.

"Release!" At the critical moment, Yue Feng gave a prompt from behind.

Xiao Tao snapped out of it, raised his hand while holding the hawk, and threw it out.

Since being tethered by Yue Feng after being caught in the net, this Great Green Sparrowhawk had never experienced such an awkward release posture. Once it left his hand, it forcibly adjusted its flight posture, vigorously flapping its wings to chase after the already airborne Flying Dragon.

At a distance of over thirty meters, the prey had detected them early, and the novice hawkman's release technique was subpar. The hawk lacked an advantage in all three conditions, but the Great Green Sparrowhawk possessed extraordinary strength and a fierce temperament, chasing down the ascending Flying Dragon.

The chase lasted at least seventy or eighty meters. The Great Green Sparrowhawk pursued its target all the way down to the ridge of the mountain before performing a mid-air somersault to seize the prey.

Xiao Tao, having released the hawk, was somewhat dazed, not understanding where he had gone wrong. It clearly looked so simple when he watched Brother Feng do it!

"Don't just stand there dazed, hurry and follow! If you're a few steps too late, the hawk will have already eaten its fill!" Yue Feng patted Xiao Tao on the shoulder and sprinted toward the direction the hawk had flown, his long legs moving rapidly.

Fortunately, this clearing was quite bright. After running fifty meters, Yue Feng could see from a distance the classic silhouette of the Great Green Sparrowhawk in the bottom of the gully, stepping on the Flying Dragon and plucking its feathers one by one.

Yue Feng walked slowly toward the scene, squatting down with the dead sand-partridge he was carrying. He covered the prey with his glove and swapped the food, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

In less than a hundred meters, the feathers on the Flying Dragon's neck and forehead were nearly plucked bald by the hawk. Had he been even ten seconds late, the hawk would have started drawing blood to eat, and the Flying Dragon would likely have lost its life.

Watching the Great Green Sparrowhawk peck at the sand-partridge, Yue Feng breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, a panting Xiao Tao finally caught up.

"Here! The chick I caught just now! A few seconds later and its neck would have been torn open!" Yue Feng stuffed the Flying Dragon into his sock and pointed at its bald head.

*Huff... huff... huff...*

Due to the tension and the sprint, Xiao Tao's breathing was heavy. He was no longer acting cocky; his head was full of question marks, wondering where the problem lay.

He placed the bald Flying Dragon, which had narrowly escaped the hawk's beak, into his backpack and slowly stabilized his breathing.

Seeing that the hawk had eaten enough, Yue Feng repeated his previous move: he removed the old prey, placed the hawk on his hand, and naturally stroked the Great Green Sparrowhawk's back and chest.

The Sparrowhawk enjoyed this kind of petting, tilting its head and squinting its eyes, the fine down around its eye sockets fluffing up.

"Is your head full of question marks, wondering what went wrong?" Yue Feng glanced at Xiao Tao, seemingly able to read his thoughts.

Xiao Tao nodded. "Yeah! Why were you able to get so close when you held the hawk? I felt like I wasn't making any noise when I approached, but the birds flew off from a long distance away!"

Yue Feng curled his lip and explained, "Because of your eyes!"

"What? What eyes?"

"Because of *your* eyes! From the moment you started creeping forward from a distance, you were acting sneakily, and your eyes were staring fixedly at those Flying Dragons!

With a stiff gait and your eyes locked on the birds, they could clearly sense your hostility! Naturally, they prepared to flee from a distance. If they didn't run, were they supposed to wait for you to grab them?"

"Huh???" Xiao Tao's mind went blank after hearing Yue Feng's explanation.

He had considered several possibilities, but he hadn't thought there was anything wrong with him. However, after hearing Yue Feng's explanation, it seemed to make sense, and it was highly likely to be the truth.

"Watch me next time!

Even if you see the target, don't stare at it fixedly. You must learn to scan the prey with your peripheral vision. While walking, it's right to keep your footsteps quiet, but don't be too stiff—be natural!

Finally, your angle for releasing the hawk was terrible. The essence of a held release is to push the hawk forward smoothly to give it enough initial velocity. You, on the other hand—luckily you're tall; if you were twenty centimeters shorter, the hawk would have slammed straight into the ground!

Let me put it this way: the only reason this Flying Dragon was caught was purely because the Great Green Sparrowhawk is strong enough. As a temporary hawkman, you didn't help at all; you actually held it back!

When I release the hawk next, observe closely. Don't let your ambitions exceed your abilities!"