World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 83 The Wolf Tribe
Little Canine Tooth's mother was called White Wolf Woman, her mother's mother was called Refuse to Leave, and her ancestor before that was called Red Cloud. It is said that she once fought alongside Crazy Horse.

Little Canine Tooth is only 18 years old this year, but she has already participated in the same sacrificial ceremony thirty or forty times.

Xunlang Tribe is where she grew up. The people there used felled cedar and pine trees to build a huge circular enclosure. The campfire was burning brightly, and the aroma of mutton roasting over the fire filled the air.

The sacrificial ceremony began.

At the entrance, a dozen or so men wearing traditional belts and almost naked rushed in. Their bodies were covered in white clay and their faces were painted. They threw the wood chips they were holding into the fire, and the flames leaped and rose to a height of more than ten meters.

The tribesmen sitting around the fire also let out low roars and beat ancient animal skin drums.

"Dong dong dong..."

The older men stood up, each holding a hollow wooden stick about a meter long with an eagle feather hanging from the end. They danced, roared, and sang around the campfire, gradually moving closer to the center.

When they were close enough, the old man dipped the end of his stick into the flame, burning off the eagle's feathers, and the stick became a torch, leaving a bright trail in the darkness.

The next group entered, women dressed in ribbons and silver ornaments, carrying baskets containing bundles of animal hides, which they placed in the center of a spread-out saddle blanket.

Sitting on the saddle blanket is Little Canine Tooth's mother, who is the current priestess of the Message Wolf tribe.

At her mother's prompting, Little Fang walked up to her and, to the sound of the band, waved a feather wand while placing the animal skin on a wooden carving with her other hand.

The statue was rather crude, just a straight wooden carving with eagle tail feathers attached to the sides to represent arms, but Little Canine Tooth knew that it was a portrait of the creator god Thunderbird.

She danced continuously in front of the fire, facing north, praying for a year of abundant rain and gentle breezes in the new year.

The tribespeople sang the sacrificial hymns:
The sacred sky spoke to me four times.

The sun's messenger accompanied me.
But I can't see it.

The holder of the moon rises with me.
Travel with me

It is with me, yet I cannot see it.

"Boom boom boom!"

The priestess slammed a turquoise-inlaid wooden staff heavily onto the carpet, bringing the song to a halt. She spoke in a low voice.

"The gods have opened their eyes! What we need to do now is to find them."

The high priest has been saying lately that God is about to return to the people.

According to legend, since the creation of the world, gods have lived alongside humans in the form of animals. Whether they are legless, bipedal, or quadrupedal, all animals bear the shadow of gods.

Therefore, after a baby is born, the Xunlang tribe will choose an animal to be its guardian deity. The guardian deity of Xiaoqiangya is a coyote, just like her mother, and she is also elected by the tribe to be the next priestess.

However, unlike her maternal ancestors, Little Canine Tooth did not believe in mythology. Of course, she still deeply loved the wonders of nature, but she found it difficult to blindly worship like others.

If gods truly exist, why were conquerors allowed to freely fire their guns hundreds of years ago, and why are the natives no longer the masters of this land today?

Based on its history of blood and tears, Little Fang felt that the traditions of the Xunlang tribe needed to be changed.

"We searched for the White Mist Clan in the flames; we searched for the Yellow Sand Clan in the soil; we climbed the snow-capped mountains to search for the Thunder Clan; and finally we dived into the sacred pool to search for the Mountain, River and Sea Clan that has protected our tribe for generations."

The priest brandished his turquoise staff and shouted in a hoarse voice.

"The gods are about to appear, look!"

Regardless of age or gender, everyone picked up cedar bark torches and struck their shoulders and backs with the burning ends of the torches, creating a shower of sparks.

They believed the ritual possessed divine healing power, and that by striking it with a torch, every organ of the body was given new life.

The great fire, symbolizing the sun ritual, leaped, and then something unbelievable happened to Little Canine Tooth.

As the ashes settled and smoke swirled, a person emerged from within.

Not only her, but all the members of the Xunlang tribe were stunned. Even when the flames burned their clothes and hair, they did not want to look away.

They stared intently at the young man, whose appearance was unlike any of the past, a perfect balance of danger and charm, both alluring and unapproachable, mysterious and inviolable, inducing a fervent desire for worship in a forbidden way.

To Little Fang's further astonishment, his mother did not hesitate at all and bowed deeply to the young man.

"Great god Deer, you have returned here!"

Led by the priest, the other tribesmen bowed to the young man, and Little Fang, though incredulous, had no choice but to join in.

Not only her, but Lin Anxin, who was being worshipped, was also completely bewildered.

Brother Lu, what exactly do you want from me?!

Who are these people? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?
A woman with a wrinkled face stepped forward and spoke in a language Lin An had never heard before.

But he didn't need to understand; he could directly read her meaning.

"Please stay with us, incarnation of the god. We need your wisdom to guide us through the next three sacrifices."

Lin An opened his mouth, but could not speak either Chinese or English; his voice turned into the sound of the wind.

"So that's it."

It seems the moose is unable to descend in person for some reason, so they kidnapped Lin An from the road to help the locals complete the remaining rituals in his place. They should have just told me earlier…

Why did you have to choose me?
The moose is arguably the most powerful mysterious being Lin An has encountered so far, and also the one that baffles him the most.

The priest leaned against Lin An, with the other tribesmen following behind. Some stayed behind to extinguish the flames, and the entire Xunlang tribe surrounded Lin An as they walked to their dwelling in the forest.

The houses of the Xunlang tribe are entirely made of cotton and juniper wood, with four stone walls surrounding them, and logs forming dome-shaped roofs that are laid on top of these walls.

The roof has an open hole that allows smoke from the fire burning in the center of the house to dissipate, while also letting in light and air.

In winter or on rainy days, the locals cover this thing with a special lid to keep it warm and dry.

People slept on the earthen floor, using sheepskins as mats and robes or blankets as blankets, without any internal partitions.

The priest led Lin An into the largest room, and three old men followed in. Lin An noticed that besides these aged faces, a distracted young girl walked at the back with her head down, occasionally stealing glances at him.

Once their eyes met, she turned her head away as if she didn't care, shaking the feather decorations all over her head.

The priest's house was furnished with simple wooden furniture, and in the center was a hearth where heating and cooking were carried out.

There was also a woman in her twenties in the room, with two children lying beside her; she was Little Canine Tooth's sister-in-law.

After hearing the priest's explanation, the woman told her younger daughter to give the wool blanket she was using to Lin An, then hugged her daughter and covered her and the child with her own blanket.

"Before we rest, Lord Deer, would you like something to eat?" the priest asked Lin An.

Lin An was quite surprised by their attitude. According to the traditions he was familiar with, believers would never treat "god" so casually. Not to mention eating and living with the gods, in some areas even looking directly at the statues of gods was not allowed.

"Okay."

Lin An had been inexplicably captured by a moose and used as a laborer, and hadn't even had dinner yet.

The priestess knelt before the campfire, her pots and pans within easy reach.

The elderly people who came with the group also helped. They picked up the dough, patted it with their hands, flattened it, and patted it back and forth before handing the finished product to the priest. The priest then dipped a stone pot into a pile of fine ash and put the dough inside.

After being flipped several times, it turned a cooked color.

The priest handed the baked flatbread to Lin An.

After taking a bite, the taste of wood ash wasn't unpleasant, reminding Lin An of some folk remedies for treating diseases in China.

The priest then took down the blackened container hanging on the wall, filled it with water, and began to prepare the stew.

Taking this opportunity, the young girl moved closer to Lin An and spoke in a low voice.

"who are you?"

Despite her very poor pronunciation, Lin An recognized that she was speaking broken English.

At the same time, he regained his ability to speak, so he answered in English.

"I also want to know what kind of being I am to you. At least for now, my mission is to witness you complete the remaining three rituals."

“Tell me your name.” She stared at Lin An with her big, calf-like eyes. “My name is Little Fang.”

"Lin An".

“This name won’t work, sir,” said Little Fang. “But at least they call you ‘Godmi,’ so that’s fine.”

An old man offered Lin An a drink. The girl stopped whispering, said a few words to the others, and then left through the door.

The glass is filled with a corn liquor called tóibá, made by fermenting large quantities of fresh corn kernels in water, and the aroma of grain is irresistible.

The priestess also prepared the stew. She scooped a dish of mutton mixed with vegetables into a bowl and handed it to Lin An along with a metal spoon.

"You eat it,"

Lin An scooped up a spoonful of the stewed mutton, which contained potato, wild onion, and herb leaf powder—a unique and delicious flavor.

This is much better than a vegetable salad.

The elderly people ate their own dinners, and about an hour later, they said goodbye to each other, leaving behind Lin An, the priest, and her female family members.

The priest had Lin An lie down on a wool blanket and sleep next to the campfire.

Starlight and the glow of the campfire slanted into the simple house. Lin An watched as the woman picked up her child and began breastfeeding.
She uttered strange words: "My little one."

Lin An heard that the word literally means "part of me" in Navajo, and when the woman spoke it, her face showed an indescribable sadness and tenderness.

The little canine tooth left the house and walked straight into the forest. Gazing at the starry sky, she took a soft breath.

He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and clumsily operated the unfamiliar buttons. A series of "beep beep beep" sounds rang out, and Xiaoqiang hesitated before putting the metal device that was speaking to his ear.

"Hey……"

"Long time no see, dear partner," came a warm voice from the other end. "How's it going? Have you become a shaman yet? When can we start our tourism collaboration project?"

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(End of this chapter)