Chapter 102 Life Requires a Sense of Ritual
The sound of bone flutes resounded throughout the Fire Tribe. The tribesmen were not nervous because of the sound of the bone flutes, but were full of joy and pride.
This bone flute, which was used to warn of the arrival of the enemy, had more functions and uses after the sixth generation of chiefs took office.
There were rows of bonfires in the Fire Tribe. Deer meat, wild boar meat, and wild goose meat were smoked on the bonfires. Children squatted beside them, drooling as they watched the fat on the meat drip into the bonfire. The
adults laughed and played, and from time to time they used stone knives to cut off a piece or two and handed it to the children to eat. The whole tribe was having
a great time. At the innermost bonfire, the high-ranking members of the tribe and the witches and leaders of the nearby small and medium-sized tribes gathered. They also looked very happy.
The little turtle was carrying Diwu Xuan, who was wandering among countless bonfires. When he saw the roasted meat, he opened his mouth and ate it. No one dared to stop him, and they all kowtowed to him.
In the eyes of the tribesmen, it was a gift to let the little turtle eat a bite of their roasted meat.
"Bring a piece to the Wolf King. She must be hungry too." Diwu Xuan said in the totem.
He has been sober for a month, but his mental state has not improved. He is as weak and sleepy as a hangover.
But compared to him, the Wolf Tribe Totem is the real tragedy. The wounds left on her body by the Tiger Spirit Knife have not healed yet, causing the Wolf Tribe to stay in the Fire Tribe for shelter.
The little turtle nodded obediently, tore a half-cooked deer leg from the bonfire next to him, and turned to walk towards the altar.
"Are you feeling better?"
Diwu Xuan asked slowly, looking at the silver giant wolf lying on the altar.
He spoke in Chinese, but the conversation between totems was transmitted through the totem fire, so the other party could understand.
"The bleeding has barely stopped. I don't know how long it will take to recover."
The voice of the giant wolf came, delicate and gentle. This is a female wolf.
The little turtle threw the deer leg in his mouth away and found a place to lie down. He had eaten a little too much just now and was too lazy to move.
"Do you want to change to a well-cooked one?" Diwu Xuan asked apologetically.
The fur on the face of the silver giant wolf retracted. Diwu Xuan, who had been familiar with her for some time, knew that this meant she was smiling.
"I prefer to eat raw food rather than cooked food." The giant wolf said, stretching out its claws to grab the deer leg and tearing it into pieces.
Her voice was gentle, but her eating manner was not like that, and she looked very wild.
"Crunch...Crunch..."
The deer bones were chewed by her sharp teeth and swallowed mixed with the minced meat.
"Although it may be a bit presumptuous, I still can't help but ask, how did you become a totem... After all, the totems I have seen are all stones."
Diwu Xuan couldn't help but ask.
"Crunch, crunch..."
The silver giant wolf swallowed the meat and broken bones in its mouth, looked up at Diwu Xuan, thought for a while, and slowly spoke.
"According to my mother, my ancestor saved a person, and then that person began to worship him, and later found more tribesmen to worship him, and then my ancestor became a totem. That's what my mother said, and I don't know if it's true or not." After
the silver giant wolf finished speaking, the sound of bone flutes suddenly became more intense in the distance of the altar. She couldn't help but stand up curiously, walked to the edge of the altar, and looked down.
"They are welcoming my child, the next witch of the Wolf Tribe. This is really...an interesting ceremony."
The silver giant wolf spoke, his eyes closely following the figure in the distance.
There, the sixth-generation leader was in front, holding the hand of the next witch of the Wolf Tribe, and was slowly walking towards the center of the Fire Tribe.
Warriors were playing bone flutes all around. The deep bone flutes were heavy and festive. The sixth-generation leader threw the dried meat in his hand from time to time, and the children of the Fire Tribe picked it up and put it in their mouths excitedly.
"Life needs a sense of ritual. I think this is very good."
Diwu Xuan urged the little turtle to stand beside the silver giant wolf and spoke slowly.
"I think you should wave your claws, so that everyone will be happier."
The silver giant wolf looked at Diwu Xuan in confusion, and did not listen to his waving wolf claws, but spoke slowly.
"Howl~~"
This wolf howl was not as delicate as when she talked to Diwu Xuan, but gave people a sense of distance and sorrow.
Diwu Xuan's eyes swept down, and indeed many people's eyes were attracted.
The sixth generation leader and the next witch of the wolf tribe were followed by many wolf warriors. They were all followed by a giant wolf. At this time, after hearing the howl of the silver giant wolf, the giant wolves couldn't help but make sounds one by one.
"Oh~oh~oh~~~"
The wolf warriors couldn't help but put their hands in front of their mouths, making short but rhythmic sounds to respond to the giant wolves beside them.
"Your tribe... is really unique."
The fifth Xuan didn't know how to describe the harmonious side of wolves and humans for a moment, and could only use unique to describe it.
The silver giant wolf turned his head and looked at him and said, "In the era of hunger and cold, we used to rely on eating each other's corpses to continue the two races."
The fifth Xuan remained silent, and an inexplicable taste rose in his heart.
The sound of the bone flute was a welcome. This was the ceremony of the sixth generation leader marrying the next witch of the wolf tribe. It was warm and full of ritual.
This kind of ceremony is the new policy that the sixth generation leader pushed after he took office: exogamy.
The Fifth Xuan supports this policy, as marriage between close relatives is prone to problems. But in fact, the sixth generation leader promoted this policy not for this reason, but for... alliance.
Through marriage, he allied with the surrounding tribes, making the Fire Tribe and other tribes closer and more harmonious. This is his way of governing the surrounding tribes, which is softer and more acceptable than the sixth generation witch.
"How do you continue the totem of your tribe? As a totem... you can't be immortal."
Diwu Xuan asked again curiously. Taking advantage of today's festive occasion, he asked many questions that he was concerned about.
"I will pass the power of the totem to my child when necessary."
The silver giant wolf said, and roared again, causing a burst of responses.
A couple came to the altar. The sixth-generation leader knelt in front of Diwu Xuan first, and the next witch of the wolf tribe followed suit.
Diwu Xuan ignited the totem fire on his body and shot a beam of fire that passed over the heads of the two, like a caress.
After the two knelt down to worship Diwu Xuan, they knelt down to the wolf totem. The silver giant wolf followed suit and used the power of the totem to caress the two.
Diwu Xuan looked at the next witch of the wolf tribe. The child was not very old, his eyebrows were as sharp as a knife, and there was a murderous look in his eyes. He was indeed a primitive man who had been in contact with wolves for many years.
The two knelt before the two totems, and after receiving blessings, they began to share the roasted venison leg meat.
These rituals were all discussed by him and the sixth-generation witch. After they finished eating the venison leg meat, the sixth-generation witch and the wolf tribe witch came forward to bless the two.
At this point, the simple and ritualistic wedding was over, and the people of the Fire Tribe began to share the barbecue on the campfire with the guests.
Diwu Xuan was basking in the sun on the altar, looking at the lively and peaceful Fire Tribe below, wishing that the entire tribe could continue to live in such a peaceful way without so many disasters and wars.