Chapter 20 – The color of wildness (2/2)

The straw curtain of the cave was lifted, and Ge, coming from the outside, shouted out towards those sleeping kids, “Okay, boys. Get up and get prepared! We need to go up the mountain!”

Shao Xuan hardly recognized Ge when he first saw him. Now Ge was wearing a pair of horns from some fierce animal, and around his neck, there were a few animal bone necklaces. Also, the animal skin clothes he was wearing were not the usual ones. The patterns on them were very clear, and the fur stood out like steel needles. They looked the opposite of soft, as the fur was probably from some ferocious beast.

Aside from different clothes, Ge painted some patterns on his face with plant pigment. On both his cheeks there were outlines similar to their tribal totem. On his forehead, nose, and jaw, there were also painted lines. Every time when a hunting team was on a mission, totemic warriors would paint those symbols on their faces. Although totemic lines would show up on their bodies when hunting, painting on the face before hunting became a traditional custom as well as a ceremony. Now it was the same with rituals.

Seriously speaking, it was Shao Xuan’s first time to attend a ritual. When he woke up at this place, it had passed the ritual seasons, and in his memories there were no related experiences. It felt new and novel.

All the kids in the cave were pretty excited about the rituals, for such an event required the attendance of all the people in the tribe, no matter where they lived and who they were. From residents in the mountain top to people in mountain foot district; from the strongest warriors to the infants crying piteously for food; all must go up to the top and attend the ceremony.

It was the symbol of a year’s beginning, as well as the most joyful event every year.

The ritual location was at the top of the mountain, near to Shaman’s residence.

Shao Xuan followed everyone out of the cave and left Caesar inside.

It grew dark as night would soon fall. The active night swallows from the winter seemed to have noticed something, so they hid their tracks as Shao Xuan saw none tonight.

As they were marching to the top, Shao Xuan saw others climbing up the mountain in groups. They were all “dressed up”. On their heads, there were antlers, horns, feathers, and some other decorations that Shao Xuan could not recognize. Around their necks, there were ugly necklaces made from ferocious beasts. Look at those animal teeth on their necklaces! The ones that the kids in the orphan cave were wearing were no comparison to them.

All totemic warriors, men, and women had painted the same lines on their faces, as the ones on Ge’s face. Shao Xuan saw a female warrior whose head was decorated with multicolored feathers. Around her neck were a few bone necklaces, and on her waist was a belt made from some kind of snakes, with gorgeous patterns. Also, there were bones hanging down her leather skirt as ornaments, that collided with each other and created clicking sounds while she walked.

Ge said that she was a tough female warrior and she had a high reputation in their tribe. Other women around all showed admiration and respect, seeing the decorations on her.

Compared to them, Shao Xuan and his companions looked like some thin chicks walking around a group of man-faced King-Kongs.

Shao Xuan also saw other kids in the tribe. Whether they were from the mountain foot district, mountainside district, or lived up near the mountain top district, those kids were dressed like the adults, just less impressive to Shao Xuan. But what was obvious was that, the higher they lived, the more “advanced” were their decorations.

The kid walking along with that tough female warrior was as proud as a peacock. With a look of “What crappy things are you wearing?”.

Shao Xuan’s eyes twitched and he looked away from that direction, only to find that all the whelps in the cave around him had sparkling eyes, staring at those kids with “advanced decorations” jealously.

All around was so aggressive, so fierce.

Wild and mysterious, all was covered in intense colors of the wilderness.