Chapter Thirteen: The Werewolf Altar

On the long road of our escape, Li Hao and I were worn out from exhaustion. As we traversed the wilds on the edge of Liangzhou, hoping to evade our pursuers under cover of night, we found ourselves lost in the vast wilderness at the borders of Liangzhou. We hurried along the journey without proper rest, eating what we could find and sleeping under the sky. As we were trying to figure out our way back to the proper path, we inadvertently stumbled into a mysterious forest.

This dense forest blocked out the sky, and the strange cries of birds and the lurking presence of beasts made us uneasy. However, with the threat of our pursuers close behind, we had no choice but to penetrate deeper into the forest, hoping to traverse it and continue on our journey.

As night fell, the moonlight faintly penetrated the dense canopy, casting a surreal light upon the moss-laden ancient trees and leaf-strewn ground, creating an eerie and hazy atmosphere. Leaning on each other's warmth and courage, we proceeded side by side through this endless sea of trees, but it was clear that we were deep within its grasp, and the way back seemed ever more obscure.

Within this ancient, untouched forest, we accidentally discovered a hidden altar surrounded by row upon row of wolf statues, eerily lifelike, weathered by the elements and slightly aged, as if silently recounting untold ancient legends. The altar exuded an indescribable solemnity that compelled us to slow our pace involuntarily.

What Li Hao and I didn't expect was that this place we had stumbled upon was a sacred site of the local werewolf tribe, hidden for centuries. We had coincidentally arrived during the tribe's annual sacrificial ceremony.

As the chilly winds blow upon the descent of night, a full moon hung in the sky, scattering silver light through the treetops. On such nights known as the "Wolf Moon", it is said that werewolves emerge from their dwellings to call out to the moon. Around the altar—a stone platform bearing one wolf stone sculpture after another, carved from large blocks of stone to appear so lifelike as if they might leap off the altar and pounce on us at any moment.

Just as we were about to retreat silently, the sound of mysterious and somber drumming arose nearby, followed by a chorus of youthful flutes, weaving a bizarre melody through the forest as if it was transmitted from ancient times. A mysterious ritual began to unfold—a group of werewolves dressed in animal skins was preparing to perform a ceremony by moonlight.

The werewolves danced around the newly lit pit, some leaping, some walking, chanting incantations unknown to us. The scene was rustic and absurd, leaving Li Hao and I both astonished and confused. We hid ourselves in a secluded area, peering through the shrubs, fearful of being discovered by those mysterious werewolves. We could scarcely believe what was happening before our eyes.

Observing further, we learned that the werewolf priest held a carved wooden basin next to the flames, readying for some important sacrificial rite. The werewolves danced to the moon as a plea for protection from the spirits, hoping to receive guidance and power from the moon.

Li Hao and I knew this was not the time for curiosity. We started planning how to retreat without being detected. It was clear that the werewolves were no kind folk, especially during the Wolf Moon. We had to leave before their ritual ended, as we could not risk becoming part of their sacrifice. This was something we absolutely could not accept.

After an intense inner struggle and strategic planning, we took advantage of the moment when the werewolves were immersed in their mysterious ceremony, retreating quietly into the deeper shadows of the forest, hoping to vanish behind the night's curtain. Clasping each other's hands, we only had one thought in mind—to escape this incomprehensible and peril-ridden domain and continue toward the lands of freedom in the Western Regions.

Amidst the wilderness altar sheltered beneath the pristine moonlight, Li Hao and I silently hid among the bushes, our hearts pounding as if to drum out an alert. As we planned to quietly depart from this ominous place, the sharp nose of a werewolf twitched a few times, followed by anxious eyes scanning the surroundings and then fixed on our hiding spot.

By the time we noticed the werewolf's peculiar behaviour, it was too late. The rest of the tribe swiftly captured us and dragged us out from concealment. The werewolves adorned in beast hides, feathers, and bones bound us and forcibly brought us before the mysterious altar.

We couldn't understand the language of the werewolves, but from their tense and solemn expressions, we both sensed that the impending matter was of great significance. As we faced each other, slated to be sacrifices, neither of us could have imagined such a perilous encounter in our escape journey.

Designated as offerings, we were placed upon the ritual platform as the tribe encircled us, commencing a ritual enigmatic and unsettling. The ancestral bronze drums resounded thunderously, the chanting of the werewolves seemed like a call emerging from the abyss. The moon cast a sacred halo from the sky, with all the werewolves kneeling towards the altar.

The werewolf priest, adorned in elaborate ceremonial garb, his head crowned with a wolf-shaped mask and holding a sceptre decorated with complex totems, recited the ritual text like a curse before Li Hao and me, then dabbed cinnabar on our foreheads.

We exchanged looks, wordless yet conveying a firm belief and unwavering resolve. We knew escape from this imminent peril would be difficult. In the suffocating silence of waiting, Li Hao grasped my hand tightly, signaling that no matter the outcome, we would stand shoulder to shoulder, sharing life and death.

However, unexpectedly, we were not killed. After the werewolves sang and danced upon the altar, most of them gradually departed, leaving the air filled with the scent of herbs not yet fully burned. Li Hao and I were left alone in the chill wind, awaiting the verdict of fate. Yet, they left a few robust werewolves to bind us together.

Surprisingly though, our hearts were calm—not because we no longer harboured fear, but at this crucial moment of indeterminate life and death, if we were to die, we would be together. But until we reached the final brink, we could not give in to despair. A definitive plan formed in our minds: no matter what, we were determined to escape the primitive savagery of this altar and continue our unfinished journey.

After our capture by the werewolf tribe, Li Hao and I were jostled through a turbulent trip and ultimately brought to the heart of the tribe, encircled by grass and centered around a blazing fire. Our arrival drew curious and wary gazes from the tribespeople, while the children encircled us, laughing and chasing playfully, full of curiosity. However, dishevelled as we were, our hearts remained uneasy—unsure of what actions the werewolf tribe might take against us.

The elders of the werewolf tribe sat around the fire, adorned in splendid attire and faces painted with various colors, exuding an air of simplicity and mystery. Surrounded by the ancient chants of the werewolf tribe, Li Hao and I sat bound, our hearts aflame with anxiety, yet forced to remain outwardly composed.

Upon seeing us, a seemingly young witch wearing a terrifying mask stealthily approached Li Hao and me. Muttering to herself, she brushed aside my hair to take a closer look, then mysteriously began to sing and dance. As her song rose, the lyrics revealed to us the history and inner secrets of the tribe's sacrificial rituals.

It turned out that this tribe had worshipped the elements of wind, rain, thunder, and most especially the moon since ancient times. They believed in the moon's healing power, its ability to bestow them with the courage and strength to survive. Every night of the full moon, the 'Wolf Priest' of the tribe would select specific 'offerings' to pray to the moon. It was said that this would curry favor with the lunar deity, blessing the tribe with safety and the wolves with prosperity in the coming year.

The lyrics of the witch's song sunk our hearts; we knew our escape plan had become urgent. Li Hao and I pondered for a moment, quickly devising a route in our minds, analyzing every detail of the werewolf priest's behavior. We knew if we failed to escape from within the tribe, we would have to seek an opportunity amid the ritual when we could take advantage of the chaos to make our escape.

As the darkness deepened and the moon rose larger in the sky, the beat of the tribe's drums became more pressing, and the howls of the werewolves rose and fell. With each beat of the drum, Li Hao and I felt the pressure of time and knew we had to slip away soon. As the climax of the sacrifice approached, we first pretended to comply, being led towards the altar under the watch of two tall werewolves. With the beat of the drums and the sound of flutes growing louder, we secretly looked for a moment when the two escorting werewolves and the Wolf Priest were most distracted.

In the atmosphere filled with blazing fires and wild drumming, Li Hao and I experienced an unprecedented level of tension. As offerings about to be presented, our futures seemed bound to this abrupt altar. When the werewolf priest prepared to start the ritual, the witch in the terrifying mask appeared before them again.

The figure of the mysterious witch was particularly sharp against the leaping flames, and her eyes beneath the mask revealed depths not seen in other tribe members - her words carried a foreign accent distinct within the tribal language.

The witch silently approached the altar, exchanging a few words with the Wolf Priest. Under her intervention, the priest seemed to soften a bit, and the process of the ritual subsequently slowed. In this time, the witch covertly signaled to us—astonishingly, she gestured an 'OK' sign with her hand. I looked on in disbelief, unaware of the conspiracy hidden within.

At this moment, as the moon reached its zenith in the night sky, and the ritual neared its most critical point, the opportunity finally came. The Wolf Priest, busy in his entreaties to the divine, with the other two werewolves joining hands and closing their eyes in prayer, left their spirits unguarded. Just then, amidst the concentrated spirits of the ritual preparation, the witch acted, swiftly and deftly releasing the ropes that bound us.

Li Hao quickly freed himself from the bonds, and with adept skill, he released me as well. Amidst the confusion, we took advantage of the werewolves' closed eyes in prayer to make a swift escape, running through the crowd like the wind towards the depths of the forest. As we did, we heard the werewolves' bellowing and pursuit fade in and out in the night breeze, the thrill and suspense within us indescribable.

The werewolves' pursuit seemed sporadic, and it felt as though we were being chased in circles around the altar. Suddenly, ahead appeared the masked witch once again; she pointed us in a direction, urging me to follow her. Li Hao and I ran in the direction she indicated and astonishingly evaded the tribal guards' encirclement. Following the witch through the labyrinthine forest and over small hillsides, we finally escaped the entrapment. The howls of the werewolves grew fainter behind us.

The witch led us deeper into the forest until we reached a place safe. Only then did she pause, quietly observing my disheveled hair and gently patting off seeds that had stuck to me. Li Hao and I watched her in silence, the terrifying mask making the atmosphere incredibly eerie, uncertain what to say. Slowly, she took off her horrifying mask.