At five o'clock in the morning, the sky was slightly bright.
Between the two facing and steep cliffs to the west of the Coyote Tribe, black shadows were quickly jumping from the raised rocks on the left to the gap on the right, flying down in a zigzag pattern.
The tall and muscular adult werewolf jumped at the front, and the young werewolf followed behind, moving as nimbly and swiftly as a group of blue sheep.
Dean, who was standing on the edge of the cliff, retracted his gaze and turned to the flying bird beside him.
"Where will the tribe's seeds go after they go down the mountain?"
Asuka said with a look of regret, "A sparsely populated town in eastern Oklahoma. Many years ago, the priest bought several large houses there, and people would live there every once in a while."
"Prescient." DeKayden lamented, "What kind of life will these children live in the future?"
"After leaving their hometown, the Law of Convergence is always present, so they cannot live together. In a few days, they will quickly disperse to all parts of the country," Asuka said. "We will try to rebuild the tribe when it develops later."
"Human society is not as simple and stable as in the mountains," Dean rubbed a cross dart in his palm, recalling his experiences along the way. "As an alien, you will encounter all kinds of dangers and temptations, and your life will be far more difficult than ordinary people."
"This situation must not happen!" Kaiden interrupted the discussion between the two, took their hands and walked east, "Find Gray Shadow! Gray Shadow will become the new Alpha Wolf and lead the tribe again!"
"Have you forgotten? The tribe has spent several months searching almost the entire mountain range and found nothing. My previous search also ended in failure. There is absolutely no point in searching around without a head." Dean glanced at the two of them. , he threw it away casually, and the cross dart flew down the cliff into the gray mist with a "swish", and then spun back to his palm, "Do you have any new ideas or plans?"
Asuka lowered his head silently, his thick eyebrows tangled, with a troubled look on his face.
Kaiden had his blond hair pulled back, and he was spinning around in circles several times like an ant on a hot pot. He almost made a row of big holes in the grass under his feet and made his hair bald.
"Asuka, have you found the cemetery where soldiers are buried?"
"Several times, no clues. Didn't you also go and see the six soldiers buried before?"
"Then let's go and have a look at Lucinda's grave!" Kaiden looked at the two of them, "Grey Shadow went to worship every day before he disappeared. Maybe he will leave some clues there."
The flying bird nodded, turned into a wolf and took the lead in running towards the east outside the cliff.
Kaiden galloped side by side with her, and Dean jumped up and flew in mid-air to follow. He also tried to imitate Strong Stone, clumsily constructing wings with life energy to replace telekinetic flight.
The dawn splits a crack in the black curtain of the sky, and the rising sun casts warm sunlight towards the green mountains.
The three of them climbed over several mountains, waded through small rivers that floated like bright ribbons between moss and green mountains, and passed by elk, goats, ocelots, and gray wolves drawing water.
Finally we came to a quiet and beautiful hillside.
Although it is already autumn, there are still large areas of white mimosa, golden osmanthus, and lavender hibiscus, exuding their fragrance in the air.
In the center of the flowers, there is a pile of rough graves made of cobblestones. There are a few pieces of jewelry and large withered flowers around it. Since no one has taken care of it for more than two months, clumps of weeds have grown out among the cobblestones.
Kaiden walked to the grave bag and stared at it blankly.
"My mother is buried in there."
He knelt down and picked up the gold jewelry, wool shears, and withered flowers placed beside the grave. He turned to the two of them and said,
"I've seen it in old John's photos. These are Lucinda's favorite jewelry. This wool shear is the tool she uses most skillfully on the farm."
"Huiying has always remembered her favorite and worked hard to help her get to the mountain." Feiniao saw Kaiden's sad look and said with a smile, "Did you bring the ocarina? I want to play a commemorative song for Huiying. Lucinda.”
Kaiden took out the ocarina from his arms and handed it to Asuka. Asuka put the ocarina to his lips and started playing. It was a little awkward at first, but he soon became proficient.
Sad, distant music echoed among the hillsides.
Kaiden listened for a long time and wiped the corners of his eyes.
"Man, there's something wrong with this tomb." Dean retrieved his perspective from the grave bag and wondered, "There's only one pendant in it."
"What do you mean?" Kayden was horrified, "Lucinda's urn is not buried in it?"
Dean shook his head.
Kaiden hesitated for a second, gritted his teeth and quickly pulled away the pebbles, and opened the grave bag completely. The result was surprising. There was only a striking pale pendant left inside. The pendant was a crystal bottle the size of a fingernail. The bottle There is nothing inside.
"This is impossible!" Asuka put down the ocarina, squatted next to Kaiden, and grabbed the pendant in disbelief, "I once saw Gray Shadow bury the urn in it. Yes, he always carries this necklace with him. , inseparable, I clearly saw him with him on the day he disappeared, how could he appear in the grave?"
"I've also seen it from the blood memory," Kaiden stared at the pendant. "It was supposed to contain gray ashes. Why is it gone? Was it stolen?"
"Impossible! Gray Shadow has told the nearby wolves to guard this lonely grave. Animals will not come near here." Feiniao decisively denied, "If it was stolen by humans, then the more valuable gold jewelry outside the grave should be stolen first. , instead of ashes. They don’t have to re-bury the grave.”
"There is only one possibility." Dean narrowed his eyes and thought, "It was Gray Shadow who personally took away all Lucinda's ashes, and it was on the day he disappeared!"
"Why?" Kaiden and Asuka blurted out at the same time,
"If you were to leave home for a long trip and not come back for a long time, or even never come back," Dean stared into Caiden's eyes, "would you take away the things you cherish most and regard as life?"
Kaiden nodded subconsciously, a hint of suddenness flashed across Asuka's green eyes.
"you mean--"
"Yes, I think we have been entering into a misunderstanding." Dean walked around the open grave bag. "We always thought that it was some kind of supernatural creature or force that forcibly took away the bag." Gray Shadow has never considered another situation, that is, Gray Shadow took the initiative to leave the tribe!"
"He took it upon himself to remove all traces of himself and took his wife's ashes with him before leaving."
hiss--
Caiden's breathing hitched.
And Feiniao suddenly stood up, frowned and looked at Dean,
"You mean that Gray Shadow left the mountains on his own without notifying the priests or anyone in the tribe?"
"Maybe he has his own reasons."
"I don't believe it!" Asuka tightened his body as if the sanctity in his heart had been defiled, and let out a low hiss like a wolf in his throat. He looked at Dean with a trace of anger, "Grey Shadow is the most powerful and devout warrior of the tribe. He made a promise to all tribe members that he would spend the rest of his life serving Coyote Cordy and would never abandon us quietly!"
"And this did not appear to be the case with the other three missing fighters."
"Go back to the tribe and ask!" Kaiden took a deep breath and put the necklace on his neck, "We must find out!"
…
The three returned to the tribe along the original route and once again questioned the families of several other missing warriors.
But before disappearing, they did not take away their most cherished belongings, unlike Gray Shadow.
Dean told the priest his guess again, and a dim light flashed in the priest's deep eyes.
"My son, Gray Shadow, although he broke the rules and married an outside woman, he has always been the most selfless warrior and will never abandon the tribe."
The priest's tone was serious,
"If he left on his own initiative, then he must be doing his best for the entire tribe."
…
The three of them left the cave.
Dean bit into a piece of roasted lamb and asked, "Where to find it next?"
"We seem to have found a unique stone in the mountain, but there is little hope." Feiniao looked at the sun in the sky, and the time officially entered the afternoon. The warriors of the tribe began to polish their claws, form wolf and dog formations, and use the gifts of the mountains and forests to make various products. Planting traps to prepare for the upcoming fierce battle, the smiles on everyone's faces disappeared, and the atmosphere in the entire tribe was solemn, "And we don't have much time left."
Caiden lowered his head and fell into thought.
"Experience tells me that if you really can't see the future direction clearly, then try to look back on the past." Dean glanced at Caiden and Birds, and sat on the grass in a meditative posture. "We might as well look back at what happened after entering Dog Town. , carefully recall everything we have experienced, maybe there are some key details hidden in it that we have overlooked."
…
The three of them spent half an hour sitting in the birch forest outside the tribe, sorting out their thoughts.
Kaiden suddenly became energetic, "Do you remember, around the time of the disappearance, lycanthropy also broke out in the dog town in the valley! They all happened more than two months ago."
Dean's eyes lit up, "We guessed at that time that there must be some connection between the two cases."
"Is it all the same murderer behind the scenes?" Feiniao asked tentatively,
"This possibility cannot be ruled out." Kaiden clapped his fist fiercely, "Since we have no clue about the whereabouts of Gray Shadow, it is better to solve the lycanthropy disease first, and maybe we can get some enlightenment from it."
With no other choice, the three of them could only give it a try.
"It's too late to go to Dog Town now. Let's relive lycanthropy." Dean recalled what he had seen in Dog Town. "The sick townspeople were full of inexplicable affection and obedience to Caiden. They followed Caiden's instructions. Any order."
“Their physical fitness improved slightly.”
"After the moon rises, you will hear the mysterious howling of wolves, and you will have an uncontrollable desire to eat raw meat. Your temper will gradually become irritable."
"We suspected that these patients were slowly transforming into werewolves."
"I can't explain it when I hear the howling of wolves." Feiniao stood beside a birch tree, stroking his pointed chin, "But the five or six-year-old children in the tribe who have just awakened to the warrior form have not yet tamed the wild nature in their bodies. , symptoms such as liking to eat raw meat and becoming irritable will appear, which will last for up to a month, and the symptoms will disappear quickly."
"In addition, this phenomenon of obedience, in our coyote tribe, only occurs between low-level werewolves and high-level werewolves, just like civilians love warriors, warriors respect priests, and priests obey alpha wolves, one level up, Very strict. All low-level tribesmen can feel the stronger and more energetic blood in high-level bodies, and are eager to be recognized by these bloods, so they become obedient." Feiniao said in a subtle tone, "Can you understand this? ?”
Dean stood up and held down the rough bark, pondering, "Are the sick townspeople really transforming into some kind of low-level werewolf?"
Kaiden shook his head, "It shouldn't be. I remember the priest said that there are only two ways for a werewolf to be born, reproduction, and transformation by the alpha wolf himself. But the townspeople will never meet these two conditions."
"It doesn't have to be transformation," Feiniao put his hands around his trembling chest. "As long as the incomplete low-level bloodline appears in the body of the townspeople, they can also feel Kaiden's high-level bloodline and become obedient. And under the stimulation of the bloodline, Make some weird moves that are consistent with wolf nature.”
"You mean the patient has part of the coyote's blood in his body?" Kaiden said this guess hesitantly, his face turning livid.
Feiniao hugged his arm with concern, "This is just a guess. It's possible that the patients were cursed, hypnotized, or poisoned."
"We don't have time to consider other factors and keep an eye on the blood of the coyote." Kaiden asked eagerly, "I asked all the sick townspeople in the town. They live a normal life and rarely leave the town. Except for me, Besides, I have never come into contact with werewolves, where did they get wolf blood?"
Asuka pursed her lips and pondered for a moment, then thought, "If you ask me, the most likely source is ingestion..."
"Ingestion?" Dean's mouth twitched, "Eating or drinking?"
Feiniao nodded, "There are dozens of farms in the town, and there are also food purchase agreements with the outside world. Food sources are diverse, but the water source is very single - all townspeople drink river water."
"Red River?"
"It flows down from the top of the mountains far away, from the mountain lake, through the forest, grassland, moss, into the valley, and on both sides of the town. If there is something wrong with the river water," Feiniao said, "then Dog Town will have nothing to do with anything. The townspeople in both directions, north and south, will gradually get sick."
"So the river is mixed with coyote blood?" Dean turned his face sideways, and suddenly there was a biting and cold premonition in his heart, if the inference was true.
Where does the blood in the river come from?
But he never asked the question.
Kaiden shrank his neck and felt a chill on his vest, "This is the only river flowing through the mountains?"
Asuka nodded, "Occasionally there are a few branches of the river, but they will merge together again soon."
"Is it okay for the animals to drink the river water?"
"We have done experiments," Feiniao said, "animals that drink coyote blood will not experience severe symptoms."
"Let's go upstream along the river." Kaiden took a deep breath and made a decision, "The answer may be there."
…
The river in this mountain range is not majestic. The widest section is less than five meters, and it is not deep. Under the sunlight, the bottom of the river can be clearly seen. There are mottled marks on the stone slabs that have been washed away by the water for a long time.
But it has more sharp bends, the river banks are ragged, the width and height vary greatly, and it is more patchwork.
This river jingles along with the complex undulating terrain of the mountain, and from time to time it merges with the mountain spring water gushing out of the rock slabs, forming a natural waterfall flowing down the top of the cliff.
Sometimes it will get into the cracks in the rocks, merge into the underground river in the mountain, and then gush out from a certain cave.
The three of them walked upstream along the winding river.
Along the way, Dean practiced his skills in transforming life energy into wings and his proficiency in transforming energy with his mind.
At the same time, he used his God's perspective to scan both sides of the river and the debris at the bottom of the river, looking for possible remnants of the four gray figures, but to no avail.
They followed the mountain river from afternoon to late night.
Kaiden seemed to feel something and remained silent the whole time.
As the altitude increased, the temperature dropped rapidly, but it was not low enough for ice and snow to appear. They arrived at the source of the river - Summit Lake.
It lies in the embrace of several cliffs. It is as flat and smooth as a round mirror. The lake is blue and deep, and the bright moonlight and stars in the sky are reflected on it. The stars and moon seem to have descended into the world, and the scenery is beautiful.
There are several obvious gaps on the shore of the lake. The lake water slides down the cliff along the gaps, forming several water curtain-like waterfalls. The pouring waterfalls converge into several tree root-like rivers at the bottom...spreading into the mountains. Meet somewhere.
Dean began to scan the lake from a distance.
Not long ago, he had just improved his perception by one point. Even in the dim light of night, across a lake dozens of meters deep, he could easily detect the scene clearly.
Next to him, Kaiden looked at the lake blankly and asked, "Is this the source of Dog Town's water source?"
Asuka nodded, "It's beautiful, but it's too far away from the tribe. We rarely come here, and almost no one else comes here."
"I want to go down and take a look." Kaiden began to take off his shawl and apron.
"Together!" Feiniao made a horizontal arm swing and prepared to dive.
"There's no need to enter the bottom of the lake. I've scanned it." Dean opened his eyes and stopped the two of them. "There is nothing in the lake except fish, shrimps and crabs."
"How did you do it?" Kaiden looked at the unfathomable depth of the lake with a puzzled look on his face, "Can you see clearly?"
"Trust me, don't go down and waste your efforts. Where are we going?" Dean glanced at a cliff on the other side of the lake. Behind a raised rock on the cliff, there was an extremely hidden black opening, which was the entrance to a cave.
"There is a mysterious force in this cave that blocks my perception. If I guessed correctly, the four missing soldiers should be inside. Everyone must be careful." Dean summoned the ghost armor, wrapped it in life energy, and flew over.
…
Kaiden and Asuka approached cautiously, and immediately found a large pile of bones at the entrance of the cave. They were too finely broken to tell what kind of creature they belonged to, but they could not smell a trace of putrid smell. It was obvious that they had been there for at least a century. history.
The three of them walked around the broken bones on the ground and stepped into the darkness.
They quickly found themselves standing in a huge cave, with a hemispherical rock top above their heads, and dense stalactites hanging from the top, like the tentacles of an octopus, which made people feel more and more eerie.
Brown stalagmites stand abruptly in the corner of the cave, forming a cone shape. Some of them are taller than the three of them, catching the water drops dripping from the top of the cave.
"Did you hear the sound?" Kaiden asked the two of them,
"The sound of water dripping?" Dean asked in a low voice,
"It's a wolf howling, can't you hear it?" Kaiden listened intently, as if trying to find the source of the sound, but the sound seemed to be everywhere.
Asuka shook his head and signaled to continue walking inside.
The ground began to slope downward, and a niche appeared on the smooth rock walls on both sides. In the niche was placed a small statue made of sandstone. It had a human body, a wolf head, a slender figure, and deep, intelligent eyes.
"The statue of Cody Cody?" Dean looked at the bird, "Has anyone from the tribe been here before?"
Feiniao shook his head decisively, "I've never heard of a cave here. There shouldn't be followers of Ke Di here."
"Let's go, keep moving forward, we are almost at the end." A look of eagerness appeared on Kaiden's face, and the calls in his ears became more and more intense.
They groped for several hundred meters in the darkness of the cave. The sound of dripping water around them was replaced by the sound of more surging water, and an underground river appeared in front of them.
The river is not wide, and shows a gem-like indigo blue in the subtle light. The rapids beat against the slippery walls on both sides, and the water droplets splash into the air like a group of fireflies.
This underground river connects to the mountaintop lake outside, and then flows along the spiral downward-sloping river into the invisible darkness.
When the sight turns to the river.
Dean, Asuka, and Kaiden couldn't help but hold their breath, and their pupils showed a look of extreme horror——
Four figures were immersed in the river. They were suspended motionless at the bottom of the river, as if they were immobilized by some mysterious force and were not drifting downwards with the turbulent undercurrent.
In the indigo river water, their pale skin revealed bright black and red tattoos belonging to the warriors of the Coyote tribe.
One of them, with black hair and golden eyes, was holding a small, dark rectangular box in his arms, hugging it so tightly that it seemed like he was hugging the whole world.
They were like sleeping in their mother's amniotic fluid, curled up like babies, with peaceful faces and a hint of joy.
But the whole body was covered with countless small cracks, and strands of blood slowly seeped out, like red ribbons, floating down the underground river...
…
The blood also dyed Kaiden's eyes red.
A rushing red river appeared in front of him, containing the blood of tribal warriors and fathers.
From the depths of the mountains, the mountaintop lake flows into an underground river, and then emerges from a damaged hole in the rock wall and returns to the ground.
It flows through cliffs, forests, lush flora and fauna... and finally through Dog Town.
In this land, the animals in the mountains draw water from the river, the plants are watered by it, and the townspeople in the valley drink the river water and the blood of coyotes.
Thus, lycanthropy was born.
…
But why is this?
Kaiden walked towards the underground river in despair.
(End of chapter)
