Tibetan Mastiff Notes

Chapter 17 Fighting the Wolves (7)
We finally led Dahei back home safely. Uncle Duoji knelt in front of the statue and prayed, kowtowing non-stop.Because of my guilt towards Dahei, I also knelt down in front of the Buddha statue and bowed.To be honest, I have never bowed down to anyone or anything like gods and Buddhas. This is the first time, for Dahei.

Dahei's spirit improved a lot. She didn't like staying in the tent, so she went out again and stayed by the sheepfold.I heard movement outside the tent, worried about Dahei, so I followed him out to watch.

It turned out to be Uncle Tashimu. He brought some minced meat and bones and stood outside the tent, as if he wanted to go in but didn't dare to go in.I knew it was because of the estrangement between him and Uncle Duoji because of selling mastiffs. I invited him to sit in, but he just smiled sarcastically.

Uncle Zhaximu asked me in a low voice: "Duoji is in there? What are you doing?" I said, "Pray to Buddha. Go in and sit!" Uncle Zhaximu shook his head and said embarrassedly: "Then, forget it! There are not many sheep. Bring some minced meat and bones to replenish Dahei's body. Don't let Dahei go out to hunt again. She has such a big belly. Just work harder and feed her more delicious food It’s good, it’s delicious, and the mastiff with cubs has to be accommodated.” I nodded and said, “Understood. But Dahei likes to eat live food by himself, there’s nothing I can do about it, she’s arrogant, even if we feed her, she won’t be able to eat it A lot, eat a little once in a while.” Uncle Zhaximu nodded, and then said: “Then give her more nutrition, such as bones and kelp, mix some flour and eggs with the meat, and drink plenty of water. Drink good water."

What is good water?Mineral water or pure water?The water on the prairie is the water flowing in the river, and people drink that.Uncle Zhaximu's special concern for Dahei makes people feel a little uncomfortable. I wonder if he has intentions. Maybe he wants to have a baby mastiff in the future?

That's not okay!Originally, Da Hei didn't have many cubs, but when the time came, he had to save one for the uncle, because it was the breed of Mao Mao.Uncle Duoji has to keep one for himself, and another herdsman who does not have a mastiff has already agreed with the uncle to ask for a mastiff to raise.If the points are not enough, if Uncle Tashimu asks for another one, there will be no points.

Out of selfishness, I just nodded and said nothing else.Uncle Zhaximu chatted with me for a while, then stared at Dahei from a distance, and said, "Dahei is a mastiff! He gave birth to a good family and found a good master."

Dahei didn't seem to like Uncle Zaximu very much, she turned her head to look at the sheep in the pen, and then turned her butt to face Uncle Zaximu.I'm used to this posture of Dahei. When she points her ass towards you, it means that she thinks you are annoying. It has reached the point where she has to use her ass to greet you.

Uncle Zaximu's face was embarrassed, and when he heard Uncle Dorji talking inside, he stuffed the meat and bones into my hand and left in a hurry.

Uncle Duoji came out of the tent and asked me, "Who were you talking to just now?" I said, "It's Uncle Tashimu. He brought some bones and meat and said they were for Dahei to nourish his body."

Uncle Duoji didn't say anything. He probably understood what Uncle Tashimu meant by being so courteous. He glanced at Dahei from a distance and told me to take the bones and meat in. At night, he would make broth with seaweed for Dahei to eat.

The weather has been noticeably colder these days.In the evening, everyone sat around the tent and kept warm around the stove. A meat basin was placed in a corner of the tent, and inside was steaming meat bone kelp soup.I heard from Uncle Duoji that this kind of broth mastiff is the best, it nourishes the body and produces milk.Dahei rested for a day, and he was much more energetic. He lay down in front of the meat basin, eating with great relish, and I was so greedy that I drool.

During the few months in Tibet, I ate meat so that I did not gain weight, but lost a few catties of meat.I also want to drink seaweed soup, but I don’t have it. Since I went shopping in Shigatse last time, I have kept the seaweed for Dahei to eat.

I didn't eat much at night and couldn't eat.I inserted a few pieces of mutton and roasted them on the stove for supper.Uncle Dorji took a jug of wine, and the aroma of the wine mixed with the aroma of barbecue permeated the tent.

"It's cold, it's really cold. I don't know why, the snow fell so late this year." Uncle Duoji said to himself.

Indeed, in the interior, it is almost the twelfth lunar month, but the snow here has not yet fallen, but it is very cold.The prairie is still a scene of late autumn, the climate is very dry and cold, the nearby pastures are almost eaten by sheep, and the remaining grass has begun to turn yellow. Looking around, the withered yellow grass on the prairie stretches far The desert-like yellow land is very bleak, like the wilderness in the northwest, making people feel desolate and homesick.I stared at the fire in a daze, the mutton was roasted so oily.

Every year when winter comes, I will be particularly homesick, and I will miss it from the bottom of my heart.I remember that when I was in the army, I ran to apply for my name after a big fight with my family.The family was very angry, so there was a cold war for a while, and then I joined the army before the cold war was over.Until now, I have not had the opportunity to explain my impulse to my parents at that time. I was thinking: my parents must have been hurt at that time, but they also felt sorry for their son.I am a very stubborn and self-willed person, with a big temper and a tendency to stir up trouble, at least in the past.After several years of tempering in the army, now I have matured a lot, and I also know the hardships of the world and the difficulties of my parents. I will no longer fight and make trouble like I did in school, and I will no longer impulsively shout at my parents. Roar, but more rational and calm.

During these few months with Dahei, I think it is the sublimation of my life.My thoughts and moral concepts are unconsciously changing, and my mind has been broadened. I have learned to be patient and think, and I have also learned to look at people and things with a more normal attitude.I want to thank Dahei and this beautiful prairie, they really gave me a lot of things, many things that money can't buy.

"Do you like mastiffs? When Dahei is born, I will leave one for you." Uncle Duoji saw that I was in a daze, so he added a piece of dry sheep dung to the fire.Uncle Dorji’s family raised a few cows, but more were sheep. The mixture of cow dung and sheep dung was burned, and blue flames came out.

I was in a daze, but when I heard this, I immediately cheered up and replied loudly: "Okay! Okay! But..."

I hesitated for a moment. Mastiffs are pets on the prairie, divine beasts bestowed by the gods to the herdsmen, and they are only suitable for living, jumping, and running on the vast land.But in big cities, there is no vast prairie for them to run, and there are no lively small animals for them to prey on. There are only tall buildings and heavy traffic, and of course, there is no wolf, the enemy of the mastiff. nature?Is this considered a kind of abuse of the mastiff?

My excited mood immediately dimmed. I thought about it for a while and said, "Let's see it again. We'll talk about it when Dahei is born."

Uncle Duoji probably guessed my worry, nodded and said, "Alright, let's talk about it after I give birth!"

When I woke up the next day, Dahei was already lying outside the sheepfold, and she had caught a ground squirrel.The rat was fat and round, like a big meat ball.Seeing Dahei eating with relish, I suddenly wanted to taste the ground squirrel, and I thought: It must be more delicious than mutton.I told Gesang my idea, and Gesang thought it was fun and agreed.

It was not an easy task to pick out the chinchilla, and the little thing was very shrewd.Gesang and I dug, blocked and dug, tossed and tossed for a long time before we caught a fat ground squirrel, which was heavy in our hands.We skinned the ground squirrel, carried it into the tent, spread a layer of salt, wrapped it with the leaves of a big tree, and threw it into the ashes of the stove. The stove was still on, and Gesang added another piece of dried cow dung to it. .

While we were roasting ground squirrels, Uncle Duoji came in, holding the piece of ground squirrel skin in his hand, and said: "This year's ground squirrels are fatter than in previous years. It seems that this winter is not easy. Rats know how to grow some meat." Gesang asked strangely: "Abba, it hasn't snowed yet this year, and it snowed earlier in previous years."

Uncle Duoji seemed to be thinking about something, he spoke slowly, and after a long pause, he said, "Yes, this year's snow fell very late, but it was colder than usual. At this time last year, we hadn't warmed up to the fire, although It's snowing lightly."

Uncle Dorji is right. Although there is no snow this year, the climate is extremely dry and cold. Snow will fall at any time, but the time has not yet come.I couldn't stand the cold until it snowed. I thought I was in good health. When I was in the special forces, I dared to bathe in cold water in winter.But now it doesn't work, the wind blows on the side of the ear all day long, and it hurts, as if it feels like frostbite.

These days, besides wearing the sheepskin jacket that Yang Jin gave me, I only wore a thin set of camouflage. I thought I could survive the whole winter in this way, but now it seems that my idea was wrong and Ridiculous.I don't know why it's so cold here. In the middle of the night, I woke up from the cold and crawled out of the quilt wrapped like a rice dumpling. I wrapped the blanket around my body and stuck out half of my head from the tent.

Fortunately, there is some moonlight tonight, shining coldly from the sky, and Dahei is lying outside the sheepfold with a big belly.She was resting with half-closed eyes, and when she heard the curtain of the tent, she immediately raised her head vigilantly, seeing me, Dahei stood up, walked to the edge of the tent, stretched out her head and hugged my hand.It may be that Dahei is going to be a mother soon, and her growing sense of motherhood makes her look a lot gentler than before, and she is also much closer to me, because during this time, I care about Dahei very much, and take care of her like my own. It's like my wife is about to have a baby, and I accompany her and watch her every day.

Dahei lay down right at the door of the tent, sticking out his tongue and licking my hand.I patted her head and got out of the tent, wanting to stay with her for a while longer, but it was very cold outside the tent, so cold that I couldn't help shivering like chaff.I covered my big black round belly with a blanket, got into the tent by myself, found out the few Tibetan clothes that Yang Jin had sent me, wrapped them tightly around my body, and then got out.The Tibetan clothes are very loose, with long skirts and long sleeves, a bit like ancient costumes. It was the first time I felt uncomfortable wearing them like this.

The night in the prairie is very beautiful. Although the grass is now yellow, and the leaves in the distance are withered and fallen, the vast area, the moonlight in the distance, the endless horizon, and the beauty of the openness and tranquility bring people a sense of returning to nature. a feeling of.

I imagined that in ancient times, there were no helicopters, cannons, or high-rise buildings at that time, and people used chariots and horses to travel instead.Far away, on the beautiful prairie, an old herdsman is driving a group of pure white sheep, accompanied by a black and brave mastiff, slowly enduring the beauty of loneliness, expressing all the most primitive and pure human emotions Sprinkle in the grass, on the snow peaks.Then, a wolf slowly appeared in the distance, no!It was several prairie wolves, they rushed towards the old shepherd's flock of sheep, the mastiff roared fiercely, and rushed towards the wolves without hesitation, fighting, fighting...the wolves fell to the ground one by one.The wolf's blood stained the snow and the grass below, but the mastiff still stood proudly, with its head held high, its body covered in wounds, and it howled toward the sky.The earth is shaking, the snow peak is trembling...

Like all people who love mastiffs, I am full of infinite fascination and expectations for mastiffs. I often outline their bravery and loyalty in my mind over and over again, and deify their characteristics according to my own expectations and ideas.

I used to think that the mastiff is a god bestowed by the heavens on earth, but after getting along with Dahei in the past few months, I have gradually realized the more essential side of the mastiff as a species.Dahei is not a god, she eats, drinks and sleeps like an ordinary animal.She is brave, but she will also be injured; she is loyal, but only limited to her master.

I often tease Dahei and teach her some simple body movements, but she also learns it today and forgets it tomorrow, which is not what I expected.In terms of learning motor skills, the dexterity of mastiffs is much lower than that of small dogs, and humans cannot force them.Later, I realized how ridiculous my idea of ​​using Tibetan mastiffs as military dogs was. Although mastiffs have a loyal personality and good physique, they are not suitable for working dogs, nor for purely ornamental fighting.Mastiffs are suitable for living in such a cold plateau area, guarding the sheep and guarding the owner; born in the prairie, growing up in the prairie, and dying in the prairie, just like those wolves and rabbits, they are born, aged, sick and died, reincarnated in four seasons.

Mastiff, calm and modest, aloof from the world and be the brave in the paradise.Those who put fighting, having fun, enjoying vanity and decency on mastiffs, and make a lot of money while showing off the mastiffs they sell are shameless and obscene.They overuse the ordinary species of mastiff to gain greater benefits. I don't know what will happen when people finally understand the mysterious species of mastiff and the myth is no longer a myth. think?At that time, perhaps it was Mastiff who endured the accusations and grievances, but those who brought infinite grievances to Mastiff had already made enough money and disappeared into the vast crowd.

I was thinking about these things that only human beings would think about. Dahei just lay quietly. She would not know what I was thinking, nor would she know what this society had brought to the Mastiff family.She doesn't care too much about all the good and bad, and she never thinks of trying to justify. As long as her master lives well, her flock lives well, and the prairie is still thriving, she is satisfied.

Mastiffs, selfless and selfless dedicate their lives to the prairie, but those of us who live or enjoy mastiffs have never thought about what we can do for mastiffs?
When I thought about these things, I felt very sad, and hugged Dahei's neck tightly, and Dahei clung to me affectionately.It was late at night, but I couldn’t sleep, and I was still thinking: Although people put a sacred halo on mastiffs, they still live in their own way, without pride, and they are not proud of it, so And me?Maybe many friends think that special forces are as brave as heavenly soldiers and generals, but special forces are also human.When I was retired, I walked on the street and looked at all the people around me with a proud look. I thought those people were ordinary and ridiculous. Now, in front of Dahei, I feel that I live like this In fact, it is the most ridiculous, like a clown who does not know the heights of the sky and the earth.

Seventeen, the wolf is very cunning

In the middle of the night, I heard the howling of wolves again. It was very desolate, and it came from a hillside far away.Because of the distance, the voice sounded very ethereal.Dahei knew that it would not pose any threat to his home and the flock, so he didn't roar, but stood up and patrolled back and forth several times.

Ever since I killed a few wolves in the big forest last time, I have always been a little uneasy. I am worried that those wolves will follow and find an opportunity to strike, avenging their dead compatriots.I'm not scared of it, but what is the saying? "It's easy to hide from an open gun, but hard to defend from a hidden arrow." What's more, there are so many herdsmen and sheep.Wolves, like mastiffs, are a very individual species on the prairie. Their sense of mystery is not much inferior to that of mastiffs. It's just that people talk too much about wolves, and their consciousness gradually fades away.

These days, whenever I hear a wolf howling, I will wake up from my dream. Sometimes, I will dream of the bloody scene when I killed a wolf at night.Now, hearing the wolf howling again, I stood up and looked into the distance, but I couldn't see anything.It is said that wolves howl standing on the top of the mountain, howling towards the moon, some people call it "calling the moon".I don't know what that means, but I always feel a kind of bleak horror.

The howling of wolves sounded one after another, as if a grand family meeting was being held, or like a fight between two packs of wolves, because I heard the howling behind was becoming more and more messy and miserable, restless and restless.

The wolf howled from the second half of the night until almost dawn, and I went from being unable to sleep to wanting to sleep but not daring to sleep.Dahei was also vigilant all night, she felt something bad.Judging from the howling of wolves, there are a lot of them, like a big family, or two families.

In the morning, Uncle Dorji got up very early, and it was not yet bright. As soon as he got out of the tent, he asked me: "Did you hear the wolves howling last night? The wolves are fighting, and they are fighting for territory."

"Competing for the territory? Competing for the territory here?" I asked.

I find it very interesting that wolves, like human beings, know how to divide territories and territories. When interests are not in harmony, they will fight and rob until the other party is defeated or voluntarily abstains.Uncle Dorji told me: "This winter will be very cold. Although the snow has not yet fallen, once the snow falls, all animals may not be able to find food. These wolves rush to grab the best territory before the snow falls. , They have to take advantage of the terrain and hoard resources, otherwise the weaker pack of wolves may not be able to survive this winter when it snows."

"How long will these wolves fight?" I asked again.I feel very novel, these are not seen in the book, so I want to ask carefully.Uncle Dorji said: "This is not clear. It depends on how many wolves come from other places and how many packs there are. Some wolves may die in this battle, or they may merge into a larger one. It's hard to say! I hope these wolves don't attack the sheep this winter!"

I also feel worried.The weather is getting colder every day, we are going to take down our tents and go back to live in the village.On the day when the tent was dismantled, thin raindrops floated in the sky. After a while, the raindrops turned into fine snowflakes, flying in the air.Snowing?It was snowing, but not long after, a gust of wind blew over, and the snow powder was blown away, sticking to the dismantled tents.

(End of this chapter)