Tibetan Mastiff Notes

Chapter 2 This is the real mastiff (2)
"Abba, they are all wolves. Why does the leading wolf bite the same kind?" Gesang's eyes widened. The highest honor, sometimes, the leader of the group must make a brutal and decisive choice.This is the law of survival of wolves.Gesang is not a wolf, and he will not be as cruel and unfeeling as a wolf. He can't understand it, so he can't understand it.

Uncle Dorji knew that I understood, so he nodded at me, then turned to Gesang and asked Gesang: "If your sheep are attacked by wolves, then the wolves run away, but they will come back soon. One of the sheep was seriously injured. , is dying, and you have to return to the village quickly. Tell me, do you want the dying sheep, or keep the whole flock?" Gesang blinked and said resolutely: "Both, we herdsmen The basic necessities of life depend on the sheep, how can you give up?"

Uncle Duoji smiled, patted Gesang's head, and said, "Stupid boy, want all of them? Can you keep it? People, sometimes you have to learn to give up. At that time, you can't give up even if you don't want to. You see, Wolves know this, we are humans, can two-legged people be dumber than four-legged ones?"

I don't know if Dahei can understand, she has been standing at the door looking at the moon, I don't know, for a mastiff, what's so good about the sun and the moon.Perhaps, looking at people with the eyes of a mastiff, talent is a ridiculous animal, busy all day, forgetting the beauty of nature, and not knowing how to appreciate the beauty of nature, just like a donkey pulling a mill, knowing the whole The sky turns and turns...

I believe that Dahei has this idea because I finally saw Dahei turned his head back once, and stared at me for two seconds with a mocking look.I really doubt whether this huge mastiff can guess the thoughts of human beings, whether she knows what is thinking in my mind, so she looks at me with such mocking eyes.

Dahei quickly turned his head, and looked out of the yard again. There were scattered mud houses of herdsmen in the village.There are not many people in this village, at most a dozen households. When the lights start to be lit at night, the lights in the village are like chess pieces on a chessboard, one to the east, one to the west, and only a few.The night at the border was a bit chilly. Gesang blinked and listened quietly to what Uncle Dorji said, holding the gun tighter and tighter in his arms.

Uncle Dorji added another pinch of tobacco leaves to the pipe pot, but he didn't light it. He held it in his hand, thought for a while, and said, "Gesang, in the wolf family, in order to preserve the strength of a pack of wolves, the newborn The wolf cub is as precious as the jewel in the palm of your hand. The female wolf you saw today may have been abandoned by the wolf pack. The female wolf has a wound on her hind leg. This is her fatal place. She cannot catch food. Starve to death." I understood what he meant, Uncle Duoji wanted to save the two wolf cubs.

For herdsmen, the hatred for wolves is endless. Why did he save wolves?Hearing that he was going to save the wolves, Gesang was very surprised. He asked Uncle Dorji: "Abba, why do you want to save the wolves? The wolves eat our sheep and hurt our people. If we save the wolves, the people in the village will scold us." .”

Uncle Dorji frowned, sighed, and said to himself: "Our ancestors have lived here for generations, and our sheep have also lived here for generations. If there is no pasture, the grassland will be barren and it will become a desert." , the flock is gone, the flock is gone, how can we survive? This is the food chain passed down from the older generation! Sometimes the choice is to give up, and giving up is also a choice.” I suddenly felt that I hadn’t read much about this This old Tibetan herdsman actually has the thoughts and brains of a philosopher. Although he can't say those great and brilliant words, he can express these meanings in his own language.This is not learned from books, but the law of life refined from the endless suffering of generations.In front of this old herdsman, I feel very ashamed. An old Tibetan herdsman knows the truth, but I have not realized it, at least, not before this moment.

There are fewer wolves, more rabbits, less grass, and no more sheep. This is the connection between different species on the grassland.To choose is to give up, to give up is to choose!So am I giving up now or choosing?

Seeing Gesang's still unclear expression, Uncle Duoji carefully explained to him: "My child, the number of wolves on the grassland is decreasing day by day, and the number of wild rabbits is increasing day by day. Our pasture is going to be deserted. Now, if the pasture is deserted, what will we feed our sheep? We are herdsmen, in order to feed our sheep, we hunt and kill wolves, but sometimes we have to rescue wolves and protect wolves.”

Gesang understood and nodded.

At night, I started to repair the old gun, and Gesang was always by my side.

At dawn, the gun was finally repaired.After drinking a bowl of butter tea, we set off.

Uncle Dorji prepared some dry food and a bag of water.Today, it can be said that the whole family is out. Gesang is going to the pasture to herd sheep, and the grassy slope is not far from the pasture.Uncle Dorji and I are going to see the wounded female wolf.Dahei was at the front of the team. She led Gesang, the sheep, and the whole family out.

The early morning wind blew over, blowing the hair of Dahei's neck even more mighty. She stood in front of us and the whole flock like a mountain, walking slowly, turning her head to look at her master from time to time , By the way despise me.

Walking on the grassland for the first time, my excitement was beyond words. I looked left and right, and asked Uncle Dorji from time to time.

Gesang followed behind the flock of sheep, and the flock of sheep followed behind the big black buttocks. Uncle Dorji and I followed behind Gesang's buttocks, walking slowly and talking.

The vast prairie is like a big green and boundless felt, with hills undulating in the distance, blue sky, white clouds, a Tibetan old man, a young child, me in a green military uniform, a group of white sheep, and a black mastiff in a vast ocean. Move forward in the green.You can't imagine how beautiful it is, it is so beautiful that people are intoxicated, even the wind and air on the grassland have a kind of soothing tenderness.

[-]. The benevolent big black rescued the cubs of natural enemies
The pasture is not close, so I asked Uncle Duoji: "There is a lot of grass in front of the house, why don't you herd sheep in the nearest place?"

Uncle Duoji smiled and replied: "Growing grass is even more important in front of the house! We herdsmen living on the grassland, grass is our life."

I was thinking: Grass is the life of herdsmen, but what about people like me?People like me who live in a noisy metropolis, what is our fate?I can't find the answer, and it's impossible for Uncle Dorji to give me the answer.I hope that when I leave this green sea, I can get a satisfactory answer.

When we arrived at the ranch, it was already late. Uncle Duoji handed me the water bottle, took off the dry food bag on his shoulders, and we started eating.I'm really hungry. Tibetan jerky is delicious. I don't know how it's made. It's delicious like I've never tasted before.While eating, I looked at the beautiful scenery in the distance and thought to myself: If I leave the prairie, I will never be able to eat such delicious food again—the jerky with the local taste of an ancient village.There is no shelter on the grassland, and the aroma of dried mutton is carried far away by the wind.

At this time, Gesang also noticed a black spot moving slowly on the opposite hill, and he called out in a low voice, "Look, it's that she wolf." Its left hind leg was broken, and the bone was sticking out. Can only jump forward with three legs.

The female wolf seemed to have spotted us too. She was a little hesitant and wanted to retreat, but she was so hungry that she stretched her neck forward and breathed in the fragrance in the air with all her strength, as if the wisps of The scent can also temporarily fill an empty belly.

Dahei has already driven the flock to graze in the pasture.She is very smart, she goes around the flock, drives the old sheep, lambs, ewes waiting to give birth and some weaker ones to the middle of the flock, and lets the strong sheep stand outside to graze.In this way, when danger comes, the sheep can unite and retreat quickly, so as not to leave behind the old, weak, sick and disabled.

Mastiffs also know the art of war?I don't even believe it.

Gesang stayed to guard the sheep, and Uncle Dorji and I walked towards the grassy slope.When the female wolf found us moving in its territory, her vigilance increased, she immediately turned around, dragged the broken leg, limped down the hillside, and disappeared into the harmonious grass.

When we got to the bottom of the grassy slope, the she-wolf's den might be on the other side of the grassy slope, but I didn't find anything special anyway.Uncle Duoji lay down on the grassy slope. He was thinking about something, stopped for a while, and said: "The little wolf is the baby of the wolf pack. The wolf regards the little wolf as his lifeline, so he will be abandoned by the wolf for no reason. This female The wolf must have been abandoned before giving birth, and it was seriously injured and unable to walk. The head wolf may be its husband, and it was kind enough to not bite off its throat." After a pause, Uncle Duoji said again ,
"The little wolf shouldn't be too big, maybe he hasn't opened his eyes yet!"

"How many days after the wolf cubs are born do they open their eyes?" I asked Uncle Dorji.The uncle said: "It should be similar to a dog, about 10 days. I heard from the older generation that modern dogs evolved from the most ancient wolves."

The she-wolf was indeed hungry, and despite the danger, she bravely climbed up from behind the grassy slope, hunched her broken hind leg, and looked at us from a distance.It is very thin, its shoulders are raised high, its eyes no longer have the blood and cruelty of a wolf, but just like a poor mother, looking at us sadly, I seem to be able to hear the grunt coming from its stomach Grunting bowel sounds.

Seeing that we didn't mean to hurt it, the female wolf boldly took another step forward.I saw its breast hanging hollow under its belly, its left hind leg was broken, and half of its white bone stuck out of the bloody flesh, and the blood on the fur had dried.It is estimated that every time it jumps, the wound will cause a sharp pain, because I can see the other three legs of the female wolf are shaking.

I took out a piece of unfinished mutton jerky from my pocket and prepared to throw it to the she-wolf.I am puzzled by my behavior.Wolves are ferocious animals. When they snatch away human children because they have no food, they never relent.I do this, right or wrong?
Uncle Duoji pressed my hand, there was a movement, and there were a few heart-wrenching wailings of wolf cubs from behind the grass slope, like puppies, babbling, howling with the greatest strength, calling for their mother .

The she-wolf's ears shook violently, and she didn't care about her broken leg at all. She ran back like crazy, almost rolling down the grass slope.Once again, I deeply realized that in the face of maternal love, there is no distinction between high and low, and no distinction between species.I thought of the resoluteness when I hung up my mother's call on the platform, and my heart ached.

"On the grassland, although grass grows, there are many carnivorous animals. Young wolf cubs are in danger of being eaten by other animals at any time. Female wolves generally do not leave their children easily. The food is male wolves. Brought it back from the outside. Now this female wolf has been abandoned, and she has to go out to find food by herself. Before we came, a few wolf cubs might have died a long time ago." Uncle Duoji said, standing up , walked to the grass slope, and I followed. My green military uniform was a natural camouflage on the prairie, but Uncle Dorje's Tibetan clothing was so conspicuous.

A prairie bear attacked the wolf den.The connection between animals is really amazing. Although bears have limited vision, they can always find what they want most of the time.

The bear was also hungry, and half of its body got into a hole, with its fat buttocks and two short and thick hind legs exposed, and it was falling back out of the hole bit by bit.The howling of the wolf cub sounded clearly again, but it stopped abruptly when the bear wriggled its two lips and began to chew.

Seeing her baby being eaten by a bear, the she-wolf howled hysterically.Deciding to give up his life to save his cub, he dragged a broken leg and started attacking the bear, which did not pose much threat.The she-wolf's continuous attacks angered the hungry bear, who withdrew and wrestled with the she-wolf.Uncle Duoji and I are like two spectators sitting in the Roman arena, watching two opponents, one strong and one weak, fighting desperately, one for food and the other for children.

In fact, Uncle Dorji should be like me. He doesn't know whether to shoot the bear, or the wolf, or neither, and let it fend for itself.Self-survival may be the best law of survival for nature to treat the weak.

Suddenly, Uncle Duoji fired a shot at the sky. His purpose was to scare away the bear and save the she-wolf.

The bear has poor eyesight and poor hearing, but its sense of smell is very keen. It may not have spotted me, but it has spotted Uncle Dorji, a lone shadow swaying in the bear's blurred vision.The bear, aroused by the female wolf to fight, rushed up the grassy slope, moved his two thick legs, and rushed towards the direction where Uncle Duoji was standing.

"Aw—" There was a mastiff roar that was as loud as a bell, and I turned around in surprise, and saw Dahei, like a black whirlwind, rushing towards me from the pasture diagonally opposite like lightning.I didn't expect that Dahei's seemingly stout, strong and broad body could leap and leap like a rabbit, which made me dumbfounded.

Dahei rushed to the grassy slope at lightning speed, with a fierce look in his eyes, baring his sharp teeth like daggers, roaring angrily, and pounced on the bear without hesitation.The mastiff roar that resounded through the sky frightened the bear. Looking closely at each other, the bear may feel that the big guy in front of him is more like a majestic and mighty lion. In order to preserve his strength, the hungry bear turned its butt , retreated in a panic.

Whoever violates the owner of the mastiff will have a deep hatred with the mastiff.Dahei yelled indignantly in the direction of the bear's escape, then stood majesticly beside her master, and rubbed Uncle Duoji's clothes with his ears.

The female wolf was hopeless, not to mention her broken hind legs, and a big hole in her belly was opened by the bear, and her internal organs were bloody spilled on the grass.For wolves, I can't tell whether it is love or hate, but I just feel that the female wolf in front of me is very pitiful and wronged.

Dahei followed and stood by his master's side.

The female wolf was still breathing, her mouth was wide open, her tongue hung out, and she was panting desperately. Seeing Dahei approaching, the female wolf wailed a few times, and then stared fixedly into the cave.Uncle Dorji said: "The female wolf asked us to save her cub. There may be a wolf cub inside. Listen, there is still movement. The wolf cub may be frightened and can't make a sound."

Dahei didn't run excitedly around a dying wolf like other mastiffs, as if he had hit a prey effortlessly. On the contrary, Dahei was very quiet, and she looked at the dying wolf with a peaceful look. she Wolf.

The sun was shining directly down, Dahei was shrouded in a layer of golden light, I was suddenly moved from the bottom of my heart, besides loyalty and bravery, there was also kindness.Perhaps, the supercilious and high-spirited look of mastiffs comes from the kindness deep in their hearts.

The she-wolf is dead.Dahei raised his head and howled, as if saluting a dead mother.

I pouted into the wolf hole and pulled out the last surviving cub.This is a wolf cub who was only a few days old. It has not yet opened its eyes. It is gray and not good-looking at all. It is limp in the hand, like a meat ball.The little guy shook his four weak legs and opened his mouth. He was really terrified and could hardly scream, but he was still trying to find his mother.

I didn't know Dahei was so interested in young things.She leaned over and sniffed the wolf cub, and then, a surprising thing happened, Dahei stuck out his tongue, and gently licked the little wolf cub's fur!Smelling a strange smell, the little wolf cub hissed from his throat like a demonstration, and scratched desperately with his four little paws, but Dahei didn't care, and continued to lick the little wolf cub's fur in his own way.

"Go back and look at the sheep in the pasture." Uncle Duoji said.

Seeing us come back, Gesang stood at the edge of the pasture and waved.He ran over, took the little wolf cub from my hand, and called, "Oh, what a little one, so ugly and wrinkled."

During the rest, Uncle Duoji told me: "Last year, Dahei conceived a cub once, and I blamed myself for not taking good care of her. She was not born later, and it was difficult to give birth..."

I looked at Dahei sympathetically. Dahei was hugging Gesang's hand with his mouth, and then brought the little wolf cub over. He lay down on the grass by himself, put the little wolf cub in his arms, and gently licked the little wolf cub. She licked her fur from head to tail, as if this was her long-lost child in her arms.But the little wolf cub is still not used to it, the ferocious smell of the mastiff makes it uneasy, it just feels panic, crawling and scratching desperately, trying to get rid of the shackles of Dahei, to find its mother.How did the little wolf cub know that its mother dragged a broken leg to fight a hungry bear just now in order to save it, and ended up lying forever on this boundless prairie. The beast disintegrated without a single bone remaining.

Gesang didn't like this little wolf cub very much. He thought it was too ugly, uncute, annoying, and extremely restless, so he didn't like to see it.

Seeing that it was getting late and the sheep were all fed, Uncle Duoji said, "Go back."

Seeing Dahei's loving expression towards the little wolf cub, this time, I didn't hug the little wolf cub, I was worried that Dahei would bite me.Being bitten by a mastiff is no joke, the big black sharp teeth can directly penetrate your thigh bones.

Uncle Dorji took the little wolf cub, and I took it.Only then did Dahei stand up, ran to the front of the flock, and began to lead the way.She was still so majestic and high-spirited, but she turned her head more often, and she kept looking back at the wolf cub I was holding in my hand.

When I was approaching the entrance of the village, I met Uncle Tashimu in the village. He kindly invited me to their house for dinner, and he also invited Uncle Dorji and Gesang to go with him.I heard that his son came back from the big city and brought a beautiful girlfriend with him.

Suddenly, he found the little wolf cub I was holding in my hand. He was very surprised and asked tentatively, "What is this? It's gray and looks like a wolf cub."

(End of this chapter)