The villagers who could not participate in the hunt were filled with emotion and enthusiasm as well. Their lack of participation was one of the less entertaining aspects of their religious customs. Most of the remaining crowd was comprised of women and older people. The custom that restricted the women from participating in the hunts and executions had been there for generations but the one that limited the participation of seniors was relatively new. The increasing number of escaping targets and failed hunts because of frail elders, hampering the entire search parties, might have been the reason for that.
The crowd was waiting anxiously for their warriors to return with the good news. They had gathered in the square in front of the sacred temple with the relatively smaller Chief's longhouse on its right and the barracks on its left. The square was geographically the center of the village and was in the clear view of both the biggest offices in the village. These two features made it the optimal spot for public punishments and executions. The square was the size of a football field which matched it with the size of the temple and it had three iron crucifixes drilled firmly into the ground. The number, in case if there were more than one offender to burn at the stake, the material, because the wooden crucifix could not provide as many amusing possibilities as the iron one did. Dozens of torches were lit around the square, making it so bright that it almost looked as bright as daylight and hundreds of villagers chanted hymns with intense aggressive energy. The traditional musical instruments, the drums and horns, further added to the chaos. The noise could almost have muffled the Israfeel's trumpet. Only a few most important idols accompanied the hunters, the others were placed in the front row and spots were left for the ones that the hunters were to bring. The lights were up, the crowd was impatient and the stage was set. All that was left was the night's entertainment which was to be brought in and presented by the faithful hunters.
A few people among the crowed wondered what kind of an execution it would be. Would it be a crucifixion, immolation, stoning or if the gods had enlightened the Shaman on any other ways to please them, while the others were just enjoying the show, waiting for the final act. Just as the people were growing agitated, the Chief arrived along with the Shaman, the other tribal leaders and the shaman's apprentices. The villagers gravitated toward them like flies to honey. They were puzzled to see the leaders empty handed. Baka read the disappointment in the faces of his people. He gave the Shaman a nudge on the shoulder and signaled him to say something to lift the spirits of the people again. The Shaman was dumbfounded by this sudden need of inspirational words but he literally did this for living and he was quick to produce some inflammatory words. The Shaman was an extremely skinny man in his seventies and looked even older if not for his physical agility. He had been the religious aide of the Chief's father and his father before him. He wore nothing but a rag on his abdomen and a lion's skull as a headdress. But he was no short of props and accessories, he held a staff, wore uncountable rings, a heap of talismans, animal teeth bracelets and metal shackles on his ankles. He had long, unrestrained hair that hung in front of his face and didn't have a beard or moustache. Nobody knew his actual name but a few villagers had called him Tai because of the resemblance of his boney structure with a vulture. The tattoos on the face also played a significant role in enhancing his appearance from scary to terrorizing. The Shaman did what he did best.
He held his staff in the air and started dancing frantically looking at the sky, shook a carved bone rattle in his other hand and shouted at the top of his lungs, "The gods had commanded us to bring leader of those infidels to justice and the gods but blessed me with the vision of you, the people of the gods, punishing that blasphemer for his trespasses. Thus we, the chosen ones, have been commanded to return to the house of gods and offer them our gratitude while our beloved warriors drag that infidel out of the woods like a mad dog". And the crowd went wild. The man, when at work, was smoother than a slithering cobra and about as venomous. The people resumed their celebrations while the Chief, a few of the senior most tribal leaders and the Shaman quietly made their way into the sacred temple while the apprentices and the warriors were asked to return to their places. The apprentices, wearing just more than enough to be labeled indecent, even by the standards of the villagers, walked around practically bare. A set of talismans, bracelets and a cowl served as their uniform. They got a hold of the reins of Shaman's horse along with his supplies that he had ordered to take with him for the journey, and left to the temple to put the items in their rightful place and the horse to the back of the temple.
The elites were welcomed by a group of apprentices that were left behind on duty as the servants of the temple. The Chief ordered one of them to summon the servants of his longhouse at the temple. All the entrances and exits of the temple were sealed as soon as the leaders had entered. Shortly, the longhouse servants, along with the Chief's personal bodyguards, arrived through the hidden tunnel connecting the longhouse with the temple, and bowed to the Chief. All the leaders were relieved of their armors and weapons by the servants. The temple interior was a spacious hexagon that had the capacity to house around two hundred major and minor idols along with sufficient spaces for the devotees of every idol to worship their desired idol. The mammoth ceiling was held in its place by just eight columns that were as tall as a three-story building. The expanse was lit by dozens of ceremonial pyres that stood four feet tall. Other than the pyres, all the walls were mounted with torches ten feet apart from each other. Huge tapestries hung from the walls depicting different gods performing the acts that they were known and worshipped for. Two expansive rooms were situated at two far corners of the temple. The smaller room at one corner of the temple was allocated to the Shaman. The other larger circular one was assigned for special prayers that were held weekly, monthly, half yearly and annually. But that night, that larger room remained deserted because the main event was planned to take place outside the temple.
In a few minutes, the leaders were in their general tribal attires. Without wasting a moment, they rushed to the special congregational prayer room. Once they all had entered the special prayer room, on the gesture of the Chief, the bodyguards herded all the servants out of the room, sealed it shut and stood guard outside the door.
The Chief had ordered his servants to place a few chairs in the congregational prayer room while they were getting rid of their armors. It was obvious, even to the servants, that the leaders were about to have an important meeting but they knew better than to ask anything. No guard or servant was allowed inside the room. Usually in important meetings, the Chief orders a servant to beat a drum outside the door to maintain the secrecy of the meeting but the pandemonium outside the temple did not leave any necessity for such an order.