The Valley of Horses (Earth's Children 2)

When the cave lion was gone, Jondalar took a deep breath and leaned against the wall, feeling weak. He was awestruck, and a little fearful. What is this woman? he thought. What kind of magic does she have? Birds, maybe. Even horses. But a cave lion? The biggest cave lion he’d ever seen?

Was she a … donii? Who but the Mother could make animals do her bidding? What about her healing powers? Or her phenomenal ability to speak so well already? For all that she had an unusual accent, she had learned most of his Mamutoi, and some words in Sharamudoi. Was she an aspect of the Mother?

He heard her coming up the path and felt a shiver of fear. He half expected her to declare she was the Great Earth Mother incarnate, and he would have believed it. He saw a woman with disheveled hair and tears rolling down her face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, tenderness overcoming his imagined fears.

“Why do I have to lose my babies?” she sobbed.

He paled. Her babies? That lion was her baby? With a shock, he remembered a feeling of the Mother crying, the Mother of all.

“Your babies?”

“First Durc, and then Baby.”

“Is that a name for the lion?”

“Baby? It means little one, infant,” she answered, trying to translate.

“Little one!” he snorted. “That’s the biggest cave lion I’ve ever seen!”

“I know.” A smile of maternal pride gleamed through her tears. “I always made sure he had enough to eat, not like pride cubs. But when I found him, he was little. I called him Baby and never got around to naming him anything else.”

“You found him?” Jondalar asked, still hesitant.

“He’d been left for dead. I think a deer trampled him. I was chasing them into my pit trap. Brun used to let me bring little animals into the cave sometimes, if they were hurt and needed my help, but never meat-eating animals. I wasn’t going to pick up that baby cave lion, but then the hyenas went after him. I chased them away with my sling and brought him back.”

Ayla’s eyes took on a faraway look and her mouth assumed a lopsided grin. “Baby was so funny when he was little, always making me laugh. But it took a lot of time to hunt for him until the second winter, when we learned to hunt together. All of us, Whinney, too. I haven’t seen Baby since …” She suddenly realized when.

“Oh, Jondalar, I am so sorry. Baby is the lion that killed your brother. But if it had been any other lion, I would not have been able to get you away from him.”

“You are a donii!” Jondalar exclaimed. “I saw you in my dream! I thought a donii had come to take me to the next world, but she made the lion leave instead.”

“You must have revived a little, Jondalar. Then when I moved you, you probably passed out from the pain. I had to get you away in a hurry. I knew Baby wouldn’t hurt me—he’s a little rough at times, but he doesn’t mean to be. He can’t help it. But I didn’t know when his lioness would be back.”

The man was shaking his head in wonder and disbelief. “Did you really hunt with that lion?”

“It was the only way I could keep him fed. At first, before he was able to make a kill himself, he’d bring an animal down and I’d ride up on Whinney and kill it with a spear. I didn’t know about throwing spears then. When Baby got big enough to make the kill, sometimes I’d take a piece before he chewed it up, or else I’d want to save the hide …”

“So you pushed him away, like that bison? Don’t you know it’s dangerous to take meat away from a lion? I’ve seen one kill its own cub for that!”

“So have I. But Baby is different, Jondalar. He wasn’t raised in a pride. He grew up here, with Whinney and me. We hunted together—he’s used to sharing with me. I’m glad he found a lioness, though, so he can live like a lion. Whinney went back to a herd for a while, but she wasn’t happy and came back …”

Ayla shook her head and looked down. “That’s not true. I want to believe it. I think she was happy with her herd and her stallion. I was not happy without her. I am so glad she was willing to come back after her stallion died.”

Ayla picked up the soiled wrap and headed into the cave. Jondalar, noticing he was still holding the spear, leaned it against the wall and followed. Ayla was pensive. Baby’s return had evoked so many memories. She looked at the bison roast, turned the spit, and stirred up the coals. Then she poured water into a cooking basket from the large onager-stomach waterbag that was hanging on a post, and she put some cooking stones in the fire to heat.

Jondalar just watched her, still dazed by the cave lion’s visit. It had been shock enough to see the lion leap down to the ledge, but the way Ayla had stepped out in front of him and stopped the massive predator … no one would believe it.

As he stared, he had the feeling something was different about her. Then he noticed her hair was down. He remembered the first time he saw her with her hair free, gleaming golden in the sun. She had come up from the beach, and he had seen her, all of her, for the first time with her hair down and her magnificent body.

“ … good to see Baby again. Those bison must have been in his territory. He probably scented the kill, then picked up our trail. He was surprised to see you. I don’t know if he remembered you. How did you get trapped in that blind canyon?”

“Wha … ? I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I was wondering how you and your brother got trapped in that canyon with Baby,” she said, looking up. Luminous violet eyes were watching her, sending a flush to her face.

With an effort he focused his mind on her question. “We were stalking a deer. Thonolan killed it, but a lioness had been after the same one. She dragged it away and Thonolan went after it. I told him to let her have it, but he wouldn’t listen. We saw the lioness go into the cave, and then leave. Thonolan thought he could get the spear back, and some of the meat before she returned. The lion had other ideas.”

Jondalar closed his eyes for a moment. “I can’t blame him. It was stupid to go after that lioness, but I couldn’t stop him. He was always reckless, but after Jetamio died, he was more than reckl

ess. He wanted to die. I suppose I shouldn’t have gone after him, either.”

Ayla knew he still sorrowed for his brother and changed the subject. “I didn’t see Whinney in the field. She must be out on the steppes with Racer. She’s been going there lately. The way you fixed those straps around Racer’s head worked well, but I don’t know if it was necessary to keep him tied to Whinney.”

“The rope was too long. I didn’t think it might be caught in a bush. It held them, though. That might be something to remember, if you want them to stay someplace. At least Racer. Does Whinney always do what you want?”

“I guess she does, but it’s more like she wants to. She knows what I want, and she does it. Baby just takes me where he wants to go, but he goes so fast.” Her eyes sparkled with the memory of her recent ride. It was always a thrill to ride the lion.

Jondalar recalled her clinging to the back of the cave lion, her hair, more golden than the reddish mane, flying in the wind. Watching her had made him afraid for her, but it was exciting—as she was. So wild and free, so beautiful …

“You’re an exciting woman, Ayla,” he said. His eyes carried his conviction.

“Exciting? Exciting is … the spear thrower, or riding fast on Whinney … or Baby, is that right?” She was flustered.

“Right. And so is Ayla exciting, to me … and beautiful.”

“Jondalar, you are making a Joke. A flower is beautiful or the sky when the sun drops over the edge. I am not beautiful.”

“Can’t a woman be beautiful?”

She turned aside from the intensity of his look. “I … I don’t know. But I am not beautiful. I am … big and ugly.”

Jondalar got up and, taking her hand, urged her up too. “Now, who is bigger?”

He was overpowering standing so close. He had shaved his face again, she noticed. The short beard hairs could only be seen up close. She wanted to touch his rough-smooth face, and his eyes made her feel they could reach inside her.

“You are,” she said, softly.

“Then you are not too big, are you? And you are not ugly, Ayla.” He smiled, but she only knew it because his eyes showed it. “It’s funny, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen thinks she’s ugly.”