The Mammoth Hunters (Earth's Children 3)

Suddenly she felt hot tears in her eyes, and a pain in her throat. She looked down at the ground, then stepped back a pace, too.

“From the sound of things, I think Tasher will have a brother or sister before long,” Jondalar said, changing the subject.

“I’m afraid so,” Ayla said.

“Oh? You don’t think she should have the baby?” Jondalar said, surprised.

“Of course, but not now. It’s too soon.”

“Are you sure?”

“No, I’m not sure. I haven’t been allowed to see her,” Ayla said.

“Frebec?”

Ayla nodded. “I don’t know what to do.”

“I can’t understand why he still belittles your skill.”

“Mamut says he doesn’t think that ‘flatheads’ know anything about healing, so he doesn’t believe I could have learned anything from them. I think Fralie really needs help, but Mamut says she must ask for it.”

“Mamut is probably right, but if she really is going to have a baby, she might ask.”

Ayla shifted Tasher, who had stuck a thumb in his mouth, and seemed content with that for the moment. She noticed Wolf on Jondalar’s familiar furs that had been, until recently, next to hers. The furs, and his nearness, made her remember Jondalar’s touch, the way he could make her feel. She wished his furs were still on her bed platform. When she looked at him again, her eyes held her desire, and Jondalar felt such an instant response, he ached to reach for her, but held back. His reaction confused Ayla. He had started to look at her the way that always brought a rush of tingling feeling deep inside. Why had he stopped? She was crushed, but she had felt a moment of … something … hope, perhaps. Maybe she could find a way to reach him, if she kept trying.

“I hope she does,” Ayla said, “but it may be too late to stop the labor.” She started to leave, and Wolf got up to follow her. She looked at the animal, and then at the man, paused, and then asked, “If she does ask for me, Jondalar, will you keep Wolf here? I can’t have him following me and getting in the way at the Crane Hearth.”

“Yes, of course I will,” he said, “but will he come here?”

“Wolf, go back!” she said. He looked at her with a little whine in his throat, seeming to question. “Go back to Jondalar’s bed!” she said, raising her arm and pointing. “Go to Jondalar’s bed,” she repeated. Wolf lowered his tail, crouched down, and went back. He sat down on top of the furs, and watched her. “Stay there!” she commanded. The young wolf lowered himself down, rested his head on his paws, and his eyes followed her as she turned and left the hearth.

Crozie, still sitting on her bed, watched as Fralie cried out and thrashed. Finally the pain passed, and Fralie took a deep breath, but that brought on a coughing spasm, and her mother thought she noticed a look of desperation. Crozie was feeling desperate, too. Somebody had to do something. Fralie was well into labor, and the cough was weakening her. There wasn’t much hope for the baby any more, it was going to be born too early, and infants born too soon didn’t survive. But Fralie needed something to ease her cough and her pain, and later, she would need something to ease her sorrow. It had done no good to talk to Fralie, not with that stupid man around. Couldn’t he see that she was in trouble?

Crozie studied Frebec, who was hovering around Fralies bed looking helpless and worried. Maybe he did, she thought. Maybe she should try again, but would it do any good talking to Fralie?

“Frebec!” Crozie said. “I want to talk to you.”

The man looked surprised. Crozie seldom addressed him by name, or announced that she wanted to talk to him. She usually just screamed at him.

“What do you want?”

“Fralie is too stubborn to listen, but it must be obvious to you by now that she is having the baby …”

Fralie interrupted with a choking coughing spasm.

“Fralie, tell me the truth,” Frebec said when her cough eased. “Are you having the baby?”

“I … I think so,” she said.

He grinned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I hoped it wasn’t true.”

“But why?” he asked, suddenly upset. “Don’t you want this baby?”

“It’s too soon, Frebec. Babies that are born too soon don’t live,” Crozie answered for her.

“Don’t live? Fralie, is something not right? Is it true this baby won’t live?” Frebec said, shocked and stricken with fear. The feeling that something was terribly wrong had been growing in him all through the day, but he had not wanted to believe it, and he didn’t think it could be this wrong.