The Mammoth Hunters (Earth's Children 3)

“There is something I’d like to prepare for you, if you would take it,” Ayla said.

“Healers have seen me, but you are welcome to try, Ayla. Now, before the subject is lost forever, there is a question I want to ask. Were you certain the wolf would not harm that man?”

Ayla paused only a moment. “No. I was not certain. He is still very young, and not always completely reliable. But I thought I was close enough to block his attack if he didn’t stop it short himself.”

Marlie nodded. “People are not always completely reliable; I would not

expect animals to be. If you had said otherwise, I would not have believed you. Chaleg will complain, you know, as soon as he recovers, to save face. He will bring it to the Council of Brothers, and they will bring it to us.”

“Us?”

“The Council of Sisters,” Tulie said. “The Sisters are the final authority. They are closer to the Mother.”

“I am glad I was here to see it. Now I don’t have to worry about sorting through conflicting stories that are unbelievable to begin with,” Marlie said. She shifted her gaze and studied the horses and then Wolf. “They seem to be perfectly normal animals, not spirits or other magic things. Tell me, what do the animals eat when they are with you, Ayla? They do eat?”

“The same thing they always eat. Wolf eats mostly meat, either raw or cooked. He’s like another person in the lodge, and usually eats what I eat, even vegetables. Sometimes I hunt for him, but he’s getting good at catching mice and small animals for himself. The horses eat grass and grains. I was thinking of taking them down to that meadow across the river soon and leaving them there for a while.”

Valez looked down across the water, and then at Talut. Ayla could see he was thinking. “I don’t like to say this, Ayla, but it could be dangerous to leave them there alone.”

“Why?” she asked, with an edge of panic to her voice.

“Hunters. They look like any other horses, particularly the mare. The dark color of the young one is unusual enough. We should be able to pass the word not to kill any brown horses, especially if they seem very friendly. But the other one … every other horse on the steppes is that color, and I don’t think we can ask people not to kill horses. It is the favorite meat of some people,” Valez explained.

“Then I’ll have to go with her,” Ayla said.

“You can’t do that!” Deegie cried. “You’ll miss out on everything.”

“I can’t let anything hurt her,” Ayla said. “?I just have to miss things.”

“That would be too bad,” Tulie said.

“Can’t you think of something?” Deegie said.

“No … if only she was brown, too,” Ayla said.

“Well, why not make her brown?”

“Make her brown? How?”

“What if we mix some color like I do for leather, and rub it on her.”

Ayla thought for a while. “I don’t think it will work. It’s a good idea, Deegie, but the trouble is, making her brown really won’t make much difference. Even Racer is still in danger. A brown horse still looks like a horse, and if someone is hunting horses, it won’t be easy to remember not to kill brown ones.”

“That’s true,” Talut said. “Hunters think about hunting, and two brown horses that aren’t afraid of people would make very tempting targets.”

“How about a different color like … red. Why not make Whinney a red horse? A bright red horse. Then she’d really stand out.”

Ayla made a face. “I don’t like the thought of making her a red horse, Deegie. She would look so strange. It is a good idea, though. Everyone would know she is not an ordinary horse. I think we should do it, but a bright red horse … Wait! I have another idea.” Ayla rushed into the tent. She dumped her traveling pack out on top of her sleeping furs, and found what she was looking for near the bottom. She ran out with it.

“Look, Deegie! Remember this?” Ayla said, opening out the bright red hide she had dyed herself. “I never could think of anything to make with it. I just liked it for the color. I can tie this on Whinney when she’s out in the meadow alone.”

“That is a bright red!” Valez said, smiling and nodding his head. “I think it will work. With that on, anyone who saw her would know she is a special horse, and would probably hesitate to hunt her, even without being told. We can announce it tonight that the horse with the red cover and the brown one with her are not to be hunted.”

“It might not hurt to tie something on Racer, too,” Talut said. “It wouldn’t have to be as bright, but something made by a person so anyone who gets close enough to throw a spear will know he is not ordinary.”

“I would suggest,” Marlie added, “that since all people are not entirely reliable, sometimes telling is not enough. It might be wise for you and your Mamut to contrive some prohibition against killing the horses. A good curse could scare off anyone who might be tempted to see how mortal those animals are.”

“You can always say that Rydag will send Wolf to get anyone who hurts them,” Branag said, with a smile. “That story is probably all over the Meeting by now, and grown bigger with each telling.”