The Mammoth Hunters (Earth's Children 3)

“Where’s Tulie?” Fralie asked, looking around the tent.

“She went with Latie back to the Womanhood Camp,” Nezzie said. “Why?”

“Do you remember that Camp that came offering to adopt Ayla, just before Mammoth Camp arrived?”

Ayla looked at Fralie questioningly.

“Yes,” Nezzie said. “The one Tulie didn’t think had enough to offer.”

“They are outside asking for Tulie, again.”

“I’ll go see what they want,” Nezzie said.

Ayla waited inside, not really wanting to face them, if she didn’t have to. After a few moments, Nezzie returned.

“They still want to adopt you, Ayla,” she said. “The headwoman of that Camp has four sons. They want you for a sister. She says if you have already had one son, it proves you are capable of having children. They have increased their offer. Maybe you should go out and welcome them, in the name of the Mother.”

Tulie and Latie walked with purposeful strides through the encampment, side by side, looking straight ahead, ignoring the curious stares of the people they passed.

“Tulie! Latie! Wait a moment,” Brecie called out, hurrying to catch up with them. “We were just getting ready to send a runner to you, Tulie. We’d like to invite you to share a meal with us at Willow Camp this evening.”

“Thank you, Brecie. I appreciate your invitation. Of course we’ll come. I should have known we could count on you.”

“We’ve been friends a long time, Tulie. Sometimes old tales are believed just because they are old. Fralies baby looks fine to me.”

“And she was born early, too. Bectie wouldn’t even be alive, if it wasn’t for Ayla,” Latie said, quick to defend her friend.

“I did wonder where she came from, though. Everyone thought she came with Jondalar. They are both tall and blond, but I knew better. I remember when we pulled him and his brother out of the muc

k near Beran Sea. She wasn’t with them, then, and I knew that wasn’t a Mamutoi accent, or a Sungaea accent either. But I still don’t know how she controls those horses and that wolf.”

Tulie was feeling much better as they continued toward the center of the hollow, and the earthlodges of Wolf Camp.

“How many does that make?” Tarneg asked Barzec as another delegation was leaving.

“Almost half the Camps have made some gesture of reconciliation,” Barzec said. “I can think of one or two more who might still decide to join with us.”

“But that still leaves about half the Camps,” Talut said. “And some of them are arguing pretty hard against us. Some are even saying we should leave.”

“Yes, but look who they are, and Chaleg is the only one I’ve heard who is saying we should leave,” Tarneg said.

“But they’re Mamutoi, too, and even seeds blown by ill winds can take root, Nezzie said.

“I don’t like this split,” Talut said. “There are too many good people on both sides. I wish I could think of some way to make it right again.”

“Ayla feels terrible, too. She says that she’s causing problems for Lion Camp. Did you see the look on her face when those youngsters that were fighting started calling her ‘animal woman?”

“Do you mean the ones that we caught by the ri—?” Danug started to ask, but Tarneg quickly interrupted.

“She means the brother and sister that Ayla and Deegie caught hitting each other.” Danug would have to be careful. He had almost slipped and mentioned something about the boys that were fighting, Tarneg thought.

“I’ve never seen Rydag so upset,” Nezzie continued. “Every year the Meetings have been harder on him. He doesn’t like the way people treat him, but this year is worse … maybe because it’s so much better for him at Lion Camp now. I’m afraid all this is not good for him, but I don’t know what to do. Even Ayla’s worried, and that worries me more.”

“Where is Ayla now?” Danug asked.

“Out with the horses,” Nezzie said.

“I think she should take it as a compliment when they call her ‘animal woman.’ You must admit, she is good with animals,” Barzec said. “Some people even think she can speak with their spirits from the other world.”