The Plains of Passage (Earth's Children 4)

"Ayla, you're dreaming again," Jondalar said, sitting up, too.

"They're gone. Why wouldn't he let me go with them?" Ayla said, with tears in her eyes and a sob in her voice.

"Who's gone?" he said, taking her in his arms.

"Durc is gone, and Creb wouldn't let me go with him. He blocked the way. Why wouldn't he let me go with him?" she said, crying in his arms.

"It was a dream, Ayla. It was only a dream. Maybe it means something, but it was just a dream."

"You're right. I know you're right, but it felt so real," Ayla said.

"Have you been thinking about your son, Ayla?"

"I guess I have," she said. "I've been thinking I'll never see him again."

"Maybe that's why you dreamed about him. Zelandoni always said when you have a dream like that, you should try to remember everything about it, and that someday you might understand it," Jondalar said, trying to see her face in the dark. "Go back to sleep now."

They both lay awake for some time, but finally they dozed off again. When they woke up the next morning, the sky was overcast and Jondalar was anxious to be on their way, but Wolf had still not returned. Ayla whistled for him periodically as they struck their tent and repacked their gear, but he still did not appear.

"Ayla, we need to go. He'll catch up with us, just like he always does," Jondalar said.

"I'm not going until I know where he is," she said. "You can go or wait here. I'm going to look for him."

"How can you look for him? That animal could be anywhere."

"Maybe he went back down. He did like Shamio," Ayla said. "Maybe we should go back to look for him."

"We're not going back! Not after we've come this far."

"I will if I have to. I'm not going until I find Wolf," she said.

Jondalar shook his head as Ayla started backtracking. It was obvious she was adamant. They could have been well on their way by now if it wasn't for that animal. As far as he was concerned, the Sharamudoi could have him!

Ayla kept whistling for him as she went along, and suddenly, just as she was starting back into the woods, he appeared on the other side of the clearing and raced toward her. He jumped up on her, almost knocking her over, put his paws on her shoulder, and licked her mouth, gently biting her jaw.

"Wolf! Wolf, there you are! Where have you been?" Ayla said, grabbing his ruff, rubbing her face next to his, and putting her teeth on his jaw to greet him in return. "I was so worried about you. You shouldn't run off like that."

"Do you think we can get started now?" Jondalar said. "The morning is half-gone."

"At least he did come, and we didn't have to go all the way back," Ayla said, leaping up on Whinney's back. "Which way do you want to go? I'm ready."

They rode across the pasture without speaking, irritated with each other, until they came to a ridge. Riding alongside, they looked for a way over it and finally came to a steep grade with sliding gravel and boulders. It appeared very unstable, and Jondalar continued trying to find another way. If it had been just them, they might have been able to climb over at several places, but the only way that seemed at all passable for the horses was the slope of sliding rock.

"Ayla, do you think the horses can climb that? I don't think there's any other way, except going down and trying to find some way around," Jondalar said.

"You said you didn't want to go back," she said, "especially for an animal."

"I don't, but if we have to, we have to. If you think it's too dangerous for the horses, we won't try it."

"What if I thought it was too dangerous for Wolf? Would we leave him behind then?" Ayla said.

To Jondalar, the horses were useful, and though he liked the wolf, the man simply did not think it was necessary to delay their passage for him. But it was obvious that Ayla did not agree, and he had sensed an undercurrent of division between them, a feeling of strain probably because she wanted to stay with the Sharamudoi. He thought that once they put some distance between them, she would look forward to reaching their destination, but he didn't want to make her more unhappy than she was.

"It's not that I wanted to leave Wolf behind. I just thought he would catch up with us, like he has before," Jondalar said, although he had been nearly ready to leave him.

She sensed there was something more to it than he said, but she didn't like to have the distance of disagreement between them, and now that Wolf had come back, she was relieved. With her anxiety gone, her anger dissipated. She dismounted and started climbing up the slope to test it. She wasn't altogether certain the horses could make it, but he'd said they would look for another way if they couldn't.

"I'm not sure, but I think we should try it, Jondalar. I don't think it's quite as bad as it seems. If they can't make it, then we can go back and see if we can find some other way," she said.