The Plains of Passage (Earth's Children 4)

He frowned when he thought of another question, one he almost hated to ask. "What about Wolf?"

Ayla smiled, then pierced the air with an unfamiliar whistle. Wolf came bounding out of the brush, so glad to see Jondalar that he couldn't keep still. He ran to him, wagging his tail, barked a little yip, then jumped up and put his paws on the man's shoulders and licked his jaw. Jondalar grabbed him by the ruff as he'd seen Ayla do so many times, roughed it up a bit, then pressed his forehead against the wolf's.

"He's never done that to me before," Jondalar said, surprised.

"He missed you. I think he wanted to find you as much as I did, and I'm not sure I would have been able to track you without him. We're quite a distance from the Great Mother River, and there were long stretches of rocky dry ground that showed no tracks. But his nose found the trail," Ayla said. Then she greeted the wolf.

"But he was waiting there in that brush all the time? And he didn't come until you signaled? It must have been hard to teach him that, but why did you?"

"I had to teach him to hide because I didn't know who might be coming here, and I didn't want them to know about him. They eat wolf meat."

"Who eats wolf meat?" Jondalar asked, wrinkling his nose with repugnance.

"Attaroa and her hunters."

"Are they that hungry?" Jondalar asked.

"Maybe they were once, but now they do it as a ritual. I watched them one night. They were initiating a new hunter, making a young woman part of their Wolf Pack. They keep it a secret from the other women, go away from the lodges to a special place. They had a live wolf in a cage and killed it, butchered it, then cooked it and ate it. They like to think they are getting the strength and cunning of the wolf that way. It would be better if they just watched wolves. They'd learn more," Ayla said.

No wonder she seemed so disapproving of the Wolf Women and their hunting skills, Jondalar thought, suddenly understanding why she didn't like them. Their initiation rites threatened her wolf. "So you taught Wolf to stay in hiding until you called him. That's a new whistle, isn't it?" he said.

"I'll teach it to you, but even if he does stay in hiding—most of the time—when I tell him, I still worry about him. Whinney and Racer, too. Horses and wolves are the only animals I've ever seen Attaroa's women kill," she said, looking around at her beloved animals.

"You've learned a lot about them, Ayla," Jondalar said.

"I had to learn everything I could, so I could get you out of there," she said. "But maybe I learned too much."

"Too much? How could you learn too much?"

"When I first found you, I only thought about getting you out of that place, and then getting away from here as soon as we could, but now we can't go."

"What do you mean we can't go? Why not?" Jondalar said, frowning.

"We can't leave those children living in such terrible conditions, or the men, either. We have to get them out of that Holding," Ayla said.

Jondalar became worried. He had seen that determined look before. "It's dangerous to stay here, Ayla, and not just for us. Think what easy targets those two horses would make. They don't run away from people. And you don't want to see Wolf's teeth hanging around Attaroa's neck, do you? I want to help those people, too. I lived inside that place, and no one should have to live like that, especially children, but what can we do? We are only two people."

He did want to help them, but he feared that if they stayed, Attaroa might harm Ayla. He thought he had lost her, and now that they were back together he was afraid that if they stayed, he might really lose her. He was trying to find a strong reason to convince her to leave.

"We are not alone. There are more than the two of us who want to change things. We have to find a way to help them," Ayla said, then paused, thinking. "I think S'Armuna wants us to come back—that's why she offered her hospitality. We must go to that feast tomorrow."

"Attaroa has used poison before. If we go back there, we may never leave," Jondalar cautioned her. "She hates you, you know."

"I know, but we have to go back anyway. For the sake of the children. We won't eat, except what I bring, and only if it doesn't leave our sight. Do you think we should change our camp or stay here?" Ayla said. "I have a lot to do before tomorrow."

"I don't think moving will help. They will just trail us. That's why we should leave now," Jondalar said, clasping both her arms. He looked into her eyes, concentrating as if trying to will her to change her mind. Finally he let her go, knowing she wouldn't leave and that he would stay to help her. In his heart it was what he wanted to do, but he had to be convinced that he couldn't persuade her to go. He vowed to himself that he would let nothing harm her.

"All right," he said. "I told the men you would never stand for anyone being treated like that. I don't think they believed me, but we will need help to get them out. I admit I was surprised to hear S'Armuna suggest that we stay with her," Jondalar said. "I don't think she does that very often. Her lodge is small and out of the way. She i

s not set up to accommodate visitors, but why do you think she wants us to go back?"

"Because she interrupted Attaroa to ask. I don't think that head-woman was happy about it. Do you trust S'Armuna, Jondalar?"

The man stopped to think. "I don't know. I trust her more than I trust Attaroa, but I guess that's not saying much. Did you know S'Armuna knew my mother? She lived with the Ninth Cave when she was young, and they were friends."

"So that's why she speaks your language so well. But if she knows your mother, why didn't she help you?"

"I wondered that myself. Maybe she didn't want to. I think something must have happened between her and Marthona. I don't remember that my mother ever talked about knowing someone who came to live with them when she was young, either. But I have a feeling about S'Armuna. She did treat my injury, and though that's more than she's done for most of the men, I think she wants to do more. I don't think Attaroa will allow it."