The Shelters of Stone (Earth's Children 5)

“Let me think. The first time I began to doubt they were animals was many years ago,” Willamar began. “I was south and west of here, traveling alone. The weather had changed quickly, a sudden cold snap, and I was in a hurry to get home. I kept going until it was almost dark, and camped beside a small stream. I planned to cross in the morning. When I woke up, I discovered I had stopped right across from a party of flatheads. I was actually afraid of them—you know what you hear—so I watched them closely, to be prepared in case they decided to come after me.”

“What did they do?” Joharran asked.

“Nothing, except break camp just like anyone would,” Willamar said. “They knew I was there, of course, but I was alone, so I couldn’t give them much trouble, and they didn’t seem in a big hurry. They boiled some water and made something hot to drink, rolled up their tents—different from ours, lower to the ground and harder to see—but they packed them on their backs, and left at a fast jog.”

“Could you tell if any were women?” Ayla asked.

“It was pretty cold, they were all covered. They do wear clothes. You don’t notice it in summer because they don’t wear much, and you seldom see them in winter. We don’t tend to travel much then, or very far, and they probably don’t, either.”

“You’re right, they don’t like to go too far from home when it’s cold or snowy,” Ayla commented.

“Most had beards, I’m not sure if they all did,” Willamar said.

“Young men don’t have beards. Did you notice if any of them carried a basket on her back?”

“I don’t think so,” he said.

“Clan women don’t hunt, but if the men go on a long trek, women often go along to dry the meat and carry it back, so it was probably a short-range hunting party, just men,” Ayla said.

“Did you do that?” Folara asked. “Go along on long hunting trips?”

“Yes, I even went along once when they hunted a mammoth,” Ayla said, “but not to hunt.”

Jondalar noticed that everyone seemed more curious than closed-minded. Though he was sure many people would be more intolerant, at least his kin seemed interested in learning about flatheads … the Clan.

“Joharran,” Jondalar said, “I’m glad this came up now, because I was planning to talk to you anyway. There’s something you need to know. We met a Clan couple on our way here, just before we started over that plateau glacier to the east. They told us that several clans are planning to get together to talk about us, and the problems they’ve been having with us. They call us the Others.”

“I’m having trouble believing they can call us anything,” the man said, “much less have meetings to talk about us.”

“Well, believe it, because if you don’t, we could be in some trouble.”

Several voices spoke at once.

“What do you mean?” “What kind of trouble?”

“I know of one situation in the Losadunai region. A gang of young ruffians from several Caves started baiting flatheads—Clan men. I understand they started out several years ago by picking on just one, like running a rhino down? But Clan men are nothing to fool with. They’re smart and they’re strong. A couple of those young men found that out when one or two got caught, so they started picking on the women. Clan women don’t fight, usually, so it wasn’t as much fun, no challenge. To make it more interesting,

they started forcing Clan women to … well, I wouldn’t call it Pleasures.”

“What?” Joharran said.

“You heard me right,” Jondalar affirmed.

“Great Mother!” Zelandoni blurted.

“That’s terrible!” Marthona said at the same time.

“How awful!” Folara cried, wrinkling her nose with disgust.

“Despicable!” Willamar spat.

“They think so, too,” Jondalar said. “They are not going to put up with it much longer, and once they realize they can do something about it, they are not going to put up with much from us at all. Aren’t there rumors that these caves used to belong to them? What if they want them back?”

“Those are rumors, Jondalar. There’s nothing in the Histories or the Elder Legends to confirm it,” Zelandoni said. “Only bears are mentioned.”

Ayla didn’t say anything, but she thought the rumors might be true.

“In any case, they aren’t getting them,” Joharran said. “This is our home, Zelandonii territory.”