The Shelters of Stone (Earth's Children 5)

“Proleva, and some women,” he said. “They say they have found a mother for Lorala, someone who can nurse her all the time.”

“Let’s go see what this is all about,” Ayla said. “We’ll come back and take care of the horses later.”

When they got to the camp, Ayla was glad to see Proleva there. She saw them coming and smiled. “Well, is it affirmed? Are you mated? Can we have the feast and get out the gifts? You don’t have to answer. I see your necklaces.”

Ayla had to smile back. “Yes, we are mated,” she said.

“Zelandoni just affirmed it,” Jondalar said.

“I need to talk to you about something else, Proleva,” Ayla said with a serious frown.

“What?” The woman knew from Ayla’s expression that she was concerned about something.

“Lanidar said that you are taking the baby away from Lanoga,” Ayla said.

“I wouldn’t put it that way. I thought you would be pleased that we had found a home for Lorala. A woman from the Twenty-fourth Cave lost her baby. He was born with a serious deformity and died. She’s full of milk, and said she’d be willing to take Lorala, even if she is older. She really wants a child, and I get the impression she has miscarried before. I thought it would be a perfect match,” Proleva said.

“It does seem like it ought to be. Do the women who are nursing Lorala now want to stop?” Ayla asked.

“Actually, no. I was rather surprised. When I mentioned it to a couple of them, they seemed a little upset. Even Stelona said the Twenty-fourth Cave is so far away, she would be sorry if she couldn’t continue to watch Lorala growing strong and healthy,” Proleva said.

“I know you were thinking of what is best for Lorala, but did you ask Lanoga?” Ayla said.

“No, not really. I asked Tremeda. I thought Lanoga might like to be free of the responsibility. She’s so young to have to worry about taking care of a baby all the time. There will be time enough when she has her own to mother,” Proleva said.

“Lanidar says Lanoga has been crying all day.”

“I know she’s upset, but I thought she’d get over it. After all, she’s not nursing Lorala, she’s not even a woman yet. She can only count eleven years.”

Ayla remembered that she could count less than twelve years when she gave birth to Durc, and she couldn’t give him up then. She would rather have died than give him up. When she lost her milk, the women of the Clan had nursed Durc, but that didn’t mean she was any less his mother. She was sorry still that she had to leave him behind when she was forced out of the Clan. She had wanted to take him. It was only her fear about what would happen to him if something happened to her that persuaded her to leave her three-year son behind. It didn’t matter that she knew Uba would take care of him and love him as her own. It still hurt when she thought about him. She never got over him, and she didn’t want Lanoga to suffer that kind of pain.

“It isn’t nursing that makes a mother, Proleva. And it certainly isn’t age,” Ayla said. “Look at Janida. She’s not much older, but no one would dream of taking her baby away from her.”

“Janida has a mate, and a good one with some status, and her baby will be born to his hearth. He’ll always be responsible, and even if the mating doesn’t last, there are already several men who have made it known they would be willing to mate her. She has high status, she’s attractive, and she’s pregnant. I just hope Peridal realizes what a favored woman she is, his mother is already making trouble. She actually found them during their trial period and tried to get him to give up the mating.” Proleva stopped. Time enough later to tell Ayla about that. “But Lanoga is not Janida.”

“No, Lanoga is not a favored young woman, but she ought to be. You don’t spend nearly a year taking care of a baby and not grow to love her. Lorala is Lanoga’s baby now, not Tremeda’s. She may be young, but she has been a good mother,” Ayla said.

“Yes, of course she’s been a good mother. That’s just it. She’s a wonderful girl and she’ll be a wonderful mother someday,” Proleva said, “if she ever has the chance. But when she gets old enough to mate, what man will be willing to take her and a little sister, not as a second woman, but as a child he would have to be responsible for that wasn’t even born to his hearth? Lanoga has enough going against her, considering the hearth she and Lorala were born to. I’m afraid the only one willing to take her will be someone like Laramar, no matter who recommends her. I’d like to see her have a chance for a better life.”

Ayla was sure that Proleva was absolutely right, and it was obvious that she really cared about the girl and would do whatever she could to help her, but she knew how Lanoga would feel if she lost Lorala.

“Lanoga doesn’t have to worry about finding a mate,” Lanidar said.

Ayla and Proleva had almost forgotten he was still there. Jondalar was surprised, too. He had been listening to the debate between the two women and could see both sides.

“I am going to learn how to hunt, and I am going to learn how to be a Caller, and when I grow up, I am going to mate Lanoga and help her take care of Lorala, and all the rest of her brothers and sisters, if she wants. I already asked her, and she agreed. She’s the only girl I ever met who doesn’t care about my arm, and I don’t think her mother will care, either.”

Ayla and Proleva both gaped at Lanidar, then they looked at each other as though to be sure that they had heard the same thing, and that both of them were thinking the same thing. In fact, it wouldn’t be a bad match, especially if the idea really encouraged Lanidar to learn some skills to better himself. They were both decent children, and surprisingly grown-up for their ages. Of course, they were young, and they could easily change their minds, but on the other hand, who else would there be for either one?

“So don’t give Lanoga’s baby away to some other woman. I don’t like to see her crying,” Lanidar said.

“She really does love that child,” Ayla said, “and the Ninth Cave has been willing to help her Why not just let things be the way they are?”

“What will I tell the woman who was going to take her?” Proleva said.

“Just tell her Lorala’s mother didn’t want to give her up. It’s true. Tremeda isn’t really her mother, Lanoga is. If that woman really wants a baby, she’ll get one, either one of her own or another baby that needs a mother, maybe even one who is younger. The Zelandonii have many Caves and a lot of people. Things are happening all the time,” Ayla said. “I’ve never seen things change so much.”

Nearly everyone from both the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii and the First Cave of the Lanzadonii came to the big celebration held jointly to celebrate the Matrimonials of the brother of the leader of one and the daughter of the hearth of the leader of the other, who were also related to each other. It turned out that two other people from the Ninth Cave had also mated at the same time to people from other Caves. Proleva learned about them and made sure they were also included. A young woman named Tishona had joined with Marsheval of the Fourteenth Cave, and she would be going to live with him. And another, somewhat older woman, Dynoda, had moved away and had a son, but she severed the knot from her former mate and formed a new relationship with Jacsoman of the Seventh Cave. They were moving back to the Ninth Cave. Dynoda’s mother was ill, and she wanted to be closer to her.