The Land of Painted Caves (Earth's Children 6)

o older women were holding something back, especially around Danella and Stevadal. There was more to the story than they were willing to say. The Donier would have to wait for the Twenty-sixth. In the meantime, the women chatted. Jonayla was passed around to the women. Although at first Danella seemed reluctant to take her, once she did, she held her for quite a while. Wolf seemed happy to stay with both of them.

Ayla took the pole-drag off Whinney and let her graze, and when she returned, they asked some tentative questions about the horse and how Ayla came to have her. The First encouraged Ayla to tell them. She was developing into quite a good storyteller and enthralled her listeners, especially when she added the sound effects of horse-neighs and lion-roars. Just as she was finishing, the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave appeared.

“I thought I heard a familiar lion-roar,” he said, greeting them with a big smile.

“Ayla has been telling us how she adopted Whinney,” Danella said. “Just as I guessed, she has some captivating stories to tell. And now that I’ve heard one, I want to hear more.”

The First was getting anxious to leave, though she didn’t want to show it. It was entirely appropriate for the First Among Those Who Served The Great Earth Mother to visit with the leader of the Cave that was hosting the Summer Meeting and his mate, but she had many things to do. The ceremony of the Rites of First Pleasures would be the day after next, and then the first Matrimonial of the season. Though there would be another mating ceremony near the end of the summer for those who wanted to finalize their decisions before they returned to their winter shelters, the first one was invariably the largest and most well attended. There were many plans yet to be made.

While people fussed around making more tea, since they had drunk all there was, the First and her acolyte managed to get the Twenty-sixth aside and speak privately with him.

“We learned that Danella delivered a stillborn,” the First said, “but more happened, I’m sure. I’d like to examine her and see if there is anything I can do to help.”

He breathed a long sigh and frowned.

9

“Yes, you are right, of course. It wasn’t just a stillborn baby,” the Twenty-sixth said. “They were two-born-together, or would have been, but they were more than born together, they were joined together.”

Ayla remembered that the same thing had happened to one of the women of the Clan, two babies joined together with a monstrous result. She felt a great sadness for Danella.

“One was normal size, the other much smaller and not fully formed, and parts of the second were attached to the first one,” the Twenty-sixth continued. “I’m glad there was no breath in them, or I would have had to take it. It would have been too hard for Danella. As it was, she bled so much, I’m surprised she survived. We, her mother, Stevadal’s mother, and I decided not to tell either one of them. We were afraid it would make any later pregnancy even more distressing than a stillborn would. You can examine her if you want, but it happened some time ago, in late winter. She has healed well; she just needs to recover her strength, and get through her grief. Your coming to visit may have helped. I saw her holding Ayla’s baby, and I think that’s good. She seems to have made a friend of you, Ayla, and your wolf, too. Perhaps she’ll feel more inclined to go to the Summer Meeting now.”

“Jondalar!” Ayla said when she and the First arrived back at the camp of the Ninth Cave. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to the Summer Meeting Camp.”

“I am going there,” he said. “I just decided to check on Racer and Gray while I was here. I haven’t spent much time with Racer, and they both seemed to enjoy the company. Why are you here?”

“I wanted to let Whinney feed Gray, while I nurse Jonayla. I was going to leave Whinney here, but then we thought this would be a good time for Zelandoni to ride into Camp on the pole-drag,” Ayla said.

Jondalar grinned. “Then I’ll wait,” he said. “In fact, why don’t I ride in with you on Racer?”

“We’ll have to take Gray with us, too,” Ayla said, frowning slightly. Then she smiled. “We can use the small halter you made for her; she’s getting used to wearing it. It might be good for her to get accustomed to being around people she doesn’t know.”

“That should make quite a show,” Zelandoni said. “But I think I like it. I’d rather be part of a bigger production than the only one for people to stare at.”

“We should bring Wolf, too. Most people have seen the animals, but not together. There are still a few who can’t quite believe that Whinney allows Wolf near her baby. If they see that he is no danger to Gray, it could help them realize that he’s no danger to them, either,” Ayla said.

“Unless someone attempted to harm you,” Jondalar said, “or Jonayla.”

Jaradal and Robenan came running into the summer dwelling of the leader of the Seventh Cave. “Weemar! ’Thona! Come and see!” Jaradal shouted.

“Yes, come and see!” Robenan echoed. The two boys had been playing just outside.

“They brought all the horses, and Wolf; even Zelandoni is riding! Come and see!” Jaradal exclaimed.

“Calm down, boys,” Marthona said, wondering what Jaradal meant. It did not seem possible that Zelandoni could be sitting on the back of a horse.

“Come and see! Come and see!” both boys were yelling, while Jaradal tried to pull his grandam up from the cushion upon which she was seated. Then he turned to Willamar. “Come and see, Weemar.”

Marthona and Willamar were visiting Sergenor and Jayvena to discuss their part in an upcoming ceremony that would involve all leaders and former leaders in a small way. They had taken Jaradal with them to keep him out from underfoot of his mother. Proleva, as usual, was involved in meal planning for the event. Solaban’s pregnant mate, Ramara, and her son, Robenan, who was Jaradal’s age-mate and friend, had come along so the boys could play.

“We’re coming,” Willamar said, helping his mate up.

Sergenor pushed aside the drape that covered the entrance and all of them crowded out. A most surprising sight met them. Parading toward the zelandonia lodge were Jondalar on Racer’s back, leading Gray, and Ayla riding the mare with Jonayla in her carrying blanket sitting in front of her. Whinney was pulling a pole-drag upon which the First was seated, facing backward. The wolf was padding along beside them. It was still unexpected for most people to see horses with people on their backs, not to mention the wolf nonchalantly walking with them. But to see the First Among Those Who Served The Great Earth Mother riding on a seat that was being pulled by a horse was nothing less than astonishing.

The procession passed quite near the camp of the Seventh Cave and although Marthona and Willamar and the rest of the people of the Ninth Cave were quite familiar with the animals, they gawked at the demonstration as much as anyone. The First caught Marthona’s eye and, though she smiled in a decorous way, Marthona detected a sparkle of impish delight in the woman’s gaze. It was more than a parade, it was a spectacle, and if there was one thing members of the zelandonia enjoyed staging, it was a spectacle. When they reached the entrance to the big lodge, Jondalar stopped and let Ayla and Whinney pull ahead, then dismounted and offered a hand to the First. For all her size, she stepped down from the seat on the travois gracefully and, perfectly aware that everyone was watching her, entered the lodge with great dignity.

“So that’s what he wanted us to help him make,” Willamar commented. “He said he needed to build a very sturdy pole-drag, with shelves. It wasn’t shelves he wanted, but it was clever of him to say that. None of us could imagine that they would turn out to be a seat for Zelandoni. I’ll have to ask her what it’s like to sit on a seat that is pulled by a horse.”