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

“Danug, you know there is nothing magical about those animals. You watched Jondalar train Racer, and you were there when I brought Wolf to the lodge as a tiny puppy. He’s just a wolf that got used to people because he grew up with them.”

“Which reminds me, where is that animal? I wonder if he’ll still remember me,” Danug said.

“As soon as we got here, he ran off to look for Jonayla,” Ayla said. “Apparently, she is with her age-mates doing s

omething for the zelandonia. But I still haven’t seen Jondalar. Did he say anything about going hunting?”

“Not to me,” Danug said, “but the three of us haven’t been around here that much. We’re strangers, from far away, but introduced by Jondalar as your kin, so we have been welcomed as kin. Everyone wants to hear our stories and ask questions about our people. We’ve all been asked to participate in First Rites. Even me, as big as I am, though I was questioned about my experience with such young women, and I think I was tested by one or two ‘donii-women.’ ” The huge young man grinned with delight. “Jondalar translated for us in the beginning, but we’ve been learning Zelandonii, and can get by fairly well now on our own. People have been wonderful to us, but they keep wanting to give us things, and you know how hard it is to carry much when you’re on a Journey. In fact, I did bring something that you left behind. I gave it to Jondalar. Do you remember the piece of ivory Talut gave you when you left? The one that showed landmarks to help to get started out right on your Journey?”

“Yes. We had to leave it behind to make room.”

“Laduni gave it to me to give back to you.”

“That must have made Jondalar happy. It was one thing he wanted to keep as a reminder of his stay with the Lion Camp.”

“I understand that. The S’Armunai gave me something that I will definitely keep. I’ll show you.” Danug took out a figure of a mammoth made out of a very hard but strange kind of material. “I don’t know what kind of stone it is. Aldanor says they make it, but I don’t know whether to believe him.”

“They do make that stone. They start with muddy clay, then shape it, and burn it in a very hot fire in a special enclosed space, like an oven built in the earth, until it turns to stone. I watched the S’Armuna of Three Sisters Camp do it. She is the one who discovered how to make that stone.” Ayla paused, and her eyes took on a faraway look, as though she were looking inside at a memory. “She was not an evil person, but Attaroa did turn her the wrong way for a while. The S’Armunai are an interesting people.”

“Jondalar told me what happened to both of you there. But Aldanor is from a different Camp. We stopped overnight at Three Sisters. I thought it was strange that there were so many women, but they were very hospitable. After I talked to Jondalar, I realized that I might not have made it this far if you hadn’t passed that way first. I shudder to think about it,” Danug said.

The leather entrance cover was moved aside. Danug and Ayla looked up and saw Dalanar looking in. “If I’d known you wanted to keep her to yourself, I might have thought again before taking you along with us to this Summer Meeting, young man,” Dalanar said sternly, then smiled. “Can’t say that I blame you. I know you haven’t seen her in a long time, but there are many other people who want to talk to this young woman.”

“Dalanar!” Ayla said, getting up and going outside the small tent to hug him. He’d aged, but he still looked so much like Jondalar, she felt a warm glow at the sight of him. “Did Danug and the other two come with you? How did they find you?”

“By accident—or it was meant to be—depending on who you ask. Some of us were out hunting. There’s a river valley nearby that attracts a lot of passing herds. They saw us and indicated that they wanted to join in the hunt. We were more than happy to have three healthy young men help out. I had already been thinking that if we made some really successful hunts, enough to put some meat down for next winter and take some with us, we might go to the Zelandonii Meeting this year.

“Their help made a difference. We counted six bison kills. It wasn’t until later that evening that this young man started asking about you and Jondalar, and how to find the Zelandonii,” Dalanar said, indicating the huge red-haired man just emerging from the tent.

“Language was a bit of a problem. The only thing Danug could say was ‘Jondalar of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii.’ I tried to tell him Jondalar was the son of my hearth, but didn’t have much luck,” the older man continued. “Then Echozar returned from the flint mine, and Danug started talking to him in signs. He was surprised to find out Echozar could talk, but not nearly as surprised as Echozar was to see Danug and Druwez talk to him in signs. When Echozar asked where they learned it, he told us about his brother, a boy he said his mother adopted, who died. He said you were the one who taught everyone the hand signs so he could talk and be understood, Ayla.

“That’s how we managed to communicate at first. Danug and Druwez talked to Echozar in signs, and he translated. I made up my mind then and told Danug we were going to the Zelandonii Summer Meeting and would take them with us. The next day Willamar and his party happened to arrive. It’s amazing how good he is at communicating with people even if he doesn’t know the language.”

“Is Willamar here, too?” Ayla asked.

“Yes, I’m here.”

Ayla spun around and smiled with delight to see the old Trade Master. They hugged with warmth and affection. “Did you come with the Lanzadonii, too?”

“No, we didn’t arrive with them,” Willamar said. “We still had a few other stops to make to finish out the round. We got here a few days ago. I was just getting ready to leave for the Ninth Cave.”

“We actually came a little early this year,” Dalanar said. “I knew where the Ninth would probably set up camp, so we’re close by.”

“I happened to be one of the people who saw the Ninth Cave coming,” Danug said. “When I saw the horses from a distance, I knew it had to be your people, Ayla. I was really disappointed when you were not with them, though I was glad to see Jondalar. At least he could speak Mamutoi. I recognized Jonayla as your daughter right away, especially when I saw her sitting on the back of that gray horse. If you hadn’t come, I was going to go back with the Ninth Cave and surprise you, but you surprised us instead,” Danug said.

“You are a surprise, Danug, a welcome one. And you can still come and visit the Ninth Cave, you know,” Ayla said, then turned to Dalanar. “I am glad you decided to come with the Lanzadonii. Is Jerika with you? Marthona will be so disappointed not to see all of you.”

“I was sorry to hear she wasn’t coming. Jerika was looking forward to seeing her, too. It’s amazing what good friends they’ve turned out to be. How is Marthona?”

“Not entirely well,” Ayla said, shaking her head. “She complains about her aching joints, but it’s more than that. She has pain in her chest and trouble breathing when she exerts herself too much. I always did plan to come to the Meeting as soon as I could, but I hated to leave her. She did seem much better when I left, though.”

“Do you really think she’s better?” Willamar asked. His eyes had become serious.

“She said if she had felt as good earlier, when the Ninth Cave left, she might have come, but I don’t think she could walk the whole way.”

“Someone could have carried her,” Dalanar said. “I carried Hochaman on my shoulders all the way to the Great Waters of the West, twice, before he died.” Dalanar turned to Danug. “Hochaman was the mate of Jerika’s mother. They traveled all the way from the Endless Seas of the East. His tears mingled with the salt of the Great Waters of the West, but they were tears of joy. It was his greatest wish to go as far as the land went, farther than anyone ever did. I’ve never heard of anyone who traveled farther.”

“We remembered that story, Dalanar, and wanted to carry her,” Ayla said, “but she didn’t want to ride on Jondalar’s shoulders. I think she felt it would be too undignified. She didn’t want to ride on Whinney, either. I asked her, but she didn’t want to do that either. She likes the horses, but the idea of riding one always did scare her.” Ayla noticed the travois, the simple construction of poles and cross-mats, now unloaded on the ground. “I wonder … do you think she would mind riding on the pole-drag, Willamar?”