him didn't you? Tricie brought him to that Summer Meeting.'
'Yes, I saw him. He was very fair. Is he still so fair?'
'His skin is the whitest I've ever seen, except where it's covered with freckles. Tricie has red hair and she's fair, but not as much as him. His eyes are pale blue, and he has fuzzy orangey-red hair. He can't stand the sun, he just burns, and if it's really bright, it hurts his eyes, but except for his colour, he looks just like Ranec. It's strange to see them together, Ranec's brown skin next to Ra's white, but the same face. He's got Ranec's sense of humour, only more. Already, he can make anyone laugh, and he loves to travel. If he doesn't turn out to be a travelling Storyteller, I'll be surprised. He can't wait until he's old enough to go off on his own. He wanted to come with us on our Journey. If he'd been a little older, I would have taken him. He'd have been good company.
'Tricie's little girl is a beauty. Her skin is dark, but not brown like Ranec's. Her hair is black as night, but her curls are softer. She has black eyes. Serious eyes. She's a quiet, delicate little thing, but I swear that there's not a man who sees her that isn't entranced by her. She'll have no trouble finding a mate.
'The baby is as dark as Ranec, and though it's hard to tell yet, I think his features are going to be more like Tricie's.'
'It seems as though Tricie is a good addition to the Lion Camp, Danug. I wish I could see her children. I have a little girl, too,' Ayla said, and suddenly remembered that she could have been having another one soon, were it not for her 'call' to the deep cave. I would like to tell him that it is more than a blending of spirits that makes children, she thought.
'I know. I've met Jonayla. She looks just like you, except she has Jondalar's eyes. I wish I could take her back with me and let her meet everyone. Nezzie would love her. I've already fallen in love with her, just like I fell in love with you when I was a boy,' Danug said with a delighted laugh.
Ayla looked so surprised, he laughed harder, and she could hear Talut's big, booming laughter coming from Danug. 'In love with me?'
'I'm not surprised you didn't notice. Between Ranec and Jondalar, you had enough to think about, but I couldn't stop thinking about you. I dreamt about you. In fact, I still love you, Ayla. How would you like to come back to the Lion Camp with me?' There was a broad smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, but something more, too. A hint of wistful longing, a wish that he knew would never be fulfilled.
She looked away for a moment, then changed the subject. 'Tell me about the rest. How are Nezzie and Talut, Latie and Rugie?'
'Mother's fine. Getting older, that's all. Talut is losing his hair, and he hates it. Latie is mated, has a girl, and still talks about horses. Rugie is looking for a mate, or rather, the young men are looking at her. She's had her First Rites; Tusie did too, at the same time. Oh, and Deegie has two sons. She told me to give you her love. You never got to know her brother, Tarneg, did you? His mate has three little ones. You know they built another earthlodge nearby; Deegie and Tarneg are headwoman and headman. Tulie is pleased that she can see her grandchildren nearly every day. And she has taken another mate. Barzec says she's too much woman for only one man.'
'Do I know him?' Ayla asked.
Danug smiled. 'In fact, you do. It's Wymez.'
'Wymez! You mean the man of Ranec's hearth, the flint-knapper that Jondalar admires so much?' Ayla asked.
'Yes, that Wymez. He surprised us all, even Tulie, I think. And Mamut has gone to the next world. We have a new one, but it's hard to get used to having someone else at the Third Hearth.'
'I'm sorry to hear that. I loved that old man. I've been training to be One Who Serves The Mother, but he's the one who started it. My training is almost over,' Ayla said. She didn't want to say too much until she talked to Zelandoni.
'That's what Jondalar said. I always thought you would Serve The Mother. Mamut would never have adopted you if he didn't think so. There was a time when the Lion Camp thought you might be their Mamut, after the old man left this world. Ayla, you may be Zelandonii here, but you are still Mamutoi, still numbered among the Lion Camp.'
'It makes me happy to hear that. No matter what names or ties I may acquire, in my heart I will always be Ayla of the Mamutoi,' she said.
'You certainly did acquire some names and leave a trail of stories behind you on your Journey,' Danug said. 'Not just from the S'Armunai. I even heard about you from people who never met you. You were everything from a skilled healer and controller of surprising spiritual forces to the incarnation of the Great Earth Mother herself, a living muta — I guess here it's donii — come to help Her people. And Jondalar was her fair-haired and handsome mate — as they say here, 'Her pale shining lover.' Even Wolf was an incarnation, of the Wolf Star. The stories about him range from avenging beast to lovable creature who tended babies. The horses, too. They were animals of wonder that the Great Horse Spirit allowed to be controlled by you. There was one story — from Aldanor's people — that claimed the horses could fly, and carried you and Jondalar back to your homes in the next world. I was beginning to wonder if all the stories could be about the same people, but after talking to Jondalar, I think you both had some interesting adventures.'
'I think people like to enlarge stories to make them seem more interesting,' Ayla said. 'And who's to prove them wrong once the people the stories are about are gone? We just travelled back here to Jondalar's home. You no doubt have had your share of adventures.'
'But we didn't travel with a pair of magical horses and a wolf.'
'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 something 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 far-away 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 realised 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
