were not as familiar with the animal, and though he did remember him, it took a while to get used to the idea of a wolf mingling freely with people. 'I heard he was here, that's how I knew you had arrived. I was afraid we wouldn't see you after making the trip all the way here. Some of us were even considering going to the Ninth Cave to see you before we left. Your Mamutoi kin and their S'Armunai friend are definitely planning to go, and some of the Lanzadonii were thinking of going along,' Echozar said.
Ayla thought he seemed much more confident and relaxed, and was sure Dalanar was right about how helpful it had been for Echozar to be accepted so easily by Danug and Druwez and — what was his name — Aldanor? She was sure Jondalar had welcomed him, too, along with their kin and and several close friends. Jondalar would be very good about making Echozar feel welcome … but he hadn't said one single welcoming word to her. The only time she had seen him since she arrived was in the small woods, standing naked with Marona. Ayla had to look away to fight back the sudden tightness in her throat and sting of impending tears, feelings that seemed to come upon her at the most unexpected moments, lately. She said she had something in her eye.
'Just because I've come to the Summer Meeting doesn't mean you can't come to visit the Ninth Cave,' Ayla said after a moment. 'It's not very far from here, and since you are so close, you might as well. I think Dalanar and Joplaya would be interested in the way Jondalar has set up the training for his flint-knapping apprentices. He has six of them now,' Ayla said, sounding almost normal. After all, she could hardly help talking about Jondalar to Dalanar and Joplaya. 'And I'd love to see a little more of Bokovan, and of course, all the rest of you.'
'I think that little one has charmed Ayla completely,' Dalanar said. Everyone smiled benignly.
'He is going to be a big man,' Echozar said. 'And I want to teach him to be a good hunter.'
Ayla grinned at him. For a moment, she could imagine that Echozar was a man of the Clan, proud of the son of his hearth. 'He may turn out to be more than just a big man, Echozar. I think he's a very special child.'
'Where is Jondalar?' Echozar asked. 'Wasn't he supposed to come and share a meal with us tonight?'
'I saw him when he was taking Jonayla out with the horses after midday. He said he couldn't make it,' Dalanar said, sounding disappointed.
'I was going to take Jonayla out, but the zelandoni meeting took longer than I expected,' Ayla said. Everyone glanced up at her forehead.
'Did he say why he couldn't come?' Echozar asked.
'I don't know, something about other plans, and promises he made before Ayla came.'
Ayla felt her stomach knot. I can imagine what promises he made, she thought.
It was nearly dark by the time Ayla insisted she had to go. Echozar walked back with her and Jonayla and Wolf, carrying a torch.
'You look happy, Echozar,' Ayla said.
'I am happy, although I still find it hard to believe Joplaya is my mate. Sometimes I wake up at night and just look at her in the firelight. She is so beautiful, and she's wonderful. Kind and understanding. I feel so lucky, I sometimes wonder how I could deserve her.'
'She's lucky, too, you know. I wish we lived closer.'
'So you could see more of Bokovan?' he said. She saw his teeth gleaming with a smile.
'It's true, I would like to see more of Bokovan, and you and Joplaya, and everyone else,' Ayla said.
'Have you considered coming back with us and staying over winter?' Echozar asked. 'You know, Dalanar says you and Jondalar are always welcome.'
Ayla frowned, staring into the dark. Yes, of course, Jondalar, she thought. 'I don't think Jondalar would want to leave his apprentices. He has made promises, and winter is the best time to work on perfecting techniques,' she said.
Echozar was silent for a few paces. 'I don't suppose you'd want to leave Jondalar for a season and visit by yourself, with Jonayla and your animals, of course,' he said. 'As much as she loves Bokovan, I know Joplaya would love to have that little girl around. She and Bokovan spent a lot of time at Levela's camp and got to know her.'
'I … don't know. I guess I never thought about it. I've been so busy training for the zelandonia …,' she said, then glanced around looking for her daughter, who was straggling behind. She has probably found something along the path to distract her, Ayla thought.
'We would never object to having another Donier,' Echozar said.
Ayla smiled at him, then stopped. 'Jonayla, why are you so far back?'
'I'm tired, mother,' Jonayla whined. 'Would you carry me?'
Ayla stopped to pick her daughter up, using a hip for support. The little girl's arms felt good around her neck. She had missed Jonayla, and hugged her little body close.
They continued in silence for a while, and began to hear raucous voices. Ahead they could see the light of a campfire behind a fairly dense stand of brush. It wasn't a regular Cave's site, Ayla gathered as they drew closer. Through the screen of brush, she noticed several men sitting around the fire. They were obviously gaming, and drinking something from miniature waterbags, made from the nearly waterproof stomachs of small animals. She knew many of the men; several were from the Ninth Cave, but there was a sprinkling of others from several different Caves.
Laramar was there, the man who was known for making the potent alcoholic brew from almost anything that would ferment. While they didn't have the refinement of the wine that Marthona made, the drinks he produced weren't bad. He did very little of anything else and had perfected what had become his 'craft', but he made it in quantity and many people regularly drank too much, creating problems. His only other claim to fame had been a hearthful of unkempt children, and a slovenly mate who indulged heavily in his product. Ayla and the rest of the Cave took more care of the children than either Laramar or Tremeda did.
Now the oldest girl, Lanoga, was mated to Lanidar and had a child of her own, but the young couple had adopted all her younger siblings. Her older brother, Bolagan, also lived with them and helped to provide for the children. He had also helped to build their new dwelling, along with Jondalar and several others. Her mother, Tremeda, and Laramar also lived with them occasionally, when they chose to go to a place they called home, and both of them behaved as though it was theirs.
Besides Laramar, Ayla noticed the distinctive forehead markings of a Zelandoni on one man, but when he smiled, she saw the gap of his missing front teeth and frowned, realising it was Madroman. Had he already been accepted into the zelandonia and tattooed? She didn't think so. She looked again and noticed that an edge of the 'tattoo' was smeared. He must have painted it on, using the colours that some people used to temporarily decorate their faces for special occasions, but she had never seen anyone decorated with Zelandoni marks before.
Seeing him reminded her of the backpack she had found in the cave and had brought to the First. Though he invariably smiled and tried to engage her in conversation, she had always felt uneasy around Madroman. He disturbed her in a way that made her think of how a horse's fur looked when it was stroked opposite to the direction in which it grew; he rubbed her the wrong way.
She saw many young men, talking and laughing loudly, but there were other men of all ages. From what she knew of those she recognised, none of them contributed much. Some were not too bright, or were easily led. One of them spent most of his time drinking Laramar's brew, barely stumbling home each night, and often could be found in some out-of-the-way place completely unconscious, smelling of drink and vomit. Another was known to be unnecessarily brutal, especially to his mate and her children, and the zelandonia had talked of ways to intercede, waiting only for his mate to ask for help.
Then almost hidden in the shadows, she caught sight of Brukeval sitting somewhat off by himself with his back to a tall, roughly pointed stump, taking a drink from one of the bags. His temper still bothered her, but he was a cousin of Jondalar's and had always been kind to her. She hated to see him with such an unsavoury lot.
She was about to turn away when she heard Wolf growl low in his throat. A voice spoke up loudly behind her back.
'Well, look what we have here! The animal lover, and a couple of animals.'
She spun around in surprise. A couple of animals, she thought, but I only have Wolf … it took her a moment before she realised that he had called Echozar an animal. She felt her anger rise.
'The only animal I see here is a wolf … or were you thinking of yourself?' Ayla countered.
There were a few guffaws from some who had heard the remarks and she saw the man frown. 'I wasn't saying I was an animal,' he said.
'That's good. I wouldn't put yourself in the same category as Wolf. You don't measure up,' she said.
Some of the other men pulled the brush aside to see what was going on. They saw Ayla holding her daughter
