'Wrap her in this blanket,' Ayla said, handing him the soft hide of a red deer that she was using to carry her. 'It's getting chilly, and she's still warm from sleep.'
Ayla and Jondalar walked toward the camp of the Third Cave. They had enlarged their space to include room for their neighbouring Cave in the main Summer Meeting area. The Ninth put up a couple of shelters for their own use especially during the day, but they still referred to it as the camp of the Third Cave. They also tended to share meals and join together for feasts, but Matrimonial Feasts were always prepared and shared by the entire group.
They joined the rest of Jondalar's family and friends who were bringing food to the large meeting area of the Summer Camp near the zelandonia lodge. Proleva, as usual, organised the entire affair, assigning tasks and delegating individuals to be responsible for various jobs. People were coming from all directions bringing the components of the great feast. Each Camp had developed their own variations on the standard ways of cooking the substantial quantity and diversity of foods that were available in the region.
The abundant grasslands and gallery forests along rivers provided rich feed for the many varieties of large grazing or browsing animals, including aurochs, bison, horse, mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, megaceros, reindeer, red deer, and several other types of deer. Some animals that in later times retreated to mountains spent certain seasons on the cold plains, like the wild goat known as ibex, the wild sheep called mouflon, and a goat-antelope referred to as chamois. A sheep-antelope named saiga lived on the steppes all year. In the coldest part of winter musk-oxen also appeared. There were also small animals, usually caught in traps, and fowl, often brought down with stones or throwing sticks, including Ayla's favourite, ptarmigan.
A wide selection of vegetables was available, including roots such as wild carrots, cattail rhizomes, flavourful onions, spicy little pignuts, and several different kinds of starchy biscuit roots and ground nuts that were collected with digging sticks, then eaten raw, cooked, or dried. Thistle stems, held up by the flower head so the sharp thorns could be scraped off before cutting, were delicious when lightly cooked; burdock stems required no special handling but needed to be picked young. The green leaves of lamb's quarter made a wonderful wild spinach; stinging nettles were even better, but had to be picked with a large leaf from another plant to protect the hand from the stinging, which disappeared when they were cooked.
Nuts and fruits, especially berries, were also in abundance, and an assortment of teas was provided. The steeping of leaves, stems, and flowers in hot water, or just letting them sit out in the sun for a while, was usually enough to make an infusion with the desired flavours and characteristics. But steeping was not a sufficiently rigorous process to extract the flavours and natural constituents from hard organic substances; barks, seeds and roots usually required boiling to make the proper decoctions.
Other beverages were available, like fruit juices, including fermented varieties. Tree saps, particularly birch, could be boiled down to bring out the sugar and then fermented. Grains and, of course, honey could also be made into an alcoholic drink. Marthona provided a limited quantity of her fruit wine, Laramar some of his barma, and several others had brought their own varieties of drinks with variable alcoholic content. Most people brought their own eating utensils and bowls, although a supply of wood or bone platters, and carved or tightly woven bowls and cups were offered for those who wanted to use them.
Ayla and Jondalar walked around greeting friends and sampling the foods and drinks offered by different Caves. Jonayla was often the centre of attention. Some people were curious to see if the foreigner who had grown up with Flatheads, whom some still considered animals, had given birth to a normal child. Friends and relatives were just pleased to see that she was a happy, healthy, and very pretty little girl, with fine, almost white, soft curly hair. Everyone also knew immediately that it was Jondalar's spirit that the Great Mother had selected to mix with Ayla's to create her daughter; Jonayla had the same extraordinarily vivid blue eyes.
They passed by a group of people who had set up camp on the edge of the large communal area, and Ayla thought she recognised some of them. 'Jondalar, aren't those people Travelling Storytellers?' she asked. 'I didn't know they were coming to our Summer Meeting.'
'I didn't know either. Let's go and greet them.' They hurried to the camp. 'Galliadal, how nice to see you,' Jondalar called out as they neared.
A man turned around and smiled. 'Jondalar! Ayla!' he said, approaching them with both hands stretched out to them.
He clasped Jondalar's hands. 'In the name of the Great Earth Mother, I greet you,' Galliadal said.
The man was nearly as tall as Jondalar, somewhat older, and nearly as dark as the Zelandoni man was light. Jondalar's hair was light yellow, Galliadal's was dark brown but with lighter streaks, and thinning on top. His blue eyes were not as striking as Jondalar's, but the contrast to his darker skin colouring made them intriguingly noticeable. His skin is not brown like Ranec's, Ayla thought. It's more like he has been out in the sun a lot, but I don't think it fades much in winter.
'In the name of Doni, you are welcome to our Summer Meeting, Galliadal, and welcome to the rest of your Travelling Cave,' Jondalar replied. 'I didn't know you had come. How long have you been here?'
'We arrived before noon, but we shared a meal with the Second Cave before we set up camp. The leader's mate is a far cousin of mine. I didn't even know she had two-born-together.'
'You're related to Beladora? Kimeran and I are age-mates; we went through our manhood rites together,' Jondalar explained. 'I was the tallest one there and felt out of place, until Kimeran came. I was so glad to see him.'
'I understand how you felt, and you are even taller than me.' Galliadal turned his attention to Ayla. 'Greeting to you,' he said, grasping her outstretched hands.
'In the name of the Great Mother of all, welcome,' Ayla replied.
'And who is this pretty little thing?' the visitor said, smiling at the baby.
'This is Jonayla,' Ayla said.
'Jon-Ayla! Your daughter, with his eyes, that's a good name,' Galliadal said. 'I hope you are coming tonight. I have a special story for you.'
'For me?' Ayla said with surprise.
'Yes. It's about a woman who has a special way with animals. It's been very well liked everywhere we've been,' Galliadal said with a big grin.
'Do you know someone who understands animals? I'd like to meet her,' Ayla said.
'You already know her.'
'But, the only person I know like that is me,' Ayla said, then blushed when she understood.
'Of course! I couldn't pass up such a good story, but I don't give her your name, and I changed some other things. Many people ask if the story is about you, but I never tell them. It makes it more interesting. I'll be telling it when we get a good crowd. Come and listen.'
'Oh, we will,' Jondalar said. He had been watching Ayla and from her expression, he didn't think she was particularly happy about the idea of a Storyteller making up stories about her and telling them to all the Caves. He knew many people who would love the attention, but he didn't think that she would. She already got more attention than she wanted, but he couldn't blame Galliadal. He was a storyteller and Ayla's story was a good one.
'It's about you, too, Jondalar. I couldn't leave you out,' the Storyteller said, with a wink. 'You're the one who was gone on a Journey for five years and brought her back with you.'
Jondalar winced to himself to hear that; it wasn't the first time that stories had been told about him, and they weren't always ones he wanted to have spread around. But it was best not to complain or make anything out of it; that would just add to the story. Storytellers loved to tell stories about individuals who were known, and people loved to hear them. Sometimes they used real names and other times, especially if they wanted to embellish the story, they would make up a name so people would have to guess who the story was about. Jondalar grew up hearing such stories, and he loved them, too, but he loved the Elder Legends and Histories of the Zelandonii better. He'd heard many stories about his mother when she was leader of the Ninth Cave, and the story about the great love of Marthona and Dalanar had been told so many times, it was almost legend.
Ayla and Jondalar chatted with him a while, then wandered toward the camp of the Third Cave, stopping along the way to talk with various people they knew. As the evening deepened, it grew quite dark. Ayla stopped for a moment to look up. The moon was new, and without its glowing light to moderate their brilliance, the stars filled the night sky with an awe-inspiring profusion.
'The sky is so … full … I don't know the right word,' Ayla said, feeling a touch of impatience with herself. 'It is beautiful, but more than that. It makes me feel small, but in a way that makes me feel good. It is greater than us,
