moved past the opening, and this one felt close and confined, but maybe it was just that she'd had her fill of caves for a while. She just wanted to go home.
When they arrived at the Ninth Cave, they found that more people had come home from the Summer Meeting, though some were planning to leave again soon. They had brought with them a young man who was smiling shyly at a woman seated near him. His hair was light brown and his eyes were grey. Ayla recognised Matagan, the young man of the Fifth Cave who had been gored in the leg by a woolly rhinoceros the year before.
Ayla and Jondalar had been returning from their period of isolation after their Matrimonial when they saw several young men — inexperienced boys, really — who were baiting a huge, full-grown rhino. The youngsters had been sharing one of the bachelor fa'lodges, some for the first time, and were full of themselves, sure they would live forever. When they saw the woolly rhinoceros, they decided to hunt it themselves without going to find an older, more experienced hunter. They were thinking only of the praise and glory they would get when the people at the Summer Meeting saw their kill.
They were really quite young; some had barely gained hunter status, and only one of them had even seen hunters baiting a rhino, though they had all heard of the technique. They didn't know how deceptively quick the huge creature could be, or how important it was to keep focused and not allow their attention to stray for a moment. That was all it had taken. The rhino had shown signs of tiring, and the boy hadn't kept his attention closely enough on the animal. When it came for him, Matagan was unable to move fast enough. He was badly gored in the right leg below the knee. The injury was severe, with the lower part of his leg bent sharply backward and the jagged broken bones sticking out of the profusely bleeding wound. He would likely have died if Ayla hadn't happened to be there and, from her training in the Clan, knew how to set a broken leg and staunch the bleeding.
When he did survive, the fear was that he might never walk on that leg again. He did walk, but there was permanent damage and some paralysis. He could get around fairly well, but his ability to crouch down or stalk an animal was severely curtailed; he would never be a really good hunter. That was when discussions began about him becoming an apprentice to Jondalar to learn flint-knapping. The boy's mother and her mate, plus Kemordan, the leader of the Fifth Cave, Joharran, Jondalar, and Ayla, since he would be staying with them, had finally settled everything at the Summer Meeting before they left. Ayla liked the youngster and approved of the arrangement. The boy needed to have a skill that would give him respect and status, and she remembered when they were travelling, how much Jondalar had enjoyed teaching his craft to anyone willing to learn, especially youngsters. But she had hoped for a day or so of rest and quiet alone in her home. She took a deep, silent breath and walked over to greet Matagan. He smiled when he saw her coming, and hurried to scramble to his feet.
'Greetings, Matagan,' she said, reaching for both of his hands. 'In the name of the Great Earth Mother, I welcome you.' She looked him over closely in her inconspicuous way, and noted that he seemed rather tall for his age, though he was still young and had not reached his full height. She hoped his injured leg would continue to grow to match the length of his good leg. It was hard to tell how tall he would be, but his limp could get worse if his legs became unequal in size.
'In the name of Doni, I greet you, Ayla,' he replied, the polite greeting he had been taught to use.
Jonayla, tied to her mother's back with the carrying blanket, squirmed to see to whom she was talking. 'I think Jonayla wants to greet you, too,' Ayla said, loosening her blanket and shifting her around to the front. The baby sat wide-eyed in her mother's arms looking at the young man; then suddenly she smiled and held out her arms to him. Ayla was surprised.
He smiled back. 'Can I hold her? I know how. I have a sister a little older than her,' Matagan said.
And he's probably homesick and lonesome for her already, Ayla thought, as she handed Jonayla to him. It was obvious that he was comfortable holding a baby. 'Do you have many brothers and sisters?' she asked.
'I guess so. She's the youngest, I'm the oldest, and there are four in between, including two born together,' he said.
'I think you must be quite a help to your mother. She is going to miss you. How many years do you count?' she said.
'I'm a thirteen-year,' he said. He became aware of her unusual accent again. When he had first heard the foreign woman speak, the year before, he had thought her accent was quite strange, but when he was recovering, especially when he woke up after the accident and was in so much pain, he grew to look forward to that accent because she invariably brought some relief. And although the other Zelandonia also checked on him, she came regularly, and stayed to talk to him and straighten his bedding to make him comfortable, as well as giving him medicine.
'And you have reached your manhood and had your rites last summer,' a voice behind Ayla said. It was Jondalar, who had been hearing the conversation as he approached them. The style of Matagan's clothing, the patterns that had been sewn on them, and the beads and jewellery he wore told Jondalar that the youngster was considered a man of the Fifth Cave of the Zelandonii.
'Yes, last summer at the Meeting,' Matagan said. 'Before I was hurt.'
'Now that you are a man, it's time for you to learn a skill. Have you done much flint-knapping?'
'Some. I can make a spear point and a knife, or re-shape one that is broken. They aren't the best, but they work,' the boy said.
'Perhaps the question I should ask is, do you like working the flint?' Jondalar said.
'I like it when it goes right. Sometimes it doesn't.'
Jondalar smiled. 'Even for me, sometimes it doesn't,' he said. 'Have you eaten?'
'I just finished,' Matagan said.
'Well, we haven't yet,' Jondalar said. 'We just got back from a short trip to see some of our neighbours and find out if they suffered any injuries or damage from the earthquake. You know that Ayla is Acolyte to the First, don't you?'
'I think everyone knows that,' he said, shifting Jonayla around to lean against his shoulder.
'Did you feel the earthquake?' Ayla asked. 'Was anyone in your travelling party hurt?'
'We felt it. Some people were knocked down, but no one was really hurt,' he said. 'I think everyone was scared, though. I know I was.'
'I can't think of anyone who wouldn't be afraid during an earthquake. We'll get something to eat; then we'll show you where you can stay. We haven't set anything up special, yet, but we'll work it out later,' Jondalar said as they headed toward the other side of the shelter where people were gathered.
Ayla reached for Jonayla.
'I can hold her while you get some food,' Matagan said. 'If she'll let me.'
'Let's see if she will,' Ayla said, turning toward the firepit where the food had been set out. Suddenly Wolf appeared. He had stopped for water when they reached the Ninth Cave, and then found that someone had put some food in his bowl. Matagan's eyes opened wider with surprise, but he had seen the wolf before and he didn't seem overly frightened of the animal. Ayla had introduced the wolf to Matagan the year before when she was taking care of him, and the animal sniffed the young man who was holding the baby of his pack, and recognised his scent. When the boy sat down, the wolf sat down beside him. Jonayla seemed happy with the arrangement.
By the time they finished eating, it was getting dark. There were always some prepared torches ready for lighting near the main fire where the group often gathered and Jondalar took one and lit it. They all had travelling gear with them — backframes, sleeping rolls, travelling tents. Jondalar helped Ayla with some of hers, while she carried the baby, but Matagan seemed to be able to handle his own, including a sturdy staff that he sometimes used to walk with. He didn't seem to need it all the time. Ayla suspected he had used it on the long walk from the Sun View, the place of the Summer Meeting, to the Ninth Cave, but probably could get by just fine for shorter distances.
When they reached their dwelling, Jondalar went in first, lighting the way, and held open the drape across the entrance. Matagan went in next, followed by Ayla.
'Why don't you set up your sleeping roll here in the main room near the fire for now. We'll work out something better tomorrow,' Jondalar said, suddenly wondering how long Matagan would be living with them.
Chapter 18
