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“But Durc was -ur will never come back,’ he said ‘Our toteone away We should leave, too’
“ ‘We cannot leave our home,’ the leader said ‘This is where the Clan has always lived It is the home of our ancestors It is the hoone away They are unhappy with us, but they would be more unhappy without a place, away from the home they know We cannot leave and take theo?’
“ ‘Our toteued ‘If we find a better ho the birds that flee from the cold in autuo where Ice Mountain cannot reach us Ice Mountain moves sloe can run like the wind He would never catch us If we stay here, ill freeze’
“ ‘No We -ur He will return and tell us what to do,’ the leader commanded But Durc would not listen to his sound advice He pleaded and argued with the People and a feere swayed They decided to leave with Durc
“ ‘Stay,’ the others begged ‘Stay until the -ur returns’
“Durc would not pay attention ‘The -ur will not find the spirits He will never return We are leaving now Come with us to find a new place where Ice Mountain cannot live’
“ ‘No,’ they replied ‘We ait’
“Mothers and theirmen and wo-ur, but after -ur still hadn’t returned, they began to doubt They began to wonder if they should have left with Durc
“Then, one day, the Clan saw a strange ani, an anihtened and stared in wonder They had never seen such an animal before But when it ca-ur! He was covered with the fur of a cave bear He had finally come back He told the Clan what he had learned from Ursus, the Spirit of the Great Cave Bear
“Ursus taught the People to live in caves, to wear the fur of aniather in the summer and save food for winter The People of the Clan always reh Ice Mountain tried, he could not drive the People from their home No matter how much cold and snow Ice Mountain sent before hiet out of his way
“Finally, Ice Mountain gave up He sulked and wouldn’t fight the Sun anyry because Ice Mountain would not fight and refused to help him anymore Ice Mountain left the land and went back to his horeat cold left with him The Sun exulted at his victory and chased him all the way to his northern horeat heat and he was defeated Fordays of summer
“But Granular Snow grieved for her lost child, and the grief ht Dry Snoanted her to have another son and asked Stor and he helped Light Dry Snow to bring her nourishain while Light Dry Snow hovered near, sprinkling his spirit for Granular Snow to s She gave birth again to another Ice Mountain, but the People reht them Ice Mountain will never drive the Clan from their home
“And what happened to Durc and those who left with him? It is said by some they were eaten by wolves and lions, and by soreat waters Others say that when they reached the land of the Sun, he becary because Durc and his people wanted his land He sent a ball of fire down from the sky to devour theain”
“You see, Vorn,” Ayla noticed Aga telling her son as she always did after the legend of Durc was told “Youand Brun and Mog-ur You must never disobey and never leave the clan or you may disappear, too”
“Creb,” Ayla said to the ht have found a new place to live? He disappeared, but no one ever saw him die, did they? He could have lived, couldn’t he?”
“No one ever saw hi is difficult when there are only two or three h s anih the winter would be erous And they would have had to live through many winters before they ever reached the land of the Sun Totems want a place to live They would probably desert people andered homeless You wouldn’t want your totem to desert you, would you?”
Ayla unconsciously reached for her ah I was alone and had no home”
“That was because he was testing you He found you a ho totem, Ayla He chose you, he may decide to protect you always because he chose you, but all totems are happier with a home If you pay attention to him, he will help you He will tell you what is best”
“Hoill I know, Creb?” Ayla asked “I have never seen a Cave Lion Spirit How do you knohen a tote?”
“You cannot see the spirit of your totem because he is part of you, inside you Yet, he will tell you Only you must learn to understand If you have a decision to n if you ht choice”
“What kind of sign?”
“It’s hard to say Usually it will be so special or unusual It may be a stone you have never seen before or a root with a special shape that hasfor you You must learn to understand with your heart and mind, not your eyes and ears, then you will know Only you can understand your own totem, no one can tell you how But when the tin your tote you luck”
“Do you have signs fro at the luician’s neck She let the squiro to Iza
“Yes,” he nodded “One is a tooth froiven to me when I was chosen to be an acolyte It wasn’t stuck in a jawbone; it was lying on some stones at my feet I didn’t see it when I sat down It is a perfect tooth, with no decay and no wear It was a sign froht decision”
“Will ns, too?”
“No one can tell Perhaps, when you have important decisions toas you have your amulet so your totem can find you Take care that you never lose your aiven to you when your totenizes Without it, your totem’s spirit will not find his way back when he travels He will get lost and look for his home in the spirit world If you lose your amulet and do not find it quickly, you will die”
Ayla shuddered, felt the s around her neck, and wondered when she would get a sign fron when he decided to leave to find the land of the Sun?”
“No one knows, Ayla It is not a part of the legend”
“I think Durc was brave to try to find a new home”
“He may have been brave, but he was foolish,” Creb answered “He left his clan and the horeat risk For what? To find so et older and wiser, they learn”
“I think I like hiend”