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Carefully, she pulled herself to her knees and finally to her feet, standing only a foot or so below the level of the surrounding snow She took a couple of short steps forward, stas were loose-fitting circles of leather gathered together at the ankle, and two paireveneffect While not exactly snowshoes, they did tend to spread her weight over a larger area, and theytoo deeply into the light powder snow

But the going was hard Sta short steps, occasionally sinking in up to her hips, she worked her way toward the place where the creek had been The snow covering the frozen water wasn’t as deep The wind had piled a huge drift against the wall that held her cave, but in other areas it had swept the ground al to make up her mind whether to follow the frozen creek to the strea way around, or take the steeper, er, she could hardly wait to get back, and she decided on the shorter way She didn’t kno erous it would be

Ayla started out carefully, but it was slow and difficult to pick her way down By the tih in the sky, she was barely halfway down the route that in suo froht rays of the noon sun war tired and a little careless

She started over a bare, ept ridge that led to a steep, smooth, snow-covered slope, and skidded on a patch of scree The loose gravel kicked loose a few larger rocks, which jolted a few more fro it fro at the same time that Ayla lost hers In an instant, she found herself sliding and rolling down the slope, swi snow, a of an avalanche

Creb was lying ahen Iza silently appeared with a cup of hot tea

“I knew you were awake, Creb I thought you ot up The storht”

“I know, I can see blue sky around the wall”

They sat together sipping tea They often sat quietly together lately The hearth felt eirl could leave so large a void Creb and Iza tried to fill it with closeness, deriving comfort from contact with each other, but it was small comfort Uba moped and whined No one could convince the child Ayla was dead; she kept asking for her She would toy with her food, wasting half by spilling or dropping it Then she’d get cranky and wantIza to distraction until she lost her teh had returned, keeping her awake half the night

Creb had aged one near the small cave since the day he set the white bones of the cave bear in two parallel rows, the last one on the left poking into the base of a bear skull and out its left eye socket, and spoke aloud the na the hiain and had no desire to use the beautiful flowing movements used to co serious consideration to stepping down and turning the function of -ur over to Goov Brun tried to convince hiht it up

“What will you do, Mog-ur?”

“What does anyti worse”

“Don’t be hasty, Creb,” the leader ently “Think about it for a while”

Creb thought about it and had just about decided to announce it that day

“I think I’ll let Goov beco beside him

“That can only be your decision, Creb,” she replied She didn’t try to talk him out of it She knew he had no heart for it anyh it had been his entire life

“It’s past the time, isn’t it, Creb?” Iza asked

“Yes, it’s past the time, Iza”

“Hoould she know it’s past the time? No one could see the moon with that storm”

Creb thought about the tiirl how to count the years until she could have a baby, and about the older one who counted the days of the moon’s cycle herself “If she were alive, she’d know, Iza”

“But the storo out in it”

“Don’t think about it Ayla is dead”

“I know it, Creb,” Iza said with hopeless gestures Creb looked at his sibling, thought about her grief, and wanted to give her so

“I shouldn’t say this, Iza, but it’s past the time; her spirit has left this world and the evil ones, too There’s no harm anymore Her spirit talked to me before it left, Iza It said she loved ave in to it But the spirit of a cursed one is theit is real so it can take you with it I alone”

“I know, Creb When her spirit called o on

“Her spirit pleaded with , Iza Water came to its eyes, just like when she was alive That was the worst I think if I hadn’t already thrown it in the fire, I would have given it to her It was the last trick, though That’s when it finally left”

Creb got up, wrapped himself in his fur, and reached for his staff Iza watched him; he seldom left the hearth any ti snow He didn’t return until Iza sent Uba to tell him to come and eat He returned to his post shortly afterward Iza joined him later

“It’s cold here, Creb You shouldn’t stand in the wind like that,” she motioned