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The first animal she was sure he killed himself was a hare It was one of the few times her stone slipped She knew she had made a bad throw—the stone came to rest only a few feet beyond her—but the ive chase She found hi the animal

“Hoonderful you are, Baby!” She praised hins, as all Clan boys were praised when they killed their first small animal The lion didn’t understand what she said, but he understood he had pleased her Her s Though he was young for it, he had satisfied his own instinctive need to hunt, and he had received approval from the dominant member of his pride He had done well and he knew it

The first cold winds of winter brought falling tee of the strea woetable foods and meat for herself, and an extra store of dried meat for Baby But she kneould not last hirain and hay for Whinney, but for the horse the fodder was a luxury, not a necessity Horses foraged all winter, though when the snow lay deep they knew hunger until dry winds cleared it away, and not all survived the cold season

Predators foraged all winter as well, culling out the weak, leavingThe populations of predators and prey rose and fell in cycles, but overallthe years when there were fewer grazers and browsers, more carnivores starved Winter was the hardest season for all

With the corew round was frozen rock hard HerMost small animals hibernated or lived in nests on food they had stored— them hard to find, especially without the ability to scent therowing cave lion fed

During the early part of the season, after the weather turned cold enough to keep the id and, later, freeze it, she tried to kill asthem under caches of piled stones But she wasn’t as familiar with the herds’ patterns of winter movement, and her efforts were not as successful as she hoped Though her worries caused an occasional sleepless night, she never regretted picking up the cub and taking hi woht on by the long winter Instead, her laughter often filled the cave

Whenever she went out and began uncovering a new cache, Baby was there trying to get at the frozen carcass before she had hardly removed a stone

“Baby! Get out of the way!” She sle his way under the rocks He dragged the stiff anih he knew it had been used before by cave lions, he made the sht the cached animals there to thaw He liked to worry off a frozen hunk first, gnawing at it with relish Ayla waited until it was thawed before cutting off a piece for herself

As the supply ofthe weather When a clear, crisp, cold day dawned, she decided it was time to hunt—or at least to try She did not have a specific plan inabout it She hoped an idea would occur to her while she was out, or at least that a better look at the terrain and conditions would open up so, and she didn’t want to wait until all the stored one

Baby knew they were going hunting as soon as she pulled out Whinney’s pack baskets, and he ran in and out of the cave excitedly, growling and pacing in anticipation Whinney, tossing her head and nickering, was just as pleased at the prospect By the time they reached the cold sunny steppes, Ayla’s tension and worry had begun losing ground to hope and the pleasure of the activity

The steppes hite with a thin layer of fresh snow that was hardly disturbed by a light wind The air had a static crackle of cold so intense, the bright sun ht it shed They breathed out streamers of vapor with every exhalation, and the build-up of frost around Whinney’s rateful for the wolverine hood and the extra furs all her hunting had made available to wear

She glanced down at the supple feline race, and with a shock she realized that Baby was nearly as long, fro the sht The adolescent s of a reddish mane, and Ayla wondered why she hadn’t noticed it before Suddenlyahead, his tail held stiffly out behind him

Ayla wasn’t used to tracking in winter on the steppes, but even from horseback the spoor of wolves was evident in the snow The pawprints were clear and sharp, not eroded by wind or sun, and evidently fresh Baby pulled ahead; they were near She urged Whinney to a gallop and caught up with Baby just in ti around an old a antelope

The young lion saw them, too, and, unable to control his excite the herd and disrupting the wolves’ attack The surprised and disgruntled wolves e Baby He’s just excitable, she thought, we haven’t hunted in so long

Springing in a bounded across the plains The wolf pack regrouped and followed at a round quickly but wouldn’t tire theain When Ayla coave Baby a stern look of disapproval He fell back beside her, but he’d enjoyed himself too much to be contrite

As Ayla, Whinney, and Baby followed the wolves, an idea was beginning to take shape in the woa antelope with her sling, but she knew she could kill a wolf She didn’t care for the taste of wolf h, he’d eat it, and he was the reason for hunting

The wolves had picked up their pace The old a had dropped behind the main herd, too exhausted to keep up Ayla leaned forward and Whinney increased her speed The wolves circled the old buck, wary of hooves and horns Aylainto the pouching fold of her fur for stones, she selected a particular wolf As Whinney’s pounding hooves closed, she let fly with a stone, and then with a second in quick succession

Her aiht the ensuing commotion was the result of her kill Then she saw the real cause Baby had taken her sling cast as the signal to chase, but he wasn’t interested in the wolf, not when the far ht The wolf pack relinquished the field to the galloping horse with a sling-wielding woe of the lion

But Baby wasn’t quite the hunter he strove to be—not yet His attack lacked the strength and finesse of a full-grown lion It took her aaniht Then she quickly corrected herself Of course, he had chosen the right ani to the fleeing buck to whoth

Ayla grabbed a spear froency, raced after the old saiga The antelope’s spurt of speed was short-lived He was slowing The speeding horse quickly closed the gap Ayla poised the spear and, just as they ca with sheer primal exuberance

She wheeled the horse around and trotted back to find the young cave lion standing over the old buck Then, for the first tih it still lacked the full-throated thunder of the adult male’s, Baby’s triumphant roar carried the promise of

its potential Even Whinney shied at the sound

Ayla slid off the ht, Whinney It’s only Baby”

Not considering that the lion ht object and could inflict serious injury, Ayla pushed hi it back He gave way to her do else that was uniquely Ayla: her confidence in her love for him