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“Don-da-lah,” Ayla said when the moment passed “What is word … ha-ha-ha-ha?”
“Laugh? Laughter?”
“What is … right word?”
“They’re both right When we do it, you say, ‘We laugh’ When you talk about it, you say ‘the laughter,’ ” he explained
Ayla thought for a while There was more in what he said than the way to use that word; there wasthan words She already knew ain when she tried to express her thoughts There was a way they were put together, and a h she understood Jondalar for theher a hint She was understanding as much frouage But she felt the lack of precision and depth in their conversation Worse, though, was the sense that she knew, if she could just remember, and the unbearable tension, like a hard painful knot trying to burst apart, that she felt whenever she ca
“Don-da-lah laugh?”
“Yes, that’s right”
“Ayla laugh Ayla like laugh”
“Right now, Jondalar ‘like go out,’ ” he replied “Where are my clothes?”
Ayla got the pile of clothing she had cut off him They were in shreds from the lion’s claws and discolored with brown stains Beads and other ele off the decorated shirt
The sight of the to Jondalar “Iup the trousers stiff with his own dried blood “These are not fit to wear”
Ayla was thinking the saht back an unused skin and long strips of thong, and started to wrap it around his waist, in the manner of men of the Clan
“I’ll do it, Ayla,” he said, putting the soft leather between his legs and pulling it up front and back for a breechclout “But I could use a little help,” he added, struggling to tie a thong around his waist to hold it on
She helped hi her shoulder for support, she indicated that he should put pressure on the leg He put his foot down firerly It was an to doubt that he couldhis resolve, he leaned heavily on Ayla and took a s step, then another When they reached the mouth of the se and the tall pine trees growing near the opposite wall
She left hi on to the firrass et the best view of the valley Then she went back to help hiether pleased with himself when he finally settled down on the fur and had his first look around
Whinney and her colt were in the field; they had left shortly after Ayla had brought thereen and lush paradise tucked into the arid steppes He would not have guessed such a place existed He turned toward the narrow gorge upstream and the portion of the rock-strewn beach not hidden froreen valley that extended downstream all the way to the far turn
The first conclusion he reached was that Ayla lived here alone There was no indication of any other human habitation She sat with him a while, then went into the cave and returned with a handful of grain She pursed her lips, , e nearby Jondalar was puzzled until a bird landed and began pecking at the seeds Soon a host of birds of various sizes and colors whirred down around her with fluttering wings, and with quick jerky rains
Their songs—warbles, trills, and squawks—filled the air as they squabbled for position with a display of puffed-up feathers Jondalar had to look then he discovered thatwere e of sounds, and, when she settled on one particular voice, a certain bird would clier and stay there when she lifted it and warbled a duet A few tih for Jondalar to touch before it fluttered away
When the seeds were gone, e a song with Ayla She mimicked the thrush’s rich musical medley perfectly
Jondalar took a deep breath when it fleay He’d been holding it in, trying not to disturb the avian show Ayla was putting on “Where did you learn that? It was exciting, Ayla I’ve never been so close to living birds before”
She smiled at him, not sure exactly what he said, but aware that he was i he would tell her the name of the bird, but he only smiled in appreciation of her expertise She tried another and still another before she gave up He didn’t understand what she wanted, but another thought caused a frown to crease his forehead She could make bird sounds better than the Sha with Mother spirits in the form of birds? A bird swooped down and landed at her feet He eyed it warily
The fleeting apprehension passed quickly in the joy of being outside to soak up sunshine, feel the breeze, and look at the valley Ayla was full of joy, too, because of his coe that she did not want to blink; if she shut her eyes, he one when she opened them When she finally convinced herself of his substantiality, she closed her eyes to see how long she could deny herself—just for the pleasure of seeing hi sound of his voice, if he happened to speak while her eyes were closed, was a windfall of delight
As the sun rose andstreaone her usualswim, unable to leave Jondalar alone for fear soht arise But he was much better now, and he could call out if he needed her
“Ayla go water,” she said,motions
“Swi sio with you”
“Sssvim,” she said slowly
“Swim,” he corrected
“Su-iain, and, when he nodded, she started down It will be so so well I think he’ll be able to use it Maybe a sh to slow him down, I hope
When she reached the beach and untied the thong of her wrap, she decided to wash her hair as well She went downstream for soaproot She looked up, saw Jondalar, and waved at hiht She sat on the edge of a huge chunk of rock that until the spring before had been part of the wall, and began to uncoil her hair A new pool that had not been there before the rearrange place It was deeper, and in the rock nearby was a basinlike depression which she used to pound the saponin out of the soaproots
Jondalar saw her again after she rinsed and swa strokes She lazily paddled back down to the rock and, sitting on it, let the sun dry her while she used a twig to pull tangles out of her hair, then brushed it with a teasel By the tih Jondalar hadn’t called to her, she began to worry about hiht One look at her wrap made her decide she wanted a clean one She picked it up and carried it up the path
Jondalar was feeling the sun,when he and Thonolan had set out, and the small amount of protective tan he had acquired after they left the Ma the time inside Ayla’s cave He still had a winter pallor, or he did until he caone when he first becanore it, not wanting to disturb the wo a few moments for herself a
fter her attentive care He began wondering as taking her so long, wishing she would hurry, glancing toward the top of the path, then up and down the streaht have decided to take another swim
He was looking the other hen Ayla arrived at the top of the wall, and one look at his angry red back was enough to fill her with shame Look at that sunburn! What kind of ? She hurried toward him