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“You saw a dirk-toothed tiger! I didn’t know they were real! One old s about seeing one when he was young, but not everyone believed hi he could have been with her

She nodded and shivered, tightening her shoulders and shutting her eyes “Make Whinney fright Stalk Sling o Whinney, I run”

Jondalar’s eyes opened wide at her halting recitation of the incident “You drove off a dirk-toothed tiger with your sling? Good Mother, Ayla!”

“Much o” She wanted to say more, to describe the incident, to express her fear, to share it with him, but she didn’t have the means She was too tired to visualize the motions and then try to think how the words fit in

No wonder she’s exhausted, Jondalar thought Maybe I shouldn’t have suggested checking the fire, but she did get two deer That took nerve, though, facing down a dirk-toothed tiger She is quite a woman

Ayla looked at her hands, then headed down the path to the beach again She took the torch which Jondalar had left stuck in the ground, carried it to the streaweed, she crushed the leaves and roots in her hand, wet the mixture, and added a bit of sand Then she scoured her hands, cleaned the travel grime off her face, and went back up

Jondalar had started cooking rocks heating, and she was grateful A cup of hot tea was just what she wanted She had left food behind for hi her to cook She couldn’t worry about meals now She had two deer to skin and cut up into pieces for drying

She had searched for animals that were not scorched, since she wanted the hides But when she started to work, she remembered that she had planned to make some new sharp knives Knives dulled with use—tiny spalls breaking off along the cutting edge It was usually easier to make new ones and then turn the old into some other tool, such as a scraper

The dull knife pushed her beyond her limit She hacked at the hide while tears of weariness and defeat filled her eyes and spilled over

“Ayla, what’s wrong?” Jondalar asked

She only hacked more violently at the deer She couldn’t explain He took the dull knife out of her hand and pulled her up “You’re tired Why don’t you go lie down and rest for a while?”

She shook her head, though she desperately wanted to do as he said “Skin deer, dry meat No wait, hyena come”

He didn’t bother to suggest they bring the deer in; she wasn’t thinking clearly “I’ll watch it,” he said “You need some rest Go in and lie down, Ayla”

Gratitude filled her He would watch it! She hadn’t thought to ask hi so with relief, and fell onto her furs She wanted to tell Jondalar how grateful she was, and she felt tears rise again, knowing that her attempt would be ineffectual She couldn’t talk!

Jondalar caht, occasionally standing and watching the sleeping woman, his brow furroith concern She was restless, flailing her aribly in her dreams

Ayla alking through fog, crying for help A tall woman, shrouded in mist, her face indistinct, held out her aro?” Ayla muttered “Why didn’t you come when I called you I called and called, but you never caain! Stay here! Mother, wait for me! Don’t leave me!”

The vision of the tall woman faded, and the mists cleared In her place stood another wohtly boith an outward curvature, but she walked straight and upright Her nose was large and aquiline, with a high pro forward, was chinless Her forehead was low and sloped back, but her head was very large, her neck short and thick Heavy brow ridges shaded large brown intelligent eyes that were filled with love and sorrow

She beckoned “Iza!” Ayla cried out to her “Iza, help me! Please help me!” But Iza only looked at her quizzically “Iza, don’t you hear me? Why can’t you understand?”

“No one can understand you if you don’t talk properly,” said another voice She saw aa staff to help him walk He was old and lame One arm had been amputated at the elbow The left side of his face was hideously scarred, and his left eye was th, wisdom, and compassion “You estures, but she could hear him He spoke with Jondalar’s voice

“How can I talk? I can’t remember! Help me, Creb!”

“Your tote-ur said

With a tawny flash, the feline sprang for the aurochs and wrestled the huge reddish broild cow to the ground bawling in terror Ayla gasped, and the dirk-toothed tiger snarled at her, fangs and rowing longer, and sharper She was in a tiny cave trying to squeeze herself into the solid rock at her back A cave lion roared

“No! No!” she cried