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“What is the Gift of Pleasure?”

“That’s right! You’ve never known Pleasures, have you?” he said, amazed when he considered the idea “No wonder you didn’t knohen I … You’re a wo First Rites Your Clan must be very unusual Everyone I met on my Journey knew about the Mother and Her Gifts The Gift of Pleasure is when a ive themselves to each other”

“It is when a man is full and ht?” Ayla said “It’s when he puts his organ in the place where babies come out That is the Gift of Pleasure?”

“It’s that, but it’s much more”

“Perhaps, but everyone toldThey were all surprised He wasn’t deformed, either He just looked a little like iving nant No one else wantedthere wasn’t a h I had Iza’s status when they accepted hter”

Soed at him, but floated just out of reach

“You said the medicine woman found you—as her name? Iza? Where did she find you? Where did you come from?”

“I don’t know Iza said I was born to the Others, other people likebefore I lived with the Clan—I didn’t even remember my mother’s face You are the only man I’ve seen who looks like me”

Jondalar was feeling an uneasiness in the pit of his stomach as he listened

“I learned about aIt irl that resembled Durc sobetween her daughter and my son They said her baby was deformed, too, but I think that man of the Others started her baby when he forced her to relieve his needs with him”

“The man forced her?”

“And killed her first daughter, too Oda ith two other wonal When one of therabbed her, Oda’s first baby fell and hit her head on a rock”

Suddenly Jondalar re men from a Cave far to the west He wanted to reject the conclusions he was beginning to draw Yet, if one gang of youngyou are not like the Clan How are they different?”

“They’re shorter—that’s why I was so surprised when you stood up I’ve always been taller than everyone, including the ly”

“What else?” He didn’t want to ask, but he couldn’t stop himself He had to know

“Their eyes are brown Iza thought so with my eyes because they were the color of the sky Durc has their eyes, and the … I don’t kno to say it, the big brows, but his forehead is like mine Their heads are flatter …”

“Flatheads!” His lips pulled back in disgust “Good Mother, Ayla! You’ve been living with those aniave birth to … an abomination of h he had touched so filthy, Jondalar backed away and jumped up It was a reaction born of irrational prejudice, of harsh, unthinking assumptions, never questioned by most people he knew

Ayla didn’t comprehend at first, and she looked at him with a puzzled frown But his expression was filled with loathing, just as hers hen she thought of hyenas Then his words took on

Ani hyenas! Gentle loving Creb, as nonetheless the most awesome and powerful holy man of the Clan—Creb was an aniht herhyena? And Durc! Her son!