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He dove into the water and swam upstream, almost as far as the falls When he returned to the beach, he put his breechclout on and hurried up to the cave A roast was on, s delicious He was so relaxed and happy, he couldn’t believe it

“I’lad you’re back It will take soet too late” She picked up a bowl of stea liquid with horsetail ferns in it, for her hair, and a newly cured skin for a fresh wrap

“Take as long as you need,” he said, kissing her lightly

She started down, then stopped and turned around “I like that mouth on mouth, Jondalar That kiss,” she said

“I hope you like the rest,” he said after she left

He walked around the cave, seeing everything with new eyes He checked the haunch of roasting bison and turned the spit, noticed she had wrapped some roots in leaves and put them near coals, and then found the hot tea she had ready for hiht

He saw his sleeping furs on the other side of the fireplace, frowned, and then, with great delight, picked theht the them, he went back for the bundle that held his tools, then reun to carve He sat on the round and opened the deerskin-wrapped package

He examined the piece of ure and decided to finish it

Maybe he wasn’t the best of carvers, but it didn’t seeht to have one of the Mother’s most important cere burins and took the ivory outside

He sat at the edge, carving, shaping, sculpting, but he realized the ivory was not turning out to be a woman The hair that he had intended to reseed forestive of braids, tight braids all over the head, except for the face The face was blank No face was ever carved on a donii, who could bear to look upon the face of the Mother? Who could know it? She was all women, and none

He stopped carving and looked upstreah she said she wanted to be alone Could he bring her Pleasure? he wondered He had never doubted himself when he was called upon for First Rites at Su women understood the customs and knehat to expect They had older women to explain it to them

Should I try to explain? No, you don’t knohat to say, Jondalar Just show her She will let you know if she doesn’t like anything That’s one of herqualities, her honesty No coy little ways It’s refreshing

What would it be like to show the Mother’s Gift of Pleasure to a won enjoyment?

Why should she be any different from any other woman at First Rites? Because she’s not like any other woreat pain What if you can’t overco? What if she can’t enjoy the Pleasures, what if you can’t et If I could draw her to me, overcome her resistance and capture her spirit

Capture her spirit?

He looked at the figure in his hand, and suddenly his e of an animal on a weapon, or on the Sacred Walls? To approach the mother-spirit of it, to overcome her resistance and capture the essence

Don’t be ridiculous, Jondalar You can’t capture Ayla’s spirit that way It wouldn’t be right, no one puts a face on a donii Huht capture a spirit’s essence But to ould it be captive?

No one should hold another person’s spirit captive Give the donii to her! She’d have her spirit back then, wouldn’t she? If you kept it just for a while, then gave it to her … afterward

If you put her face on it, would it turn her into a donii? You alic ith aniht decide to capture your spirit Would that be so bad?

You want a piece to stay with you, Jondalar The piece of the spirit that always stays in the hands of the maker You want that part of her, don’t you?

O Great Mother, tellto do? To put her face on a donii?

He stared at the sure he had carved Then he took up a burin and began to carve the shape of a face, a familiar face

When it was done, he held the ivory figurine up and turned it around slowly A real carver ht have done it better, but it wasn’t bad It rese than the actual likeness; his feeling of her He went back inside the cave and tried to think of a place to put it The donii should be nearby, but he didn’t want her to see it, yet He saw a bundle of leather wrapped up near the wall by her bed, and he tucked the ivory figure in a flap of it

He went back out and looked off the far edge What’s taking her so long? He looked over the two bison that were laid out side by side They would keep The spears and spear throere leaning against the stone wall near the entrance He picked them up and carried theravel pattering on stone He turned around