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He held the fur around his shoulders aardly It wasn’t right for hi to leave, he should start before the season turns She went to her sleeping place and picked up a bundle that was beside the wall

“Jondalar … ?”

He shook his head to bring himself back to the present and smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes When she started to untie the bundle, so fell out She picked it up

“What is this?” she asked in tones of frightened wonder “How did it get here?”

“It’s a donii,” Jondalar said when he saw the piece of carved ivory

“A donii?”

“I made it for you, for your First Rites A donii should always be present at First Rites”

Ayla bent her head to hide a sudden rush of tears “I don’t knohat to say, I have never seen anything like this She is beautiful She looks real, like a person Almost like me”

He lifted her chin “I meant her to look like you, Ayla A real carver would have done it better … no A real carver would not have made a donii like this I’m not sure if I should have A donii does not usually have a face—the face of the Mother is unknowable To put your face on that donii may have trapped your spirit there That’s why she is yours, to keep in your possession, ift to you”

“I wonder why you put your gift here,” Ayla said as she finished untying the bundle “I made this for you”

He shook out the leather, and saw the garhtened “Ayla! I didn’t know you could do sewing or beadwork,” he said, exa

“I didn’t do the beadwork I justI took apart the other clothes so I’d knohat size and shape to ether so I could see hoas done I used the sewing awl you gave ht, but it worked”

“It’s perfect!” he said, holding the shirt up to himself He tried on the trousers and then the shirt “I’ve been thinking aboutclothes forA breechclout is fine for here, but …”

It was out Spoken aloud Like the evil ones Creb had talked about, whose power caiven when their na had becoht that would soht as their thoughts concentrated on it, until an oppressive physical presence seeo away

Jondalar quickly took the clothes off and folded them into a pile “Thank you, Ayla I can’t tell you how ets colder, they will be perfect, but I don’t need them yet,” he said, and he put the breechclout on

Ayla nodded, not trusting herself to speak She felt a pressure in her eyes, and the ivory figurine blurred She brought it to her breast; she loved it It had been made with his hands He called himself a toolmaker, but he could do so e that gave her the sa of tenderness she had felt when he made her knohat it was to be a woman

“Thank you,” she said, re the courtesy

He frowned “Don’t ever lose it,” he said “With your face on it, and ht not be safe if someone else found it”

“My amulet holds a part of my spirit and my totem’s spirit Now this donii holds a part of my spirit and your Earth Mother’s spirit Does that make it my amulet, too?”

He hadn’t considered that Was she part of the Mother now? One of Earth’s Children? Maybe he shouldn’t have taent of them?