page41 (2/2)

Rather than having to learn and memorize, as Ayla did, Clan children only had to be “reer their inherent racial reat deal about their ancient world and how to live in it, and once they learned soot; but unlike Ayla and her kind, they did not learn new things easily Change was hard for theht change with them

Whinney and Racer were not where she had left the farther up the valley, away from the more well-used area that was close to the confluence of Wood River with The River When Whinney saw her, the mare dropped her head, flipped it up, and described a circle in the air with her nose Then she arched her neck, lowered her head, and, with tail outstretched, ran toward the woside his dah-stepping toward her in a s canter

They nickered greetings Ayla responded in kind and s Clan signs and the language of words she had invented for herself in her valley It was the way she had talked to Whinney fro, and the way she still talked to the horses She knew they didn’t entirely understand her, but they did recognize sonals, as well as the tone of voice that conveyed her delight in seeing them

“You certainly are full of yourselves today Do you knoe’ve reached the end of our Journey and won’t be traveling anymore?” she continued “Do you like this place? I hope so” She reached out to scratch the mare in the places she liked, and then the stallion, then she felt around Whinney’s sides and belly, trying to deter a foal after her tryst with the stallion

“It’s too early to tell for sure, but I think you are going to have a baby, too, Whinney Even I don’t show that much yet and I’ve already missed my second moon time” She examined herself the sa, my waist is thicker, er “And I get sick in the , “but only a little when I first get up, not like before, when I was sick all the tinant, but I’o for a ride Hoould you like a little exercise, Whinney?”

The horse flipped up her head again, as if in reply

I wonder where Jondalar is? I trunk I’ll look for hiet the riding blanket, too, it is more comfortable, but bareback for now

With a practiced, fluid rabbed the end of Whinney’s short, stand-up mane and leapt onto her back, then headed toward the abri She directed the horse with the tension of her leg , it was second nature—but she let the o at her own pace and just rode She heard Racer following behind, as he was accusto

I wonder how long I’ll be able to ju to reach her back when I get big, Ayla thought, then she aloing to have a baby Her thoughts strayed back to the long Journey they had just completed, and to the day before She had met so many people, it was hard to reht: most people were not bad I shouldn’t let the feho are unpleasant—Marona, and Brukeval when he behaved like Broud—spoil good feelings toward the rest I wonder why it’s easier to remember the bad ones Maybe because there aren’t many

The day arm; the hot sun warmed even the steady wind As Ayla neared a small tributary, not , she looked upstrea down the rock face She felt thirsty and, re, turned toward the water glinting down the side of the cliff

She got off her horse, and they all took a drink from the pool at the bottom of the falls, Ayla fro with the cold, fresh liquid She sat there a while, feeling refreshed and still a bit indolent, picking up s them into the water Her eyes scanned the unfamiliar terra

in, unconsciously noting details She picked up another stone, rolled it in her hand, feeling the texture, looking at it but not seeing it, then tossed it

It took a while for the character of the stone to penetrate her consciousness Then she scraain, and when she picked it up—or one like it—she looked at it old nodule, with the sharp angles and flat sides of its inherent crystal structure Suddenly she reached for the flint knife she carried in the sheath on her belt and struck the stone with the back of it Sparks flew! She struck it again

“This is a firestone!” she shouted aloud

She hadn’t seen any since she left her valley She looked closely at the stones and pebbles on the ground in and near the streambed, and spied another piece of iron pyrite, and then another She picked up several as her exciterew