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Though Ayla kept her voice neutral and told the story with signs and ht up in her tale To them, totems were an aspect of the Mother and they understood the disasters that the Great Earth Mother could wreak when she was not happy

“Iza tolda river when they saw carrion birds circling overhead Brun and Grod sawfor food, and would have been glad if the carrion birds had spotted prey killed by a hunting ani enough to take soht I was dead, but they don’t eat people, not even one of the Others”

There was a grace and easy flow to Ayla’s estures with practiced ease “When Iza saw round beside the river, she stopped to look She was acat, she thought probably a cave lion, and the wound had festered At first, she thought I was dead, too, but then she heard me moan, so she exa She asked Brun, the leader, as her sibling, if she could take me with them He did not forbid it”

“Good!” “Yes!” came responses from the audience Jondalar smiled to himself

“Iza was pregnant at the time, but she picked ht She wasn’t sure if her medicine would work on the Others, but she knew of a case where it had before, so she decided to try She made a poultice to draw out the infection She carried me all the next day, too I remember the first time I woke up and saw her face, I screamed, but she held me and comforted me By the third day, I was able to walk a little, and by then, Iza decided I was meant to be her child”

Ayla stopped there There was a profound silence It was astory

“How old were you?” Proleva finally asked

“Iza told ht I could count about five years at the tie of Jaradal, or Robenan,” she added, looking at Solaban

“Did you say all that with the gestures, too?” Solaban asked “Can they really say so much without words?”

“There is not a sign for every word I said, but they would have understood essentially the sae is ; even a flicker of an eyelid or a nod of the head can convey ”

“But with that kind of language,” Jondalar added, “they cannot tell a lie If they tried, an expression or posture would give them away When I firstthat is not true She even had trouble understanding what I h she understands now, she still can’t do it Ayla can’t lie She never learned how That’s how she was raised”

“Therewithout words,” Marthona said quietly

“I think it is obvious froe is a natural way of co to herself that herAnd what reason would she have to lie about it—could it be true that she can’t tell a lie? She wasn’t entirely convinced, but Jondalar’s arguments had been persuasive

“Tell us more about your life with them,” Zelandoni of the Eleventh said “You don’t have to continue with the signs, unless you want to It is beautiful to watch, but I think you have made your point You said they buried their dead I’d like to know more of their burial practices”

“Yes, they bury their dead I was there when Iza died”