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Jondalar rested on top of her, a moment she had always savored, but then he reht was too much She felt an instant of disappointment when he moved away so soon
As he rolled off to the side, he wondered again if she could be right Was this how that baby had started inside her? Was it his baby, too, as Ayla always insisted? Had the Mother given her children not only this wondrous Gift of Pleasure, but was it Her way of Blessing a woman with new life? Could that be why men were created, to start the new life inside a woht, he wanted it to be true, but hoould he ever know?
After a while, Ayla got up From a travel pack she took a small wooden bowl and poured so Wolf had retreated to his chosen corner near the entrance and greeted her with his usual tentative approach after their Pleasures She snal that he had done well; then, standing over the night basket, she cleaned herself as Iza had taught her when she first became a woman Iza, I know you doubted that I would have need of the training, she thought, but you were right to teachrituals then
Jondalar was half-asleep when she went back to bed He’d been too tired to get up, but she’d air out and brush off their sleeping roll to clean it in theto stay in one place for a while, she would even have tiht Nezzie had shown her how to do it, but it took time and care
Ayla rolled over on her side and Jondalar cuddled up be hind her, resting on his side They were nestled together like two spoons on edge, and he fell asleep holding her, but she was unable to nod off, although she was comfortable and satisfied She had slept , and as she lay awake, she began thinking about the Clan and the Others again Recollections of her life with the to hercomparisons
The same kinds of materials were at hand for both peoples, but the uses to which they had been put were not quite the sarew, and both used hides, bones, vegetal , shelter, implements, and weapons, but there were differences
Perhaps the most noticeable was that while Jondalar’s people decorated their environns, the people of the Clan did not Though she didn’t quite kno to explain it, even to herself, she did perceive that people of the Clan expressed the beginnings of such decoration Red ochre in a burial, for example, that imparted color to the body Their interest in unusual objects that they collected to put in their as made on the body for special purposes But the priacy of art
Only Ayla’s kind of people did; only people like the Mamutoi and the Zelandonii, and the rest of the Others they had met on their Journey She wondered if the unknown people to whom she had been born decorated the material objects in their world, and she believed they did It was the ones who came later, the ones who shared that cold ancient world with the Clan for a time, the ones they called the Others, ere the first to see an ani for It was a profound distinction
The creation of art, the delineation of anis, was an expression of the ability toanditself The sy has another form as well: a sound, a word A brain that could think in ter to its fullest potential another abstraction of great significance: language And the sa a synthesis of the abstraction of art and the abstraction of language would sois
Unlike the day before, Ayla opened her eyes very early the next lowed in the fireplace and all the lamps were out, but she could discern the contours of the lih overhead, above the dark wall panels of Marthona’s dwelling, in the faint reflection of first light, the initial lightening of the sky that heralded the co when she quietly slipped out of the furs and ht basket Wolf lifted his head theof happiness, and followed her
She felt a little nauseated, but not quite enough to vo solid to cal room and started a small fire, then took a few bites of the bisonplatter fro
etables froe basket She wasn’t sure if she felt better or not, but she decided to see if she couldtea for herself She didn’t knoho had made the tea for her the day before, but wondered if it was Jondalar and thought she’dteas as well
She got herpack Now that we’re finally here, I can replenish ht as she looked at each package and thought about its uses Sweet rush can help an upset stoe, and I don’t want to do that While she was considering the possible side effects, her mind supplied another bit froe Black birch bark can help prevent a e, but I don’t have any Well, I don’t think I’ this one
I had a much harder tiet fresh snakeroot so she wouldn’t lose hiot cold and wet and it made her worse I don’t think she ever recovered coht I miss you, Iza I wish you were nearby so I could tell you that I did find a man to mate I wish you had lived to meet him I think you would have approved
Basil, of course! That can help prevent e aside Mint would be good It settles nausea and helps stoood Jondalar likes it, too She kept that pouch out, too And hops, that’s good for headaches and craht as she put it beside the h, hops can make you drowsy