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The visitors fro site of the small valley community and offered a cup of tea, which was alreadya taste Wolf was obviously curious to explore this new stone shelter—probably no more so than Ayla—but she kept him at her side Everyone knew of the ho obeyed the woman, of course, and many had already seen him, but fro to have him inside their home

She introduced Wolf to Brameval’s sister and their Zelandoni while the others looked on Even though the Ninth Cave were close friends with the Fourteenth, everyone kneas the stranger, Ayla, as the focus of attention After the introductions, and a second round of tea, there was the unco what to do or say next Joharran was looking with longing toward the path that led out, toward The River

“Would you like to see the rest of Little Valley, Ayla?” Bra anxious to go

“Yes, I would,” she said

With some relief, the visitors from the Ninth Cave and several people fro the wall, as children jue shelter was the main home of the Fourteenth Cave, two other small rock shelters next to each other at the foot of the south-facing cliff were also used

They stopped at a small shelter just a few feet away “This is the Shelter of the Sal the way into a small, nearly circular enclosure about twenty feet across

He pointed up Ayla looked and saw sculptured in low relief on the vaulted ceiling a life-size sal, carved with the hooked jaws of aupstrea in addition a rectangle divided by seven lines, the forelegs of a horse, and other enigative handprint picked out of a black background The entire vault had substantial areas of solid red and black color used to accent the engravings

They made a rather quick tour of the rest of little Valley In the southwest, opposite the large rock shelter, was a rather spacious cave, and in the south a ledge opened in front of a sallery cave soht of the entrance of the cave, on a sorous outlines, and the suggestion of a rhinoceros

Ayla was quite impressed with all the natural sites in Little Valley and was quite open about showing it Brameval and the Fourteenth Cave were proud of their hohted to show it off to soetting accustomed to the wolf, especially since Ayla was careful to keep hied the visitors, or at least Ayla, to stay for a meal

“I would like to,” Ayla said, “but not this tih”

“Well, before you go, I’ll show you our weir,” Brameval said “It’s on the way to The River”

He led the rather large group that had gathered, including the visitors, to a permanent dammed fish trap that had been constructed in Fish Creek The ay that ran through the narrow valley was a sal strea various adaptations, the as an effective way to catch many of the other varieties of fish that also found the se salh four feet was more common for an adult male

“We alsonets to catch fish, especially from The River,” Brameval said

“The people I greith lived near an inland sea Sometimes they went to the mouth of the river that flowed near their cave and used nets to catch sturgeon They were happy when they caught females because they particularly liked the roe, the tiny black fish eggs,” Ayla said

“I’ve tasted sturgeon roe,” Brameval said, “e visited the people who live near the Great Waters of the West It’s good, but sturgeon don’t often cos are good, too, they’re bigger and bright-colored, alh I think salet red when they’re swieon I understand they can get quite big”