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It took a great deal of effort on the part of many people to cut down trees and branches and haul therassland, then erect a fence that could withstand the crush of heavy ani around inside it and the occasional assault by one maddened with fear Each year the parts that had fallen down or rotted aere repaired or replaced They tried to keep it sound for as long as they could It was easier to repair than entirely rebuild, especially since there were ic locations

This surround was located in a narrow valley between a limestone cliff on one side and steep hills on the other that was a natural h it, and a runoff stream still filled the dry bed occasionally Hunters used it only sporadically; animals seemed to learn quickly if a particular route was consistently dangerous and tended to avoid it

The ones who had co of panels that funneled the ani in the surround Usually hunters had tih to establish a cadre of people to stand behind the panels to harass any animals that attempted to bolt away back toward the trap Since this was a rather unplanned, spontaneous hunt, no one was there yet But Ayla did notice that sorass wands, long bunches of grass fastened to sticks, were tucked into the frames of the panels or held doith stones

“Jondalar,” she called to hirass wand and a piece of leather “Anything that flutters or moves in an unexpected way tends to spook bison, especially when they’re running, at least that’s what happened ere driving bison toward the Lion Ca toward the surround, to keep the away Do you think anybody would object if we borrowed a few? They could be useful e’re trying to drive the herd this way”

“You’re right That is what they’re for,” Jondalar said, “and I’m sure no one would et those bison here”

They left the valley and headed toward the place where they had last seen the herd The trail tra animals was easy to find, and they were a little closer to the valley than they were earlier There were about fifty bison in all, ether to forratory herd that would develop later in the season

At certain tie nu river of dark brown spiked with large black horns At other tis, sometimes not much more than an extended family, but they preferred to form herds of some size On the whole there was safety in numbers While predators, especially cave lions and packs of wolves, often brought down a bison from a herd, it was usually one that was sloeak, which allowed the healthy and strong to survive

They approached the herd slowly, but the bison hardly noticed theh they did give Wolf a wider berth They were aware of hi that a single wolf could not take down an animal the size of a bison Male bison were typically six feet six inches at the top of the hu black horns and a beard that jutted forward froile, able to climb steep slopes and leap over substantial obstacles

They could gallop, tail up and head down, in long strides across even rocky landscapes Bison didn’toff their thick fur by rolling in the sand or dirt They tended to graze in the evening and relaxed to chew their cud during the day Their hearing and sense of sressive, and were difficult to kill with teeth and claws or with spears, but one bison provided fifteen hundred pounds of meat, plus fat, bones, skin, hair, and horns Bison were proud and noble animals, respected by those who hunted thee

“What do you think would be the best way to get theo at their own pace, and try to guide theet close”

“When we hunted on our Journey here, we usually tried to get an animal to bolt away fro in the sa up behind the, but if ave these things at them, I think it would be a help, especially for the bison that tries to dash away We don’t want the direction Wolf always liked to chase theether”

She looked up at the sun and tried to estiht arrive at the surround, and wondered how close the hunters were Well, the i toward the trap, she thought

They moved around to the side opposite the direction they wanted to start the at each other, they nodded and, with a loud yell, urged the horses toward the herd Ayla was holding a grass wand in one hand and the scrap of leather in the other, both hands free because she didn’t use a halter or a rein to direct Whinney

It had been an entirely spontaneous gesture the first riot on the back of the horse, and sheto the horse’s mane and let the anih she were flying like the wind The horse slowed and headed back to the valley on her own It was the only ho, but in the beginning the training was unconscious Only later did she realize that she had been using the pressure and nal her intent

The first tiame, by herself, after she left the Clan, she drove the herd of horses that used the valley she had found toward a pit-trap she had dug She didn’t know the horse that happened to fall into her trap was a nursingthe foal She used her sling to drive the ugly creatures away, rescuing the young horse more because she hated hyenas than because she wanted to save the anied to care for it She had learned years before that a baby could eat what its rains to feed the young filly