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“Why can’t he be a hunter or learn to ent He can see well He has one perfectly good arm and some use of the other He can walk, he can even run I’ve seen far worse problems overcome He just needs someone to teach him”
“Who would teach him?” Mardena said “Even the man of his hearth didn’t want to”
Ayla thought she was begining to understand “I would be happy to teach hi to help Lanidar’s left arht arm, balance mostly, for accuracy, but I’m sure he could learn to throw a spear, especially with a spear-thrower”
“Why should you bother? We don’t live at your Cave You don’t even know him,” the woman said
Ayla didn’t think the woman would believe that she would do it because she liked the boy, though she had just ation to teach children whatever we can,” she said, “and I have just become Zelandonii I need to make a contribution to my new people to show that I am worthy Besides, if he helps me with the horses, I would owe hi of like value in return That is what I was taught when I was a girl”
“Even if you try to teach hiet his hopes up,” the boy’s mother said
“He needs to learn sorows up, and you become too old to protect him? You don’t want him to be a burden on the Zelandonii Neither do I, no matter where he lives”
“He kno to gather food with the women,” Mardena said
“Yes, and that is a hile contribution, but he should learn some other skills At least he should try,” Ayla said
“I suppose you’re right, but what can he do? I’m not sure he could really hunt,” Lanidar’s mother said
“You saw him throw a spear, didn’t you? Even if he doesn’t becoh I think he could—if he learns to hunt, it could lead to other things”
“Like what?”
Ayla tried to think of soood whistler, Mardena I’ve heard him,” she said “A p
erson who knohistle can often learn to imitate the sounds that animals make If he can, then he could learn to be a Caller, and entice the You don’t need arms for that, but he would need to be where animals are so he could hear them, and learn how they sound”
“It’s true, he is a good whistler,” Mardena said, considering soht of “Do you really think he could do so with that?”