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“Will you tell Proleva that we are having visitors in the rouse?”

“Don’t forget your hare,” Marthona said “Salova toldDo you want help with your cooking?”

“Only if you think more people round oven, put sorouse and the hare at the saetables, too”

“A round oven—food is always so tender when it’s cooked that way,” Folara said “I can hardly wait”

“Folara, I think we’d better plan to help,” Marthona said “If Ayla is going to cook, I think everyone will be curious and want a taste Oh, I nearly forgot I was told to tell you, Ayla, there will be a gathering tomorrow in the afternoon of all the women who are to be e”

“I have noShe didn’t want to be the only one there without a mother, if one was expected

“Generally it is not the place of the o, but since the woman you were born to can’t be here, if you want, I would be willing to go in her place,” Jondalar’s mother said

“Would you really?” Ayla said, feeling overwhelrateful”

A ht Soon I will be Jondalar’s mate Hoish Iza could be here She’s the mother who should be within the next world, I a to come, but Iza would have been so pleased She was afraid I would never find a ht not have if I had stayed with the Clan She was right to

tell me to leave and find my own people, find my own mate, but Iabout them

“If you are going back to caht now I’ meal”

Behind and toward the right of the eneral shape of a large scooped-out shallol curving around on the sides, but open in front The base of the curved slopes converged to a small, relatively level field, which had been evened out with stones and packed earth over the rass-covered hillsides within the partial bowl depression rose up in a gradual, irregular slope with dips and hills, less steep areas that had been roups or even soood view of the open space below The sloped area was sufficiently large to hold the entire Su camp of more than two thousand people

In a wooded copse near the rugged crest of the slope, a spring rose that filled a small pool, then spilled down the h the flattened area at the bottoer strea-fed creek was so small that people stepped over it easily, but the clear, cold pool at the top provided a constant source of clean drinking water

Ayla walked uphill toward the trees, along a path beside the shallow creek that painted a sheen of water over a bed of cobbled stones She stopped to get a drink at the spring, then turned around Her eyes were drawn by the gli downhill She observed it run into the streae crowded camp and on to The River and the valley beyond It was a landscape contoured by the deep relief of high hills, limestone cliffs, and river-cut valleys

Her attention was caught by the sound that funneled up the rounded incline fro she had ever heard: the co, channeled into one sound Theof the babble of voices was like a muted roar punctuated by occasional outcries, calls, and whoops It was not the sa herd of aurochs in the distance, and she was rather glad to be alone for the moment