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“I don’t see why not Everyone will help,” Joharran said, “if you don’tup here, next to us”

“And you won’t have to do any cooking We had guests for ameal, and have plenty left over,” Proleva said

“We’ll be glad to camp beside the Ninth Cave,” Dalanar said, “but what made you decide to pick this place? You usually like to be in the thick of things, Joharran”

“By the time we arrived, all the best places in theas ours, and we didn’t want to be crowded We looked around and found this, and I like it better,” Joharran said “See those trees? That’s just the beginning of a good-size grove with plenty of firewood This creek starts up there, too, in a clear spring Long after everyone else’s water is ood water, and there’s a nice pool Jondalar and Ayla like it here, too, there’s space for the horses We made a place for theuests She’s the one who invited them”

“Who are they?” Dalanar asked He couldn’t help but be curious about whom Ayla would invite

“Do you reave birth to the boy with the deformed arm? Mardena? Her mother is Denoda,” Marthona said

“Yes, I do,” Dalanar said

“The boy, Lanidar, can now count almost twelve years,” she said “I’m still not sure how it caet away fro frouess someone told him there were horses here Everyone is interested in them, of course, and the boy is no exception Somehow Ayla met him and decided to ask him to keep an eye on the horses for her She’s concerned that with all the people here, soht try to hunt them It would be easy, they don’t run away”

“That’s true,” Dalanar said “Too bad we can’t make all animals that docile”

“Ayla didn’t think that the boy’s ht object, but it seems she’s very protective,” Marthona said “She won’t even let him learn to hunt, or doesn’t think he can So Ayla invited the boy and his randmother here to see the horses to try to convince her that they won’t hurt hiood ar to teach him to use Jondalar’s new spear-thrower,” she said

“She does have a mind of her own,” Jerika said “I noticed that, but she’s not unkind”

“No, she’s not, and she’s not afraid to stand up for herself, or to speak up for others,” Proleva said

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“Here they come,” Joharran said

They saw a group of people, and a wolf, co toward them, Jondalar in the lead, his sister close behind They had all been walking at the pace of the slowest, but when he saw Dalanar and the others, Jondalar rushed ahead The rabbed hands, then let go and hugged each other The older er man as they walked back, side by side