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The rhino was baffled and getting tired and angry He pawed the ground as the men quickly deployed in a new circle around hi to draw the huge brute’s attention The rhino turned and charged again, and the er to entice hi the rhino The exhausting, infuriating bursts of energy were taking their toll

The great beast stood still, head drooping, breathing heavily Thein for the kill The man whose turn it was to draw the beast out moved in cautiously, spear held in readiness The rhino appeared not to notice As the ht the th, revived by the short rest, was goaded by the fury that filled his primordial brain

Without warning, the rhino charged again It happened so fast that the e woolly beast finally succeeded in thrusting hisonized screa she urged her horse forward

“Ayla! Wait! It’s too dangerous!” Jondalar called after her, prodding his own mount as he readied his spear-thrower

The othertheir spears even as Jondalar spoke When Ayla ju horse and ran toward the wounded e beast lay crumpled in a heap; several spears, a couple fro out of his body in every direction, like the quills of sorotesque porcupine But the kill was too late The enraged beast had had his satisfaction

Several young ed around the fallen man, as crumpled, unconscious where he dropped As Ayla approached them with Jondalar close behind, they appeared surprised to see her, and it see to bar her way or ask who she was, but she ignored hi, and pulled out her knife to cut away blood-soaked leggings fro, her hands already colored from the task There was a smear of red on her face where she had unconsciously pushed aside a strand of hair She didn’t have any ZelandoniThe young man backed away

When she exposed the leg, the da was bent backhere there was no knee The huge pointed horn had gored the man in the calf and broken both bones The , and blood was pouring out of the gash and pooling on the ground

She looked up at Jondalar “Helpto hurt to ethides ork I need to apply pressure to stop the bleeding, then I’ll need help to splint the leg” The tall

“He’ll need to be carried back Do you kno to h he hadn’t heard or understood her “We need so for him to lie on while he’s carried”

He nodded “A stretcher,” he said

He was really only a boy, she realized “Jondalar will help you,” she said as the man returned with the hides

They laid him out on his back He moaned froain; he ht have sustained a head injury fro hard on his leg above the knee, she tried to slow the bleeding She thought about a tourniquet, but if she could get the bone straightened and wrap the leg, she ht not need it Pressure on the wound itself should be enough He was still bleeding, but she had seen worse

She turned to Jondalar “We need splints, so, break some of those spears if you need to”

Jondalar brought her two splints, broken lengths of spears She quickly cut strips out of one of the hides, and other pieces to wrap around the splints for padding, to get the the toes with one hand and his heel with her other hand, she gently pulled it straight, feeling where it resisted and easing it through He spasmed a few ti She reached into the bleeding gash and tried to feel if the bones were aligned

“Jondalar, hold his thigh forbefore he wakes up, and while he’s still bleeding The blood will help keep the wound clean” Then she looked up at the youngwith looks of horror and a directly at two of then the bones so they will heal straight If I don’t, he’ll never walk on that leg again I want you to get those splints and put theht between them Can you do that?”