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“Have you met the newto the pleasant-looking woman with a conciliatory sth

“I was at the introduction, of course, and the Matrimonial, but I haven’t met her personally,” the woman said

“This is Ayla of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, mated to Jondalar of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, Son of Marthona, former Leader of the Ninth Cave, forhter of the Mammoth Hearth, Chosen by the Spirit of the Cave Lion, and Protected by the Cave Bear,” Zelandoni said,the formal introduction

“Ayla, this is Zelandoni of the Twenty-ninth Cave”

She greeted the woman, but it came as a surprise to hear such a short formal introduction It was, however, all that was necessary As Zelandoni, she had given up her personal identity and had become the eh if she had wished, the introduction could have included the person she forinal name and all her previous ties It just seeer that person

Ayla thought about her most recent acquisition of names and ties She liked the way Zelandoni had introduced her She had become Ayla of the Zelandonii, and Jondalar’s mate, and that came first, but she had been Ayla of the Mamutoi, she hadn’t lost her connections to them, ties that meant so much to her And she was still “Chosen by the Spirit of the Cave Lion, and Protected by the Cave Bear” It pleased her that even her totem and her Clan connections were included

When she first arrived and heard the long recitations of names and ties in the formal Zelandonii introductions, Ayla wondered, very privately and only to herself, why they made such extended, almost interminable introductions, full of unknown names and connections Why not simplify it and just say the names that people were usually called—Jondalar, Marthona, Proleva But she had been so pleased to hear her falad now for the Zelandonii way of including past references She had once thought of herself as Ayla of No People, alone with only a horse and a lion for company Now she had ties toa child

She had one ht as she turned her attention back to the people at theShe wished she could include “Mother of Durc of the Clan” in her na, and recalling the night of their , and the disruptions that Echozar’s appearance had made, she wasn’t sure if she could ever tell the Zelandonii about her son, Durc

When the First e, it soon beca will not change anything Joplaya and Echozar are e that But there seeeneral ill will toward them, which I think is shameful It makes me less than proud to be a Zelandoni of people who could be so heartless to two young people who are just beginning their lives together Dalanar, thethis matter out in the open If some people have since

re complaints, this is the time to make them known,” the donier said

There was so directly at people It was clear that there was so those who had listened avidly and perhaps passed on soossip Even tes No one seeh it were too foolish to even bring up, and the First was ready to go on to the next reason for the

Lara for was slipping away, and he had been one of the priators of the discontent “It is true, isn’t it, that Echozar’s mother was a flathead,” he said

The look the First gave him was a combination of disdain and irritation “He has never denied it,” she said

“That means he’s a child of mixed spirits, and a child of mixed spirits is an abomination That makes him an abomination,” Laramar said

“Who told you that a child of mixed spirits is an abomination?” the Zelandoni Who Was First asked