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“I don’t blaet back to the men’s tent I’d even invite you to the party we’d have with the wine, if you weren’t mated, Jondalar”

“Thanks anyway, but I’ve had enough of men’s tents So mated isn’t as bad as you think,” Jondalar said

“But you’ve already got the wolance at Ayla “If I had her, I’d be willing to move out of the ht she was the most beautiful woman I ever saw I could hardly believe ht so and wished he were in your place, Jondalar”

Though in the beginning Matagan was shy around Ayla, he lost his uneasiness after getting to know her during the e to assist in his care Then his natural outgoing friendliness and developing easy charan to express themselves

“Listen to hi middle “Some ‘beautiful’ An old woman with a belly full”

“That makes you more beautiful than ever And I like older women I an said

Jondalar s man, who reminded him of Thonolan It was obvious he was infatuated with Ayla, but he was going to be a char permanently lame Jondalar didn’t mind if he practiced a little on Ayla He had once been in love with an older woman, too

“And you are my favorite healer” His eyes turnedcarried on the stretcher, and I thought I was dreaht you were a beautiful donii come to take me to the Great Mother I’m sure you savedat all if it weren’t for you”

“I just happened to be there, and did what I could,” Ayla said

“Thatyou need …” He looked down, his face flushed with e what he wanted to say He looked at her again “If there is ever anything I can do for you, you only have to ask”

“I reht Ayla was a donii,” Jondalar said to ease his distress “Did you know she sewed ether? On our Journey, I can reht she was the Mother Herself, a living donii come to help Her children For all I know, maybe she is, the way men fall in love with her”

“Jondalar! Don’t fill hiet back to work, or the Ninth Cave will lose Not only that, but I want to keep sorain for a couple of horses, and lad we collected so much rye when it ripened, but the horses like oats better”

She looked into the basket, which was hanging around her neck so her hands would be free, to see how many seeds were in it, then positioned the stone in her hand and set to work With one hand she held together a few stalks of ripe wild grains, with the other she grasped the stalks so that the round stone was pressed against them a little below the seed heads Then, in a sh her hand in one motion so that the hard stone stripped the seeds off into her hand She emptied them into the basket and reached for the next few stalks

It was slow, ot into the rhyth a stone helped to strip the stalks more efficiently, and therefore faster, mien Ayla asked, no one could re it that way for as long as anyone could remember

As Matagan lirain seeds into their baskets “You have a devoted admirer in the Fifth Cave, Ayla,” Jondalar said “Many others feel that way You’veMost people think of you as a Zelandoni They are not used to a healer who is not a donier”