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A large,Rydag on the horse, which had kicked perilously close to her head, her first reaction was to rush to his aid But as she neared, she became aware of the silent drama of the scene

The child’s face was filled onder and delight How many times had he watched ishful eyes, prevented by his weakness, or his difference, fro what other children did? Howto be admired or envied for? Now, for the first time, as he sat on the back of a horse, all the children of the Ca him ishful eyes

The woer truly understood the boy so quickly? Accepted hi, and kneas so

Ayla saw the wo her, then smile at her She smiled back and stopped beside her

“You haveout her arster Ayla lifted off the horse

“It is little,” Ayla said

The woman nodded “My name is Nezzie,” she said

“I am named Ayla”

The tomen looked at each other, considered each other carefully, not with hostility, but testing the ground for a future relationship

Questions she wanted to ask about Rydag spun through Ayla’s mind, but she hesitated, not sure if it was proper to ask Was Nezzie the boy’s ive birth to a child of ain about a question that had bothered her since Durc was born How did life begin? A wore did it get inside a woman?

Creb and Iza had believed that a new life began oht the Great Earth Mother ether and put thenant But Ayla had formed her own opinion When she noticed that her son had some of her characteristics, and sorow inside her until after Broud forced his penetration into her

She shuddered at the et it, and she had coan inside the place where babies were born froht it was a strange idea when she told him, and tried to convince her it was the Mother who created life She didn’t quite believe hirown up with the Clan, she was one of theh she had hated it when he did it, Broud was only exercising his rights But how could a man of the Clan have forced Nezzie?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the co As one man approached, he pulled back his hood, and both Ayla and Jondalar gaped with surprise The man was brown! The color of his skin was a rich deep brown He was nearly the color of Racer, which was rare enough for a horse Neither of them had ever seen a person with brown skin before

His hair was black, tight wiry curls that formed a woolly cap like the fur of a black mouflon His eyes were black, too, and they sparkled with delight as he sue in contrast to his dark skin He knew the stir he created when strangers first saw him, and rather enjoyed it

He was a perfectly ordinary ht, hardly more than an inch or so taller than Ayla, and medium build But a compact vitality, an economy of movement, and an easy self-confidence created an impression of sooing after it His eyes took on an added gleam when he saw Ayla