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Zelandoni had followed the child back, at a slower pace, but smiled warreeting she asked, “You finished your watching?”

“Yes, and glad of it, but it was exciting to see the sun stop and turn back, andanyone there to share it ho really understood I kept thinking of you,” Ayla said

Zelandoni observed the young woman closely There was a different air about her; Ayla had changed The woht—has she been sick? She should be starting to show, but her waistline is thinner and her breasts are snant anymore! She must have miscarried

But there was so else, a new assurance in her edy, a self-confident poise She kneho she was—and who she as Zelandoni! She has been “called”! She must have lost the baby, then

“We’re going to have to talk, aren’t we, Ayla?” Zelandoni Who Was First said, stressing her name She could be called Ayla, but she wasn’t Ayla anymore

“Yes,” the young woman said She didn’t have to sayThose Who Served The Mother understood

“We should do it soon”

“Yes, we should”

“And, Ayla, I am sorry I know you wanted the baby,” she said quietly Before Ayla could respond, more people crowded around

Nearly all her close friends and kin careet her Everyone seemed to be there except Jondalar, and no one see the Meeting Cao off by themselves or with just one or two others, soun to worry, but no one else seemed to Most people stayed to have a meal or a snack They recounted events that had taken place, talked about people, as gettingone, who had decided to sever the knot, or take a second ossip

In the afternoon, people started wandering off to other activities Ayla arranged her sleeping roll and the rest of the belongings that she had brought with her She was glad she had taken the horses to the meadow in the woods earlier, and the corral that had been fenced for the horses, not so much to keep theah everyone knew about the horses the Ninth Cave brought with them, just to leave no doubt that these were in fact those special horses, the area was conspicuously fenced Jondalar and Jonayla often took theraze, but whenever they were not in the enclosure, she knew someone ith them

Jonayla left with Zelandoni and Wolf to go back to the area of the zelandonia to finish working out the details of the special evening that was planned Ayla decided to give Whinney a good groo after the hot, dusty ride, and went to the horse meadoith soft p

ieces of leather and teasel brushes She brushed Racer and Gray a bit, too, just to give the and some attention

She looked at the slen before e into The River, and re was in this location There was a swi hole some distance upstream, she recalled Not h away froeneral use She hadn’t known her adopted people as well then, and she and Jondalar used to go there when they wanted to get away froether

A sould feel good right now, she thought, and the river isupstream toward the bend in the se and left a grassy strand with a beach of s about Jondalar and what they used to do beside that strea about how he could ined touch, and even noticed a wetness between her legs Wouldn’t it be fun to try to ht