Yannis watched the young people dance, it had been many long years since he had first arrived at the Zelendonii, and his life had been turned upside down. They had been hard years but rewarding ones, and now as he watched the next generation, the one that would go out into the world and tell the scattered peoples about what the mother willed, he sighed, he was tired and ready to sleep. He could hear his mate snoring softly in their hearth and remembered the vibrant girl he had met when he was young. But now he was old, and he was ready to rest.

He slowly made his way back to his hearth, passing his daughter Ayla as he went. He was so proud of her; she was now the force behind the Zelendonii, the first Zelendoni who would soon send the children out to their destinies.

He carefully pulled back the furs that covered his beautiful mate, much of her looks had gone, she was wrinkled and withered, but within her she held that spark that had always made her beautiful to him. He quickly got in next to her, and covered them with the fur. Then he pulled her into his once strong arms, and soundly went to sleep.

The next morning they found them, the lovers forever together in life and now everlastingly entwined in death.

Ayla held back the tears on the day of her parents' burial; she was the first Zelendonii, the spiritual leader of the people and as such could not afford to show her distress at their passing, not in public.

"They lived a long good life" she was saying, as earth was piled onto their bodies. "And they brought many gifts to our people, many ways of the mother were revealed through them, and now it is time for their eternal rest, unending togetherness and never to separate."

Many faces looked back at her, people who hadn't even been born when Yannis and Amalia had arrived, these were the ones who would go out into the world and take the mother's new mysteries with them.

She saw her daughter Jonayla, only a baby then but now a young woman, biting at the bit to start out on the adventure of a life time.

"She looks so like you when you were her age" whispered a voice in her ear, and she felt the strong arms of her wonderful mate sliver around her waist.

"Jondalar" she grinned, reaching up and caressing his cheek. "Was I ever that young, or that beautiful?"

Jondalar laughed, a deep hearted laugh that started in his stomach and willed its way out, "Ayla my love, you might have grey hairs now, but you are still as beautiful as the day I woke up to the sight of you birthing a horse."

"I am a withered old woman now" Ayla disagreed, "I will be forty years soon."

Jondalar picked her up, and whisked her around, secure in his arms, "you will always be the most beautiful woman to me" he smiled, "and don't forget I am four years old than you, if anyone is old, it is me."

"Twenty years" mumbled Ayla, only half listening to him, "but look how far we have come."

Indeed they had come a long way, they no longer lived in the cave, it had been given over to the spiritual order of the Zelendonia many years before. Now they lived in lodges, a little like the huge mammoth hunter's one, but smaller and made of wood, and covered in the clay mixture that kept all water and drafts out. Each family had their own one, gathered in a loose semi circle, with a central cooking and communal shelter in the middle.

The mother had continued to teach them and give them ideas over the last twenty years. The young horses had grown large and stronger, and had produced more young, and now they had a large herd of them, many of which they traded but some had been specially trained to live and travel with the chosen children turned adult. Then there was Wolf, who had mated the young pup Petit, when she was old enough and in heat, and they had produced litter after litter.

They still actively saved the young horses left orphaned by hunts along with the odd waifs and stray wolves, they found alone in need of parenting.

Ayla's ideas hadn't stopped with raising horses and wolves; she had soon started to wonder about the possibility of rearing the young of other herbivore animals. On a hunt, not long after the dramatic summer meeting, they had found two auroch calves shivering under a tree, and no one had the heart to slay the babies. Ayla had insisted on bringing them back with them and so started the domestication of these animals. First of all, they were simple pets offering no benefits like the other two species, but soon it was decided that if these animals were cultivated, then when times were harsh and animals were sparse, they could fall back on the animals they had in camp. So the Zelendonii started hunting these animals with more purpose, no longer just for the sustenance they offered, but for the young. Nevertheless, the first two baby aurochs were allowed to live and grew up and produced their own young, and it was then that they discovered the usefulness of the animals.

A child had been born to the Zelendonii, at a time when no other women had been blessed for some time, there weren't a lot of breastfeeding women, and when the child's mother died, many thought that the child at only nine months old would follow her mother into the grave. That was until ayla had an idea. She knew that babies could be fed what adults ate, but realised that the child was nowhere near being weaned, there seemed no hope and then Ayla remembered the aurochs, and their young. Suddenly she had an answer and had taken a bowl out to the place they kept the aurochs at night, and came back again the bowl brimming with milk. Before giving the child this, she had boiled it, to make it more digestible and to destroy any evil spirits that lived in the liquid. The child had thrived, and grew chubby as a young one should be. Now many years later she was grown and one of the chosen few.

These changes were not the only differences that the Zelendonii had transformed their lives with, they had also turned their hands to growing their food instead of just gathering it. Now much the land of the ninth camp was covered in furrowed fields, purposely sewn with plants, tubers, herbs, and all manner of vegetation.

They were an industrious people, changing their fortunes with the work of their hands.

--

"Jonayla, can you go and get Danyayla, Aylanar, Odala, Danonar, Lanogar, Darora and your brother Thonolan, along with their families?" Ayla asked after an evening meal. "Take them to the central shelter."

Jonayla, her blonde hair flowing behind her dutifully rushed to do what her mother had requested, and soon she was back with all her closest friends.

"What is going on?" Aylanar asked his mother, Madenia.

"Ssh" whispered Ollie, his father. "My sister is about to speak."

"You seven young people" Ayla started, "along with Jonayla have been chosen to be the ones that will leave the ninth camp and go out into all the lands of the mother, spreading her word. You will travel together, the mother leading you as she wills."

"Wow" murmured Danyayla, turning around she grinned at her friends and family, starring directly at Odala, she said "see, I told you we would be one of the chosen ones."

The young half clan woman smiled back at her, "yeah, but you also said that stars even though you can't see them, still burn in the day."

"They all join together to make the sun don't they?" asked Darora, "that is what Thonolan told me."

Thonolan shrugged his shoulders, and laughed when everyone stared at him, "I'm sorry, but Darora is so gullible."

"So when do we set off?" asked the impatient Lanogar.

"We will need to be prepared properly, don't want to go out in the wilderness without the right equipment" commented Danonar, ever the realist.

"You won't be setting off for many moons" agreed Ayla, there is much to prepare, and…………….you must forgive your parents, we are loosing a child, two in my case, probably never to be seen again, we want to spend as much time as possible with you."

"So when will we leave?" Jonayla demanded.

"It is nearly the start of winter now; you will leave in the spring."

--

"Thonolan stamped into the hearth, and flung his spear straightener on the floor. He was tired, and most of all he wanted to eat, but he could see that there wasn't even a fire burning in the hearth.

"Mama must be at a Zelendonia meeting" he mused, and picked up some kindling and put it in the ash filled hearth place. Then he picked up some of the wool that his mother used for tinder and with a fire stone and a flint, quickly produced a spark, big enough to set the wool on fire, he place it in the ring of stones, and soon had a fire burning merrily away.

Then he picked up the water skin and ran to the river to fill it with the fast running water. He hurried back to the shelter, and filled a heavy clay pot with water, and put it to heat over the fire.

Ayla was still not home, and so Thonolan took the initiative and seeing the leather wrapped fresh auroch haunch, he said "I will put some of that in," picking up a flint knife, he started to slice it up, and then placed it all in the already bubbling water, adding the bone as well.

Thonolan rummaged through the baskets in which his Mama stored food, pulling out packet after packet. Wild onions went in the pot along with wild rye, barley, peeled thistle stocks, yams, mushrooms, carrots and a little mammoth fat. He then added some basil and thyme to add flavour.

Should I make something with Mama's oven?" he contemplated, "she loves those little cakes that Jonayla makes, maybe I should try to outshine my sister and make some, but better.

He put root starch in a bowl, and added blackberries, and honey along with some animal fat, mixing it together. Then he poured it into one of the rectangular clay baking dishes, and placed it in the oven to bake.

Ayla, exhausted from the long boring Zelendonia meeting, smelled her shelter before she saw it. The distinct smell of burnt cake hit her nose as she walked in the doorway, to the sight of her oven gushing black smoke, and her son asleep leant up against the wall.

Ayla smiled, and quickly took out the scorched clay dish, along with its blackened contents. Then after disposing of the proof, she swiftly made another cake and put it to bake in the now smoke free oven. She then checked the stew, which was busily cooking, safely away.

When the cake spelt like it was nearly done she gently woke Thonolan and said, "have you been baking?"

--

Odala sat in her hearth, eating her evening meal as she talked to her parents without words.

"What did you do today?" her father, Durc motioned.

"I helped mother" she gestured back.

"Yes, she made our evening meal" Ura, her mother signed.

"Did you see my mother today?" Durc pointed in the direction of Ayla's shelter."

"Yes, the chosen children had a meeting with her today; she taught us some of her healing skills."

"What did she tell you?" he queried.

"She made Thonolan lie down and pretend to be injured, and showed us how to treat him, what teas and washes to make. Then she showed us how to sew a wound up, using a haunch of auroch meat."

"Wow, I remember her showing me that not long after we arrived here" Ura gestured, "it wasn't a skill that was in the memories."

"We are not confined by our memories" Durc reminded them, "like we do not have to always speak with our body. We are different" he said out loud.

"The clan must have been hard for you both when you were growing up" Odala commented, continuing to speak with her body.

"It was all we knew" smiled Ura, "but yes it was hard, though it was harder for Ayla, your grandmother. I would have loved to have seen the men's faces when she pushed against their controlling rules."

Odala giggled, and after taking her parents' plates as well as her own, she hurried out to the river to wash them.

"Hi Odala" Jonayla greeted her, also washing up.

"Hi" Odala grinned back, and started rubbing sand from the river onto the plates and then rinsed them. "You know, I wish we had running water in our shelters, it would make everything so much easier."

Jonayla smiled, "you can tell you are related to my mother, she is always coming up with crazy ideas too."

"I love grandma Ayla" Odala gushed, "and you Aunty Jonayla" she smirked.

--

Danonar at fourteen years old was a fine hunter, he had learned from one of the best, his father Danni.

Now he was stood in the forest, a spear shooter on his back and a spear in his hand as he tracked the ibex deer he had seen earlier prancing in the distance.

He crept through the long grass, avoiding the tree roots that could trip him up and alert the frolicsome animal that he was there. He could see it now, its head bent down to eat the grass at its feet. It was unaware he was there, it was defenseless, it was Danonar's.

He carefully pulled his spear shooter off his back and loaded one of the small spears into it. The animal was still grazing, thinking only about filling its stomach.

Danonar stepped forward, and a deep crack reverberated around the forest.

The deer's head was instantly up, its eyes wild, flitting backwards and forwards waiting for the danger to reveal itself. Its ears were peaked up, listening for any sound. It was ready to flee.

"This is my only chance" Danonar thought to himself, mad at himself for standing on the twig. He held up the spear shooter, and thrust it forward; watching the spear as it flew through the air and landed, cutting into the deer's side.

Danonar rushed forward, his full spear in his hand still. When he saw the wild eyed animal, its life blood pumping out, he knew he had to end its pain, and thrust it spear into the deer's chest, right through its heart.

He watched the deer as its breathing slowed down and stopped. Its eyes grew glassy and he knew it was dead.

Danonar picked it up, putting its front legs over one shoulder, its back legs over the other and then he walked back to the camp.

When he arrived back, he hurriedly pulled out his knife, and gutted and skinned the animal, rolling up its hide to give to his mother later.

Then he started cutting the rest of the animal up, breaking bones to make it easier to separate. Finally he had a pile of deer haunches, the entrails of the animal and a rolled up hide to give to his mother.

Then finally, he put the choicest of the meat onto a spit and put it over the fire to roast.

--

Marona could smell the meat before she reached her shelter that she shared with her mate and their son. As she walked it, she saw him patiently turning the meat.

"Mother" he grinned, "I have something for you."

Marona smiled at her beloved eldest child, "you have cooked dinner."

"Yes" he agreed, he picked up the rolled up skin, "but I also have this for you, I know how much you enjoy curing hides, you do them so well."

"Marona laughed, "this is just what I needed, I have finally got Ayla to tell me the secret of preparing white leather, now I can have a go."

"You should make yourself a white tunic and leggings; they would look wonderful on you."

"Maybe" Marona mused, "or perhaps I will make something else, you will just have to wait and see."

"Whatever you make will be wonderful, I know that because you are my mother and there isn't a finer mother in the lands."

Marona hugged him, "and you are a wonderful son" she said.

--

Darora woke up, her stomach feeling riotous. She hurriedly climbed out of her furs and ran to the night basket where she promptly threw up.

"Oh no" she cried, tears in her eyes from being sick and because of the possible reason behind it. "I have to find Ayla" she muttered, and ran to the holy woman's shelter one hand on her painful stomach and the other on in front of her mouth subconsciously trying to make sure that she wasn't sick again.

"Ayla" she shouted as she reached the hut, "Ayla, I feel so ill" and she was swiftly sick on the ground, collapsing she sat down next to it, too weary to stand again.

Ayla startled out of her sleep instantly recognised the voice of Folara's daughter. Hurriedly, she threw on some clothes.

She found the girl outside, naked and shivering from the cold and obvious illness, the girl's eyes were red rimmed and her skin looked grey.

Ayla crouched down next to her and asked "Darora what is wrong?"

The girl pointed at the pile of sick, the motion telling Ayla all she needed to know.

"Jondalar" she shouted to her mate that she had left getting dressed, she saw him as he poked his head around the doorway of their home. "Darora is ill, get me a hide to cover her up and then carry her into our home for me to examine her."

Jondalar nodded, and his head disappeared but it was soon replaced with his whole body as he carried a large hid out. He covered his niece's exposed body and then picked her up.

Darora was immediately sick, "sorry" she mumbled feeling her head swim; she watched the line of sick dribbled down his chest, right over one of his best tunics.

"It's okay" he said, trying to not throw up as well. He carried her to the hearth of their home.

"What is wrong with me?" Darora asked when she was safely ensconced in Ayla's home.

Ayla looked astutely at the young woman, "have you shared pleasures recently?" she asked.

"Yes but" comprehension lit up Darora's eyes, "you think I might be blessed?" she asked in horror.

Ayla nodded.

"But how did that happen?" she asked.

"Well" Ayla stared at the young woman, "has your mother not explained things to you? That sharing pleasures can lead to babies."

"Yeah of course" Darora answered "but Ayla I have been taking your pregnancy prevention herbs since I first started sharing pleasures."

"Ah."

"Ah" responded Darora, "are you saying that they might not have worked?"

"Maybe" Ayla shook her head, "Iza my clan mother took that herb but she still got pregnant, she told me many years later when she shared the secret with me, that sometimes it just doesn't seem to work any more."

"But the journey" Darora moaned, "I am a chosen one."

Ayla nodded, "I know Darora, but it would not be good to travel the distances you would have to cross. If you are blessed, then we will have to find someone to take your place. I'm sorry Darora I know that you have been dreaming about the mission since you were a little girl."

Darora started to cry, but after kissing her on her cheek Ayla felt it would be best if she set in motion choosing another child. "I will tell your mother" she told the distressed girl.

--

News soon got around the camp about the possibility of Darora being pregnant and many came forward wanting to be a chosen child of the Zelendonii. Amongst these was eighteen year old Mazia, the daughter of Noria and Jeren.

--

Mazia climbed up the cliff. She had been climbing one thing or another since she was a small child. Her mother had always said that she should have been born a goat, so sure footed she was.

She reached the top, and stood the wind blowing through her hair and stared out at the amazing scene set out before her.

It was a clear day, she could see for miles right over to the mountains that stood proudly off in the distance. "One day I would like to climb those mountains" she thought to herself, "or ones similar at least" she said, remembering that she was now a chosen one.

But still the mountains did look enticing, their sides covered with a green carpet of grass, with visible pink scarring, trees that looked like bushes clustered around them.

Closer she could see a blanket of green, interspersed by darker trees and bushes, and in the far off meadow, she could see some of the Zelendonii, looking like ants, training the new foals. The white frothed river cut through the land, like a snake wriggling on the ground. And up above it all she could see a few fluffy clouds amidst a bright blue sky.

Mazia sighed; it was truly a breathtaking scene. She wondered what she would see on the journey, "surely it couldn't be as amazing as this" she mused.

--

Darora was feeling better, she hadn't been sick all week, and Ayla had come to the conclusion that all that had been wrong with her was an autumn infection. She wasn't pregnant, the herbs had worked but her place on the journey had been given to another girl.

"No" sobbed the girl, "I have worked too hard for it to end like this."

All the chosen children had special skills, Danonar was a fine hunter, Odala was prolific in the speech of the clan, and Darora's talent, her gift was a gentle nature and an ability to instinctively understand the ways of the horses. She loved them, and spent much of her time with them, grooming them, feeding them, caring for them, and now it seemed that her ability was going to be wasted. Yes, horse trainers were always wanted in the Zelendonii, but there were many amongst their people who had those skills, whereas out there, in the lands of the scattered people of the mother, she would be able to teach those who had never even thought to train horses, but now it seemed like she wouldn't get the chance.

But she wasn't ready to give up right away; she would go and see her aunt the Zelendoni Ayla.

"Ayla can I speak to you" she said, when she found her.

Ayla sighed; she had been expecting this for days.

"Ayla, it isn't fair that I've lost my place just because I had a stomach bug, is there no way I could still be involved in the mission?"

Ayla had been meditating on this issue, ever since she had realised that there was no baby coming and Darora would be healthy enough to be part of the group. "Your place has already been given to Mazia, would you want me to take it away from her, to give back to her?"

"I love Mazia, she is like a big sister to me, but I have grown up wanting to be involved in the mother's mission, I don't want to take her place away, but is there no way, can I not go as well?"

Ayla smiled, "it is good you don't want to take Mazia's place away from her, if you had then I would have known you were not the right person to go, but as it is, I have decided that there will be nine who make the journey."

Darora screamed with joy "oh thank you Ayla" she laughed, and then more seriously she continued, "I will make the mother proud, I promise that."

--

Like his grandfather Yannis, before him, the mother reached into Aylanar's dream, taking him from sitting on the bank of the river fishing to standing on top of a mountain looking out on tot the scene set before him.

A woman approached him and pointed to the south and a far away people. Suddenly he could see them in sharp focus as they went about their normal duties, tanning hides, hunting with spears, carrying backbreaking loads. They didn't have any of the conveniences that he had grown up with; theirs was a constant struggle against the elements to stay alive.

"You can bring so much to these people, and many like them" she told him. "In the spring it is my desire that you travel to the south, first stopping off at the Zelendonii's cousins the Lanzadonii to pick up the last member of your group of chosen children."

"Who from the Lanzadonii is going to join us on the journey" he asked eager to know who it was.

"Ssh" she put a finger to her lips, "it isn't for you to know yet, you will find out in due course."

Aylanar felt his feet leave the mountain, and he was once again by the side of the river of his dream, a big fish in his hands.

He could still feel the mother next to him as she said, "I will be with you all the way, providing for your needs."

Aylanar slowly woke up, disturbed by the strange noise he could hear, a sort of tapping. He turned over in his furs, and was shocked to see on the shelter floor, the fish from his dream.

"Remember" the mother whispered through his mind, "I am with you always."

--

The boys were bored; they had played in the river, practised using their slings and competed against each other in wrestling and running. Now they didn't know what to do, that was until they saw the little girl.

"Hey, let's steal her doll" shouted one of them, her brother.

The gang of boys all rushed the little child, making her scream in fright. Her brother took the toy and threw it to one of his friends over his sister's head.

"Dolly" she sobbed, running backwards and forwards between the boys trying to rescue her precious baby.

"Jump higher" suggested one of the boys as he threw it high above her head to another boy.

"Do you want this?" her brother waved the doll in front of her, "here you are, I will give it back to you."

The little girl laughed as she ran towards her sibling, holding her hands out she virtually touched the toy before he snatch it away from her again and tossed it to another boy.

"Oops, sorry it must have slipped" he smirked at her.

The little girl's face started to crumple "I'm going to tell my mummy" she cried.

"Arh, running to mummy" her brother sneered, "you are such a baby."

"I'm a big girl" she proudly declared, her tear stained face looking indignant.

"No you're not, only babies tell their mummies."

"Is the little girl still in baby wraps, did she poop them" another boy grinned, causing the rest of the gang to break out in laughter.

"I don't poop my pants."

"No of course you don't" her brother agreed, "poopy" he added maliciously.

"You're mean" the little girl moaned.

"And you are stupid" her brother quickly said back, and he pushed her towards one of his friends.

"Hey I don't want poopy near me" the boy shouted and pushed her again.

The boy holding the doll looked at it, and threw it on the ground in disgust; they had a much better game to play now. He pushed the little girl hard making her fall and a stone cut open her knee.

"Hey" a voice rang out, making the boys squirm with fright. And in like an avenging goddess walked Danyayla. "What do you think you are doing?" she shouted at them, picking the little girl up and cuddling her to calm the child quaking body.

"Dolly" the little girl sobbed, and pointed at the discarded doll.

One of the boys timidly picked up the doll and brought it to the girl, "we were just having fun" he said in a quiet voice.

"Fun?!" Danyayla yelled, "you call making this child so distressed, and hurting her fun?" She stared at the solemn boys and was amazed when she recognised one of them as the girl's brother. "Anredar, I would have thought you would protect your sister, not let your friends abuse her."

Anredar head down with shame didn't have anything to say, he knew what he had done was wrong and he really did love his little sister, but to him it had been a bit of fun, at least until she had got hurt.

"I'm sorry" he muttered looking up at his sister, he tried to pull her into a hug but she pulled away from him in fright.

"It won't be that easy Anredar, you have really upset and scared her, you will have a lot of work to do before she trusts you again."

The unpleasant boys, along with Danyayla carrying the little girl, soberly walked back to the clearing where they all lived.

When one woman saw the group she rushed to them, tears already forming in her eyes, "my little Dania, what happened to her?" she asked Danyayla.

"I think it is best if Anredar tells you what happened" Danyayla said, glad that she wasn't the boy when his mother's eyes turned on him.

Lanogar supported the young man that had been injured in a bison hunt. His leg had to be cut off and he was reliant on the love of his people. Lanogar had seen his father struggle each day with his own physical disability and when he was old enough he had sworn that he would help the helpless, and love the loveless, that he would be a servant to those that no one wanted to know, and he would care for those who didn't care about themselves.

Many would have thought this was a noble thing for a young man to aspire to and they would have been right, but there were many amongst the Zelendonii that thought like this, and Lanogar was only one of many.

But he knew that out there amongst the scattered people of the mother that this forward way of thinking hadn't necessarily developed. Even now, some child with a withered arm was probably out on a wilderness waiting for the carrion birds to take its life.

Lanogar knew the mother didn't want any of her people to live like that, it was no a new time, and the old ways were to be put aside. Everyone able bodied or not was to have a part in the mother's plan, for all would be needed.

--

Jonayla was her mother's daughter, she couldn't remember a time when she hadn't followed her mother around, helping her heal people. First of all, she would fetch and carry, then she had been taught about plants and healing, and all the other skills that a medicine woman needed.

And now she was as good as her mother, the first rated Zelendonii who was admired by all. Her mother had taught her well, keeping nothing back for she wanted Jonayla to have all the skills that she would need on the journey.

Ayla watched her daughter as she treated an old man, he had been having some pains in his stomach recently and she had made him some soothing chamomile tea. She was a first class medicine woman.

Ayla had nearly always known that she would someday loose her precious daughter, back at the summer meeting all those years ago when she had told the Zelendonii the mother's plan; she knew that Jonayla would go. That the mother wanted to take one more thing from her, to be a gift to all the peoples of the mother.

--

Thonolan crept up on Darora; she was watching the snow falling in a blizzard as she shuddered with cold at the doorway of the communal shelter.

"Boo" he yelled in her ear, and then hugged her when she shrieked with fright.

"Thonolan" she whacked his arm, indignant that he had frightened her so.

Thonolan grinned at her "I brought you a fur" he told her, his mood turning from mischievous to protective of the girl.

"Thank you Thonolan" she sweetly smiled, forgetting in an instant his trick.

He wrapped it over her shoulders, and sat down next to her.

Darora beamed at the young man, younger than her but so much bigger. "Here, this fur is big enough for both of us" she said, lifting it up for his to snuggle in next to her.

Together they sat, boy and girl huddled together watching the snow fly from the sky. They were warm in the fur, their body heat combining.

"I'm glad you are still coming on the journey" Thonolan commented, Underneath their covering he found her small hand, and clasped it in his; staring into her wonderful eyes he continued "it wouldn't have been the same without you."

Darora huddled closer to him; not for the heat but for how he made her feel. "I'm so glad I wasn't blessed" she murmured, "because I know who I want to be the father of my children."

"Who is that then?" Thonolan asked, worry rising in his heart.

"Who do you think?" she answered, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Is that answer enough for you?"

Thonolan gathered her in a bear hug, her slight form quaking at his muscled body and kissed her on her lips.

Ayla watched the two from a distance, glad that they had found love with each other but worried about what the future would mean to this new love.

--

Jonayla, Danyayla and Aylanar stalked the early spring forest, each with a different weapon, Jonayla was carrying the spear shooter her father had invented, Danyayla had the bow and arrow her mother always used, and Aylanar carried a sling, having learned from his uncle how to use it, he also had an old fashioned sturdy spear.

They had learned to hunt when they were small children, not long after they had started to walk, though their parents had always supervised and made sure that they didn't get hurt.

Now as they tracked a herd of bison, they kept their wits about them, always looking out for predators and other dangers.

"Look" Danyayla pointed, "one of the bison, a young one had wandered away from the rest of the herd, look how far he is away from them already."

"And there is also a nursing mother over there, the baby looks very new, it might not be able to run fast, and she won't leave her young one behind."

"well, we can only go for one of them, there are only three of us here, not the whole cave" Aylanar commented, "and much as I would like to taste young bison meat, if we go for the mother, then we can add the calf to our own ones."

"Okay" Danyayla agreed reluctantly, "we go for her, but we will have to be quick because that male bison is hanging perilously close to them. I think if he realised that we are after them, then he will protect them, and go after us."

"Right, so if Aylanar moves over to those bushes over there, and Danyayla goes to the trees on the left, once we are all in position, then I will raise my arm, and we attack" Jonayla instructed them.

Subconsciously they obeyed the daughter of the first Zelendoni. It was how it always was, she carried authority on her like a cloak, it couldn't be denied, she was in charge.

Quietly they crept to their positions and waited for Jonayla's signal. They didn't have long to wait, when the ever vigilant girl saw the mother and child moving away from the other bison, she knew it was time. Silently she told her friends it was time, and then lifted up her set spear shooter, she waited for the other two as they aimed their weapons, and then she nodded, and cast the small spear.

As exactly the same time, a small spear, a large spear and an arrow fired at the mother bison, one pierced her in her head, one in her lungs and one in her heart. The three hit exactly where they had aimed, and the animal hit the ground never knowing what had happened.

They ran quickly to the downed animal, the rest of the herd had already started running away in fright, all except the little calf who cried next to the mother who couldn't hear it.

Jonayla walked carefully up to the trembling animal, she could see it was scared but held out a juicy apple she had picked moments before. The little animal sniffed her hand, and then took the fruit in its mouth, chewing as she watched the strange human, who patiently patted her back. To the little animal, it felt good, almost like when her mother used to lick her.

Danyayla was busy guarding the dead animal, while she waited for Aylanar to get back with the horses and the travois so they could load up the fresh meat. When he finally arrived, the two of them loaded up the meat and then with Jonayla and the new calf, they set off for home.

--

"Are you mad?" Joharran shouted at his niece. "I know you and your mother love to adopt every baby animal, but really you have gone too far this time. That animal will be massive when it is grown, and it isn't even as if you are going to be here to look after it. Soon you will be setting off on the mission, and we would be left to care for that bison. No we can't do it, it will have to go."

"But Joharran, it is a baby, it is defenceless and we killed its mother."

"Yes yes, I know that" he muttered, "but what you have to realise is that when grown it could really hurt someone, those animals aren't particularly known for their even temper are they?"

Jonayla felt crushed, she had expected rapturous applause when she brought the baby animal home, but instead Joharran had made her feel like she was a silly child. "What are we going to do?" she asked, feeling tears threaten.

Joharran sighed, he really did admire Ayla and Jonayla's instincts with animals, but there was nothing he could do this time. "If it can't go back, then we will have to kill it" he said, expecting her to shout at him.

"Okay" she responded miserably. "Maybe we should have gone for the bison that Danyayla chose after all." And she walked towards the hut she shared with her family, tears cascading down her cheeks.

--

It was the night before, they set off the next day and the ninth camp was holding a celebration to say goodbye to the young people. They had their fill of the good food donated by their friends, listened to stories and danced half the night away.

Now they were tired, and as they had an early start the next morning, all the journeyers decided to go to their furs.

Thonolan, weary from the long emotional day, lay in his furs and thought about how much he was going to miss the Zelendonii, and most especially his mother and father. With those thoughts in his head, he drifted off into a sleep.

"Thonolan" an otherworldly voice dragged him into a dream. He was standing in a valley, a stream flowed through the middle and there were fire stones washed up by the ebb and flow. He felt drawn to a hole in a cliff, and found a small cave occupied by a cave lion and a young blonde haired woman. She never looked up at him, keeping her eyes on the ground, and the work of art she was holding.

"Hello" he called, wondering who she was and why she was alone in this abandoned cave with just a cave lion for company.

"You don't need to know my name" she told him.

Thonolan stared at her in amazement, he hadn't said his thought out loud, so how did she know what he was thinking.

"I know everything" the woman said cryptically, "I know that you live far from this cave, and you are the child of the woman that once lived here."

"My mother lived here" he said aloud, looking at the cave in greater detail, trying to imagine his darling mama in this lonesome place.

"Ayla once lived here, yes, and I watched her and looked after her through out those long years. I continued to observe her all the way to your people, as much as I am in this cave now, I am also with her, helping her for the ultimate lost she will suffer tomorrow. She will loose her daughter, Jonayla at least for now. But Thonolan you are to stay with her, I know that you have wanted to be part of this mission since you were a small child, but this journey is not for you. Like your uncle before you, your name sake you have an adventurous spirit, but this trip is not yours to take. I have another path for you."

"But what about Darora, she is expecting me to go, will she stay behind with me?" he asked.

"Darora's path is set; she is one of the chosen ones, the gift that the Zelendonii give to the world. She must go."

Thonolan could feel dream tears falling down his cheeks, to give up his dream was bad enough, but to give up his love. "No, I won't do it" he shouted at the woman, "if she goes then I go, you can't stop me."

The woman finally lifted her head, "I am she who must be obeyed" she informed him, "don't dare to try to refuse me."

Her blazing eyes burned with all the power of the sun, as she continued "you and Darora have separate paths."

He woke up in a sweat, horror filling his spirit, the last sight he had of the woman had convinced him as to who she was and he knew he could not cross her, she was the mother.

--

Darora woke up to see the beginnings of daylight filtering through the door of the hut she shared with her parents.

As she snuggled in her furs excitement started to build within her as she realised the day that she had thought about and longed for as long as she could remember was finally here.

She jumped out of her furs, her thoughts centred on Thonolan and what their lives would be like. After first dressing, she decided to find him.

"Where are you?" she muttered moments later, she had looked in his hut, at the river and in the central hut but he was nowhere to be found. Finally she walked to the cave that used to house her people, the one set aside for the Zelendoni.

"Hello" she shouted into the dark space, though she could see a fire flickering at the back. "Hello."

"Come in Darora" she heard the voice of the Zelendoni, Ayla calling back to her.

Timidly she stepped into the place of the spirits, and walked to where her beloved was sat with his mother.

"I will leave you to it" Ayla said, and gracefully pulled herself up off the floor, and left them to discuss their future.

Thonolan was staring down at the floor; he didn't want to see her eyes and the hurt that would be in them when he told her his decision. But he knew that time was short and he couldn't put it off.

When he finally lifted his head, she saw that his eyes were red rimmed and tears fell down his face. "What's wrong?" she cried, distressed at what could make him act like that.

"I'm sorry Darora" he said, "so sorry, but I am not coming on the journey. The mother sent me a dream last night, telling me that she had a different path for me that I couldn't go with you all today. I am to stay here."

This was the worse news she could have heard, she hadn't expected to hear such a thing. Startled beyond belief, her mouth open in shock she said nothing.

"I know it's not what you want to hear….." he continued lamely.

Silent tears started to tumble down her cheeks, but she still couldn't talk, the words just wouldn't come out.

"Say something."

"What can I say?" her face crumbled.

Thonolan shook his head, misery filled him, taking hold of his heart and not letting it go. Deep down inside, he could feel the hurt, every inch of his ached with the pain of being separated from her.

"I won't go" she suddenly declared.

So far they had stood apart, but at this declaration, he ran to her and pulled her into his arms. "You have to go, you have dreamt about it ever since you were little, I want you to go."

She looked up at him, "but not without you, I can't go, don't try to make me, I won't go."

"The mother wants you to go, it is your destiny."

"No" she cried, "not without you."

"You are going Darora, and I am staying" Thonolan said firmly. "It is the mother's will, go for me."

Darora nodded, "okay I will go for you, but I am going to come back for you. The mother never said that we had to settle with these people, I will come back to the Zelendonii and we will be mated."

Thonolan smiled through his tears, "no matter where you are, Darora I will always love you."