Ayla gathered the last of her things and looked at Uba, who held Durc close
to her. She tore her eyes away from Durc and folded up Creb's traveling
tent into a pouch to hold all her things together. She put it in her large
gathering basket. She picked it up and put it on her back, then adjusted
the leather band that went across her forehead to help carry the load.
She straightened up and looked at the members of Brun's Clan - Broud's Clan now, she reminded herself. Do I really want to leave my son with Broud as leader? she thought. Broud stepped toward her as if to hurry her along, then stepped back, embarrassed to be seen acknowledging someone who was supposed to be dead. She stared into Broud's eyes, then turned away.
She walked next to Brun, making a gesture of "Walk with Ursus". She was grateful for all he had done to help her, even though it had been so unconventional to help an Others child. She picked up one of his heavy spears that lay near where he stood. He affected not to notice.
She gave Uba a hug, motioning, "You will always be my sister. I must go now." She noticed that Uba's wrap fit tightly over her stomach, and continued, "You will have your own baby soon." Uba nodded, then said one word aloud, "Go."
She took Durc from Uba's arms. Vorn put a hand on Ayla's arm as if to stop her, then looked into her eyes. He released his hold, then ruffled Durc's hair gently and turned to comfort his mate.
Ayla walked away then, gently cradling her son in one arm while using the spear, point down, as a walking stick in the other hand. Durc fell asleep within the first hour of walking, lulled by the repetitive motion.
*
"Where are we going, Mama?" Durc motioned that evening. He was awake now, and hungry. Ayla wanted something to eat too, and was thinking of stopping soon.
"North," Ayla replied, eying some birds that were flying overhead within range of her sling.
"To find the ones that look like you?"
"Yes. Quiet, now, and stay still," Ayla gestured. She grabbed some stones and her sling. She flung two rocks, and one hit a bird. The duck tumbled out of the sky to land with a thud.
Ayla picked it up. Durc grabbed the bird from her and held it by the feet. Ayla cleaned the smooth stones with grass and put them back in the pouch attached to the thong that held her wrap closed. She then took the bird back from Durc's hands.
As soon as his hands were free, Durc asked, "Are we going to stop soon, Mama? I'm hungry."
"Yes, we are. We shouldn't cross that river that's a short walk ahead until morning anyway. We don't want to get cold and wet and then try to sleep like that."
"Where are we going to find wood for a fire?"
She put her son down and motioned, "I'll go look for some by the river. You stay here and stamp down some grass for our camp. Take these stones and if any animal comes near, yell and throw these at it. I'll be right back."
She hated leaving her son alone, even for a moment while she looked for wood by the riverbank. Women of the Clan never left their children unattended. But I am not Clan anymore, and I gave him stones to protect himself with, she reminded herself. What am I going to do for fire, she thought. Finding wood on the steppes is so difficult. I wish Goov were here with that coal he always carried. She put it out of her mind and gathered the driftwood that she could find, then returned to her son.
She tickled him, and he giggled. "You're a big help, look at the big space for a camp you made. Dinner will be ready soon." She sat to make a fire, getting out her fire platform and some materials that she had stored in a fold of her wrap. When her hands reached the bottom of the fire stick, Durc tried to help keep the friction that was on the platform going. A tiny spark formed, but not enough. Ayla sighed, told him to pluck the bird for her instead, and began the process again.
She and Durc ate, and then she banked the fire. Durc lay down on her furs and drifted off to sleep. She sat up for a while more, looking at the stars.
She remembered Creb telling her about the fires in the sky, and picked out her totem's fires from the others. She wondered if her totem was still with her. She asked the Cave Lion to help her and her son survive, then laid down next to Durc and went to sleep.
Ayla and Durc journeyed for days. She watched the seasons shift into fall, and started wondering where the Others were. They had reached the place where Iza had told Ayla to go, and there wasn't any evidence of people.
"Mama, look! A antelope horn like the one Goov carried. Why don't you get it, then we won't have to search for firemaking things all the time."
Ayla examined the antelope skeleton near a pool of water. She bent over, scooped up some water, and tried to drink. She spit it out immediately.
"This water is bad, we'll have to keep going, but we can rest for a while," she told him, then put him down on the grass. Before reaching for a wooden peg, stone, and the antelope horn, she warned, "Don't go too far."
She put the horn against a rock, then put the peg against where the horn connected to the skull. With a sharp blow, she got the horn and put it in a fold of her wrap, making a mental note to find moss to pack the coal in later.
*
The next day, the first thing Ayla noticed was the wind starting to pick up speed. Durc sat up next to her and spit out some grit.
"Do we have to keep going? The wind is blowing dirt into the tent, and its probably worse outside. Can't we rest for a day?" Durc whined.
"No. We have to find people before winter. Get a spare fur out of my basket and wrap it over your mouth. I'll carry you," Ayla told him.
After a breakfast of tea and traveling food, they set out. Ayla had a fur wrapped over her mouth and nose, but it didn't keep out all the grit that was blowing in the wind. She squinted into the wind all day, and tried not to let her spirits sink, but she found herself wondering if they'd ever find a home.
Ayla let Durc walk beside her once they got past the gritty windstorm. Near mid-afternoon, she was startled to hear a cave lion's growl from a few feet away from them. Durc glued himself to his mother's leg. Ayla picked him up and picked up her pace, remembering not to run.
"Why don't you run?" Durc asked.
"Lions chase things that run, it's part of the hunting instinct," she gestured, glancing around for more signs of danger. A few minutes later, when they were out of the tall grass, she stopped and listened carefully.
"They've stopped growling at us. We just got too close to where they were probably resting. Lions rest a lot. I'll teach you what I remember about animals when we get settled."
"What about that valley over there?" He pointed over Ayla's left shoulder. "There's horses in it, Mama," Durc gestured excitedly.
Ayla turned and walked quickly toward the sheltered, fertile valley. The valley looks so nice and green, she thought. There has to be people living there.
She straightened up and looked at the members of Brun's Clan - Broud's Clan now, she reminded herself. Do I really want to leave my son with Broud as leader? she thought. Broud stepped toward her as if to hurry her along, then stepped back, embarrassed to be seen acknowledging someone who was supposed to be dead. She stared into Broud's eyes, then turned away.
She walked next to Brun, making a gesture of "Walk with Ursus". She was grateful for all he had done to help her, even though it had been so unconventional to help an Others child. She picked up one of his heavy spears that lay near where he stood. He affected not to notice.
She gave Uba a hug, motioning, "You will always be my sister. I must go now." She noticed that Uba's wrap fit tightly over her stomach, and continued, "You will have your own baby soon." Uba nodded, then said one word aloud, "Go."
She took Durc from Uba's arms. Vorn put a hand on Ayla's arm as if to stop her, then looked into her eyes. He released his hold, then ruffled Durc's hair gently and turned to comfort his mate.
Ayla walked away then, gently cradling her son in one arm while using the spear, point down, as a walking stick in the other hand. Durc fell asleep within the first hour of walking, lulled by the repetitive motion.
*
"Where are we going, Mama?" Durc motioned that evening. He was awake now, and hungry. Ayla wanted something to eat too, and was thinking of stopping soon.
"North," Ayla replied, eying some birds that were flying overhead within range of her sling.
"To find the ones that look like you?"
"Yes. Quiet, now, and stay still," Ayla gestured. She grabbed some stones and her sling. She flung two rocks, and one hit a bird. The duck tumbled out of the sky to land with a thud.
Ayla picked it up. Durc grabbed the bird from her and held it by the feet. Ayla cleaned the smooth stones with grass and put them back in the pouch attached to the thong that held her wrap closed. She then took the bird back from Durc's hands.
As soon as his hands were free, Durc asked, "Are we going to stop soon, Mama? I'm hungry."
"Yes, we are. We shouldn't cross that river that's a short walk ahead until morning anyway. We don't want to get cold and wet and then try to sleep like that."
"Where are we going to find wood for a fire?"
She put her son down and motioned, "I'll go look for some by the river. You stay here and stamp down some grass for our camp. Take these stones and if any animal comes near, yell and throw these at it. I'll be right back."
She hated leaving her son alone, even for a moment while she looked for wood by the riverbank. Women of the Clan never left their children unattended. But I am not Clan anymore, and I gave him stones to protect himself with, she reminded herself. What am I going to do for fire, she thought. Finding wood on the steppes is so difficult. I wish Goov were here with that coal he always carried. She put it out of her mind and gathered the driftwood that she could find, then returned to her son.
She tickled him, and he giggled. "You're a big help, look at the big space for a camp you made. Dinner will be ready soon." She sat to make a fire, getting out her fire platform and some materials that she had stored in a fold of her wrap. When her hands reached the bottom of the fire stick, Durc tried to help keep the friction that was on the platform going. A tiny spark formed, but not enough. Ayla sighed, told him to pluck the bird for her instead, and began the process again.
She and Durc ate, and then she banked the fire. Durc lay down on her furs and drifted off to sleep. She sat up for a while more, looking at the stars.
She remembered Creb telling her about the fires in the sky, and picked out her totem's fires from the others. She wondered if her totem was still with her. She asked the Cave Lion to help her and her son survive, then laid down next to Durc and went to sleep.
Ayla and Durc journeyed for days. She watched the seasons shift into fall, and started wondering where the Others were. They had reached the place where Iza had told Ayla to go, and there wasn't any evidence of people.
"Mama, look! A antelope horn like the one Goov carried. Why don't you get it, then we won't have to search for firemaking things all the time."
Ayla examined the antelope skeleton near a pool of water. She bent over, scooped up some water, and tried to drink. She spit it out immediately.
"This water is bad, we'll have to keep going, but we can rest for a while," she told him, then put him down on the grass. Before reaching for a wooden peg, stone, and the antelope horn, she warned, "Don't go too far."
She put the horn against a rock, then put the peg against where the horn connected to the skull. With a sharp blow, she got the horn and put it in a fold of her wrap, making a mental note to find moss to pack the coal in later.
*
The next day, the first thing Ayla noticed was the wind starting to pick up speed. Durc sat up next to her and spit out some grit.
"Do we have to keep going? The wind is blowing dirt into the tent, and its probably worse outside. Can't we rest for a day?" Durc whined.
"No. We have to find people before winter. Get a spare fur out of my basket and wrap it over your mouth. I'll carry you," Ayla told him.
After a breakfast of tea and traveling food, they set out. Ayla had a fur wrapped over her mouth and nose, but it didn't keep out all the grit that was blowing in the wind. She squinted into the wind all day, and tried not to let her spirits sink, but she found herself wondering if they'd ever find a home.
Ayla let Durc walk beside her once they got past the gritty windstorm. Near mid-afternoon, she was startled to hear a cave lion's growl from a few feet away from them. Durc glued himself to his mother's leg. Ayla picked him up and picked up her pace, remembering not to run.
"Why don't you run?" Durc asked.
"Lions chase things that run, it's part of the hunting instinct," she gestured, glancing around for more signs of danger. A few minutes later, when they were out of the tall grass, she stopped and listened carefully.
"They've stopped growling at us. We just got too close to where they were probably resting. Lions rest a lot. I'll teach you what I remember about animals when we get settled."
"What about that valley over there?" He pointed over Ayla's left shoulder. "There's horses in it, Mama," Durc gestured excitedly.
Ayla turned and walked quickly toward the sheltered, fertile valley. The valley looks so nice and green, she thought. There has to be people living there.