"Well, I obviously won't be going on the first spring hunt," Ayla was
saying to Jondalar as they stood in the entrance to the lodge. She was near
to delivering, and very uncomfortable.
"I know. I'll try to get a bison with a fetus, with fur you can use for baby clothes. Just stay here with Frebec, Fralie, Crozie, Nezzie, and all the children. If your or Fralie's time comes, tell one of them to get on one of the horses and ride to where we are, to alert us." With that, he embraced her and then left to join Durc, who was going on his first Mamutoi hunt to test his ability to become a man.
Ura stood proudly beside Durc, hoping her friend would get a bison and become that much closer to becoming a man. The first step had been the conversations with Tronie, the second was a spring hunt. The third would be the lessons in Pleasures with a redfoot at the Summer Meeting. Only then would the mamutii acknowledge Durc's change in status.
Ayla reached out a hand and captured Durc's hand in her own. She was concerned for the safety of her son, and secretly passed something to him from her amulet. Durc looked at the rock. It was the clump of iron pyrite, the sign that her totem had given her when he was born, but he didn't know that. He wanted to ask her what it meant, but shrugged and put it in his own amulet for the time being, deciding to ask her later.
*
"Are you sure we're going to be able to get the bison in the surround?" Jondalar asked Talut.
"Well, it's too bad Ayla and the horses can't help, but I think we'll do fine without them. Deggie, Tarneg, and Tornec are waiting where the bison are, with clothes and things to spook the animals. Me, you, Thonolan, Wymez, Ranec, and Barzec have to set up part of the surround. We use this surround every year, but some parts have to be rebuilt. Durc can help too."
"Why on earth did Frebec stay home?" Tulie asked irritably. "He could have seen fit to come along and help."
"Remember how Barzec was when you were about ready to deliver Tarneg? It isn't Fralie's first, but I think all men get anxious," Tronie replied, grunting as she hefted a heavy section of mammoth tusk into position to serve as a support for the surround. "I'm more surprised Jondalar is here, the way he dotes on Ayla," she continued in a lower tone. Tulie nodded, and moved to help her maneuver another piece into position.
They set up a fence leading to the surround, and added more supports to the surround. Then they waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, they heard a loud thundering noise. The animals were stampeding.
*
"I got one!!" Durc whooped when he saw his spear land where he aimed it. The female bison was not large, but it was enough for a few good-sized pieces of fur. In the next shot he got a bawling calf that was near the female.
After all the bison in the surround were dispatched, the hunters started forward to claim their own kills. Jondalar slapped Durc on the shoulder in congratulations as he went to claim his own kills, then stopped in his tracks when he saw something out of the corner of his eye.
Frebec was there, hanging half on and half off the back of Whinney. He slid off, and the mare snorted at him and stepped aside. He ran over, then stood for a minute, out of breath.
"Frebec, what is it?" Talut and Jondalar snapped at the same time. Talut was concerned about his people in general, and was worried about an emergency. Jondalar was concerned for the one he considered as his mate.
"It's Ayla," he told them. "She's in labor, and Fralie is worried. She knows a little, and so does Nezzie, but Ayla is afraid. She needs you, I think, Jondalar. Tronie, you come, too."
"She's in labor? Do you have any idea how long?" the woman asked. She was free to leave. She hadn't made a kill, but had been assigned to watch for stragglers or potentially dangerous bison.
"Tronie, I'll keep watch for scavengers while we're butchering the animals. I was planning on doing that, anyway," Durc told her.
"Good. Deggie, Tarneg, you watch with Durc and make sure the scavengers are kept under control," Talut ordered.
The ones mentioned took their places with spears, and Durc had his sling ready as well as a spear. Tornec, who had also been one of the people to stir the animals into stampeding, helped the people that weren't watching for scavengers to butcher the bison.
Jondalar rode Whinney with Tronie hanging on for dear life behind him. He jumped off and nearly ran into Fralie, who was standing in the entrance.
"Jondalar. Good, Frebec was able to find you. She's frightened, she's at Mamut's hearth. Mamut and Nezzie are with her, too." Jondalar nodded and walked past her.
Mamut was looking deeply into Ayla's eyes, seeing her fear and trying to will her to calm down. Nezzie was anxiously checking some tea that she had going. Ayla was lying down on a platform on a fur and covered up with another. She relaxed when she saw Jondalar.
Tronie headed over to where Nezzie was still fussing with the tea, and asked about Ayla's symptoms. Ayla looked over to where Tronie was and beckoned her over.
"I'm better, I'm not too far along in labor yet. I'm just afraid...my first delivery was very painful. I almost died, and it hurt so much, but it was worth it," Ayla said, then grimaced as she felt another contraction. She continued, "Mamut did something to calm my spirit, and seeing Jondalar helped me feel better, too."
When Ayla had obviously calmed down and her labor appeared to be progressing faster, Nezzie shooed Jondalar out of the hearth. He went and plopped down on a spare bed platform, feeling useless. Frebec came over a few minutes later.
"I wasn't around when Crisavec was born. Fralie thinks she will be having another boy this time around. I'm so worried about her, I don't know what to expect. I can't say I know how you feel, though."
"What you just said helped, though. I'm glad you gave her a chance, and didn't keep her from being adopted. Ayla means a lot to me. I love her very much, and I don't know what I'd do if I lost her."
They sat for a while more, talking about unimportant things, their conversation interrupted by Ayla's cries.
Unnoticed by them, Crozie woke from a nap at Fralie's hearth and walked over to Mammoth Hearth see what the commotion was.
She stepped out a moment later, cradling two squirming babies. "It's twins!" she crowed.
Jondalar walked forward to look at the babies. Crozie smiled at him, and said, "You can't see Ayla yet, they are cleaning her up. The babies are a boy and a girl."
"You'd think Ayla was your daughter, the way you reacted," Jondalar teased as he took the one of the children.
Crozie shrugged and said, "All new life is precious. That one you're holding is the girl. Be careful for her head, the spot on top where her hair is sensitive."
"She's beautiful," Jondalar said, holding the baby carefully. Her eyes were a deep shade, the color of all newborn's eyes, and there was the beginning of fuzzy hair on her head. He gave her back to Crozie.
"And here's the boy," Crozie told him.
Jondalar took the boy and looked into his face. Ayla's newest son looked somewhat like Durc, and somewhat not. He could see where Ayla's influence was, and he thought he could see traces of his own spirit's influence in the lines of the boy's face. The boy's indistinct eyes, of course, wouldn't change to their true color for a few moons.
*
After making sure that Ayla was okay, Jondalar went to get Durc, who was standing close to Ura, speaking in Clan gestures with her.
"Sorry to intrude, Durc, Ura, but I think there is someone Durc will want to meet."
Ura nodded, and backed away, but kissed Durc on the cheek before she left. She hadn't made a kill, but was pleased that Durc had. She liked him, and was happy that he was closer to being a Mamutoi man. In her heart, she considered him to be a man, since he now had made a kill, which would elevate him to manhood status in the Clan. She had been flirting a little with him, and ensured that the conversation was private by using gestures.
Durc followed Jondalar to the place where Ayla was lying down, nursing the babies. His eyes widened when he saw the two babies, and he looked at his mother and smiled.
"How did you do on the hunt?" she asked.
"I got a mother and her calf. You can have the skins to make clothes for the babies if you want. What are they? Have you picked out names yet?"
"They are a boy and girl. The girl was first. Durc, I have to tell you something."
"What, Mama? Are you all right, you sound very tired. Why don't we talk later, when you're rested..."
She interrupted. "No, I'm fine. I have to tell you why I gave you the stone from my amulet. Since you are so close to being a man, it is yours now. When you were born, I was close to death. Iza thought you were deformed, and wanted me to get rid of you. I know that sounds harsh. I couldn't do it, and ran away. I stayed alone with you for almost seven days, and while I was alone with you, I was speaking to my totem. He left me that rock, a sign and a promise that you would live. Then when I left the Clan, Broud wanted me to leave you behind, but I couldn't. I love you, my son, and you will always be my first child, who I almost lost."
"It's in my amulet. I'll keep it with me always. Thank you, Mother." With that, Durc hugged her.
She handed him the babies, and he held them and looked at them, noting the similarities and differences between the baby boy and himself. After a while, he went back to his place at Fox Hearth.
*
"Ayla, how are you feeling? Can I see the babies?" Mamut asked, looking at her. She sat on her sleeping platform, with the sleeping babies wrapped lightly in furs beside her on the bed. It was midafternoon, and not many people were in the earthlodge. Fralie was at her own hearth, talking with Ura and some other women.
"It's been five days since their birth. They're asleep right now, but maybe if we wait for a while they will wake up. They've certainly been keeping me and Jondalar up nights, but then, Durc kept me awake some nights, too, when he was first born."
"Are you overly tired? If you want to sleep, I can leave and come back later."
"No, I'm fine. I know how to take care of myself."
"I don't doubt that you do, but even medicine women are only human. Speaking of that, when would you want to begin mamut training again?"
She paused for a minute. She had quit training a week before her delivery, since she had been too uncomfortable and restless to sit still for long periods. "As long as I don't have to do anything heavily physical for at least a moon, we can begin again as soon as I start to feel rested. Why are you so insistent on me beginning training again?"
"Don't you want to learn about the spirit world? You can be a mother and Serve the spirits, too. There's no prohibitation about having children while serving the Mother."
"I know, I just want to have enough time for everything. Oops, my little girl's awake." She picked up the baby and held her in her lap.
After the baby seemed reasonably awake, Mamut reached for her. He held her carefully, supporting her head and looking into her unfocused eyes. A picture flashed in his mind, an image of a little girl running towards a group of Clan people, holding out her hands. He squinted, and shook his head, then handed the baby back to Ayla.
"What's wrong?" Ayla asked. The baby boy felt the absence of his sister, who had been beside him, and woke up, fussing.
She held the baby against her shoulder, stroking his back until he quieted. Then she handed him to Mamut. Mamut sensed a different destiny for this child, but couldn't see anything clearly. He had a suspicion that the Mother was hiding it from him for a reason.
"It's nothing, Ayla. I didn't mean to bother you, I just wanted to see when you wanted to have them named. For naming, the mother of the babies always gets to choose when they are named, but it's considered courteous for her to discuss actual names with her mate, or her partner if they are not mated."
"In two days. I still remember Durc's naming, it was seven days after his birth. I was never more happy than at that moment."
Mamut smiled. "You'll have to tell me more about that ceremony. I'd be happy to name the children in Clan style, if you like."
"I'm interested in Mamutoi ceremonies, too. How about Clan style, and then Mamutoi style, if that wouldn't be too much trouble."
"It would be interesting to see the differences between the two ceremony styles. How about names, have you and Jondalar talked about that yet?"
"No, we still need to discuss that. I'll let you know tomorrow night."
"I know. I'll try to get a bison with a fetus, with fur you can use for baby clothes. Just stay here with Frebec, Fralie, Crozie, Nezzie, and all the children. If your or Fralie's time comes, tell one of them to get on one of the horses and ride to where we are, to alert us." With that, he embraced her and then left to join Durc, who was going on his first Mamutoi hunt to test his ability to become a man.
Ura stood proudly beside Durc, hoping her friend would get a bison and become that much closer to becoming a man. The first step had been the conversations with Tronie, the second was a spring hunt. The third would be the lessons in Pleasures with a redfoot at the Summer Meeting. Only then would the mamutii acknowledge Durc's change in status.
Ayla reached out a hand and captured Durc's hand in her own. She was concerned for the safety of her son, and secretly passed something to him from her amulet. Durc looked at the rock. It was the clump of iron pyrite, the sign that her totem had given her when he was born, but he didn't know that. He wanted to ask her what it meant, but shrugged and put it in his own amulet for the time being, deciding to ask her later.
*
"Are you sure we're going to be able to get the bison in the surround?" Jondalar asked Talut.
"Well, it's too bad Ayla and the horses can't help, but I think we'll do fine without them. Deggie, Tarneg, and Tornec are waiting where the bison are, with clothes and things to spook the animals. Me, you, Thonolan, Wymez, Ranec, and Barzec have to set up part of the surround. We use this surround every year, but some parts have to be rebuilt. Durc can help too."
"Why on earth did Frebec stay home?" Tulie asked irritably. "He could have seen fit to come along and help."
"Remember how Barzec was when you were about ready to deliver Tarneg? It isn't Fralie's first, but I think all men get anxious," Tronie replied, grunting as she hefted a heavy section of mammoth tusk into position to serve as a support for the surround. "I'm more surprised Jondalar is here, the way he dotes on Ayla," she continued in a lower tone. Tulie nodded, and moved to help her maneuver another piece into position.
They set up a fence leading to the surround, and added more supports to the surround. Then they waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, they heard a loud thundering noise. The animals were stampeding.
*
"I got one!!" Durc whooped when he saw his spear land where he aimed it. The female bison was not large, but it was enough for a few good-sized pieces of fur. In the next shot he got a bawling calf that was near the female.
After all the bison in the surround were dispatched, the hunters started forward to claim their own kills. Jondalar slapped Durc on the shoulder in congratulations as he went to claim his own kills, then stopped in his tracks when he saw something out of the corner of his eye.
Frebec was there, hanging half on and half off the back of Whinney. He slid off, and the mare snorted at him and stepped aside. He ran over, then stood for a minute, out of breath.
"Frebec, what is it?" Talut and Jondalar snapped at the same time. Talut was concerned about his people in general, and was worried about an emergency. Jondalar was concerned for the one he considered as his mate.
"It's Ayla," he told them. "She's in labor, and Fralie is worried. She knows a little, and so does Nezzie, but Ayla is afraid. She needs you, I think, Jondalar. Tronie, you come, too."
"She's in labor? Do you have any idea how long?" the woman asked. She was free to leave. She hadn't made a kill, but had been assigned to watch for stragglers or potentially dangerous bison.
"Tronie, I'll keep watch for scavengers while we're butchering the animals. I was planning on doing that, anyway," Durc told her.
"Good. Deggie, Tarneg, you watch with Durc and make sure the scavengers are kept under control," Talut ordered.
The ones mentioned took their places with spears, and Durc had his sling ready as well as a spear. Tornec, who had also been one of the people to stir the animals into stampeding, helped the people that weren't watching for scavengers to butcher the bison.
Jondalar rode Whinney with Tronie hanging on for dear life behind him. He jumped off and nearly ran into Fralie, who was standing in the entrance.
"Jondalar. Good, Frebec was able to find you. She's frightened, she's at Mamut's hearth. Mamut and Nezzie are with her, too." Jondalar nodded and walked past her.
Mamut was looking deeply into Ayla's eyes, seeing her fear and trying to will her to calm down. Nezzie was anxiously checking some tea that she had going. Ayla was lying down on a platform on a fur and covered up with another. She relaxed when she saw Jondalar.
Tronie headed over to where Nezzie was still fussing with the tea, and asked about Ayla's symptoms. Ayla looked over to where Tronie was and beckoned her over.
"I'm better, I'm not too far along in labor yet. I'm just afraid...my first delivery was very painful. I almost died, and it hurt so much, but it was worth it," Ayla said, then grimaced as she felt another contraction. She continued, "Mamut did something to calm my spirit, and seeing Jondalar helped me feel better, too."
When Ayla had obviously calmed down and her labor appeared to be progressing faster, Nezzie shooed Jondalar out of the hearth. He went and plopped down on a spare bed platform, feeling useless. Frebec came over a few minutes later.
"I wasn't around when Crisavec was born. Fralie thinks she will be having another boy this time around. I'm so worried about her, I don't know what to expect. I can't say I know how you feel, though."
"What you just said helped, though. I'm glad you gave her a chance, and didn't keep her from being adopted. Ayla means a lot to me. I love her very much, and I don't know what I'd do if I lost her."
They sat for a while more, talking about unimportant things, their conversation interrupted by Ayla's cries.
Unnoticed by them, Crozie woke from a nap at Fralie's hearth and walked over to Mammoth Hearth see what the commotion was.
She stepped out a moment later, cradling two squirming babies. "It's twins!" she crowed.
Jondalar walked forward to look at the babies. Crozie smiled at him, and said, "You can't see Ayla yet, they are cleaning her up. The babies are a boy and a girl."
"You'd think Ayla was your daughter, the way you reacted," Jondalar teased as he took the one of the children.
Crozie shrugged and said, "All new life is precious. That one you're holding is the girl. Be careful for her head, the spot on top where her hair is sensitive."
"She's beautiful," Jondalar said, holding the baby carefully. Her eyes were a deep shade, the color of all newborn's eyes, and there was the beginning of fuzzy hair on her head. He gave her back to Crozie.
"And here's the boy," Crozie told him.
Jondalar took the boy and looked into his face. Ayla's newest son looked somewhat like Durc, and somewhat not. He could see where Ayla's influence was, and he thought he could see traces of his own spirit's influence in the lines of the boy's face. The boy's indistinct eyes, of course, wouldn't change to their true color for a few moons.
*
After making sure that Ayla was okay, Jondalar went to get Durc, who was standing close to Ura, speaking in Clan gestures with her.
"Sorry to intrude, Durc, Ura, but I think there is someone Durc will want to meet."
Ura nodded, and backed away, but kissed Durc on the cheek before she left. She hadn't made a kill, but was pleased that Durc had. She liked him, and was happy that he was closer to being a Mamutoi man. In her heart, she considered him to be a man, since he now had made a kill, which would elevate him to manhood status in the Clan. She had been flirting a little with him, and ensured that the conversation was private by using gestures.
Durc followed Jondalar to the place where Ayla was lying down, nursing the babies. His eyes widened when he saw the two babies, and he looked at his mother and smiled.
"How did you do on the hunt?" she asked.
"I got a mother and her calf. You can have the skins to make clothes for the babies if you want. What are they? Have you picked out names yet?"
"They are a boy and girl. The girl was first. Durc, I have to tell you something."
"What, Mama? Are you all right, you sound very tired. Why don't we talk later, when you're rested..."
She interrupted. "No, I'm fine. I have to tell you why I gave you the stone from my amulet. Since you are so close to being a man, it is yours now. When you were born, I was close to death. Iza thought you were deformed, and wanted me to get rid of you. I know that sounds harsh. I couldn't do it, and ran away. I stayed alone with you for almost seven days, and while I was alone with you, I was speaking to my totem. He left me that rock, a sign and a promise that you would live. Then when I left the Clan, Broud wanted me to leave you behind, but I couldn't. I love you, my son, and you will always be my first child, who I almost lost."
"It's in my amulet. I'll keep it with me always. Thank you, Mother." With that, Durc hugged her.
She handed him the babies, and he held them and looked at them, noting the similarities and differences between the baby boy and himself. After a while, he went back to his place at Fox Hearth.
*
"Ayla, how are you feeling? Can I see the babies?" Mamut asked, looking at her. She sat on her sleeping platform, with the sleeping babies wrapped lightly in furs beside her on the bed. It was midafternoon, and not many people were in the earthlodge. Fralie was at her own hearth, talking with Ura and some other women.
"It's been five days since their birth. They're asleep right now, but maybe if we wait for a while they will wake up. They've certainly been keeping me and Jondalar up nights, but then, Durc kept me awake some nights, too, when he was first born."
"Are you overly tired? If you want to sleep, I can leave and come back later."
"No, I'm fine. I know how to take care of myself."
"I don't doubt that you do, but even medicine women are only human. Speaking of that, when would you want to begin mamut training again?"
She paused for a minute. She had quit training a week before her delivery, since she had been too uncomfortable and restless to sit still for long periods. "As long as I don't have to do anything heavily physical for at least a moon, we can begin again as soon as I start to feel rested. Why are you so insistent on me beginning training again?"
"Don't you want to learn about the spirit world? You can be a mother and Serve the spirits, too. There's no prohibitation about having children while serving the Mother."
"I know, I just want to have enough time for everything. Oops, my little girl's awake." She picked up the baby and held her in her lap.
After the baby seemed reasonably awake, Mamut reached for her. He held her carefully, supporting her head and looking into her unfocused eyes. A picture flashed in his mind, an image of a little girl running towards a group of Clan people, holding out her hands. He squinted, and shook his head, then handed the baby back to Ayla.
"What's wrong?" Ayla asked. The baby boy felt the absence of his sister, who had been beside him, and woke up, fussing.
She held the baby against her shoulder, stroking his back until he quieted. Then she handed him to Mamut. Mamut sensed a different destiny for this child, but couldn't see anything clearly. He had a suspicion that the Mother was hiding it from him for a reason.
"It's nothing, Ayla. I didn't mean to bother you, I just wanted to see when you wanted to have them named. For naming, the mother of the babies always gets to choose when they are named, but it's considered courteous for her to discuss actual names with her mate, or her partner if they are not mated."
"In two days. I still remember Durc's naming, it was seven days after his birth. I was never more happy than at that moment."
Mamut smiled. "You'll have to tell me more about that ceremony. I'd be happy to name the children in Clan style, if you like."
"I'm interested in Mamutoi ceremonies, too. How about Clan style, and then Mamutoi style, if that wouldn't be too much trouble."
"It would be interesting to see the differences between the two ceremony styles. How about names, have you and Jondalar talked about that yet?"
"No, we still need to discuss that. I'll let you know tomorrow night."