The leaves were just beginning to turn when the four travelers reached the Camp of the Three Sisters. Crebulan was the first to spot the rock formation that gave the camp its name. But it was Markolan who urged his horse into a full out gallop once he saw the rocks. Elleroa, he thought, Elleroa, my love. I'm coming home to you.
Crebulan grinned at Ranie, having a good idea of what was going through his friend's mind. "Let's go!" he said to her and Oma. The trio galloped along in Markolan's wake.
The thundering hoofbeats alerted the people of the Camp of the Three Sisters to their approach. Most were taking advantage of the early fall weather to work outside, but they dropped their tasks to stare at the riders closing in on their camp. Suddenly, a small figure detached itself from the gathering crowd, waved at the riders, and bolted toward the river. Crebulan grinned as he recognized little Enavoa.
"Aunt Elleroa! Aunt Elleroa!" the child screeched as she ran. "Come quick! Crebulan an' the others are here!"
The young woman dropped the flint nodule she was preparing and clutched at the ivory kestrel around her neck.. "Crebulan is back? Is Markolan with him?"
"Uh-huh," Enavoa nodded. "And two others I didn't recognize. Markolan was in front," grinned the little girl.
For a moment, Enavoa thought her aunt was going to start crying. Then Elleroa took a deep breath and smiled. "Thank you for coming to tell me," she said to her niece. "Will you do me one more favor?" Elleroa nodded to the basket beside her work area.
"Of course," Enavoa replied with a smile. "Go on, Aunt Elleroa."
The young woman hurried up the slope from the river and pushed her way into the crowd as the horses pounded to a halt. "Markolan!" she called.
"Elleroa!" came the welcome reply from the dark-haired rider. He dismounted as the crowd parted to let the young woman through, then he swept her up in his arms. "Oh, Elleroa," he whispered. "I've missed you so!"
She was laughing as she replied, "No more than I missed you!" Elleroa punctuated her sentence by kissing him soundly. "I'm so glad you're back!"
She started to kiss Markolan again when a childish, "Ahem!" interrupted.
Elleroa's dimples flashed as she glanced at Enavoa. "Markolan, there is someone I'd like you to meet. I'm sure you remember Enavoa," she said. "And this is Olanoa."
Markolan's jaw dropped as he gazed at the green-eyed infant in Enavoa's arms.
Crebulan laughed and slapped his friend on the shoulder. "Well, aren't you going to greet the daughter Elleroa is bringing to your hearth?"
"What? Oh… she's beautiful," Markolan stammered.
Enavoa giggled. "Aunt Elleroa says she's of your spirit, Markolan, 'cause her eyes are green like yours. Here, you hold her." The youngster held the infant out towards him.
"Me? But… but… I've never… I don't know how… what if I drop her…?" Markolan looked panicked.
Now it was Elleroa's turn to laugh. She took Olanoa from her niece with a smile, then turned back to her intended mate. "You could always sit down if you're afraid of dropping her," she suggested. "And if you've never held a baby before, now is as good a time as any to start. She won't break, I promise."
Markolan sat where he was and allowed Elleroa to place the infant in his arms. He studied the tiny face, a near copy of Elleroa's but for the green eyes so like his own. Olanoa's tiny fist closed around his finger and he felt a surge of love and protectiveness such as he'd never experienced. For a moment, he couldn't speak at all. When he found his voice, it was suspiciously husky. "Elleroa," he said, "you do realize you're going to be sharing the position of my favorite female from now on, right?"
"Oh, I think I can live with that," she replied. "As long as you can live with sharing the position of my favorite male should Muna ever bless me with a son."
"Well, harrumph!" Ardoban limped up to the pair with a grin. "And here I thought he already shared that position with me!"
"But you will be like the man of the hearth to us both," Markolan told the middle-aged flint knapper. "So that's different. But I'm being terribly rude, aren't I? I was so happy to see Elleroa again, I never even thought to introduce my companions. I'm sure you remember Crebulan. This is Ranie of the Mamutoi," he indicated the dark-skinned woman with his free hand. "And Oma of the Clan."
"Of the Clan? You must have some stories to tell!" Ardoban exclaimed. "But now I'm being the rude one, aren't I? Ranie of the Mamutoi and Oma of the Clan, I greet you both in the name of the Great Mother of All." He tucked his walking stick under his arm and held out his hands to each of them in turn. After they returned his greeting, he smiled warmly. "Markolan, you'll be pleased to know that Bodoa and Odelan are more than willing to make you a S'Armunai and the son of my hearth. You can move right into my lodge. For that matter, it is a two-hearth lodge. If you three would like," Ardoban turned to Crebulan, Ranie, and Oma, "you can set yourselves up there as well. Or you can stay with S'Armuna, as you prefer."
Crebulan exchanged glances with the two young women. "I think we'd be very happy to accept your offer and share your lodge, thank you, S'Ardoban. Especially as we'd like to stay for the winter, if your leaders agree. But we can speak with them later about that. For now, let's just get the horses unloaded and our gear inside."
"It's that lodge on the end," Ardoban told them. "The one with the mouflon skull over the doorway." He pointed to the lodge. "Odelan is hunting today, but I think I know where Bodoa was planning to gather apples. I'll go find her and let her know you all are here. Go get yourselves settled." The older man limped off, heading upstream and away from the camp.
Markolan started to hand the baby back to Elleroa when Enavoa gave him a shove. "Aunt Elleroa missed you," the little girl said. "Stay here and talk to her. I'm not scared of the horses. I can help with them. If it's all right with Crebulan." She turned hopeful eyes on the tall blond man.
Crebulan grinned. "I don't mind at all, Enavoa, thank you. First, we need to take the pack baskets off." He quickly unloaded his own mare, then helped the child get the baskets off Markolan's mount. "Now we take them to the field so they can eat and rest. Would you like to ride to the field?"
"Oh, yes!" Enavoa nodded vigorously.
Crebulan lifted the girl onto Markolan's horse and handed her the reins. "You get to ride alone this time," he told her. "You tug the ropes to tell Dusty to turn one way or the other," he demonstrated, "and pull them both back at once to tell her to stop. Nudge her side with your foot, just a little, to get her to start walking."
Frowning a little with concentration, Enavoa did as she was instructed. Crebulan walked alongside leading Cloud, just in case of problems. But Enavoa apparently remembered her ride of the previous autumn and guided Dusty as well as if she'd always handled horses. Ranie and Oma followed with their own mounts. When they got to the field, they brushed the horses down and then headed back to the camp. When they arrived, they saw Anderon and Esavoa talking with Markolan and Elleroa.
Markolan was formally asking the older couple's permission to join with Elleroa. "I ask with all respect to take your daughter as my mate," he said to Esavoa, hoping he remembered the correct wording that Ardoban taught him the previous year. "I promise to provide and care for the daughter as you have provided and cared for the mother," he told Anderon. "I will undertake any task you wish to set to prove I am worthy of the privilege of joining. And in Muna's name I pledge my life to her happiness," he concluded, addressing both.
The older pair looked astonished. Elleroa had made it clear that she fully expected Markolan to return and mate with her, but even so, the last thing they expected was a foreign man to know the S'Armunai tradition known as the Declaration of Intention. Especially since it was gradually falling out of use as young men now often moved to the Camp of a woman they hoped to mate, to allow her mother to get to know him over the course of a winter. Like the Mamutoi, the S'Armunai held rather short Summer Meetings, so while the young people got acquainted, the elders didn't always meet their children's prospective mates until well after the young people had discussed joining. The Declaration's original use was to give the mother a chance to reassure herself that her daughter's potential mate was indeed a good man and a good provider.
Anderon started to chuckle. "I think you just did," he said. "Undertake a task, that is. You've obviously been planning this for a while, since I don't think anyone could have learned all that in the short time since you've arrived."
Esavoa smiled. "Elleroa, does this man meet with your approval? As if I need to ask," she added dryly, looking at her daughter's beaming face. "If he does, you have my blessing on the Promise."
"He does," replied Elleroa firmly.
"In that case, I'll talk to S'Armuna about a Promise ceremony," Esavoa said. "Maybe we can combine it with Markolan's adoption, since I know Ardoban intends to take him as a son of his hearth. We can discuss Bride Price later. Welcome to the family, Markolan." She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, causing him to blush as applause broke out among the still-watching crowd.
That evening, everyone in the Camp of the Three Sisters gathered to listen to the travelers' tales. Ardoban spoke for everyone when he said, "If you were traveling Storytellers, I don't think you could have made up such an amazing tale. But since you aren't, I suspect you will instead inspire some of our younger people to make Journeys of their own." Emphatic nods and a few speculative expressions confirmed the master flint knapper's words.
"Well, Journeys can be wonderful things," Crebulan replied. "I know mine was… in more ways than one. I not only found my brother and met his mate's children," he smiled at Oma, "I get to bring one of them back to meet her grandam. Plus, I met a wonderful woman who is far too good for me, but insisted on returning to my home with me anyway. She says she wants to join with me, although I am at a loss to understand why," he joked with a grin at Ranie.
She laughed at him. "Right. As if I'm going to inflate your opinion of yourself by listing my reasons in public," she teased. "You keep talking like that, I might just change my mind and stay here with Markolan instead."
Crebulan made his eyes wide and drew back in mock fear. "No, no! Anything but that! I'll be good, I promise!"
Ranie gave him a light swat on the shoulder. "You'd better be," she grinned, punctuating her statement with a resounding kiss to the delighted laughter of the audience.
"Ardoban's right, though," one young man said. "Aniwun of Red Rocks Camp and I were thinking about making a Journey next year. Now I know I want to go, no matter what he decides over the winter."
Crebulan nodded. "Ettaman, isn't it? I say, you and your friend should go, if that's what you want to do. If you'd like to talk more about it some other time, I'd be happy to give you some ideas."
"I'd like that a lot, thank you, Crebulan," Ettaman said. "Maybe in a day or two."
"No need to be in too big of a hurry, Ettaman," said the headman, Odelan. "Crebulan, Ranie, and Oma will be staying with us this winter. You can question them to your heart's delight once the snow starts to fly. Until then, let's concentrate on finishing our preparation for the cold weather." He turned to the guests. "I see from your stories that your horses need some sort of shelter from winter storms. This Camp is still smaller than it was before the troubles… there are a couple of vacant lodges. Could your horses be kept in one?"
"They can, and thank you," Crebulan answered gratefully. "That was the one thing I worried about. They're good at finding fodder, but they are used to being able to come in out of the worst weather."
"Good," Bodoa, the headwoman, joined the conversation. "We can figure out which one will be better for them tomorrow. For now," she yawned, "I think it's time we think about letting you folks rest. You've had quite a day."
Crebulan grinned, glancing at Markolan hovering over Elleroa and the sleeping Olanoa. "Quite a day indeed," he replied.
The travelers spent the next few days settling in with the Camp of the Three Sisters. Crebulan and Markolan promptly volunteered their services as hunters of both large and small game. Ranie admitted that she was not a particularly good hunter, but thought she could be of some use on drives as well as with gathering. Oma, who had never learned to hunt, impressed everyone with her knowledge of food plants. She often rode out beyond the usual range of the gatherers, returning with baskets full of nuts, roots, or apples.
That alone made the horses seem useful to the co-leaders of the Camp. But they truly proved their worth on the first big hunt. First, Markolan, Crebulan, and Ranie rode to drive the herd of reindeer into the surround, penning far more of the deer than usual. Afterwards, Oma joined them to help with the butchering and all four horses carried full loads as well as dragging travois full of meat back to camp. Odelan in particular wondered if Markolan would keep his mount when his friends left in the spring. Even one horse could bring great prestige to the Camp of the Three Sisters.
Ettaman, the young man interested in making a Journey, asked Crebulan to work with him to string guide ropes between the lodges. This permitted people to find their way around the camp even during a blizzard if necessary. As they worked, Crebulan told what he knew personally of the Mamutoi to the east, and the Zarnadonii to the west. He also mentioned the Hadumai to the south and the Sharamudoi to the southeast along the Great Mother River, although he pointed out that what little he knew of those two people came second hand from his mother and her mate. Ettaman, after some thought, decided he wanted to go south to see the unfamiliar. Trade missions to and from the Mamutoi were not common, but did happen every few years. But he'd never even heard of the Hadumai before Crebulan mentioned them. Perhaps, Ettaman thought, he could establish a trading relationship with these Hadumai and gain status by doing so. He continued to pepper Crebulan with questions as they worked.
Just as the two men finished their circuit connecting all the lodges, Enavoa and her friend Unaroa came running up excitedly. "There's someone coming on a horse!" Enavoa called.
"Oma took Star gathering this morning," Crebulan said. "She's probably done and coming back now."
"But Oma went to her hazelnut place, over that way," Unaroa said, pointing to the northwest. "This rider is coming from this way." The child pointed east.
Crebulan looked concerned. "It could be someone from the Mamutoi. Dear Doni, I hope nothing has happened to Willora or Zarina." He shaded his eyes and squinted into the distance, trying to make out some identifying characteristic of the approaching rider. But at this point, he couldn't yet make out any details. The rider, whoever it was, didn't seem to be in any hurry.
Other members of the camp, alerted by the girls, gathered with Crebulan and Ettaman to gaze at the approaching rider. Ranie took Crebulan's hand as they watched. Suddenly, she laughed. "It's Darnev," she said. "I'm sure of it."
"You don't suppose anything's wrong, do you?" Crebulan asked. "I mean, everyone at Lion Camp knows we were coming to Three Sisters so it's possible…"
"No, I don't think so," Ranie answered. "Darnev is a far cousin of mine, so I know him pretty well. And he isn't acting worried. In fact, he looks awfully pleased with himself from here. I'd guess he's here for reasons of his own."
"I guess Ettaman isn't the only one we've inspired to a Journey then," Crebulan said with a smile.
Ranie hooted with laughter. "What is it about you men?" she asked rhetorically. "I'd wager an amber necklace that Darnev is here because of Oma."
Crebulan raised an eyebrow at that. "You sound awfully sure of that," he commented. "I guess we'll see when she gets back," he added as Darnev pulled up and greeted the group.
Darnev obviously knew several members of the Camp, greeting them by name and asking after others. He also greeted Crebulan and Ranie warmly. But Ranie, watching him closely, noted that he was carefully scanning everyone as though looking for someone. He was quick to look up at the sound of hoofbeats, and gave a big smile when he recognized the rider. "Heyoo, Oma," Darnev said. "It's good to see you again."
Ranie just looked at Crebulan, an I-told-you-so grin on her face.
