Chapter 20
Capture
"That spear thrower is ingenious!" Malia studied the one Jondalar was holding.
"Be quiet, mother. You'll scare the bison," Sela whispered.
A young half-grown heifer snorted nervously. Unsure of the strange sounds, she edged herself back toward the herd. Ayla had been watching the heifer and quickly took aim. Jondalar followed her lead and hurled his spear.
"Right on target!" Sela shouted and ran out into the fray.
The excitement of the hunt had always given her pleasure. The great cows began to trample about nervously, fearing the smell of fresh blood. Suddenly, Sela saw a young bull break from the herd. "Ayla!"
"Ayla! Look out!" Jondalar echoed her cry." The man instinctively launched a spear, hitting a flank. Ayla's response was quick and deadly. Raising her arm, she let fly another spear. Bellowing in pain, the young bull fell to the ground, with a trembling spear protruding from his eye.
"Thank Donii!" Thonolan gasped in relief.
Sela loped toward him with a huge grin. Her eyes were alight dancing with pleasure as she pulled him toward her and began to dance around. "She's such a good hunter. I miss hunting myself. I'd like to have a spearthrower too!" A hint of longing shadowed her face. She quickly shook it off and smiled sunily at Thonolan. "Let me show you how the Sungaea dance."
Thonolan tried to mimic her movements, but couldn't keep up. "If I was at home, I'd have on my white robe with all of the lovely beads on it. I'd coil my hair up and wear my beaded headdress. How I miss it all!" She stopped her movements and dropped her head. "I wonder what it will be like in the next world.
"Oh daughter," Malia cried, "you've missed out on so much because of me."
Sela shook her head vehemently, "no, I chose to come with. There has never been any other choice for me."
Malia looked at her daughters with love and pride shinning from her eyes. "Look at us! They've had such a successful hunt, and we can only think of the past." She took her daughter gently by the arm and they started back to Ayla and Jondalar. Malia beckoned Thonolan to follow.
As they drew closer, Sela giggled. "Don't look now, but they're kissing!"
"Then what should be done?" Ayla asked.
"First Rites, Ayla, If you will allow me," Jondalar said.
"Surely this will secure their affections," Malia said with a wide smile, "Sela, come with me and we will 'assist' Ayla in preparations. Thonolan, can you keep an eye on your brother?"
"I think I can handle that." He grinned at the excited women who turned and followed Ayla.
Entering the cave, he found Jondalar over the fire checking the roast. "You've done this enough. Remember Noria? I wonder if she did have a child with blue eyes like you. Perhaps I'll go find them on our way back."
Jondalar reached into his sleeping furs and pulled out a piece of ivory. By the look of it, he had been working on it for some time. Chipped and chiseled to shape, it resembled the figure of a woman. Unlike the Donii he had given to Noria, this one was more slender and younger. He took up his tools along with the figure and went outside.
Thonolan shuffled his feet and paced directionless. He was bored. He hadn't realized how much he had begun to enjoy the company of the women. Every now and then, he glanced over to his brother, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Jondalar was carving the head, shaping suggestions of woven braids randomly placed. Just like Ayla's hair, Thonolan thought to himself. Suddenly, Jondalar's thoughts filtered over to him.
"...If I could draw her to me, overcome her resistance and capture her spirit."
"Capture her spirit?" Thonolan said in surprise. He stalked toward his brother, not liking this turn of events.
Jondalar was studying the figure intensely. "Why did they carve the image of an animal on a weapon, or on the Sacred Walls?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Jondalar. You can't capture Ayla's spirit that way. It wouldn't be right, no one puts a face on a Donii." He shuddered at the thought of an object capturing a spirit. What if it fell into the wrong hands? In a flash he recalled something he'd seen on one of his spirit journeys. A mother figure with a face...Ayla's face! Lost and broken, with the head severed from the body. "Jondalar, don't do it! You don't know what this could mean for her. I know that you want a piece of her to stay with you, but this isn't the way."
"O Great Mother, tell me, would it be such a terrible thing to do?" Jondalar pleaded.
Thonolan opened his mouth to protest when a strong wind swept up from the valley. "Quiet," the voice whispered.
"But he's going to carve her face on a Donii! No one has done this before. What of the danger to the woman?"
"Am I not in control?"
He relaxed his pose and sighed, "yes."
"It is a part of her future, and the ancient past of others."
Resigned, Thonolan sat so he could watch his brother. With some trepidation, he saw the face take shape. There was no doubt as to whom it represented. Though he was assured it was a part of a larger plan, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Jondalar lifted up the ivory figure and examined it. Satisfied, he returned to the cave. Spying a bundle of leather near the wall, he tucked it inside. With that done, he turned and left the cave, looking for the woman. What was taking her so long?
A sound teased Thonolan's ears. Where had he heard that before? Hearing a stone scrap on stone, he turned around and screamed.
(VOH pp. 495-496, 498-501)
Sorry, I forgot to add author notes to the last chapter. RD, yes there is a similarity to the names, for good reason. You'll find out more about that soon enough. And yes, as I wrote the "search," Mamut saw Ayla and Jondalar. You'll notice later in The Mammoth Hunters, Mamut is not surprised to see the two people when they arrive at camp.
Thank you Jester for your encouragement! I'm glad you've been enjoying this story and some of the other ones as well.
Capture
"That spear thrower is ingenious!" Malia studied the one Jondalar was holding.
"Be quiet, mother. You'll scare the bison," Sela whispered.
A young half-grown heifer snorted nervously. Unsure of the strange sounds, she edged herself back toward the herd. Ayla had been watching the heifer and quickly took aim. Jondalar followed her lead and hurled his spear.
"Right on target!" Sela shouted and ran out into the fray.
The excitement of the hunt had always given her pleasure. The great cows began to trample about nervously, fearing the smell of fresh blood. Suddenly, Sela saw a young bull break from the herd. "Ayla!"
"Ayla! Look out!" Jondalar echoed her cry." The man instinctively launched a spear, hitting a flank. Ayla's response was quick and deadly. Raising her arm, she let fly another spear. Bellowing in pain, the young bull fell to the ground, with a trembling spear protruding from his eye.
"Thank Donii!" Thonolan gasped in relief.
Sela loped toward him with a huge grin. Her eyes were alight dancing with pleasure as she pulled him toward her and began to dance around. "She's such a good hunter. I miss hunting myself. I'd like to have a spearthrower too!" A hint of longing shadowed her face. She quickly shook it off and smiled sunily at Thonolan. "Let me show you how the Sungaea dance."
Thonolan tried to mimic her movements, but couldn't keep up. "If I was at home, I'd have on my white robe with all of the lovely beads on it. I'd coil my hair up and wear my beaded headdress. How I miss it all!" She stopped her movements and dropped her head. "I wonder what it will be like in the next world.
"Oh daughter," Malia cried, "you've missed out on so much because of me."
Sela shook her head vehemently, "no, I chose to come with. There has never been any other choice for me."
Malia looked at her daughters with love and pride shinning from her eyes. "Look at us! They've had such a successful hunt, and we can only think of the past." She took her daughter gently by the arm and they started back to Ayla and Jondalar. Malia beckoned Thonolan to follow.
As they drew closer, Sela giggled. "Don't look now, but they're kissing!"
"Then what should be done?" Ayla asked.
"First Rites, Ayla, If you will allow me," Jondalar said.
"Surely this will secure their affections," Malia said with a wide smile, "Sela, come with me and we will 'assist' Ayla in preparations. Thonolan, can you keep an eye on your brother?"
"I think I can handle that." He grinned at the excited women who turned and followed Ayla.
Entering the cave, he found Jondalar over the fire checking the roast. "You've done this enough. Remember Noria? I wonder if she did have a child with blue eyes like you. Perhaps I'll go find them on our way back."
Jondalar reached into his sleeping furs and pulled out a piece of ivory. By the look of it, he had been working on it for some time. Chipped and chiseled to shape, it resembled the figure of a woman. Unlike the Donii he had given to Noria, this one was more slender and younger. He took up his tools along with the figure and went outside.
Thonolan shuffled his feet and paced directionless. He was bored. He hadn't realized how much he had begun to enjoy the company of the women. Every now and then, he glanced over to his brother, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Jondalar was carving the head, shaping suggestions of woven braids randomly placed. Just like Ayla's hair, Thonolan thought to himself. Suddenly, Jondalar's thoughts filtered over to him.
"...If I could draw her to me, overcome her resistance and capture her spirit."
"Capture her spirit?" Thonolan said in surprise. He stalked toward his brother, not liking this turn of events.
Jondalar was studying the figure intensely. "Why did they carve the image of an animal on a weapon, or on the Sacred Walls?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Jondalar. You can't capture Ayla's spirit that way. It wouldn't be right, no one puts a face on a Donii." He shuddered at the thought of an object capturing a spirit. What if it fell into the wrong hands? In a flash he recalled something he'd seen on one of his spirit journeys. A mother figure with a face...Ayla's face! Lost and broken, with the head severed from the body. "Jondalar, don't do it! You don't know what this could mean for her. I know that you want a piece of her to stay with you, but this isn't the way."
"O Great Mother, tell me, would it be such a terrible thing to do?" Jondalar pleaded.
Thonolan opened his mouth to protest when a strong wind swept up from the valley. "Quiet," the voice whispered.
"But he's going to carve her face on a Donii! No one has done this before. What of the danger to the woman?"
"Am I not in control?"
He relaxed his pose and sighed, "yes."
"It is a part of her future, and the ancient past of others."
Resigned, Thonolan sat so he could watch his brother. With some trepidation, he saw the face take shape. There was no doubt as to whom it represented. Though he was assured it was a part of a larger plan, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Jondalar lifted up the ivory figure and examined it. Satisfied, he returned to the cave. Spying a bundle of leather near the wall, he tucked it inside. With that done, he turned and left the cave, looking for the woman. What was taking her so long?
A sound teased Thonolan's ears. Where had he heard that before? Hearing a stone scrap on stone, he turned around and screamed.
(VOH pp. 495-496, 498-501)
Sorry, I forgot to add author notes to the last chapter. RD, yes there is a similarity to the names, for good reason. You'll find out more about that soon enough. And yes, as I wrote the "search," Mamut saw Ayla and Jondalar. You'll notice later in The Mammoth Hunters, Mamut is not surprised to see the two people when they arrive at camp.
Thank you Jester for your encouragement! I'm glad you've been enjoying this story and some of the other ones as well.