"Look!" a small child cried out, pointing a grubby finger. Her mother quickly rushed up to the edge of the flat stone living area, wrapping her arms around her daughter and scooping her up.
"Careful, Dalnora!" she admonished, hugging the child tightly. "What have I told you about going too close to the edge?"
The little girl squirmed and got a hand free. "But look!" she said, pointing again.
Thenora turned to follow her daughter's outstretched hand. There, in the distance, was a figure laying in the melting snow and mud. She quickly turned and placed Dalnora down. "Go get Daloran," she told her, giving the girl a small shove towards her hearth.
"But the person! She fell down!" Dalnora insisted, still trying to peer at the figure lying in the distance.
"Get Daloran," the woman repeated, prompting her daughter with another shove. The girl quickly trotted off.
"What is it, Thenora?" another woman asked, appearing from up the trail. She was wrapped in several furs to ward off the chill in the air.
"Dalnora spotted something," Thenora replied, turning to point at the figure. "She says it's a woman, and she saw her fall." Her brows narrowed. What would a lone woman be doing out here?
The other woman squinted, shielding her eyes with a hand. "My vision isn't as good as it used to be," she admitted, turning to face Thenora again. "Are you sure Dalnora saw a woman fall?"
Thenora nodded. "She was very insistant, Norena. I sent her to get Daloran."
At that moment, there was a deep chuckle from the cave, and Thenora turned to see her daughter tugging on the hand of the man of her hearth. "Hurry!" the little girl insisted. Thenora had to smile.
"Dalnora said there was something I had to see?" said the tall, broad man. He pushed a lock of dark brown hair from his face.
Thenora nodded. "There," she replied, pointing at the figure. "Dalnora thinks it's a woman who fell."
"I saw, I saw!" insisted Dalnora, bouncing up and down. She was frustrated with the adults' lack of action and stomped a booted foot.
"I still don't see anything," muttered Norena, still squinting into the distance.
Daloran peered into the distance and tugged on his beard in speculation. By then several other curious members of the cave had appeared, and a general murmur arose from the crowd. "Perhaps we should investigate. Take a closer look," Daloran mused. "It may very well just be an ill animal."
"I'll be happy to accompany you," a tall blond man with piercing blue eyes volunteered.
Daloran smiled as he turned to face Jondalar. He nodded. "Does anyone else want to come along?
Several other men volunteered and one quickly ran to grab a device made out of two poles and a stretched piece of hide, in case it was an animal they found. The meat would be a nice treat after the long winter. If the animal was hurt, it would be easily killed. Even if it was already dead, they could still use the hides and whatever other parts they found. If it had a sickness, it might not be safe for eating.
The small party of men walked down the path from the stone ledge, several of them carrying spears, just in case. A small boy tagged along, carrying a sling that he had used many times to hunt small animals. The men did not mind – any hunting would be good experience for the boy.
It was a difficult walk, with the melted snow causing deep mud puddles that threatened to suck foot coverings right off one's feet. The men had to make several course changes to avoid the deeper spots and find firmer ground. After making a wide circle around, they approached the figure.
"It is a woman!" one shouted in surprise as several others rushed up to her. No one had quite believed the young child, though many knew that the eyes of a child were often sharper than their own.
The woman was laying on her stomach in the muck, her head turned just to one side. She barely had enough room to breath.
"Roll her over!" Jondalar ordered, and the men quickly complied. Her matted hair ended up in the mud, but nobody seemed to notice. She was unconscious and didn't reply to the shouts of the men.
Daloran waved to the man carrying the makeshift carrying device and he quickly brought it over.
"We should take her to Zelandoni," Jondalar said, looking up at Daloran. The older brown haired man nodded.
"She is still breathing. Zelandoni may be able to help her yet," Daloran replied.
The men spread out the poles and hides and several of them lifted the woman onto it. They quickly traced their route back to the cave, moving at a faster pace with their precious cargo.
Jondalar looked up and noticed that an even larger gathering of curious people had found their way to the ledge. Many eyes looked at them and there was a hum of excitement in the air at the arrival of a newcomer.
The men quickly made their way up to the living quarters of the Ninth Cave, with many curious people pressing in closely.
"Move away!" came the strong voice of a woman. "Give them room!"
Jondalar had to smile at the voice of Ayla as the tall blond woman pushed her way through the crowd, a small child resting on her hip. People began to part from her when they noticed her approach. Ayla handed the girl to Jondalar and quickly knelt by the woman's side with the air of an experienced healer.
"What happened?" she asked Jondalar, not pausing to look up from where the woman lay. She didn't see any sign of injury, which may or may not be a beneficial sign. She noted the matted hair, the dirt under the nails, and the sun bronzed skin. Had this strange woman been on a Journey?
Jondalar shifted the small girl and pried her fingers from where they were entwined in his beard. "Dalnora noticed her fall, and the men went to see if it was an animal or not. Thenolan brought the carrier and we carried her back here," Jondalar explained. "Should I get Zelandoni?"
Ayla shook her head, still examining the unconscious woman. "She was up late last night, with the son of Arona. His fever finally broke earlier this morning, and she took a rest a few moments ago. This woman is lacking food and water and needs to eat." Ayla ran over her mental list of treatments. Broth would be good. The woman needed liquids, but something with a bit more substance. Perhaps a tea would be good. Ayla was sure she still had some thyme leaves left, which would help strengthen the woman.
"Could we bring the woman further into the shelter?" she requested. "She needs to be kept warm and will need some treatments. I can care for her at our hearth," she said, looking up at Jondalar for his approval.
The blond man with the shocking blue eyes smiled at her and nodded. "She could find no better place than within your care, Ayla."
Ayla smiled briefly at the man of her hearth as she stood, and several men picked up the litter. The small party made their way within the cave to Ayla's hearth. Ayla followed group, mentally running over a list of treatments for the mysterious woman. She hoped that the woman would regain consciousness soon. She was sure all the other members of the Ninth Cave would be more than eager to hear her story as well.