CHAPTER 6: Captive
'Am I a captive again? Is this man going to make me his servant? I will fight for my freedom and refuse to be subservient. He has to sleep sometime, and that's when I grab my carry pouch and escape.' Ava's thoughts were based on her fears.
Following her new master, Ava walked away from Kregg's Clan. Durcan began retracing the steps he had taken to reach Kregg's Clan and knew Jaradal would be just as surprised to see 'the child' as he was. After walking for a finger of time, Ava finally spoke. "Man without a name, what did you do that caused Kregg to send me away?" Ava voiced the question as the two walked in the direction of what she thought was probably the man's campsite or perhaps his tribe.
"My name is Durcan. I was beginning to wonder if you knew how to talk... I like your voice."
"Stay away from me and you won't get hurt," Ava replied sternly. She then demanded an answer to her question. "Man, I asked what you did that caused Kregg to send me away, I expect an answer."
"Ava, in answer to your question, I bartered for you, and again, my name is Durcan."
Ava felt an instant spike of anger at being bartered for. "So Durcan, you killed three rabbits and two squirrels in barter for me?"
"My barter with Kregg was that I would provide enough meat to carry his people through the winter. I ended up providing four aurochs, twenty-nine deer, and six horses as barter. Kregg knew he had enough for meat for the coming winter and acknowledged I had fulfilled our barter in full."
"Is that all? I think at least twice that amount would have been asked and agreed to, it would have been a much more fair barter price for me."
"Ava, all things considered, I think just the three rabbits and two squirrels you mentioned would have been a more appropriate barter price." Durcan had to work hard to keep a straight face as he spoke.
"All things considered Durcan?" Ava said this with a questioning tone in her voice. She realized he was teasing her, and she also knew the price Durcan had paid was very high. Spending the time and effort to get that many kills to gain her release was a remarkable thing and reflected not only on Durcan's hunting skills; it also showed him to be a kind and compassionate man.
"You may be right Durcan, three rabbits and two squirrels may well have been a proper price to pay, and I thank you for making the barter with Kregg."
"You are welcome," was all Durcan said.
Silence reigned as Ava contemplated Durcan's tease, but the unease of being with a stranger was still present. "Durcan, I may be your captive now, but I am not your property. I will do and say what I want and will go where I please."
Durcan was surprised at Ava's statement. He hadn't considered this woman might think he was her captor. "Ava, know that I will not harm you, and understand that you are not my captive. I had not seen you before I bartered with Kregg and I was under the impression I was bartering to free a young child. My purpose was to allow the child an opportunity to leave the Clan and be with her own kind. When I first saw you, I was surprised to find 'the child' I had bartered for was a fully-grown woman. I will take you back to Kregg if you wish."
Ava regretted the angry tone in her voice after hearing Durcan's statement. She liked the fact this man, 'Durcan,' wanted to help a child. She also liked that he saw her as a grown woman. It was something she had never really considered until now. His body language and the tone in his voice was telling her he was speaking truth. "I don't want to go back to the Clan, and I won't be ordered around. I will stay with you for now, providing I am free to go."
"Ava, it can be dangerous to travel alone, so if you change your mind and want to go back to Kregg's Clan I will accompany you. Otherwise, I will bring you back to my people and you can make a new life for yourself at any tribe you choose. Also, I apologize for causing you to leave the Clan, but I still like your voice." Durcan gave her an impish grin as he spoke. His statement seemed sincere and she enjoyed hearing him say he liked her voice.
The Others language was the same from tribe to tribe. Different accents were often present, but the basic language was the same whether Zelandonii, Chimu, Mamutoi, or most any other tribe. Already knowing the language of the Others would be helpful to Ava.
As they walked, she thought about her situation, 'I am not going to do anything this man commands any more than I did for that stupid Clan boy who wanted to kiss me.' That was an experience she didn't want to repeat.
The event happened outside of Kregg's caves while she was gathering firewood. A group of four young Clan males came by. Only one of the young boys had not yet gone through his manhood rites, yet he was twelve summers and more than old enough for the rites.
The four were walking back after swimming in a pond when they noticed her. After a bit of banter with his companions a twelve-summer boy in the group approached her while the three remaining young men stood back to watch. His three older companions challenged him to kiss the Others female. They were badgering him to approach the female Other.
"Stand before me woman." The boys were naked after swimming in the pond and Ava could see the pubescent muscles they were developing. Ava did as she was told to do but didn't know why the boy told her to stand in front of him. The boy grabbed both her wrists and drew her to him. "Kiss me," he commanded.
Ava was not going to kiss a stupid little boy. "No, I will not kiss you." Her signing was stunted because the boy was holding her wrists. The boy's three companions snickered but signed nothing.
"I commanded you to kiss me, now do it!"
"I will not kiss you or any other stupid little boy and if you force me, you're going to get hurt." This challenge to the boy in front of his peers could not be ignored. Being denied a kiss by the ugly Others female was an insult. To fail in front of his friends by allowing the ugly female to turn him down enraged the boy. He moved forward and threw Ava to the ground. She hadn't anticipated being thrown down and resisted when the boy jumped on top of her.
Ava struggled with the twelve-summer boy and even bit his arm, but the boy ignored the bite and continued to seek a kiss. He was much shorter than her but was stronger by nature and she was quickly beginning to tire. Ava was now fighting mad and ready to seriously hurt the stupid and demanding little boy.
She rolled to her side then jumped up and kicked the boy's leg. He stood also and came at her again but this time she was prepared. He grabbed her arms again and Ava responded with a powerful knee to the young man's groin. He was quickly in obvious pain and trying not to let it show as he went to his knees and held his crotch.
The remaining three companions winced at seeing what the Others female had done; they had goaded their young friend to kiss the ugly female, and now this... Instead of going after Ava, they ran to their friend as she rapidly walked away.
Having a broken arm with a bone sticking out, burns from a fire, or a spear wound in the shoulder was a kind of pain a Clan boy could handle reasonably well. A forceful knee to the groin was an entirely different matter as the gonads of a male Clansman dropped at ten summers and produced a totally different kind of pain when struck. This was a pain even a fully grown man had to acknowledge.
Word quickly spread among the youth; Ava was never bothered again.
During the trek to Durcan's overnight campsite, the two were constantly at odds and speaking with each other in ways sounding somewhat like arguing. Ava was obstinate, arbitrary, and defensive, yet Durcan was happy anyway. He liked Ava's good looks and slender but strong body. She spoke with intelligence and was feisty. She showed independence and he liked that as well.
"Tell me of your life Ava; what tribe did you belong to? How did you come to be with the Clan?"
"I am of the Karren Tribe and you have no need to know of my life beyond that, and I don't wish to talk right now," Ava responded.
"Ava, we have a long walk to get to my overnight camp, and I would like to use the time to get to know you."
"Durcan, I have no desire to talk with you."
"Okay, then I will do the talking." Ava didn't reply and stuck out her chin as if to say, 'talk all you want, but I won't listen.'
"To start with, I am Zelandonii."
"That's what my last sickness was called," Ava interrupted.
"That's odd, last summer I nearly died from the dreaded Ava fever!"
"The dreaded Ava fever, you can't respond better than that?" In reality, she felt Durcan's, 'dreaded Ava fever' was an extremely good reply.
"I could do better, but I don't want you to get upset." Durcan felt it was best left at that and began talking about his family. "I have one sister and one half-brother. My sister's name is Jonayla, my father is named Jondalar, and my mother's name is Ayla. My father is a hunter and flint-knapper and my mother is a Zelandoni."
"Of course she is a Zelandonii since you are one as well," she shot back.
"No, not Zelandonii, although she is that as well, my mother is First Zelandoni."
"Durcan, that explanation is as clear as dark water at night."
"I apologize, you don't yet know about the Zelandonii, the Zelandoni, and the Zelandonia. The Zelandonii, with a strong emphasis on the end of the word, are a people just as your Karren Tribe are a people.
"Your Karren tribe has a Praise Leader, someone who talks with the Spirit World, don't they?"
"Yes, a 'Spirit Leader' is what she is called."
"In the Zelandonii tribe, we call that person a Zelandoni. The two words sound about the same and can be confusing so you must listen closely to discern what term is being used in a conversation to determine which meaning is present. Each tribal cave has at least one Zelandoni and the group as a whole is called 'The Zelandonia.' The Zelandonii people have nineteen caves right now and we number something over one-thousand people."
"I have never heard the word 'thousand' before, what does it mean?"
"It means ten sets of one-hundred."
Ava decided to accept what Durcan was saying because his body language and voice showed no lies. The thought of that many people was something she had never conceived. "Durcan, I suppose the next thing you are going to tell me is that your mother is the Spirit Leader of all those people."
"Yes, she is our First Zelandoni and she is also First Medicine Woman." Durcan could see a touch of confusion in Ava's eyes. "In Clan terms, my mother would be called the Mog-ur of Mog-urs. The fact she is also First Medicine Woman is because she was already First Medicine Woman before being elected to the position of First Zelandoni."
Ava couldn't understand how this man could tell such lies and not have it show in his body language or voice. She felt a disheartening loss of what little faith she had in Durcan and now spoke with an odd tone in her voice. "Durcan, I would be very interested in meeting your mother."
"You will likely meet both my mother and my father sometime in the next four days. My parents search as a team and should be back to our base camp soon. They could be back already. My search partner, Jaradal, is the son of Joharran, leader of Ninth Cave. Jaradal is a Hunt Leader and Blackie is with him right now. The two are helping in our search.
"Yet another hunter is guarding our base camp. His name is Bandoman and Sky is with him."
"The sky is with all of us and who or what is a Blackie?" Ava was already getting fed up with Durcan's constant double talk.
"I said Sky is with Bandoman, not 'the sky' is with Bandoman. 'Sky' is the name of my mother's pet wolf and 'Blackie' is what I named my pet wolf. Sky would normally be with my mother, but she feels it best to allow the odd man a companion and protector while he is alone at our base camp."
"Pet wolves Durcan? Just how stupid do I look to you?" There was nothing left to say. The auroch crap Durcan was spouting seemed to tie in with his previously telling her that Creb had adopted his mother. She knew of Creb, and she strongly doubted the abilities and accomplishments of those spoken of in legends and her summers in the Clan prompted Ava to conclude that overstated accomplishments are what make legends.
"Please Durcan, I really don't want to talk anymore." Now it was Durcan who was disheartened; he stopped talking.
Only two fingers of time had passed when Ava broke the self-imposed silence between them. "How far do we need to go to reach your people and in what way is your Bandoman an odd man?"
"My people, The Zelandonii, are twelve months to the West. If we stop at Lion Camp for the usual four-month winter, there will be another eight months left to go to reach my home tribe."
"Twelve months! Ignore the four-month winter, and ignore your odd Bandoman, we can't travel for twelve moon cycles. I would much rather you take me back to Kregg's Clan!"
"Ava, my overnight camp is just ahead, so let's make use of the camp then get up and walk until midday and then we are there," Durcan was playing with her.
"Durcan, you said twelve months of travel, now you say to use an overnight camp, then walk half a day and we are there. Why don't you just ..."
Durcan interrupted Ava's outburst. "Ava, my people are far away as I said, but my lakeside search camp is only a half-day from here."
"What search camp? Who or what are you searching for?"
"We are looking for my mother's first child, my half-brother."
"Does this half-brother have a name, or should I just guess?"
"Yes, he has a name. He was named by Creb, the Mog-ur of the Clan where my mother grew up."
"Your mother is in the Clan! Are you in the Clan? I think I want to go back." The comment about the Clan caught her off-guard. The ensuing discussion made both of them forget she had asked Durcan what his half-brother was named; Ava knew who Durc was but had only actually seen him four or five times.
"My mother was in the Clan from the age of five to sixteen. She was Clan just as you were Clan. I have never lived with the Clan, but I can sign the language."
Not seeing a lie but doubting Durcan was being truthful, Ava responded by signing, "Durcan you are mean and ugly."
He immediately signed back. "I am glad you said mean and ugly instead of ugly and mean. 'Ugly and mean' would have hurt my feelings." He gave her a broad smile and now spoke aloud. "...And I think you are intelligent and likely firm in your resolve once you take a stance."
Ava was shocked; 'Durcan CAN sign Clan!' Now Ava signed again, replying, "Okay, you are not mean, but I still think you are ugly." Durcan could see a hint of a smile.
He quickly replied by speaking aloud, "Ugly in a good-looking kind of way?"
"Yes," she blurted out in quick reply, "I mean no, I meant to say no."
"Too late Ava, I think you look good too." Durcan had spoken with a smile in his voice.
While trying to keep up with Durcan's sharp wit, Ava had spoken spontaneously. 'Damn it,' she thought as she chastised herself for speaking so quickly. 'He said he thinks I'm intelligent and that I'm firm in my resolve, and he said I look good too. I don't know what 'resolve' is but whatever it is I am firm in it and I think that is probably good.' The word 'resolve' was a word Ava had never heard before.
"Thank you," Ava replied... "But you are still ugly." Ava now turned her face away quickly to end the conversation, moreover, she didn't want Durcan to see her broad smile. The two continued walking and in all of this, Durcan had forgotten to tell Ava his brother's name and what an 'odd man' is. This wasn't a problem; Ava had forgotten as well.
"Ava, this is the overnight camp I spoke of earlier. There's a small creek in that little valley over there, and we're on a somewhat level spot of the hillside. The sky is clear so we're not going to get rained on, and the air temperature is perfect for sleeping. I have travel cakes with me and I will kindle and start a protection fire for us."
"I agree with you for once. This does seem to be a good place for an overnight camp. How do you know about a creek being in the valley?"
"I explored the immediate area while I was looking for Kregg's Clan. You will find the water is cool, clean, and sweet. Right now we are only a half-day trek from where my search partners, Jaradal and Blackie, are waiting for us. They are camped near a small lake that is upstream from where the creek flows into a small river."
"Your search partners are waiting for us? Why didn't they come with you?"
"The last day Jaradal and I were to hunt game for Kregg's Clan, I asked him to stop hunting and return to our lakeside camp. He is not at ease with Clan people and I didn't want leader Kregg to get irritated by his presence. Blackie is with Jaradal because the Clan would have killed her on sight had she been with me."
"Why would the Clan want to kill your female? Is it just because she is with you? Is being with you cause for me to be killed as well? What is it about being with you that would court death?" Ava was serious in her questions.
"Ava, I pray being with me will only bring good things into your life. The reason the Clan would want to kill Blackie on sight isn't that she is female, it is because she is a wolf."
"Durcan, I don't want to hear lies, I want an honest answer."
"I gave you an honest answer. Blackie is my pet wolf just as I said when I told you about the search for my half-brother. The Clan would kill Blackie because she is a wolf, not because she is a female⦠remember?"
"Okay, I am safe, we don't need a cooking fire, water is available, and your search partners, Jaradal and Blackie, are not too far away. That doesn't explain why we are stopping with several hands of time before dark. We could just follow the stream and be even closer to your Jaradal and we could set up a new overnight camp at nightfall."
"Ava, see that fallen oak tree? The tree is why I want to stop here. It looks like five summers or so has passed since it fell, and the bark will have protected it from rain and snow. The summer sun and wind will have dried it out, so it is now well-seasoned wood and I want to make something for my mother as a gift."
"What is it you want to make?"
"Two wooden bowls. I have seen the small wooden bowls artisans barter away and thought if I could make larger bowls it would be a unique gift for my mother. If I can just cut two good sized pieces of wood from the tree, I can finish the bowls later. Besides, I plan to stay awake tonight so no predator can catch us unaware. Working on hollowing out the bowls will help to keep me awake."
"Durcan there are likely to be Clan in this area and the animals have probably learned to stay away from humans or risk death, we should be safe."
"Yes, we should be safe, but now I need to make certain we are."
"Durcan, why the extreme concern about predators?"
"I don't want you to get hurt. I must give you protection because I am the one who took you from the protection of the Clan. I am responsible for you. Just do me a favor and don't stub your toe." This time Ava had nowhere to go with a protest. Ignoring that, she was pleased this man wanted to protect her.
Ava sat on the unfolded sleeping fur she had carted with her when she was leaving her Clan and was watching as Durcan used his hand axe to chop at the fallen tree. 'Durcan said I was his responsibility and that he needed to protect me, the thing is, I think he would protect me even if I weren't his responsibility.' This thought kept repeating in her mind until the darkness of night held true; she slept.
The morning sun found Durcan and two round plates five fists in diameter and each plate was one and a half fists in thickness. Since the wood was aged, each plate was much lighter than it would have been if cut from a sap laden live tree. Still, both plates were heavy and would be somewhat of a burden to carry.
Durcan had seen the morning sun as it rose into the sky and Ava woke up with the sunbeams. She immediately had an active mind. 'I know I don't want to go back to the Clan and couldn't even if I wanted too because Kregg would lose honor if he took me back into his Clan after bartering me away, and I know I shouldn't run away from my captor, at least for now. Traveling alone would be dangerous even though I have a sling. 'So far, Durcan hasn't tried to bother me, but being in the forest and alone with him certainly creates the opportunity. If Durcan comes at me, I will give the bastard a really hard kick right where it hurts the most. I have claws I can use in a struggle, and I can bite. He may still overpower me but not without paying the same price as that stupid twelve summer Clan boy did.' Ava was showing reasoning in her thoughts. She didn't want to think about being taken against her will, but the possibility was on her mind. Durcan wasn't Clan, and as such she was highly suspect of the man. She knew the men of the Clan were honorable but she knew nothing of men of the Others.
"Ava, I can offer you some travel cakes for our morning meal, and over there is a fresh bladder of water."
'This man hasn't forced himself on me in any way and he hasn't tied my hands or threatened to beat me. He didn't order me to walk side by side; he suggested it. In the Clan, a female walking beside a male would be justification for a beating because walking beside a male would be the same as her stating she was equal to the man,' she thought. "Durcan, I see your wood is ready to hollow out."
"I don't think I'm going to hollow them out. I was about to start on the hollowing but stopped when I realized the width of the bowls I was intending to make would make them hard to store away, hard to take anywhere with ease, and hard to wash because they would be so large and they would still weigh more than can be easily handled.
"My next thought was more of an idea than anything else. My idea is kind of rough and I haven't figured out how to make it work yet. You see, I want to use the wood plates to make something else, something everyone can use."
"What would that be?"
"Thick wood plates," was his reply.
"Durcan, Thick wood plates would weigh even more than the hollowed-out bowls and be even harder to wash. Why would anyone want thick and heavy wood plates when they already have lightweight bone plates? After a meal, bone plates are easy to wash and then set aside for the next meal. I don't think people would want your thick wood plates. I guess I don't understand." She was mystified.
"My plates wouldn't be for eating; they would be for moving things around."
"Okay, now I have no idea at all what you are talking about." Durcan was still on his overnight lookout spot and was getting ready to climb down from the boulder.
"Ava, would you mind bringing the two plates over here while I get off this boulder?" He had failed to say please but then again, in the Clan she would have been ordered to bring the plates. At least he had asked her, not ordered her to do his bidding.
Ava picked up both plates and started to carry one under each arm. "Durcan, these things are awkward to carry and are really heavy..." She had no more than spoken the words when she took a slight stumble and dropped the two wood plates. The plates quickly began to roll down and across the face of the grassy hillside where they had camped and began to separate as they rolled.
Durcan had seen the plates fall and yelled, "Get them quick!" He was halfway down the boulder and now jumped to the ground and started running for the plate nearest him. "I'll get this one, you get that one," he yelled. Ava instantly started chasing her plate and felt relief when it ran into a nearby bush and fell on its side. Durcan's plate kept on rolling.
When he managed to catch up to his plate, he tried to kick it onto its side while he ran. The kick turned out to be a bad idea because the plate didn't fall over as he had expected, it just changed direction. No longer rolling across the face of the hillside, his plate was now rushing straight downward and was mindfully centered on a goal of reaching the bottom. Durcan's plate was motionless at the distant bottom of the hill when he managed to reach it.
Ava laughed at seeing Durcan running after a chunk of wood the way a mother would chase a disobedient child. He could hear her distant laugh and realized the situation was humorous and let loose with a laugh also. Being fully at the bottom of the hillside, it took him three fingers of time to get his plate back to where Ava was. The two now began the morning's trek to Jaradal and the lakeside camp. Durcan had one plate in his carry pouch and Ava had the second plate in her carry pouch. The shoulder strap sewn to the carry pouch allowed a person's arms and hands to be unencumbered while walking.
Already finished with his morning meal, Jaradal knew Durcan should be back at the lakeside camp by midday. He had packed up the campsite and was ready to leave whenever Durcan and the bartered child arrived. Coming out of the forest with Ava by his side Durcan waved to his fellow hunter and continued walking until reaching his friend. "Jaradal, this woman is named 'Ava' and she will be traveling with us."
Jaradal was surprised to see a very attractive woman standing next to his search partner. "Durcan, I thought you said we were gaining the release of a child. I don't think your 'Ava' qualifies as being a child." Ava beamed at Jaradal's statement and realized what Durcan had said about thinking he was bartering for a young child was indeed true.
"Jaradal, I will tell you what happened, but one thing first." Turning to Ava, he spoke, "I want you to meet Blackie, and now is as good a time as any. Jaradal and I will go get Blackie and show that you will be safe with her. After she meets you, she will see you as a new member of her pack and will give up her life to protect you." As the two men walked away to get Blackie, Durcan told Jaradal of his own surprise at first seeing 'the child' he had bartered for.
Ava was not showing any fear. 'Durcan told me that Jaradal and he would bring Blackie the wolf to meet me and I am guessing one of the two men will come out of the woods wearing a wolf skin and growling to scare me.' When she saw a black wolf walking between the two men the hair on the back of her neck rose and tingled; this was no trick. Durcan took things slowly and showed his control over Blackie. He even played and roughhoused with the wolf as did Jaradal. Durcan showed Ava a game he called, 'stick bring back,' and she had gained enough confidence in her safety to play the game with Blackie. The wolf was more black than grey so she could understand why Durcan named her 'Blackie.'
Wanting to get moving, Durcan soon called an end to playtime and slung his carry pouch over his shoulder. Jaradal had reached into Ava's carry pouch and was putting her plate into his pouch. "Jaradal, I can still carry the second wood plate."
"Ava, as a man, I make it a point to ease any burden a good-looking woman may have. The heavy wood plate is something I will carry."
Durcan was somewhat miffed at Jaradal's statement; Ava could see Durcan's disdain and was delighted. Jaradal had called her a 'good looking woman,' and was instantly on Ava's list of good men.
The group of one wolf, two men, and one woman began heading for base camp. Bandoman was maintaining the camp. They would walk all day and reach early dark before setting up an overnight camp. Jaradal soon realized his friend was captivated with Ava; something had already developed between the two. With a slight sense of envy, Jaradal decided he would walk well ahead of the two from now on so they could have privacy in their conversations. Thinking of others was an unusual action for Jaradal. Blackie walked alongside Ava, as did Durcan.
It was later in the day when Durcan had a vision of how his first idea might work. Ava giggled when he told her his first idea and followed with his second idea. Ava's resulting giggle was unlike any he had ever heard before. "Hey, I think my idea is good," Durcan protested, "I just need to figure out how to make it work."
"Wait a moment Durcan, what are you going to call the round plate things? We need to call them something other than round things or plate things or wood things."
He thought for a moment. "Let's call them 'rollers.' That's what they will do, so that is what we will call them." He liked hearing Ava say the word 'we.'
"What about the wood branch you told me about that connects the two rollers? What will it be called?" Ava asked this as she contemplated Durcan's use of the word 'let's.'
"That's a good question. Do you have any suggestions?"
Ava was caught off guard. She was new to having a man ask her for ideas or anything else that required thought.
'Okay head, start thinking, we can't call it a stick, branch, or limb, those names exist already. Durcan will need to use his hand axe to cut a branch from the tree...' "Let's call it an 'axle.' You will need to use your axe to chop off a straight tree branch, so if we just change the word sound 'axe' to 'axle' it now has a name!"
"I like it," Durcan replied enthusiastically. He did feel, 'axle,' somehow fit the need for a name and was impressed Ava had devised it so quickly. "I want to put a hole in the center of each roller and then put a roller at each end of the axle, but I still need to figure out how to tie the rollers to the axle, so they don't fall off. The thing is, I can't tie the rollers to anything because if I do, the rollers can't roll."
"So just tie the two rollers to the axle."
"Ava, I just told you the rollers can't be tied to the axle! You're not listening to me." Durcan was starting to show a touch of frustration.
"Tying the two wood rollers to the axle is all you need to do to stop the rollers from falling off and it CAN be done without stopping the rollers from turning."
"You can't tie the stupid rollers to the axle!" Durcan replied in an irritated tone.
Ava calmly countered, "Just use thick leather straps to tie the rollers to the axle."
"Girl, what did you learn in the Clan? I just told you why the rollers can't be tied to the axle. You can't tie the rollers to the axle, understand? The rollers need to roll and can't be tied to anything!"
Durcan knew Ava didn't have a hearing problem so she must be trying to get him upset for some reason; either that, or she wasn't as intelligent as he first thought. That thought was quickly rejected; in conversations she was hard to keep up with.
Ava gave Durcan a sharp reply. "Don't call me 'girl.' My name is Ava, and I am seventeen summers old 'BOY,' and apparently smarter than you."
He replied just as sharply, "Oh Great One, please educate me with your superior mind!"
Ava picked up a nearby fallen branch and began to draw in the dirt using it and thinking to herself, 'This will show Durcan I have a mind just as good as his, maybe better!' Ava decided the sturdy branch would make a good walking stick.
"Durcan, can you put a hole in the center of each wooden roller?"
"Yes, I already said I could do that, but the rollers will want to wander on the axle. That means they will fall off, and they can't be tied to the axle because they can't roll freely if tied." He could see Ava at least understood the concept of the axle and the holes in the rollers.
"Let me put this in simpler terms for you Durcan. Look at my drawing, I'm not suggesting the rollers be tied to the axle in a physical sense, just restrict the movement of each roller by wrapping some wet leather straps tightly around the axle on both sides of each roller. The leather will shrink and tighten to the axle as it dries and should keep the rollers in place. Now the rollers are 'tied' to the axle by stopping any movement left or right." Durcan's mind analyzed what Ava had just explained and a very noticeable look of understanding made his face light up with a broad smile.
Ava was extremely happy at solving the problem. She remembered speaking to her father of her thoughts and ideas as a youth, but no Clan male she had ever met would allow her to express ideas or thoughts. Durcan was different; he listened and discussed ideas with her. 'I think I like this man.' She wasn't expecting the strong tingle that went through her body immediately after the thought.
"Yes, what you show in your drawing just might work! Ava, you have a very smart stick there." He knew the 'smart stick' part of what he said would likely prod a remark from her and he waited to see what she would say.
"Durcan, you could probably benefit from being hit with it." Ava said this as she smiled and purposely bumped him to the side with her hip.
Durcan smiled at the remark and really liked the bump. He knew Ava was very different from the girls he grew up with. His mind was active, 'Ava doesn't cling to me; she stands up to me and talks with intelligence. None of the Zelandonii girls I know are as quick in the mind as Ava, and not one of them would challenge me in thought or deed. She is not devious or strange in any way and shows a good sense of humor. I like this woman and I like her humor.' Durcan was coming down with a full blown case of the dreaded Ava fever.
