Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, names or anything connected to Jean M Auel's Earth's Children series in this story. I'm just having some fun.
Chapter Two
The Ninth Cave
Ayla and Jondalar arrived at the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii to be greeted by Joharran, Jondalar's older brother and leader of the largest Cave of the Zelandonii people.
"I was getting worried you two would not make it back in this storm" he said, smiling at his big blond brother. He had been considering sending out a scout earlier in the day but did not really want to risk it with the coming storm. The Mother had held back winter for as long as she could, and only just long enough. Joharran was glad to see his younger brother but his smile quickly disappeared as he realized that something was wrong.
"We found a woman who had fallen down the cliff near Big Rock, she's hurt brother we need to take her to Zelandonii" Jondalar replied as Ayla undid the harness to reveal the still unconscious woman, checking her head wound which was still seeping.
"Who is she?" Joharran asked, looking down at the woman. She looked like an ordinary woman except for her unusual clothing.
"We can find that out later Joharran," the awesome holy woman answered before Ayla could reply to the leader "Quickly bring her to my dwelling".
A stretcher was brought to the front of the Cave and the woman was taken to Zelandonii's home. When they entered Wolf, who had be parted from his pack leaders for almost ten days, limped over to Ayla, barking like he did when he was a puppy when he greeted her.
"Wolf your paw is healing well" Jondalar said to the animal as he patted his fuzzy head. Wolf had gone missing a few days before the man and woman had set out to get the flint for Dalandar, and Ayla had found him with a dislocated leg, unable to move. She suspected he had been fighting with other wolves due to the cut on his ear and nose.
The two women of healing set to work on the stranger, who had been place on one of the spare sleeping beds at Zelandonii's hearth for injured people. Ayla first set the broken right leg and put it in a cast of hard drying birch bark, along with splints to assure the leg would heal straight. Zelandonii had chopped up the white comfrey roots, good for healing muscles and repairing cracked bones and set aside the gummy mixture to start making an infusion of marigold flowers to clean the head wound. Once the flowers had simmered causing the water to turn golden, Zelandonii cleaned the wound revealed only a crack, not crushed bone as Ayla had feared, and applied the gummy mixture of comfrey roots onto the crack to heal the bone and then wrapped it in soft leather. Ayla had begun cleaning the scratches on the woman's body with the marigold infusion none of which were more serious than to need the antiseptic wash. The cut on her cheek was deeper and once clean Ayla used an infusion of arnica flowers on piece of leather and placed it over the cut to reduce the swelling that would later occur. She picked up a sharp flint knife, shiny with an oily appearance from its heating before being shaped, and cut away the shirt of the woman to see if she had another other injures.
The medicine woman then pressed her fingers on the ribs to see if any were broken. Pressing the right side caused the woman to gasp with pain and muscles to automatically spasm where she was injured.
"I think she may have a few broken ribs on this side of her body Zelandonii" Ayla mentioned and Zelandonii passed her a piece of leather which was wrapped tightly around the woman's chest.
Zelandonii had prepared a tea of chamomile and comfrey to bring on an easier sleep and help the internal problems start to heal, as well as a meat broth. The woman was visibly starved. The heavy donier held the lifeless woman's head and fed her the healing tea and broth in small sips.
After being feed the medicinal tea and meaty soup, the injured woman slept more soundly.
Jondalar had brought in the woman's belongings and sat at Zelandonii's fire with Wolf, keeping the animal occupied while the women worked their magic. While they had worked Marthona, Joharran and Willamar had arrived and were sitting quietly with Jondalar. The whole Cave was aware of the mysterious stranger that had been found, they were itching with curiosity, but only these high ranked members of the Ninth Cave had the status to be the first to find out what was going on.
"She should be alright when she wakes up," Ayla said to the group, reaching out to Marthona and brushing her cheek in a sign of affection, then repeating the gesture with Willamar and Joharran. She sat down next to her mate and examined Wolf's paw, satisfying herself he was fine.
"Yes it's in the hands of the Mother now," Zelandonii said, lowering herself onto her cushion so she would not have to sit on the ground "Her leg should heal fine, it was a minimal break as were the breaks in her ribs. Her head wound should heal well too but I'd like to keep her close incase it swells too much"
"She fell from the cliff west of Big Rock you said?" asked Joharran.
"Yes it's a long fall I'm surprised she wasn't injured more severely" Ayla replied, taking the bone cup of chamomile and mint tea from Zelandonii.
Willamar was holding the shirt that had been cut from the woman's body and handed it to Marthona.
"I've never seen clothing like this before. Where did she come from? She has a foreign look in her face too" Marthona said watching the woman.
Her hair was short, a dark drown colour with blond streaks through it. It was cut in a way that one side of her face was covered. She was pale, with a handful of freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. Her lips were full and large. Her cheek bones were visible due to malnourishment, causing her eyes to be in dark shallows. She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old.
"Why is she starved though? A woman her age should know how and where to find food" Willamar posed to the group.
"Well she's definitely not from around here. We won't know her story until she wakes up," Zelandonii said with a note of finality "She can stay here until she is recovered and through winter"
"Yes it will have to wait until she is awake," Marthona added then turned to face Ayla "Jonayla is at Folara's hearth. She's been there since you left. Those two have a special bond and with Folara's baby due soon I'm sure they will be play mates"
Folara was one of those few women who was blessed by the Mother so soon after her First Rights of Pleasure and that had made her utterly desirable. As well as being beautiful and pregnant, she was also a woman of high status and had mated a man by the name of Boladar from the Third Cave.
"Thank you mother," said Jondalar who rose up from his seat "Come on Ayla, Zelandonii will look after her while your gone"
Ayla nodded and got up. After saying good bye to her kin, they made their way to Folara's hearth to pick up their daughter.
"Mama" was the first word out of Jonayla's mouth as the ducked through the open leather panel of Folara's dwelling. She walked unsteadily on her chubby legs towards her parents and was scoped up by the tall blond woman.
"Jondé, Ayla your back I was worried you wouldn't make it," Folara greeted them rubbing cheeks with her brother first then his mate. "Jonayla has just eaten so I don't think you'll have to make her anything tonight"
"Folara you're so big now. You can't have long to go" Jondalar smiled at his sister and thanked her for looking after Jonayla.
"Anytime although it is a lot harder for her to pick her up now. I have to do it for her" said a smiling young man. Boladar was a short man who would have only come up to Jondalar's shoulder but had large laughing brown eyes. In many ways he reminded Jondalar of his brother, Thonolan. Both men shared the ability to smile easily and made friends quickly. The young couple looked at each other and smiled.
"I'm so glad you're willing to help me at the birth Ayla. I've known Zelandonii all my life but it wouldn't seem right without you there. I know a lot of women give birth but I'm a little frightened"
"Of course I will help, I'm a medicine woman. You'll be fine Folara, just think soon you'll have a beautiful little baby to cuddle" Ayla replied smiling at the happy couple.
"What happened before? We heard you found an injured person" Boladar asked.
Jondalar told his sister and her mate the story of finding the strange woman at the cliff bottom and bringing her back to the Cave.
"Will she be alright?"
"Her leg was broken as well as a few ribs and she had a head injury but she should be fine" Ayla told them.
"She certainly will be with your healing skills and Zelandonii's combined" Boladar complemented.
After saying good bye to them Ayla, Jondalar, Jonayla and Wolf made their way back to their dwelling. Ayla checked in on the horses on the way to see they had settled down and were sleeping after the exhausting trip back to the Cave. Someone had placed fresh hay and water in the troughs and Ayla was grateful for it.
When they got back to their dwelling, Ayla put Jonayla down to sleep and after preparing a light meal for Jondalar and herself they crawled into their furs and fell into a an exhausted sleep.