Chapter 6
Once they were back and settled in at Lion camp everyone began to remember Rydag and they felt the loss of the small boy. Everywhere they looked they expected to see him playing with the other children. One day Ayla just couldn't stay at the lodge any longer. She told Torvon and Talut that she was going for a ride. She Whinny and Wolf started up the slope as she turned to go east she stopped then turned to the west instead. From there she let Whinny go where she pleased, and watched as wolf investigated all the sights, sounds and smells in the area. She was thinking about Rydag again when she heard something in the bushes to her left, Wolf had also alerted to the sound. Stopping she slipped off Whinny's back and taking out her sling she went to see what was making the noise. When she parted the brush she saw Wolf crawling up next to a leather carrying blanket wrapped around a baby, a baby of mixed spirits. She sat down and picked up the baby, unwrapped the blanket and just looked at him. She wondered what she should do with him then she remembered something Mamut had told her. He had said that sometimes the Mother would take a child that had something wrong so she could fix the problem. She wrapped the baby back up and placed it in one of Whinny's pack baskets. Then she rode back to camp and went to mammoth hearth. She laid the child on her sleeping platform and examined him, Wolf lay next to him and watched her. As she was doing that Mamut came over and asked where she had found him. She told Mamut that she had been thinking about Rydag and just had to get away from camp. When she rode up the slope something stopped her as she was about to go east and sent her to the west, and then about finding the baby. Mamut looked at her and said, The Mother sent you to find this baby and bring him home to us. He is a gift to us from the Mother. She has sent Rydag back to us. Nezzie and the others had been out when she returned with the baby, and they walked over to the mammoth hearth to see what was going on. One look at the baby and Nezzie and Talut were near tears. Mamut told them the story that Ayla had told him. He told them that this had not been chance but the Mother had taken Ayla to the baby, she had fixed Rydag's problem and sent him back to them. The lodge did not seem so empty anymore and life was beginning to look brighter. A few days later Deegie, Branag, their daughter Tula, Torneg and Avana came walking into camp, they wanted to visit one last time before winter set in. Mamut related the story of how the baby had been found and that he was a gift from the mother. Mamut also told them that he should have his name back as well. While their family from Aurochs camp was there they held a naming ceremony for Rydag, and after a few more days the group from Aurochs camp left for home. Ayla and Nezzie were sitting together while Ayla nursed the babies. Since Rydag had arrived her milk production had increased. So she had enough for both. Nezzie asked, What about when your new baby arrives, what will we do then. Ayla replied, Latie will have her baby before I do so between both of us there should be plenty of milk. After a few moments Ayla said, The first week of spring I'd like to go back to the valley and check the beach for more firestones, flint, ivory and see if we couldn't catch a couple of young horses to train that's all Latie talks about now. Nezzie said, I think I'd like to go this time, I've heard the ones talking that went last spring and it sounds like a beautiful place. I'll talk to Talut and Tulie about it. Winter came and the lodge went about daily its tasks. Ayla, Torvon and Wolf whet out hunting and Wolf helped keep some deer from breaking away from them. They returned with four of the animals ready for the cold room. Torvon told Talut about the hunt and how having Wolf and the horses had made a big difference in the outcome. Talut said that Ayla and Nezzie were talking about going back to her valley in the spring. He also said that Wymez and Ranec liked the flint and ivory they had gotten there and Latie still wanted a young horse. When Talut brought it up everyone thought it was a good idea. They could take the communal tent and stay for a few weeks. Really look the valley over and see what else was there. A few weeks before winter broke Latie gave birth to a baby boy. She named him Tolor. And a month later Ayla gave birth to a daughter she named Reanna, everyone in camp knew whose spirit the Mother had used. She had dark skin but not as dark as Ranec's. Ayla told him since the Mother had used his spirit if anything should happen to her and Torvon it would be his and Tricie's duty to raise her daughter to be a good Mamutoi woman the couple just smiled and nodded. After Ayla was feeling up to it the camp headed east to Aurochs camp and asked if they wanted to go to the valley also. After a few days they headed southwest toward the valley. When they walked down into the valley eight days later, Latie saw the horse herd in the canyon. Brown was acting up and was trying to head for the canyon. Ayla told Torvon to let him go and see what happened. The stallion went into the canyon and there was no challenge. That meant that there was no herd stallion only a lead mare. The camps set their tents up and started building a surround near the canyon. When they were finished Ayla whistled for Brown and when he came she asked him to lead the herd into the surround. When the herd was in the surround the gate was shut. Torvon and Ayla used Whinny and Brown to move the seven younger horses into a section that was closed off from the older stock. Then Torvon opened the gate and let Brown take the mares back to the canyon. While the camp was working with the young horses Ayla, Ranec, Wymez, Nezzie, Latie, Tronie and Fralie took Whinny and her pole drag and went to the beach. They started picking up all the firestones, flint, ivory, bone that they could find. Ayla said that the firestones could be used to trade for other things. Torvon had made a number of spear throwers and some new smaller spears for small birds and game. A few days later they were talking about leaving the valley when Ranec suggested that they could put the mares back in the surround and leave Brown with them for the summer so they would have young horses next spring. But they would have to leave someone behind to keep watch on the herd. Then someone else could relieve those couples so they could go to the meeting. Ayla and Torvon said they would stay the first half of the summer and Jarmon and his mate Kylie from Aurochs camp said they would also stay. The two camps built a small earth lodge for the two couples and then packed their tents and headed back to their camps to go to the summer meetings Ayla, Torvon, Jarmon would go out and work with the colts and fillies each day while Kylie took care of Thyron and Reanna . She was in the last few weeks of her pregnancy and Ayla felt sure that it would be twins. Ayla had left Wolf at the lodge in case there was a problem. Shortly after they went back to work after mid-day Wolf came running toward the surround. Ayla saw him and told the men that Kylie needed her at the lodge. When Ayla arrived Kylie was already in labor and the first child was coming. When the men got there she sent them out to get some hot water going and got the things she had prepared for the delivery. The first baby had no problems but the second was turned in the wrong direction and she had to reach in and turn it around. Kylie had a boy and a girl and both were healthy. Ayla told the men that they would have to work the horses for the rest of their stay as she would be staying to help with the babies. Late one afternoon Frebec, Fralie, their children and Markus and his mate Tiva arrived to take over. The horses were through breeding so Torvon and Ayla would be taking their horses with them. The next morning the couples packed up and left for Amber camp in the north. Amber camp was much closer than Wolf and making the trip from the valley so it was much closer. When they made it to Amber camp they found that Lion and Aurochs camps were set up next to each other. The last matrimonial was to be held in a few days. Latie had met a young man named Byron and they were going to mate. Kylie's twins caused some excitement at Aurochs camp and their Mamut set a naming day for the next evening. The babies were named Jaron and Kimra and a feast was held to welcome them to Aurochs camp. Tholie had come down from the Sharamudoi to visit her kin Brecie and had come to the summer meeting again. Markeno, Thonolan and Jetamio had come with her but his brother Jondalar had left the cave and gone back to the Zelandonii. He had gone with another woman at their mother festival but when he went back to his mates dwelling he found her with another man and had beaten him very badly. Serenio had severed the knot and was going to mate a man named Gulec from Elk camp at the last matrimonial. She did have a son and blond haired, blue eyed infant daughter but the son Darvo would be staying with the Sharamudoi and the daughter Joanna would be coming to Elk camp with her mother. Gulec had spent most the winter trying to court her and she had finally said yes. Ayla wondered how a man could enjoy being with so many women but object when his mate wanted to do the same, it made no sense to her. She was glad that she had not gotten involved with him last year. Lomie and Ayla were sitting in Lion camps tent talking while she and Latie were nursing their babies and Rydag. The older woman said that this mixed child looked very healthy and should grow into a strong young man. Looking down at the child she remembered her son nursing as aggressively and tears formed. Lomie knew how she had felt about the boy that had died last year but this was something else. After Nezzie had taken Rydag she and Latie left the tent. Lomie looked at Ayla and asked her what was wrong. She looked at the older woman for a moment and said, He reminds me of my first born son Durc. Lomie asked, Is he a mixed child like Rydag? Yes but he was healthy. Ayla replied. I had to leave him behind when I was forced to leave the clan. He looked just like this Rydag. He would be eight years now and I miss him so much. Lomie asked, Do those at Lion camp know about your son? No only Mamut and Nezzie know. she replied, I just have not found a way to tell them. The older woman said, You see the way they treat and accept this new baby that you found, don't you think you should tell them the truth about your clan son. Ayla thought and then said she would tell them when they returned to Lion camp. That way if they turned her out she would not have as far to go to get back to her valley. When the meeting broke up Lion camp and Aurochs camp headed back to the valley. On their first night in the valley Ayla asked Talut and Tarneg if she could speak to the camps. She and Torvon had talked about it and he said that he would go with her if she was turned out. When the leaders agreed she started, “I have something I need to talk to all of you about. As most of you already know when I was five years old I lost my family in an earth quake and I was attacked by a cave lion and a few days later I was found by the clan and adopted by Creb and Iza. What I haven't told anyone but Mamut and Nezzie is when I became a woman I was raped by the leader's son and they didn't know what to do. I became pregnant and eight years ago I gave birth to a son that was of mixed spirits. When the leader's son became leader he banned me from the clan and I had to leave my son behind. The old leader promised to train my son as a hunter. It breaks my heart everyday that I cannot have him here with me. I had told Mamut about it when I first got here but he didn't think it was a good idea to talk about it. Everyone turned to look at him and he nodded. I could not let this go unsaid and felt I needed to let you know. If you want me to leave Torvon and I will do so tonight and move to my cave. She sat down and waited for someone to say something. When no one stood up to speak Mamut walked to the center and looking out at the camps he asked, I knew how most people felt about the clan and those of mixed spirits and that if she said anything then she would have been cast out before anyone had a chance to get to know her. Is there anyone here that would like this woman and her family to leave us? Frebec stood and said, I would have been one back then that would have demanded that she leave and I tried to stop her becoming apart of Lion camp. In the two years that she has been here though this woman has done nothing that I can see to warrant her leaving. She has saved three of our people including my mate and her daughter, and brought credit to this camp therefore I say no. Mamut, Talut and Tarneg looked at everyone then Mamut said, This issue is closed. The next few days everyone was out working with the colts and fillies that had been cut out last spring. They were getting used to having people around and were beginning to interact with some of the younger camp members. Latie was in the surround with them everyday touching and talking to them. She, Ayla and a few others would groom them every morning. When they appeared each morning the young horses would crowd the surround fence trying to get the attention first. Ayla was sitting near the surround when Frebec came by and saw her. She appeared to be deep in thought so he came and sat next to her. It startled her and he apologized for disturbing her. Looking at her he asked, Have you ever thought about going back and looking for your son? Looking at him she said, Yes, but I have no idea where their new cave is. Frebec said, After what you did for me and my family I just wish I could do something to help you. She smiled and said, Frebec, your friendship does more for me that you'll ever know. Before Torvon came along I had no people who cared about me. Now I have many friends that care. As she said that she gave the man a hug and a smile. Then Frebec went on to the other surround to help the other men with the young horses. She thought for a while longer then remembered the trouble that Rydag's presence had caused at the meeting. She decided that he was much better off with the clan than he would be here with her. Besides with the clan the only one that didn't like Durc was Broud. Getting us she walked to the surround to help the others with the horses.