The Land of Painted Caves

Chapter 7

The Zelandoni Who Was First had mixed feelings upon hearing about the new cave. New discoveries of hollows that were likely to be entries to the Mother's Sacred Underworld were always exciting, but the thought that she might be excluded for purely physical reasons was disappointing, though the idea of crawling on her belly into a small space was not exactly appealing anymore. It did, however, please her that Ayla was accepted enough to be offered the opportunity in her place. She hoped it meant that her choice of a newcomer as an acolyte was already taken for granted. Of course, having a woman with such obviously unusual powers safely under the authority of the zelandonia was probably a relief to many. That she was also an inherently normal and attractive young mother made her acceptance easier.

'That is an excellent idea, Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave. I had planned to begin her Donier Tour later this summer, after the First Matrimonial and Rites of First Pleasures ceremonies. A visit to a new sacred hollow could be an early introduction, and give her a chance to understand from the beginning how sacred sites are known to the zelandonia,' the First Donier said. 'And while we are talking about introductions and training, I notice several of the newer acolytes here. This seems a good time to reveal some knowledge they will need to know. Who can tell me how many seasons there are?'

'I can,' said a young man. 'There are three.'

'No,' said a young woman. 'There are five.'

The First smiled. 'One of you says three, another says five. Can anyone tell me which is correct?'

No one spoke for a while; then the acolyte next to Ayla on the left said, 'I think both are.'

The First smiled again. 'You are correct. There are both three and five seasons, depending upon how you count them. Can anyone tell me why?'

No one spoke up. Ayla remembered some of Mamut's teachings, but she felt somewhat shy and hesitant to speak. Finally, when the silence grew awkward, she said, 'The Mamutoi also have both three and five seasons. I don't know about the Zelandonii, but I can tell you what Mamut told me.'

'I think that would be quite interesting,' the First said, looking around and seeing nods of agreement from others of the zelandonia.

'The downward-pointing triangle is a very important symbol to the Mamutoi,' Ayla began. 'It is the symbol of woman, and it is made with three lines, so three is the number of the power of … I don't quite know the word … motherhood, giving birth, creating new life, and is very sacred to Mut, to the Mother. Mamut also said the three sides of a triangle represent the three major seasons, spring, summer, and winter. But the Mamutoi recognise two additional seasons, the ones that signal change, fall and midwinter, making five seasons. Mamut said five is the Mother's hidden power number.'

Not only were the young acolytes surprised and interested, the older Zelandoni were fascinated by what she said. Even those who had met her the year before and had heard her talk noticed the way she spoke, her accent. To those who were seeing her for the first time, especially if they were young and had not travelled much, her voice seemed absolutely exotic. For most of the zelandonia she had spoken of information unknown to them but that essentially agreed with their way of thinking, which tended to confirm their own beliefs. That gave her added credence and an element of prestige. She was travelled, knowledgeable, but not really threatening.

'I didn't realise the ways of the Mother were so similar even from such a great distance,' said Zelandoni of the Third. 'We also speak of three main seasons — spring, summer and winter — but most people recognise five: spring, summer, autumn, early winter, and late winter. We also understand that the inverted triangle represents woman and that three is the number of generative power, but five is a more powerful symbol.'

'That is true. The ways of the Great Earth Mother are remarkable,' the First said, then continued with the instruction. 'We talked about the counting-word five before, the five parts of an apple, five fingers on each hand, five toes on each foot, and how to use the hands and counting words in a more powerful way. There are also five primary, or sacred, colours. All other colours are aspects of the main colours. The first colour is red. It is the colour of blood, the colour of life, but just as life does not last, the colour red seldom stays true for long. As blood dries it darkens, becomes brown, sometimes very dark.

'Brown is an aspect of red, sometimes called old red. It is the colour of the trunks and branches of many trees. The red ochres of the earth are the dried blood of the Mother, and though some can be very bright, almost new looking, they are all considered old red. Some flowers and fruits show the true colour of red, but flowers are ephemeral, as is the red colour of fruits. When red fruits, such as strawberries, are dried, they turn to old red. Can you think of anything else that is red, or an aspect of it?'

'Some people have brown hair,' said an acolyte sitting behind Ayla.

'And some people have brown eyes,' Ayla said.

'I've never seen anyone with brown eyes. The eyes of everyone I know are blue or grey, sometimes with a little green,' said the young male acolyte who had spoken earlier.

'The people of the Clan who raised me all had brown eyes,' Ayla said. 'They thought my eyes were strange, perhaps even weak, because they were so light.'

'You are talking about Flatheads, aren't you? They're not really people. Other animals have brown eyes, and a lot of them have brown fur,' he said.

Ayla felt her anger flare. 'How can you say that? The Clan are not animals. They are people!' she said through gritted teeth. 'Have you ever even seen one?'

The First jumped in to quell the incipient disruption. 'Acolyte of the Zelandoni of the Twenty-ninth Cave, it is true that some people have brown eyes. You are young and obviously inexperienced. That is one reason that before you become a full Zelandoni, you need to make a Donier Tour. When you travel south, you will meet some people with brown eyes. But perhaps you should answer her question. Have you ever seen the "animal" you call a Flathead?' she said.

'Well … no, but everyone says they look like bears,' the young man said.

'When she was a child, Ayla lived among the ones that the Zelandonii know as Flatheads, but that she calls the Clan. They saved her life after she lost her parents; they took care of her, raised her. I think she has more experience with them than you. You also might ask Willamar, the Trade Master, who has had more contact with them than most. He says they may look a little different, but they behave like people and he believes they are. Until you have had some direct contact yourself, I think you should defer to those who have had personal experience with them,' the First said, in a stern, lecturing tone.

The young man felt a flare of anger. He didn't like being lectured, and he didn't like that the ideas of a foreigner should be given more credence than those he had heard all his life. But after his Zelandoni signalled with a shake of his head, he decided not to dispute the One Who Was First Among Those Who Served The Great Earth Mother.

'Now, we were speaking of the Five Sacred Colours. Zelandoni of the Fourteenth Cave, why don't you tell us about the next one,' the First said.

'The second primary colour is green,' the Zelandoni of the Fourteenth began. 'Green is the colour of leaves and grass. It is also a colour of life, of course, plant life. In winter you will see that many trees and plants are brown, showing that their true colour is old red, the colour of life. In winter the plants are only resting, gathering strength for their new green growth in spring. With their flowers and fruits, plants also show most of the other colours.'

Ayla thought her delivery was flat, and if the information itself had not been so interesting, she could make it seem dull. No wonder the rest of the zelandonia didn't select her to be First. Then Ayla wondered if she just thought that because she knew how much the woman annoyed her Zelandoni.

'Perhaps the Zelandoni whose Cave is hosting this Summer Meeting would tell us about the next Sacred Colour?' the First interjected just as the Fourteenth was taking a breath to continue. The Fourteenth couldn't really object, under the circumstances.

'Yes, of course,' he said. 'The third primary colour is yellow, the colour of the sun, Bali, and the colour of fire, although there is also much red in both, which shows that they have a life of their own. You can see the red in the sun mostly in the morning and in the evening. The sun gives us light and warmth, but it can be dangerous. Too much sun can make skin burn, and dry out plants and watering holes. We have no control over the sun. Not even Doni, the Mother, could control her son, Bali. We can only try to protect ourselves from him, get out of his way. Fire can be even more dangerous than the sun. We do have some control of it, and it is very useful, but we should never get careless with fire, nor take it for granted.

'Not all things that are yellow are hot. Some soil is yellow, there is yellow ochre as well as red ochre. Some people have yellow hair,' he said, looking directly at Ayla, 'and of course, many flowers show its true colour. They always age to brown, which is an aspect of red. It is for that reason that some argue that yellow should be considered an aspect of red and not a sacred colour in its own right, but most agree that it is a primary colour that attracts red, the colour of life.'

Ayla found herself fascinated by the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave, and observed him more closely. He was tall, muscular, with dark blond, almost brown hair with streaks of lighter colour, and dark eyebrows that blended into his Zelandoni tattoo on his left forehead. The tattoo was not quite as ornate as some, but very precise. His beard was brown with a reddish tone, but small and with a distinct shape. She thought he must use a sharp flint blade to trim it, to keep it that way. He was probably approaching middle age, his face had some character, but he seemed young and vibrant and quietly in control.

She thought most people would think that he was handsome. She did, though she didn't fully trust her sense of who was attractive to her own kind of people, the 'Others' to the Clan. Her perception of who looked good was strongly influenced by the standards of the people who raised her. She thought people of the Clan were handsome, but most of the Others did not, though many had never seen any, and most of those who had, had only seen them from a distance. She watched some of the young women acolytes and decided that they were attracted to the man who was speaking. Some of the older women seemed to be, too. In any case, he was very good at communicating the lore. The First seemed to agree. She asked him to continue.

'The Fourth Primary colour is clear,' he said. 'Clear is the colour of the wind, the colour of water. Clear can show all colours, as when you look in a still pond and see a reflection, or when drops of rain sparkle in all colours when the sun comes out. Both blue and white are aspects of clear. When you look at wind, it is clear, but when you look into the sky, you see blue. Water in a lake, or in the Great Waters of the West is often blue, and the water seen on glaciers is a deep, vivid blue.'

Like Jondalar's eyes, Ayla thought. She remembered when they were crossing the glacier that it was the only time she saw a blue colour that matched his eyes. She wondered if the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave had ever been on a glacier.

'Some fruit is blue,' he was saying. 'especially berries, and some flowers, although blue flowers are more rare. Many people have blue eyes, or blue mixed with grey, which is also an aspect of clear. Snow is white, as are clouds in the sky, or grey when they are mixed with dark to make rain, but their true colour is clear. Ice is clear though it may appear white, but you know the true colour of snow and ice as soon as they melt, and clouds when they rain. There are many white flowers, and one can find white earth in certain places. There is a location not far from the Ninth Cave where white earth, kaolin, can be found,' he said, looking directly at Ayla, 'but it is still an aspect of clear.'

The Zelandoni Who Was First picked up the lecture. 'The fifth Sacred Colour is dark, sometimes called black. It is the colour of night, the colour of charcoal after fire has burned the life out of the wood. It is the colour that overcomes the colour of life, red, especially as it ages. Some have said that black is the darkest shade of old red, but it is not. Dark is the absence of light, and the absence of life. It is the colour of death. It does not even have an ephemeral life; there are no black flowers. Deep caves show the primary colour of dark in its truest form.'

When she finished, she stopped and looked at the assembled acolytes. 'Are there any questions?' she said. There was a diffident silence, some shifting and shuffling, but no one spoke out. She knew there probably were questions, but no one wanted to be first, or appear not to understand if everyone else did, or seemed to. It was all right — questions could come later, and would. Since so many of the acolytes were there, and she had their attention, the First wondered if she should continue with the instruction. Too much at one time was hard to retain, and people's minds could wander. 'Would you like to hear more?'

Ayla glanced at her baby and noticed that she was still asleep. 'I would,' she said softly. There were other murmurs and sounds from the group, most of them positive.

'Would someone like to talk about another way that we know five is a powerful symbol?' the One Who Was First asked.

'One can see five wandering stars in the sky,' said the old Zelandoni of the Seventh Cave.

'That is true,' the First said, smiling at the tall, elderly man, then announced to the rest, 'And Zelandoni of the Seventh Cave is the one who discovered them and showed them to us. It takes time to see them, and most of you won't until your Year of Nights.'

'What is the Year of Nights?' Ayla asked. There were several others who were glad she did.

'It is the year when you will have to stay awake at night and sleep during the day,' the First replied. 'It is one of the trials you will face in your training, but it is more than that. There are certain things you need to see that can only be seen at night, like where the sun rises and sets, especially during midsummer and midwinter, when the sun stops and changes direction, and the risings and settings of the moon. The Zelandoni of the Fifth Cave is the one who knows most about that. He made notations for half a year to keep track.'

Ayla wanted to ask what other trials she would have to face in her training, but didn't speak up. She guessed she would find out soon enough.

'What else shows us the power of five?' the First asked.

'The Five Sacred Elements,' the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth said.

'Good!' the large woman Who Was First said. She shifted to a more comfortable position on her seat. 'Why don't you begin.'

'It's always best to talk about the Sacred Colours before the Sacred Elements because colour is one of their properties. The First Element, sometimes called a Principle or Essential, is Earth. Earth is solid, it has substance, it is soil and rock. You can pick up a piece of earth with your hand. The colour most associated with Earth is old red. As well as being an element in its own right, Earth is the material aspect of all the other essentials; it can hold them or be affected by them in some way,' he said, then looked toward the First to see if she wanted him to continue. She was already looking at someone else.

'Zelandoni of the Second Cave, why don't you continue.'

'The Second Element is Water,' she said, standing up. 'Water sometimes falls from the sky, sometimes rests on the surface of the earth or flows across it, or through it in caves. Sometimes it is absorbed and becomes part of the earth. Water is movable; the colour of Water is usually clear or blue, even when it looks muddy. When water is brown, it is because you are seeing the colour of Earth, which has mixed with Water. Water can be seen and felt, and swallowed, but you cannot pick it up with your fingers, though your hand can make a cup for it,' she said, holding her two hands together to form a cup.

Ayla enjoyed watching her because she used her hands a lot when she was describing things, although it wasn't intentional the way it was with the Clan.

'Water must be held in something, a cup, a waterbag, your own body. Your body needs to hold water, as you will find out when you go through your trial of giving it up. All living things need water — plants and animals,' the Second finished and sat down.

'Would anyone else like to say something about water?' the leader of the zelandonia asked.

'Water can be dangerous. People can drown in it,' said the young acolyte sitting on the other side of Jonayla. She spoke softly and looked sad and Ayla wondered if she had personal knowledge of what she spoke.

'That's true,' Ayla said. 'On our Journey, Jondalar and I had to cross many rivers. Water can be very dangerous.'

'Yes, I knew someone who broke through the ice on a river and drowned,' said the Zelandoni of South Face, of the Twenty-ninth Cave. He started to embellish the story about drowning, but the main Zelandoni of the Twenty-ninth interrupted and cut him short.

'We understand water can be very dangerous, but so can Wind, and that is the Third Element.' She was very pleasant with a nice smile, but an underlying strength, and she knew this was not a time for a digression into anecdotes. The First was discussing a serious matter with important information that needed to be understood.

The First smiled at her, knowing exactly what she had done. 'Why don't you continue to tell us about the Third Element,' she said.

'Like water, wind cannot be picked up, nor can it be held or seen, though its effects can be seen,' she said. 'When wind is still, it cannot even be felt, but wind can be so powerful it can pick up trees and knock them over. It can blow so hard, you can't move against it. Wind is everywhere. There is no place that you won't find it, not even in the deepest cave, though it is usually still there. You know it is present because you can make it move by flapping something. Wind also moves inside a living body. It can be felt when you suck in your breath and when you blow it out. Wind is essential for life. People and animals need wind to live. When their wind stops, you know they are dead,' the Zelandoni of the Twenty-ninth Cave ended.

Ayla noticed that Jonayla was beginning to squirm; she would be waking up soon. The First was aware of the baby, too, and an air of restlessness in the assembly. It was necessary to finish this session soon.

'The fourth element is cold,' the First continued. 'Like wind, cold cannot be picked up or held, but it can be felt. Cold causes changes, makes things harder and slower. Cold can harden the earth, and cold can harden water, turn it into ice and make it stop moving, and turn rain into snow or ice. The colour of cold is clear or white. Some say that dark causes cold. It does get cooler when the dark of night comes. Cold can be dangerous. Cold can help dark to drain life, but dark is unaffected by cold, so things that are partly dark are less affected by cold. Cold can be helpful, too. If food is put into a cold pit in the earth, or in water covered with ice, cold can stop it from going bad. When cold stops, things that are clear can usually go back to the way they were, like ice back to water. Old red things or elements can usually recover from cold — the earth, the bark of trees for example — but green, yellow, or true red seldom do.'

The First thought about asking for questions, but decided to hurry through. 'The fifth element is Heat. Heat cannot be picked up or held, but it, too, can be felt. You know when you touch something hot. Heat also changes things, but where cold makes slow changes, heat is quick. As cold drains life, heat and warmth can restore it, bring it back. Fire and sun can make heat. The heat from the sun softens the cold, hard earth, and turns snow to rain, which helps green life sprout; it turns ice to water, and helps it move again. The heat of fire can cook food, both meat and vegetables, and warm the inside of a dwelling, but heat can be dangerous. It can also help dark. The primary colour of heat is yellow, often mixed with red, but sometimes it is mixed with dark. Heat can help the true red of life, but too much heat can encourage the dark that destroys life.'

The First's timing was just about right. Just as she finished, Jonayla woke up with a loud wail. Ayla quickly picked her up, rocked and bounced her to settle her, but knew she needed to be tended to.

'I want all of you to think about what you have learned today and remember any questions you may have so we can talk about them the next time we meet like this. Any of you who wish to leave can go now,' the One Who Was First concluded.

'I hope we'll be able to meet again soon,' Ayla said as she stood up. 'This was very interesting. I'm looking forward to learning more.'

'I'm glad, Acolyte of the Zelandoni of the Ninth Cave,' the First said. Though Zelandoni called her Ayla when they were in a more casual situation, she always referred to everyone by formal titles when they were in the zelandonia lodge at Summer Meetings.

'Proleva, I need to ask you something,' Ayla said, feeling uncomfortable.

'Go ahead, Ayla.' All of the people who shared the dwelling were eating their morning meal, and turned toward her, their expressions full of curiosity.

'There is a sacred cave not far from the home of the Twenty-sixth Cave, and their Zelandoni has asked me to go with him to see it, since I am the First's acolyte. It is very small and the First would like me to go, to represent her.'

Jondalar was not the only one whose attention was piqued. He glanced around and noticed that everyone was watching Ayla, and saw Willamar shudder. The Trade Master loved to travel great distances, but didn't much care for small, cramped spaces. He could make himself go into a cave if it was necessary, especially if it wasn't too small, but he preferred the open outdoors.

'I need someone to watch Jonayla, and feed her, if she needs it,' Ayla explained. 'I'll make sure she nurses before I leave, but I'm not sure how long it will take. I would take her with me, but I'm told one must crawl in like a snake, and I don't think I could do that with Jonayla. I think Zelandoni is pleased that I was asked.'

Proleva thought for a moment. She was always busy at Summer Meetings, the Ninth was a large and important Cave, and she had many things planned for that day. She didn't know if she had time to take care of another baby besides her own, but she hated to refuse. 'I'd be glad to feed her, Ayla, but I have promised to meet with some people today and I don't think I will be able to take care of her.'

'I have an idea,' Marthona said. Everyone turned to look at the former leader. 'Perhaps we can find someone to go with Proleva to watch both Jonayla and Sethona while she is busy, and bring the babies to her when they need feeding.'

Marthona looked hard at Folara, then surreptitiously poked her, wanting her to volunteer. The girl understood the message, and had thought about it even before, but wasn't sure if she wanted to spend a whole day taking care of the babies. On the other hand, she did love them both dearly, and it might be interesting to see what Proleva was going to be talking about at her meetings.

'I'll watch them,' she said, then in a moment of inspiration added, 'if Wolf will help me.' That would bring her a lot of attention.

Ayla paused to think. She wasn't entirely sure if Wolf would obey the young woman in the middle of the Meeting area in the midst of so many strangers, though he would probably love to be around the little girls.

Adult wolves were devoted to their young, and happily took turns watching them while the rest of the pack hunted, but a pack could not raise more than one litter. They had to hunt not only for themselves, but for several growing and hungry young wolves. To supplement nursing and to help wean the litter, the hunters brought back meat they had chewed and swallowed, regurgitating the partially digested food, making it easier for the pups to eat. It was the job of the alpha female to make sure no other females of the pack mated when they came into season, often interrupting her own mating to drive males away from them, so that her litter would be the one that was born and raised.

Wolf bestowed his normal wolfish adoration on the human babies of his pack. Ayla had observed and studied wolves when she was young, which was why she understood Wolf so well. As long as no one threatened the little ones, it was unlikely he would cause any trouble, and who would threaten them in the middle of a Summer Meeting?

'All right, Folara,' Ayla said. 'Wolf can help you watch the babies, but Jondalar, will you check on Wolf and Folara once in a while? I think he will mind her, but he may get too protective of the little ones, and not want to let anyone near them. He always does what you say when I'm not around.'

'I was going to stay close to our camp and knap some tools this morning,' he said. 'I still owe special ones to some people for helping me build our dwelling at the Ninth Cave. There is a knapping area at the edge of the Meeting camp, and it is paved with stones so it won't be muddy. I can work there and go to see how Folara and Wolf are doing occasionally. I did promise to meet with some people in the afternoon. After the lion hunt, many more are interested in the spear-thrower.' His forehead wrinkled in a familiar frown as he thought about it. 'But maybe we can meet where I can keep an eye on them.'

'I hope we'll be back by afternoon, but I don't know how long the cave visit will take,' Ayla said.

They all headed for the main encampment not long after, separating to go to their individual destinations when they reached the site. Ayla and Proleva, with their two babies, Folara, Jondalar, and the wolf all went to the large zelandonia dwelling first. The donier of the Twenty-sixth Cave was already there waiting outside, and an acolyte Ayla had not seen for some time.

'Jonokol!' she said, rushing toward the man who had been the First's acolyte before her, and was considered one of the finest artists of the Zelandonii. 'When did you arrive? Have you seen Zelandoni, yet?' she asked after they had embraced and touched cheeks.

'We got here just before dark last night,' he said. 'The Nineteenth Cave got off to a late start, and then the rain slowed us down. And yes, I have seen the First Among Those Who Serve The Mother. She's looking wonderful.'

The other members of the Ninth Cave warmly greeted the man who had been, until recently, a valued member of their Cave and a good friend. Even Wolf sniffed him in recognition and was given a scratch behind the ears in return.

'Are you Zelandoni, yet?' Proleva asked.

'If I pass the testing, I may be at this Summer Meeting. Zelandoni of the Nineteenth is not well. She didn't come this year; she just couldn't walk so far.'

'I'm sorry to hear that,' Ayla said. 'I was looking forward to seeing her.'

'She has been a good teacher and I've been performing many of her tasks. Tormaden and the Cave would like me to take on the rest of the functions as soon as possible, and I think our Zelandoni wouldn't mind either,' Jonokol said, then looking at the bundles Ayla and Proleva had in their carrying blankets, he added, 'I see you have your little ones. I heard you both had girls, the blessed of Doni. I am happy for you. May I see them?'

'Of course,' Proleva said, taking her infant out of her carrying blanket and holding her up. 'Her name is Sethona.'

'And here is Jonayla,' Ayla said, holding up her child as well.

'They were born within a few days of each other, and they are going to be great friends,' Folara said. 'I'm taking care of them today, and Wolf is going to help me.'

'You are?' Jonokol said; then he looked at Ayla. 'I understand we're going to visit a new sacred cave this morning.'

'Are you coming with us, too? How wonderful,' Ayla said; then she looked at the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave. 'Do you have any idea how long it will take? I would like to be back by afternoon.'

'We should be back sometime in the afternoon,' he said. He had been observing the reunion of the artist acolyte and his former Cave and their interactions. He had wondered how Ayla was going to handle visiting a difficult cave with a young baby and quickly understood that she had made arrangements for the care of her infant, which was wise. He wasn't the only one who wondered how a young mother was going to take on the full duties of a Zelandoni. Apparently with the help of family and friends in the Ninth Cave. There was a reason that few in the zelandonia chose to mate and have a family. In a couple of years, when the child was weaned, it would be easier for her … unless she were blessed again. It would be interesting to watch the development of this young, and attractive, acolyte, he thought.

Saying she would be back soon, Ayla left with the others from the Ninth Cave to go with Proleva to her meeting. The Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave sauntered after them. She tried to nurse Jonayla, but the child was satisfied, and smiled at her mother while the milk dribbled out of the corner of her mouth; then she struggled to sit up. Ayla handed the baby over to Folara, and then stood in front of the wolf and tapped herself just under her shoulders. The animal jumped up, putting his large paws where she had tapped, as she braced herself to support his weight.

The demonstration that followed made people who hadn't seen it before stare in shocked disbelief. Ayla lifted her chin and exposed herself to the huge wolf. With great gentleness he licked her neck, then took her tender throat in his teeth in a wolfish gesture of acknowledgment of the alpha member of his pack. She returned the gesture near his mouth, getting a mouthful of fur; then holding him by his ruff, she looked into his eyes. He dropped down when she let go, and she stooped down to his level.

'I'm going away for a while,' she said softly to the animal, repeating the meaning in the sign language of the Clan, though it was inconspicuous to most of those watching. Sometimes Wolf seemed to comprehend hand signals even better than words, but she generally used both when she was trying to communicate something important to him. 'Folara is going to watch Jonayla and Sethona. You can stay here with the babies and watch them, too, but you must do what Folara tells you. Jondalar will be nearby.'

She stood up and hugged her baby, and said good-bye to the others. Jondalar embraced her briefly as they pressed cheeks, and then she left. She wouldn't say even to herself that Wolf really understood everything she said, but when she talked to him like that, he paid close attention to her, and did seem to follow her instructions. She had noticed that the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave had followed them and she knew he saw her with Wolf. His face still showed his surprise, though it wasn't obvious to everyone. Ayla was accustomed to reading meaning from subtle nuances; it was necessary in the language of the Clan, and she had learned to apply the skill to interpreting unconscious meaning in her own kind.

The man didn't say anything as they fell into step and walked back to the zelandonia dwelling together, but he had been astounded when she bared her throat to the wolf's fangs. The Twenty-sixth Cave had gone to a different Summer Meeting the year before and he hadn't seen her with the animal when she first arrived. First, he was surprised to see a hunting meat-eater calmly approaching with the people of the Ninth Cave, then he was amazed at the size of the animal. When he saw Wolf jump up on his hind legs, he was sure it was the biggest one of his kind he had ever seen. Of course, he'd never been quite so close to a living wolf before, but the animal was nearly as tall as the woman!

He had heard that the First's new acolyte had a way with animals and that a wolf followed her around, but he knew how people exaggerated and while he didn't deny what anyone said, he wasn't sure he fully believed it either. Perhaps a wolf had been seen near the Meeting and people were led to believe it was watching her. But this wasn't a creature skulking around the outskirts of the group, who may have been watching her from a distance, as he'd imagined. There was direct communication, understanding, and trust between them. The Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave had never seen anything like it and it piqued his interest in Ayla even more. Young mother or not, perhaps she did belong in the zelandonia.

It was well into the morning by the time the small group approached the unremarkable cave in the face of a low limestone cliff. There were four of them: the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave; his acolyte, a quiet young man named Falithan, although he often referred to himself as the First Acolyte of the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth; Jonokol, the talented artist who had been the First's acolyte the year before; and Ayla.

She had enjoyed talking to Jonokol along the way, though it made her realise how much he had changed in the last year. When she first met him he was more artist than acolyte, and had joined the zelandonia because it allowed him to freely exercise his talent. He'd had no great desire to become a Zelandoni, he was content to remain an acolyte, but that had changed. He had become more serious, she thought. He wanted to paint the white cave that she, or rather Wolf, had found the previous summer, but not just for the joy of the art. He knew it was a remarkably hallowed place, a sacred refuge created by the Mother, whose white calcite walls offered a extraordinary invitation to be made into a distinctive place to commune with the world of the spirits. He wanted to know that world as a Zelandoni so he could do justice to its sanctity when he created the images from the next world that he was sure would speak to him. Jonokol would soon be Zelandoni of the Nineteenth Cave and give up his personal name, Ayla realised.

The entrance to the small cave seemed barely large enough for a person to enter and it seemed to get smaller as she looked farther inside. It made Ayla wonder why anyone would want to go inside it. Then she heard a sound that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, and gooseflesh appear on her arms. It was like a yodel, but faster and more high pitched, an ululating wail that seemed to fill the cave hole in front of them. She turned and saw that it was Falithan who was making the sound. Then a strange muted echo reverberated faintly back to them that did not quite synchronise with the original sound, but seemed to originate from deep inside the cave. When he finished, she saw Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth smiling at her.

'It's quite a remarkable sound he makes, isn't it?' the man said.

'Yes, it is,' Ayla said. 'But why did he make it?'

'It's one way we test the cave. When a person sings or plays a flute or makes a sound like Falithan in a hollow, if the cave responds, sings back with a sound that is true and distinctive, it means the Mother is telling us that She hears, and She is telling us that one can enter the spirit world from here. Then we know it is a sacred place,' the Twenty-sixth said.

'Do all sacred caves sing back?' Ayla asked.

'Not all, but most do, and some only in certain places, but there is always something special about sacred sites,' he said.

'I'm sure the First would be able to test a cave like this, she has such a beautiful and pure voice,' Ayla said, and then she frowned. 'What if you want to test a cave but you can't sing, or play a flute or make a sound like Falithan. I can't do any of those things.'

'Surely you can sing a little.'

'No, she can't,' Jonokol said. 'She speaks the words of the Mother's Song, and hums in a monotone.'

'You have to be able to test a sacred site with sound,' the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave said. 'That's an important part of being Zelandoni. And it must be a true sound of some kind. You can't just yell or scream.' He seemed gravely concerned, and Ayla was crestfallen.

'What if I can't make the right kind of sound? A true sound?' Ayla said, realising at that moment that she did want to be a Zelandoni someday. But what if she couldn't just because she couldn't make a proper sound.

Jonokol looked as unhappy as Ayla. He liked the foreigner Jondalar had brought back with him from his Journey, and he felt he owed her a debt. She was not only the one who found the beautiful new cave; she had made sure he was among the first to see it, and had agreed to become the First's acolyte, which had allowed him to move to the Nineteenth Cave, which was near it.

'But you can make a true sound, Ayla,' Jonokol said. 'You can whistle. I have heard you whistle just like a bird, and you can make many other animal sounds. You can whinny like a horse, you can even roar like a lion.'

'That I'd like to hear,' the Donier said.

'Go ahead, Ayla. Show him,' Jonokol said.

Ayla closed her eyes and gathered up her thoughts to concentrate. She put her mind back to the time when she was living in her valley and raising a young lion alongside a horse, as though they were both her children. She remembered the first time Baby managed to make a full-throated roar. She had decided to practise making the sound, too, and a few days later answered him with a roar of her own. It wasn't quite as thunderous as his, but he recognised it as a respectable roar. Like Baby, she had always built up to it with a series of distinctive grunts, and began with a series of unhk, unhk, unhk sounds that grew louder with each repetition. Finally she opened her mouth and pushed out the loudest roar she could. It filled the small cave. Then after a period of silence the roar echoed back on itself with a distant, muted sound that with a chill of gooseflesh made each of them feel that a different lion had answered from a place far away, deep in the cave and beyond.

'If I didn't know better, I'd vow there was a lion in here,' the young acolyte of the Twenty-sixth said with a smile when the echoes died down. 'Can you really whinny like a horse, too?'

That one was easy. It was the true name of Ayla's horse, Whinney, the one she named her when she was a foal, though now she more often said it like a word rather than a whinny. She made the sound the way she usually greeted her friend when she hadn't seen her for a while, a happy, welcoming whiiinnneeey.

This time the Donier of the Twenty-sixth Cave laughed out loud. 'And I imagine you can whistle like a bird, too.'

Ayla smiled, a big delighted grin, then whistled through a series of bird calls that she had taught herself when she was still alone in her valley, and had learned to coax birds to eat out of her hand. The bird trills and chirps and whistles reverberated with the strangely muted echoing of the cave.

'Well, if I had any doubts about this being a sacred cave, I couldn't any more. And you won't have any problem testing with sound, Ayla, even if you can't sing or play a flute. Like Falithan, you have your own way,' the Zelandoni said. Then he signalled to his acolyte, who removed his backframe and took out of it four small bowls with handles that had been carved out of limestone.

The acolyte next brought out an object that looked like a small white sausage; it was a piece of the intestine of some animal filled with fat. He untwisted one end and squeezed out some of the slightly congealed fat into the bowl of each lamp, then put a strip of a dried boletus mushroom into each. Then he sat down and prepared to make a small fire. Ayla watched him, and almost offered to make a fire with one of her firestones, but the First had made a point the previous year to make a ceremony of showing the firestone, and though many of the Zelandonii now knew how to use it, Ayla wasn't sure how she wanted to show those who hadn't seen it the first time.

Using materials he had brought with him, Falithan soon had a small fire going and from it, using another strip of dried mushroom to transfer the fire, he melted some of the fat to make it more easily absorbed then lit the mushroom wicks.

When the fire was well established in each grease lamp, the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth said, 'Well, shall we explore this tight little cave? But you will have to assume that you are another animal, Ayla, a snake. Do you think you can slither in here?'

Ayla nodded her assent, though she felt some doubt.

Holding on to the handle of the small bowl-shaped lamp, the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave put his head into the small opening first, getting down on his knees and one hand, and finally down on his stomach. Pushing the small oil lamp in front of him, he squirmed into the unique little space. Ayla followed him, then Jonokol and finally Falithan, each of them holding a lamp. She now understood why the Zelandoni had discouraged the First from attempting to enter the place. Though Ayla had occasionally been surprised at what the large woman could do if she set her mind to it, this cave really was too small for her.

The short walls were more or less perpendicular to the floor, but curved together at the ceiling, and appeared to be rock covered with a damp soil. The floor was a wet clayey mud that stuck to them, but actually helped them to slide through some of the tighter places, but it didn't take long for the cold clammy muck to seep into their clothing. The chill made Ayla aware that her breasts were full of milk and she tried to get up on her elbows so she wouldn't have to put all her weight on them, though it was difficult while holding the lamp. Small spaces didn't particularly bother Ayla, but when she got stuck in one place that curved sideways, she began to feel a touch of panic.

'Just relax, Ayla. You can make it,' she heard Jonokol say, then felt a push against her feet from behind. With his help she squeezed through.

The cave was not uniformly small. When they got beyond the constriction, the cave opened up a little. They could actually sit up, and holding their lamps up, see each other. They stopped and rested for a while, then Jonokol couldn't resist. He took a small, chisel-pointed piece of flint from a pouch tied to his waist thong and with a few quick strokes, engraved a drawing of a horse on the wall on one side, and then in front of it, another.

It had always amazed Ayla how skilled he was. When he was still at the Ninth Cave, she had often watched him when he practised on the outside wall of a limestone cliff, or a slab of stone that had broken off, or on a section of rawhide with a piece of charcoal, or even on a smoothed-out area of dirt on the ground. He did it so often and with such ease, he almost seemed profligate, wasteful of his talent. But just as she had had to practise to gain skill with her sling or Jondalar's spear-thrower, she knew Jonokol had needed to practise to gain his level of proficiency. It was just that to her the ability to think of a living, breathing animal and reproduce its likeness on a surface was so extraordinary, it couldn't be anything but a great and amazing Gift from the Mother. Ayla was not alone in those feelings.

After they rested a while, the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave continued leading the way into the cave. They encountered a few more tight places before they reached a place where slabs of rock blocked their way; it was the end of the cave. They could go no farther.

'I notice that you felt compelled to make drawings on the wall of this cave,' the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth said, smiling at Jonokol.

Jonokol wasn't sure he would put it quite that way, but he had drawn two horses, so he nodded assent.

'I have been thinking that Sun View should have a ceremony for this space. I am now more sure than ever that it is sacred, and I would like to acknowledge that. It could be a place for young people who want to test themselves to come, even those who are quite young.'

'I think you are right,' the artist acolyte said. 'It's a difficult cave, but staightforward. It would be hard to get lost in here.'

'Would you join us in the ceremony, Jonokol?'

Ayla guessed the Zelandoni wanted Jonokol to make more drawings in this sacred cave that was so close to them, and wondered if his drawings would add more status to the place.

'I believe a mark of closure is needed here, to show it is as far as one can go within the cave — in this world,' Jonokol said, then smiled. 'I think Ayla's lion spoke from the next world. Let me know when you plan to have the ceremony.'

Both the Zelandoni and his acolyte, Falithan, smiled their pleasure. 'You are welcome to come, too, Ayla,' the Twenty-sixth said.

'I will have to see what the First has planned for me,' she said.

'Of course.'

They turned around and started back, and Ayla was glad. Her clothes were soggy and caked with mud, and she was getting cold. It didn't seem to take as long to return, and she was happy that she didn't get stuck again. When they reached the entrance, Ayla breathed a sigh of relief. Her oil lamp had gone out just before they saw light coming in from outside. This may be a truly sacred cave, she thought, but she didn't think it was a particularly pleasant cave, especially having to crawl on her stomach most of the way.

'Would you like to come to visit Sun View, Ayla? It's not very far,' Falithan said.

'I am sorry. Some other time I would love to visit, but I told Proleva I would be back in the afternoon. She is watching Jonayla, and I really do need to go back to the camp,' Ayla said. She didn't add that her breasts were aching; she was feeling the need to nurse and getting very uncomfortable.