The Land of Painted Caves Read online

  Ayla couldn’t help smiling at her daughter when she picked her up, and saw the smile returned as she arranged her baby in her carrying blanket, tying it securely. Marthona seemed rested and more lively when she stood up, which pleased her. They headed back along Wood River and around a bend, then started up the easier slope. When they reached the top, they went north again until they reached the small stream that had been spilling down to the river below, then proceeded west. The sun was shining almost directly in their eyes as it neared the horizon before they reached the camp that had been set up by the Third and the Ninth Caves. Proleva had been watching out for them and was relieved to see them when they finally arrived.

  “I kept some food warm by the fire. What took you so long?” she said, leading them to the traveling tent they were sharing. She seemed particularly solicitous of Joharran’s mother.

  “We walked back along Wood River and found a slope that was easier for the horses to climb, so it was easier for me, too,” Marthona said.

  “I didn’t think that the horses would have difficulties. Ayla said they were strong and could carry the loads,” Proleva said.

  “It wasn’t the size of the loads, it was those pole things trailing behind them,” Marthona said.

  “That’s right,” Jondalar said. “The horses need a wider, easier path up a steep hill. They can’t turn as sharply when they are pulling the pole-drags. We found a way up that allowed them to traverse their way up the hill, but we had to backtrack a ways down Wood River.”

  “Well, it’s nearly level and open for the rest of the way,” Manvelar said. He and Joharran had just joined them, and had heard Jondalar’s comments.

  “That will make it easier for everybody. Keep the food warm for us, Proleva. We have to unload the horses and find a good place for them to graze,” Jondalar said.

  “If you have a nice bone with some meat left on for Wolf, I’m sure he’d appreciate it,” Ayla added.

  It was dark when they returned from settling the horses and were finally able to have their meal. Everyone using their family traveling shelter was gathered around the fire: Marthona and Willamar, and Folara; Joharran and Proleva, and her two children, Jaradal and Sethona; Jondalar, Ayla, and Jonayla, and Wolf; and Zelandoni. Although she wasn’t technically part of the family, she didn’t have any other family in the Ninth Cave and usually stayed with the leader’s family when they traveled.

  “How long until we reach the Summer Meeting, Joharran?” Ayla asked.

  “It depends how fast we go, but Manvelar said probably no more than three or four days.”

  It rained off and on most of the way and everyone was glad when, by the afternoon of the third day, they saw some tents ahead. Joharran and Manvelar, and Joharran’s two close aides, Rushemar and Solaban, hurried ahead to find a place to set up their camps. Manvelar chose a place along a tributary, near its confluence with West River, and claimed it with his backpack. Then he found the leader of Sun View, and they all went through a short form of the formalized greeting.

  “… In the name of Doni, I greet you, Stevadal, leader of Sun View, the Twenty-sixth Cave of the Zelandonii,” Joharran finished.

  “You are welcome to the Gather Field of the Twenty-sixth Cave, Joharran, leader of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii,” Stevadal said, letting go of his hands.

  “We are glad to be here, but I’d like to ask your advice about where to set up our camp. You know how big we are, and now that my brother has returned from his Journey with some rather unusual … companions, we need to find a place where they won’t disturb neighbors, and won’t feel too crowded by people they don’t know yet.”

  “I saw the wolf and two horses last year. They are rather unusual ‘companions,’ ” Stevadal said, grinning. “They even have names, don’t they?”

  “The mare is Whinney—that’s the horse Ayla usually rides. Jondalar calls the stallion he rides Racer; the mare is his dam, but it’s three horses now. The Great Mother saw fit to Bless the mare with another young one, a little female. They call her Gray, for the color of her coat.”

  “You may end up with a whole herd of horses at your Cave!” Stevadal said.

  I hope not, Joharran thought, but he didn’t say anything, just smiled.

  “What kind of place are you looking for, Joharran?”

  “You remember last year we found a place somewhat out of the way. At first I thought it might be too far away from all the activities, but it turned out to be just right. There was a place for the horses to graze and for the wolf to be away from the people of the other Caves. Ayla controls him perfectly, and he even pays attention to what I say sometimes, but I wouldn’t want him frightening anyone. And most of us liked that we were able to spread out a bit.”

  “As I recall, you also had plenty of firewood right to the end of the season,” Stevadal said. “We even came and got some the last few days.”

  “Yes, we were fortunate. We weren’t even looking for that. Manvelar told me he thought there might be a place for us a little closer to your Sun View. A little valley with some grass?”

  “Yes, we sometimes have small gathers there with nearby Caves. Hazelnut grows there and blueberries,” Stevadal said. “It’s actually not far from a Sacred Cave. It’s a little distance from here, but it might work for you. Why don’t you come and take a look at it?” Joharran beckoned to Solaban and Rushemar and they followed after him and Stevadal.

  “Dalanar and his Lanzadonii stayed with you last year, didn’t they? Are they coming this year?” Stevadal asked as they walked.

  “We haven’t heard. He didn’t send us a runner, so I rather doubt it,” Joharran said.

  Some members of the Ninth Cave, who had planned to stay with other kin or friends, left the group to find them. Zelandoni went to find the large special dwelling that was always set up for the zelandonia, right in the middle of everything. The rest waited just beyond the field where most of the Caves had gathered for the Summer Meeting, greeting many friends who came to see them. While they waited, the rain began to let up.

  When Joharran returned, he went to the waiting group. “With Stevadal’s help, I think I’ve found a place for us,” he said. “Like last year, it’s a little distance away from the main meeting place, but it should work.”

  “How far is it?” Willamar asked. He was thinking of Marthona. The trek to the Meeting had not been easy on her.

  “You can see it from here, if you know where to look.”

  “Well, let’s go look at it,” Marthona said.

  A group of more than one hundred and fifty trailed along after Joharran. By the time they reached the place, the rain had stopped and the sun broke through, highlighting a pleasant little blind valley, with room enough for all of those who were staying together with the Ninth Cave, at least for the beginning of the Summer Meeting. After the first ceremonies that marked the initial coming together, the peripatetic summer life of foraging, exploring, and visiting would begin.

  Zelandonii territory was much larger than the immediate region. The number of people who identified themselves as Zelandonii had grown so large, their territory had had to expand to accommodate them. There were other Zelandonii Summer Meetings and some individuals or families or Caves did not go to Summer Meetings with the same people every year. Sometimes they went to Meetings that were farther away, especially if they had goods to trade or distant kin. It was a way of maintaining contact. And some Summer Meetings were held jointly between Zelandonii and neighboring people who lived near the ill-defined boundary of their territory.

  Because they were such a large and prosperous people, in comparison to the other groups, the name Zelandonii carried a certain prestige, a cachet that others wanted to be associated with. Even those who did not think of themselves as Zelandonii liked to claim a relationship with them in their names and ties. But although their population was large in relation to other people, in reality it was insignificant in terms of their actual numbers and the territory they occupied.
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br />   People were in the minority among the inhabitants of that cold ancient land. Animals were far more numerous and diversified; the list of different kinds of living creatures was long. While some of them, such as roe deer or moose, lived singly or in small family groups in the few scattered woodlands or forests, most of them were dwellers of open grasslands—steppes, plains, meadows, parklands—and their numbers were huge. At certain times of year in regions not all that distant from each other, herds of mammoths, megaceros, and horses gathered together in the hundreds; bison, aurochs, and reindeer in the thousands. Migrating birds could darken the sky for days.

  There were few disputes between the Zelandonii and their neighbors, partly because there was so much land and so few people, but also because their survival depended on it. If a living site became too crowded, a small group might splinter off, but they only went as far as the nearest available, desirable location. Few wanted to move very far from family or friends, not only because of ties of affection, but in times of adversity they wanted and needed to be close to those they could rely on for help. Where the land was rich and able to support them, people tended to cluster together in rather large numbers, but there were sizable tracts of land that were totally unoccupied by people, except for an occasional hunting foray or gathering expedition.

  The world during the Ice Age with its glittering glaciers, transparently clear rivers, thundering waterfalls, and hordes of animals in vast grasslands was dramatically beautiful, but brutally harsh, and the few people who lived then recognized at a fundamental level the necessity of keeping strong affiliations. You helped someone today because you would likely need help tomorrow. It was why customs, conventions, mores, and traditions had developed that sought to diminish interpersonal hostility, ease resentments, and keep emotions in check. Jealousy was discouraged and vengeance dealt with by the society, with retribution meted out by the community that would give the injured parties satisfaction and ease their pain or anger, but that still would be fair to all concerned. Selfishness, cheating, and failing to assist someone in need were considered crimes, and the society found ways to punish such criminals, but penalties were often subtle and inventive.

  The people of the Ninth Cave quickly decided on the individual locations for their summer lodges and began to construct semi-permanent dwellings. They had been rained on enough and wanted a place where they could be dry. Most of the poles and stakes that were the major structural elements had been brought with them, carefully selected from their nearby wooded valley, cut and trimmed before they left. Many had been used for the traveling tents. They also had smaller, lighter-weight portable shelters that were easier to carry for overnight hunts or other treks.

  The summer lodges were all made in generally the same way. They were round with room around the center pole so that several people could stand, with a thatched roof that slanted down toward the vertical outer walls, where the sleeping rolls were laid out. The top of the tall central pole of the traveling tent had been shaped into a long, tapering diagonal. It was made longer by attaching another pole with a similar tapering diagonal on the bottom facing the other way. They were held together with a sturdy rope wrapped round and round and pulled tight.

  Another length of rope was used to mark off the distance from the central pole to the circular outer wall, and using that as a guide, they erected an enclosure of upright supports using the same posts that had been used for the tent, plus some additional ones.

  Panels made of woven cattail leaves or reeds, or rawhide or other materials, some brought with them and some made on the spot, were fastened to both the outside and the inside of the posts, creating a double wall with air in between for insulation. The ground cloth only went a short distance up the inside wall, but it was enough to keep out drafts. Any moisture that condensed in the cool of the evenings would form on the inside of the outer wall, leaving the inside of the inner wall dry.

  The roof of the shelter was made of thin poles of young fir or small-leaved deciduous trees, like willow or birch, which were placed from the central pole to the outer wall. Branches and sticks were fastened between them, and a rough thatch of grasses and reeds was added on top, making a waterproof ceiling. Since it only had to last for a season, most people didn’t make the thatch particularly thick and it was usually made only well enough to keep out rain and wind. Before the end of summer, however, most roofs had to be patched more than once.

  By the time most of the structures were finished and everything brought in and arranged, it was late afternoon and would be dark soon, but it didn’t deter people from heading for the Main Camp to see who was there and greet friends and relatives. Ayla and Jondalar still had to make provisions for the horses. Remembering the year before, they fenced in an area somewhat away from the camp with support posts, some brought with them, some found. They used anything that would work, sometimes whole young trees that they dug up and replanted. Crosspieces might be wood or branches or even rope, mostly collected nearby. It wasn’t that the horses couldn’t have jumped over or broken out of the enclosure, it was more to define their space, both for them and for curious visitors.

  Ayla and Jondalar were among the last to leave the camp of the Ninth Cave. When they finally started toward the main Summer Camp they passed by eleven-year Lanoga and her thirteen-year brother, Bologan, struggling to make a small summer lodge at the edge of the camp. Since no one wanted to share a dwelling with Laramar, Tremeda, and their children, it only needed to house their family, but Ayla noticed that neither parent was there helping the children.

  “Lanoga, where is your mother? Or Laramar?” Ayla asked.

  “I don’t know. At the Summer Meeting, I suppose.”

  “Do you mean they’ve left you to make your summer lodge by yourselves?”

  6

  Ayla was appalled. The four younger children were standing around staring with eyes wide open. She thought they looked frightened.

  “How long has this been going on?” Jondalar asked. “Who built your lodge last year?”

  “Mostly Laramar and me,” Bologan said, “with a couple of his friends, after he promised them some barma.”

  “Why isn’t he building it now?” Jondalar asked.

  Bologan shrugged. Ayla looked at Lanoga.

  “Laramar got into a fight with mother and said he was going to stay in one of the fa’lodges with the men. He took his things and left. Mother chased after him, but she hasn’t come back,” Lanoga said.

  Ayla and Jondalar looked at each other and without saying a word, they nodded. Ayla put Jonayla down on her carrying blanket, then they both started working with the children. Jondalar soon realized that they were using the poles from their traveling tent, which would not be enough to build a lodge. But they couldn’t put up the tent because the wet leather hide was disintegrating, and the damp floor mats were falling apart. They had to make everything—wall panels, floor mats, and thatch for the roof—with materials found locally.

  Jondalar started by looking for poles. He found a couple near their lodge, then cut down some trees. Lanoga had never seen anyone weave mats and panels quite the way Ayla did, or as fast, but the girl learned quickly when Ayla showed her. The nine-year girl, Trelara, and seven-year boy, Lavogan, tried to help as well, after they were given some instruction, but they were more occupied with helping Lanoga with one-and-a-half-year Lorala, and her three-year brother, Ganamar. Though he didn’t say anything, Bologan noticed as they worked that Jondalar’s techniques created a dwelling of a much sturdier construction than he had made before.

  Ayla stopped to nurse Jonayla, and nursed Lorala, too, then got some food for the children from their lodge since apparently the parents hadn’t brought any. They had to build a couple of fires to see what they were doing to finish the work. By the time they were nearly through, people were coming back from the Main Camp. Ayla had gone back to their dwelling for a covering for Jonayla since it was getting chilly. She had just put her baby down in their new summer lodge
when she saw people approaching. Proleva, with Sethona on her hip, was walking with Marthona and Willamar, who was carrying a torch in one hand and guiding Jaradal with the other.

  “Where did you go, Ayla? I didn’t see you at the Main Camp,” Proleva said.

  “We never got there,” Ayla said. “We’ve been helping Bologan and Lanoga build their lodge.”

  “Bologan and Lanoga?” Marthona said. “What happened to Laramar and Tremeda?”

  “Lanoga said they got into a fight. Laramar decided to go to a fa’lodge, took his things and left, and Tremeda chased after him and didn’t come back,” Ayla said. It was obvious that she was having some trouble controlling her anger. “Those children were trying to build a lodge by themselves with nothing but tent posts and wet floor mats. They didn’t have any food either. I nursed Lorala a little, but if you have any milk, Proleva, she could probably use some more.”

  “Where is their lodge?” Willamar said.

  “At the edge of the camp, near the horses,” Ayla said.

  “I’ll watch the children, Proleva,” Marthona said. “Why don’t you and Willamar see what you can do.” She turned to Ayla. “I’ll watch Jonayla, too, if you like.”

  “She’s almost asleep,” Ayla said, indicating where she was to Marthona. “Tremeda’s children could use a few more floor mats, especially since they don’t have enough sleeping rolls. When I left, Jondalar and Bologan were finishing up the roof.”

  The three of them hurried toward the nearly completed small dwelling. They could hear Lorala crying as they approached. To Proleva, it sounded like the fussiness of a baby who was overtired, and maybe hungry. Lanoga was holding her, trying to settle her down.

  “Why don’t you let me see if she’ll nurse a little,” Proleva said to the girl.

  “I just changed her padding, stuffed it with her nighttime sheep’s wool,” Lanoga said, handing the toddler to Proleva.