The clan of the cave bear_ a novel - Jean M. Auel [169]
“Creb, why are you so fidgety? I can’t ever remember seeing you so nervous. You act like a young man about to take his first mate. Do you want me to make a cup of tea to settle your nerves?” Iza asked, after the magician jumped up for the third time, started to leave the hearth, changed his mind, and went back and sat down again.
“What makes you think I’m nervous? I’m just trying to remember everything and meditate a little,” he said sheepishly.
“What do you need to remember? You’ve been Mog-ur for years, Creb. There can’t be a single ceremony you couldn’t do in your sleep. And I’ve never seen you meditate by jumping up and down. Why don’t you let me fix you a little tea?”
“No. No. I don’t need any tea. Where’s Ayla?”
“She’s over there, just beyond the last hearth looking for yams. Why?”
“I just wanted to know,” Creb replied as he settled back down. Not long afterward, Brun walked by and signaled Mog-ur. The magician got up again and both men walked to the rear of the cave. What can be wrong with those two? Iza shook her head in wonder.
“Isn’t it nearly time?” the leader asked when they reached the place he had cleared out. “Is everything ready?”
“All the preparations are made, but the sun should be lower, I think.”
“You think! Don’t you know? I thought you said you knew what to do. I thought you said you meditated and found a ceremony. Everything must be absolutely right. How can you say ‘you think’?” Brun snapped.
“I did meditate,” Mog-ur countered defensively. “But it was long ago, a different place. There wasn’t any snow. I don’t think there was snow even in winter. It’s not easy to get the time right. I just know the sun was low.”
“You didn’t tell me that! How can you be sure it will be right? Maybe we’d better forget it. It’s a ridiculous idea anyway.”
“I’ve already talked to the spirits; the stones are in place. They’re expecting us.”
“I don’t like the idea of moving the stones, either. Maybe we should’ve decided to have it in the place of the spirits. Are you sure they won’t be upset because we moved them from the small cave, Mog-ur?”
“We already discussed that, Brun. We decided it was better to move the stones than to bring the Ancient Ones to the Totems’ place of the spirits. The old ones might not want to leave again if they see it.”
“How do you know they’ll go back once we wake them up? It’s too dangerous, Mog-ur. We’d better call it off.”
“They may stay for a while,” Mog-ur conceded. “But after everything is put back and they see there is no place for them, they’ll leave. The totems will tell them to go. But it’s up to you. If you want to change your mind, I’ll try to placate the spirits. Just because they’re expecting a ceremony doesn’t mean we have to have one.”
“No. You’re right. We’d better go ahead with it now. They’re expecting something. The men may not be too happy about it, though.”
“Who is leader, Brun? Besides, they’ll get used to it once they understand it’s all right.”
“Is it, Mog-ur? Is it really? It’s been so long. It’s not the men I’m thinking about now. Will our totems accept it? We’ve been so lucky, almost too lucky. I keep thinking something terrible is going to happen. I don’t want to do anything to upset them. I want to do what they want. I want to keep them happy.”
“That’s what we’re doing, Brun,” Mog-ur said gently, “trying to do what they want. All of them.”
“But are you sure the others will understand? If we please one, won’t the others feel slighted?”
“No, Brun, I’m not sure they will.” The magician could feel the leader’s worry and tension. He knew how difficult it was for him. “No one can be absolutely sure. We are only human. Even a mog-ur is only human. We can only try. But you