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By Root 2348 0

so did Mamut. Mamut told us later they would have been lost in some kind of a black void forever if Jondalar’s love hadn’t been so strong that it found its way to her; he brought her back, and him, too. Mamut said the roots were too strong; he could never control them, and would never try them again. He said he was afraid his spirit would be lost forever in that terrible place, and he warned Ayla against them, too.” Danug felt the blood drain from his face. “She’s done it again,” he said as he ran out of the tent. Then he wasn’t sure where to go. Finally he had an idea and he raced toward the camp of the Ninth Cave.

Several people were milling around the large cooking hearth, and he was relieved to see Jonayla. She had obviously been crying, and Wolf was whining and trying to lick the tears from her face. Marthona and Folara were trying to comfort her, too. They acknowledged the greeting of the big Mamutoi as he hunkered down in front of the little girl. He stroked Wolf’s head when the animal nosed his way closer to the familiar man.

“How are you, Jonayla?” he said.

“I want my mother, Danug,” she said, starting to cry. “My mother is sick. She won’t wake up.”

“I know she is. I think I know a way to help her,” Danug said.

“How?” she said, looking at him with wide eyes.

“She got sick like this once before, when she lived with us at the Lion Camp. I think Jondalar could wake her up. He’s the one who woke her up before. Do you know where Jondalar is, Jonayla?”

She shook her head. “I don’t see Jondy very much anymore. He goes away, sometimes all day.”

“Do you know where he goes?”

“Lots of times he walks up The River.”

“Does he take Wolf with him sometimes?”

“Yes, but not today.”

“Do you think Wolf could find him, if you told him to?”

Jonayla looked at Wolf, then back at Danug. “Maybe he could,” she said, then, with a tremulous smile, “Yes, I think he could.”

“If you tell Wolf to find Jondalar, I’ll follow him, and tell Jondalar to come back and wake your mother up,” Danug said.

“Mother and Jondy have not been talking very much. Maybe he won’t want to,” Jonayla said, with a worried frown. Danug thought that she looked exactly like Jondalar when she frowned like that.

“Don’t worry about that, Jonayla. Jondalar loves your mother very much, and she loves him. If he knew she was in trouble, he would run here as fast as he could. I know it,” Danug said.

“If he loves her, why doesn’t he talk to her, Danug?”

“Because sometimes, even when you love someone, you don’t always understand her. Sometimes you don’t even understand yourself. Will you tell Wolf to find Jondalar?”

“Wolf, come here,” the girl said. She stood up and took the great massive head between her little hands, just the way her mother would have. She looked so much like a little Ayla, Danug had to hide a smile. He wasn’t alone. “Mother is sick and Jondalar has to come and help her, Wolf. You have to find him. She took her hands away and pointed toward The River. “Find Jondalar, Wolf. Go find Jondalar,” she said.

It was not the first time the wolf had heard that command. Wolf and Ayla had had to follow Jondalar’s trail before, on their Journey back, when he was captured by Attaroa’s hunters. The anxious animal licked Jonayla’s face, then started toward The River.

He turned around once and started back toward her, but she told him again, “Go, Wolf! Find Jondalar! He looked back when Danug started after him, and then continued on in a fast trot, sniffing the ground.

Jondalar could hardly wait to get away from the Campsite after his brush with Ayla. Then, once he reached The River and started walking upstream, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He had almost done it, almost taken her in his arms. He had wanted to. Why didn’t he? What would she have done if he had? Would she have gotten angry? Pushed him away? Or not? She had looked so surprised, so shocked, but wasn’t he just as surprised to see her?

Why didn’t he? What was the worst that could happen? If she had gotten angry and pushed him away, would things be any worse than they were now? At least he