The Land of Painted Caves - Jean M. Auel [44]
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.