The Land of Painted Caves - Jean M. Auel [76]
“We’re coming,” Willamar said, helping his mate up.
Sergenor pushed aside the drape that covered the entrance and all of them crowded out. A most surprising sight met them. Parading toward the zelandonia lodge were Jondalar on Racer’s back, leading Gray, and Ayla riding the mare with Jonayla in her carrying blanket sitting in front of her. Whinney was pulling a pole-drag upon which the First was seated, facing backward. The wolf was padding along beside them. It was still unexpected for most people to see horses with people on their backs, not to mention the wolf nonchalantly walking with them. But to see the First Among Those Who Served The Great Earth Mother riding on a seat that was being pulled by a horse was nothing less than astonishing.
The procession passed quite near the camp of the Seventh Cave and although Marthona and Willamar and the rest of the people of the Ninth Cave were quite familiar with the animals, they gawked at the demonstration as much as anyone. The First caught Marthona’s eye and, though she smiled in a decorous way, Marthona detected a sparkle of impish delight in the woman’s gaze. It was more than a parade, it was a spectacle, and if there was one thing members of the zelandonia enjoyed staging, it was a spectacle. When they reached the entrance to the big lodge, Jondalar stopped and let Ayla and Whinney pull ahead, then dismounted and offered a hand to the First. For all her size, she stepped down from the seat on the travois gracefully and, perfectly aware that everyone was watching her, entered the lodge with great dignity.
“So that’s what he wanted us to help him make,” Willamar commented. “He said he needed to build a very sturdy pole-drag, with shelves. It wasn’t shelves he wanted, but it was clever of him to say that. None of us could imagine that they would turn out to be a seat for Zelandoni. I’ll have to ask her what it’s like to sit on a seat that is pulled by a horse.”
“It is brave of her to do that,” Jayvena said. “I’m not sure that I would want to try it.”
“I would!” Jaradal said, his eyes full of excitement. “ ’Thona, do you think Ayla would let me sit on a pole-drag seat while Whinney pulled it?”
“I’d like to do it, too,” Robenan said.
“The young are always willing to try something new,” Ramara said.
“I wonder how many similar conversations are going on around this Camp right now,” Sergenor said. “But if she lets one boy do it, every other boy in camp will be clamoring to do the same.”
“And quite a few girls, too,” Marthona added.
“If I were her, I would wait until we get back to the Ninth Cave,” Ramara said. “Then it wouldn’t be much different from letting a child or two ride on the mare’s back while Ayla leads her around, the way she does now.”
“It does make quite a demonstration, though. I recall how I felt when I first saw those animals. It could be frightening. Didn’t Jondalar tell us that people ran away from them when they were on their Journey here? Now that we’re used to them, it just seems rather impressive,” Willamar said.
Not everyone was so pleasantly impressed by the demonstration. Marona, who loved to be the center of attention, felt a surge of jealousy rise up. She turned to her cousin, Wylopa, and remarked, “I don’t know how anyone can stand to be around those dirty animals all the time. When you get close to her she smells for horse, and I’ve heard she sleeps with that wolf. It’s disgusting.”
“She sleeps with Jondalar, too,” Wylopa said, “and I’m told he won’t share Pleasures with anyone else.”
“That won’t last,” Marona said, giving Ayla a venomous stare. “I know him. He’ll be back in my bed again. I promise you.”
Brukeval saw the two cousins talking, recognized the nasty look Marona gave Ayla, and felt two opposing emotions. He knew it was hopeless, but he loved Ayla and wanted to protect her from the spitefulness of the woman who was also his cousin—he had been the brunt