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By Root 1721 0

a difficult day and she wasn’t so young any more. She was tired and she expected to be up to help Fralie later. Crisavec was still sleeping with Tulie’s son, and Tronie was keeping Tasher. Frebec sat alone at the Crane Hearth, looking at the fire, feeling mixed emotions. He felt anxious and protective over the tiny infant, the first child of his hearth, and fearful. Ayla had put her in his arms to hold for a few moments while she and Crozie were making Fralie comfortable. He stared at her, awed that someone so small could be so perfect. Her diminutive hands even had fingernails. He was afraid to move, afraid he would break her”, and was greatly relieved when Ayla took her back, yet he was reluctant to let her go.

Suddenly Frebec stood up and started down the passageway. He didn’t want to be alone on this night. He stopped at the edge of the Mammoth Hearth and looked at the people sitting around the fire. They were the younger people of the Camp, and in the past, he would have walked by them on his way to the cooking hearth to visit with Talut and Nezzie or Tulie and Barzec or Manuv or Wymez or, lately, with Jondalar, and sometimes Danug. Even though Crozie was often at the cooking hearth, it was easier to ignore her than to face the possibility of being ignored by Deegie or disdained by Ranec. But Tornec had been friendly earlier, and his woman had given birth, and he knew how it felt. Frebec took a deep breath and walked toward the fireplace.

They broke into laughter just as he reached Tornee, and for a moment, he thought they were laughing at him. He was tempted to leave.

“Frebec! There you are!” Tornec said.

“I think there is still some tea left,” Deegie said. “Let me pour you some.”

“Everyone tells me she’s a beautiful little girl,” Ranec said. “And Ayla says she has a chance.”

“We’re lucky to have Ayla here,” Tronie said.

“Yes, we are,” Frebec replied. No one said anything for a moment. It was the first good word Frebec had ever said about Ayla.

“Maybe she can be named at the Spring Festival,” Latie said. Frebec hadn’t noticed her sitting next to Mamut in the shadow. “That would be good luck.”

“Yes, it would,” Frebec said, reaching for the cup Deegie gave him, and feeling a little more comfortable.

“I’m going to have a part in the Spring Festival, too,” she announced, half-shyly and half-proudly.

“Latie is a woman,” Deegie told him with the slightly condescending air of a big sister informing another adult who is knowledgeable.

“She will have her Rites of First Pleasures at the Summer Meeting this year,” Tronie added.

Frebec nodded, and smiled at Latie, not quite sure what to say.

“Is Fralie still sleeping?” Ayla asked. “She was when I left.”

“I think I will go to bed, too,” she said, getting up. “I’m tired.” She put her hand on Frebec’s arm. “Will you come and get me when Fralie wakes up?”

“Yes, I will, Ayla … and … uh … thank you,” he said softly.

“Ayla, I think she’s growing,” Fralie said. “I’m sure she feels heavier, and she’s starting to look around. She’s nursing longer, too, I think.”

“It’s been five days. I think she may be getting stronger,” Ayla agreed.

Fralie smiled, then tears came to her eyes. “Ayla, I don’t know what I would have done without you. I’ve been blaming myself for not coming to you sooner. This pregnancy didn’t feel right from the beginning, but when mother and Frebec started fighting, I couldn’t take sides.”

Ayla just nodded.

“I know Mother can be difficult, but she has lost so much. She was a headwoman, you know.”

“I guessed as much.”

“I was the oldest of four children, I had two sisters and a brother.… I was about Latie’s age when it happened. Mother took me to the Deer Camp to meet the son of their headwoman. She wanted to arrange a union. I didn’t want to go, and I didn’t like him when I met him. He was older, and more concerned about my status than me, but before the visit was over, she managed to get me to agree. The arrangements were made for our joining at the Matrimonial the next summer. When we got back to our Camp … oh, Ayla, it was awful …” Fralie closed