The Plains of Passage - Jean M. Auel [81]
Wolf started a low rumbling growl, and it was obvious he was straining to go in after the fascinating creature. But like most members of the weasel family, the badger could spray an attacker with the powerfully strong and acrid contents of its anal glands. The last thing Ayla wanted was to be around a wolf that stunk of that strong musky odor, and she wasn’t sure how long she could hold Wolf back. If the badger didn’t come out soon, she might have to use a more drastic way to rid the lodge of the animal.
The badger did not see well with its small and inconspicuous eyes, but they were watching the lighted opening with unwavering attention. When it seemed obvious the badger was not going to leave, she reached up for the sling that was wrapped around her head, and into the pouch hanging from her waist for stones. Ayla put a stone in the bulging pocket of the sling, took aim on the reflecting points of light, and with a quick and expert spin to gain momentum, hurled the stone. She heard a thud, and the two small lights went out.
“I think you got him, Ayla!” Jondalar said, but they waited a while to make sure there was no movement before entering the lodge.
When they did, they were aghast. The rather large animal, three feet from tip of nose to end of tail, was sprawled on the ground with a bloody wound on its head, but it had quite obviously spent some time within the dwelling, destructively exploring everything it could find. The place was a shambles! The hard-packed earthen floor was scratched up and pits had been dug in it, some containing the animal’s waste. The woven mats that had covered the floor were torn to shreds, along with various woven containers. Hides and furs on the raised bed-platforms were chewed and ripped apart, and the stuffing of feathers, wools, or grasses of bed padding were strewn over all. Even a portion of the densely compacted wall had been dug out; the badger had made its own entrance.
“Look at this! I would hate to return and find something like this,” Ayla said.
“That’s always a danger when you leave a place empty. The Mother doesn’t protect a lodge from Her other creatures. Her children must appeal to the spirit animal directly and deal with the animals of this world themselves,” Jondalar said. “Maybe we can clean this lodge up a little for them, even if we can’t repair all the damage.”
“I’m going to skin that badger and leave it for them, so they know what caused all this. They should be able to use the hide, anyway,” Ayla said, picking the animal up by the tail to take it outside.
In better light, she noted the gray back with its stiff guard hairs, the darker underparts, and the distinctive black-and-white striped face, verifying that it was, indeed, a badger. She slit its throat with a sharp flint knife and left it to bleed out. Then she went back to the earth-lodge, pausing for a moment before she went in to look around at the rest of the domed dwellings nearby. She tried to visualize what it would be like with people, and she felt a strong pang of regret that they were gone. It could be very lonely without other people. She suddenly felt very grateful for Jondalar, and for a moment she was almost overwhelmed by the love she felt for him.
She reached for the amulet around her neck, felt the comforting objects inside the decorated leather bag, and thought of her totem. She didn’t think of her Cave Lion protecting spirit as much as she once had. It was a Clan spirit, though Mamut had said her totem would always be with her. Jondalar always referred to the Great Earth Mother when he talked about the spirit world, and she thought of the Mother more now, since the training she had been receiving from Mamut, but she always felt it was her Cave Lion