The valley of horses_ a novel - Jean M. Auel [231]
“Isn’t a man allowed to cut up a little meat?” Jondalar asked. He knew some people had different customs concerning woman’s work and man’s work, but he had only meant to help her. He didn’t think she would be offended.
“In the Clan, woman cannot hunt, and men cannot … make food,” she tried to explain.
“But you hunt.”
His statement gave her an unexpected jolt. She had forgotten she shared with him the differences between the Clan and the Others.
“I … I am not a Clan woman,” she said, disconcerted. “I …” She didn’t know how to explain. “I’m like you, Jondalar. One of the Others.”
23
Ayla pulled up, slid off Whinney, and gave the dripping waterbag to Jondalar. He took it and drank in large thirsty gulps. They were far down the valley, almost on the steppes, and quite a distance from the stream.
The golden grass rippled in the wind around them. They had been collecting grains of broomcorn millet and wild rye from a mixed stand that also included the nodding seed heads of unripe two-row barley, and both einkorn and emmer wheat. The tedious job of pulling the hand along each stalk to strip off the small hard seeds was hot work. The small round millet, put into one side of a divided basket which hung from a cord around the neck to free the hands, broke off easily, but it would need additional winnowing. The rye, which went into the other side of the basket, threshed free.
Ayla put the cord of her basket around her neck and went to work. Jondalar joined her shortly afterward. They plucked the grains side by side for a while, then he turned to her. “What is it like to ride a horse, Ayla?” he asked.
“It’s hard to explain,” she said, pausing to think. “When you go fast it’s exciting. But so is riding slow. It makes me feel good to ride Whinney.” She turned back to her task again, then stopped. “Would you like to try?”
“Try what?”
“Riding Whinney.”
He looked at her, trying to determine how she really felt about it. He had wanted to try riding the horse for some time, but she seemed to have such a personal relationship with the animal that he didn’t know how to ask tactfully. “Yes. I would. But will Whinney let me?”
“I don’t know.” She glanced toward the sun to see how late it was, then swung the basket to her back. “We can see.”
“Now?” he asked. She nodded, already starting back. “I thought you went to get the water so we could pick more grain.”
“I did. I forgot, the picking goes faster with two sets of hands. I was only looking at my basket—I’m not used to the help.”
The man’s range of skills was a constant surprise to her. He was not only willing, he was able to do anything she could, or he could learn to. He was curious and interested in everything, and particularly liked to try anything new. She could see herself in him. It gave her a new appreciation for just how unusual she must have seemed to the Clan. Yet they had taken her in and tried to fit her into their pattern of life.
Jondalar flipped his picking basket to his back and fell in beside her. “I’m ready to give this up for today. You’ve got so much grain already, Ayla, and the barley and wheat aren’t even ripe yet. I don’t understand why you want more.”
“It’s for Whinney and her baby. They’ll need grass, too. Whinney feeds outside in winter, but when the snow is deep, many horses die.”
The explanation was sufficient to quell any objection he might have had. They walked back through the tall grass, enjoying the warm sun on bare skin—now that they weren’t working in it. Jondalar wore only his breechclout, and his skin was as tanned as hers. Ayla had changed to her short summer wrap that covered her from waist to thigh, but more importantly, provided pouches and folds for carrying tools, sling, and other objects. Her only other piece of apparel was the small leather pouch around her neck. Jondalar had found himself