Ayla gave Whinney a slight signal that edged her slowly toward the parklike opening in the woods. Latie almost shook with excitement when they drew near the antelope, and she saw another hind with two young ones. Suddenly there was a shift in wind, and all the saigas lifted their heads, and in an instant were bounding through the woods toward the open steppes. A streak of gray followed them, and Ayla knew who had caused them to run.
By the time Wolf returned, panting, and plopped down, Whinney was grazing peacefully, and the two young women were sitting in the sunny meadow picking wild strawberries. A handful of colorful flowers was on the ground beside Ayla, bright red blooms with long thin petals that appeared to have been dipped in a bright red dye, and bunches of large golden-yellow flower heads, mixed in with white, downy spheres.
"I wish there was enough to bring some back," Ayla said, putting another tiny, but exceptionally sweet and flavorful berry in her mouth.
"There would have to be a lot more. I wish there was more for me," Latie said, with a big smile. "Besides, I want to think of this as a special place, just for us, Ayla." She put a strawberry in her mouth and closed her eyes, savoring the taste. Her expression turned thoughtful. "Those baby antelope, they really were young, weren't they? I never was that close to such young ones before."
"It's Whinney, that's why we can get so close. Antelopes aren't afraid of horses. But Wolf there," Ayla said, looking toward the animal. He looked up at the sound of his name. "He's the one who chased them away."
"Ayla, can I ask you something?"
"Of course. You can always ask something."
"Do you think I could find a horse someday? I mean a little one, that I could take care of the way you took care of Whinney, so it would get used to me."
"I don't know. I didn't plan to find Whinney. It just happened. It would be hard to find a little one. All mothers protect their young."
"If you wanted to get another horse, a little horse, how would you do it?"
"I never thought about it… I suppose if I wanted a young horse… let me think… you'd have to catch its mother. Remember the bison hunt last fall? If you were hunting horses, and drove a herd in a surround like that, you wouldn't have to kill them all. You could keep a young one or two. Maybe you could even separate a young one from the rest, and then let the others go, if you didn't need them." Ayla smiled. "I find it harder to hunt horses, now."
When they returned, most people were sitting around a large fire, eating. The two young women helped themselves and sat down.
"We saw some saigas," Latie said. "Even little ones."
"I think you saw some strawberries, too," Nezzie commented dryly, seeing her daughter's red-stained hands. Latie blushed, remembering that she had wanted to keep them all for herself.
"There weren't enough to bring any back," Ayla said.
"It wouldn't have mattered. I know Latie and strawberries. She would eat a whole field of them, without sharing any, if she had the chance."
Ayla noticed Latie's embarrassment, and changed the subject. "I also picked some coltsfoot for coughs, for the sick Camp, and a red-flowered plant – I don't know the name – whose root is very good for deep coughs and bringing up phlegm from the chest," she said.
"I didn't know that was why you were picking those flowers," Latie said. "How do you know they have that kind of sickness?"
"I don't know, but since I saw the plants, I thought I might as well get some, especially since we were so sick with that kind of sickness. How long before we get there, Talut?"
"It's hard to tell," the headman said. "We're traveling faster than usual. We should reach the Sungaea Camp in another day or so, I think. The map Ludeg made for me was very good, but I hope we're not too late. Their sickness is worse than I thought."
Ayla frowned. "How do you know?"
"I found signs that were left by someone."
"Signs?" Ayla said.
"Come with me. I'll show you," Talut said, putting his cup down and getting up. He led her to a pile of bones near the water. Bones, particularly big ones such as skulls, could be found all over the plains, but as they drew near, it was obvious to Ayla that it was not a natural arrangement. Someone had purposefully stacked them up. A mammoth skull with broken tusks had been placed on top of the heap, upside down.
"That is a sign of bad news," Talut said, pointing to the skull. "Very bad. Do you see this lower jaw, with the two spine bones leaning against it? The point of the jaw shows which way to go, and the Camp is two days away."
"They must need help, Talut! Is that why they put this sign here?"
Talut pointed to a piece of charred birchbark, held down by the broken end of the left tusk. "See this?" he said.
"Yes. It's burned black, like it was in a fire."
"It means sickness, killing sickness. Someone has died. People are afraid of that kind of sickness, and this is a place people often stop. That sign was not put here to ask for help, but to warn people away."
"Oh, Talut! I must go. The rest of you don't have to, but I must go. I can leave now, on Whinney."
"And what will you tell them when you get there?" Talut said. "No, Ayla. They won't let you help. No one knows you. They are not even Mamutoi, they are Sungaea. We have talked about it. We knew you would want to go. We started out this way, and we will go with you. I think, because of the horses, we can make it in one day instead of two."
The sun was skimming the edge of the earth when the band of travelers from the Lion Camp approached a large settlement situated on a broad natural terrace some thirty feet above a wide, swift river. They stopped when they were noticed by some people, who stared in amazement before running toward one of the shelters. A man and a woman emerged. Their faces were reddened with a salve of ochre, and their hair was covered with ashes.
It's too late, Talut thought, as he and Tulie approached the Sungaea Camp, followed by Nezzie and Ayla, who was leading Whinney with Mamut on her back. It was obvious they had interrupted something important. When the visitors were about ten feet away, the man with the red-colored face raised his arm and held up his hand, palm facing front. It was an obvious signal to stop. He spoke to Talut in a language that was different, yet there was something familiar about it to Ayla. She felt she should be able to understand it; a similarity to Mamutoi, perhaps. Talut answered, in his own language. Then the man spoke again.
"Why has the Lion Camp of the Mamutoi come here at this time?" he said, speaking now in Mamutoi. "There is sickness, and great sadness at this Camp. Did you not see the signs?"
"Yes, we saw the signs," Talut said. "We have with us one who is a daughter of the Mammoth Hearth, a skilled Healer. The runner, Ludeg, who passed by here some days ago, told us of your troubles. We were preparing to travel to our Summer Meeting, but first, Ayla, our Healer, wished to come here to offer her skills. One of us was related to one of you; we are kin. We came."
The man looked at the woman standing beside him. It was obvious that she was grieving, and she gathered herself together with some effort.
"It is too late," she said. "They are dead." Her voice trailed off in a wail, and she cried out in anguish. "They are dead. My children, my babies, my life, they are dead." Two people stepped up on either side of the woman and led her away.