The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Marie Auel

Author:Jean Marie Auel [Auel, Jean Marie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literary, Action & Adventure, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9780553250428
Google: _m56z2n62CYC
Amazon: 0553250426
Barnesnoble: 0553250426
Goodreads: 1295
Publisher: Bantam
Published: 1980-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

17

“Ayla? Is it really Ayla, Creb? It’s not her spirit?” Iza motioned as the old man led the snow-covered girl back to his hearth. She was afraid to believe it, afraid the very real-looking girl would turn out to be a mirage.

“It’s Ayla,” Creb gestured. “It’s past the time. She has overcome the evil spirits; she has returned to us.”

“Ayla!” Iza ran to her, arms open wide, and enfolded the girl in a fierce loving embrace, wet snow and all. Not only snow made them wet. Ayla cried enough tears of joy for all of them. Uba tugged at the girl as she was clenched in Iza’s arms.

“Ayla. Ayla come back. Uba know Ayla not dead!” the child asserted with the conviction of one who knew she was right all along. Ayla picked her up and held her so tight, Uba squirmed to get loose and catch her breath.

“You wet!” Uba motioned when she could get her arms free.

“Ayla, take off those wet clothes!” Iza said, and bustled around adding wood to the fire and finding something for the girl to wear, as much to cover the intensity of her emotions as to express maternal concern. “You’ll catch your death of cold.”

Iza glanced at the girl with embarrassment, suddenly realizing what she had said. The girl smiled.

“You’re right, mother. I will catch cold,” she gestured, and removed her wrap and hood. She sat down and began struggling to loosen the wet, swollen bindings of her footwear.

“I’m starved. Is there anything to eat? I haven’t eaten all day,” she said after she had put on one of Iza’s old wraps. It was a little small and too short, but it was dry. “I would have been back earlier, but I got caught in an avalanche coming down the mountain. I was lucky I didn’t get buried under too much snow, but it took a long time to dig my way out.”

Iza’s amazement lasted only a moment. Ayla could have said she walked through fire to return and Iza would have believed it. Her return itself was proof enough of her invincibility. What could one little avalanche do to her? The woman reached for Ayla’s fur to hang it up to dry, but pulled her hand back suddenly, eyeing the unfamiliar deer hide suspiciously.

“Where did you get this wrap, Ayla?” she asked.

“I made it.”

“Is it … is it of this world?” the woman inquired apprehensively. Ayla smiled again.

“Very much of this world. Did you forget? I know how to hunt.”

“Don’t say that, Ayla!” Iza said nervously. She turned her back so the clan she knew was watching wouldn’t see, and gestured inconspicuously. “You don’t have a sling, do you?”

“No, I left it behind. But that doesn’t change anything. Everyone knows it, Iza. I had to do something after Creb burned everything. The only way to get a wrap is to hunt. Fur doesn’t grow on willows, or fir, either.”

Creb had been watching silently, hardly daring to believe she was really back. There were stories of people returning after a death curse, but he still didn’t believe it was possible.

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