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The woh the dusty haze ahead and wondered if it was the wolf she had seen loping in front of them earlier

She glanced at her coain, straining to see through the blowing dust

"Jondalar! Look!" she said, pointing ahead

Toward her left, the vague outlines of several conical tents could just be seen through the dry, gritty wind

The as stalking soun tospears aimed directly at them

"I think we've reached the river, but I don't think we're the only ones anted to ca on the lead rein to halt his horse

The woha subtle pressure that was so reflexive she didn't even think of it as controlling the animal

Ayla heard a rowl from deep in the wolf's throat and saw that his posture had shifted froressive one He was ready to attack! She whistled, a sharp, distinctive sound that reseh not froave up his stealthy pursuit and bounded toward the woman astride the horse

"Wolf, stay close!" she said, signaling with her hand at the same time The wolf trotted beside the dun yellow mare as the wo between them and the tents

A gusty, fitful wind, holding the fine loess soil in suspension, swirled around the their view of the spear holders Ayla lifted her leg over and slid down from the horse's back She knelt beside the wolf, put one arm over his back and the other across his chest, to calm him and hold hi in his throat and the eager tautness of ht fil flaxen hair of the tall man and turned the coat of his dark brown mount to the more common dun color of the sturdy breed She and Whinney looked the sa winds off thethe steppes in a wide band south of the ice

She felt the wolf tense and strain against her arm, then saw someone new appear froht have dressed for an important ceremony, in a mask with aurochs's horns and in clothes painted and decorated with enigmatic symbols

The orously and shouted, "Go away, evil spirits! Leave this place!"

Ayla thought it was a woh the mask, but she wasn't sure; the words had been spoken in Ma the staff again, while Ayla held back the wolf Then the costu the staff and high-stepping toward the to scare thehtening the horses

She was surprised that Wolf was so ready to attack, wolves seldo behavior she had observed, she thought she understood Ayla had often watched wolves when she was teaching herself to hunt, and she knew they were affectionate and loyal to their own pack But they were quick to drive strangers away from their territory, and they had been known to kill other wolves to protect what they felt was theirs

To the tiny wolf pup she had found and brought back to the Mae, the Lion Cae wolves to hirowled at unknown hurown Now, in unfamiliar territory, perhaps the territory of another pack, it would be natural for hiers, especially hostile strangers with spears Why had the people of this Camp drawn spears?

Ayla thought there was so familiar about the chant; then she realized what it was The words were in the sacred archaic language that was understood only by the un to teach her the language before she left, but she did gather that theof the loud chant was essentially the sah cast in so tere wolf and horse-people spirits to go away and leave theed

Speaking in Zelandonii so the people from the Camp wouldn't understand, Ayla told Jondalar what the

"They think we're spirits? Of course!" he said "I should have known They're afraid of us That's why they're threatening us with spears Ayla, wethe way We are used to the aniht of horses or wolves as anything but food or pelts," he said

"The Ma It took the the horses and Wolf around, but they got over it," Ayla said