Wolf was getting a little bored with it all. Understanding what humans were saying was kind of interesting, but not really very enlightening for the most part. And he was still hungry. Fuzzie had given him a 'possum. He appreciated her good intentions, but... he had smiled politely, and taken it outside. After making sure no one was looking, he had dug a hole and buried it, covering it well and laying a fresh scat on top so that he would know to avoid that place later. He had nibbled a bit of the stuffing; it wasn't too bad, considering. He thought longingly of the megaceros roast, now vanished into human stomachs, and sighed. Mostly, he was just trying to avoid that horrid little creature that smelled a little like Jondalar and somewhat like a wet possum. She went straight for the tail if she couldn't get ears. Either way, it hurt.

He stayed outside for a while after burying his would-be dinner. It was quieter, except for the squeals and giggles of the two spherical women and Racer. You'd think they would give it up -- it was dark out there and getting colder. Didn't that horse have any dignity? As he sat by the entrance to the lodge, debating about going back in, he heard a small voice from the doorway.

"Psst -- Wolf!" It was Mouser, tail a-twitch, ears swiveling nervously. "Truce, OK? I wanna speak wit' ya."

Wolf shrugged, and followed the cat around the side of the earthlodge to a sheltered nook out of the wind.

------------------------

Inside the lodge, warmth and cheer abounded. People had moved back from the hearth to make room for music and dancing. A peculiar contraption like nothing Ayla or Jondalar had ever seen before was brought out. On a sturdy wooden framework, a row of opossum skulls had been suspended, snout end upward. Tonka informed them that it was called a didelphophone, and was a traditional Tonkatoi instrument.

Wynot seated himself by it, and, after a dramatic pause, began to strike the skulls with small hammers made of deer bone. The sound, though quieter than that of the mammoth skulls favored by the Mamutoi, had a richly musical quality. The skulls were of different sizes, arranged from largest at one end to smallest at the other. Wynot struck them in patterns that created a fascinating melody.

After performing several tunes and variations, Wynot began to create sounds that resembled the pattering of rain, and then even what almost seemed like the trills of songbirds. Ayla was delighted. She added a few birdcalls, and soon she and Wynot were calling back and forth, challenging one another to ever more difficult imitations. It ended when Wynot laughed and started to juggle his assorted bone hammers. Everyone laughed and applauded.

Dancing and singing followed Wynot's performance. Only a few danced at a time; the others stood around and slapped their thighs to make a rhythm and sang. Individuals would pause for a sip or two of booza, but the sound was continuous. They sang well-known songs together, mostly, but now and then one person would step forward. Then the rest hummed while he or she belted out some freshly made-up lyrics, often funny. Ayla and Jondalar took their turn at dancing, and otherwise merely slapped and hummed. Both were getting nice and warm from the booza.

They were dancing when they heard:

Hi-hi, Ho-ho,
Ayla, babe, you GO!
Skinna-ma-rinky doodle-doo,
Jondalar can handle two!

After a great deal more singing and dancing, with a number of breaks for necessary events and for more of the booza that caused them, Ayla found herself separated from Jondalar again. Feeling slightly dizzy, she looked for a place to sit down. She saw Tonka sitting on a sleeping platform. He waggled his eyebrows and beckoned to her. Gratefully, she aimed her butt at the platform, but wound up sitting in Tonka's lap. She tried to apologize and get up, but his arms were around her. She decided to stay where she was. The humming and ear-nibbling were pleasant.

She saw Jondalar then, but someone had grabbed him and got him dancing again. She smiled, happy to see him having so much fun. "Tonka?" she said.

"Yes, my dear," he responded.

"Ermmm... some of those carvings, um, remind me of something that happened at the Clan gathering... " She hesitated, not sure how to go on.

"Tell me all about it," Tonka said, softly in her ear. She proceeded to do so.

The party seemed to be winding down a bit as Ayla told her story to the old shaman. He listened attentively, encouraging her with soothing pats and soft words. Someone put a cup of booza in her hand, and she absent-mindedly sipped at it between paragraphs. She didn't really like it, but it was interesting. Mactruc had used some kind of herb or grass to flavor it. There were less people dancing and singing now, and Jondalar had disappeared again.

Tonka took the cup from Ayla's hand - she seemed close to letting it drop -and knocked back the last of the booza. "Well. Ayla," he said, I am glad the Mother sent you to us. Ton has great plans for you, that's certain. But don't let all that crazy vision stuff bother you so much. That's all way off in the future, nothing we'll ever see. Our children's children for more counting-words than you or I know will have to deal with that. Right now, you know what we should do?"

"Mmm?" Ayla answered sleepily. Tonka made a familiar gesture. Ayla giggled, and they rolled backward into the furs. Tonka pulled loose the cord that held back the drape.

Freluv came back in from a last visit to the trench, and cast his eyes about. Tailie was nowhere in sight. Probably Rednec, he thought; he could hear Skuzzie's loud snoring. Damn, it looked like every one of the Mother's blessed was occupied already. Well... he saw Jondalar, who was also gazing about with glazed eyes... no, I don't think so. Too bad. He turned then, and ran smack dab into Wynot. They both broke into wide smiles.

Jondalar looked around. There seemed to be two of everyone, but he couldn't spot even one of Ayla. Things tended to fade out longer than expected when he blinked, too. He stumbled over a pair of engaged bodies, landing on a fur someone had left by the hearth. It was relatively comfortable, and the lodge was spinning too rapidly for him to get up anyway. "Wolf?" he called tentatively. "Hey, Wolf?" He tried to whucker his lips and pistle but something wasn't working right. Damn mutt's never around when you need him, he thought as he slithered into oblivion.

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