"Face it, big brother - were lost!" Thonolan exclaimed, throwing up his arms in despair and nearly poking Jondalar's left eye out with the light spear he carried. Jondalar didn't notice. His brow was furrowed in deep thought. It was the rock he tripped over a moment later that shook him out of his self-absorption.

"Huh? What did you say?" he grumbled as he picked himself up.

"I said 'We're lost', you big lunk." Thonolan stood, hands on his hips, gazing around at the seemingly endless sea of grass-covered rolling hills. "How long has it been since we crossed the Great Mother River? You said this shortcut would get us back to the river in a couple of days, saving us a quarter-moon of following all the bends in it. Well, it's been more than a quarter moon since then, if I count my fingers right, and no Great Mother."

"Great Mother, you're right, Thonolan," Jondalar said. "I didn't realize it had been so long. I was... erm... thinking a lot, and just never noticed."

"Thinking about what?"

"Erm... just... things... you know."

Thonolan grinned impishly. "Aha, remembering the good old days with Zelandoni - "

"Don't start!" Jondalar snapped. "Just don't!"

"Okay, okay, forget I mentioned. But we are lost. Are you sure you remembered that map Losaduna showed you right? He said it was pretty old, too. Things change." Thonolan knew this well -he had seen many things change in the fifteen summers of his life.

Jondalar's brow furrowed deeply. "I don't know... there're no landmarks here anyway." He sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping. "I guess I blew it again, little bro'. The story of my life. Sometimes I wonder why the Mother bothered to make me," he said, mournfully.

"Aw, don't blame yourself, big fella, "Thonolan commiserated. "It's my journey you got yourself into. We'll find it sooner or later. The world isn't that big, after all." He patted his tall blond older brother's shoulder, grinning at the familiar furrow.

The two brothers walked on, side by side. More rolling hills rolled by. Jondalar, paying more attention to where he was going now, managed to spear a large opossum. "At least we'll have fresh meat tonight," he remarked, as he picked up the beast by its scaly tail.

Thonolan, not to be outdone in hunting, was scanning the surrounding hills. "Hoi!" he cried suddenly - "I see smoke!"

Jondalar looked in the direction his brother pointed, his brow furrowed in concentration."Yes, I see it too."

The brothers looked at each other, nearly identical silly grins breaking out on their faces, spoiling Jondalar's furrow. "We can ask them for directions!" they both exclaimed at once.

With renewed hope, they hastened toward the distant, thin plume of smoke. "We even have meat to share," Thonolan said cheerily.

Jondalar's brow furrowed. "I just hope they don't have any weird taboos about hunting 'possums," he replied. "You better go in first, and grin at them. That usually works best."

"No problem," Thonolan responded. "I get first pick of the Mother's Blessed, though. Ever since Haduma did her thing, they've been heading for you like flies for carrion." Jondalar laughed, but there was a bitter edge to his laughter. His brow furrowed more deeply.

At last they mounted the crest of a low ridge and came in sight of a wide valley with a sparkling stream meandering through it. Trees and shrubs grew in twin belts that followed its course. Not far from the stream, but on ground high enough to avoid spring floods, was a large mound of earth. It was not a natural hill, but a dwelling built by men. A fire burned in a stone-ringed pit nearby, the source of the smoke the brothers had seen. As they paused to take in the view, one of the people below saw them and cried out. Everyone looked in their direction. Small children scampered to their mothers, peeping out from behind well-fleshed legs at the strangers.

"Well, here goes nothing," Thonolan quipped, as he stepped out ahead of his tall, conspicuous, opossum - bearing brother. As the two travelers approached the watchful group, details of faces, clothing, and objects in their immediate surroundings became clearer. One very large individual stood out among the rest. Subtle shiftings of position among the others were beginning to make him stand out more. A sturdily built woman was also being shuffled forward. She reminded Jondalar of his old donii, the one he had given to Noria. He still wondered what Marthona would have to say about that.

Thonolan's grin seemed to be having its desired effect. No one was aiming spears at them. As they came even closer, Jondalar saw, much to his delight, a large heap of dead opossums near the pit. Some of them were already skinned, lying on a hide along with piles of green stuff and roots. I wonder how they got so many opossums, he thought to himself. Perhaps they were able to drive an entire herd into a surround...

Jondalar's furrowed musings were interrupted by the large man, well in front of the others now. He wore a rather outlandish outfit of possum-skins sewn together, and a belt that must have been of great value - it was made of the skins of hundreds of 'possum tails carefully pieced together so that the scales made eye-bending patterns. On his head, he wore a cap made from the skin of the biggest 'possum Jondalar or Thonolan had ever seen. The head was still on it, with the mouth open as if it were hissing. The eyes had been replaced with polished matching nugggets of amber. The man was truly an awesome sight, taller than Jondalar. His hair was a peculiar shade of orange.

"Hola!" the large man boomed. "Rumblerumble Mactruc rumble Tonkatoi rumblerumblerumble." He held out his hands in greeting.

Thonolan reached out - and up - to take his hands, and replied "Hi, I'm Thonolan of the Zelandonii, and this is my brother Jondalar, also of the Zelandonii. Is that your daughter over there?" He nodded his head toward a lusciously shaped young woman with orange hair who stood near a very Motherly looking individual.

"Rumblerumble," the opossum-clad giant replied. "Rumble. Hmmm..."

The big man turned and beckoned to a very old man, who raised his eyebrows in a knowing way and headed for the earthlodge. When he re-emerged, he was carrying a wooden bowl, two cups, two stones, and a small leather bag. He sat down on the ground with a smile and a wink at the two lost Zelandoni. With great care and reverence, he withdrew from the bag what looked like two dried roots. They had a papery appearance, like birchbark, and were nearly white in color, but covered with tiny black markings. He crumbled them with his fingers onto the larger of the two rocks, which was flat with a slightly concave top, and proceeded to grind them into a fine powder with the small stone. Meanwhile, most of the people went back to what they had been doing - skinning 'possums, cleaning roots, feeding the fire, and trying to keep track of the children. Jondalar was invited by means of gestures to add his 'possum to the communal heap.

When the roots were ground finely enough to suit the old man, he gently brushed the pale dust into his wooden bowl. Then, reaching for a nearby waterbag, he measured out two cups of water into it. Half humming, half chanting softly to himself, he stirred the root powder and water together with a grimy finger. Then he poured the murky liquid into the two cups. Gracefully, for one so old, he rose to his feet and offered the cups to Jondalar and Thonolan. They took the cups, looking at one another dubiously. They shrugged simultaneously and tasted the cloudy mixture.

Jondalar frowned as he tasted it, renewing his furrow. It tasted like a far-off memory of musty closets and ancient overshoes. He shrugged again and drank it down. Thonolan downed his as well. In a short time, they began to feel a little strange. At first there was only a buzzing in the ears. Then Jondalar felt a sort of tickly, echoing sensation in his head, as though the back of it had opened into a large cave in which a lot of people were honoring the Mother.

"Erm... we're still alive, anyway," he said to Thonolan.

Before his brother could reply, the large orange-haired man broke in. "All right, then," he said. "Let's get the introductions done already."

The young men nearly got whiplash turning their heads to him. With a grin that could have swallowed three of Thonolan's best, the man thumped his 'possum-furred chest and said "I am Mactruc, headman of Possum Camp of the Tonkatoi. I greet you in the name of Ton, the Great Earth Mother. Gimme five!" He held out his hands again.

Part 2