The Plains of Passage - Tape 1

Side A

1. The woman caught a glimpse of movement through the dusty haze ahead and wondered if it was the wolf she had seen loping in front of them earlier. She glanced at her companion with a worried frown, then looked for the wolf again, straining to see through the blowing dust.
1. I wish it would stop blowing," she commented. "I am tired of eating grit, too," Jondalar said. "Why don't we go visit our neighbors, and see if we can get something better to eat."

Side B

2. When her eye was caught by alpine asters with long thin petals of yellow and violet growing from rosettes of silky, hairy leaves, her fleeting notion became a conscious temptation to gather a few, along with some of the other flowers, for no reason except to enjoy them.
3. The huge bull laid his trunk across her back, caressing and calming her; his huge organ nearly touched the ground.

The Plains of Passage - Tape 2

Side A

4. When her eye was caught by alpine asters with long thin petals of yellow and violet growing from rosettes of silky, hairy leaves, her fleeting notion became a conscious temptation to gather a few, along with some of the other flowers, for no reason except to enjoy them.
4. Though her smiles and laughter had once singled her out as different, and caused her to restrain them, Jondalar loved it when she smiled, and her delight in his laughter, joking, and playfulness magically transformed the already pleasing arrangement of her features; she was even more beautiful when she smiled.

Side B

5. Alert and tense, she lay still, trying to discover what woke her. First she felt the rumbling, almost silent growl vibrating through her coverings from the warm spot at her feet. Again she heard faint snufflings. Something was in camp with them.
5. It has to be Doni who puts the baby inside a woman, but what if the Mother decides not to give Ayla a child? She did have one, even if it was mixed. Once Doni gives one, She usually gives more. Maybe it's me. I wonder, can Ayla have a baby that would come from my spirit? Can any woman?

The Plains of Passage - Tape 3

Side A

6. Jondalar wanted to explore, too. After their experience with the bear at the campsite near the grove of trees, he wanted to check for tracks or other indications of the animals that might be in the vicinity.
7. "Men of the Clan don't like to ask for anything, especially for their own comfort." It is not considered manly behavior for them to think about comfort, so a woman must anticipate a man's needs.

Side B

8. "Wolf! Look at all this mud." she said, as he reached to lick her throat and face, and then, with a low rumbling growl, he opened his mouth and took her jaw in his teeth. But for all his impressive canine armaments, his action was as restrained and gentle as if he'd been handling a new puppy.
8. "Ayla, we need shelter. Our tent is soaked. We have to give it a chance to dry out. While we're waiting, we can go hunting. If we get the right kind of animal, we can use the hide to make a bowl boat to cross the river."

The Plains of Passage - Tape 4

Side A

9. Jondalar had more trouble. A guiding rein wasn't as quick a command as a shift in body weight, and the man and his young stallion had far less experience hunting together, but after some initial hesitation they were soon pounding after the white-spotted aurochs as well.
10. "What is there to think about?" she said, as she was wrapping cord around the three poles. Then she measured out a length and fastened it to the boat. "You were the one who wanted to get started," she added, while she put Whinney's halter on, attached a lead rope to it, then fastened it to the boat on the opposite side of the poles.

Side B

11. There had even been a couple of occasions when their lives had been saved by strangers. But if people were going to be afraid of them because of their animal companions, what would happen if Ayla and he ever needed help?
12. The travelers collected eggs from all the different birds for quick and easy meals - even Wolf discovered the trick of cracking shells - and developed a taste for some of the mildly fishy flavored varieties.

The Plains of Passage - Tape 5

Side A

13. It seemed to happen in one day, though the ample moisture and warmth in the sluggish side streams and fetid pools had been nursing the tiny eggs all along. The first clouds of small gnats had appeared in the morning, hanging over the water, but the dry grassland nearby was still free of them, and they were forgotten.
13. Over time, wolves that lived in the southern regions had made several adaptations tot he extreme conditions of the south, with its hot, dry summers, and winters that were nearly as cold as the land closer to the glaciers, but could also see much heavier snow.

Side B

14. Darvalo paused for a moment, looking at the horses and the wolf, and nodded. "She must be a very good healer." He stood up a little taller for his thirteen years. "I'll walk with you so no one will be afraid of the animals."
16. Roshario, Dolando, and Jondalar were as silent as Ayla, as she performed her unusual actions. Of the three, Jondalar was the only one who knew what she was doing, and he found himself watching the other two as much as Ayla.

The Plains of Passage - Tape 6

Side A

17. "The washing you both gave me made me feel better, too." I didn't even feel like combing or washing before. That must mean I'm better," Roshario said.
17. She saw a pile of dried moss on the ground and guessed its use. It was not at all scratchy and quite absorbent. When she was through, she noticed that fresh dirt had recently been scattered over the bottom of the trench.

Side B

18. The two Sharamudoi women felt the contagion of tears and blinked them back, smiling at each other as though they had conspired in a wonderful plan.
19. "I wanted so much for you and her to stay, but you won't do it. Even though I understand why you won't, it still doesn't make me feel very good."

The Plains of Passage - Tape 7

Side A

20. "We ought to do something about the leaks in the roof," Jondalar said. "I saw cattails growing nearby," Ayla said. "It wouldn't take long to weave the leaves into mats that we could cover the holes with."
21. The large animals showed more damage. A chamois floated past with a horn broken off and the fur gone from half its face, exposing pinkish muscle. When she saw the carcass of a young snow leopard, she looked back again for Wolf, but he was not in sight.

Side B

22. She thought she would cook them all at once to compare both kinds of fowl. She would save the leftovers for the next day or two. Then she began to think about what she might stuff the cavities with.
24. As they continued north, the river on their left began flowing through a gorge that was becoming deeper as the rocky cliffs got higher.

The Plains of Passage - Tape 8

Side A

25. When they started out, Wolf loped along beside them, but he soon lagged behind, obviously in some pain. Ayla worried about him, not sure how far or how fast he could travel, but she decided she would have to let him follow at his own pace, and if he couldn't keep up, he would have to catch up when they stopped.
26. He turned his back to her and waited while she hacked at his bindings. They must need a good flint knapper around here, he couldn't help but think. Her knife is dull.

Side B

27. "I think he suffers more from the pain of betrayal than from the physical pain," S'Amodun said. "Ardoban thought of Attaroa as his mother. His own mother died when he was young and Attaroa took him in, but she treated him more like a favored plaything than a child."
28. "The Gift is sacred, meant to be shared with willingness and joy. Coupling like this would be contemptuous of the Mother. It would defile Her Gift and anger Her just as much as taking a woman against her will."

The Plains of Passage - Tape 9

Side A

29. Ayla held him close, closing her eyes to think only of his mouth on hers, and his gently exploring tongue.
30. "In his way, he did... I hesitate to say he loved her, but I think he did have feeling for her. He was just so ... twisted. Yet she was the only one who dared to defy him, in spite of everything he did to her."

Side B

31. "After she became leader, she didn't want anything to do with anyone else. Not long after she took over, some of the Camps sent a delegation, inviting us to join them. They had somehow heard that we had many women without mates."
33. Jondalar closed his eyes, unable to watch the violent final moment of Ayla's life. His own life would have no meaning to him when she was gone ... So why was he standing there afraid of threatening spears when he didn't care if he lived or died?

The Plains of Passage - Tape 10

Side A

33. "I knew a man, a Mamutoi man, who was a carver of ivory, a very fine artist. He showed me how to see things that are carved and painted, and I know he would love this," Ayla said."
34. Ayla's sling was often put to good use; they tended to save the spear throwers for larger game. It was easier to find stones than to make new spears to replace missiles that were lost or broken.

Side B

35. Ayla couldn't help smiling. She had never met One Who Served the Mother who seemed more unlikely to function in that capacity.
36. "All men are not like Charoli and his band, Madenia. Some are like Jondalar. He was the one who taught me the joy and the Pleasure of the Mother's Gift, and I promise you, it is a wonderful Gift."

The Plains of Passage - Tape 11

Side A

37. "But I think Laduni's plan is a good one. He thinks all the Caves should work together to find and bring the young men back. He would like to see the members of that band separated from each other, and away from Charoli's influence."
38. Ayla smiled. "I know," she said. She was becoming more and more aware that he didn't like to reveal the deeply sensitive side of his nature, and she was pleased that he would express himself to her, in words and actions.

Side B

39. He wondered why the man was still down. He pulled the unconscious man away from him, and rolled him over; he was breathing. And then he saw why the man of the Clan did not get up.
40. "I would speak to your ... healer, Dyondar," Guban signed. Jondalar got the sense of the meaning and nodded. Ayla had been watching, quickly came forward, and sat in respectful posture in front of the man.

The Plains of Passage - Tape 12

Side A

41. Above the timberline many hardy plants adapted to the harshness of the environment. Ayla, leading her mare, noticed the changes with interest, and she wished she had more time to examine the differences.
42. They detoured around open cracks, especially near the center, where the dry air held so little moisture that the snows were not heavy enough to fill the crevasses. And the cold, the deep, bitter, bone-chilling cold, never let up.

Side B

43. In spring, the warm sunlight caused the great mass of ice to give off moisture rather than to take it. For almost the only time during the entire year, rain fell, not on the glacier, but on the thirsty and fertile land that bounded it.
44. Ayla stood back, fighting to control tears for the woman who could not, and she saw Echozar move closer. He put a tentative arm around Joplaya's waist, still not quite able to believe it.

Return to:

Hosted by: Diane in Cincinnati https://ecfans.com