Isabelle washed her face off with hot water, dipping a small cloth into the cup and bringing the cloth up to her skin. She scrubbed her forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin, and dipped it in the water again, wringing it out, and continuing down her neck, behind her ears, and down her arms. When she had finished washing off, she laid out, still in her tent, to dry off. She was utterly relaxed and calm and clean. The water smelled of berries which she had found nearby. After a few minutes, she sat up, took the warm water, and cleaned off her son. She softly brushed the cloth along his face, irritating him so that he looked away and moved his large, round head. She swept the cloth along his arms, legs, and bare bottom.

He had a small cloth covering a little of his lower body, but was otherwise naked. It was a hot day, and nice to just lay around. Being around so many people was exhausting….

Isabelle pressed her lips to Edan’s cheek, eliciting a smile from him. She smiled to herself, pleasantly, using her fingers to explore his soft skin, his tiny nose, his fat, plump belly and arms. He was perfect, everything about him. How could he be the offspring of someone so imperfect?

The flap on her tent opened, and Randir peeked inside. “Isabelle?” she asked.

“Yes?” replied Isabelle, sitting up.

“You should come eat lunch with us; Farouche is worried about you.”

Isabelle quickly wrapped a couple cloths around Gaven and asked, “Why is she worried?”

“She just thinks you shouldn’t be spending so much time along.” Randir stood up as Isabelle crawled out of the tent.

“I am tired, that’s all,” explained Isabelle, straightening out her dress, Gaven in the crook of her arm. Being around any amount of people for any length of time had always been draining for her.

Isabelle followed Randir into the main tent and towards the right, where a little group had formed. Farouche, Tortue, Numair, Taureau, and Mouette sat together. Isabelle and Randir joined them, and Farouche happily set about putting together a plate of carrots and some meat for Isabelle. Numair sat with Keane in his lap, intently listening to the conversation as his son cooed and played with his father’s hand.

“We will go north, for the Mammoth Hunt,” explained Tortue.

“How far north?” asked Mouette.

“Probably just a few days,” he replied. “The mammoths should be there right now or approaching where we will hunt.”

Isabelle savored the carrots and the meat, and held her fingers to Edan’s lips, letting him open his mouth and suck on them. He reached up towards her chest and grabbed onto the little ivory tablet. He closed his eyes, his other hand on Isabelle’s chest. She smiled upon him and set her plate down carefully. Edan sucked on her fingers at length, before letting go but holding her right hand near. He let 

out a high-pitched squeal, causing all eyes to look at him. Isabelle blushed a bright red but pretended not to notice Edan.

After a pause, Tortue proposed, “Isabelle, you should come to the Mammoth Hunt with us. It would be your first time doing so, right?” Isabelle nodded in agreement, but did not truly like the idea. She had been traveling so long, she wished to just stay put for a while. Tortue nodded as well, explaining, “Many people go to the hunt each year, sometimes three hundred or more. Usually, two or three from each Camp, but sometimes a Camp doesn’t want to participate, so there is always room.”

Isabelle now felt somewhat honored; obviously, not many people were chosen to go.

After a silence, she asked, “Where is Mamut?”

“He’s out, somewhere,” explained Farouche. “He’ll be back before long, though. Why? Did you want to tell him something?”

“Well, I just wanted to talk to him.”

“He should be back soon, you can talk then.”

“Okay.” Isabelle wanted to know how he realized who she was, and what he could tell her that she didn’t know. He seemed to be full of secrets that he shared with no one unless they deserved to hear them.

Farouche took Isabelle’s plate and washed it off with a little water, before sitting right back down, beside Tortue.

Isabelle felt lonely, sitting amongst the others with their partners, their mates, at their sides. She looked down at her son and played with his fingers, balled into a fist, and then brought the fist up and down, Edan watching her intently. She then pulled at the blanket covering her infant and entertained him by swinging the ivory tablet just out of grasp. He watched and cooed, amazed, attempting to figure it out.

“Tonight is the first night of Celebrating; will you join us, Isabelle, for it?” asked Farouche.

“Celebrating?” asked Isabelle.

“Oh,” Farouche stated in realization. “There are four nights of Celebrating. Four nights, for the four important fours; four seasons,” she began listing, “spring, summer, fall, winter. Four directions; north, south, east, and west. Four times of day; morning, afternoon, evening, night. And each of these is assigned to one of the four Elements, Fire, Air, Water, and Earth.”

Isabelle nodded. She never knew the Mamutoi were so devout when it came to their religion. Isabelle just thought the Summer Gathering was a meeting between camps to celebrate Joinings, or catch up on new things. She didn’t know how heavily they were based on religion.

Isabelle eventually slipped the necklace back over her head, her son sleepy in her arms, and left the group. She walked outside, towards the horses, swaying with her son to keep him lulled and to put him asleep. She sat upon the trunk of a fallen tree and watched as her son yawned and then closed his eyes. 

To her left was a meadow with Randir’s six horses grazing contently in it. She was focused on her son, though. His hair was dark and thick, long strands which were swept over the top of his head. His eyes were large and a green-gray color. His skin was flawless and soft, and white as milk, except for the tiny patches reddened by the sun.

Isabelle was full and sleepy from her lunch. She stood up and sat on the ground, before lying on her side and breathing in the warm scent of the earth, of her Mother. She could feel the ground embrace her and her son, as if she herself was being cuddled, underneath the boughs of the fallen tree. And in this embrace, she slept comfortably, knowing she was safe.

»

Isabelle was woken by a pair of steady hands on her shoulder. Renard’s earnest expression and Mamut’s wisened one peered at her as she sat up quickly. She took Edan into her arms and struggled to stands up.

“I was looking for you,” she told Mamut.

He nodded and said, “I know. Now, come….”

He took her and Renard into the meadow where Isabelle saw another figure, who she realized was Ada, her arms crossed and face drawn into a scowl. Farouche stood near Ada, looking puzzled.

“Mamut-” she started, confused.

“Everyone, sit down,” Mamut pleaded. He sat between Isabelle and Farouche, Ada next to Farouche and Renard besides Isabelle, forming a circle. After silence, he began, “We must discuss a few things. Farouche, where is Tortue?”

“He is meeting with other Headmen of our area….”

“I had wished he would be here,” he remarked, testily.

They sat on trampled dry grasses, dry because of the lack of rain. The sky overhead was clear and blue, with the sun radiating its warmth. Isabelle pulled at the grass by her feet, nervously.

“We shall begin anyway, then,” he explained. Another pause, and then, “Isabelle, we must discuss your son.”

She looked down at the infant in her grasp. “What-”

“No,” he stopped her. “Your first son.” Farouche looked at Isabelle with shock, and Isabelle stared at Mamut. How had he known? She hadn’t told anyone….

“There… is nothing to discuss.”

“Why not?”

She paused. “I buried him with my own hands; I know he is dead. There is nothing more to say.”

Mamut sat, thoughtfully. “Oh, but there is.” After another long pause, he started to speak. “Many years ago, we were hunting and travelling to the far west of the Mamutoi territory. Many of the men came, and so did a few of their mates and a couple children. One day, we were not watching carefully, and Ada had gone missing. We thought an animal might have taken her, or she had become lost… we were not sure. She left no marks; we could not trail her. The entire camp was frightened. We did not want to leave, but day by day, the chances of her coming back became smaller and smaller.” Ada still scowled, uneasily, obviously not happy in her current company. “Eventually, we left for our camp; for we believed it was useless to stay any longer. Many months later, she returned to us, a baby in her arms. She refused to admit that it was her child, even though we were sure it was.” Mamut paused.

Isabelle’s heart throbbed in realization. “You… you were the girl. The other girl; the one that was pregnant.” Ada’s face became red as her secret was revealed, and shook her head to deny it. “We were in the came Clan! I saw you the night Avive took you from your Camp, I told you my name! My mother healed you! We gave birth the same night!” Isabelle was exasperated, and Renard and Farouche were in shock.

“No!” Ada cried, to Farouche. “She is lying, she is lying…. I did not have a baby, I didn’t….” Her sobs cut off her words.

“Oh, love, it is okay,” Farouche said, enveloping Ada in her arms. “It is okay, if you did, it is okay, do not be ashamed. It’s not your fault.” Ada sobbed into Farouche’s neck, helplessly.

Isabelle was amazed at the conclusion she came to. How had she not realized earlier? And how did Mamut know she would know? Why did Ada lie and say she hadn’t had a son?

After a few minutes, Ada had calmed down. Mamut waited until she was ready to talk again, before asking, “Did you know that Isabelle had been there? Did you ever remember her?”

Ada shook her head again, but she could easily have been lying.

“Isabelle… your first son… Ada, you know. You’ve known. You should tell her.”

Ada was frightened about the extent of Mamut’s knowledge, but she, through tears, explained. “I… I…” she faltered, wishing that she did not have to speak of a child she had spurned, had hated, when it was born, a child she had denied the existence of ever since she’s had it. “When the Medicine Woman came back with him, once, when I was kept with the Flatheads, I realized he had his umbilical cord back. But when he had left an hour earlier, it had already fallen off. I knew… I knew he was not mine.” She gulped. “Someone had my… and I had someone else’s…. If you were the other girl, then….”

She paused, shuddering. Isabelle’s eyes grew large.

“How did you get away, why didn’t you try to give me my son back?” she implored, angrily.

“They turned me out into the snow a few days later. How could I stay? How could I tell anyone that I had the wrong child?” Ada exclaimed. “I did not want it anyway. If it wasn’t for that stupid Medicine woman, then there would have been no confusion. It is not that hard to keep two children separated!”

Isabelle was outraged. “She gave her life for you,” she snarled at Ada. “The least you can do is be thankful!”

“Thankful! For being-”

“Enough!” boomed Mamut. “We are missing the important part. Ada came home with a child, which Farouche put to her breast and brought up as her own. We named him Gaven, Isabelle.” Her hands flew up to her eyes before he could finish. “Gaven is your son.”

Isabelle felt so many things. Shock, for she would never have suspected…. Terror… she could not mother one child effectively, much less two. She was guilty, for not noticing that the child she had cared for when she was younger was not really her son, how she had never realized…. But, now, she could not help but notice Farouche’s amazed yet hurt expression. Gaven… was her son. She could not just give him away….

Isabelle asked, “How did you… how…?”

“I have been talking with your Mother, Isabelle,” explained Mamut. “She has told me many things.”

“Her mother?” asked Farouche. “But Isabelle….”

Isabelle knew that Farouche and Tortue were ready to adopt her, and mentioning her mother would only create more confusion.

“Mamut…” Isabelle begged, hoping for him to not continue. What would they say? What would they think of her?

“Isabelle, you know you can not keep yourself a secret forever. I know you are not ready to talk about many things, but, ready or not, you must. The Ceremonies are beginning, a time to celebrate our Mother. You must say who you really are!”

“Mamut!” she cried, standing up, backing away. “I… I do not know who I am. I can barely take care of Edan, much less….”

“But it will be worth it… you will see… Isabelle!” he exclaimed, frustrated. “This is one thing you can not run away from! It is your future!” Mamut countered. “It is the future of everyone her! Do not be so selfish that you think of no one but yourself!”

Isabelle was angered by his words, while he pulled at his white beard in frustration.

She put a hand on her hip, frowned, and then brought her hands up to wipe tears from her eyes. “I am the Daughter of Mother Earth,” she said, wavering. Farouche and Ada were shocked, and Ada was terrified at her actions towards Isabelle. “Are you content?” she asked, eye Renard and Mamut. Renard covered his face with his hands, guiltily, as Mamut stared up at her. “Now they will never see me as Isabelle again!” And, with great heaving sobs, she left the meadow and the company behind.