April 6th, Ayla, Edward and Max
Who: Ayla, Edward and Max What: Her Arrival When: Morning Where: The Mansion Foyer Rating: G Status: Complete
Ayla stood on the precipice of waking and sleeping. She could feel the warmth of the man beside her and snuggled against him in the small tent. It seemed a shame that it should end, but her aching bladder forced her from her dreams and she opened her eyes. Soft light filtered through the horse hide she used for a tent. Normally, she would have already been up and hunting or making breakfast, but she and Jondalar had taken a little camping trip.
Back at the cave in the valley, they had stores enough for the winter and well into spring. It had been Jondalar's idea to take the small trip for fun. Whinny and Racer were standing outside the tent when she pulled the flap open and stepped into the sunshine. She walked a few paces away to a tree and relieved her bladder. She whickered at Whinny when she walked back. Whinny lifted her head and whinnied right back. Ayla smiled and stepped up to hug the horse's neck. She patted her neck and rubbed her nose.
She heard a rustling behind her and turned to find that Jondalar was stepping out of the tent. He smiled at her and she returned the smile. It was still strange to her that it was a sign of being happy. In the clan, if they bared their teeth they were afraid or trying to intimidate someone. Jondalar made her happy, and he said that she made him happy. She wasn't sure how he could care for someone as ugly as she was. She thought he was beautiful, though.
He was speaking to her. She could see his lips moving, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. "What?!" She called to him. But she couldn't hear herself, either. Jondalar was reaching out to her. She reached out for him and tried to take a step forward but she felt herself moving backwards. "Jondalar!" She screamed out his name as blackness closed over her.
She opened her eyes when she felt the backward movement stop. She was lying on her side and partially curled into the fetal position. She pushed up on the ground, finding that there was a solid foundation beneath her. It was smooth and cold against the skin that touched it. Her short wrap barely covered the tops of her thighs, but covered her other assets well enough. She stood up on shaky legs, her bare feet almost sliding on the slick floor. She brushed her long blond hair from her eyes and glanced around. Where was she?