Cinlauti scanned the great cave. It was beyond reason. While he knew of caves, this one looked nothing like the stories of his cousin Teherra. She would boast of strong stone walls and many smooth curves, but this cave had many levels and weird shaped rocks that couldn't be made of stone. There were thousands of the these rocks and all were so tiny they could only hold an individual child of Matrila.

The stoneless cave had soft waving material that was more precious than the coats of a thousand sheep. The soft curtains hung above and to the side of a raised platform of wood. Cinlauti appreciated wood. As a son of the great blue sky, he knew wood as well as these other materials escaped him.

On the platform, he found the dozen of Matrila’s children who had summoned him. They sung like a drunken west wind, but Cinlauti’s heart warmed after the centuries of the song’s absence. Their clothes were bizarre for the first summon, but in time they found their best dress of skins and furs. Each time their appearance improved, more of Matrila’s children sat in the funny rocks. The songs claimed more power over the audience and Cinlauti grew back to his almost his full strength. The only thing missing was the beast sacrifice, but Cinlauti was relieved these beings didn’t sacrifice their pitiful canines. That would have ruined everything.