The young man walked up and down angrily. "Why does she talk that way? Is she one of our sisters? I don't remember her."
"No," said the other. "She was with the people we fought with three seasons ago. She is my new mate and she is very good at magic, only I advise you not to pay any attention to what she says."
The other picked up the scraping-stone she had left and looked at it with grudging envy. "The very tall man who killed the aurochs by himself has a son," he said, "and the son is short."
The other shrugged. "Don't pay any attention to her."
The woman came out again and looked at the sky, then went to the fire and stirred the pot with a stick. "I wish you would try to get the young animals," she said. "You always bring home the biggest ones and they are hard to chew unless I cook the meat all day."
"My father said that if you wish to be brave, powerful and swift, you must eat only the animals that are brave, powerful and swift," said the young man obstinately.
"Didn't he eat roots, too?"
"Yes."
"Well, then."
The young man threw the scraping-stone hard against the side of the cave opening and split it in two. "Roots are not animals!"