The Clan of the Cave Bear

Long ago, in the days of the great ice mountains...

...the first of our people followed the herds of game into a new land.

There was a girl child among them...

...and she was called Ayla.

The legends still speak of her.

Ayla!

Mama!

Ayla!

Mama!

Before our people came...

...this had been the land of the old ones.

The Clan of the Cave Bear.

When the Earth shook, they had lost their home.

Many had died.

But Brun, the leader, still had with him Broud...

...the son of his mate, who would be leader after him.

Then came Creb, the great Mog-ur...

...the crippled holy man.

And Iza, his sister, the medicine woman.

Without a cave...

...the Clan was weak.

They knew that soon the wind spirits would bring snow.

And snow would bring death.

Iza.

Leave it.

She lives.

Not Clan... It's one of the Others.

Come.

Broud.

Iza.

Cave lion.

Why do you take her?

My spirits...

...tell me to.

The child that Iza nursed was one of us. The new people.

The first the Clan of the Cave Bear had ever seen.

She was proof of the tales they had long heard...

...of "the Others. "

The strange ones who threatened the world which had always been theirs.

At sunset, they called to the spirits to help them...

...for they were afraid.

Creb.

She doesn't understand.

Creb.

Grub.

Creb.

Iza.

Ayla.

Mog-ur.

Broud.

Broud!

As the days passed, and still they had not found a cave...

...many were sure that some dark spirit...

...had put the child, Ayla, in their path.

She was of the Others and should have been left to die.

That was what the memories told them.

It was the memories that ruled the Clan.

The ancient knowledge that each was born with.

The voices of the past that could not be disobeyed or changed.

Ayla did not have the memories.

Iza knew the Clan would not let her keep the child much longer.

This place is not in our memories.

No Clan has been here.

Women must never touch weapons.

The Great Cave Bear!

For many seasons, the Clan lived in this new cave.

And Ayla was allowed to stay among them.

Iza and Creb protected her...

...and raised her with Iza's own daughter, Uba.

Ayla tried to be a child of the Clan.

But she knew that to Broud and many others...

...she was still a threat to the Clan's unchanging ways.

Even the spirits seemed to have no place for her.

Ayla.

Ebra.

Ayla!

That is not the Clan way.

I will be leader.

Serve me first.

Ayla, listen to Broud.

Move fast.

Understand?

Go!

Are you angry?

Ayla, you live at my fire.

I must teach you.

Iza hurries...

Uba hurries...

Ayla goes slow.

Ayla...

Got it?

But are you angry?

Never.

Will you teach me?

The Clan knows this much.

They don't understand this.

Only Mog-ur counts this far.

Don't show this to the Clan.

Only you and I will know.

Bring me water.

Creb, find Ayla a spirit.

Iza was afraid.

She knew that Broud would soon be made a hunter of the Clan...

...and Ayla would not be safe.

She did not have an animal totem to protect her...

...as all Clan people did.

And only Creb, the Mog-ur, knew the magic to find her one.

But as he climbed the mountain...

...he was not sure the spirits would grant a protector...

...to this child of the Others.

Bround has killed the great Musk Ox.

He is hunter of the Clan.

The spirits have spoken to me.

They call to Ayla.

She is given a protector.

Ayla's spirit is...

...The Cave Lion.

The Lion is a hunter's sign.

Too strong for a woman.

It is Ayla's spirit.

Ayla is ugly.

She'll never have a mate.

Iza knew that one day she and Creb would be gone...

...and that without them, Ayla would be alone.

And so she taught Ayla the healing magic...

...to give her a place in the Clan when that day came.

My tooth.

This medicine will make you brave.

It won't hurt the great Mog-ur.

The baby is near.

The baby is dead.

Why did the baby die?

The spirits called for it.

Will the spirits give me a baby?

The Lion sign...

...is too strong.

Ayla knew the punishment...

...for a woman who touched a hunting weapon...

...was death.

You must learn. Clan women kneel.

Brun!

You shame the Clan.

You want to be leader, Broud.

But a man who hits his people...

...can never lead the Clan.

While gathering herbs for Iza's medicine, Ayla had found...

...a small cave in the forest.

Now she went there whenever she could...

...to escape from Broud, and be alone.