History Characters / EarthsChildrenAylasAnimals

* ADogNamedDog: His name is said to be the Mamutoi word for "wolf".
* FriendToAllChildren: He really likes children; he's very patient with and protective of them, and they in turn adore him. Most people are worried about letting their children around a wolf until they see how is with them; Solandia even lets Wolf basically babysit her children.
* HowlOfSorrow: He howls mournfully when Rydag dies. People think it sounds like he's crying too.
* InnocenceLost: Wolf was adopted by Ayla as a young cub and raised amongst the Lion Camp of the Mamutoi; Ayla has always been loving and nurturing, while the Lion Camp in turn treat both Ayla and Wolf like family. As a result, Wolf had no reason to fear humans and initially tends to treat all new people as his pack. This changes midway through ''The Plains of Passage'', though, after the protagonists' hostile encounter with the Three Sisters Camp of the S'Armunai, culminating in Wolf killing the Camp's murderous leader to save Ayla's life. Afterwards, he is far more wary of strange people and Ayla has to train him not to automatically growl at or otherwise behave aggressively towards people they encounter. She states she believes this change in Wolf is because he now knows not all humans are benevolent and some may pose a danger to those he regards as his pack.

* OutOfFocus: When compared to Ayla's other animals, Grey doesn't have as a big an impact on the story as they do (which is understandable, seeing that she isn't even ''born'' until the end of the fifth book and is a baby for a large chunk of the sixth). She does get to accompany Ayla and co on her tour throughout the Zelandonii's caves as part of Ayla's acolyte training, though.

* TropeyComeHome: While Ayla and Jondalar are camping for the night in ''The Plains of Passage'', a passing herd of wild horses 'kidnap' Whinney. Ayla insists they get her back and they manage to track down the herd. Ayla is able to get close enough to climb on Whinney's back, but then things go FromBadToWorse when a group of hunters [[AnimalStampede start a stampede]], intentionally trying to drive the horses over a nearby cliff, and Ayla struggles to control a panicking Whinney. Jondalar loses sight of them, then is knocked unconscious and captured by the hunters; he spends days not knowing if Ayla and Whinney went over the cliff, and his captors don't believe his story about woman riding a horse. Fortunately, Ayla was able to steer Whinney out of danger and thus avoided capture herself.

* CoolHorse: To Ayla. After killing her dam, Ayla takes pity on the now orphaned foal, saving her from hyenas and coaxing her into her cave. Ayla raises Whinney to adulthood and she trusts Ayla enough to let her ride on her back, which is unheard of in the setting.

* CoolHorse: To Jondalar. He's a rare bay colour and can gallop very fast.
* MeaningfulName: Jondalar names him Racer, meaning one who likes to run fast in Zelandonii.

* NobleWolf: He's a bit too much of a goofball to be completely 'noble', but is friendly, loves kids and proves himself to be heroic several times.

* CanineCompanion: Though technically a wolf, rather than a dog, he still fits the trope, serving as one to Ayla from the third book onwards.

* ChekhovsGunman: when he first appears, he just appears to be another pet Ayla takes in to alleviate her loneliness while living alone in the Valley of Horses. However, he's revealed as far more important to the plot later in the second book. A few years after Ayla adopts him, Baby attacks Jondalar and Thonolan when they enter his territory. Ayla is able to call him off, saving Jondalar's life and resulting in the pair falling in love. She even believes that Baby was supposed to bring Jondalar to her.
* EasilyForgiven: Jondalar never holds it against him for mauling him and killing his brother, probably because he knows that Baby, as an animal, didn't do it from malice and was just defending his territory which Thonolan had recklessly entered. That, and there's not a whole lot he could do against a massive cave lion.

* ParentalAbandonment: His mother abandoned him after he was wounded during an elk stampede. Luckily, Ayla finds him and takes him in.

* ChekhovsGunman: when he first appears, he just appears to be another CoolPet Ayla takes in to alleviate her loneliness while living alone in the Valley of Horses. However, he's revealed as far more important to the plot later in the second book. A few years after Ayla adopts him, Baby attacks Jondalar and Thonolan when they enter his territory. Ayla is able to call him off, saving Jondalar's life and resulting in the pair falling in love. She even believes that Baby was supposed to bring Jondalar to her.

* CoolPet: Lions and wolves make for pretty cool pets (especially lions that let you ride on them), but even the more 'mundane' horses deserve a mention, as they are intregal to Ayla's survival and allow her to develop new methods of travel, hunting and transporting goods. If it weren't for Whinney and the travois Ayla invented, Jondalar could well have died after being attacked by Baby, as Ayla wouldn't have been able to reach him and carry him back to her cave to treat him in time.

* ADogNamedDog: His name is said to be the Mamutoi word for "wolf".

* ChekhovsGunman: A few years after Ayla adopts him, Baby attacks Jondalar and Thonolan when they enter his territory. Ayla is able to call him off, saving Jondalar's life and resulting in the pair falling in love. She even believes that Baby was supposed to bring Jondalar to her.

* FriendToAllChildren: He really likes children; he very patient with and protective of them and they in turn adore him. Most people are worried about letting their children around a wolf until they see how is with them; Solandia even lets Wolf basically babysit her children.

** In ''The Plains of Passage'', he nearly drowns and dies of hypothermia while crossing a river with Ayla and Jondalar. At Ayla's urging, Jondalar rescues him and Ayla nurses him back to health.
** In ''The Shelters of Stone'', he is almost killed after being attacked by another wolf. He gets better.

* UndyingLoyalty: To Ayla and Rydag, and to a lesser extent, Jondalar.

* CoolHorse: To Ayla. After killing her dam, Ayla takes pity on the now orphaned foal, saving her from hyenas and coaxing her into her cave. Ayla raises Whinney to adulthood and she trusts Ayla enough to let her ride on her back, which is unheard of in the setting.

* TheBusCameBack: He briefly reappears in ''The Mammoth Hunters'', [[spoiler: turning up at the Mamutoi Summer Meeting looking for Ayla. He starts advancing on a girl that resembles Ayla; fortunately, the real Ayla turns up before he or anyone else gets hurt and proceeds to climb on his back and ride off with him to the wilds, in front of everyone]].
* ChekhovsGunman: A few years after Ayla adopts him, Baby [[spoiler: attacks Jondalar and Thonolan when they enter his territory]]. Ayla is able to call him off, saving Jondalar's life and resulting in the pair falling in love. She even believes that Baby was supposed to bring Jondalar to her.
* EasilyForgiven: Jondalar never holds it against him for [[spoiler: mauling him and killing his brother]], probably because he knows that Baby, as an animal, didn't do it from malice and was just defending his territory [[spoiler: which Thonolan had recklessly entered]]. That, and there's not a whole lot he could do against a massive cave lion.

* InterspeciesAdoption: He is raised by Ayla, a human, and comes to regard her ss his mother, which is one of the main reasons he obeys her commands even when he's fully grown. Ayla in turn regards him as being a 'son', which is particularly appropriate seeing as Ayla's totem is the Cave Lion (she even thinks her totem guided her to Baby for a reason).

* BirthDeathJuxtaposition: Whinney gives birth to Racer in Ayla's cave, shortly after [[spoiler: Thonalan]] is killed and Jondalar has his NearDeathExperience. He regains conciousness in time to see Ayla helping with Racer's birth, and initially thinks he's dead and gone to the spirit world (as he's never seen or heard of any mare allowing a human to get so close to her and her foal).

* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has the same unusual, dark bay colouring as the stallion who sired him. Ayla takes this as further proof that males can impregnate females when they copulate.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Wolf usually comes across as a BigFriendlyDog, but when [[spoiler: Attaroa]] tries to kill Ayla in ''The Plains of Passage'', he doesn't hesitate to rip out her throat. For a while afterwards, he acts aggressive towards strangers if he sees them as threatening Ayla in some way.
* BigDamnHeroes: In the fourth book, he bursts in as [[spoiler: Attaroa is about to kill Ayla and tears her throat out to protect Ayla]].

* HowlOfSorrow: When [[spoiler: Rydag]] dies. People think it sounds like he's crying too.
* NearDeathExperience: In ''The Shelters of Stone'', he is [[spoiler: almost killed after being attacked by another wolf. He gets better]].

Whinney’s second foal; she's a gray mare born at the end of ''The Shelters of Stone''.

* GenerationXerox: Her mother is a loyal companion to Ayla, whilst she is a loyal companion to [[spoiler: Ayla’s daughter Jonayla]].

* WalkingSpoiler: Downplayed. But mentioning her is a bit spoiler-y, in the sense that [[spoiler: Ayla makes mention of the fact she and Whinney both got pregnant at the same time and that Grey is Ayla’s daughter’s pet]].
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* CoolHorse: To Ayla. After killing her dam, Ayla takes pity on the now orphaned foal, saving her from hyenas and coaxing her into her cave. Ayla raises Whinney to adulthood and she trusts Ayla enough to let her ride on her back, which is umheard of in the setting.

* CoolHorse: To Ayla.

Jondalar's horse, a bay stallion, and Whinney's son.

* HowlOfSorrow: When [[spoiler: Rydag]] dies.

Whinney’s daughter and younger sibling to Racer, born at the end of ''The Shelters of Stone''.
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* BitCharacter: When compared to Ayla’s other animals, Grey doesn’t have as a big an impact on the story as they do (which is understandable, seeing that she isn’t even ''born'' until the end of the fifth book and is a baby for a large chunk of the sixth). She does get to accompany Ayla and co on her tour throughout the Zelandonii's caves as part of Ayla’s acolyte training, though.

* TheBusCameBack: He briefly reappears in [[spoiler: ''The Mammoth Hunters'', turning up at the Mamutoi Summer Meeting looking for Ayla. He starts advancing on a girl that resembles Ayla; fortunately, the real Ayla turns up before he or anyone else gets hurt and proceeds to climb on his back and ride off with him to the wilds, in front of everyone]].

* MeaningfulName: Jondalar names him Racer, meaning one who likes to run fast, in Zelandonii.

* TheBusCameBack: He briefly reappears in [[spoiler: ''The Mammoth Hunters'', turning up at the Mamutoi Summer Meeting looking for Ayla. He starts advancing on a girl that resembles Ayla; fortunately, the real Ayla turns up before he or anyone else gets hurt and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome proceeds to climb on his back and ride off with him to the wilds, in front of everyone]]]].