Amicable Exes: With Dalanar. They have no hard feelings over their break-up and are friendly with each other and their respective spouses.

Connected All Along: It turns out she was once very close friends with S'Armuna, the shaman of the Three Sisters Camp who Ayla and Jondalar meet in The Plains of Passage (who Marthona knew as Bodoa before she gave up her name). Big Brother Instinct: She's doing her absolute best to look after her younger siblings, including her infant sister, Lorala. Unfortunately, she doesn't really know what she's doing as she's a child herself and Lorala is underweight because she's not eating properly, though things improve after Ayla steps in to help (and persuades other women to help too). The daughter of Ayla and Jondalar, conceived in The Plains of Passage and born right at the end of The Shelters of Stone. Ayla observed the leader and the people around him closely, and instinctively moved her hand to shield the warm bundle that she carried in the soft leather blanket tied to her chest. Jonayla had recently nursed and was sleeping, but moved slightly at her mother's touch. Ayla had an uncanny ability to interpret meaning from body language, learned young when she lived with the Clan. She knew Joharran was alarmed and Thefona was frightened. Serial Spouse: Downplayed. She's been mated three times; her first mate died, she and her second mate amicably 'severed the knot' and she's been Happily Married to her third mate for many years.The Clan's animal spirits are always male. However, in the early days of the Clan, weather spirits such as Wind and Rain—spirits whose worship is so ancient that Creb had to use deep meditation to find them in the Clan memories—bore female names. Goov, Creb's apprentice, also speculates that Ayla's totem may be the Cave Lioness, rather than the Cave Lion, although this would be unprecedented in the Clan. More than I thought," Thefona said, trying to seem calm and not let her fear show. "When I first saw them, I thought there were maybe three or four, but they are moving around in the grass, and now I think there may be ten or more. It's a big pride." Generation Xerox: Both his parents were the leader of the Ninth Cave; he became leader after Marthona retired.

Meaningful Name: Her name has two meanings. In addition to being a combination of both her parents' names, it also highlights Ayla's belief that she is of both her and Jondalar's 'essence'. Law of Inverse Fertility: While she's not too bothered about still being unmated, it's implied that she wished she could've had children (and is possibly incapable of conceiving children); she mentions that despite having honored the Mother many times she never became pregnant, and Ayla also senses she seems wistful when she talks to other women about having children. In book stores special matchboxes, featuring the book's cover, where handed out for free. Couples in caveman costumes handed out the boxes on the streats.You don't have to," Jondalar said, pointing in a different direction. "He must sense something, too. Look at him coming." False Soulmate: To Jondalar. Their relationship was never ideal due to her being several years older and his donii-woman – her role was to introduce an adolescent Jondalar to the 'Gift of Pleasure', but nothing more. Having a serious relationship would be considered quite scandalous and could've gotten Zolena in trouble (Jondalar mentions that as the older woman, she would've received more blame). Despite this, Jondalar deeply loved her and was never interested in being with anyone else, while Zolena herself even considered breaking the taboo and mating him. The incident with Madroman, wherein Jondalar beat the crap out of him for publicly revealing their Secret Relationship, made Zolena realize it would never work out and she broke things off. Years later, Jondalar meets his Second Love Ayla and while they also face many challenges to their relationship, they're ultimately more compatible and end up Happily Married. Zelandoni herself greatly approves of Ayla and thinks it was destiny she and Jondalar didn't end up together, as otherwise, she would probably not have become Zelandoni Who is First. To Jondalar, for being mated to Ayla and later for beating him up after he catches him having drunken sex with Ayla. The mother of Jondalar, Joharran, Thonolan and Folara. Widow of Joconan, ex wife of Dalanar and current wife of Willomar. She was leader of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii before passing the mantle to her son, though she is still greatly respected and turned to for advice.

Jerkass Realization: When she sees how everyone is disgusted with Marona's prank on Ayla, Portula realizes how awful it was to humiliate a woman who had done nothing wrong to her and there wasn't really anything funny about it. She later apologizes to Ayla, saying that Marona talked her into it. Ayla coolly accepts her apology. Rank Up: In The Valley of Horses, it's mentioned that she was promoted to the position of Zelandoni Who Is First shortly before Jondalar left on his journey with Thonolan. First Love: She was Jondalar's first love and the first woman he ever slept with when he was around twelve. Unfortunately, their romance ended badly, which partly led to Jondalar having relationship issues later in life.All Girls Like Ponies: She’s fond of riding horses, like her parents, and takes Gray (Whinney's second foal, who was born round about the same time as her) as her personal mount.