River of Lost Bears Read online

  Dedication

  Special thanks to Kate Cary

  Contents

  Dedication

  Maps

  Chapter One: Lusa

  Chapter Two: Lusa

  Chapter Three: Toklo

  Chapter Four: Kallik

  Chapter Five: Kallik

  Chapter Six: Lusa

  Chapter Seven: Toklo

  Chapter Eight: Lusa

  Chapter Nine: Toklo

  Chapter Ten: Toklo

  Chapter Eleven: Kallik

  Chapter Twelve: Lusa

  Chapter Thirteen: Toklo

  Chapter Fourteen: Toklo

  Chapter Fifteen: Kallik

  Chapter Sixteen: Lusa

  Chapter Seventeen: Toklo

  Chapter Eighteen: Kallik

  Chapter Nineteen: Lusa

  Chapter Twenty: Toklo

  Chapter Twenty-One: Kallik

  Chapter Twenty-Two: Lusa

  Chapter Twenty-Three: Kallik

  Chapter Twenty-Four: Toklo

  Chapter Twenty-Five: Toklo

  About the Author

  Other Books

  Credits

  Copyright

  Back Ads

  About the Publisher

  Maps

  CHAPTER ONE

  Lusa

  Lusa dreamed that a breeze was whispering through the treetops. She pressed her paws into the soft, warm earth and stretched, rejoicing to be back in the forest. Sunshine sliced through the branches and pooled on her black pelt. Birds chattered overhead, sending leaves showering down. They danced in a shaft of light, and Lusa lifted her forepaws and swiped at them playfully.

  “Lusa?”

  Toklo was calling her.

  “Lusa!”

  “Go away.” Lusa buried deeper into her nest. “I want to dream some more.” She didn’t want to wake to the freezing wastelands of the Melting Sea. She hated the thought of crawling out onto rough ice that scraped her pads. She didn’t want to fight her way through biting wind that froze her ears and pierced her pelt. Not another day chewing bitter seal blubber! “Leave me alone,” she mumbled, trying to slide back into her warm forest dream.

  “Wake up, sleepyhead.”

  A paw prodded her ribs.

  Lusa blinked open her eyes.

  Toklo was standing over her. She could see his broad, brown-furred face through the branches. His eyes were gleaming. “We need to get moving.”

  Lusa sighed. “I’m coming.” How could she leave her friends waiting in the cold while she slept warm in her nest? She hauled herself to her paws and screwed up her eyes, ready for the glare of endless ice.

  Branches scraped her back.

  Why am I sleeping under a bush?

  Earth shifted beneath her paws. Lusa looked around. Trees crowded on every side, slender, dark-brown trunks stretching as far as she could see.

  Trees!

  She’d forgotten that they’d reached the forest at last! Relief flooded her, and she shook her head to clear it. Of course! It had been a quarter moon since they’d left the shores of the Melting Sea and headed inland. But they’d been on the ice so long, the memories of biting cold and savage sunshine refused to fade.

  “I’ll meet you by the river.” Toklo was already lumbering away through the trees.

  Lusa lifted her muzzle and breathed in the scent of pine. She knew she didn’t truly want to forget her time in the snow. It had been their destination for so long, after all. Guided by the mysterious brown bear Ujurak, Lusa, Toklo, and Kallik had trekked for moons to reach the Place of Endless Ice, where the sea never melted. After Ujurak had left them, the three bears had been joined by another white bear, Yakone, for the long journey home. They had reached Kallik’s birthplace first, the Melting Sea, where they’d fought alongside Kallik’s brother, Taqqiq, to drive away the gang of mean bears who’d been bullying Shila, another white bear, and her brothers. Taqqiq had decided to stay behind with Shila—his new family. But Yakone had come with them, loyally joining Kallik as she insisted on traveling farther, until they found homes for Toklo and Lusa, too. Lusa pictured the white bear’s shaggy pelt as he shambled along beside Kallik. Perhaps having another white bear to travel with had made it easier for Kallik to leave her brother behind.

  Lusa shivered. Why did Taqqiq want to stay on ice? It was so cold. It had taken her days to warm up after the long swim from the ice to the shore. Her heart had quickened each day as the scent of bark and pine needles grew stronger, and when they’d finally reached the forest, she’d broken into a run, overjoyed to feel its precious earth beneath her paws once more.

  A drop of water splashed onto Lusa’s nose. She shook it away and looked up. Through the branches of the towering pines, she saw flecks of blue. Snow still weighed down the topmost branches, but it was melting. A steady thaw was finally pushing away the harsh days of cold-earth. Prickly needles crunched beneath her paws as she padded between the trees. Meltwater dripped from every branch. At the edge of the forest, Lusa pushed through thick bushes, blinking against the brightness as she burst into the light. A river crashed past, wide as the sky and white with foam.

  “Toklo!”

  Her friend was standing at the edge, staring into the water. It splashed his muzzle, but he didn’t move.

  “Toklo!” Lusa called again, but Toklo seemed lost in thought.

  Lusa padded across the rocks, weaving between stubborn piles of snow, and stopped beside him. “Are you looking for the river spirits?” she whispered. Brown bears believed that their spirits shifted into the nearest running water when they died, to swim with the salmon out to sea.

  Toklo nodded. “It’s good to feel them near me again.”

  Lusa scanned the shore. “Where are Kallik and Yakone?” She wondered what the two white bears thought of the dark-green trees and white frothing water. Did they regret leaving the ice, the place where they belonged, and coming with her and Toklo on their journey home?

  “They went hunting.” Toklo twitched his ears upstream.

  Lusa followed his gaze, still a little nervous of the wide, churning water. They’d followed this river since leaving the Melting Sea, sheltering in the deep woods at night, fishing the shallows by day. “Will Big River lead us to where you were born?” she asked.

  There was silence for a while. Then Toklo said quietly, “I hope so. I mean, I walked by a river that smelled like this when I was with my mother.” His voice faded, and Lusa winced, knowing how sad he had been as a cub. Then Toklo shook his fur and straightened up. “There is something inside me that pulls me toward the setting sun,” he declared. “The noise this river makes, the scent of the trees, everything tells me this path will take me where I need to go.”

  “But we could stay right here, couldn’t we?” Lusa ventured. “It has everything we need, and we’re still close to the Melting Sea. Kallik and Yakone would be close to their kin, and we could live in these trees.” The forest stretching away beyond the river filled her with excitement. She hadn’t tried climbing a tree yet, but even though the trunks were wider than her reach, their bark looked gnarled enough to hook her claws into. She was sure she could make it as far as the lower branches. “Wouldn’t it be great to stay in one place instead of traveling all the time?”

  Toklo stared at her blankly. “But I’m not home yet.”

  A sudden splash sounded upstream, and a moment later Kallik appeared, dripping, at the top of a tall boulder, with a fish glittering in her jaws. Yakone scrambled up onto the rock beside her, his wet pelt slicked flat.

  “Look!” Kallik tossed the fish down. It landed at Toklo’s paws. “I finally caught one!” Kallik had been trying to catch river fish since they’d left the Melting Sea. She’d learned moons ago, but she was out
of practice; she’d missed every one until now. “I remembered your lessons, Toklo.”

  Toklo sniffed the fish. “It’s a good catch, Kallik.”

  “It’s a dumb way to hunt.” Yakone crossly shook the water from his fur. “How can anyone snatch a fish out of water when it’s moving so fast?”

  “There’s really nothing to it,” Toklo told him. “If you know what you’re doing, it’s easy.” His tone was a little condescending, and Lusa remembered Toklo’s frustration when he’d first had to learn the patience a bear needed for ice fishing. He was happier being a teacher than a student!

  Wind ruffled the ferns at the edge of the trees. Yakone turned and bared his teeth. “What’s that?”

  “It’s just a breeze,” Lusa soothed. Yakone had been jumpy since they’d left the ice. She guessed he was unnerved by the strange, crowded world of trees and bushes and rushing water. He ducked out of the forest whenever he could to stare at the sky, as though he was checking that it was still above them.

  Kallik skidded down the boulder and stopped beside the fish. Claws scraped behind her as Yakone followed, half scrambling, half falling.

  “I can’t dig my claws in here,” he grumbled as he landed beside Kallik. “And they sink pawdeep in the soft forest muck.”

  Kallik touched his muzzle softly with hers. “I know you miss the ice.”

  Yakone snorted. “Who wouldn’t?” He sniffed the fish. “Are we going to eat this, or what?”

  Toklo tore the fish into four pieces.

  “You can have mine.” Lusa pushed her portion away.

  Toklo narrowed his eyes. “You need to eat, Lusa,” he growled softly.

  “I’m fine,” she reassured him. “I can find food in the forest later.” Her mouth watered as she imagined scratching up pawfuls of juicy grubs and beetles from among the tree roots. She’d almost forgotten how rich the forest was, with ant-filled crevices in the tree bark and soft soil where she could dig for sweet roots. But cold-earth still lingered. Fruits and berries hadn’t flowered yet, and there was no sign of any soft green shoots in the undergrowth she could nibble on. Ants and grubs weren’t always enough. So she was glad the river gave them fish. She’d eat anything rather than be hungry again. They seemed to have been hungry so many times before.

  Toklo gulped down his share of fish and licked his lips. “Come on.” He pointed his nose upstream. “The day is half over. We should keep moving.”

  As he ambled away, Lusa felt a stab of disappointment. Why couldn’t he make his home here? She followed him with a sigh, glancing back at Kallik and Yakone as they crossed the rocks after her, their white pelts pressed together. They had each other. Toklo was ready to cross half the world to find his own kind. When he did, Kallik and Yakone would head back to the ice. What will I do then? She pushed the thought away. She didn’t have to decide now.

  They followed the river until the rocks rose steeply, too jagged to climb easily.

  “Let’s go around them,” Lusa suggested. Without waiting for an answer, she charged into the forest. Pushing through a dense patch of bunchberry, she looked back, relieved to see the others following. The white pelts of Kallik and Yakone stood out like snow in the shadows. They glanced nervously at every tree they passed, as though they thought it was about to fall down on them.

  “I think Kallik and Yakone are scared of the trees,” she whispered to Toklo, who was close on her heels.

  “Then they should have stayed on the ice,” Toklo grunted.

  Lusa stopped and stared at him. “But they chose to come with us!”

  “We came because our journey is not over till you’ve reached your home.”

  Toklo whirled around in surprise as Kallik’s voice sounded behind him. The white bears had caught up.

  Toklo shrugged. “It was your decision.” Then he added hurriedly, “But I’m glad you did. I … I would have missed you.”

  Lusa heard honesty in his growl, and knew that he admired Kallik for leaving her home to travel with them. And Yakone, too, for sacrificing the life he had known to be with Kallik. Toklo really does appreciate it! She willed the white bears to understand. We’re stronger together than apart. Lusa’s fur pricked as she wondered what the journey would be like if Kallik and Yakone hadn’t come with them.

  Yakone pushed past them and trudged away through the trees. “I thought we were trying to make the most of the daylight.”

  Lusa galloped after him, tearing through a bramble, relishing the prickles as they scraped her fur. As she raced past Yakone, the forest floor began to slope, plunging down into shadow. She could hear roaring ahead. “I think there’s another river this way!” she called. She couldn’t believe that she’d once thought the Bear Bowl, where she had been born, was big. How had she ever been so bee-brained?

  “Wait!” Kallik’s terrified roar split the air.

  Lusa tried to stop, but the ground fell away under each pawstep. Unbalanced, she tumbled down the slope, scrabbling to find a grip on the slippery needles.

  “Lusa!” Yakone plunged after her.

  Lusa flailed her paws. Why did the white bears sound so frightened?

  An acrid smell hit her nose. Light flashed ahead. The roaring grew louder. That’s not water! Terror thrummed in Lusa’s ears as she fell. That’s a firebeast!

  CHAPTER TWO

  Lusa

  The firebeast roared past a moment before Lusa tumbled out onto the BlackPath. Blinking open her eyes, she stood frozen, watching it thunder away. She coughed, choking on its stench.

  “Lusa!” Yakone plunged out of the trees and skidded to a halt, spraying Lusa with grit from the rutted BlackPath. Another firebeast was raging toward them. He grabbed her scruff and dragged her to the far side and threw her across the verge. The firebeast hurtled past.

  “I thought you were used to the no-claw world!” Yakone glared at her, eyes blazing.

  “I—I didn’t expect firebeasts here,” Lusa stammered. “Surely we’re too far away from flat-faces?”

  “No-claws are everywhere,” Yakone growled. “I thought you’d learned that on the ice.”

  “Lusa!” Toklo called from the other side of the BlackPath. “Are you all right?” He and Kallik stood together at the edge of the trees, watching anxiously.

  “I’m okay.” The roar of another firebeast drowned her bark. She jerked around and saw huge firebeast eyes flashing toward them.

  Toklo and Kallik ducked into the forest. Yakone pressed Lusa back into the grass as the ground trembled beneath their paws. With a bellow, the firebeast thundered past. Lusa flattened herself on her belly as stones showered her pelt and wind roared in her ears.

  Arcturus, save us!

  The firebeasts were flowing past like logs on a river. She pressed her paws over her ears and tried to hold her breath. The noise and stench were sickening. After the long days on the ice, she’d forgotten the bitter tang of the BlackPath. She wanted to run and hide among the trees, but Toklo and Kallik were still stranded on the other side.

  At last there was a moment of heavy silence, as if the forest itself was gasping for breath. Lusa felt Yakone’s muzzle on her flank. Gently, he nudged her to her paws.

  “Just stand still. We’ll be okay,” he murmured. Gratefully, Lusa leaned against him and stared across the BlackPath.

  In the distance, more firebeasts were approaching. In a heartbeat, the first one was thundering by, followed by another, snorting smoke. Toklo’s gaze was fixed on the firebeasts. His muzzle twitched as he watched each one pass, eyes round with concentration.

  “How will they get across?” Lusa whispered.

  “Toklo’s working out the spaces between them.” Yakone was watching the brown bear intently. “He needs to choose the exact right time to cross.”

  Toklo leaned toward Kallik and whispered something into her ear. Kallik nodded and focused on the BlackPath.

  Another firebeast roared past.

  “Now!” Toklo gave the order and Kallik bounded forward, crossing in
the firebeast’s wake while another bore down on her.

  She reached the other side just in time. The firebeast tore past as she scrambled to a halt beside Yakone. “Thank the spirits!” Her breath was fast, and Lusa could feel heat pulsing from her. “I’ve never seen so many firebeasts!”

  “You made it!” Lusa pressed against Kallik.

  “Great spirits, protect Toklo.” Kallik’s gaze turned to the brown bear on the far side of the BlackPath.

  He was still watching the firebeasts. They came faster and faster, a whole herd of them, stampeding from unseen terrors. Toklo flinched as each one tore past, but he kept his ground.

  Lusa held her breath. Please let him be okay.

  Suddenly, Toklo shot forward. Lusa gasped as he raced between the tail of one firebeast and the nose of another. His paws slithered on the grit.

  Toklo!

  Eyes wild with terror, he unsheathed his claws to get a better grip and hurled himself forward. He landed heavily on the edge of the BlackPath and rolled onto the stone-strewn grass.

  Lusa crouched down beside him. “Are you okay?”

  Toklo stood and shook the dirt from his pelt. He was trembling. “That was close.”

  “Too close.” Lusa pressed her flank against his.

  “But we’re safe.” Toklo nuzzled her gently, then pushed her away.

  Yakone was already heading across a wide stretch of snow-flattened brambles toward pines. “Let’s get away from here.”

  “The sooner the better.” Toklo charged past him and took the lead.

  Kallik gave Lusa a nudge and bounded after them.

  “Wait.” Lusa stared at the firebeasts. Some of them had long, flat backs, each carrying a heap of closely stacked trees. The branches and roots had been lopped off, and Lusa could see the insides of each trunk, starkly exposed to the sky. They trailed clouds of wood dust that drifted on the churned-up air. “They’re taking the trees away,” Lusa whispered.

  “Come on, Lusa!” Kallik called. “We need to get out of sight.”

  Lusa charged past Kallik and Yakone and caught up with Toklo. As she fell in beside him, she sniffed the wood dust on her fur. It smelled tangy and fresh. She scanned the distant hills, looking for gaps in the endless sea of green. “Why would the flat-faces take the forest away?” Perhaps they were building a new one somewhere else. But wouldn’t the trees need their roots and their branches to grow again?