River of Lost Bears

by Erin Hunter

  As he spoke, he thought he saw a small brown shape stir in the bracken. A familiar scent wreathed around him. Ujurak? Toklo whipped around, scanning the forest.

  “What is it?” Chenoa caught his eye. “Are you okay? Have you seen something?”

  “No.” Toklo steadied his breath, his heart slowing. “I thought I did. But there’s nothing there.”

  Chenoa stared at him for a moment, then pushed away through the bracken. “Let’s get back to the river.”

  Toklo followed, sadness tugging at his heart. I’m not always right. He watched Chenoa’s black pelt as it moved through the sea of brown fronds like a fish. Her shoulders were hunched defensively like the time when Hakan had ripped her ear and sent her packing. With a pang of guilt, Toklo realized that he must have seemed exactly like Hakan when he’d loomed over her just now.

  He hurried to catch up to her. “I’m sorry I lost my temper.”

  Chenoa didn’t look at him. “I’m sorry I made the flat-faces come out of their den. I was scared for you.”

  “I can take care of myself,” Toklo promised.

  Chenoa paused and met his gaze. “Everyone needs help sometimes, Toklo.”

  Toklo jerked away and headed for the river. Keeping a bearlength ahead of Chenoa, he watched his pawsteps as the slope eased toward the shore.

  As he passed a crop of boulders jutting up from the forest floor, Chenoa hissed behind him. “Stop!”

  He turned. “What?”

  Her nose was twitching. “Get behind those rocks!” She nudged him hard in the ribs. “And stay still!”

  Toklo bristled. “Why?”

  “Hakan’s coming!”

  “Hakan?” Toklo glimpsed black fur between the trees. “What? Where?”

  “Just hide!”

  Growling, Toklo ducked behind the rocks. Perhaps Chenoa was right. He didn’t want to fight Hakan, but he didn’t want to back down to the bad-tempered black bear, either. It was better to avoid him.

  “What are you doing here?” Hakan barked at Chenoa. “I’ve wasted a day’s hunting trailing you!”

  “I go where I want,” Chenoa snapped.

  Hakan ignored her. “I can smell those other bears,” he growled. “You’ve been following them, haven’t you? You’ve got no sense of loyalty! Following a bunch of outsiders.”

  Toklo’s pelt pricked with rage.

  He heard Chenoa’s voice harden. “Why don’t you go back to your territory, Hakan? This is none of your business.”

  “And leave you here with them? What kind of brother do you think I am? I’m staying here till I know you’re safe.”

  “Of course you are,” Chenoa snarled scornfully. Then she yelped in shock and pain.

  Chenoa! Toklo dug his claws into the earth to stop himself from leaping out. Cautiously, he straightened and peered over the rocks. Chenoa was crouched on the ground, clutching her snout.

  Hakan reared over her. “I hope you haven’t been helping them steal prey, because if you have, you’ll feel more than my paw on your hide!” Growling, he stomped into the forest.

  Toklo darted from his hiding place. Chenoa was hauling herself to her paws. He sniffed her muzzle. There was no sign of blood, but he could feel heat pulsing where Hakan had hit her. “Are you okay?”

  “I will be,” Chenoa snuffled.

  Fur bristling on his shoulders, Toklo paced in front of her. “You shouldn’t have to put up with the way he treats you!”

  Chenoa licked her nose. “When our mother died, it broke his heart.”

  “What about your heart?” Toklo growled. “You lost her, too.”

  Chenoa flashed him a look. “I made her die, remember?” Without waiting for an answer, she headed for the river.

  Toklo swallowed an angry retort. Why was she so willing to take the blame? Couldn’t she see that Hakan was just a bully? Heartbroken? Hakan was about as heartbroken as a weasel swallowing a chick!

  Toklo stalked after Chenoa, a growl rumbling in his throat. He wanted to find Hakan and teach him not to be a bully. But wouldn’t that make me a bully just like him, using my weight to get what I want? Prickling with frustration, he scrambled over a tussock. I just want to go home! The mountains were tugging at him even more strongly now that he’d seen them. There wasn’t time to worry about Chenoa and Hakan. She wasn’t helpless. Toklo had seen her stand up to Hakan. She was going to have to sort this out herself.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Lusa

  “Look!” Lusa lifted the piece of squawroot between her paws to show Toklo and Chenoa as she spotted them padding from the trees. “Yakone dug it up.” She took another bite of the tasty flesh, relishing its musky flavor.

  Beside her, Yakone lifted his head from the trout he’d been stripping. A small pile of fish lay beside him. Kallik, who’d caught them, was dozing on the rock, letting her pelt dry in the setting sun.

  Lusa frowned. Toklo and Chenoa hadn’t looked up. She sat up, wincing as her wounded rump brushed the rock. “What’s wrong?” She stared at Chenoa’s swollen muzzle. Had they been fighting?

  “Nothing.” Chenoa stopped beside Lusa. “How are your wounds? Do you need more hornwort?”

  “You sound just like Ujurak!” Lusa dropped her squawroot.

  Chenoa tipped her head to one side. “You still haven’t told me where he is.”

  Lusa looked at Kallik, unsure what to say.

  Kallik lifted her head and blinked sleepily at Lusa. “Is everything okay?”

  “Where’s Ujurak?” Chenoa asked again.

  Toklo padded away and sat on a rock. “He’s dead,” he growled.

  Kallik looked around sharply. “No, he’s not. Ujurak had to leave us.”

  Chenoa looked confused. “So is he dead or isn’t he?”

  Lusa pictured the huge starry bear who’d come down to fetch Ujurak. That was like dying, wasn’t it? But not like prey dying. He was still with them. Right? She searched Toklo’s face as he scowled into the river.

  Kallik nudged a trout toward Chenoa. “Are you hungry?”

  Toklo watched the water. “We ate.”

  Chenoa sniffed the fish. “Did you catch all this?”

  “Yes,” Kallik huffed proudly.

  “I didn’t think you’d actually catch one!” Chenoa exclaimed. “I didn’t know white bears could river-fish.”

  Kallik’s eyes glowed. “You’d be surprised at what we can do.”

  Chenoa called to Toklo, “Did you ice-fish when you were on the Endless Ice?”

  “Yes.” Toklo didn’t look up. “So?”

  Chenoa ignored him. “What’s it like on the ice?” she asked Kallik. “Don’t you hate being cold all the time?”

  Lusa heaved herself to her paws and limped toward Toklo. He looked stiff and unhappy. She stopped beside him and nuzzled close, sheltering in his fur from the brisk wind. “Chenoa’s a friendly bear, isn’t she?”

  “When she’s not picking fights.” Toklo felt rigid as a tree against her.

  “Did you fight?” Lusa asked.

  Toklo sighed. “Not really.”

  “Where did she take you?” Lusa was determined to find out why Toklo was so upset.

  “A burned hilltop.”

  “Burned?”

  “A forest fire had killed all the trees,” Toklo explained. “Chenoa wanted me to see beyond the forest.”

  “Did you?”

  Toklo nodded. “I saw mountains.”

  Lusa’s belly fluttered. He’d be home soon. Shouldn’t he be happy? “Are they close?”

  Toklo’s shoulders drooped. “No.”

  “We’ve traveled far before,” Lusa reminded him. “It won’t be long before we get there, I promise.” She snuggled closer. “You’ve always managed to do what you set out to do, Toklo. You’ll get home. And we’ll be with you all the way.”

  Toklo grunted softly and curled around her. Feeling safe and warm, Lusa watched him close his eyes. The river washed past, and she stared into the growing darkness. What would hap
pen when they did reach Toklo’s home? Kallik and Yakone would return to the ice.

  What will happen to me?

  Wondering whether she’d ever find a home of her own, Lusa rested against Toklo and slipped into sleep.

  Lusa dreamed she sat in a patch of soft grass. Around her the forest bloomed, lush and green. Sweet berries clustered above her head. As she reached up and hooked the branch closer with her claws, a growl sounded from beyond the trees.

  Lusa stiffened. She let go of the berries and scrambled to her paws. The forest faded. Fear dropped like a stone in her belly as the growl sounded again.

  This wasn’t part of the dream. I need to wake up!

  Lusa blinked open her eyes. The edge of the forest glowed in dawn light. A roar shattered the air. She jumped as Toklo leaped to his paws.

  Hakan was charging from the trees, heading toward Kallik, Yakone, and Chenoa.

  “Look out!” Lusa jumped up. Pain seared from her wound.

  Kallik and Yakone were struggling to their paws. Chenoa was already rearing up as her brother raced toward them.

  “Stay here, Lusa.” Toklo bounded away and stopped shoulder to shoulder with the white bears.

  Hakan skidded to a halt a bearlength in front of them. “Why are you all still here?”

  Lusa stared. Was Hakan crazy? Picking a fight with three bears twice his size, when they weren’t even on his territory?

  Chenoa padded forward. “Go away, Hakan!” Her fur bristled along her spine.

  Hakan puffed out his chest. “I found feathers and blood in the forest. You’ve been hunting there.”

  Toklo stepped forward. “It’s not your territory.”

  Hakan curled his lip at Chenoa. “You’ve been hunting with them, haven’t you? How dare you betray me? I have been nothing but loyal to you, yet you give prey to my enemies!”

  Lusa saw Yakone show his long, white teeth. Hakan was going to get hurt if he didn’t back down. She limped forward. “We’re not your enemies!” Wincing at the pain in her rump, she nosed her way between Toklo and Kallik.

  Hakan ignored her. “Come home with me, Chenoa.” There was menace in his growl.

  Yakone’s claws scraped rock as he flexed them.

  “Leave her alone, Hakan,” Lusa pleaded.

  Kallik leaned forward. “Chenoa, come with us. You don’t have to go with him.”

  “Yes, she does,” Hakan snapped. “She owes me that much.”

  “Chenoa doesn’t owe you anything!” Kallik met Hakan’s gaze.

  “She killed our mother!”

  Lusa blinked. What did he mean? She felt Toklo bristle beside her. “Do you know what he’s talking about?” she whispered.

  Toklo didn’t answer. Instead he snarled at Hakan. “You can’t blame her for your mother’s death!”

  Hakan’s eyes glittered. “If it wasn’t for Chenoa, she’d still be alive!”

  Lusa pushed past Toklo and stopped a muzzlelength away from Hakan. He was stocky and scarred, and his hot, sour breath bathed her nose. Weak with pain, she fought to stop trembling. “You must miss your mother, Hakan.” She turned to Chenoa. “You too.”

  Chenoa dipped her head.

  “I miss my mother,” Lusa went on. “I know she’s still alive, but I’ll probably never see her again.” The words pierced her heart. “But I don’t let it stop me from going on with my life and doing what I want to do. If I did, I wouldn’t be here.” She glanced back at her traveling friends. “Nor would they.”

  Kallik caught her eye, her gaze softening.

  “We’ve all lost someone, Hakan.” Lusa turned back to the black bear.

  Hakan’s snout dipped. “I don’t want to lose anyone else.” He glanced at Chenoa.

  “She’ll always be your sister,” Lusa reassured him. “But you can’t keep her near you just to make yourself feel better. She has her own life. You have to let her go if that’s what she wants.”

  Lusa held Hakan’s gaze for a moment, hope fluttering in her belly. Please let her go without a fight.

  Brown fur flashed on the edge of Lusa’s vision. She jerked around. Toklo was backing away. “Come on,” he growled. “This is none of our business.”

  Lusa stared after him. “What?”

  Toklo paused. “Hakan’s right. Chenoa’s his sister. She doesn’t know us. She should stay with him.”

  Chenoa’s eyes widened. “But I thought—”

  Toklo cut her off. “Thanks for the help, Chenoa, but it’s time we moved on.”

  “Toklo!” Kallik sounded shocked. “Lusa’s injured, remember?”

  “I’ll carry her if I have to.” Toklo dipped his head to Hakan. “Your sister’s been a great help, but we’re leaving now. I promise you won’t see us again.”

  Lusa saw Yakone and Kallik exchange glances. They were as confused as she was.

  Toklo nudged Lusa with his muzzle. “Come on.”

  She staggered as he jostled her away down the shore. “But we can’t just—”

  “It’s for the best.” Toklo halted. “Do you want me to carry you?”

  Lusa shot him a furious look. “No, thank you!” She didn’t care how much it hurt to walk. She glanced back at Kallik.

  The white bear was leading Yakone after them. Chenoa watched them go, her eyes clouded with confusion.

  “Toklo!” Lusa called out, but Toklo was stomping away along the shore.

  “Come on, Lusa,” Kallik whispered gently as she passed.

  “But it’s not fair,” Lusa objected.

  “There’s nothing we can do.” Kallik headed away after Toklo, Yakone at her side.

  Swallowing her anger, Lusa followed. Her wounds stung like fire, but she kept walking. There was no way she was asking for help. Especially from Toklo! What was up with him? Perhaps he just wanted to get home, back to brown bears. Lusa could understand that. It’d been great having another black bear around. She hadn’t been the only small bear anymore. And Kallik clearly enjoyed having Yakone with her. Was Toklo just jealous that he was the odd one out? Was that why he’d abandoned Chenoa?

  But did it really matter anymore who was a brown bear or a black bear or a white bear? We’re like family, aren’t we?

  Her pelt pricked with unease. But Toklo’s going home; Kallik and Yakone will return to the ice. We’re not bound like kin at all.

  Stones rolled beneath her paws and she stumbled, choking back a squeak of pain. Her vision darkened, Kallik and Yakone melting together as though she was seeing them through water. She felt a nose nudge her flank. Yakone. He was easing her up onto his shoulder with Kallik’s help.

  Weak with relief, Lusa hung there, rolling with the movement as he padded on beside Kallik. The thick fishy scent of him filled her nose, and she let the forest blur in front of her eyes. She buried her nose deeper into his pelt. We are like family!

  But what had happened to Toklo? Why had he abandoned Chenoa? Yesterday he had been so fired up, ready to defend her. Why had he stopped caring? Anger surged through Lusa. Chenoa saved my life! Didn’t that count for anything?

  The stony shore gave way to dry, crackly sedge stalks. Yakone waded through them, Kallik at his side. The heavy clouds shielded the sun, and a brisk breeze chilled the air.

  “Are you glad to be back by the river?” Kallik asked Yakone.

  “I like anywhere I can see the sky,” Yakone answered. “Besides, it’s too easy to get lost in the woods.”

  “Not when we were with Ujurak,” Kallik murmured wistfully. “He always knew the route. There were signs only he could see.”

  Lusa felt Yakone’s pelt twitch beneath her. “Like what?”

  “The way plants grew in a certain direction,” Kallik explained. “Or stones that seemed to block the wrong path.”

  “Plants and stones?” Yakone huffed. “I prefer a nice, wide-flowing river. It’s a lot easier to spot.”

  Lusa closed her eyes. Their voices gradually blurred into a single murmur as she drifted into sleep.

  Movement woke h
er. Yakone was sliding her into a bed of bracken. Lusa lifted her head and gazed around. The river here ran smooth and flat, lapping at a long stretch of pebbly shore. Toklo was sniffing at the bushes edging the tree line, rearing onto his hind legs now and then to peer into the woods. “Are we stopping?” Lusa murmured.

  “Yakone’s tired,” Kallik told her gently.

  Lusa felt hot with embarrassment. The clouds showed late, fading light. Yakone must have been carrying her for ages. “Sorry!”

  “You don’t have to apologize. You can’t walk yet.” Turning, Yakone headed for the river. “I’m going to cool down.”

  “How are your wounds?” Kallik sniffed at her rump.

  “They hurt,” Lusa admitted. “But the plant juice has helped.” The scorching pain had definitely eased. She sniffed her bracken bedding. “Did you make this for me?”

  “Yes.” Kallik patted at a stray strand of brittle fern. “I want you to rest comfortably.”

  Lusa lay back, enjoying the springy softness. “Thanks, Kallik. And tell Yakone I appreciate him carrying me.”

  “He knows.” Kallik lumbered away after Yakone, who was already splashing in the water downstream.

  “I’m sorry, Lusa.”

  Toklo’s voice surprised her. She jerked her muzzle around. Toklo was standing behind her, his eyes dark.

  “What for?” Did he regret leaving Chenoa?

  “I should have saved you from the wolverines.”

  Lusa blinked. How? “It was dark, and I was too far away.”

  Toklo frowned. “It’s up to me to keep you safe. I let you down. I should have made sure you slept closer to me.”

  Lusa bristled. “You’re not responsible for me. I can look after myself!”

  Toklo tipped his head. “So you keep saying.”

  Anger surged beneath her pelt. “Why do you keep acting like you have to be in charge of everything? It isn’t all about you, all the time!”

  “I never said it was!” Toklo defended himself. “I just want you to be safe!”

  “What about Chenoa?” Lusa demanded hotly. “She needed rescuing, but you walked away. It’s her you let down, not me.” She rolled over and closed her eyes tight. You did let me down, Toklo. I thought you were kind, but you’re not.