River of Lost Bears (34 page)

Toklo's ears pricked as he listened
for pawsteps, or the swish of coyote pelts in the undergrowth. The bites on his flank stung. At least they weren't deep. He opened his mouth, tasting for musky scents. The coyotes hadn't traveled this way, but he was wary that they might still be nearby, watching for a fresh chance to close in on Yakone.

The white bear was struggling. He was trailing behind, Kallik steadying him. As the day wore on, he'd begun to stumble more. His pelt felt hot. His wound must be turning bad, and Toklo knew that a bad wound could kill him.

Toklo glanced through the branches, dazzled by flashes of sunshine glittering through them. Birds chattered; insects hummed. A gentle breeze ruffled his pelt. He could see Lusa's fur flickering through the bracken ahead. Perhaps she'd been right. Perhaps they'd chased off the coyotes for good.

“Toklo!” Kallik's bark made him jump.

He spun around, bristling. “What is it?”

She'd stopped. Yakone leaned against her, his head low, his flanks heaving.

Lusa burst from the bracken. “Yakone!”

“He's really hot.” Kallik stared desperately at Toklo. “He needs to rest.”

Yakone lifted his head. “I'm sorry.”

“It's not your fault,” Kallik soothed.

Toklo glanced back along their trail. They'd hardly traveled any distance since Yakone had been injured. His paws prickled. Home was tugging him hard. If he were traveling alone, he'd be there in a few days. He shoved the thought away. He would never abandon his friends.

Lusa paced around Yakone. “I wish I'd found more herbs.” She touched his white pelt with her nose. “You'd be better by now.”

Kallik dipped her head. “You've done plenty for him, Lusa.”

Yakone grunted weakly. “If I could just rest for a while, I'll be able to go on.”

Toklo closed his eyes. He couldn't risk Yakone getting sicker. He'd already said good-bye to too many friends on this journey. “Let's build a den.”

Yakone huffed. “I'm sorry, Toklo. I know you want to get home.”

Toklo swallowed back frustration. “Home can wait.”

Lusa darted from shrub to shrub, stopping beneath a tree. “We could build a nest here.” A wide branch arched, low to the ground. Grass sprouted in its shadow.

Toklo padded to her side. “It looks perfect, Lusa.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Will you fetch bracken, Kallik?”

Kallik was easing Yakone down onto the soft earth. She straightened. “Of course.”

“I'll help!” Lusa charged away.

“I'll hunt,” Toklo told Kallik. He tipped his head toward Yakone. “Will he be okay lying there while you build a nest?”

“I can answer for myself,” Yakone grunted. “I'm
injured
, not deaf.”

Toklo padded toward the white bear. “Sorry, Yakone.” Heat was pulsing from Yakone's pelt. “Is it shady enough here?” Shafts of sunshine speared the forest floor.

“I'll manage until Kallik's built a nest.” He twisted his head toward her. “Sorry I can't be any help.”

“You rest,” Kallik ordered. “Gathering bracken is easy.”

Toklo headed away. “Stay close to him, Kallik.”

She caught his eye. “Are you still worried about the coyotes?”

“They're probably far away by now.” Toklo paused. “But let's not take any risks.”

“Okay.” Kallik began tearing bracken from a clump.

Toklo nosed his way through a patch of wild lilac. The ground crunched with leaves from last suncircle. It was good to be out of the dark pine forests. The air here already tasted of blossom. He followed the woods as they sloped upward. Hunting could wait. He wanted to see the mountains.

The slope steepened, rocks jutting here and there as he neared the top. Cresting the hill, he frowned. Trees blocked his view. How could he see the horizon from here? A leaf tumbled down and brushed past his muzzle. Toklo glanced up and saw a squirrel scampering through the branches of an oak. He'd seen Lusa climb countless times. Perhaps he could climb, too.

Gripping onto the bark, he hauled himself up. His claws ached with the effort, but the lowest branch was only just above his head. Digging in with his hind claws, he pushed higher and clasped the branch. His legs trembled, unused to the strain. He heaved himself up until he was straddling the branch. How did Lusa make this look so easy?

He scrambled onto the next branch, spotting a higher branch beyond. Spiraling around the trunk, he followed the pathway of branches upward until the ground swayed far below.
Don't look down!

Toklo dragged his gaze away, dizzy. The next branch was just out of reach. He would have to jump to reach it. Swallowing, he crouched, then sprang, plunging across the gap like a clumsy squirrel. His forepaws slipped. He hung on, gasping. Digging in his claws, he began to rock from side to side, until with a grunt, he hooked one paw onto the branch. Blood pounding in his ears, he dragged himself up and sat, blinking with surprise as the world spread out before him.

The mountains!

There they were, smudging the horizon. Their purple peaks were veiled in clouds. And he could see the river, too, snaking away between rolling hills.

As Toklo breathed deep, tasting home, the air suddenly trembled. A distant rumble sounded far away. Toklo recognized the low roar of a powerful firebeast. A shrill hoot split the air.

He stiffened. He'd heard that sound before. He scanned the hills, searching for the familiar flash of silver tracks, and saw the long, thin body of a firesnake. It hooted again, smoke billowing from its head as it snaked along its pathway, following the line of the hills like a river flowing downstream.

Toklo's heart leaped.
It's the firesnake from home!
He used to eat grain spilled along its trail with Oka and Tobi. It could travel farther and faster than a bear could ever run. He didn't need the river now. He could follow the
SilverPath
home.

He squinted, trying to pick out a route to the SilverPath. He could see a patch of charred trees where the forest ended. A barren valley lay beyond, stretching toward a winding stream. Past the flashing water, the SilverPath glinted in the sunshine. Pelt pricking with excitement, Toklo scrambled down the tree, claws splintering bark, pads jagging on twigs. He reached the ground and galloped down the slope.

“Kallik! Lusa!” He barged through the wild lilac, bursting out beside the makeshift den.

Kallik looked up from laying bracken. “Are you okay?”

“I know the way home!” Toklo blurted.

“I thought we were following the river.”

“We were,” Toklo told her. “But now I've found the SilverPath, we can follow
that
!”

Kallik glanced at his paws. “Did you find prey?” she asked hopefully.

He blinked at her. “Prey?”

“You were going to hunt, remember?”

“Oh, yes. But don't you understand? The SilverPath leads
home
!”

“Great.” Kallik padded away and stopped beside Yakone. The white bear had fallen asleep. “Let's get Yakone to the den.”

Toklo hurried to help her. “Have you ever
seen
a SilverPath?”

“Yakone,” Kallik whispered in the white bear's ear. “Wake up. We want to move you somewhere more comfortable.”

Yakone blinked open his eyes. He tried to haul himself to his paws, but he floundered like a seal. Bristling with frustration, Toklo shoved his muzzle under Yakone's shoulder and pushed him up. Kallik steadied the white bear, and together, they guided him to the nest.

Yakone collapsed onto the bracken and Kallik began to pat spare fronds around him. “Is that better?”

Yakone grunted and closed his eyes. “Thanks, Kallik. I'll feel better once I've rested.”

Toklo paced in a circle beside them. “It'll be easy walking,” he told Kallik. “SilverPaths are flat and smooth.”

Kallik didn't look up. “Like BlackPaths?”

“Not like BlackPaths at all,” Toklo reassured her. “Only one firebeast uses them. And it's more like a snake than a firebeast, so I call it a firesnake. But you can feel it coming a long time before it appears.”

Bracken rustled behind him. He turned and saw Lusa, her jaws full of herbs, her eyes round. “A firebeast that's more like a snake?” She dropped her herbs. “You want us to follow its path?”

“It's safer than following the river!” Toklo exclaimed.

“It's a
firebeast
path,” Kallik argued.

“No, it's a
firesnake
path,” Toklo insisted. “We scavenged on its trail when I was a cub, me and Oka and Tobi. It's easy to get out of the way, because it never leaves its path.”

Lusa crouched over her herbs. “I think I've found an herb Ujurak used to use for fever,” she told Kallik. “And something that should work on our coyote bites.”

Toklo flexed his claws. Why weren't they listening to him? Toklo stared at Lusa as she nosed the herbs into two piles. “We should start moving,” he urged. “I've seen the way to the SilverPath. It's easy.”

Kallik sat down. “You told us we could rest.”

“Yakone can't go on yet.” Lusa poked one of her piles. “And I've got herbs for our wounds.”

Toklo snorted. “I don't need herbs!” His pelt fizzed with energy. He felt like he could run all the way home right now. It would only take three sunups.

Kallik looked at him. “I know you want to get home,” she told him softly. “But we need food and rest.” She swapped glances with Lusa. “We can head for your home in the morning.”

Grunting, Toklo turned away. “I'm going hunting, then.” He stomped through the lilac, trampling it under his paws.

“Bring something back this time,” Kallik called after him. “We're hungry.”

Toklo kicked through grass and scanned the woodland for prey.
That's because
you
can't smell your home!

The smell of dew woke Toklo
. Excited, he slid under the branch and crept from the nest. His bites had stopped stinging. The herbs Lusa found had really worked. Pale light touched the trees and bushes. Birdsong rang through the woods. Kallik and Yakone were still snoring.

Lusa stuck her nose from beneath the branch. “Toklo?”

He leaned over the carcass of the deer he'd caught last night. “Hi, Lusa! Are you ready to travel?”

She stumbled sleepily out of the nest and stretched. “I guess.”

Toklo peeled meat from a leg bone and chewed happily. “Are you looking forward to seeing my home?” He couldn't wait to show his friends where he'd been born.

“I guess.” Lusa's eyes glittered with worry.

“What's wrong?” Toklo stopped chewing.

“What will happen when you get there?” she asked.

Toklo frowned. What did she mean? “Well, I'll be home,” he told her.

“And Kallik and Yakone will go home and …” Her voice trailed away.

“Toklo.” Kallik pushed her way from the nest. “Yakone feels hotter.”

“Give him more of those herbs I found last night,” Lusa ordered.

“I have.” Kallik glanced back into the den. “His wound smells sour.”

Toklo shifted his paws. He was hoping Yakone would be better today. “Once we get to the SilverPath, it'll be easy walking.”

“Maybe we shouldn't travel,” Lusa ventured.

The branch overhanging the den rustled, and Yakone limped out. “Yes, we should,” he growled.

Kallik's eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”

“I've held you up long enough.” Yakone began to limp through the trampled lilac, following the trail Toklo had beaten the day before. “Let's get going.”