The Longest Day (10 page)

Sunlight was seeping between the trees, and Toklo felt an urge to get back to the brown bears' territory. With Oogrook gone, and the others jostling for leadership, he ought to be there.
It's not because I want to be their leader,
he told himself. But he didn't want to appear like an outsider to the other brown bears, not when alliances among them were already strained. “I'll leave Miki here.”

Lusa looked at him, her eyes so sleepy that he wondered if she'd heard him.

“I'll leave him here, okay?” he repeated.

“Okay,” she mumbled.

Toklo touched his nose to her cheek, then crouched down. “Can you grab his scruff and ease him off?” he asked her.

“I can manage.” Miki's grunt took him by surprise as the black bear climbed down from his back. “Thanks for carrying me.” Miki stumbled, wobbly on his paws, and Lusa came over to prop him up with her shoulder.

“You're awake! How are you?” she asked the black bear.

“My head hurts,” Miki growled.

Lusa began to steer him past the brambles. “I can find some herbs that will help.”

Toklo watched her wistfully. She reminded him of Ujurak—so ready to help, and so knowledgeable now.

Lusa glanced back at him. “I'll see you soon?” It sounded like a question. Was she worried they wouldn't meet again?

“Of
course
!” He might have to act like a brown bear now, but Kallik, Yakone, and Lusa would always be like family.

Lusa's eyes shone and she dipped her head, then guided Miki into the black bear camp.

Turning away, Toklo heard grunts of surprise. Paws crunched over leaves, and barks of welcome rang though the trees.

“Miki! You're safe!”

“Where did you find him, Lusa?”

With a feeling of relief, Toklo pushed his way through the ferns, heading for the shore. At the edge of the forest, he narrowed his eyes. The lake sparkled as the sun lifted above the horizon. Even this early, Toklo felt its heat through his pelt.

He could see Hattack lounging on the largest rock.
Acting
like he's leader already.
The other bears were stirring on the beach. Toklo watched a young grizzly lift his head from his nest and scan the shore. Two males were already in the water, pushing past each other as they dove for fish. A group of young bears gathered at the edge of the forest; Toklo studied their rippling pelts and the sharpness in their barks at one another.
Were they arguing over which part of the forest each would hunt in?
he wondered.

Toklo's belly rumbled, but he was too sleepy to hunt. He just wanted to lie in the shade at the top of the shore and sleep.

“Toklo!” Shesh hailed him as he clambered out of the lake, water dripping from his pelt. He shook out his fur as Toklo approached. “Where have you been?”

Tuari gave a snort. “He's probably been catching fish before those white bears can get them.”

Shesh lumbered closer. “His pelt's dry.”

Toklo shrugged. “I was exploring.” Guilt pricked beneath his pelt. Was he ashamed of Lusa, Kallik, and Yakone?
No
! But he knew the brown bears were uncomfortable with his connection with black bears and white bears. Why stir up hostility among his own kind?

Shesh nodded toward Wenona, who was glaring at Hattack. “Wenona's been trying to persuade the others that no one should sit on the parley rock until a new leader is decided.”

Toklo grunted. “It looks like Hattack doesn't agree.”

Tuari kicked at the pebbly shore. “Wenona's right. That stone is for the Longest Day ceremony. It was Oogrook's stone.”

Shesh glanced sideways at Toklo. “The sooner we get a new leader, the better.”

That's not my problem.
Toklo changed the subject. “Caught any fish today?”

“No.” Shesh twitched his damp fur. “I was just in the lake to cool my pelt.”

Tuari nodded to Toklo. “Do you want to come fishing with me? You can show me how you caught that salmon last gathering.”

Wenona snorted. “Toklo got lucky, that's all.”

A ragged male crunched across the pebbles. “That was more than just luck,” he growled.

“I just want to sleep.” Toklo stifled a yawn.

“It's too early to sleep!” one of the young bears by the trees called to him. “Come hunt in the forest with us!”

An old she-bear stepped forward. “We should be collecting sticks for the Longest Day gathering!”

The young bear snorted. “
You
do it! Hunting is more important.”

“But it's nearly the Longest Day,” the she-bear insisted. “We came to the lake to honor the spirits, not to hunt.”

“I'm hungry!” Another young male lifted his snout. “The Longest Day will happen whether we pile up sticks or not.”

“Why do the spirits want sticks, anyway?” Wenona put in.

The ragged male scowled at her. “It's not the sticks they want; it's our respect.”

The old she-bear nodded. “Gathering sticks for the ceremony was a great honor when I was a cub!”

Wenona turned her snout toward the lake. “When you were young, there were so many fish you only had to put your paw in the lake to find one. Life is harder now. There isn't time for stick gathering.”

Toklo saw the old she-bear's pelt ripple with annoyance. “We must make time to show respect to our spirits,” she snapped.

“Even if it means starving?” Wenona scoffed.

Toklo stepped forward, feeling his fur crawl with tension. “There's time for hunting
and
stick gathering.”

A male cub skittered to a halt in front of the old she-bear and stared earnestly up at her. “I'll help you gather sticks!”

The she-bear's gaze softened at once. “Ah, Akocha.” Fondness warmed her growl. “I knew you wouldn't let me down.”

Akocha's mother, Tayanita, was proudly watching her son from the other side of a smooth white boulder. “Akocha knows what's important.”

Wenona huffed and walked away. Akocha puffed out his chest and bounced after the old she-bear as she lumbered toward a scattering of sticks that had been washed up close to the waterline.

“I'll help, too,” Tayanita offered, following.

Shesh watched them go. “I'm glad not every young bear is only interested in hunting. Life can't only be about finding food and shelter. There must be more that we share, otherwise why come here every Longest Day?”

Toklo blinked at him, wondering whether the shady patch of sand farther up the beach would make a good place to nap.

Shesh went on. “If Oogrook were here, he'd make sure every bear knew why Great Bear Lake is so important. This was where Arcturus once traveled. I don't even think the young bears remember the story.”

“They will, at the ceremony.” Toklo began to pad heavily up the beach.

“But how?” Shesh followed him. “With no one to lead it?”

Toklo was only half listening. “Why don't you lead it?”

“I'm too old,” Shesh answered. “I'm surprised Oogrook died before me.” He quickened his pace, pulling ahead of Toklo so that he could look back at him. “Oogrook was impressed by you.”

Toklo stopped as the old bear blocked his way. “Really?”
I only caught one fish.

“Perhaps Oogrook would have asked you to lead the Longest Day ceremony if he'd lived to reach the lake.”

Toklo stared at him. “Me? Why?”

“Someone needs to remind the bears that we share the same spirits.” Shesh's cloudy gaze suddenly shone with urgency. “I came here from Smoke Mountain. The hunting on the journey was poor. There were too many mouths chasing too little prey. We should have worked together. We should have shared. Then no bear would have gone hungry.”

“Brown bears have always competed for territory and for food,” Toklo reminded him.

“That was when prey was rich.” Shesh held his gaze. “Times have changed. We need a leader. Someone who can teach us to work
together
to survive.”

Toklo padded around him. “I don't want to lead anyone,” he grunted. “Someone will become leader soon enough. Plenty of bears want to. Just wait a little longer.”

Pebbles crunched behind them. “Are you still going on about Toklo and his salmon, you old fool?”

Toklo turned to see Hattack glaring at Shesh.

Shesh squared his shoulders. “I think Toklo should be our new leader. Oogrook would have—”

“I don't
want
to be leader,” Toklo interrupted.

Hattack's eyes flashed. “What kind of bear doesn't want to be leader?”

Toklo began to turn away once more.

“Are you a coward?” Hattack called after him.

Anger cut through Toklo's weariness. He faced Hattack. “I'm no coward! But there are other bears here more deserving of leadership than me.”

“Of course there are,” Hattack hissed. His gaze flicked around the other bears in earshot, who were turning their snouts toward Hattack, their eyes alight with interest. Hattack's eyes sparked with challenge as he looked at Toklo. “Or maybe you
want
another bear to shoulder the responsibility. After all, you'd rather travel with white and black bears than travel alone. Are you scared that you can't look after yourself?”

Toklo pressed his claws into the pebbles. “Why don't you go hunt? Lying in the sun has clearly made you grumpy.”

Shesh chuffed with amusement.

Hattack bristled. Then his nose twitched. He leaned forward and sniffed Toklo's pelt. Toklo drew away, unsettled.
Why couldn't Hattack leave him alone?

“You smell of black bears,” Hattack growled.

“So what?” Toklo countered.

“Traitor!” Hattack showed his teeth.

The other bears shifted uneasily.

“Are they going to fight?” Elsu whispered to Holata.

“Hush,” Holata silenced him.

Hattack stuck out his chest. “Where have you been, Toklo?”

“Helping my friends!” Toklo snapped. “You must have heard about the firebeast accident! Two bears were killed on the BlackPath. I joined the search for one who was missing.”

Hattack grunted. “Black bears! They can't even help themselves. They're so pathetic they don't deserve to be called bears!”

“Be quiet!” Shesh barged past Toklo, his pelt bristling with fury. He stopped a muzzle-length from Hattack and scowled up at him. “If Toklo chose to help other bears, that just shows he is a better bear than you ever will be!”

Hattack held the old bear's gaze for a moment, then jerked away. Fur rippling along his spine, he stomped down the beach and waded deep into the lake.

Shesh watched Hattack lunge beneath the water. “Let's hope that cools him off,” he muttered. His gaze flashed around the watching bears. “No need to stare. There's nothing to see here.”

As he spoke, the other bears turned away sheepishly. Toklo started walking toward the inviting shade at the forest's edge.

“You're a good bear,” Shesh's whisper sounded in his ear.
“But you will need to learn how to be loyal.”

Pelt prickling with frustration, Toklo realized that the old bear was still following him. “I
am
loyal!”
To bears that I care about.

“You're a brown bear,” Shesh murmured, his voice calm and reasonable. “It will just be easier if you stick with your own kind.”

Toklo kept walking.

“My friends needed help!” How could Shesh find anything wrong with that?

“We all face problems,” Shesh pressed. “Instead of worrying about black bears, you could be helping your own kind—bears who
need
you.”

Toklo stifled a sigh. Was Shesh still hinting that he should lead the others? “I'm tired,” he grunted. “Give me some peace.”

He heard pebbles swish and fall silent as Shesh halted. Walking away from the old bear, Toklo growled under his breath. All he wanted was some rest. Couldn't everyone leave him alone?

“Toklo! Toklo!” Akocha's excited bark sounded from along the shore. The young bear was racing toward him, his paws flying over the stones. His mother Tayanita followed wearily behind. “Can we go exploring?”

“I was going to rest,” Toklo told him as Akocha skidded to a stop.

“What do you need to rest for?” Akocha stared at him with round, innocent eyes. “I thought it was only old bears who needed rest.” He glanced back, sympathetically, at his mother.

Tayanita looked pleadingly at Toklo. “Can you explore with
him for a while? His father is . . .”

“My father's dead,” Akocha announced bluntly.

Toklo closed his eyes for a moment. He remembered begging Oka and Tobi to play with him when he was a cub. Tobi was always too sick and his mother too tired.

“Please?”

Toklo opened his eyes to see Akocha staring at him hopefully. “Okay.”

Gratitude shone in Tayanita's eyes. Toklo nodded to her. Akocha was already plunging into the ferns. “Don't run too far ahead,” he called.

“What's the biggest prey you've caught?” Akocha bounded toward him as Toklo ducked into the shadow of the trees.

“A moose.”

“A moose?” Akocha sounded impressed. “Did you catch it by yourself?”

“My friends helped.”

“What does moose taste like?” Akocha chattered. “Does it taste like deer? Or more like rabbit? I hope it didn't taste like fish. I don't like fish much. Mother says I'll get used to it, but I like furry prey, not slimy prey.” The ferns rustled ahead. “Is that prey?”

By the time Toklo had caught up to him, the fronds were trampled beneath Akocha's paws.

“It must have been the wind making them rustle,” Akocha decided.

Toklo sniffed the crushed leaves. Rabbit scent bathed them. “Smell this.” He moved to let Akocha smell the ferns.

“What is it?”

“Don't you recognize it?” Toklo prompted. He suddenly thought of Ujurak and how helpless the young bear had been when they'd first met.