The Longest Day (21 page)

Yas splashed into the shallows. “Will you show us how to dive?”

Izusa called to the cubs, “Leave Toklo and Aiyanna in peace.”

“We're only talking!” Wapi objected.

Aiyanna glanced back at Izusa. “They're not bothering us.”

Toklo didn't comment as Yas swerved in front of him. He'd rather walk with Aiyanna instead of tripping over a crowd of tiny bears. Was he going to have to fish with them bouncing around his paws, too?

Akocha raced over to them. “Do you think cubs will be allowed to fish?” he panted.

“I don't see why not,” Aiyanna answered. “It'll be good practice.”

“Flo and Fala caught their own fish on the journey here,” Makya barked proudly.

“Mine was the biggest,” Flo announced.

“No, it wasn't!” Fala glared at her sister. “Mine was.”

Toklo was relieved to see that they were nearing the white bears' stretch of shore. The white bears were lying in the sunshine, letting their pelts dry after their race, but one by one they clambered to their paws as they saw the brown bears heading toward them.

Manik padded forward to meet them, damp fur rippling along his spine. “What are you doing here?”

Shesh, at the head of the group, halted. Holata passed him and stopped in front of the white bear. “We're holding a fishing trial in the river behind your shoreline,” he explained.

Salik lowered his head aggressively. “They've come to take over our part of the lake.”

Toklo snorted. “Would we bring cubs if we were planning an invasion?”

Kunik stepped in front of Salik. “There is a good salmon river up there.” He nodded toward the ridge at the head of the shore. “You are welcome to pass.”

Shesh dipped his head. “Thank you.”

Salik growled under his breath as the brown bears filed past. Some white bears ignored them; others watched angrily, muttering to one another as they stepped aside to let the brown bears pass.

As the beach turned from pebbles to larger stones, Toklo spotted Kallik. She was sitting beside Taqqiq, her pelt damp. She nodded quickly, hardly catching his eye, and Toklo did the same.

Aiyanna nudged Toklo. “Aren't you going to say hello?”

“No.” Neither white bear nor brown would be pleased to see them greet each other like old friends.

Aiyanna shook her head. “It's fish-brained, having to keep your friendship secret.”

“It's not secret, believe me,” Toklo muttered.

“Hey, Toklo!” Holata called. “Why don't you stay here with your white bear friends? You've probably forgotten how to catch river fish anyway.”

Toklo glared at him, refusing to rise to the bait. His pelt felt hot as he sensed the gaze of white bears and brown bears on him.

“Holata is a dung-breath,” Aiyanna hissed.

Hattack stopped at the ridge and waited for Toklo. “Don't listen to Holata,” he growled. “He's just showing off.” Hattack's gaze was on Aiyanna as he spoke.

Toklo winced as Aiyanna blinked gratefully at Hattack. He longed to tell her that Hattack was just pretending to be kind. But would she believe him? Clenching his jaws, he scrabbled up the rocky ridge and down into the forest. The ground turned to earth, and Toklo relished the musty scents of prey, bark, and leaves.

“It's this way.” Wenona led the way through the trees.

The river was wide and shallow, the water splashing and
foaming as it tumbled over boulders.

Wenona frowned. “It's shallower than it was when I fished here.”

“We've had no rain,” Shesh pointed out.

Yas and Wapi leaped in and began wading upstream.

Holata blocked their way. “Young bears fish downstream,” he told them, shooing them away.

“They can fish where they like!” Izusa protested.

Shesh called from the shore. “Holata is right, Izusa. I'm sorry, but this is a serious trial to see who will lead the Longest Day ceremony.”

Muna splashed past Izusa, heading upstream. “The cubs can catch what we don't,” she murmured, finding a good spot where the river began to widen. Hattack took the place next to her.

Toklo jumped down from the bank, relishing the cool water streaming around his paws. As Aiyanna followed, he nodded to a spot behind Muna, where a rise in the riverbed made the water run faster. “You could try there,” he suggested.

Aiyanna touched his cheek with her nose. “Thanks.”

Toklo pushed his way through the swift-flowing water, enjoying the surge of it against his legs. Stopping beside a wide, flat rock hidden just below the surface, he lowered his muzzle in and drank. The water tasted of the mountains. This was a perfect fishing spot. The fish would be easy to see against the rock.

Toklo glanced around. Wenona was staring intently at the surface, her ears pricked. Toklo was looking forward to
fishing, but he wasn't going to take the trial as seriously as the others. Were they really so desperate to lead the Longest Day ceremony?

Shesh stood on the shore, waiting while each bear found a place in the river.

Flo and Fala stood close to Makya. Akocha had chosen a spot a little way downstream from Tayanita. The older bears were dotted like gigantic rocks across the wide stretch of river. Toklo had never seen so many bears fish a single river before. He remembered the river his mother had fished when he was a cub. The bears who fished there had guarded their places ferociously, lashing out at any bear who waded too far into their area. He hoped the trial wouldn't be so competitive. After all, they weren't fishing for survival.

“Begin!” Shesh's bark took Toklo by surprise. He scanned the water, alert for a flash of silver against the yellow riverbed. A soft wind ruffled his fur, and the sun felt warm on his back.
Where are the salmon?
He looked up, wondering if the others had caught anything yet. But all the bears were staring, motionless, at the water.

There must be
one
fish in the river!

Hattack lifted his head, looking puzzled. “Where are the fish?”

Wenona shook her damp fur. “There were loads last time I fished here.”

Grumbles rose from the other bears.

“I haven't seen a single fish.”

“This river must be poisoned.”

Toklo shook his head. “I drank some,” he argued. “The water tasted fresh.”

Muna grunted. “Then what's happened to the fish?”

Hattack began to push farther upstream, the water lapping against his chest where it deepened. Toklo headed for the bank and hopped out. He passed Hattack and followed the river around a bend. He stopped as he saw the river narrow to a little waterfall between two great boulders. In the gap between, a leafy branch blocked the flow. Water flooded between the twigs and leaves, but nothing else could get through.

Hattack rounded the bend and clambered out. Stopping beside Toklo, he stared at the branch. Shesh and the others caught up to them a moment later.

“That's what's blocking the fish,” Hattack announced, climbing onto one of the boulders and peering into the water behind. “Look!”

Toklo heaved himself onto the boulder and looked down. Salmon teemed in the river, buffeted by the current.

Muna squeezed up beside them and sniffed the branch. “It must have fallen in and blocked the fish.”

Hattack growled. “Really?” He looked pointedly toward the trees, set back several bearlengths from the riverbanks on either side.

Shesh frowned. “How did it get there?”

Hattack turned and addressed the others from the boulder. “Isn't it obvious?”

Toklo blinked at him.
Obvious?

“The white bears put it there to ruin our trial.” Hattack's pelt spiked with rage.

“But why would they want to spoil—”

Toklo's words were drowned by the angry barks of the other bears.

Holata bared his teeth. “We'll make them sorry.”

“What a dumb trick!” Wenona snarled.

“It's just the sort of thing a white bear would do.” Muna turned and headed toward the trees.

“Where are you going?” Toklo called in dismay.

“Those white bears need to be taught a lesson!” Muna called over her shoulder.

Toklo's heart sank as more bears streamed after her, the undergrowth swishing as they crashed through the forest toward the white bears' shore.

Shesh and Aiyanna stayed on the bank. Izusa and Makya beckoned their cubs close.

Akocha was staring after Hattack. “Let's go! I want to make those white bears sorry!”

“No.” Aiyanna blinked at the cub. “We have no proof it was the white bears.”

Shesh shook his head slowly. “Why would the white bears want to spoil our trial?”

“There's no time to talk!” Toklo leaped down from the boulder and chased after the others. “We have to stop them from fighting!”

Kallik's heart lurched as brown bears
streamed from the forest and leaped onto the shore.

She backed toward the lake, alarmed by the anger burning in their eyes. Around her, the white bears bristled. Yakone, who had been lying in the shade of the pines, scrambled to his paws.

“Kissimi!” Illa waded, dripping, from the water. “Come here!”

The young bear was chasing beetles farther along the shore. He hurried to Illa's side. “What's happening?”

“I don't know,” Illa whispered.

The largest brown bear reared onto his hind legs and bellowed at the white bears. “You ruined our fishing trial!”

Grunts of surprise rose from the white bears.

Kunik stepped forward. “What are you talking about?”

Another brown bear swung his muzzle accusingly toward Kunik “You blocked the river!”

Just then, Toklo burst from the trees. “Stop!” He bounded
down the stones and pushed his way to the front. “There's been a misunderstanding.”

Pride swelled in Kallik's chest. Toklo was so brave! She looked at Yakone, hoping to catch his eye. But Yakone was glaring at the brown bears. Kallik felt a stab of disappointment.

The huge brown bear glared at Toklo. “There's been no misunderstanding.”

“Shut up, Hattack!” Toklo snapped.

Aiyanna joined Toklo. “Listen to him, Hattack,” she pleaded. “Why would the white bears want to spoil our trials? It doesn't make sense.”

“Who asked you?” Hattack hissed at her. “You've never been to a gathering before. You don't know anything!”

Kallik saw shock glitter in Aiyanna's eyes.

Kunik blinked at the brown bears. “We haven't tried to spoil your trials. This young bear is right.” He nodded to Aiyanna. “Why would we bother? We are busy with our own.”

Hattack curled his lip, revealing sharp yellow teeth. “Then who blocked the river and stopped the fish running?”

“No one!” Kotori squared his shoulders. “How dare you invade our territory with your fish-brained accusations? Get away from here!”

Salik swaggered forward. “Unless you want to fight!”

“Go stand beside Tonraq,” Illa told Kissimi. Then she crawled forward and faced Hattack. “You say the river is blocked,” she announced calmly. “Then why not just unblock it?”

Hattack stared at her. “Because—”

Another brown bear growled. “Why should
we
unblock it when
you
blocked it?”

“Nonsense.” Illa pushed past them and climbed up the ridge. “Show me this blockage. Perhaps we can figure out how it got there.”

Fur ruffling, the brown bears followed.

“Someone put it there,” growled one.

“A
white
bear,” grumbled another.

Kotori leaped up the ridge after Illa. Kallik followed.

“Stay here,” Kunik told the other white bears. “We'll sort this out.” He hauled himself up the stones behind Kallik.

As she followed the bears through the forest, warm fur brushed her flank. She jerked her muzzle around, hoping it was Yakone. But it was Toklo.

“Hi.” He glanced sheepishly at the brown bears marching through the forest ahead of them. “Sorry about this.”

“Why do they think it was us who blocked the river?” she asked.

Toklo shrugged. “I guess they don't think it could be anyone else.”

“Couldn't the river have blocked itself?”

“There's a branch stuck in a gap,” Toklo explained. “It looks too well wedged in to have been washed there by the river.”

“So you think someone put it there?”

Toklo's pelt rippled. “I've had a feeling that there's someone else in the forest.”

“What do you mean?” The lake was the gathering place for the Longest Day. Surely every bear had a right to be here?

“I keep thinking I'm being watched.” Toklo sounded embarrassed. “I know it sounds dumb, but I get this creepy feeling when I'm alone. Like someone is following me.”

Kallik bumped her shoulder against him. “There are so many bears around the lake, you're probably being watched all the time by someone.”