Erin Hunter - Fire in the Sky

Streaks of pink and gold and green flowed across the night sky, stretching long, dazzling clouds of color between the twinkling stars. Rivers of light danced across the bears fur as they stood on the edge of the shore and watched. They were bathed in waves of cool flame, soundless, touchless, carried in the air like wind. Lusa blinked, her black fur rippling as she shifted on her paws. Shed never seen anything like this before. Nothing in the Bear Bowl had ever been this beautiful, and nothing shed seen on her long journey with her friends had ever been this strange.

Ujurak must be right. It had to be a sign. The fire in the sky had been sent by the bear spirits, telling them they needed to go onto the ice.

She looked out at the murmuring sea and the vast white emptiness beyondthe Everlasting Iceand felt a tremor of fear. The rough, pebbly sand under her paws felt solid and comforting. Even though her nose was still clogged with the scent of flat-faces and the sticky black stuff that Ujurak called oil, she could also smell fresh grass and hear the scrabbling of tiny animals not far away. A tiny splash from the river behind them spoke of fish waiting to be eaten, and even the shadows of the spiky bushes scattered around them promised some shelter from rain or snow.

But out on the ice, there was nothing at allno berries, no grubs, no rabbits, no treesnothing to eat and nowhere to hide, and not even any smells to guide them. Nothing but the cold, empty scent of unmoving water.

How could they save the wild there?

Ujurak, she said, nudging the small brown bear with her nose. You are sure about this, arent you? That is what the sign meansthat we have to go out there ? She nodded her head at the ice.

Ujuraks eyes were dark and serious, with a strange look that suggested he could see things that Lusa never had. I am sure, he replied. Kallik must lead us into her world now.

Lusa glanced at their friend. The white bear stood with her snout lifted, inhaling the scents of the ice and the sea as if she couldnt breathe deeply enough. The moonlight turned her fur to dappled silver as the wind brushed across her shoulders. Her muscles quivered with the effort of staying on land when the endless ice tugged at her paws, calling her out. Lusa wished she could understand how Kallik felt. What was there to love about all that emptiness?

She had to be brave, that was all. This quest was bigger than any of them alone, Lusa knew. Maybe it would be more exciting on the ice than she imagined. It would certainly be different from anything shed seen in the Bear Bowl! And if we go out there, she asked Ujurak, well be able to save the wild? We can stop the flat-faces from tearing up the land and destroying everything?

Ujurak bowed his shaggy head and scraped his claws through the sand, leaving deep scars. I dont know, he confessed. I dont know what were supposed to do about the flat-faces, but I do believe that we have to go onto the ice. The fire in the sky has to mean something, I can feel it. Even though the land has come to an end, my journey our journeymust continue.

He looked back out at the ice, and Lusa shivered. Although the night wind was bitterly cold, she knew it wasnt the only thing making her skin crawl and her paws tremble.

Huh! Toklos voice snorted behind them. If you ask me, youve all got bees in your brains. He turned and stalked up the shore toward a line of scraggly bushes.

Oh, no! Lusa thought. They couldnt go without Toklo! The bears had already been separated once, when he decided to go into the mountains on the far side of the plain and lead the life of a lone brown bear. Lusa wasnt exactly sure why hed come back; she hoped it was because he had changed his mind about leaving them. Shed missed him terribly, and even more than that, she knew that they needed him. All four of them had to save the wild together. It wasnt a coincidence that theyd met and made it so far as a team. Couldnt he see that?

Toklo, wait! she called. What about the fire in the sky? Its not bee-brainedits a sign!

Toklo swung his large head around. His black eyes were very bright. Im just saying, if were going on a journey, well need to eat something first.

Lusa felt a burst of joy. Toklo was coming with them! Maybe the fire in the sky had affected him more than he wanted to let on. Lusa wasnt exactly sure what Toklo believed about the stars. They didnt seem to fill him with joy, the way they did Lusa and Kallik. But if the stars werent watching Toklo in a kind way, what did he think they were doing?

She scrambled after him as he padded up the pebbly slope, sniffing the night air.

Shush, Toklo scolded her. Youll scare off all the prey.

Sorry! Lusa said, trying to tread more lightly. She bumped against his side, resisting the urge to bury her nose in his thick brown fur. Youre so brave, Toklo.

He huffed. Me?

I know you dont have to come, Lusa hurried on. I mean, I know youd rather stay on the landbut you are really going to come with us, right? Onto the ice?

Toklo stopped and crouched with his nose to the ground, smelling intently. Lusa pricked up her ears, wondering what hed sensed. After a long moment, he snorted again.

Why not? he muttered, avoiding her eyes. I mean, the mountain wasnt all that great. Too crowded for my liking. Too many bears fighting for too little prey. His shoulders rippled with muscle as he stood up. Besides, you three would be lost without me. He nudged her teasingly.

See what I mean? Lusa said. You could go off and be on your own, but instead youre staying with us on this dangerous journey. Thats what I call brave.

Toklo squinted at her, his eyes reflecting the moonlight. What about you? You didnt even think twice about following those two. They say, Lets go onto the ice! and right away you say, Where do I put my paws? If you ask me, youre the brave one.

Oh, Lusa said, embarrassed. It seemed different for her; she couldnt imagine going off and living on her own. Not yet. She didnt even know if she could live on her own. Shed had to when she first escaped from the Bear Bowl and went to find Toklo, but she hadnt had a choice about that. And looking for Toklo gave her a purpose, something to think about beyond surviving. Shed always believed that shed find him, so there had always been the thought that shed have someone to talk to in the end. But to live entirely alone, with just trees and ground squirrels for company, wasnt something she could ever imagine doing. Well, no, she stammered. I mean, its not like

Suddenly there was a flash of motion from the nearest bush and a rabbit leaped out into the open, tearing away toward the river. Toklo sprang into action at the same instant and raced after it with his legs pumping and his belly close to the ground.

Lusa looked back at the others. Ujurak was climbing the slope toward her, while Kallik was still standing on the shore as if she couldnt bear to take one pawstep away from the sea now that theyd reached it. The shimmering flames of light in the sky were starting to fade, and the moon was bright and round, casting a silver streak like a path across the water.