Erin Hunter - Great Bear Lake

Lusa stared at the grizzly cub. He was twice her size; in the struggle when she was trapped under his weight, she had thought he would kill her for sure. But she wasnt scared of him now, as she watched him crouched in front of her with his flanks heaving. Red light from the setting sun trickled through the leaves, speckling Toklos brown pelt with spots of burning russet.

She had found Okas missing cub.

I could have searched for him all my life and never found him. Did the spirits guide me?

Toklo glared at her. How do you know my name?

IIve been looking for you, Lusa stammered. Ive come all the way from the Bear Bowl

The Bear Bowl? Toklo curled his lip. Whats that?

Its a place where bears live, Lusa explained, on more confident territory now. Black bears like me, and grizzlies, and huge white bears. Flat-faces feed us and mend us when we get sick, and other flat-faces come and look at us. There are other animals, too, she added. Tigers, and flamingos, and animals with long, dangly noses.

Toklo interrupted her with a huff of contempt. You lived with other animals? he growled disbelievingly. Flat-faces fed you? Proper bears dont do that. What sort of bear are you?

Lusa felt her belly go tight; he looked really angry, and she knew she wouldnt be able to fight him off a second time. But she had promised Oka that she would pass on her message to her only surviving cub. The flat-faces brought your mother to the Bear Bowl. Sheshe died there. She decided there was no point making Toklo even angrier by telling him how Oka had been crazed with grief for her lost cubs, so deranged that she had attacked a flat-face. Before she died she gave me a message for you. She said

Toklo turned away. I dont want to hear it!

Startled, Lusa took a pace toward him. But I promised

I said, I dont want to hear it! I dont want to hear anything about that bear. She abandoned me. She is not my mother. He stalked away, his paws crunching through the dried leaves until he stopped under a twisted fir tree.

She was sorry, Lusa murmured.

She didnt think Toklo had heard her. Without looking at her, he snarled, Go back to the Bear Bowl!

Lusa blinked, puzzled. She had risked her life to find him, and to tell him what Oka had wanted him to know. She had expected that Toklo would be grateful to her. Maybe he would even become her friend, so she wouldnt be on her own anymore. What had she done to make him so hostile?

She couldnt go back to the Bear Bowl. The wild was bigger than she had ever imagined, scary and confusing. But it was exciting, too. After the freedom she had known in the last moons, she couldnt think of returning to the little space where two or three trees made a forest. But what would Toklo do if she didnt leave? She clamped her jaws shut to stop a whimper from coming out. There was no way shed show Toklo how scared she was.

Lusa turned to look at the other brown bear cub, who was sitting watching her with bright interest. She tipped her head on one side, remembering what she had seen just before her struggle with Toklo. She had been chasing a hare, hadnt she? A growl from her belly reminded her that she was hungrier than shed ever been in her life. Shed been chasing a hare and it had turned into this cub .

Her mother hadnt said anything about hares that turned into bears, or any other animal for that matter. Was this a bear, or a hare? Would it change again? Lusa stared at it suspiciously, looking for long ears suddenly shooting up.

The brown cub stood up and padded over to her. He was smaller than Toklo, and his eyes were warm and curious. My names Ujurak. Youre Lusa, right?

Lusa nodded. Areare you a bear or a hare? she burst out.

Ujurak lifted his shoulder in a shrug, rippling his shiny brown fur. I dont know, he admitted. I can be lots of other creatures, too. A salmon, an eaglesometimes Im a flat-face cub.

Lusa stiffened. Would Ujurak be a kind flat-face like the feeders in the Bear Bowl, or one of the dangerous ones who shouted and shot their metal sticks? Why would you want to be a flat-face?

I dont exactly want to be anything, Ujurak replied. Except a bear, of course. It just happens. He glanced at Toklo. Im trying to control it, but Im not very good yet.

So youre really a bear? Lusa stretched her head up and checked. His ears were definitely small and round right now, nothing like a hares.

I think so. Ujurak blinked. I hope so.

Lusa looked around. The trees grew close together here, with little room for berry bushes underneath, but there was no scent of flat-faces or dogs. Is this Toklos territory? The big grizzly cub looked quite strong enough to score his clawmarks on the trees and defend his feeding ground from other bears.

No, were on a journey. An amber glow lit deep in Ujuraks eyes. Were going to the place where the bear spirits dance in the sky.

Wheres that?

Ujurak looked at his paws. Definitely bears paws, Lusa thought. We dont know exactly, he confessed. Were following the stars. He looked up again. But I have to get there. However long it takes.

Something in Lusa prompted her to reach up and touch her nose to the cubs furry ear. Youll find the place, I know you will.

Ujurak turned his head to stare at her. You understand, dont you? he said softly. Because you kept going until you found Toklo.

Lusa nodded. I promised Oka that Id find him, and I did.

Are you going to come with us? Ujurak asked. To the place where the bear spirits dance?

Lusa wondered if Okas spirit would be there, and if Oka would tell Toklo herself how much she loved him. Lusa wanted to see that happen more than anything. And she didnt have anywhere else to go. Besides, shed been good at finding Toklo, hadnt she? Perhaps Ujurak would need her help to find the place he was looking for.

Yes, Ill come, she announced.

Great! yelped Ujurak, bouncing on his front paws. Even though he was younger than Lusa, he was bigger than her, and she took a step back to avoid getting bounced on.

Do you think Toklo will mind? she asked, looking at the brown bear standing under the fir tree with his back to them. He doesnt seem to like me very much.

Ujurak followed her gaze. Toklo doesnt like anyone very much. Including himself, he commented quietly.

Lusa glanced at him in surprise, but before she could say anything Toklo had swung around and pushed his way out from under the spindly branches. He glared at Lusa. You cant slow us down, he warned.