The Longest Day (17 page)

“Eat these.” She held out the leaves. “They'll make you sleep. You won't feel the pain for a while.”
And hopefully you will wake in the morning feeling much better.
Perhaps all she needed was a good night's sleep.

Chula lapped the leaves from Lusa's paws.

Sheena stood up and stretched. “I'll fetch some more water,” she announced, gathering the moss under her paw. “Tibik might wake up thirsty.”

Lusa watched her pad away, relieved that Sheena was focused on her surviving cub once more.

Miki shifted on his bed of ferns. “How was your walk with Ossi?” he asked softly.

Lusa avoided his gaze. “We didn't find many grubs. Some bear had already dug them up.”

“Ossi likes you.” Miki's growl was husky.

Heat seared through Lusa's pelt. “We're just friends, okay?” Why did everyone need to comment on her relationship with Ossi?

Miki grunted. “It's okay, you know.”

“What's okay?”

“If you want to be more than friends with him,” Miki told her.

“What's it got to do with you?” Lusa snapped.

Miki flinched. “I'm sorry. I just thought you might be worried that—”

Lusa cut him off. “I'm not worried about anything. Ossi and I are just friends. And it has nothing to do with you.”

Tibik stirred beside her. “Lusa? I'm thirsty.”

Lusa turned to the drowsy cub, relieved by the distraction. “Sheena's gone to fetch water.”

Miki hopped out of his nest, his pelt ruffled. “I'll go help her.”

Lusa watched him go with a strange feeling in her chest. Why did Miki care about her friendship with Ossi? Why did
anyone
care about her friendship with Ossi? It was as though suddenly everyone was trying to pair her off. She grunted to herself with annoyance. Who knew having friends could be so confusing?

Toklo took a deep breath of
dusky air. His belly rumbling with hunger, he scanned the bushes ahead. Pale evening light seeped like water between the trees. He was too close to the heart of the brown bears' territory for deer to be roaming, but a hare might have strayed into this part of the forest.

He wanted to take something good back to Aiyanna and the other bears from his home.
Home!
The word rang in his head. That was how he thought of the Forest of Wolves now. It was where he'd return to once he left the lake. It was where he belonged.

His heart leaped when he spotted a plump grouse, its dull plumage camouflaging it against the leafy forest floor. Softening his pawsteps, Toklo crept toward it. The grouse, pecking for insects among the leaves, had been too busy to see him.

The brambles behind him rattled. Paws hit the ground as something exploded from the bushes. The grouse squawked in fright and fluttered clumsily into the air. Toklo spun around, ready to snarl at whatever had ruined his catch.

Akocha skidded to a halt in front of him. The cub's pelt was ruffled and his eyes were wide with fright. “Is there anyone behind me?” he panted.

Toklo glanced past the cub. “No.” Why in all the stars was this young bear crashing through the woods by himself? “Shouldn't you be on the shore with your mother?”

Akocha's flanks were heaving. “I saw a bear!”

Toklo looked around for the grouse, wondering if it had landed somewhere near.

“It was a scary bear!” Akocha puffed. “I think it was a spirit! It wanted to eat me.”

Toklo met the frightened cub's gaze and tried to hide his frustration. “Spirit bears don't walk through the forest. They live in rivers. Are you sure you didn't just bump into some bear who was hunting?”

Akocha shook his head. “He wasn't hunting. He was just walking. I was looking for the waterfall again and I got lost. I heard the bear, so I went to find him to ask him how to get back to the shore. But when he saw me, he looked angry. I tried to tell him I was lost, but he said the forest was no place for a cub.” Akocha was shaking now. “Then he
growled
at me like he wanted to hurt me.”

Anger surged through Toklo. What sort of bear would frighten a lost cub? “Did this bear look familiar? Was he one of the bears from the shore?”

“I don't know.” Akocha's eyes brimmed with fear. “He didn't look like them. He looked like a ghost.”

Toklo frowned. Whichever bear it had been, he'd given
Akocha a serious fright. “Perhaps you'll recognize him when you get back to the shore. If you do, tell your mother or me which bear it was. No one should have scared you like that.”

“I'm not going back to the shore by myself. The scary bear might have followed me.” Akocha dug his claws into the earth. “Can I stay with you?”

“Okay,” Toklo agreed reluctantly. “But you have to be quiet. I want to catch something to take back to my friends.”

Akocha's eyes brightened. “Are they the bears from your old territory?”

My new territory, actually,
Toklo thought with a surge of unexpected pride. “Yes. They're tired and hungry after their journey. I promised to bring them food.”

“I can help you,” Akocha offered. “My mother always sends me ahead to find prey.”

Or to get you out of the way.
Toklo headed toward a stretch of ferns.

Akocha followed. “I'm best at spotting birds because I like looking up. Look!” He stopped and raised his snout. “There's a pigeon up there.”

Toklo saw a fat bird sitting in a high branch. “That'd be great if I could fly,” he grunted.

“Perhaps I can climb the tree.” Akocha was still staring at the pigeon.

“Leave tree climbing to black bears,” Toklo muttered. Leaves rustled beyond the ferns. Was that the grouse? He padded forward, pushing through them so slowly that they hardly rustled.

A brown shape moved. It wasn't a grouse but a squirrel. Toklo tensed, ready to leap.
If I can move fast, I might—

His thought was cut off by a
whump
and an indignant huff. The squirrel bobbed away and scooted up a pine. Toklo turned toward the noise that had disturbed it. Akocha was sitting at the bottom of a tree, bark scattered around him. Above him, the pigeon looked down from its branch, then flapped away through the trees.

Akocha heaved himself to his paws and shook out his pelt. “It's really hard to get a grip.”

Toklo scowled. “Stay there,” he ordered. “Don't climb any trees or call out if you see a pigeon. I need you to be quiet or I'll never catch any prey.”

Akocha's eyes darkened. “Will I have to be quiet for long? I hate being quiet. There's always so much to say. If you knew half the things I
wanted
to say and didn't—”

“Hush!”

Akocha sat down. Shoulders slumped, he gazed at the ground.

Toklo felt a flash of guilt. “I won't be long,” he promised. “And once I've caught something, you can talk all you like.”

Akocha glanced at him hopefully but didn't speak.

Turning, Toklo pushed through the ferns. “I won't be far away.”

Tiny pawsteps pattered over the ground, and a rabbit raced across his path. Quick as lightning, Toklo plunged after it, pounding through a patch of dogwood as the rabbit streaked ahead. Swiftly, Toklo leaped, slamming his paws onto the rabbit's spine.

It died as soon as he hit it, its neck cracking as he pinned it to the earth. It was a big rabbit—a buck. Not as good as a grouse, but it would be something to take back to Aiyanna. Snatching it up between his teeth, he turned and headed back to Akocha.

“That was fast!” Akocha leaped to his paws as soon as he saw Toklo. “You must be a great hunter.”

Toklo couldn't speak with the rabbit dangling from his jaws. He headed toward the shore, Akocha padding beside him.

“Could I catch a rabbit?” he wondered. “I told you how fast I can run. Would that be fast enough to catch a rabbit? I wonder if I'm faster than you.” He stood in front of Toklo, looking him up and down. “You're big, but that might slow you down. We should have a race on the shore. Then we'd know.”

The scent of warm blood filled Toklo's nose. His empty belly twisted as he longed to gulp down the rabbit. He tried to concentrate on Akocha's chatter to distract himself from the smell, but Akocha was talking so fast, his words seemed to dissolve into a single growl.

At last they reached the shore. Toklo spotted Aiyanna straight away. He headed toward her, then realized that Akocha had stopped. He turned and saw the cub gazing along the shore. Tayanita was pacing the tree line, her face worried.

“I bet she's looking for me,” Akocha murmured guiltily. “She's going to be angry that I went into the forest on my own.”

Toklo laid down the rabbit. “You weren't on your own. You were with me.”

Akocha gratefully blinked at him.

Toklo felt a twinge of sympathy for the young bear. “Here.” He pawed the rabbit toward him. “You can carry this.”

Eagerly, Akocha snatched it up and headed toward his mother, almost tripping over the rabbit's dangling hind legs.

Tayanita's eyes lit up when she saw her cub. “There you are!” She trotted toward him. “Where have you been? I've been worried half to death.”

Akocha dropped the rabbit at her paws. “I was hunting with Toklo.”

Tayanita flashed a knowing look at Toklo. She sniffed the rabbit, then snuffled Akocha's ear with her snout. “Is this for me?”

Akocha glanced uncertainly at Toklo.

“Of course,” Toklo told her. He'd have to catch something else for Aiyanna and her friends. But it would be easy, now that he could leave Akocha safely with his mother. He turned, surprised to see Aiyanna staring across the beach at him. Feeling hot despite the cool breeze from the lake, he went over to her.

“I haven't found you any food yet, but I'll go hunting again.”

Aiyanna nodded toward Akocha. “You've been too busy helping a mischievous cub, by the look of it. Poor Tayanita's been searching the whole shoreline for him. I thought she'd shred his ears when he got back.” Her eyes sparkled at Toklo. “But it's hard to be annoyed with a cub who's brought you a special treat.”

Toklo shrugged. “I found him in the forest. Some old bear had given him a fright.”

Aiyanna's gaze didn't waver. “You're going to make a better father than Chogan ever was.”

“I hope so.” Toklo shuddered. He would always be ashamed to be the son of such a jealous, selfish, hostile bear.

Aiyanna moved closer. “You will never be like him, Toklo.” She glanced at Akocha. The cub was holding up the rabbit while Tayanita admired it again. “It was kind of you to give them your catch.”

“The rabbit was supposed to be for you.”

“Don't worry. I've eaten. Hattack caught a deer for us. Wasn't that kind?”

“Very,” Toklo grunted. “You should get some rest,” he went on. “You've had a long journey.”

“I napped all afternoon,” Aiyanna told him. She glanced at the darkening sky. Stars were just beginning to appear. “I could do with a walk to stretch my legs.” She beckoned Toklo with a jerk of her muzzle and headed along the beach.

Toklo fell in beside her, hoping his empty belly wouldn't rumble. He could catch a fish later. Right now, all he wanted was to walk beneath the stars with Aiyanna.

“It's so beautiful here,” Aiyanna murmured.

“I know.” Toklo groped for something interesting to say. “It looks even better from over there.” He nodded toward Pawprint Island, no more than a shadow in the distance.

“Have you been to that island?” Aiyanna swung her head toward him, surprised. “It's a long way out.”

“I swam there at the last Longest Day.” Toklo tried to sound like it was no big deal.

Aiyanna brushed her flank against his. “I'd like to see you swim there again. It would make my journey worthwhile.”

Toklo halted. “Isn't it worthwhile already?”

Aiyanna faced him. There was a gleam in her eyes. “Of course. I'm glad I came.” She reached her muzzle forward, stopping a nose-length from his. “Can't you tell?”

Toklo shifted his paws. “I wasn't sure.”

Aiyanna sighed. “I traveled for a moon to see you, and you're not sure!”

“I guess I'm sure now,” Toklo murmured. Her sweet breath was washing his muzzle. He'd forgotten how much he loved the scent of her. They stood motionless for a moment, then Aiyanna turned and splashed into the shallows.

“Look at the white bears!” she called.

Toklo waded in beside her and gazed across the water. The white bears were sprawled on the shore as though the day's heat had exhausted them.

“I think they had a meeting earlier,” Aiyanna told him. “We could hear their barks across the lake, but I don't know what they were discussing.”

Toklo was only half listening. He'd spotted Kallik heading toward them along the beach. Yakone was close behind her.