something white bears are good at, smelling things that are far away.”
Ujurak only nodded when Kallik suggested they veerslightly out of their way to reach the breathing hole. The sun had crossed the highest point of the sky and was heading back down into night when they reached the place Kallik had smelled. Dark clouds were gathering in the blue above them, warning of more snow to come.
This breathing hole looked small to Toklo, and he wished he could make it bigger, but he remembered what a bad idea that had been last time. So he followed Kallik, walking exactly as she did, sliding his paws carefully over the ice and then lying down right next to the hole with his ears pricked, watching for seals.
He could sense Lusa and Ujurak behind them, curled up together in the snow, but he tried to focus all his concentration on the hole, just as Kallik was doing. They waited and waited and waited for even a flicker of movement…but nothing happened. Not even a whisker of a seal broke the surface of the dark water.
Finally Kallik sat up with a sigh. The sun had nearly reached the edge of the sky, and the heavy gray clouds were thick above them, casting shadows ahead of the night. “I’m sorry, Toklo,” she grunted. “You’ve been very patient, but this is longer than I’ve ever waited before.”
Toklo scraped his claws along the ice in frustration. That wasn’t fair! How could he learn to hunt if they couldn’t even be sure there’d be seals where he was hunting? He turned to look at the other two waiting bears.
“Hey, Ujurak!” he called. “I have an idea! Come here!”
Warily Ujurak stood up and padded over to the hole. Lusashifted slightly where he’d left her, but didn’t wake up.
“Kallik says there might not be any seals here at all,” Toklo explained. “So I was thinking, maybe you could turn into a seal and just check for us.”
“I’m not a piece of prey, Toklo,” Ujurak snapped. “I’m a bear!”
“All you have to do is dive down there, swim around a bit, see if you spot any, and then come back and tell us. It’ll be so easy. All right?”
“No!” Ujurak cried. “How can you ask me to do something like that?”
“It’s no big deal,” Toklo insisted, surprised by Ujurak’s reaction. “We just want to know if it’s worth waiting here any longer. It’s not like we’re asking you to lure them back here or anything.”
Ujurak’s eyes stretched wide amid the snow-flecked brown fur. “You don’t understand!” he spat. “When I’m a different animal, I feel everything that animal feels—their hunger, their worries, their fears. I wish I couldn’t do it at all.”
“Hey, I never said I understood,” Toklo argued. “All I’m saying is, maybe your changing could be useful once in a while, instead of just a nuisance, like it usually is.”
“It won’t take you a moment to pop down and look,” Kallik added.
“Besides, you did it before with the geese, remember?” Toklo prompted.
“Oh, right, and that turned out really well! I nearly died!” Ujurak huffed. “That’s exactly what I mean! What ifsomething happens, or I forget to change back?”
“That would be stupid,” Toklo said. “Just remember you’re not really a seal. How hard can that be?”
“I’m a brown bear!” Ujurak shouted. “Okay? That’s all I am, and all I want to be! A brown bear!” He turned and stomped off, planting himself in the snow next to Lusa with his back to Toklo.
Toklo blinked and gave Kallik a quizzical look. “What’s gotten under his fur?”
Kallik shrugged. “Maybe being a whale for so long frightened him. Anyway, we can’t force him, and I don’t think we should wait here much longer.” She nodded at the sky. “A storm is coming. We should find shelter…and hopefully the hunting will be better farther from the shore.”
Toklo’s stomach spasmed painfully with hunger. He had no idea where the shore was from here. Could Kallik smell that, too? Was it close—and
Ujurak only nodded when Kallik suggested they veerslightly out of their way to reach the breathing hole. The sun had crossed the highest point of the sky and was heading back down into night when they reached the place Kallik had smelled. Dark clouds were gathering in the blue above them, warning of more snow to come.
This breathing hole looked small to Toklo, and he wished he could make it bigger, but he remembered what a bad idea that had been last time. So he followed Kallik, walking exactly as she did, sliding his paws carefully over the ice and then lying down right next to the hole with his ears pricked, watching for seals.
He could sense Lusa and Ujurak behind them, curled up together in the snow, but he tried to focus all his concentration on the hole, just as Kallik was doing. They waited and waited and waited for even a flicker of movement…but nothing happened. Not even a whisker of a seal broke the surface of the dark water.
Finally Kallik sat up with a sigh. The sun had nearly reached the edge of the sky, and the heavy gray clouds were thick above them, casting shadows ahead of the night. “I’m sorry, Toklo,” she grunted. “You’ve been very patient, but this is longer than I’ve ever waited before.”
Toklo scraped his claws along the ice in frustration. That wasn’t fair! How could he learn to hunt if they couldn’t even be sure there’d be seals where he was hunting? He turned to look at the other two waiting bears.
“Hey, Ujurak!” he called. “I have an idea! Come here!”
Warily Ujurak stood up and padded over to the hole. Lusashifted slightly where he’d left her, but didn’t wake up.
“Kallik says there might not be any seals here at all,” Toklo explained. “So I was thinking, maybe you could turn into a seal and just check for us.”
“I’m not a piece of prey, Toklo,” Ujurak snapped. “I’m a bear!”
“All you have to do is dive down there, swim around a bit, see if you spot any, and then come back and tell us. It’ll be so easy. All right?”
“No!” Ujurak cried. “How can you ask me to do something like that?”
“It’s no big deal,” Toklo insisted, surprised by Ujurak’s reaction. “We just want to know if it’s worth waiting here any longer. It’s not like we’re asking you to lure them back here or anything.”
Ujurak’s eyes stretched wide amid the snow-flecked brown fur. “You don’t understand!” he spat. “When I’m a different animal, I feel everything that animal feels—their hunger, their worries, their fears. I wish I couldn’t do it at all.”
“Hey, I never said I understood,” Toklo argued. “All I’m saying is, maybe your changing could be useful once in a while, instead of just a nuisance, like it usually is.”
“It won’t take you a moment to pop down and look,” Kallik added.
“Besides, you did it before with the geese, remember?” Toklo prompted.
“Oh, right, and that turned out really well! I nearly died!” Ujurak huffed. “That’s exactly what I mean! What ifsomething happens, or I forget to change back?”
“That would be stupid,” Toklo said. “Just remember you’re not really a seal. How hard can that be?”
“I’m a brown bear!” Ujurak shouted. “Okay? That’s all I am, and all I want to be! A brown bear!” He turned and stomped off, planting himself in the snow next to Lusa with his back to Toklo.
Toklo blinked and gave Kallik a quizzical look. “What’s gotten under his fur?”
Kallik shrugged. “Maybe being a whale for so long frightened him. Anyway, we can’t force him, and I don’t think we should wait here much longer.” She nodded at the sky. “A storm is coming. We should find shelter…and hopefully the hunting will be better farther from the shore.”
Toklo’s stomach spasmed painfully with hunger. He had no idea where the shore was from here. Could Kallik smell that, too? Was it close—and
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