down the trail towards the flat-face denning area. Toklo’s belly churned as he worried about being spotted by the flat-faces, and he was relieved when Lusa slackened her pace as they approached the dens.
‘We know that we can trust the healer,’ she murmured, ‘but –’
‘
You
trust the healer,’ Toklo interrupted. ‘I’m not so sure.’
‘I think Toklo’s right,’ Kallik put in. ‘He helped Ujurak because he’s in the shape of a flat-face. But how does he feel about bears?’
Lusa shrugged. ‘I suppose you could be right. In any case, it’s true that we can’t be sure about the other flat-faces. We’d better make sure they don’t see us.’
It was not long past sunrise, but already one or two of the flat-faces were walking between the dens. Toklo, Lusa and Kallik ducked into the shadows under an overhanging roof as a flat-face walked past with a large, shiny object dangling from one paw. Loud noises issued from it, and a high-pitched sound was coming from the flat-face’s mouth. As he passed another of the dens the door opened and the female who Ujurak had said had a goose spirit appeared and called out to him.
While they were talking, Toklo, Kallik and Lusa slipped quietly around the back of the dens and headed towards the one where the healer lived. Toklo crept up to the window and stretched up his paws to brace himself so that he could peer through. Lusasqueezed up beside him and Kallik joined him on his other side.
Inside the den Toklo saw that Ujurak was sitting up, propped against the flat-face pelts. The healer sat on the bed beside him, feeding him something from a bowl. Toklo could hear that they were talking to each other, though he couldn’t understand the flatface words.
‘Look, he’s better!’ Lusa yelped. ‘He’ll be able to come back to us soon.’
‘Yes, he’s fine now,’ Toklo agreed. With a long sigh he stepped away from the window of the healer’s den, dropping down on to all four paws. ‘Ujurak is safe,’ he said as Lusa and Kallik followed him. ‘His life isn’t in danger any more. It’s time that I followed my own path.’
‘What?’ Lusa’s eyes stretched wide. ‘Last night you said you would stay!’
‘I said “for a while”,’ Toklo reminded her. ‘But now that I know Ujurak’s OK, I can leave. I’m not responsible for him any more.’ Toklo knew he had done more than enough by bringing them this far. Now it was time to do what his mother had said, and live on his own.
‘But . . .’ Lusa’s voice choked. ‘I’ll miss you.’
Kallik padded up and rested her muzzle on the little black bear’s shoulder. ‘A time always comes for parting,’ she murmured. ‘I had to learn that when Taqqiq left. It’s no use trying to hold on to someone when they want to be somewhere else.’ Looking deep into Lusa’s eyes, she added, ‘Let him go.’
Lusa said nothing, her dark eyes still full of misery, but she stepped back and stood at Kallik’s side.
‘Thank you, Kallik,’ Toklo said. His heart ached at the thought of leaving his friends, but he knew this was what he had to do. ‘The spirits go with you both,’ he added.
‘And with you,’ Kallik responded.
Lusa nodded sadly. ‘Goodbye, Toklo.’
Toklo turned and headed off up the caribou trail. At the far side of the flat-face denning area he stopped to look back. Lusa’s black pelt had been swallowed up in the shadows, but he could still see Kallik, gazing steadily after him.
Toklo reared up on his hindpaws for a moment in a final farewell. Then he turned and headed off alone, into the mountains.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Kallik
‘I hope Toklo will be OK,’ Kallik murmured when the brown bear had disappeared up the valley.
‘I’m worried about him,’ Lusa whimpered. ‘Why did he have to go off on his own?’
Kallik shrugged. ‘It’s what brown bears do. But I’m going to miss him.’
She turned back to the healer’s den to take another look at Ujurak. But as she pressed her
‘We know that we can trust the healer,’ she murmured, ‘but –’
‘
You
trust the healer,’ Toklo interrupted. ‘I’m not so sure.’
‘I think Toklo’s right,’ Kallik put in. ‘He helped Ujurak because he’s in the shape of a flat-face. But how does he feel about bears?’
Lusa shrugged. ‘I suppose you could be right. In any case, it’s true that we can’t be sure about the other flat-faces. We’d better make sure they don’t see us.’
It was not long past sunrise, but already one or two of the flat-faces were walking between the dens. Toklo, Lusa and Kallik ducked into the shadows under an overhanging roof as a flat-face walked past with a large, shiny object dangling from one paw. Loud noises issued from it, and a high-pitched sound was coming from the flat-face’s mouth. As he passed another of the dens the door opened and the female who Ujurak had said had a goose spirit appeared and called out to him.
While they were talking, Toklo, Kallik and Lusa slipped quietly around the back of the dens and headed towards the one where the healer lived. Toklo crept up to the window and stretched up his paws to brace himself so that he could peer through. Lusasqueezed up beside him and Kallik joined him on his other side.
Inside the den Toklo saw that Ujurak was sitting up, propped against the flat-face pelts. The healer sat on the bed beside him, feeding him something from a bowl. Toklo could hear that they were talking to each other, though he couldn’t understand the flatface words.
‘Look, he’s better!’ Lusa yelped. ‘He’ll be able to come back to us soon.’
‘Yes, he’s fine now,’ Toklo agreed. With a long sigh he stepped away from the window of the healer’s den, dropping down on to all four paws. ‘Ujurak is safe,’ he said as Lusa and Kallik followed him. ‘His life isn’t in danger any more. It’s time that I followed my own path.’
‘What?’ Lusa’s eyes stretched wide. ‘Last night you said you would stay!’
‘I said “for a while”,’ Toklo reminded her. ‘But now that I know Ujurak’s OK, I can leave. I’m not responsible for him any more.’ Toklo knew he had done more than enough by bringing them this far. Now it was time to do what his mother had said, and live on his own.
‘But . . .’ Lusa’s voice choked. ‘I’ll miss you.’
Kallik padded up and rested her muzzle on the little black bear’s shoulder. ‘A time always comes for parting,’ she murmured. ‘I had to learn that when Taqqiq left. It’s no use trying to hold on to someone when they want to be somewhere else.’ Looking deep into Lusa’s eyes, she added, ‘Let him go.’
Lusa said nothing, her dark eyes still full of misery, but she stepped back and stood at Kallik’s side.
‘Thank you, Kallik,’ Toklo said. His heart ached at the thought of leaving his friends, but he knew this was what he had to do. ‘The spirits go with you both,’ he added.
‘And with you,’ Kallik responded.
Lusa nodded sadly. ‘Goodbye, Toklo.’
Toklo turned and headed off up the caribou trail. At the far side of the flat-face denning area he stopped to look back. Lusa’s black pelt had been swallowed up in the shadows, but he could still see Kallik, gazing steadily after him.
Toklo reared up on his hindpaws for a moment in a final farewell. Then he turned and headed off alone, into the mountains.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Kallik
‘I hope Toklo will be OK,’ Kallik murmured when the brown bear had disappeared up the valley.
‘I’m worried about him,’ Lusa whimpered. ‘Why did he have to go off on his own?’
Kallik shrugged. ‘It’s what brown bears do. But I’m going to miss him.’
She turned back to the healer’s den to take another look at Ujurak. But as she pressed her
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