nose to the shiny clear stuff in her efforts to get a better look, the air was split by a terrible clattering noise.
Kallik sprang away from the window. Turning toward the sound, she saw a metal bird hovering further down the valley. It was heading for the denning place. For a few moments it clattered abovethe dens, its metal wings whirling, then swooped down towards a stretch of open ground.
‘What is it?’ Lusa yelped, her voice shrill with fright.
Kallik’s heart was pounding and her breath came harsh and fast. Memories exploded in her mind, of her terrifying flight with Nanuk underneath that other metal bird, the one that had fallen out of the sky. She remembered the fire, the sudden rush of freezing snow, and watching Nanuk die, leaving her all alone.
‘They take bears away!’ she replied to Lusa, fighting panic.
‘We’ve got to hide,’ barked Lusa as they watched the metal bird settle on the ground, its whirling wings slowing to a stop.
Clinging to the shadows, they crept towards the edge of the denning place and then made a dash for the outcrop of rocks where they had hidden with Toklo the night before. From there they peered out at the metal bird.
Its side slid open and three male flat-faces got out. They wore black pelts and carried thin, square objects in their paws; sniffing, Kallik picked up a harsh,unnatural tang, and her pelt prickled with disgust.
‘I’ve never smelled flat-faces like these before,’ she whispered to Lusa. More acrid scents came from them, scents like nothing Kallik had smelled in the wild.
‘Who are they?’ Lusa asked, but Kallik couldn’t find an answer.
The three flat-faces stood together for a moment, talking in soft voices. They looked nothing like the flat-faces in this denning area; their pelts were different and their head-fur was short and sleek. Kallik wondered if the metal bird had brought them from far away. She wished it would take them back again.
Suddenly the doors of several dens were flung open and some flat-faces came out. Kallik shoved Lusa back into the cover of the rocks. ‘Don’t let any of them see us,’ she hissed.
‘Maybe they’re going to fight each other,’ Lusa suggested. ‘Like brown bears do if strangers come into their territory.’
Kallik poked her snout from behind the rock to see the flat-faces who lived there going up to the strangers and holding out their front paws to be shaken. It didn’t look like they were angry that the other flat-faces had come.
The flat-faces led the visitors into one of the biggest dens. The healer emerged from his den and went to join them.
‘It’s some sort of flat-face gathering,’ Kallik reported to Lusa. ‘I wonder what it’s for.’ She kept her gaze fixed on the door where the flat-faces had disappeared. Could the healer have guessed that Ujurak wasn’t a real flat-face, and then told those others, who had come in the metal bird to take him away?
We should never have brought Ujurak here
, she thought.
But he was dying! What else could we have done?
‘We have to get Ujurak out of there,’ Lusa declared. She was obviously thinking the same thing. ‘Quickly, while all the flat-faces are talking.’
Kallik looked around for any flat-faces that were still outside, but the spaces between the huts were empty. She guessed that most of them were in the big den. ‘Let’s go,’ she whispered.
They raced across the open ground and halted in front of the door to the healer’s den. Lusa studied it.
‘Be quick!’ Kallik urged her.
‘Keep watch,’ Lusa hissed, not taking her eyes off the door. A moment later she squeezed one paw into the gap between the door and the door frame, andwriggled it around. For a long time nothing happened; Lusa was muttering under her breath, while Kallik’s pelt prickled with fear that one of the flat-faces would come out and spot them.
At last Kallik heard a click. ‘Got it!’ Lusa puffed, pushing the door open.
Every hair on Kallik’s pelt stood on
Kallik sprang away from the window. Turning toward the sound, she saw a metal bird hovering further down the valley. It was heading for the denning place. For a few moments it clattered abovethe dens, its metal wings whirling, then swooped down towards a stretch of open ground.
‘What is it?’ Lusa yelped, her voice shrill with fright.
Kallik’s heart was pounding and her breath came harsh and fast. Memories exploded in her mind, of her terrifying flight with Nanuk underneath that other metal bird, the one that had fallen out of the sky. She remembered the fire, the sudden rush of freezing snow, and watching Nanuk die, leaving her all alone.
‘They take bears away!’ she replied to Lusa, fighting panic.
‘We’ve got to hide,’ barked Lusa as they watched the metal bird settle on the ground, its whirling wings slowing to a stop.
Clinging to the shadows, they crept towards the edge of the denning place and then made a dash for the outcrop of rocks where they had hidden with Toklo the night before. From there they peered out at the metal bird.
Its side slid open and three male flat-faces got out. They wore black pelts and carried thin, square objects in their paws; sniffing, Kallik picked up a harsh,unnatural tang, and her pelt prickled with disgust.
‘I’ve never smelled flat-faces like these before,’ she whispered to Lusa. More acrid scents came from them, scents like nothing Kallik had smelled in the wild.
‘Who are they?’ Lusa asked, but Kallik couldn’t find an answer.
The three flat-faces stood together for a moment, talking in soft voices. They looked nothing like the flat-faces in this denning area; their pelts were different and their head-fur was short and sleek. Kallik wondered if the metal bird had brought them from far away. She wished it would take them back again.
Suddenly the doors of several dens were flung open and some flat-faces came out. Kallik shoved Lusa back into the cover of the rocks. ‘Don’t let any of them see us,’ she hissed.
‘Maybe they’re going to fight each other,’ Lusa suggested. ‘Like brown bears do if strangers come into their territory.’
Kallik poked her snout from behind the rock to see the flat-faces who lived there going up to the strangers and holding out their front paws to be shaken. It didn’t look like they were angry that the other flat-faces had come.
The flat-faces led the visitors into one of the biggest dens. The healer emerged from his den and went to join them.
‘It’s some sort of flat-face gathering,’ Kallik reported to Lusa. ‘I wonder what it’s for.’ She kept her gaze fixed on the door where the flat-faces had disappeared. Could the healer have guessed that Ujurak wasn’t a real flat-face, and then told those others, who had come in the metal bird to take him away?
We should never have brought Ujurak here
, she thought.
But he was dying! What else could we have done?
‘We have to get Ujurak out of there,’ Lusa declared. She was obviously thinking the same thing. ‘Quickly, while all the flat-faces are talking.’
Kallik looked around for any flat-faces that were still outside, but the spaces between the huts were empty. She guessed that most of them were in the big den. ‘Let’s go,’ she whispered.
They raced across the open ground and halted in front of the door to the healer’s den. Lusa studied it.
‘Be quick!’ Kallik urged her.
‘Keep watch,’ Lusa hissed, not taking her eyes off the door. A moment later she squeezed one paw into the gap between the door and the door frame, andwriggled it around. For a long time nothing happened; Lusa was muttering under her breath, while Kallik’s pelt prickled with fear that one of the flat-faces would come out and spot them.
At last Kallik heard a click. ‘Got it!’ Lusa puffed, pushing the door open.
Every hair on Kallik’s pelt stood on
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