‘It would make it much easier to get up accurate maps. But women aren’t allowed such indulgences, of course. Not yet, anyway. But one day things will change, and I will be soaring above bear country, tracking my prey like an eagle. Meanwhile, I must be content to rummage through old ruins, trying to imagine how bears lived in them.’

Like Coral and Fragrant, she was dressed in a padded black jacket and loose black cotton trews, the clothing traditionally worn by men in the construction trade. She claimed that she and her friends had adopted it out of practical necessity, although Pilgrim suspected that it was a statement of intent, too. A studied defiance of convention.

Poppy did not have much time for convention, or traditional roles. She was a sturdy spirited person with a quick and lively mind, born into a family of scholars who supported her work and her life choices. ‘I want pups, but not just yet,’ she said. ‘First, I want to establish myself and help to bring about recognition for women scholars.’ And, ‘I never wanted to be like a man. I just want the freedom men have.’

She enjoyed Pilgrim’s stories about his grandfather’s adventures as a bear trapper, and took the idea that the visitors might have made contact with bear civilisation very seriously. She had read Master Able’s book on his early work on the archaeology of bear cities and his monographs about bear culture and selective changes in their anatomy after their fall, and was amused by Pilgrim’s stories about his master’s eccentricities and kindnesses, his feuds and friendships with other scholars.

‘It’s plain to see that you miss him,’ she said.

‘I wish I could tell him about the map, and my visit to the ruins of the new city,’ Pilgrim said. ‘He would listen to my ideas, tell me that I had made a good start and then proceed to draw connections I had not thought of and point out patterns I had failed to see.’