Lusa could hear the wolves growling softly, their pawsteps crunching through the bracken. “Go!” she barked, boosting Fala up the trunk next.

Thankfully, she saw that Fala had gotten the idea of how to climb and quickly scrambled up the tree to join her sister on the branch.

At the same moment the first wolf launched itself from the undergrowth, racing across the clearing with massive strides. A second wolf was close behind. Lusa hurled herself up the tree behind the cubs, with teeth snapping at her hindpaws.

“Go higher!” she gasped when she reached the branch where the cubs were crouching. “Go! I won’t let you fall!”

Wailing with terror, the two cubs clambered farther up the tree, clinging to the trunk as they gazed down at the ravenous wolves. Two of them circled the tree, their jaws gaping and their tongues lolling. Now and again they jumped up, raking their forepaws down the bark. After a few moments they lay down, their forelegs stretched out and their heads alert as they gazed with angry yellow eyes at the bears huddled in the tree. Lusa thought these wolves looked young; they were smaller than the ones that had attacked Chogan, but they were still dangerous.

How long can we stay up here? Lusa wondered. She could see that the cubs were already getting tired. They won’t be able to hang on much longer.

Then Lusa heard new pawsteps approaching, and a voice called out, “Fala! Flo! Where are you?”

“It’s our mother!” Fala gasped.

Oh no! Lusa thought. The wolves will hear her!

Already the wolves had risen to their paws, their ears pricked as they sniffed the air. The mother bear called out again; she was getting closer.

“I have your cubs up here!” Lusa shouted. “Look out! There are wolves!”

There was a loud crackle and the mother bear launched herself through the undergrowth, her teeth bared in a ferocious snarl, her claws out, ready to slash at the wolves as she hurtled toward them. The wolves leaped at her. The she-bear rose on her hindpaws and swiped at them, but she couldn’t fight both of them at once. One of them fastened its teeth in her hindquarters while the other sprang up and grabbed hold of her shoulder, pulling her down to all four paws again.

“Oh no!” Flo whimpered. “The wolves will eat her!”

“No, they won’t,” Lusa said. “You two just hold on tight!”

Her heart thudding in panic, Lusa jumped to the ground and hurled herself on the nearest wolf. It let go of the she-bear with a growl and turned on Lusa; they rolled over and over together, paws flailing and teeth snapping. Lusa felt a sharp pain in her shoulder as the wolf’s jaws closed on it.