Lusa didn’t think a grouse was enough to share between four. Maybe that’s why Makya sounds so unfriendly. “No thanks, I’m not hungry,” she responded, even though the scent of prey was making her jaws water. “I just want to talk to your mother.”

She padded over to Makya, who gave her a grudging nod as Lusa sat down beside her. “Well?” she prompted.

“My friends and I have a plan to trap the wolves and send them back up to the ridge,” Lusa announced.

Makya stared as if Lusa had grown an extra set of ears. “And I’d really like it if prey came and jumped into my mouth,” she responded.

“No, I mean it,” Lusa insisted. “I think it’ll really work.” Quickly she outlined the plan, and the preparations she and her friends had already made. The cubs came to sit beside her and listened, their eyes growing round with excitement as she spoke.

“I suppose it might work,” Makya conceded, reluctantly. “But why are you telling me about it?”

“We want your help,” Lusa told her. “We need as many bears as possible to chase the wolves up to the ridge.”

“Yes!” Fala bounced up and down. “No more wolves!”

Makya gave her cub a gentle cuff over the ear. “That’s enough!” she said. To Lusa she added, “I’m sorry, but I can’t help. I can’t put myself in danger. Who will look after my cubs if I die?”

“Look,” Lusa said. She didn’t want to frighten the cubs, but she realized this was no time to be gentle in her words. “Your cubs are in danger every day from the wolves. Don’t you want to raise them in a place where you don’t have to be scared to let them out of your sight? Remember how worried you were earlier, when you couldn’t find them?”

“Mother, please!” Fala said. “It would be really great not to have to be scared of the wolves.”

“Yes,” Flo added. “Lusa, we want to help!”

“No,” Lusa said. “You two have to stay safe. Makya can’t be worried about you when she’s chasing the wolves.”

“Who said I’m going to chase them?” Makya demanded. She reached out a paw to touch Fala’s head and then Flo’s. Her gaze softened. “Okay,” she agreed heavily. “I’ll come to the ravine at dusk tomorrow. But I’m still not convinced. If it looks like the plan will go wrong, I’m out of there.”

“Thank you,” Lusa said. “I need to find Maniitok to ask for his help, too,” she added. “Do you know where he lives?”