“What happened to the other bears?” Toklo asked, glancing around. “They should be here by now.”

Lusa had a moment’s misgiving, afraid that the others would let them down at the last moment. Then she spotted movement on the grassy slope that led up to the forest. Makya and her two cubs appeared out of the gloom and padded to her side.

“Here we are,” Makya announced.

The two cubs were buzzing with like a tree full of bees, as though excited to be surrounded by strong, grown bears.

“You two have to stay back and out of the way,” Toklo instructed them. “This is going to be dangerous.”

Fala and Flo shared a disappointed glance, then both nodded solemnly.

“You can help by throwing stones and twigs down on the wolves,” Lusa comforted them. “Not to hurt them; we just want them to be scared.”

“And once the wolves come out of the ravine, you hide,” Makya told them severely.

As she spoke, there was more movement on the slope, and Maniitok appeared. He was bouncing on his hindpaws, ready to fight, with forepaws slashing at the air. “When do we start?” he asked.

“Soon,” Lusa promised him, surprised once again at how nimble the old bear was. “We’re just waiting for Aiyanna.”

“I’m here,” Aiyanna said, appearing quietly from the shadows. She turned to Toklo and added, “I said I would come.”

Toklo ducked his head in acknowledgment.

Aiyanna was carrying a squirrel in her jaws and added it to the prey Toklo and Lusa had caught earlier that day: a young deer, which had been a real catch, and a couple of grouse.

“Okay,” Toklo said. “Let’s get this prey down into the ravine before the wolves come.”

Together he and Aiyanna dragged the prey to the top of the rocks and pushed everything over the edge. By now the moon was shining brightly enough to show the carcasses as they bounced their way to the bottom; their scent hung on the air, tempting and warm.

“This had better work,” Toklo muttered. “That’s a lot of good prey.”

Somewhere in the distance Lusa heard a howl. Her pelt started to prickle as the howl was answered by others from different directions. “They’re coming,” she whispered.

Lusa and Toklo had deliberately left strong scent trails through the forest as they dragged the prey to the ravine. Wherever the wolves were, they should be able to pick up one of the trails.

Makya and Maniitok were looking over the edge of the ravine, while Yakone explained the traps they had set. Both of them looked startled when they realized the amount of preparation that had taken place.

“I’m more used to straightforward fighting,” Maniitok said dubiously.

“We’ve tried that. It will take more than fighting to beat these wolves,” Toklo retorted.