But before the wolves reached the shaft, a couple of them broke away from the pack and headed back toward the forest. Finding an extra burst of speed, they swerved around Lusa and Maniitok.

“I’ll get them back!” Lusa gasped to Maniitok. “You keep the others on track!”

As she pelted after the wolves, Lusa saw that Aiyanna and Makya had emerged from the forest. Instantly they began bounding along the edge of the trees to intercept the runaway wolves, but Lusa could see how exhausted the bears were. She knew that the wolves would disappear into the cover of the undergrowth before the brown bears could reach them. Worse still, as she glanced over her shoulder she saw that some of the other wolves had broken away, too, and were following their packmates.

Once they get into the forest, they’ll scatter! Lusa thought, almost ready to give up in weariness and frustration. And we’ll never be able to do all this again!

Lusa felt hot breath on her pelt and turned to see that a wolf was running along at her shoulder. Its eyes were fixed on her with a fierce yellow gleam. Before she could turn to defend herself, it charged into her, knocking her off her paws. Lusa rolled over and forced herself back up, her teeth bared for a fight.

But the wolf never sprang. The loud bellow of a brown bear came from the forest, and the leading wolves, which had almost reached the trees by now, doubled back as a huge bear erupted out of the undergrowth, his jaws parted in a fierce roar.

Chogan? Lusa thought disbelievingly.

A moment later she saw that she was wrong; this was a strong young bear, and Lusa thought she could detect a faint shimmer of stars in his fur. He charged at the wolves, and they fled back up the slope, passing Lusa without even glancing at her. The wolf that had run her over joined them, and the whole pack of them streamed across the open ground to where Maniitok was waiting to chase them up the shaft.

Lusa stood gazing down at the young bear, who stayed close to the trees. His brown eyes were warm and sparkling like the night sky. “Thanks, Ujurak!” Lusa called; then she spun around and raced back to the shaft to help Maniitok.

By the time she reached him, most of the wolves were scrabbling up the shaft in a panic, sending down a shower of small stones from their frantic paws. But three or four of them had turned around at the foot of the cliff, where they snarled and snapped at Maniitok as he tried to drive them upward.

“Filthy mangepelts!” he roared. “Take your tails out of here!”