Lusa leaped to his side and hurled herself at the nearest wolf, raking her claws over its shoulder. It tried to bite her, but she ducked to avoid the snapping jaws and rammed her head into its chest. That was enough for the wolf; it whirled around with a yelp and began clambering up the shaft.

Meanwhile Maniitok was driving another wolf backward with repeated battering from his forepaws. The wolf snarled defiance, but Maniitok kept coming. “Take that, you disgusting lump of fur!” he growled. “Carrion-breath! Buzzard-food!”

That wolf, too, fled for the shaft. As it vanished into the darkness, Lusa heard Izusa’s voice coming from up above. “Are you ready?”

“No, wait!” Lusa called back. “There are two more wolves to come!” She knew they had to get the last two up there quickly, so that Izusa could start the avalanche and get to safety herself. She didn’t want her to have to be up there with a pack of angry wolves any longer than needed.

The last two stragglers were growling around Maniitok, darting in to slash at him with their claws. Lusa could tell the old bear was growing tired. His courage never faltered, but he couldn’t fight both of them at once. With a last desperate effort Lusa lunged at one of the wolves, gripping its shoulder in her jaws as she tried to throw it to the ground.

While they struggled together, Maniitok drove the other wolf up the shaft and turned to help Lusa. As if it realized it was the last of its pack, her wolf tore itself free from the fight. Lusa hurled herself after it as it leaped for the shaft.

“Now, Izusa!”

Above her head Lusa heard the rattle of sticks, then a rumble like thunder. The whole mountain seemed to shake, and Lusa lost her footing. Snow from the shaft poured down around her as she struggled to get to her paws.

“Lusa!” Maniitok roared.

Lusa felt teeth meet in her scruff. A moment later she was hauled out of the way as the rest of the avalanche plunged down the shaft, filling it from top to bottom. When the crashing had died down and the snow and debris pouring out of the shaft had slowed and then stopped, Lusa found herself standing beside Maniitok, with snow up to her chest. Aiyanna and Makya were trudging toward them.

“That was terrifying!” Makya said. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Lusa replied, though her near miss with the avalanche had made her head spin and her ears buzz.

Maniitok pushed her from behind, while Aiyanna and Makya waded into the snow and cleared a path for her. Lusa staggered to the edge of the snowfall and flopped to the ground.

Kallik limped up, her eyes shining. “The wolves have gone!” she breathed.