After a pause that seemed to last for more than a moon, the newcomer dropped to all four paws, huffing with age. Toklo relaxed slightly. Maybe he’s not looking for a fight, either.

The old bear stood still for a moment, eyeing Toklo with a mixture of caution and hostility. When he peered past Toklo and spotted Lusa, Kallik, and Yakone, he took a pace backward, letting out a snort of astonishment.

“Two white bears and a black bear?” he growled. “Where have they come from? What are they doing here?”

“It’s a long story,” Toklo responded. Between the old bear’s astonishment and his realization that there were other bears on Toklo’s side, Toklo sensed that the danger was over. “My name is Toklo,” he went on. “This is the place where I was born. Who are you?”

“My name’s Maniitok,” the old bear told him. “And this isn’t my territory. I live over there.” He jerked his head toward the area farther upstream. “But I’ll warn you—it isn’t safe to stay anywhere too long.”

“Why not?” Toklo asked.

Maniitok flopped down into the ferns at the edge of the stream. “A pack of wolves have been prowling the forest,” he said. “They’ve come down from the top of the ridge, looking for food.”

“Wolves!” Lusa exclaimed, while Kallik let out a disgusted snort.

“They’re here to hunt, but they’ve been known to attack brown bears that get in their way,” Maniitok went on. “Some cubs have even been killed. Most of us have moved away . . . it’s that or fight to the death over prey.”

“Wait—wolves can kill brown bears?” Lusa asked. “Aren’t you guys too big for that?”

Maniitok gave her a long look before replying. “A whole pack of wolves can kill a bear if they’re determined enough. And these wolves are determined, believe me. You shouldn’t plan on staying here.”

Toklo remembered the pawprints and unusual scent around the rabbit burrow and realized that it must have been wolves that dug it up. “They don’t seem to bother you, though,” he commented.

Maniitok huffed with amusement. “No, they don’t. I’m too old to be a threat, and I don’t take much prey anyway.” Letting out a long sigh, he hauled himself to his paws and dipped his muzzle in the stream for a drink. Then he swung around, scattering water droplets from his snout.

“There’s also one brown bear you need to watch out for,” he warned Toklo as he headed for his own territory. “I don’t know his name, but some of us call him Old Grizzly. He’s been fighting back against the wolves and has become aggressive to all creatures. He won’t take kindly to strangers.”

“We’ll be careful,” Toklo responded as Maniitok padded away. “Good luck!” he called after him. “May the spirits be with you!”