Toklo realized that his father wasn’t taking the fight seriously. Even though I beat him last time, he still thinks I’m a cub who he can just scare off. Well, we’ll see about that!

With a roar of rage Toklo hurled himself at his father. Meeting him head-on, he batted at Chogan with blow after blow, feeling his claws rake through fur to the flesh below. A sharp reek of blood caught him in the throat. Chogan let out a furious bellow. Thrusting Toklo back, he crashed into him and carried him off his paws. As Toklo writhed helplessly like a beetle on its back, Chogan raked Toklo’s exposed belly over and over again. His head reeling from the pain, Toklo raised his hindpaws and slammed them into his father’s chest. Chogan lurched upright, giving Toklo time to roll away and scramble to his paws.

Toklo’s blood was turning the grass scarlet and slippery. With a jolt, he realized that he was fighting for his life. At last Chogan was putting out all his strength, and Toklo didn’t know now if he could win.

As Chogan charged at him again, Toklo leaped up and pulled himself onto his father’s back. Lashing out with one forepaw, he aimed for Chogan’s eyes and ears. But Chogan reared up on his hind legs again, and Toklo couldn’t keep his balance. He hit the ground with a thump that jarred every bone in his body. Before he could get up, Chogan was on top of him. Locked together, the two bears rolled over and over, crushing the undergrowth and sending a bird squawking into the trees.

Chogan was the first to break away, surging to his paws and flinging himself back into the attack. But as he hurled himself at Toklo, he tripped over an oak root and crashed to the ground, his paws waving wildly.

Toklo knew that he could leap on top of his father while he was half-stunned and finish the fight. But where’s the satisfaction in that? he thought. That doesn’t show either of us that I’m stronger. He stepped back and waited for his father to get up.

Chogan staggered to his paws and faced Toklo. “Weakling!” he spat. “You’ll never win if you give me a chance to recover!”

The taunt made Toklo seethe, but he still made himself wait until his father had regained his balance. Then he lunged forward again, rose to his hindpaws, and used his forepaws to pummel Chogan over and over, forcing him backward pawstep by pawstep. Chogan fought back viciously with snapping teeth and raking claws, but his strength was ebbing.

At last Toklo knocked him off his paws and landed on top of him, pinning him down. “You thought I couldn’t win?” he snarled into Chogan’s ear.