He bounded over the last few bearlengths and lowered himself cautiously into the stream, careful not to make a splash. Kallik and Yakone followed; Kallik supported Yakone as he slid down the bank, making sure that he was steady on his paws before wading after Toklo. Lusa brought up the rear. She gasped with shock as the icy water soaked through her fur, and staggered with the force of the current, strong and fierce with snowmelt from the mountains. The water tugged at her belly and resisted every step that she took. If I’m not careful, I could be swept off my paws.

Glancing over her shoulder, she could see no signs of the wolves following them down the ravine. The howling had grown more distant, too. But Lusa had no doubt that sooner or later the wolves would reappear, loping along much faster than the bears could manage, following them for prey. She trudged along miserably against the force of the water and couldn’t see any reasonable cover on either side of the stream.

As they struggled on, Lusa heard a low, booming noise that began as a faint rumble in her ear fur and strengthened to a thunderous roar. Before long they followed the stream around a jutting rocky outcrop and found themselves confronted by a waterfall of tumbling, sparkling water. It plunged from a cliff above their heads, crashing down into a pool at the foot of the rock face. It was much smaller than the waterfall in the River of Lost Bears, but still dauntingly high, and it filled the entire gap in the trees without leaving bare rocks on either side.

“Seal rot!” Kallik exclaimed. “We can’t climb that.”

“Not in the dark,” Toklo agreed. “We might be able to find a way in daylight. But we’ll have to stay here for the rest of the night.”

Weary and discouraged, the bears dragged themselves out of the water. The sides of the ravine sloped steeply down to the edge of the pool and were covered with loose scree; it was hard to keep their balance.

“We can’t stay here,” Kallik said. “We could slide right back into the stream, and there’s nowhere to hide from the wolves.”

Lusa gave her pelt a good shake, scattering water drops everywhere. “I’ll go and explore,” she offered. “Toklo, call out if you see the wolves.”

Toklo looked as if he was going to object but said nothing. Yakone was splayed out, exhausted, on the stones, and Kallik was bending anxiously over him; it made sense for Toklo to stay on guard in case the wolves caught up.