Kallik looked up hopefully as Lusa approached, but her hopeful look died when she saw that Lusa wasn’t carrying anything. “You didn’t find any herbs?” she asked.

“No. But I’ve thought of a way to help Yakone!” Lusa burst out.

“What?” Toklo looked up with a mouthful of squirrel in his jaws. His tone was sharp, and there was suspicion in his eyes.

Lusa suddenly realized there was no way her friends would let her go into the flat-face denning place, especially not alone. They’ll say it’s too dangerous, and that we don’t need flat-face help. But we do! It could be the only way to save Yakone.

“Er . . .” Lusa began, improvising desperately, “I saw a place at the bottom of a valley where I think the right herbs will grow. It looks like the sort of area I’ve seen before with Ujurak. But it’ll take a day to get there, so I’ll be gone for two days.”

Toklo stared at her. “No way!” he snapped. “You’re not going off by yourself for two days. What about the wolves?”

“We haven’t scented any wolves since last night,” Lusa pointed out. “If I spot any, I’ll climb a tree to get away from them. And I can sleep in a tree tonight.”

Kallik glanced at Yakone, who still lay inert, his shallow, harsh breaths the only thing that showed he was alive. Then she looked back at Lusa, clearly torn between her fears for her two friends. “It’s too dangerous,” she said.

“No, it’s not,” Lusa insisted. “And I promise if I run into trouble I’ll turn back.”

“You might not get the chance,” Toklo grunted. “No, it’s a bee-brained idea.”

Lusa looked him straight in the eye. “Yakone might die if I don’t do this.”

There was a murmur of protest from Kallik.

Toklo met Lusa’s gaze, then rose to his paws. “Okay, but I’m coming with you.”

Lusa hadn’t expected that. I can’t let him. If Toklo doesn’t want me to go to a valley with herbs, he’ll never let me anywhere near the denning place!

“You can’t,” she said. “You have to stay here and help Kallik take care of Yakone. She can’t do that on her own.”

Toklo was silent for a moment, looking frustrated. “I don’t like it,” he muttered at last.

“I know,” Lusa replied, “but it could be Yakone’s only chance. Remember all the times you risked your lives to help me?” she continued, glancing from Toklo to Kallik and back again. Her heart grew full at the memories of how they had been willing to sacrifice themselves for her, time after time. “Now it’s my turn. You have to trust me.”

Toklo turned to Kallik. “What do you think?”