Toklo heaved himself out of the stream and padded over to join Lusa, water pouring from his fur. As he bent his head to sniff the little cubs, both of them bared their teeth, growling fiercely, and showed their tiny claws.

“Stay away from us!” the bigger cub warned him. “We’ll fight you if we have to!”

Toklo let out a grunt, admiring the small bear’s courage.

“We’re not going to hurt you, little ones,” Lusa assured them. “Are you here on your own?”

“Yes, we—” the smaller cub began.

Her littermate turned on her. “Shut up!” she growled, and gave her sister a cuff around the ear.

“It’s okay,” the smaller cub retorted, swiping back at her sister. “Mama told us to look out for wolves, not bears.”

The bigger cub rolled her eyes. “Like bears aren’t dangerous!”

“Mama went off to hunt,” the smaller cub went on, clearly unafraid and happy to chat. “She’ll be back soon. She made us hide in case the wolves attack while she’s gone.”

“Yes,” her sister hissed. “That means hide, fur-brain!”

The smaller cub ignored her. “I want the wolves to attack,” she confided. “Then I can show them how strong and fierce I am! Watch!”

Springing up on top of the rock, she reared up on her hindpaws and batted at the air with tiny, soft forepaws. “Take that, wolf!” she squeaked. “Run away, or I’ll eat—”

She broke off with a yelp of surprise as she lost her balance and slipped off the rock into the stream.

Her sister leaped up, but Lusa blocked her before she could reach the water to help her littermate. “It’s okay,” she said. “Toklo will get her.”

Toklo leaned out over the stream and gripped the smaller cub’s scruff in his teeth when she came up for air. The cub flailed her paws as Toklo plopped her down onto the rock again.

“That was amazing!” she squealed. “Did you see me swimming?” She shook herself vigorously, splattering her sister with drops of water.

“Get back under cover,” the other cub said, giving her a gentle shove into the hollow where they had been hiding. Looking back at Toklo, her gaze still wary, she added, “Thank you for helping. She’s too little to understand. She doesn’t even know what a wolf is.”

Toklo fought with a sudden pang of memory. I was like that once, protecting my brother. “You should look after each other,” he said. “But I haven’t seen any wolves near here, so you should be safe today.”

Dipping his head, Toklo was turning away when Lusa protested, “Can’t we stay and play with them?”

“Oh, yes!” The smaller cub’s head bobbed up again. “Teach us some new games!”