“Yakone, you just fought off a whole pack of wolves,” Kallik pointed out. “You should feel proud.” Affection welled up inside her as she gazed at him; she was glad all over again that he had decided to come with her.

“I suppose someone ought to hunt,” Yakone said, rising to his paws.

“Yes, but it won’t be you,” Lusa told him sharply. “You rest for now and keep weight off that injured paw.”

Yakone looked like he was going to argue, then shrugged and settled down in his trampled nest. “I guess you’re right,” he admitted reluctantly.

Watching him, Kallik noticed how matted and dusty his pelt was. She was filled with longing to repay Yakone for his loyalty by taking him somewhere safe, somewhere he could feel at home. He’s too generous to admit how much he hates the forest. And he’s not strong enough yet to head back to the Melting Sea. But there is somewhere closer we could try. . . .

“Where’s Toklo?” she asked Lusa.

“Somewhere up there,” Lusa replied, jerking her head toward the entrance to the den. “He’s trying to see if we can repair the barrier.”

“I need to talk to him.”

Kallik clambered out of the den and found Toklo staring in disgust at the remains of the bushes that had sheltered the den. The whole area was a mess of snapped twigs, trampled undergrowth, and the stench of hungry wolves. As Kallik approached he pushed at a bush that was partly uprooted, but as soon as he let it go, it flopped to the ground again.

“We can’t stay here,” Toklo muttered. “We’ll have to move on.”

“I agree,” Kallik responded, taking a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to say. “In fact, I want to take Yakone up to the peaks, where you and Lusa saw the snow.”

Toklo swiveled around from checking the destruction and stared at her, startled. “But there’s no food up there!” he protested. “That’s why the wolves have come down here. And there are no trees.”

“We’re snow bears,” Kallik pointed out. “We’ll find food.”

“But this is my home,” Toklo began. Clearly he hadn’t understood what Kallik was trying to tell him. “At least, this is where I want to find a territory for myself. And now you want us all to go trekking up onto the peaks?”

“No,” Kallik responded, already beginning to feel the pain of parting. “I know this is where you want to live. But you don’t need me or Yakone to do that. And we don’t belong in the forest.”

Toklo gazed at her with a mixture of anger and hurt flaring in his eyes. “I lived with you on the ice for moons!” he protested. “You haven’t gone hungry in the forest, have you?”