Sunhigh had passed by the time Kallik and Yakone emerged from the trees and faced the bare, rugged shoulder of land that led up to the Sky Ridge. Twisted thorns, distorted into weird shapes by the wind, dotted the landscape, but the bulk of the forest lay behind them. The ridge itself was barely visible, a thin line of snow blurred by distance. Kallik knew they still had a long way to go.

We need to take it steadily and not put too much strain on Yakone’s injured paw.

After so long in the forest, Kallik had become used to the enclosing trees, and the open sky above the bare rocks made her feel exposed, as if hostile eyes might be watching her. At first she led the way along the edge of the forest, but Yakone kept tripping over roots, letting out grunts of pain if he stubbed his wounded paw.

I’m being silly, she thought, struggling with anxiety. Sooner or later we have to travel in the open.

“Let’s go this way,” she said aloud, heading away from the edge of the forest and along a spur of rocky ground that led up to the ridge.

Her heart beat rapidly as she and Yakone forged their way along the spur under the empty sky. Then Kallik realized that the sky wasn’t empty after all; high above their heads, a small black shape was circling lazily.

“An eagle!” she gasped.

Fear was making her paws clumsy, and watching the eagle, she slipped on a loose rock. Scrabbling to regain her balance, she would have fallen down the mountainside if Yakone hadn’t been there to block her with his solid body.

“Careful!” he exclaimed.

“Sorry,” Kallik said. “I was watching that eagle. Is it going to attack us? We should hide,” she added, looking wildly around for shelter.

“Kallik.” Yakone turned her to face him. “Calm down. We’re white bears. We’re far too big for an eagle to carry us off. Besides, my paw has healed well enough that I can take care of myself. There’s no reason to hide. If the eagle does attack, it would make excellent prey!”

Kallik huffed out a long breath. “Of course. Sorry.”

“Let’s take a rest,” Yakone suggested. He pointed with his snout to where the ground had fallen away into a hollow, with a small pool at the bottom. “You need to relax.”

Kallik padded down the rocky slope and took a long drink from the pool. The water was icy and refreshing, and her racing heart began to slow down. “I know what my problem is,” she confessed, sitting down beside Yakone. “I’m used to looking after all four of us, thinking ahead and planning where to hunt and rest, and what dangers to beware of. Toklo and Lusa would do that, too. We were all responsible for one another’s safety.”