With Yakone in the lead, he and Kallik began to climb the shaft. Kallik thought that it felt like an old, steep riverbed with the water long gone. The stones were slippery with melting snow, and some of them were loose. Kallik was worried about how Yakone would manage, and braced herself to stop him if he fell backward. But the white bear heaved himself up steadily, never pausing until they emerged at the top of the cliff.

“Thank the spirits!” Kallik panted as she scrambled out of the shaft. Her legs were shaking with the effort, and she paused to take a look around. Steep slopes swept upward in front of her, leading to the ridge. On the open ground the snow was thin, but it grew thicker farther up the slopes and lay in deeper drifts in hollows and in the shelter of rocks. The top of the ridge was a clear-cut white outline against the sky.

While Kallik stood there, Yakone plunged forward and hurled himself into the nearest snowdrift, snuffling at it and throwing snow up in the air to fall in clots onto his pelt. He’s acting like a cub! Kallik thought with a huff of amusement. Racing across the ground, she hurled herself into the snow beside Yakone, rolling over in it and reveling in the cold.

I’d forgotten it was like this, she thought joyfully. It’s so crisp, so icy, and it reminds me of home.

Then she sat up, suddenly struck by the differences from the snow she was used to. This snow didn’t lie over a frozen sea, and it didn’t have the salty tang that was so familiar to her. It felt strange to scrape down and hit stones and rock so quickly.

But it’s still wonderful! Kallik decided. Now I’m sure we did the right thing coming up here.

Chapter Fourteen - Lusa

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Lusa

Lusa’s heart swelled with grief as Kallik and Yakone headed off through the trees. Unable to face losing them, she rose to her paws and slunk furtively after them, keeping them in sight and ducking behind bushes when they stopped to look around.

“I know I’m being ridiculous,” she murmured to herself. “I’m just not ready to say good-bye.” I wonder what Ujurak would think about us splitting up, she added silently.

Slipping between two pine trees, she startled a young deer, and her heart thumped as the creature raced into the open, right past the two white bears. Lusa crouched behind some ferns and froze, hoping desperately that Kallik and Yakone wouldn’t chase the deer straight back toward her. Peering out, she saw them halt briefly, then ignore the prey and keep going.