After that, Lusa was more careful, staying farther back and almost losing the white bears when she had to struggle through dense undergrowth. Emerging into a clearing, she looked up and realized that she couldn’t see them anymore.

“No!” she exclaimed, springing forward in a frantic dash along their scent trail.

Lusa burst into the open on the rocky shoulder of the hill. The two white bears were a long way above her already, climbing upward toward the thin line of snow that was just visible on the horizon.

When Kallik and Yakone were no more than two white dots against the hillside, Lusa suddenly felt very alone in the huge forest. “Good-bye and good luck,” she whispered as she gazed after them. Then she hurried back to Toklo.

The brown bear was sitting on the edge of the den and rose to his paws when Lusa appeared. “I thought you’d gotten lost,” he said gruffly. “We need to move on.”

“Why?” Lusa asked.

“Because it’s too dangerous to stay in this den now that the wolves know we’re here. Without Kallik and Yakone, we won’t be able to defend ourselves if they come back again.”

Lusa felt small and useless. “Can’t we get branches and build up the walls of the den?” she suggested.

“No,” Toklo replied curtly. “I’m not going to make myself a captive and hide from wolves as if I was in an eagle’s nest! I’ll find us somewhere different to live instead.”

Not waiting for Lusa to respond, he stomped off through the trees, and Lusa had to scamper to catch up. Toklo was heading upward in the opposite direction from where Kallik and Yakone had gone. He can’t stand to follow them, Lusa thought. I know he’s hurting inside, but he’ll never let any other bear see it. She wished she could comfort Toklo and share her own sadness that the white bears had gone. But we always knew we wouldn’t be together forever, she reminded herself. And if Toklo and I have found a place we can live, then Kallik and Yakone deserve to go back to the ice.

Looking around at the quiet forest, Lusa felt a tremor of doubt about making it her home. Where are all the black bears? We haven’t seen a single one! Have the wolves chased them away? Then she remembered how surprised Maniitok and Aiyanna had been when they saw her. Black bears can’t be living in this forest, if the brown bears have never seen one before.

Lusa couldn’t imagine being on her own and having to compete with wolves for food and shelter. But if this wasn’t the end of her journey, she couldn’t think where it might be. Back in the Bear Bowl? No . . . I’m a wild bear now!