Toklo thought back to when he had seen the female cub. They had run away from her den, afraid that they would be pursued. He wasn’t sure of the direction they had taken.

Lusa prodded him in the side with her snout. ‘Quick, Toklo! The flat-faces are catching up!’

As she was speaking, Toklo heard a shout behind him and glanced back to see flat-faces appearing at the other end of the alley. They had a dog with them; it let out a full-throated baying sound. What difference would it make if they found the cub? At worst, they would be caught by flat-faces – and it looked like that was going to happen anyway.

‘This way!’ Toklo snapped, heading off in what he hoped was the right direction. ‘But let me remind you: the last flat-faces you thought were nice were just letting off firesticks at us.’

‘There’s the big white den!’ Lusa exclaimed a moment later. ‘I can smell the bins we knocked over. Now it should be this way . . .’

The bears weaved their way among the Black-Paths. Twice they had to crouch in the shadows while the wailing firebeast passed them, and once they ducked under a low-growing tree to hide from a metal bird.

Toklo began to feel as if he couldn’t run any more. He knew he was lost. The BlackPaths all looked the same. The den where he had seen the female cub was just like all the other dens in this horrible place. His legs ached from running and his chest heaved as he tried to gulp in air.

‘It’s no good . . .’ he gasped.

‘Toklo!’ Kallik had drawn a few paces ahead, to the corner of another BlackPath. ‘I can smell our scent! We can follow it back the way we came.’

‘Brilliant!’ Lusa put on a spurt of speed to join the white bear, with Ujurak hard on her paws. Toklo forced his legs to go on pounding after them.

Kallik led them round another corner. For the moment they seemed to have shaken off the pursuit.

Then Toklo spotted a den with a crooked tree growing beside it. The roof came right down over the door, like shaggy fur almost covering a bear’s eyes. ‘This is the place!’ he barked. ‘We can try, but I still think it’s a bad idea.’

Glancing from side to side, he led the way across the BlackPath and darted into the shadows beside the house. Padding along the wall, he reached the gap where he remembered seeing the cub. Rearing up on his hind legs, he tried to look in. There was a light in the den beyond, but pelts covered the gap.

Toklo nudged the shiny stuff with his snout. Almost at once a pink paw appeared, sweeping the pelt aside. The little female cub was gazing back at him.

‘Help! Help us!’ Lusa begged. ‘Flat-faces are chasing us.’

The cub looked alarmed, backing away from the window.