His friends settled down around him. Lusa was soon snoring, her paws wrapped over her nose. Ujurak yawned, flattened the grass to make a smoother spot to lie on, then followed her into sleep. Kallik stayed awake longer, her snout raised and her gaze fixed on the sky, but at last her head drooped and her eyes closed.

Toklo found that he couldn’t sleep. He watched the river turn to red as the sun sank towards the horizon, then fade to the colour of storm clouds as the last rays of light shrank behind the mountains. He wriggled, trying to find a position that would send him to sleep. But the ground beside the rocks was soft and grass-covered; there weren’t any loose pebbles digging into him to keep him awake. No, it was the scent of the caribou herd, still trailing tantalisingly from the hills they had crossed, that was stopping him from going to sleep. So much food, all in one place, clicking their way into his thoughts.

I’d be fine on my own, he thought. He could picture himself as a full-grown bear, striding across his own territory, marking the trees to warn off other bears. He could almost hear himself roar as he challenged his rivals and hunted down prey. He couldn’t lie still a moment longer, trying to sleep. He needed to prowl! This was his home now – he could go wherever he wanted, hunt whatever he chose. Careful not to rouse his sleeping companions, he rose to his paws and waded out into the river.

The surface of the water was a sheet of rippling silver touched with white foam where the river splintered against rocks. The only sound was the gurgling of the current. Toklo took in deep breaths of the clear mountain air, enjoying the icy touch of water against his legs. He felt exhilarated to see night falling again, after so many moons without true darkness. He could feel his dusty pelt being washed clean by the river, his pads soft and cool on the smooth round stones so that the moons of journeying faded away.

His grumbling belly brought him back to reality. Bending his head, he studied the water and soon spotted the dark grey flicker that betrayed the presence of a fish. He settled himself more comfortably, legs braced against the current, and waited.