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Back The Last Wilderness Save as PDF
Chapters (76)
  1. Also By
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Map
  6. Chapter One: Ujurak
  7. CHAPTER ONE:
  8. Chapter Two: Lusa
  9. CHAPTER TWO:
  10. Chapter Three: Toklo
  11. CHAPTER THREE:
  12. Chapter Four: Kallik
  13. CHAPTER FOUR:
  14. Chapter Five: Lusa
  15. CHAPTER FIVE:
  16. Chapter Six: Toklo
  17. CHAPTER SIX:
  18. Chapter Seven: Toklo
  19. CHAPTER SEVEN:
  20. Chapter Eight: Ujurak
  21. CHAPTER EIGHT:
  22. Chapter Nine: Kallik
  23. CHAPTER NINE:
  24. Chapter Ten: Lusa
  25. CHAPTER TEN:
  26. Chapter Eleven: Toklo
  27. CHAPTER ELEVEN:
  28. Chapter Twelve: Ujurak
  29. CHAPTER TWELVE:
  30. Chapter Thirteen: Kallik
  31. CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
  32. Chapter Fourteen: Ujurak
  33. CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
  34. Chapter Fifteen: Toklo
  35. CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
  36. Chapter Sixteen: Kallik
  37. CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
  38. Chapter Seventeen: Ujurak
  39. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
  40. Chapter Eighteen: Lusa
  41. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
  42. Chapter Nineteen: Ujurak
  43. CHAPTER NINETEEN:
  44. Chapter Twenty: Toklo
  45. CHAPTER TWENTY:
  46. Chapter Twenty-One: Ujurak
  47. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
  48. Chapter Twenty-Two: Kallik
  49. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:
  50. Chapter Twenty-Three: Lusa
  51. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:
  52. Chapter Twenty-Four: Toklo
  53. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:
  54. Chapter Twenty-Five: Lusa
  55. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
  56. Chapter Twenty-Six: Toklo
  57. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:
  58. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Kallik
  59. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:
  60. Chapter Twenty-Eight: Lusa
  61. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:
  62. Chapter Twenty-Nine: Ujurak
  63. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:
  64. Chapter Thirty: Kallik
  65. CHAPTER THIRTY:
  66. Chapter Thirty-One: Toklo
  67. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE:
  68. Chapter Thirty-Two: Ujurak
  69. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:
  70. Chapter Thirty-Three: Ujurak
  71. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE:
  72. Chapter Thirty-Four: Kallik
  73. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR:
  74. About the Author
  75. About the Publisher
  76. Cover

Then she halted abruptly as a huge paw rested on her back. ‘Wait, little one,’ came the voice of the mother bear. ‘The ice will soon return.’

The whispering of the spirits faded, drowned by the cries of seabirds and the rush of wind in Kallik’s ears. She became aware once more of the wide stretch of open sea that separated her from the ice.

Kallik wrenched herself free from the lure of the ice. She was standing several bearlengths from the shore, the waves washing against her belly fur. Beside her, the she-bear watched her with worried bright eyes.

‘Sorry,’ Kallik said hoarsely, beginning to head back to shore. ‘You’re right. I’ll wait.’ Wading out of the sea, she shook water from her pelt and dipped her head to the mother bear. ‘Thank you.’

‘You’re welcome, young one,’ the mother bear replied. ‘Maybe we will meet again, on the ice.’

‘I hope so,’ Kallik replied.

Calling her cubs to her, the mother bear trudged off along the shore. With one more curious stare at Kallik, the cubs followed, their stubby tails bobbing as they scampered over the stones. Kallik glanced across to where Lusa and Ujurak were still peering anxiously from behind the bush.

‘Are you OK?’ Lusa called.

‘Fine,’ Kallik replied, plodding up the beach to join them.

Their concern for her filled her with warmth, but she knew that however much she loved them, the pull of the ice was stronger. For the first time, she realised that when the ice came close enough to the shore, she would be able to leave them without regret.

My path is different from theirs, she told herself. Soon I must go where they can’t follow.

Chapter Five: Lusa

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CHAPTER FIVE:

Lusa

Lusa, Kallik and Ujurak turned back towards the low hills. Lusa kept close to Kallik’s side and her anxiety gradually ebbed away. For a few heart-stopping moments she had thought that her friend was going to leave her forever and swim out towards the glittering ice on the horizon. Relief had flooded over her when Kallik had turned back.

But she’ll go as soon as the ice reaches the shore, a small inner voice nagged at her.

Lusa pushed the thought away. She would deal with parting from Kallik when it happened, and not before. For a while they wandered along, following the line of the shore. Ujurak bounded down to the water’s edge to sniff at a piece of wood washed up on the pebbles, only to bounce out of the way as a bigger wave surged in and swirled around his paws.

‘I’m soaked!’ he exclaimed, trotting back towards his friends, scattering shining water drops from his fur.

Kallik nudged his shoulder with her snout. ‘Now do you know how wonderful it is to have your paws in the ocean?’