Ujurak stood still for a moment, staring at the geese. Then his neck grew longer and thinner; his snout shrank and changed into a beak. His body became smaller, while his forelegs stretched out into wings. A ripple passed across his brown fur as it changed into white feathers. His hind legs grew spindly, with webbed feet instead of paws. At last, with a harsh cry, a snow goose took off, circled in the air above the bears’ heads, and then flew over and alighted among the flock.

‘I’ll never get used to that,’ Lusa whispered.

Toklo kept his gaze fixed on the flock. They were feeding so close together, he was already uncertain which goose was Ujurak. And there was no sign of him transforming back into a bear again.

‘What’s he waiting for?’ Toklo said irritably. ‘Can’t he remember that he’s really a bear?’

Kallik was scanning the flock, her eyes narrowed.

‘I think that’s him,’ she said, pointing with her snout. ‘The big one, with the brown mark on his side.’

Lusa shook her head. ‘I didn’t notice any brown mark when he flew off.’

Toklo scraped his claws on the ground. There was still no sign of any of the geese turning back into a bear.

‘Toklo, do you think we should call him –’ Lusa began.

A sudden clamour of honking and squawking from the geese interrupted her. The whole flock took off: not the short flutter to another feeding ground this time, but whirling high up into the air.

‘Now what?’ Toklo asked, exasperated.

‘Look!’ Kallik pricked her ears. ‘A wolf!’

Following her gaze, Toklo spotted the lean grey shape at the opposite side of the lake. It was stalking toward the flock, but as the birds rose into the air the wolf leaped forward, snarling, only to halt in frustration as the geese circled overhead.

I know how it feels, Toklo thought.

His annoyance grew when, instead of settling again, the geese formed into an irregular wedge-shape and flew off, heading for the distant seashore. There wasn’t a single one left by the lake.

‘Ujurak’s gone with them!’ Kallik exclaimed.

‘Oh, no!’ Lusa’s voice was filled with dismay. ‘I wish he wouldn’t keep going off like this.’

‘Stupid squirrel-brain,’ Toklo muttered. ‘One of these days, he’ll disappear and not be able to find us again.’

Kallik let out a sigh. ‘Do you think we’d better follow him?’

‘Maybe we should.’ Toklo broke into a gallop, chasing after the departing geese. ‘Come on!’

Lusa and Kallik bounded along by his side. Seeing the bears charging towards him, the wolf leaped back, startled, then turned tail and fled to the trees at the far side of the valley.

Good riddance! Toklo snarled inwardly. He remembered being chased by wolves, back in the mountains with Lusa and Ujurak. It felt good to be big and fierce enough now to scare off a full-grown wolf.