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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

One of the men glanced back and raised his hand to the Senator, the thumb pointing upward. Then he began to talk too quietly for Ujurak to follow what he was saying. Another voice replied, sounding crackling and far away.

Ujurak leaned forward to see where the voice was coming from. But there was no one hiding at the front of the metal bird. The voice was coming out of nowhere, yet none of the others seemed to think there was anything strange about it.

The Senator looked down at him, smiling. ‘What’s your name, son?’ he asked.

‘Ujurak.’

‘Where are you from?’

Ujurak stared at him. He couldn’t answer that question in a way that would make any sense to the Senator.

Now the Senator was looking puzzled. ‘Where are your folks? Your mom and dad?’

At least Ujurak understood that question, even if he wasn’t sure of the answer. ‘They’re dead, I think.’

‘You don’t have a mom?’ The Senator scratched his head. ‘Are you American?’ he asked. ‘You don’t sound American.’

That was another question Ujurak didn’t understand; he lapsed into silence again.

The Senator shook his head with a smile. ‘What a mystery you are, young man,’ he said. ‘You’re sick, you don’t have any folks, but you’re not scared, are you? Not a bit.’ He shook his head again, looking away from Ujurak. ‘Some kid,’ he muttered.

As he finished speaking, Ujurak felt the metal bird begin to drop. The note of its growling changed.

‘Where am I going?’ he croaked.

‘We’re going to get you fixed up,’ the Senator told him, smiling again.

That’s not an answer, Ujurak thought. Out of the window he could see tall white buildings as the metal bird sank past them, and then he felt a jolt as it touched down on the ground.

Well, we’re here. Wherever here is.

Chapter Twenty: Toklo

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CHAPTER TWENTY:

Toklo

A breeze rustled through the tops of the trees as Toklo padded over a bed of cool pine needles. Somewhere in the distance he could hear the gurgling of a stream. He drew in a long breath, full of fresh forest scents, and let it out in a sigh of satisfaction.

This is the right place for a bear to be.

Travelling without taking any particular direction, he revelled in the sensation of being alone. He didn’t have to listen to Lusa’s chatter any more. He didn’t have to stand and wait while Ujurak examined a stone that might tell them where to go. He didn’t have to look into Kallik’s eyes and glimpse the hard, empty, icy wastes she longed for.