Toklo’s fury overflowed. He leaped forward and the other bear swiped at him with a paw, catching him with a blow on the side of the head. Surprised at the smaller bear’s strength, Toklo stepped back, his ears ringing.

‘There’s more where that came from,’ the intruder growled.

Toklo stared at him. He didn’t want to admit that he was reluctant to start another fight. ‘Can’t we share the territory?’ he blurted out. ‘There’s plenty of prey.’

‘You don’t get it, do you?’ the brown bear huffed scornfully. ‘There’s less prey every season, less territory, and more bears fighting over what’s left. Flat-faces steal more and more, and if we bears try to fight back, they always win. This mountain can’t support the bears that were born here, let alone strangers.’

Toklo stared in confusion. But this is the Last Great Wilderness! There’s supposed to be plenty of prey.

The brown bear padded up to him and thrust his snout into Toklo’s face.

‘Not even the mountain wants you here,’ he snarled. Turning, he headed into the undergrowth without a backward glance.

Glaring furiously after him, Toklo waited for him to get well away, then padded in the direction of his den. The sun had gone; clouds were covering the sky, as dark as the thoughts that were crowding in on Toklo.

When he reached his den, he stood on the edge of the hole and looked down. The other bear was right, he thought wretchedly. That miserable scrape isn’t a den. It’s not even deep enough for a ground squirrel!

But he knew that it wasn’t his den that really troubled him. It wasn’t even the loneliness of living on his own, though it was harder than he had ever imagined. What threw Toklo’s thoughts into turmoil, as if bees were buzzing inside his head, was what the other bear had said about the mountain.

He says the territory is shrinking because of the flat-faces. And that’s exactly what Ujurak has been telling us all along.

Thinking back to his journey with his friends, he knew that he missed the sense of a shared destiny, the companionship of bears who were prepared to work together, and not just fight. I even miss Lusa’s annoying chatter, and the way Ujurak sees signs everywhere! He felt sorry for the other brown bear, who had no choice but to fight for every pawstep of territory, every mouthful of prey.

But you’re no better now, he reminded himself, facing up to what he had lost. He felt as if part of his insides had been ripped out.

Ujurak was certain there was a chance to change everything, Toklo thought, crawling into his inadequate den. But you threw away your opportunity to be a part of it.