Half stunned and exhausted, Toklo lay where he had fallen for a few moments, the rain sluicing through his fur. Part of him wanted to give up and lie there, but he knew that could be a big mistake. If more mud fell down the mountain, he could be buried alive. His muscles shrieked as he staggered to his paws; letting out a groan, he stumbled into the shadow of the trees.

The thicker foliage overhead kept some of the rain off him, but the ground underpaw was soaked and the undergrowth snagged his pelt and sent showers of water over him as he brushed past. He still couldn’t scent any prey.

Eventually he spotted a huge old tree with a cleft in the trunk, and forced his weary paws to head for it.

Shelter! It might not be big enough for a den, but it’ll do until the rain stops.

But before he reached the hollow tree, Toklo heard a roar of rage behind him. Something heavy slammed into him and knocked him off his paws. For a moment his face was smashed into the thick layer of leaf mulch that covered the forest floor. Twisting his neck, spitting out a mouthful of rotting leaves, Toklo saw a huge grizzly looming over him.

‘Wha–?’ he gasped, dazed.

‘This is my territory!’ the grizzly snarled. He bared his teeth and planted a paw on Toklo’s shoulder, pinning him to the ground. ‘No bear trespasses here.’

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t –’ Toklo began, only to break off as the bear gave him a sharp cuff on the side of his head.

With a massive effort Toklo pushed him away and scrambled to his paws as another blow landed on his back. His head was spinning, his eyes dazzled, and though he lashed out a paw in self-defence he was too dizzy to put any force behind it.

‘Get out, now!’ Snarling with rage, the other grizzly thudded into Toklo, pushing him further down the hillside.

‘OK, OK, I’m going!’ Toklo protested, slipping and scrabbling as he tried to get a firm pawhold on the muddy slope. ‘Keep your fur on!’

Half running, half sliding, he fled through the trees, glancing once over his shoulder to see the big grizzly standing on his hindpaws, watching him go. His roar of fury echoed through the forest; Toklo could still hear it even when the bear was out of sight.

He didn’t slow down until he thought he must have passed the edge of the grizzly’s territory. Panting, he stopped and looked around, relaxing when he couldn’t spot any trees with scratch marks.