But the bear wasn’t intimidated. It reared up on its hind legs, towering over them. Its razor-sharp claws were extended and ready to carve them to pieces.

Jack reached for his sword and Hayato went for an arrow, but at this range the bear would kill at least one of them before they could land their first blow.

A rock suddenly struck the animal in the chest. Another quickly followed – hitting the bear directly on his nose. Howling with rage, it turned on its attacker. Having appeared out of nowhere, Neko jumped up and down, waving her arms to distract the beast. With a great roar, the bear charged her. Neko spun on her heels and ran into the forest, leading the ferocious animal away.

‘No!’ cried Miyuki, sprinting after Neko, no longer concerned for her own safety.

Jack and the others followed close behind. Branches tore at their clothes and faces as they forced their way through the dense thicket. Ahead, they could hear the bear crashing through the undergrowth and see Miyuki speeding after it.

‘Wait, Miyuki, WAIT!’ cried Jack as they fell behind, the bear’s roar growing ever more distant.

They eventually caught up with her beside a mountain stream.

‘Where’s Neko?’ asked Jack, breathless.

Miyuki turned her tear-filled eyes upon him.

‘The bear went that way,’ she sniffed, pointing across the stream. ‘But Neko’s tracks stop here.’

In the distance, they heard another mighty roar.

Miyuki began to tremble. ‘The bear must’ve got her.’

Jack suddenly felt choked with emotion too. It had all happened so fast. The bear. Neko. Her sacrifice for them. He stood beside Miyuki in grief-stricken silence, too shocked to know what to do next.

‘We should go … before it comes back,’ said Sora, nervously scanning the bushes.

‘We can’t just leave her –’ said Jack, but stopped mid-sentence as he saw two cat-like eyes peer at him from a hole in a tree. ‘Neko!’ he exclaimed as she emerged from her hiding place, grinning victoriously.

Using the hand signs Miyuki had taught him, Jack asked, Are you OK?

Neko nodded, having only suffered a few scratches in her escape.

Miyuki, delighted to discover her young charge unharmed, cried, ‘I told you, she’d make the perfect ninja!’

‘Well, she certainly doesn’t make a good samurai,’ said Hayato. ‘She disobeyed orders following us and almost got herself killed.’

‘If it wasn’t for Neko, we would be dead!’ shot back Miyuki.

‘And I’m thankful for that,’ replied Hayato. ‘But what’s she doing here in the first place?’

Miyuki signed the question to her. ‘She says she thought she could help.’

‘Which is exactly what she has done!’ said Jack, smiling warmly at their silent saviour.