‘We felt it might be good for him,’ he said. ‘An environment he could feel at home in, right? This entire mountain is like a fucking rabbit warren with holes and tunnels everywhere.’

‘Erasmus claims he’ll never turn again,’ Grete said. ‘That he misses the other bears too much and that it would be better for everyone if he, well, if someone put him out of his misery, to speak plainly.’

‘Erasmus said that? That he’ll never turn?’

‘Erasmus,’ she said and fixed him levelly, ‘has lost his mind.’ She tapped her index finger against her temple. ‘Insane.’

‘It’s the wolves’ doing, you know that, don’t you? They’ve realised the bears are gone. This is what happens. They come out to play. Who knows what feelings Erasmus has been pushing down all these years, roaming about with the wolves like a tinker in that wagon. Now it’s bubbling up to the surface.’

‘He’s taken over a whole place. A village.’

‘A village?’

‘Yes.’

‘What village?’

‘It’s called Rumajärvi.’

‘In Finland?’

‘No, Sweden. Mikko’s there and that tall bloke, what’s his name. Tony. And several others.’

‘Näckstam? Tony Näckstam?’

‘Yes. And there he sits. Like a ridiculous little king. With all the wolves. Stewing on old injustices. That we know nothing about.’

‘What happened at Stava and Mauri’s then?’

‘They came to take Ransu, a week or two after they took Sakka from me. Two weeks. And when Mauri tried to stop them, they killed him. Stava stayed with me for a while, but then she moved on to look for Ransu. I’ve called a few times, but she’s turned her phone off.’

‘So he got away? Ransu got away?’

Grete nodded and pushed back a strand of her hair that was dancing wildly across her forehead, egged on by the wind from the sea.

‘There was an accident a few months ago; a veterinarian who was killed by a wolf they were relocating, maybe you heard? Stava thinks the wolf was Ransu, and that the other person involved in the move knows a lot more than the newspapers reported. So she wanted to find him. That man. But I don’t know. She’s desperate. Just like me.’ She sighed, attempted a smile. ‘These are desperate times, old friend.’

‘There’s no guarantee Skabram can do anything about it. Now that they’ve learnt not to fear the bears. Besides, I can’t force him to turn.’

‘He will turn, I’m sure of it.’

‘We can’t imagine what this is like for him. There were always four thurses, we’re talking hundreds of years. And now he’s suddenly alone. All alone.’

‘So imagine then,’ she said, leaning forward, ‘how he’ll feel seeing you, Lennart. He probably thinks you’re gone as well.’

‘He may not even remember me.’

‘Of course he’ll remember you! You’re his offspring.’

‘You reckon?’