Great Bear Lake Read Free Page B

up in the sky.”
    â€œIt’s okay,” Ujurak said, brushing her pelt reassuringly. “When I was being the eagle, I could tell what they think, what kind of animals they like to hunt. They don’t mess with bears unless they’re really tiny.”
    â€œIf you’re quite ready, can we keep going?” Toklo chafed. The sun was going down in a blaze of fire that stretched right across the sky. He wanted to get off the ledge and find a place to shelter before it was completely dark.
    But almost as soon as they set off again, Toklo’s paw scuffed against a loose stone at the edge of the path. It fell over the precipice; at once a harsh cry came from below, and the strong beating of wings. A second eagle rose into the sky.
    Toklo risked a glance over the edge. A bearlength below was a narrow ledge where three large eggs lay in a twiggy nest. One each, he thought, his belly rumbling as he imagined the warm tasty stickiness sliding down his throat. It didn’t look too hard to climb down; there were pawholds and—
    â€œToklo!” Ujurak squealed.
    Another harsh squawk sounded close above his head. The mother eagle had gained height and was swooping down on him, talons extended; Toklo jumped back from the edge just as he felt the wind of her wings in his fur. Looking up, he saw that the other eagle, the one Lusa had spotted, was plummeting down to join his mate. Toklo huffed in alarm when he realized how big they were close-up.
    â€œGet back!” he ordered the others.
    Ujurak shoved Lusa into a cleft between two rocks, and squashed himself in after her. Toklo stood in front of them, rearing up on his hindpaws to swipe at the second eagle. The bird veered off with a furious screech. His wings split the air like thunder and a long brown feather floated down the side of the mountain.
    Toklo glanced back at Ujurak. He was huddled in the cleft with Lusa peering over his shoulder, her eyes full of terror.
    â€œCome on, run,” he barked. “Before they come back.”
    He waited until the two cubs were scurrying along the ledge ahead of him before he followed, ears alert for the sound of beating wings and shoulders braced for talons digging into his pelt. But the eagles’ cries grew fainter. As the ledge widened out and became a gully among rocks, Toklo looked back to see both eagles hovering above their nest. The mother bird settled again on the untidy pile of sticks, while her mate soaredinto the sky, keeping beady watch over his family.
    â€œThat was close,” Toklo muttered.
    â€œYou were terrific!” Lusa’s eyes shone in admiration.
    Embarrassed by her praise—after all, he had been scared by the eagles, too—Toklo shrugged. “I wish we could have gotten the eggs.”
    Ujurak gave him a friendly nudge. “I’m glad you didn’t try. They weren’t worth being pushed off the ledge.”
    By now the sun was gone and only a few red streaks remained in the sky. Toklo led his companions a little farther, until it was too dark to travel safely. There was nowhere to shelter so they huddled together in the gully with the wind whining among the rocks above.
    Toklo felt as if he had hardly closed his eyes before the rays of the sun woke him the next morning. On they trekked, keeping to the Sky Ridge, looking down on forests and streams glinting in the sunshine. Up here, the clouds were almost close enough to touch. Sometimes they settled on the Sky Ridge and everything went misty and cold.
    â€œIs this what flying is like?” Lusa asked Ujurak.
    Ujurak shook his head. “I never flew into any clouds. I flew when the sky was clear. It’s like plunging into a river of air, full of currents, warm in some places, cold in others. You have to swim from one current to the next, scooping the air with your wings until it lifts you up.”
    His eyes glazed as if he could feel the currents of air all around him once again. Lusa was staring