River of Lost Bears Read Free

them, stampeding from unseen terrors. Toklo flinched as each one tore past, but he kept his ground.
    Lusa held her breath. Please let him be okay.
    Suddenly, Toklo shot forward. Lusa gasped as he raced between the tail of one firebeast and the nose of another. His paws slithered on the grit.
    Toklo!
    Eyes wild with terror, he unsheathed his claws to get a better grip and hurled himself forward. He landed heavily on the edge of the BlackPath and rolled onto the stone-strewn grass.
    Lusa crouched down beside him. “Are you okay?”
    Toklo stood and shook the dirt from his pelt. He was trembling. “That was close.”
    â€œToo close.” Lusa pressed her flank against his.
    â€œBut we’re safe.” Toklo nuzzled her gently, then pushed her away.
    Yakone was already heading across a wide stretch of snow-flattened brambles toward pines. “Let’s get away from here.”
    â€œThe sooner the better.” Toklo charged past him and took the lead.
    Kallik gave Lusa a nudge and bounded after them.
    â€œWait.” Lusa stared at the firebeasts. Some of them had long, flat backs, each carrying a heap of closely stacked trees. The branches and roots had been lopped off, and Lusa could see the insides of each trunk, starkly exposed to the sky. They trailed clouds of wood dust that drifted on the churned-up air. “They’re taking the trees away,” Lusa whispered.
    â€œCome on, Lusa!” Kallik called. “We need to get out of sight.”
    Lusa charged past Kallik and Yakone and caught up with Toklo. As she fell in beside him, she sniffed the wood dust on her fur. It smelled tangy and fresh. She scanned the distant hills, looking for gaps in the endless sea of green. “Why would the flat-faces take the forest away?” Perhaps they were building a new one somewhere else. But wouldn’t the trees need their roots and their branches to grow again?
    Toklo nudged her. “Let’s keep moving before those firebeasts start wondering what white bears are doing in their woods.”
    â€œIt’s not their woods.”
    â€œJust keep moving.” Toklo quickened his pace as bramble gave way to pine.
    Lusa followed him into the forest, glancing back to make sure Kallik and Yakone were keeping up. Their pelts glowed eerily under the dense branches.
    â€œDid we look that strange when we were out on the ice?” Lusa wondered.
    Toklo grunted. “We probably looked like furry seals.”
    Behind them, Yakone paused to shake a twig from his claws. He gazed around at the leaf-strewn forest floor. “Does all this stuff melt when burn-sky comes?”
    Lusa coughed with amusement. “No. It just rots down, making the earth smell even better.”
    Ahead, something sparkled between the trees. Lusa pricked her ears and heard the rushing of water. “What’s that?” She didn’t want to stumble across another BlackPath.
    Toklo licked his lips, tasting the air. “It smells like Big River,” he guessed.
    Lusa slowed. “Will we have to cross the BlackPath again to reach it?”
    â€œI don’t think so,” Toklo told her. “I can’t smell firebeasts here.”
    Lusa sniffed. Toklo was right; there was no smell here besides earth, trees, and meltwater. As they broke from the trees, she ducked her head, flinching from the light until her eyes adjusted to the glare. White clouds piled like snow on the far horizon, and the wide frothing river sliced open the forest. Toklo quickened his pace, crossing a swathe of bracken that opened onto a rocky shore. Lusa charged after him.
    Water lapped the stones, slow and shallow near the river’s edge. Toklo waded in and leaned down to drink. Lusa followed him, suddenly realizing how thirsty she was. The water was so cold it made her shiver when she swallowed, but it tasted as fresh as a forest breeze. It swirled around her paws. “Are we going to fish?” She looked up, her muzzle