The Burning Horizon Read Free

daylight.”
    Kallik gave Yakone a glance. “Are you worried Yakone will have trouble with the terrain?” she asked Toklo. “He’ll be fine.”
    Yakone nodded. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
    â€œI’m not,” Toklo told him, not sure he was being entirely truthful. “But we’ll walk at your pace, no faster. Let’s go.”
    Another hard scramble brought the bears to the top of the next cliff and into a stretch of land where the trees were interspersed with wide-open spaces covered in long grass. With little shade, it was harder than ever to keep going. Toklo could see that the white bears were beginning to stagger, their chests heaving with each breath.
    But we have to keep moving, or we’ll never get to Great Bear Lake in time.
    His belly still rumbling after his share of the pika, Toklo kept sniffing the air as he padded along. He had just picked up a warm prey-scent when he heard a startled yelp from Kallik.A hare had jumped up from the grass right under her paws. Instinctively Kallik lashed out, and the hare dropped limply to the ground.
    â€œGreat catch!” Yakone praised her.
    â€œI didn’t do anything,” Kallik said, looking dazed. “It was right there. How could I have missed it?”
    â€œMaybe Ujurak sent it,” Lusa suggested.
    â€œMaybe,” Toklo agreed. “Thank you, spirits, whoever you are.”
    Kallik picked up her prey and headed for the next clump of trees, which cast a welcome patch of shade. Gathering around, they all shared the hare.
    When he had filled his belly, Toklo felt sleepy. The shadows were lengthening as the sun slid down the sky, and he was tempted to stay where they were for the night. He knew that none of the others would argue if he suggested it.
    No, he thought, stifling a yawn. We can manage another skylength before nightfall.
    They kept walking even after the sun had gone down, though light still lingered in the sky, until Toklo realized that none of them could go another pawstep. He halted at the edge of a hollow among the roots of a pine tree, with bushes overhanging it.
    â€œLet’s rest,” he said. “This will make a good den.”
    Lusa puffed out a breath. “Thank Arcturus! My paws are falling off.”
    She slid down into the hollow. Kallik and Yakone followed,careful not to squash her. Toklo hesitated for a moment, wondering if he ought to keep watch.
    But I’m so exhausted, if anything crept up on us, I wouldn’t have the strength to fight.
    He clambered down into the den to join the others, wriggling to make space for himself. In the dim light he could see Lusa with her paws wrapped over her nose, and Kallik and Yakone lying close together, already snoring. With a sigh of relief, Toklo let himself slide into sleep.
    Toklo woke and stirred in the temporary den, then stretched his jaws in a vast yawn. Poking his head out from under the bushes, he saw that the sky was paling toward dawn. Dew glimmered on the grass, and shreds of mist drifted among the trees. The air smelled clear and fresh.
    His three companions were still sleeping, their bellies still comfortably rounded from Kallik’s hare. This would be the third sunrise since the bears had set out from the Sky Ridge, and there had been more prey after that.
    Leaving the others undisturbed, Toklo heaved himself out of the den and padded toward the edge of the trees to look out across the open grassland. All around him mountains rolled endlessly away, wooded slopes giving way to bare rock. Some of the summits shone white where snow still lay unmelted.
    It’s like we’re the only living things in the whole world!
    The thought had barely crossed Toklo’s mind when a flock of birds flapped noisily out of the trees above his head, andimmediately after a long screech ripped through the air, followed by a harsh rumble that throbbed in Toklo’s ears.
    Toklo’s shoulder fur began to