Smoke Mountain (15 page)

The walls of the trench rose up on either side of them, steep and slick with wet mud. Kallik wondered desperately how they would get out. Toklo and Ujurak stopped to wait for them, their flanks heaving and their eyes huge with fear. Kallik looked past them and spotted a part of the trench that had collapsed against the silver snake. The heap of red earth blocked their way along the bottom of the
snake – but it could offer a way out . . .

‘Toklo!' she barked. ‘Look up there!'

Toklo spun around, wiping mud out of his eyes.

‘If we climb up that pile of earth, we could get on top of the snake and make it across to the other side of the trench,' Kallik explained breathlessly.

Toklo nodded. ‘It's worth a try. We might be able to jump from the snake to the top of the slope. I'll help Ujurak; you take Lusa!'

Without waiting for an answer, he shoved the smaller brown bear ahead of him until they came to the collapsed mud. Ujurak scrambled up, his belly dragging in the sticky soil, and Toklo followed in a couple of giant leaps. Then he nudged Ujurak on to the top of the snake. The little bear's paws slid from under him and he flopped to his belly. It would have looked funny if they hadn't been running for their lives. Toklo buried his nose in Ujurak's flank and heaved him towards the bank on the other side.

Legs flailing wildly, Ujurak sank his claws into the wall and grabbed a tree root between his teeth. With Toklo pushing from behind, he scrambled up and over the top of the trench. He crouched there, panting, while Toklo braced his slippery
paws on the snake and turned to help Lusa.

The black bear's climbing skills proved useful as she scrabbled up the pile of earth and jumped on top of the snake. She wobbled for a moment, then balanced herself before stepping carefully towards Toklo. He gave her a shove and she flew through the air to land close to the top of the slope. Ujurak was waiting for her, ready to sink his teeth into her scruff and haul her up beside him.

Toklo jumped next, his powerful hind legs pushing him off the snake. His paws left brown smears across the silver surface. When he was at the top, he turned and called down to Kallik: ‘Come on! Quick!'

From the anxious glance he gave behind her, Kallik guessed that the no-claws were coming along her side of the trench. She dug her front paws into the pile of earth and heaved herself up. The silver snake was slippery as ice – but Kallik quickly sank her weight evenly through her paws and kept herself low, just as she had done on the frozen sea. She ran along the top of the snake and sprang into the air. Her muddy pelt flapped wet and heavy against her belly, pulling her down, but her front claws sank into the side of the trench, and a moment later
Toklo's face appeared at the top. He leaned down to bury his teeth in her neck fur and drag her up.

‘Go!' Kallik gasped as she tumbled on to flat earth. She scrambled to her paws and looked around. On this side of the trench, the trees were close enough for her to see each trunk, with the mountains looming black and misty beyond them. A short row of firebeasts stood in their way, but they were all quiet, and there were no signs of no-claws.

Ujurak was already running towards them. On the far side of the silver snake, no-claws were standing in a line, staring and shouting, but none of them tried to cross. Toklo raced after Ujurak, his paws skimming over the bare, ruined earth. Kallik nudged Lusa to her paws and they sprinted away from the trench, leaping holes and splashing through puddles.

Up ahead, Kallik could see that Toklo and Ujurak had made it safely through the sleeping firebeasts and were nearly at the treeline. She put on a burst of speed and darted right between two of the huge yellow creatures.
Can't catch me!
she thought triumphantly.

Suddenly there was a rumble, which quickly built
to a roar. The ground trembled, and there was a bitter, choking smell in the air. One of the firebeasts was waking up! Kallik looked over her shoulder to make sure Lusa was close behind her. To her horror, the little black bear was heading for the gap beside the firebeast that was awake. Maybe Lusa hadn't heard the noise above the splash of her paws and the thudding of her heart. Her head was down and she was running, running, running.

Kallik held her breath.
Please let her get past
. From the position of its big round eyes, the firebeast was facing the other way, so it couldn't see Lusa. But just as Lusa darted through the gap, the firebeast let out a bellow and rolled backwards. The little black cub howled with pain as the beast struck her, and she crashed down on to her side.

‘Stop! Get off her!' Kallik roared. The beast didn't seem to hear. It rolled a few more paces, and Kallik couldn't see Lusa any more. Had it crushed her under its massive black paws?

‘Lusa!' Kallik wailed.

She spun around, calling for Ujurak and Toklo, but the brown bears were too far away to hear. Kallik didn't know what to do. Should she chase
after them? There wasn't time. Lusa needed help now. There was a harsh scraping noise, and the firebeast started rolling forward, heading out of the line towards the trench. As the beast lumbered away, Kallik saw Lusa's limp body lying in the dirt. No-claws were jumping out of the other firebeasts and running towards her.

She tore across the bare earth, roaring at the top of her voice. The no-claws took one look at her and started running in the other direction.
That's right
, she thought.
Fear my teeth! And my claws! I won't let you hurt my friend!

She skidded to a stop beside Lusa. Her heart lurched when she saw how still the little cub was. Blood puddled around her friend's paws, and her eyes were closed. Kallik crouched closer, trying to listen for a sign of life. Was that . . . was that a soft breath? Kallik prayed to Nisa and all the ice spirits, hoping there were still some in the sky to help her.
Please save her. Lusa's done nothing wrong. She's a good, kind bear. Please let her live.

Lusa let out a tiny whimper. She was alive! Kallik sprang up and carefully fastened her teeth in the scruff of Lusa's neck. She hated moving her when
she was so hurt, but the no-claws were already creeping back towards them – slowly, as if they thought Kallik might not notice.

Kallik took a step back, and then another, dragging Lusa along as gently as she could. Lusa whimpered again, sending claws of agony into Kallik's heart.
I'm sorry, Lusa
.
I'm trying not to hurt you
. She was surprised by how heavy the black bear was. She always looked so tiny next to the other cubs. But Kallik had gone only a few steps, and already her legs were shaking with the effort. How would she get Lusa to safety on her own?

Plus she still had to frighten off the no-claws. She let go of Lusa for a moment and bellowed at them, sending them stumbling backwards. But not far enough . . . they seemed more confident now and came forward again, pointing and chattering to one another. Why couldn't they just leave the bears alone?

Desperately, Kallik grabbed Lusa's scruff and dragged her another few steps. Her jaw ached, and she winced every time Lusa's body bounced over the uneven dirt and rocks.

Suddenly a no-claw broke away from the others
and came running at her. He was waving something long and silver – longer than a firestick, but Kallik didn't know what it was. He moved faster than she expected, darting forward while she was looking down at Lusa.

‘Get away from them!' Toklo bellowed, charging up behind Kallik. He leaped at the no-claw with his teeth bared, knocking him to the ground. Toklo reared up on his hind legs over the no-claw and opened his jaws wide to roar his fury. The no-claw scrambled away and fled, leaving the silver stick where it fell.

Toklo roared again, and this time there was an answering call from Ujurak. The other brown bear came bounding up on Kallik's other side and galloped at the crowd of no-claws. With screams that sounded like bird cries, the no-claws scattered, most of them running for the river while others leaped inside their beasts.

‘Help me!' Kallik called to Toklo. He ran over to her and skidded to a halt, staring down at Lusa.

‘Is she alive?'

‘Barely,' Kallik said. ‘We have to get her out of here.' She fastened her teeth in Lusa's scruff again
and pulled. Lusa let out another soft whimper without opening her eyes. Kallik let go of her and shuffled her paws. ‘I'm afraid that I'm making her injuries worse.'

Toklo paced around Lusa, growling. ‘There must be another way to move her,' he said. ‘Maybe . . .' He stopped and crouched low to the ground. Inching forward, he gently worked his nose under Lusa's body, then the rest of his head.

Kallik realised that he was trying to get Lusa on his back so he could carry her. She slid her paws under Lusa and helped to keep her steady until Toklo had crawled halfway under her. Very slowly, he rose to his paws. Lusa was draped across his back like a white bear cub resting on her mother. Kallik had a vivid flash of Taqqiq riding on Nisa's back as the three of them padded across the ice.

But Lusa was more than half Toklo's size. She must be very heavy on his back. Kallik pressed close to him, making sure Lusa didn't slide off.

‘Are you sure you can carry her?' she asked.

‘Yes,' Toklo rumbled stubbornly. He took a wavering step forward, then another and another.

‘Ujurak!' Kallik called, and he came bounding up
after them. She didn't have to say anything; he went instinctively to Toklo's other side. Together they tried to take a bit of Lusa's weight, pressing their fur close to Toklo's. Their paws padded in a steady rhythm as the cubs hurried away from the no-claws and into the woods.

Kallik felt her shoulders relaxing as the shadow of the trees fell over their group. ‘Hey, look over there,' she said, spotting a track that cut through the trees. ‘I see a path. It might be easier to follow that.'

‘It's a flat-face path,' Toklo spat. He turned in the other direction and stumbled over a fallen tree. Lusa's limp body slid sideways and nearly fell off.

‘Toklo!' Kallik said, catching the black bear cub and rebalancing her. ‘Be smart! The path will be clearer, and you'll be able to walk without falling over anything.'

Toklo growled, but he didn't argue any more as Ujurak led the way on to the winding trail. It slanted up over a rise and then down beside a gully where the trees were thinner. As they struggled forward, heavy clouds rolled in, casting a dark greenish grey light over the sharp-edged peaks above them.

‘Where are we going?' Kallik asked, panting.

‘As far away from the flat-faces as we can get,' Toklo answered. He was breathing heavily, and his words came in short bursts. ‘We can't go back to the river. Too many flat-faces. We'd never make it.'

Kallik's ears twitched. ‘I think I hear water,' she said, and all three bears stopped to listen. She tried to smell it, but it was hard to pick out above the powerful scents of clay, river grime and blood that clung to their fur.

‘There must be a stream down there,' Ujurak said, nodding down into the gully. A glimmer of water trickled at the bottom, nearly hidden by the undergrowth.

They staggered down the scrubby earth and pushed through prickly thornbushes until they found the stream. Toklo began to follow the stream uphill, lowering his head and using his broad shoulders to shove aside the branches in his way.

As he stepped into the stream to get around one gnarled, crooked tree trunk, his paws slipped on the wet stones. For a heart-wrenching moment Kallik thought Lusa was going to tumble off his back and crash down the hill. But Ujurak jumped in the way and nudged her into place, her tiny paws
dangling limply against Toklo's thick fur.

The stream was fast-flowing and clear as it rushed down the gully, splashing over the roots of the bushes. They pushed their way up as the sky grew darker and a drizzly rain began to fall on them. Kallik couldn't see any more trees over the top of the gully, only grey sky. The water gushed around her muddy white fur, surprisingly strong. It smelled of snow, but it also had an undercurrent of a darker, bitter scent, like the islands in the river.

Kallik's paws stung as sharp pebbles stabbed her with every step. Her fur felt sticky and heavy, and she could barely keep her eyes open. After the long swim the night before, hardly any sleep, and the encounter with no-claws this morning, she wasn't sure how much further any of them could walk.

Toklo was struggling beneath Lusa's weight. His head was bent, and he stared at the ground as he walked. The little black bear still hadn't woken up, and her blood was leaving matted trails through Toklo's fur.

The gully ended abruptly at a small waterfall. A cold spray of water soaked their fur as they looked up the sheer rock wall in front of them.

‘Oh, no. Do we have to go all the way back?' Kallik murmured, glancing over her shoulder at the long walls of the gully behind them.

‘I think there's a way up over here,' Ujurak suggested.

He led the way as they scrambled over the boulders, hooking their claws in the scraggly bushes to pull themselves up. Kallik climbed behind Toklo, reaching up to help him balance and keep Lusa in place when he shifted his weight. Her paws itched at how agonisingly slowly they had to move, and her heart pounded every time Lusa's paws started to slide towards her.

Finally they reached the top, where Ujurak was waiting to guide Toklo over the edge. Kallik blinked the rain out of her eyes and gazed at a steep rise of wet black rocks that loomed ahead of them. Her heart sank as she thought of struggling on in this weather, with their paws aching and Lusa bleeding to death.

‘I see a cave!' Ujurak cried, bumping her side with his muzzle.

Kallik lifted her head and spotted the dark opening in the rock ahead of them, overlooking
the stream a few bearlengths before it cascaded into the waterfall and the gully below. She hoped the cave was empty. She didn't have enough strength left to chase off any other animals who might be sheltering there.