Smoke Mountain (4 page)

‘Hello,' she said. ‘I'm Lusa. Who are you?'

The older bear blinked at her. ‘I . . . I'm Qopuk,' he wheezed. His eyes rolled sideways to stare at Taqqiq. The white cub shuffled his paws and backed away. Behind him, the other three bear cubs were peering into the thicket. Kallik edged forward first, but she stayed away from the big bear's enormous paws. Each paw was nearly the size of Lusa's head. If this bear had had any strength left, he could have knocked her out with a single blow, and he wouldn't even have to try very hard. But he had no strength left. She could tell that from the scent of him, from his sunken frame and dull eyes.

‘What happened to you?' she whispered.

Qopuk drew a long, raspy, clattery breath, like claws scraping across bark. ‘Death,' he grunted. ‘Death . . . so far from the ice.'

Lusa felt as though freezing water were running under her skin. ‘Death? What do you mean?'

‘I'm dying,' Qopuk rasped. ‘All my life I wanted to get there, but now it's too late.'

‘No,' Lusa protested. ‘Don't say that! We'll help you. Ujurak knows all about herbs that will make
you feel better, and I can fetch food for you. And some nice soft grass to lie on.' She sniffed the crushed undergrowth beneath the old bear. It smelled like he'd been lying there for a moon.

‘It won't help.' The old bear's eyes closed and he sighed.

‘But we can try,' Lusa insisted. ‘What do you want?'

Qopuk tried to twist his head towards the lake, but his fur snagged in the brambles and he winced, then lay still. He opened his mouth a little and his tongue pushed forward again.

‘Water?' Lusa guessed. ‘Ujurak, can you get him some water?'

Ujurak's eyes were full of pain as he gazed at the wounded bear. Without a word, he turned and padded down to the lakeshore.

‘We should just let him die,' Taqqiq growled. ‘He'd let us die if he had a choice.'

‘We don't know that,' Lusa pointed out. ‘And if there's anything we can do to help him, we must do it.'

Taqqiq scratched the ground, leaving deep furrows in the dirt. ‘It's not our problem,' he snarled.

‘Toklo doesn't mind if I help Qopuk,' Lusa said challengingly. ‘Right, Toklo?'

The brown bear cub glowered at Taqqiq. ‘Do what you like,' he growled. ‘I'm going hunting.' He turned round and stamped off into the trees.

Ujurak came back from the lake, carrying a bundle of soaked moss between his jaws. He dropped it into Lusa's outstretched paws.

‘Here,' Lusa said, dribbling some of the water into Qopuk's mouth. His jaws twitched open as she pressed the moss to his dry snout. He licked it gratefully, his tongue nearly brushing her paws. Lusa forced herself not to think about the giant teeth that were only a clawslength from her fur.
Not thinking about it. Not thinking about it. Not thinking about big . . . giant . . .
enormous
teeth . . .

Qopuk stopped licking up the moisture, and Lusa gave the moss back to Ujurak. The old white bear stared up at the tangled branches above his head, outlined against the sharp blue sky. ‘The Longest Day,' he murmured. ‘Am I almost there?'

‘Oh – you were travelling to the lake?' Lusa guessed. ‘That's where we just came from.'

‘No.' Qopuk shook his head. ‘I'm on a journey . . .
but I thought I would try to go to the gathering. Only I got lost . . .'

‘The ceremony was yesterday,' said Kallik. ‘I'm sorry. You missed it.'

‘So what?' Taqqiq grunted. ‘You didn't miss anything. Blah, blah, fat old bears muttering about spirits and how much they miss the ice. Blah, bl–'

Lusa shot Taqqiq a stern glance and the white bear shut up.

‘It would have been my last gathering,' the old bear rasped. ‘I wanted so much . . . to tell them . . . what I learned.'

‘Right, I bet that would be
fascinating
,' Taqqiq said. ‘Lots of old stories about
fishing
and how much better everything was when you were a cub. Don't worry; every other old bear in the world can fill us in.'

‘Taqqiq, stop,' Kallik whispered. ‘He's one of us.'

‘You can tell us,' Lusa said, lightly pressing the bear's fur with her nose. ‘We'll listen.' She lay down with her paws tucked under her muzzle and her ears swivelled towards Qopuk. More than food, more than rest, this bear wanted an audience. Well, that was something she could give him quite easily.

‘Huh!
You
might be happy to listen to some old
fool rambling about the good old days!' Taqqiq snorted. ‘I'm going to show that oaf Toklo how a
real
bear hunts!' He turned and charged into the woods, crashing through any bushes that dared to get in his way. Lusa was sure Toklo would not be so pleased about sharing his hunt with Taqqiq, but at least it meant Qopuk could speak in peace.

Qopuk blinked at the three bear cubs who were still gathered around him. One black, one brown, one white. Lusa realised how odd they must look together. But Qopuk didn't seem to care.

‘It's so far,' the old bear whispered. ‘Too far . . . How could a group of little cubs ever get there alone? No, it's too dangerous . . . if only I could take you there . . . take us all there . . .' His voice trailed off. Lusa reached for the moss and dribbled some more water on to his tongue.

Ujurak's ears twitched forward. ‘Where?' he prompted. ‘What's too far?'

‘The Last . . . Great . . . Wilderness,' Qopuk murmured.

Lusa shot Kallik a hopeful look. The Last Great Wilderness? She'd never heard of it before, not even from Ujurak. ‘What is that?' she asked.

‘I only know the stories,' Qopuk admitted. ‘It is a place where the forests are full of prey and the no-claws stay far away. There's enough space for bears of all kinds, white, brown and black. And there is sea-ice all year round.' He sighed.

Ujurak's eyes shone. ‘That's where we're going!' he barked. ‘That must be it – that's the place we've been looking for!'

‘Do you know how to get there?' Lusa asked Qopuk. She wanted to leap around with excitement, but she made herself stay still so Qopuk would keep talking.

Kallik had crept close enough to press her nose into the white bear's fur as well. She leaned gently against him, and Lusa wondered if this was how Kallik had rested against her mother to hear stories about the everlasting sea-ice and the dancing bear spirits.

‘I do know how to get there,' Qopuk croaked, gazing up at the bramble branches as if he wasn't really seeing them. ‘But it's very dangerous. Few bears survive the journey over Smoke Mountain.'

‘Smoke Mountain?' Lusa echoed. She looked up and saw that Ujurak's fur was bristling and
his eyes were so wide she could see white circles around them.

Kallik pressed closer to Qopuk. ‘What a horrible name,' she whispered.

‘Why is it dangerous?' Lusa pressed. ‘Qopuk, what's there? What's on Smoke Mountain?'

Qopuk's eyelids were drooping. ‘Smoke Mountain,' he murmured. ‘The fire giant . . .' His head lolled to one side and his paws went limp. His eyes closed.

‘Qopuk!' Lusa cried. ‘Wait, tell us more!'

‘Shhh,' Kallik told her. ‘Lusa, he's sleeping. Let him rest.'

‘Oh,' Lusa said softly. ‘Sorry, Qopuk.' She took a step backwards, trying to move quietly.

‘He's so tired,' Ujurak said. They watched the bear's grimy fur rise and fall as he breathed.

‘Can we stay here tonight?' Kallik asked Ujurak. ‘To be with him?'

‘Oh, yes,' Lusa said. ‘And tomorrow, after he's rested, he can come with us! He can show us the way to the Last Great Wilderness!'

Ujurak shifted his weight, twigs crackling under his paws. ‘I think it's a good idea to stay,' he said.
‘Maybe if Toklo catches something we can share it with him.'

‘Or Taqqiq,' Kallik reminded him.

‘I'll get him some more water,' Lusa said. She closed her jaws around the damp moss and backed out of the brambles. As she trotted down to the lake, the leaves of the trees around her rustled and whispered. She thought the bear spirits in them approved of her taking care of Qopuk, even though he wasn't a black bear.

She dipped the moss in the clear, cold water, soaking it through. The sun was sliding down towards the horizon, and the shadows were getting longer across the rippling lake. Lusa twitched her ears, listening for sounds of prey. She could hear thumping paws and branches cracking and some bear muttering nearby, which sounded like Taqqiq trying to hunt.

A twig snapped behind her, and she turned to see Toklo emerging from the trees with a hare in his jaws.

‘Good job!' Lusa exclaimed. ‘I knew you would catch something!'

Toklo rolled his eyes. ‘No thanks to certain noisy
bears,' he mumbled around the newkill.

‘We're going to stay here tonight,' Lusa went on, lifting the soaked moss out of the lake. ‘Qopuk knows the way to the Last Great Wilderness, and Ujurak says that's where we're going. Isn't that great? He can take us there!'

‘Terrific,' Toklo said. ‘Just what we need, another bear to slow us down.'

‘But he'll be useful,' Lusa pointed out. ‘And it's his dream to get there – we can help him.' She was cross that Toklo was being so selfish. Qopuk deserved to reach the end of his journey as much as they did.

She picked up the wet moss and trotted back into the brambles with Toklo close behind her. Kallik was curled up beside Qopuk, her fur lifting and falling in rhythm with his. Her eyes were closed.

‘Shhh,' Ujurak warned, nodding at the two white bears. Lusa set the moss down next to Qopuk's nose.

Toklo scratched a pile of leaves together under a tree a few bearlengths from Qopuk and settled down to eat. ‘We'll save some for them,' he said.

Lusa had just taken a mouthful when Taqqiq came crashing back through the trees. ‘There's
nothing to eat in these woods!' he grumbled. ‘Forests are a stupid place to hunt.'

Lusa couldn't help but think,
So why were you trying to steal forest territory from the black bears at the lake? Dumb fur lump
.

‘Sure, Taqqiq,' Toklo said. ‘Nothing but squirrels, birds, foxes . . . hares.' He nudged the newkill in front of them.

Taqqiq glared at the brown bear as if he were thinking about eating
him
. He tore off a strip of meat and glanced around as he chewed. His gaze fell on Kallik sleeping next to the old white bear.

‘What is she doing?' he snarled. ‘That's not our mother! Is she going to act like a seal-brained cub with every big lump of fur that blinks at her?'

‘Leave her be,' Ujurak growled, sounding fiercer than Lusa had heard before. His eyes looked like little black berries, glaring at Taqqiq.

Taqqiq twitched his ears, but said nothing. He bent his head, holding the end of his piece of meat between his front paws, and concentrated on chewing.

Lusa finished eating and climbed up the tree. She tucked herself into a comfortable niche where two
branches met the trunk and rested her head on her aching paws. Down below she could see Toklo and Ujurak curling up to sleep. Taqqiq clawed at the ground, circling and grumbling, and finally settled down with an enormous sigh.

Lusa wondered if Kallik was dreaming of her mother. Qopuk's warm bulk probably reminded her of sleeping next to Nisa, curled up in the snow. She must have felt so alone after Nisa died. At least Lusa knew where her mother was – safe in the Bear Bowl, well fed and surrounded by friends. She missed her so much that it made her head hurt sometimes, but if Ashia was dead, she would feel lonely in a totally different way.

Lusa drifted off to sleep and dreamed of bear spirits whispering in the wind through her fur. One of them spoke with the voice of her mother:
Sleep, little one. I am here
.

T
he murmur of voices woke Lusa the next morning. She peered down through the branches and saw that Qopuk was awake and talking. Kallik and Ujurak were crouched beside him. Toklo's pile of leaves was empty; she guessed he was out hunting. Taqqiq was still asleep below her. Lusa blinked at the pale pink sky overhead. It had been another short night; it felt far too early to be morning. When would the nights finally get longer again? Right now, she thought she'd gladly give up some of the warmth of the day in exchange for more sleep.

She clambered down the tree and edged around Taqqiq, who was snoring among the tree roots.

‘Lusa!' Kallik called as she trotted towards them.
‘Qopuk is telling us how to get to the Last Great Wilderness.'

The old white bear had hauled himself on to his haunches so that he was sitting up. His eyes were brighter than they had been the day before. The remains of the hare were scattered at his paws, and the food seemed to have given him extra strength. Lusa wriggled in beside Kallik and looked up at him. Qopuk nodded to her, touching the moss she had brought him.