The Longest Day (20 page)

A branch cracked a few trees away, and Lusa caught sight of black fur tumbling. She paused, tensing as she heard a thump.

“Be careful!” Leotie's anxious cry rang through the trees.

“I'm okay!” Dena called. “I just slipped down a few branches.”

Lusa pushed up again, suddenly remembering the tree in the Bear Bowl that she had climbed with Yogi. The memory swamped her, as powerful as a wave. How frightened she'd been. How high she'd climbed. For a moment the trees surrounding her seemed to fade, replaced by rows of watching flat-faces murmuring like the wind.

“Quick, Lusa! Ossi's nearly at the top.” Miki's bark broke through her thoughts. Snapping back to the present, she scrambled past the next branch.

A moment later, her head popped through the spiky canopy and she found herself clinging to the top of the trunk and staring across the forest. Beyond the treetops, the lake sparkled in the sun. The narrow trunk swayed, and Lusa's belly tightened as it bent under her weight.

Quickly, she slid down, relieved as she felt the trunk thicken against her belly. Scooting between branches, she scrabbled
backward down the tree. Halfway down she saw Ossi. Tangled branches surrounded him, and he was twisting around with a frown of determination as he tried to find a route down.

Lusa slithered down a few more branches. A black bear paced below. It must be Miki, waiting for her. She dropped down more quickly, feeling confident as the ground neared. “I'm almost there!” she called as she reached the bottom branch. Preparing to lower herself onto the leafy forest floor, she glanced down.

The black bear wasn't Miki. Her heart lurched as she recognized the broad shoulders and square brow. This was a bear who she hadn't seen in a long time—not since they had started their journey along the river from the Melting Sea. And it was not a bear she had hoped to see again. Lusa froze, clinging to the trunk.
Hakan!

“I've won!” Ossi's voice rang out as he thumped onto the ground.

Lusa tried to find him, but the trunk blocked her view. She couldn't see Miki, either. Where had he gone?

Hakan scowled up at her. “Where's my sister?”

Lusa stared at him, her belly churning. Hakan had shared his territory on the Big River with his sister Chenoa, who had chosen to travel with Lusa and the other bears to escape her brother's bullying. Lusa felt sadness well inside her as she remembered Chenoa's death at a vast waterfall, not long after her journey began.

“Are you scared to come down?” There was menace in Hakan's growl.

Lusa clung harder to the trunk. How was she going to tell this angry bear that Chenoa had died?

“Where's my sister?” Hakan snarled again.

Miki's voice sounded from the other side of the trunk. “Sorry, Lusa. Ossi was faster than you.” He blinked up at her. “Are you stuck?”

Lusa watched him notice Hakan. “Hello!” Miki greeted the black bear amiably. “Have you just arrived? I'm Miki.” He followed Hakan's stare. “And that's Lusa.”

“I know.” Hakan's growl was cold. “Where's Chenoa?” he demanded.

“Chenoa?” Miki looked confused. “I haven't met a bear called Chenoa. Is she a friend of yours?”

Lusa clung tighter to the trunk, its sweet scent so strong now that she felt queasy. “Don't worry, Miki. I know where she is.” Her voice was hoarse. She wanted Miki to stay, but she didn't want him to hear the awful news she had to break to Hakan. Such a young bear might be horrified, especially to learn exactly how Chenoa died. “Miki, go tell Ossi I'm pleased for him.” Miki padded away, and Lusa lowered herself down the trunk.

Hakan thrust his face close as she touched the ground. “Where is she?”

Lusa backed away, her throat tightening. “She's dead, Hakan.”

Hakan stared at her in horror. “What?”

“On the journey.” Lusa could hardly make herself say the words. “She was washed over a waterfall. There was nothing we could do to save her.”

Rage flared in Hakan's eyes. “She died on the river? She'd hardly left our home! You persuaded her to go with you and then you let her
die
?”

Lusa screwed her eyes shut as Hakan reared over her. Bracing herself for a blow, she backed against the tree.

Pawsteps thumped the ground and fur brushed in front of her. “Leave Lusa alone!”

Opening her eyes, Lusa saw Ossi shoving Hakan away.

“Don't hurt him!” she cried. She ran forward and pushed Ossi aside. “I can handle this.”

“It doesn't look like it!” Ossi growled.

“Really,” Lusa pleaded. “It's fine.”

“You can't let some strange bear walk up to you and attack you! What's going on?”

Hakan curled his lip. “She killed my sister.”

“What?” Ossi jerked his muzzle toward Hakan. “How?”

“It was an accident!” Lusa wailed. “A terrible accident.”

Miki moved out from the trees. Dustu and Dena followed with Issa and Leotie, all of them looking worried. Lusa shifted uncomfortably as she saw even more bears heading toward her.

“Who is this?” Dustu asked.

“I'm Hakan. I came here to meet my sister.” Hakan scored a line in the dirt with his claw. “But Lusa killed her.”

“Don't be silly!” Issa scoffed. “Lusa wouldn't hurt anyone.”

“She killed Chenoa,” Hakan insisted.

“It was an accident,” Lusa blurted out. “She fell into the river, and the current swept her over the falls. We couldn't have saved her.”

“Murderer!” Hakan hissed.

“Hush!” Rudi pushed his way to the front and faced Hakan. “Lusa has done nothing but save lives here. She wouldn't harm another bear.”

Dustu nodded. “Lusa is a healer, not a murderer.”

“Try telling that to my dead sister,” Hakan snarled.

Dustu met the angry bear's gaze. “We come here in peace, to celebrate the Longest Day and honor the spirits.”

“Peace!” Hakan spat. “I will never know peace now I know that
she
”—he shot Lusa a poisonous glance—“took my sister from her home and killed her.”

Paws shifted uncomfortably around Lusa. Did these bears believe Hakan? Most of them had known her only a few days. “I'm sorry.” Her voice cracked.

Rudi straightened up. “You have nothing to apologize for, Lusa.” He narrowed his eyes at Hakan. “Lusa has never shown anything but courage, kindness, and loyalty. If you cannot accept that your sister's death was an accident, then you cannot stay here.”

Lusa saw heads nodding around her. She felt limp with relief. Yet guilt swirled through her belly. Were these bears going to drive Hakan away? Was that fair? Surely every bear was welcome at the Longest Day? And Hakan was grieving. He needed the spirits more than she did.

Should
I
leave?
Lusa's paws started to shake. A shoulder pressed against hers.
Ossi.
Gratefully, she leaned against him.

Hakan curled his lip. “I wouldn't breathe the same air as that murderer anyway! But don't think I'll ever forgive this, or
forget it.” His gaze burned into Lusa's. “You'll be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life—you and your friends!” Growling, he barged his way through the crowd and stalked into the forest.

Miki stepped forward, his eyes dark. “Let's go foraging.” He tried to sound bright. “Come on, everyone. There will still be dew on the berries if we hurry.” He began to shoo them away, pacing one way, then the other until they began to leave. Encouraging the last stragglers, he guided them between the trees. “You must be hungry after the trial.”

Lusa was left alone with Ossi. “It was an accident,” she whispered.

Ossi didn't seem concerned about Chenoa's death. He was peering suspiciously into the forest. “Do you think it was Hakan who destroyed that grubs' nest?”

Lusa stared at him. She remembered the chilling sensation of being watched during Hashi and Hala's burial. Had Hakan been stalking her? But why had he waited until now to ask about Chenoa? Surely he'd have wanted to know where his sister was as soon as he arrived?

Once more, Lusa pictured Chenoa's eyes, wild with fear as the river swept her toward the falls. “I need to be alone.” Dizzy with grief, she pushed past Ossi and stumbled between the trees. Her paws led her to a shady patch, and she slumped against a trunk. She remembered seeing Chenoa's face in the swirl in the bark of a tree near the river. Was she at peace there?

If only Hakan could find peace. It must have been a
devastating shock to travel all this way expecting to see his sister, only to learn that she was dead.

“Lusa?” Miki's soft growl made her lift her head. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Lusa huffed wearily.

“You shouldn't be hanging around on your own while that bear is around.”

Lusa let her haunches slide down the trunk until she was sitting. “I can look after myself.”

“Obviously.” Miki sat down next to her. “Did you really travel along the Big River?”

“Yes.” Lusa stared between the trees without focusing.

“I've never met a bear who's traveled as far as you.” Miki sounded impressed. “You must have seen and done so many things.”

“Not all of them good.” A lump rose in Lusa's throat.

“You don't have to tell me now. But—” Miki hesitated. “But maybe one day?”

Lusa looked at him, searching his gaze.
I'd like that.
Was it okay for her to think about her future when Chenoa had none? “Maybe,” she whispered. “One day.”

Toklo stood on the shore, watching
the white bears climb from the water. He couldn't tell from here who had won. His pelt pricked, and he glanced toward the trees behind him. There it was again—the feeling that someone was watching him. Last night, as he and Aiyanna had trekked back from Lusa's camp, he'd been sure eyes were watching from the darkness.

He snorted.
Don't be silly.
It was probably an owl. And yet he scanned the tree line, looking for a shape among the undergrowth.

When he saw nothing, he glanced along the beach to where Aiyanna was entertaining Yas, Wapi, Flo, and Fala by hiding white stones for them to find among the driftwood. Yas, Wapi, and Flo had each collected a small pile. Fala was frowning. “It's not fair,” she complained. “I haven't found a single stone yet.”

Close by, Hattack and Holata were watching the white bears, too. Their gazes flicked from the far shore to each other, as though each bear was thinking about the upcoming fishing trial. With the sun rising, the fish would be swimming
near the surface, their shimmering backs easy to spot.

Toklo called to Shesh. “Have you decided which river we'll fish in?” Brown bears didn't hunt for prey in deep water, but in shallow tumbling rivers. Shesh would choose which of the rapids close to the lake would be best for the trial.

“Not yet.”

Akocha scampered up to Toklo and whispered in his ear. “You won't tell them about our secret river, will you?”

“No.” Toklo thought of the falls and the hidden cave behind them. He wouldn't admit it to Akocha, but he was happy to keep the river secret. He wanted to share it with Aiyanna, perhaps on the Longest Day itself; it would be a surprise that would make the day even more special for both of them. Besides, that river was too deep and ran too slowly for a fishing trial.

“I know a river that might be suitable,” Wenona called from beside the driftwood. She'd just slid a large white pebble beneath a branch while Fala and the other cubs were hunting farther along the shore. “There's a river behind the white bears' territory that was full of salmon when I passed it on the way here.”

Shesh narrowed his eyes. “Can you show us where this river is, Wenona?”

She nodded. “It means crossing the white bears' shore.”

“They'll understand,” Toklo grunted. “They're holding trials, too.”

Hattack snorted. “And if they don't, we'll cross their dumb shore anyway.”

Toklo felt a rush of irritation. Did Hattack have to fight about everything? He glanced at Aiyanna, hoping she'd noticed Hattack's bad-tempered comment. But Aiyanna was busy congratulating Fala, who had just discovered Wenona's stone and was fluffing her pelt out with pride.

Growling under his breath, Toklo headed along the shore toward the white bears' part of the lake as Shesh and the others followed behind him.

Aiyanna caught up to him, the cubs chasing after her. “I'm glad they decided to hold the trials in a river and not the lake,” she admitted. “You still haven't shown me how to catch lake fish.”

“It's not hard, so long as you don't mind diving.”

“Underwater?” Wapi bounced in front of them. “I thought only white bears dove for fish.”

“We have paws and snouts just like them,” Toklo answered. “There's no reason we can't dive, too.”