The Longest Day (4 page)

Kallik felt her heart sink. Unalaq was Yakone's brother. He had objected to everything she, Toklo, and Lusa had suggested when they'd tried to help the bears of Star Island. He'd even fought with Toklo.

She felt secretly relieved when Illa shook her head. “He stayed with Aga. She said that she was far too old for such a
journey, and Unalaq decided that she shouldn't be left alone. Of course, Aga objected and said she could look after herself, but you know how stubborn Unalaq can be.”

Yakone snorted. “I remember. But Aga's stubborn, too. They're probably quarreling right now about the best ice hole to fish at.” He paused. “Is Aga well?”

“She's fine,” Illa assured him. “She told me which route to follow to find the lake. We didn't get lost once.”

Yakone gazed at her proudly. “I'm so pleased you came. There have been times when I wondered if I'd ever see you again.”

Kallik shivered, the coldness of the water reaching through her pelt. Was Yakone thinking of the times when he'd nearly died on the journey? Injured and bleeding, he'd faked death to lure out the coyotes that were tracking them. And the injury itself had almost killed him.

Kallik pulled her thoughts back and scanned the shore. Was Taqqiq here? She wanted to see her brother and know he was well. Her gaze flicked from one bear to another. Taqqiq wasn't the only familiar face she was hoping to see again. Kallik pictured a young cub gazing trustingly up at her.
No,
she told herself.
He's too young to have made the journey.
But even as she thought it, she saw a young bear bounding from the shade of the pines. Her heart soared. She could hardly believe her eyes.
Kissimi
was racing toward her.

Kissimi's eyes lit up as he saw Kallik. He charged past Illa and splashed into the shallows. Barking excitedly, he ran to meet her, rubbing his muzzle against hers. “Kallik! You came!”

Affection flooded Kallik's heart. “Oh, Kissimi! I'm so happy to see you!” She nuzzled him fiercely. He'd been a newborn cub—hardly bigger than a seal—when she'd found him beside his dead mother on Star Island. Kallik had
so
wanted to look after him. She knew what it was like to lose a mother, and she couldn't let Kissimi feel as alone as she had.

But a cub could never have made the journey that lay ahead of her. Reluctantly, Kallik had given him to Illa, his mother's sister. Leaving Kissimi behind had been heartbreaking, but she knew Illa would take good care of him, and as he snuffled happily against her cheek now, as strong and healthy as any cub, she knew she'd made the right decision.

Kallik drew back and looked at him proudly. “You have traveled so far! You must be very brave!”

“I bet
you've
traveled farther!” Kissimi bounced around her.

Kallik glanced at Yakone. “We've been a long way,” she huffed as they moved into the shallower water by the bank, Kissimi following.

Illa and Tunerq spilled over with questions.

“Where have you been?” Illa asked.

Tunerq shifted from paw to paw. “How far did you go?”

“We've been to the Melting Sea,” Yakone told them. “We've crossed mountains and forests and ridden on the back of a firesnake.”

Tunerq tilted his head. “A firesnake? What's that?”

“It's like a great trail of firebeasts that races across the land on endless silver lines. It breathes smoke and growls louder than thunder.”

Kissimi's eyes were huge. “You rode on its back?”

Yakone nodded as he joined Kissimi in climbing up onto the bank. “That's right.”

As the shallow water washed around her paws, Kallik saw how happy Yakone looked as he shared his news with old friends. Anxiety clawed at her belly. Would she ever feel as close to these bears as Yakone did? She shook her pelt. What did it matter? As long as she was with Yakone, she would be happy.

Lost in thought, she hardly noticed Yakone lean over the water to snuffle her ear. “Come and join us,” he murmured. “It's not just me they're happy to see.”

Kallik climbed up onto dry land, and she dipped her head in greeting to the Star Island bears.

Kissimi immediately pressed against her. “I take seal blubber to where you buried Ujurak,” he told her. “I know he can't eat anymore, but I thought his spirit would be happy that we still remember him.”

Kallik was surprised to feel her eyes sting with grief. At once, she was back on Star Island, her heart breaking as Toklo kicked snow over Ujurak's battered body. Ujurak had moved a rock to protect them from the avalanche that had killed him. “That's really kind of you,” Kallik whispered to the little cub.

“We see him every night in the stars,” Kissimi told her.

The bears farther up the beach were shifting, making the stones crunch. As fresh scents wafted over Kallik, she looked toward the rocky ridge at the top of the shore. Three
bears were stumbling wearily over the boulders.
Taqqiq
! Kallik recognized her brother at once. Shila and Tonraq—Shila's younger brother—were with him. Kallik scanned the ridge, expecting to see Salik, Iqaluk, and Manik. They had been Taqqiq's friends once. Kallik didn't like them, and she still blamed them for leading Taqqiq astray at the previous Longest Day. But it seemed as if her brother had traveled without them this time.

She ran up the shore to greet him. “Taqqiq! How are you?”

“Kallik!” Tiredness seemed to lift from her brother's shoulders. “I hoped you'd be here.” He lowered his head—he was taller than her now, and much broader across his shoulders—to nuzzle her ears.

Kallik sighed with relief.
He's happy to see me!
Too many times in the past, Taqqiq had met her with hostility.

Shila dipped her head as Yakone joined them. “I hope your journey was easier than ours.” She glanced teasingly at Taqqiq. “We got lost three times and had to hide from wolves.”

“We weren't hiding,” Taqqiq huffed. “We just chose a different route.”

Shila rested her shoulder against his. “If you say so,” she murmured.

There was a closeness between the two bears that Kallik recognized. She shot a questioning look at Yakone. Had he seen it, too? Were Taqqiq and Shila mates?

Yakone was watching Tonraq as the young male lumbered down the beach toward them. “Is Pakak with you?” he asked. “And Sakari?”

“My mother didn't want to make the long journey,” Tonraq told him.

“And Pakak stayed with her,” Shila added.

What about Salik, Manik, and Iqaluk?
Kallik swallowed back the question.

Taqqiq stared at the lake. “I'm so hot!” He nudged past Kallik and stormed into the water. As soon as it was deep enough, he plunged beneath the surface.

Tonraq eyed the water hungrily. “I'm hot, too.”

Shila snorted. “Go on, then! You don't need my permission.” As Tonraq hurried away, she rolled her eyes. “One day they'll learn to think for themselves.”

Kallik gave an amused grunt. “Taqqiq seems happy. You must be a good influence.”

“It's not me,” Shila told her. “He's just back to his old self, that's all. Without Salik and the others around, he doesn't need to act tough.” Her gaze softened as she watched Taqqiq wallow in the lake. “He's sweet. I'm glad I have him.”

As she spoke, Taqqiq called from the water. “Come on, Shila. Let's catch fish!”

Shila caught Kallik's eye. “We'll catch up later, okay?” She raced to the water's edge and waded in.

Kallik leaned happily against Yakone. “I glad they came.”

Yakone rubbed his muzzle against her ear. “Me too. Let's go fish with them. I'm hungry.”

Kallik followed him into the lake. Ducking under the surface, the bears headed for the deeper water. Above them, the sparkling surface grew dim. Kallik could see the pale shapes
of Taqqiq, Shila, and Tonraq a few bearlengths ahead. A trout flitted past her nose, and she swung a paw toward it. She missed, but Yakone turned and, stretching out his head, snapped it between his jaws. He lifted his muzzle and pushed up toward the surface.

Kallik swam after him, her lungs tight. It was a long time since they'd been in such deep water. She'd forgotten the pleasure of its weight pressing around her. She couldn't wait till they reached the Endless Ice, where there'd be seawater to swim in. Salt water felt thicker than lake water; it pulled at her pelt with a reassuring heaviness.

As she broke the surface, she saw Yakone floating on his back with the trout between his jaws. Taqqiq popped up a bearlength away, Shila and Tonraq surfacing beside him.

“Get back to your side of the water!”

An angry bark took Kallik by surprise. Four brown heads were bobbing behind Taqqiq.
Grizzlies!
Kallik glanced back at the shore, surprised they'd swum so far. And yet they weren't that close to the brown bears' beach. These grizzlies were a long way out.

“The lake's big enough to share!” she called back. It felt strange to be arguing with a brown bear after so many moons hunting beside Toklo.

In response, one of the grizzlies pushed through the water toward Shila, Tonraq, and Taqqiq. Shila had a large salmon between her jaws, and Kallik saw the grizzly's gaze fix on it as he plowed closer. The other three brown bears swam in his wake.

Yakone dropped his trout and flipped onto his front. Kallik dove to catch it. As she surfaced, she saw Yakone heading toward Taqqiq. Tonraq and Taqqiq were facing the grizzlies, growling.

Tonraq slapped a paw hard on the lake's surface, sending water spraying toward the brown bears. “No brown bear tells us where to hunt!” he snarled.

Taqqiq swam sideways, blocking the gap between the grizzlies and Shila. “You have the forest to hunt in!” he shouted.

“The fish here are ours!” The grizzly who had spoken before was now swimming in place, his lip curled. “Get back to your own side.”

“Or what?” Tonraq growled.

Taqqiq snorted, slapping the water again. “Don't threaten a white bear when he's swimming! You can hardly keep your head above water. Go back to the shallows. Your paws are only fit for land.”

The other brown bears lined up beside the first. One snapped his jaws, the wet fur around his neck spiking.

Kallik dropped the trout into her paws. “Come on!” she called to Taqqiq. “Let's leave them to fish.”

Tonraq spun around, spraying water, and hissed at her. “Have you forgotten where your loyalties lie?”

“But we're all
bears
!” Kallik glanced toward Taqqiq and Yakone, hoping one of them would back her up. But they both kept their gaze fixed on the brown bears.

Frustrated, Kallik looked at Shila. Did she think this was a battle worth fighting? Shila was struggling to keep hold of
the salmon thrashing in her jaws. “Let's take our catch back to shore,” Kallik urged her. If she could get Shila away, the others might follow. She placed the trout back between her jaws, before turning away from the blustering males and swimming back toward the white bears' beach. As she felt the lake bed rise to meet her paws, she glanced back.

Shila was following, but Yakone and the others were still exchanging splashes and snarls with the brown bears. At least none of them were within striking distance; perhaps this would be a show of strength rather than a fight with teeth and claws.

Kallik climbed up the sloping shelf of rock onto the shore. Shila padded beside her, pelt streaming. They dropped their catch as they passed the waterline.

“Those dumb brown bears.” Shila stared angrily across the water. “If I wasn't holding a fish, I'd have shown them who was trespassing!”

At last, Yakone, Taqqiq, and Tonraq were swimming for shore. The brown bears had turned away and were diving for fish.

“What was that about?” Illa hurried over the stones toward Kallik and Shila. “What were those grizzlies doing?”

Before Kallik could answer, a gruff bark came from farther up the shore. “They were on our side of the water!” She recognized it at once.

Taqqiq's former friend Salik was staring across the lake, fury in his eyes. Manik and Iqaluk stood beside him, their pelts spiked with anger. Kallik's heart sank. They must have
just arrived, and they were already stirring up trouble.

Then she saw Anarteq amble from beneath the pines. The old white bear would soon sort this out. Kallik felt a tremor of concern as she studied him. He looked smaller than last suncircle. And so old! His white fur had yellowed and his snout was grizzled.

Yakone splashed from the water. Kallik jerked her head in the direction of the old bear. “Look, Anarteq has shrunk!”

“
You've
grown,” he reminded her.

“But he looks so old.”

“He
is
old.”

“Not too old to stop this silly argument.” Kallik looked hopefully toward Anarteq.

Salik was already circling the old bear. “Are you going to tell those brown bears that they're trespassing?”

Shila growled. “We can't let them get too close—not unless we want them to start thinking they can fish in
our
part of the lake.”

Grunts of agreement sounded from the other bears gathered on the shore.

Kunik, an old male whom Kallik remembered from the last gathering, turned his cloudy gaze toward the brown bears' stretch of shore. “Perhaps we should send a group to discuss a boundary within the lake.”

Anarteq followed his gaze, not speaking.

Salik tossed his head impatiently. “Well?”

To Kallik's surprise, Anarteq shrugged. “What does it matter?” he muttered. “Fish will go where they like, as will bears.”

“Is that
it
?” Salik spluttered.

Illa looked puzzled. “But what if they come into our part of the lake?”

Anarteq blinked. “If you want to fight, then fight. If you want to fish, then fish. Whatever you do, the world will still keep melting around us.” He lumbered back into the shade and lay down stiffly on the pine needles.