The Burning Horizon Read Online Free PDF Page B

able to see our trail.”
    â€œBut nothing is tracking us,” Toklo pointed out. “And there are so many flat-faces around here, I doubt there are any hunting packs of wolves or coyotes.”
    Kallik realized that Toklo was right. She looked at the other bears, noticing that their fur lay flat on their necks and they seemed relaxed, almost cheerful, in spite of the difficult ground. Though they didn’t talk much because they wanted to travel quietly, they made their way with good humor.
    â€œYou expect me to get through there?” Kallik murmured as Lusa squeezed underneath some low-growing thorn branches. “Do you think I’m a mouse?”
    â€œYeah, a really big mouse!” Lusa responded, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
    â€œWriggle on your belly,” Toklo suggested, managing to hold the branches a little higher to make room for Kallik. “And Yakone, watch out for that root. You don’t want to bang your injured paw.”
    Yakone took the lead after they had negotiated the thornbushes. The slope was flattening out, and from somewhere ahead Kallik could hear the sound of running water.
    Suddenly Yakone stopped. While Kallik glanced around for any signs of danger, he stalked forward again, then plunged into the lush vegetation that edged the stream. A moment later he stood up, holding a grouse in his jaws.
    â€œGood catch!” Lusa exclaimed.
    â€œYeah, nicely done,” Toklo added. “Let’s rest for a bit and eat.”
    Before they settled down to share the grouse, all the bears took a drink from the stream. Standing beside Yakone, Kallik nudged his shoulder with her muzzle. “That was great,” she said. “I’d never have known there was a grouse there.”
    â€œI got lucky,” Yakone responded, though Kallik could hear the satisfaction in his voice. She was glad that he’d had a chance to provide food for them. Now maybe he’ll stop worrying that he’s holding us back.
    Yakone tore the grouse apart, dividing it between himself, Kallik, and Toklo. Lusa was already digging up ferns and crunching the roots.
    â€œTell me more about the Longest Day Gathering,” Yakone said through a mouthful of prey. “What happens there?”
    â€œLike I said, lots and lots of bears meet together by a lake,” Lusa explained. “Black bears, and brown and white. I’ve never seen so many bears in one place!”
    â€œThey exchange news and tell stories,” Toklo said.
    â€œYes, and there’s a ceremony,” Kallik added. “At least, the white bears hold one. The oldest and wisest bear calls on the sun to leave so that the dark and cold can return. It’swonderful. . . . But it seems like such a long time ago that we were there,” she finished with a sigh. “We’ve seen so much since then.”
    â€œAnd Ujurak was with us.” Toklo looked sad for a few moments, then swallowed his last bite of grouse and sprang to his paws. “Let’s get going!”
    They crossed the stream and carried on over ground where the trees grew farther apart and they could make better progress. After a while Kallik heard the sound of running water again, this time a deep, slow surge. Flashes of astonishing blue appeared through the leaves, and a few pawsteps later they broke out into the open to see a river in front of them, lined on one side by a small BlackPath. “This must be the river we saw from the edge of the forest,” Lusa said.
    A shallow slope led down to the BlackPath and water, and on the other side of the river, a steeper slope climbed up to another ridge.
    Toklo looked up to check the angle of the sun and the direction of the mountain slopes. “Yes, this is where we have to cross,” he said with a confident nod.
    Beyond the BlackPath the mighty current of the river rolled onward, the water reflecting the blue of the sky. Flecks of foam dotted the surface, and small