“So why have you come back?” Illa asked.
Toklo glanced at Kallik, who realized that the moment had come. Kissimi had been hidden in the fur on her shoulders; now Kallik nudged him gently down to stand on tottery legs and blink up at the two white bears.
Illa and Tunerq gazed in disbelief at the little cub, their jaws gaping in astonishment.
“Is . . . is that Sura’s cub?” Illa whispered.
“Yes,” Kallik replied, forcing herself to raise her head and meet the other she-bear’s gaze. “I . . . I called him Kissimi.” She hesitated, bracing herself for an attack, wondering how to tell the story of how she had taken Kissimi from his dead mother and hidden him from the other white bears.
“We found him on the cliffs,” Toklo said, before Kallik could begin. “We don’t know how he survived.”
“But we looked everywhere for him!” Tunerq exclaimed.
Kallik shrugged, trying to look unconcerned, though her heart was pounding. “I guess we got lucky.”
“So did he,” Illa responded.
While the adult bears were speaking, Kissimi was looking up at the two island bears, blinking in wonder. “Are you my family?” he asked.
“Sura was my sister,” Illa replied, bending her head to look the little cub in the eye. “So yes, I am.”
Kallik felt as though the pain in her heart was tearing at her like the jaws of an orca. She gave Illa a long look. “Take care of him for me, please,” she murmured.
“I will,” Illa promised. “Another of our bears lost a cub, just before you came to the island. She will have milk to give Kissimi.” She paused, then added, “Thank you for bringing him back.”
There was a look in Illa’s eyes that suggested to Kallik that the island bear knew they were not telling the whole truth. But along with it was deep relief that Kissimi was back where he belonged. Kallik said nothing more, only gave a tiny head-shake before reaching her head down to nuzzle Kissimi and nudge him to her side.
“You should come and speak to Aga,” Tunerq said. “Last night we heard terrible storms coming from the no-claw structure. And then we saw the Iqniq dancing in the sky, brighter than ever. What happened? And where is the other brown bear who was traveling with you?”
“Take us to Aga,” Toklo replied, “and we’ll tell you.”
Tunerq led the way down the hill; Illa paced just behind him with Kissimi on her shoulders, and the rest of the bears followed. As they approached the frozen river, Kallik spotted Yakone bounding over to her. She halted and waited for him, letting her friends go on without her.
“You came back!” Yakone exclaimed as he reached her.
Kallik studied her paws, wishing that the snow would open and swallow her up. She knew that Yakone must hate her now, because she had stolen Sura’s cub.
“You . . . you didn’t tell the other bears about the cub,” she whispered.
She was aware of Yakone’s gaze upon her. “What was the point?” he asked. “The white bears on this island have suffered enough. What you did was wrong, but I trusted you to look after him.”
He paused, but Kallik’s heart was too full for her to speak.
“I’m glad you’re here now,” Yakone went on. “You did the right thing.”
“Kallik!” Toklo’s voice came from farther down the hillside. Kallik looked up to see that he and the others had almost reached the riverbank, where she spotted Aga with more of the white bears. “Come on; Aga’s waiting!”
Kallik gave Yakone a hasty nod and ran down the hill, her paws throwing up showers of snow. She realized that Yakone was following at a distance; she could feel her fur prickling.
I wish everything had been different, she thought. I would have liked a chance to get to know him better.
Kallik caught up with the others close to the riverbank, but before they reached Aga and the bears around her, they heard a furious bellow. Glancing around, Kallik saw Unalaq charging up to them.
“What are you doing here?” he roared. “You’re not welcome. Haven’t you realized that by now?”
Aga shouldered her way through the group of bears and stepped forward to confront him. “Stop blustering,” she snapped at Unalaq. “These bears have come in peace—haven’t you?”
Kallik and Lusa nodded earnestly, though Toklo was glaring at Unalaq as if for two fish tails he would have leaped on him again with teeth and claws bared. Lusa gave him a shove, and he nodded hastily, though his eyes were still hostile.
“Go away, Unalaq,” Aga told him. “Take your temper somewhere else.”
Unalaq let out an angry snort and stomped away in the direction of the beach.
“He is an unhappy storm, that bear,” Aga muttered, watching him go. “But he’s a good hunter, and loyal to us.” She gave her head a shake, as if she were dismissing Unalaq from her mind. “But there are only three of you,” she went on. “Where is the small brown bear—Ujurak?”
“He died saving us from an avalanche,” Kallik explained, forcing her voice not to shake.
“Yes, and the no-claw structure is gone,” Lusa added eagerly.
Aga looked puzzled. “What structure?”
Kallik realized that some of the white bears might never have seen what the no-claws were doing in that part of the island. “The no-claws built a tower to take oil from the ground,” she explained. “If we hadn’t stopped them, they would have destroyed the whole island.”
“Ujurak led the caribou to break down the tower,” Lusa went on. “The flat-faces are taking all the wreckage away, so the island will be safe from now on.”
I hope so, Kallik thought, unable to share Lusa’s certainty. Who knows what the no-claws will do in the future? But for now it is safe, and the spirits have returned.
Aga nodded slowly. “Thank you. Last night I saw the spirits dancing, and I rejoiced that our ancestors have returned to us.” For a moment she was silent; then she went on more briskly, “Illa and Tunerq, you may leave us. I wish to talk to our guests alone.”
Illa and Tunerq dipped their heads respectfully and withdrew, to be surrounded by a cluster of excited white bears, all exclaiming over Kissimi. Illa nudged him over to another young she-bear, who bent her head and licked his ears lovingly. A pang of pain pierced Kallik’s heart, even as she rejoiced that Kissimi would have a mother.
Aga watched them for a moment. “I can see there are many stories to be told. But for now . . . did you find the cave of stars, with the marks on the wall?” she asked quietly.
“Yes,” Lusa replied.
“The other white bears don’t know about it,” Aga went on. “My mother showed me, and her mother before that, and so on for all the time there have been bears on this island. It is a secret known only to one bear at a time. I will tell Illa when my turn comes to join the Iqniq.”
“The stars are—” Lusa began, only to fall silent as Toklo gave her a nudge.
Kallik realized that Lusa wanted to tell Aga about the way the stars in the cave had changed. But there’s no need for that, she thought. Perhaps Aga will discover it for herself one day.
“Everything is safe,” Toklo said solemnly, with a long look at Aga.
Aga nodded. “What will you do now?” she asked.
Kallik, Toklo, and Lusa exchanged glances; then Toklo shrugged. “Go home, I suppose,” he said.
“That’s right,” Lusa agreed. “We don’t belong here, on the ice. We need to find rivers and trees and sunshine.”
“And what about you?” Aga turned to Kallik. “You don’t need trees and rivers. You could stay here, if you like.”
“That’s a great idea!” Yakone put in; the red-pelted bear had padded up to listen without Kallik being aware of him.
Kallik took a deep breath. Aga’s offer had surprised her, and Yakone’s enthusiastic agreement sent a warm glow through her from snout to paws. She liked the way that these bears lived together, instead of roaming solitarily on the ice. The thought of staying tempted her like the scent of fresh-caught pre
y. But she knew what her answer had to be.
“Thank you, Aga, but this is not my home. My home is on the Frozen Sea, where the bears are in even greater trouble. And I must try to find my brother, Taqqiq, again. I cannot live without knowing that he is safe and well fed.”
Aga nodded. “I understand. Travel well, all of you. I shall think of you each night when I look at the stars.”
Kallik wondered whether the wise old bear knew where Ujurak had gone. Perhaps she’ll find out for sure when she next visits the cave of stars. I hope so.
While Kallik stood in thought, Toklo had turned away. “Come on,” he said. “We should get going while the weather is good.”
“Feel free to hunt from our seals,” Aga invited them.
But Kallik’s paws were itching to be gone, and she guessed that her friends felt the same. They would be able to hunt some prey on their way.
“Plants for me!” Lusa exclaimed, making a face. “I’ve eaten enough seal to last me the rest of my life.”
As they headed toward the shore, Kallik spotted Kissimi as he broke away from Illa and the other she-bear and scampered toward her. Tunerq padded after him.
Please, no, Kallik thought, anguished. Don’t ask to come with me, little one. Don’t make our parting harder than it need be.
But Kissimi seemed quite cheerful as he bounced up to her and butted her leg with his head, letting out an excited squeak.
“He’ll be fine with us,” Tunerq assured Kallik. “I’m going to teach him to hunt seals when he’s bigger.”
Kissimi puffed out his chest. “Big now!” he announced.
“You’ll be a great hunter, little one,” Kallik murmured. “Be good and listen to your elders and . . .” Her voice choked, and she bent to nuzzle his head.
“Come on.” Toklo gave her a nudge, gruffly sympathetic.
“Good-bye, Kissimi.” Kallik felt as though her heart had been trampled by caribou.
“Bye, K’lik.” Kissimi touched his nose to hers.
Kallik drew in his scent for the last time and gave the top of his head one final lick. “There. Go to your family,” she murmured.
Tunerq dipped his head to her and nudged Kissimi away, back to the other white bears.
Kallik was turning to follow Toklo and Lusa when Yakone stepped up to her and planted himself in front of her. “I don’t want you to leave,” he said bluntly.
“I’m sorry,” Kallik said, a new pain invading her heart. “I wish things could have been different. . . .”
“They can be,” Yakone responded. “Let me come with you.”
Kallik stared at him, not knowing how to reply. “But this is your home . . .” she began.
“My home is wherever I want it to be,” Yakone countered.
Kallik gazed into his eyes. She yearned to say yes, but she shrank from allowing him to make such a momentous decision, to leave his home and his family and everything he had ever known. He would do that for me?
“You could be making a terrible mistake,” she faltered.
“Maybe. But at least let me be free to make it.” Incredibly, Yakone’s eyes held a mischievous glint. “Are you going to tell me that you do even worse things than steal cubs?”
Kallik felt a rumble of pleasure rising from deep inside her. “You’ll have to wait and find out!”
As she finished speaking, Toklo padded up with Lusa behind him. “What’s going on?” he asked, glancing from Kallik to Yakone and back again.
“Yakone wants to travel with us,” Kallik explained.
Toklo narrowed his eyes, sizing up the young red-pelted bear. “Well, I guess extra paws for hunting won’t hurt,” he grunted. “What do you think, Lusa?”
The black bear hesitated, while Kallik waited anxiously for her reply. She knew that Lusa had been hurt by how much time she had spent with Kissimi, and she didn’t want her friend to be jealous of Yakone.
There’s no need. Lusa will always be my friend. Kallik stretched out a paw, gazing at Lusa as if her eyes could reassure the black she-bear of all her affection and trust.
Finally, to Kallik’s relief, Lusa nodded. “We came here as four,” she pronounced. “We should still be four. Ujurak would like that. Let’s go.”
While Yakone turned back to say good-bye to the other white bears, Kallik gazed up at the sky. She knew that somewhere beyond the blue, Ujurak was watching them. His scent whisked around her, and she heard him whisper.
“I will be with you every step of the way home.”
“Thank you,” Kallik whispered back.
KEEP WATCH FOR
OMEN OF THE STARS
BOOK 4:
SIGN OF THE MOON
Prologue
Water thundered down from the mountaintop, screening the entrance to the cave with a shimmering cascade. Gray light filtered through it and shadows gathered in the corners of the cavern like soft black wings. Near the sheet of falling water, two kits were scuffling over a bunch of feathers, batting it back and forth and letting out shrill squeals of excitement. The pale tabby fur of the little she-cat and the tom’s brown pelt almost blended into the dark stone floor.
At the back of the cave, an old brown tabby tom was crouching in the mouth of a tunnel. His eyes were narrowed, and his amber gaze never left the kits. He was motionless, except for the occasional twitch of his ears.
The tabby kit leaped high into the air, clawing at the feathers; as she landed with the bunch in her paws her brother flung himself on top of her, rolling over and snapping at the feathers with teeth like tiny white thorns.
“That’s enough.” A gentle voice came from close by as a graceful brown tabby she-cat rose to her paws and padded across to the kits. “Mind you don’t get too close to the water. And Pine, why don’t you try jumping high like Lark? You need to practice for when you’re a prey-hunter.”
“I’d rather be a cave-guard,” Pine mewed. “I’d fight every cat that tried to trespass on our territory.”
“Well, you can’t, because I will,” Lark retorted. “I’m going to be a cave-guard and hunt prey, so there!”
“That’s not how we do things,” their mother began; a swift glance over her shoulder showed that she was aware of the old cat watching from the shadows. “Every Tribe kit has to—”
She broke off at the sound of pawsteps coming from the narrow path that led behind the waterfall and into the cave. A broad-shouldered gray-furred cat appeared, followed by the rest of his patrol. Instantly the kits let out squeals of welcome and hurled themselves at him.
“Careful!” Their mother followed and gathered the kits in with her tail. “Your father has been on border patrol. He must be tired.”
“I’m fine, Brook.” The gray tom blinked at her affectionately and gave her ear a quick lick. “It was an easy trip today.”
“Stormfur, I don’t know how you can say that!” a black tom put in, shaking water from his pelt as he left the cliff path. “We waste our time and wear out our paws patrolling that border, and for what?”
“Peace and quiet,” Stormfur replied, his voice even. “We aren’t going to get rid of those cats, even though we do think they’re intruders. The best we can hope for is to protect our own territory.”
“The whole of the mountains should be our territory!” the black tom spat.
“Give it a rest, Screech,” a dark ginger she-cat meowed, with an irritable twitch of her tail. “Stormfur’s right. Things aren’t like that anymore.”
“But are we safe?” asked Brook. She glanced at the kits who were now tussling over a morsel of rabbit fur.
“The borders are holding, mostly,” Stormfur told Brook, a worried look in his amber eyes. “But we did pick up the scent of other cats in a couple of places. And there were eagle feathers scattered on the rock. They’ve been stealing prey again.”
The ginger she-cat shrugged. “There’s nothing we can do about that.”
“We can’t just let it go, Swoop,” Stormfur murmured. “Otherwise they’ll think the
y can do exactly what they like, and there was no point in setting the borders in the first place. I think we should increase the patrols and be ready to fight.”
“More patrols?” Screech lashed his tail angrily.
“It makes sense to—”
“No!”
Stormfur jumped as a voice rasped out from the shadows and he saw the old tabby cat standing a tail-length away.
“Stoneteller!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t see you there.”
“Evidently.” The old cat’s neck fur was bristling and there was a trace of anger in his eyes. “There will be no more patrols,” he went on. “The Tribe has enough to eat, and with the thaw approaching, there will soon be more prey: eggs and young birds stolen from nests.”
Stormfur looked as if he wanted to argue, but he picked up a flickering glance from Brook and a tiny shake of her head. Reluctantly he dipped his head to Stoneteller. “Very well.”
The old cat stalked away. Making an effort to flatten the ruffled fur on his neck, Stormfur turned to his kits. “Have you behaved yourselves today?”
“They’ve been very good,” Brook told him, her eyes warm. “Lark is growing so strong and sturdy, and Pine jumps really well.”
“We’ve been hunting,” Lark announced, pointing with her tail toward the bedraggled lump of feathers. “I caught three eagles!”
“Didn’t,” Pine contradicted her. “I killed one, or it would have flown away with you!”
Brook met Stormfur’s eyes. “I can’t seem to make them understand that they’ll have separate duties when they’re to-bes.”
“They shouldn’t have to decide now,” Stormfur began, only to break off as Brook flicked her tail toward Stoneteller, who was still in earshot. He let out a sigh. “They’ll learn,” he murmured, a trace of regret in his tone. “Is there any fresh-kill left? I’m starving!”
As Brook led Stormfur over to the fresh-kill pile, to-bes and their mentors headed back into the cave, and Stormfur’s kits shot across the cavern floor to intercept them.