Smoke Mountain Read Online Free Page B

Don’t worry; every other old bear in the world can fill us in.’
    â€˜Taqqiq, stop,’ Kallik whispered. ‘He’s one of us.’
    â€˜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.
    â€˜Huh!
You
might be happy to listen to some oldfool 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.
    â€˜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?’
    â€˜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.
    â€˜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!’
    â€˜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.
    â€˜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.’
    â€˜Smoke Mountain?’ Lusa echoed. She looked up and saw that Ujurak’s fur was bristling andhis eyes were so wide she could see white circles around them.
    Kallik pressed closer to Qopuk. ‘What a horrible name,’ she whispered.
    â€˜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.
    â€˜Qopuk!’ Lusa cried. ‘Wait, tell us more!’
    â€˜Shhh,’ Kallik told her. ‘Lusa, he’s sleeping. Let him rest.’
    â€˜Oh,’ Lusa said softly. ‘Sorry, Qopuk.’ She took a step backwards, trying to move quietly.
    â€˜He’s so tired,’ Ujurak said. They watched the bear’s grimy fur rise and fall as he breathed.
    â€˜Can we stay here tonight?’ Kallik asked Ujurak. ‘To be with him?’
    â€˜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