The Melting Sea by Erin Hunter

Author:Erin Hunter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins US

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Toklo

“My paws are falling off,” Toklo grumbled. Every pawstep he took felt as if thorns were driving into his pads. Lusa was limping, too. “It’s time to stop for the day,” he announced.

Two sunrises had passed since the bears had said good-bye to Akna and her cubs. They were walking in a shallow gully, sheltered by the wind, and separated from the shoreline by a gentle rise. The pine trees had been left behind; only a few scrubby bushes grew on the landward side of the gully.

“It’s getting warmer all the time,” Toklo continued as he halted, “and the days are getting longer. I guess that’s why our paws feel so sore: We’re walking farther every day because we’re using all the daylight.” He flopped on one side and rasped his tongue over his stinging pads. “We’ll have to start limiting how far we travel each day,” he said between licks.

“Good idea,” Yakone responded.

Toklo was pleased by the white bear’s agreement. He knew that Yakone found their journey easier, because his paws were suited to walking on snow.

Kallik won’t like it, though, he thought. She’s more driven with every day that passes. She won’t want to cut down our traveling time.

Glancing around for the white she-bear, he saw that Kallik had drawn a little ahead and was standing at the top of the rise, looking out toward the sea. Her gaze was focused on something out of Toklo’s sight; he wondered if she had spotted some prey, or another bear.

Though we’ve only seen one metal bird since we left Akna, and that passed straight overhead.

Scrambling to his paws again, Toklo padded toward Kallik, but before he reached her she began to walk away from him, then quickened her pace until she was running. As he reached the top of the rise, Toklo saw that her gaze was fixed on some piles of lumpy snow not far away from the water’s edge.

Alarmed, Toklo ran after her. Catching up to her, he saw that Kallik was digging down frantically into the snow. “What are you doing?” Toklo asked.

Kallik ignored him. She was muttering to herself, too faintly for Toklo to make out the words, and concentrating on scraping away snow.

“What’s going on?” Yakone asked, coming up with Lusa at his side.

Toklo shook his head. “I have no idea.”

He watched Kallik as she uncovered a shard of metal, sharp and shiny, then hurled herself at another snowy lump and started digging again. Toklo glanced at Yakone and Lusa, but they both looked as baffled as he felt.

“Kallik, tell us what’s wrong,” he said, but once again the white she-bear ignored him.

“I think I understand,” Yakone said after a moment. “This must be the metal bird that was carrying Kallik when it fell out of the sky. Kallik, you can’t do anything about it now.”

“I’ve got to find Nanuk.” Kallik almost spat the words out. “I left her here, all alone.”

Unearthing more chunks of metal, she started heaving them aside, scraping at the snow underneath them until she reached the bare, brown earth.

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