Seekers #6: Spirits in the Stars by Erin Hunter Page A

trying to keep a defensive note out of her voice as she padded over to Toklo and the others. “The mother bear is dead. I couldn’t leave the cub to die, too.”
    “And how will you keep him alive?” Toklo asked scathingly. “We have no milk.”
    Kallik faced the brown bear steadfastly. “I don’t know, but I’m going to try.”
    “Your brain’s full of cloudfluff!” Though Toklo’s voice was angry, his eyes were haunted, as if he was revisiting some terrible memory. After his first horrified glance, he didn’t look at the cub.
    Kallik took a step forward, baring her teeth. She would fight for the cub if she had to. Toklo was her friend, but the rage of protectiveness that surged up inside her made her forget everything except the threat to the cub.
    For a moment Toklo held the white bear’s gaze. Then Kallik saw the haunted look in his eyes fade, replaced by respect.
    “Do what you want,” he muttered, turning aside to talk to Ujurak.
    Lusa padded up to Kallik, her bright eyes alive with interest. “Can I see?” When Kallik nodded, she stretched out her neck and gave the cub a gentle sniff. “Oh, Kallik, he’s adorable! Have you thought of a name for him yet?”
    “Yes,” Kallik replied. “I’m going to call him Kissimi. It means ‘alone.’”
    “But he’s not alone anymore,” Lusa pointed out. “He has you.”
    Yes, Kallik thought, deep satisfaction welling up inside her. Yes, he has me.

Chapter Six
    Toklo
    Toklo sat in the shelter of a thornbush, watching Lusa and Kallik as they fussed over the white bear cub. Two days had passed since Kallik had rescued him. The day before, a blizzard had forced them to retreat from the coast and take shelter beyond the ridge of low hills. Ujurak had caught a white hare, and now Kallik was chewing up the softest part of the meat for the baby to swallow.
    Toklo’s hackles rose as he gazed at the scrawny little creature. “This is a waste of prey,” he muttered to Ujurak, who was sitting beside him, finishing off his share of the catch. “And the cub doesn’t even belong to us.”
    Ujurak said nothing, just touched his nose to Toklo’s shoulder.
    “This cub isn’t part of our destiny, is he?” Toklo hissed.
    Ujurak looked uncertain. “We can’t leave him behind” was all he said.
    “No, we can’t,” Toklo agreed reluctantly. “Kallik wouldn’t let us.” But the cub is a weakness, he added to himself. And we can’t afford weakness. It’s already taking all we have to survive.
    “Hey, Toklo!” Lusa called, glancing across at him with bright eyes and beckoning with one paw. “Kissimi has opened his eyes. Come and see!”
    “No, thanks,” Toklo growled, rising to his paws. So his eyes are open. Big deal. “I’m going to look for some more food.”
    Without waiting for a response, he left the thorn thicket where they had spent the night and headed along the valley. His senses were alert for the scent or sight of hare. In the distance he spotted a cloud of snow thrown up into the air, and wondered for a moment what could be causing it.
    Musk ox, he realized, picturing the way that the sharp hooves churned up the ground. His belly rumbled, and he was tempted to head in that direction.
    But I’d never catch one on my own, he thought regretfully.
    Toklo was still searching for hare without any success when he heard a growl from somewhere ahead. Looking up, he spotted a full-grown male white bear standing in his path. His stance was threatening, and Toklo didn’t like the unfriendly gleam in his eyes.
    “So it’s true,” the white bear said. “There are brown bears here.”
    Toklo braced himself for an attack, but for the moment the white bear didn’t move.
    “My brother Yakone saw you arrive,” the white bear went on. “Where are the others?”
    “Safe from you,” Toklo retorted, his pelt bristling in defiance.
    “That’s what you think,” the white bear sneered. “You are not welcome here. Brown bears and black bears don’t