Free Smoke Mountain by Erin Hunter Page A

leaving streaks of blood on Taqqiq’s white fur.
    He could hear Lusa and Kallik roaring at them, but their voices were only a buzz in his ears. Rage pounded through him. If Taqqiq had killed Ujurak . . .
if he had killed Ujurak
. . . His despair and anger rose to a frenzy. He slashed and bit and tore into Taqqiq as if the white bear were the reason for every terrible thing that had happened in Toklo’s life.
    â€˜Toklo! Taqqiq!’ Lusa screamed from the tree branch. ‘Stop it! Stop!’
    Hot pain seared through Toklo’s skin as Taqqiq’s claws sank into his back. He rolled free and kicked, smashing Taqqiq’s skull into a tree with a vicious thud. The white bear bellowed and cuffed Toklo across the ears. It felt as if a firebeast had slammed into his head. Ears ringing, Toklo crouched and tensed to spring with his claws extended. If he could pin down Taqqiq, just one swift bite to his neck would end this battle.
    Kallik threw herself between them, and for one moment Toklo, blinded by rage, thought he was seeing two of Taqqiq. But before he could pounce, a cold bear nose shoved his snout aside, and somebody muscled into his way. Somebody bigger and heavier than Lusa, with brown fur . . .
    â€˜Toklo, what are you doing?’ Ujurak barked. ‘Why are you fighting? What happened?’
    â€˜Ujurak!’ Toklo yelped. Exhausted, he collapsed on a pile of leaves. ‘You’re alive!’
    â€˜Alive?’ Ujurak echoed, looking puzzled. ‘Why wouldn’t I be? I was just scouting ahead.’
    Over by the tree, Kallik was holding her brother back, standing in his way and murmuring in a low voice. Taqqiq’s eyes were still blazing with anger.
    Toklo’s muscles ached all over, and he could feel trails of sharp pain where Taqqiq and the dogs had clawed him. But Ujurak was alive, and that was the only thing that mattered.
    â€˜I thought . . . I thought . . .’ he stammered. He glanced up, searching for a way to explain, and saw Lusa’s bright, horrified eyes watching from a high branch. She looked terrified, as if Toklo had suddenly turned into a firebeast.
    â€˜You could have had the stupid squirrel!’ Taqqiq yelled. ‘I would have shared it with you!’
    â€˜He just . . . The dogs got you both angry,’ Kallik said. ‘It’s all right; it’s over now.’ She laid one paw on Taqqiq’s shoulder, but he shrugged her off.
    â€˜And that’s another thing!’ Taqqiq shouted.‘I could have handled those dogs! I would have smashed them and clawed them and torn them to shreds without you getting in the way! You don’t always have to interfere! Always telling us what to do and where to go and acting like we don’t know anything. Bossing everyone around like you’re the king of all the bears – who made you so special? You’re not even a white bear. You’re just a stupid brown bear!’
    Guilt prickled through Toklo’s pelt. He could see the dead squirrel lying on the ground nearby; it hadn’t been Ujurak after all.
    But anger flared up in him too. How had he got into this mess? No other bear had to constantly watch out that he didn’t eat his best friend!
    â€˜I thought it was Ujurak, all right?’ he snapped. ‘I thought you had killed Ujurak.’
    Taqqiq glared at him for a long moment, his sides heaving. Then, very slowly, as if he really thought Toklo had no brain at all, Taqqiq said, ‘What . . . are . . . you . . . talking about?’
    Toklo nodded at the squirrel. He didn’t know how to even start explaining.
    â€˜That’s a
squirrel
,’ Taqqiq said. ‘Not a bear.
Squirrel
.Small, noisy, edible? Nothing
like
Ujurak!’
    â€˜I know!’ Toklo growled.
    â€˜Taqqiq,’ Kallik said, ‘there’s something we haven’t told you about Ujurak.’
    Her brother turned his head towards her. ‘What?’ he snarled sarcastically.