Free Fire in the Sky by Erin Hunter Page B

bears. She’d probably make just as good a meal for one of them as the seal lying on the ice in front of her.
    “Well, let’s not wait for whoever caught this to come back,” Kallik decided. She bent down and tore off a piece of flesh. “Try it!”
    They all crouched and began to dig in, although Lusa kept an eye out for angry white bears who might be returning for their prey.
    “It’s good!” Toklo said, sounding surprised. “Fattier and greasier than a rabbit or a squirrel, but that’s all right by me. It tastes kind of like fish and kind of like meat at the same time. Doesn’t it, Ujurak?”
    Ujurak nodded as if he wasn’t really listening. His jaws worked as he chewed. “We’re lucky Kallik found it,” he mumbled around a mouthful. Lusa wondered if he was trying to remind Toklo of how much they needed the white bear’s guidance out here.
    She picked at the chunk of flesh she’d ripped off. She was excited about finally having food, but the rich, fishy smell was overpoweringly strong. When she bit into it, the dense, chewy fat nearly made her gag. It felt like eating heavy, fish-smelling slugs, all slimy and fatty in her mouth. She wished she could have fresh berries or grubs instead, but of course that was impossible out here. And she had to eat, or she would starve.
    “Don’t you like it?” Kallik fretted. “Just imagine it’s a plump rabbit.”
    Lusa bit off another mouthful. “Mmm,” she said, pretending to savor it. “You’re right, it’s just like rabbit. Um, only better!”
    Satisfied, Kallik turned back to her portion. Lusa felt guilty for lying to her, but she didn’t want Kallik to worry that she would go hungry out here. She forced herself to take a few more bites, chewing slowly to make it go down more easily.
    “Hey!” A strange voice interrupted them, and Lusa whirled around to see a large female bear stalking toward them. “That’s mine ! I caught it!”
    “Too bad,” Toklo growled. “It’s ours now.”
    “You can’t leave newkill and just expect it to be there when you get back,” Kallik said, planting herself between the seal and the unfamiliar bear.
    “But—” the other bear started.
    “Where is it, Mother?” a younger voice cried plaintively behind her. A small cub came scrambling over the top of the snowy hill and stumbled, tumbling down to land at her mother’s paws. “I’m starving! I’m so hungry I could eat a—” She stopped, staring wide-eyed at the four bears around the seal.
    “Hey!” she whispered loudly. “Why are those bears such funny colors? What’s wrong with them?”
    “It doesn’t matter,” said the she-bear. She stood up on her hind legs and clawed at the air. “They’re going to back off and let us have our seal.”
    “No!” Toklo snarled, raising himself onto his hind legs as well.
    Lusa exchanged glances with Ujurak and guessed that he felt as bad as she did. They were so hungry—but how could they steal from a tiny cub?
    Suddenly a roar split the air and Lusa nearly jumped out of her skin. A full-grown male white bear charged across the snow toward them, baring his teeth.
    Lusa’s heart pounded with terror. How had he snuck up on them? He must have been moving very fast. He was enormous , and from the look on his face, he wasn’t very pleased.
    “I SMELL SEAL AND IT WILL BE MINE—” The white bear stopped midroar and skidded to a halt. He staredat the brown and black bears.
    “What—how—” he stammered. He shook his head vigorously and pawed at his eyes. He swung his head toward Kallik and the other white bear. “Are those brown bears? And a black bear? Out here on the ice?”
    “Yes,” Kallik said, her voice trembling a little. She lifted her head and looked him straight in the eye. “Yes. They’re my friends.”
    “Your friends ?” he barked. “What are they doing out here? They’ll never survive!”
    Toklo gave Lusa an I told you so expression.
    “They will!” Kallik said fiercely. “I’ll make