The Longest Day

by Erin Hunter

  Black fur loomed ahead of her. Pulling up, Lusa skidded and thumped into the flank of a male bear.

  “Lusa?” It was Miki. “What’s wrong?”

  “Tibik’s really sick!” Lusa blurted out. “I have to find herbs, but I don’t know which ones!”

  Miki brushed his flank against hers. “Calm down,” he growled. “Take a deep breath and think.”

  Lusa stared at him, her thoughts slowing as she drew in a deep breath.

  “What herbs did you use for Rudi’s cuts?” Miki prompted.

  Lusa tried to hold on to her moment of calm. “Those leaves only help the infection of the wound. I need herbs to help the infection inside.”

  “Okay.” Miki glanced around. “Let’s gather some leaves to help the outer infection. While we do, you can think about what else we need.” He nodded toward the bottom of the slope where the forest opened onto the shore. “Didn’t we gather leaves for Rudi there?”

  Before Lusa could answer, he walked down the slope. She followed, concentrating on breathing steadily. She could already see the bright-green leaves that would cure the sourness in the pus-filled bee sting. They were growing in thick swathes around the base of a rowan. She stopped as Miki began to tear up pawfuls.

  “This is the right stuff, isn’t it?”

  Lusa nodded. She sat on her haunches beside him and began to rip leaves from their stems. Methodically, she stripped a patch and moved on to the next. She knew they were collecting far more than she needed, but she could feel her mind turning over everything she had learned and kept picking.

  She’d had to find flat-face medicine to treat Yakone when his paw went sour. There was no flat-face medicine here, but there must be an herb that would help. Lusa reached back through all Ujurak had taught her. She pictured gathering leaves beside him from rocky outcrops, in lush meadows, alongside streams.

  She paused. There was one herb that grew beside water. Ujurak had told her that if a bear ate enough, it could slow a pounding heart and ease a burning fever. Wasn’t that the same as curing an infection?

  “That’s it!” she barked.

  “You’ve remembered an herb?” Miki’s eyes shone.

  “It grows near water.” Lusa jumped up and made her way down onto the shore. She raced to the edge of the lake, but there were no plants there, only water and stone.

  “Over here!” Miki was heading toward a patch of green where a stream emerged from the forest.

  Lusa bounded toward him. Plants grew thickly along the narrow rivulet. Jumping into the water, Lusa followed it back under the trees. Long, thin leaves covered small, round ones. Furry leaves poked out among straggly, paw-shaped ones. In her mind Lusa saw Ujurak plucking a long, limp leaf that trailed in the water. She smelled its musky odor. Opening her mouth to taste the air, she scanned the edge of the water. There must be some here! Tibik’s life depended on it.

  “Have you found it?” Miki’s bark interrupted her thoughts.

  “Hush!” A faint scent touched her nose. She plunged her paws into the leaves. Drawing them back, she saw the precious herb floating on the surface of the stream. She leaned in and grabbed the main stem between her jaws, ripping the whole plant away. The leaves trailed through the water as she looked up triumphantly at Miki.

  “I’ll fetch the other leaves and meet you at Tibik’s nest,” he told her.

  She nodded and climbed out of the stream. Pounding across the forest floor, she raced for the camp. Was this really the right herb? Ujurak, help me!

  Tibik was moaning when she reached his nest. Sheena met her with wide, frightened eyes. “He’s in pain!”

  Ossi was crouched beside Tibik. “We got the pus out. The wound’s running clear now.”

  There was no time to explain what she was going to do. Lusa chewed a mouthful of leaves into a pulp and leaned over Tibik. He wriggled, whimpering as she opened his jaws with her paw. Letting the pulp drop into his mouth, she shut his mouth quickly, then pressed his cheek to make him hold still. “Swallow, Tibik, swallow!”

  Behind her, Sheena growled. “What are you doing to him?”

  Tibik was twisting beneath Lusa’s paws, struggling to open his jaws. She could feel his heart pounding beneath her flank. “I know it tastes bad, but it will make you better,” she whispered. She felt him swallow and let go.

  He lifted his head and stared at her, his glassy eyes wide with panic, then collapsed back into his nest and lay still.

  Sheena lunged forward and knocked Lusa away. “You’ve killed him!”

  Paws came to a halt beside her. Miki! Lusa stared at him desperately as he dropped the leaves on the ground. “I made him swallow the water herbs.”

  Miki looked at Tibik. “How long will they take to work?”

  “I don’t know.” Lusa watched Sheena stroking Tibik’s flank.

  The cub was still breathing. She could see his flank rising and falling, fast and shallow. Sheena glared at her. “What did you give him?”

  “Herbs that will help,” Lusa murmured, hoping it was true. She grabbed a mouthful of Miki’s leaves and chewed them into a poultice. Ignoring the foul flavors washing over her tongue, she lapped them into the bee sting. Ossi was right, the pus was gone, and she could taste only fresh blood beneath the herb tang. “You and Sheena did a good job clearing the wound, Ossi,” she told him as she lifted her head.

  She stepped back, her heart fluttering like a captured bird. She stood between Ossi and Miki to watch Tibik. The cub wriggled and moaned as Sheena tried to soothe him with gentle licking.

  Please let him be okay. Lusa stiffened with grief. Why had she gone to the trial? She should have realized how sick he was. She began to tremble. Miki pressed softly against her.

  Voices sounded from higher up the slope. Cheery and loud, the other bears were returning.

  Leotie came bounding into camp. “Issa found the most!”

  “I found the biggest berry!” Dena announced.

  “It wasn’t a trial to find the biggest berry,” Rudi reminded her.

  Issa halted beside the nest. “What’s happened?”

  “Tibik’s sick,” Lusa replied.

  The returning bears fell silent. Dustu and Dena padded over while the others retreated quietly into the trees.

  Dena crouched next to Sheena. “He’s a strong cub,” she told the other she-bear. “He’ll pull through.”

  Sheena didn’t take her eyes from Tibik. “I can’t lose him, too.” As she spoke, Tibik stopped whimpering and fell still.

  Lusa’s heart dropped like a stone. Was he dead?

  “Tibik?” Sheena touched her muzzle to his. “Tibik!”

  Lusa leaned forward and sniffed the cub’s fur, bracing herself for the scent of death. She saw his flank rise, then fall. He was breathing again, gently and evenly. She reached a paw toward him, already feeling less heat pulsing from his pelt.

  “He’s going to be okay!” Ujurak’s herbs had worked! Lusa looked up at Ossi. “Can you find moss and soak it in water for him to drink?”

  Ossi nodded and headed away.

  Miki stepped forward and touched his nose to Lusa’s ear. “You did it, Lusa. You saved him.”

  Lusa turned her muzzle and rubbed it happily against his. “I did, didn’t I?” She breathed in Miki’s warm scent. Pressing against him, she closed her eyes.

  “Lusa! Shall I use lake water or stream water—”

  Lusa opened her eyes and saw Ossi staring at her in dismay. She pulled away from Miki, feeling suddenly hot. Ossi turned and blundered away through the undergrowth.

  Lusa watched him go. I’m so sorry. But how could she change what she felt?

  She turned back to Tibik. Sheena was curled around her son, licking his ears. Tibik is safe. Nothing else should matter. She glanced at Miki. He was staring after Ossi.

  Nothing else should matter, Lusa repeated to herself.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Toklo

  The sun beat down on Toklo’s fur as he waited for Shesh to s
tart the final trial. He stared into the forest where the bears would be hunting, a shiver running along his spine despite the heat. Elki’s wounds hadn’t seemed as bad once the blood had been washed away, but she still hadn’t been able to explain what had happened. Fear had haunted her eyes, and Toklo suspected that she had been frightened into silence. Wolves hadn’t done this. The bears had searched the forest and found no sign. Who could have hurt her? Toklo scanned the shadows. Was someone watching now? Suddenly he remembered Akocha. A strange bear had frightened the cub. Was a rogue bear roaming the woods? It couldn’t be Hakan, could it, still out for revenge? Toklo flexed his claws.

  Aiyanna brushed against him. “Are you nervous about the hunt?”

  “No,” Toklo grunted.

  Aiyanna followed his gaze toward the trees. “The cubs are safe,” she reminded him. “They won’t wander off by themselves.”

  “We need to find out who hurt Elki.”

  “We can’t do that now,” Aiyanna soothed. “Focus on the hunt. If you win, you’ll be leading the ceremony.”

  “It’s not fair,” Holata huffed beside him. “Akocha spoiled the fishing trial.”

  “I did not.” Akocha marched forward, looking sulky. “I won it. Now I’m not allowed to take part in the hunt in case I win again.”

  Tayanita cuffed him over the ear. “You’re not allowed to take part because it’s not safe in the forest for cubs.”

  Before Akocha could argue, Shesh climbed onto a rock. “Is everyone ready?”

  The brown bears grew still. Only the trees moved, swishing as the scorching wind tugged at them. Toklo shifted his paws. The strange heat seemed to signal danger. You have made enemies, Toklo. Ujurak’s words echoed in his mind.

  Shesh lifted his muzzle. “The first bear to return with prey will be the bear who leads the ceremony. . . . Go!”

  Holata plunged forward, barging through the crowd of bears who were swarming into the forest.

  Toklo hesitated and looked at Aiyanna. She had agreed to take part in this trial so that she could bring back food for the cubs. He nodded toward an inlet farther along the shore. The stone tower loomed beyond. “Let’s head that way,” he suggested. “There’ll be no prey left in this part of the forest.”

  He led the way down the shore, heading into the trees as they neared the inlet. Aiyanna slid past him and vanished into the shade of the branches. Toklo followed, hoping the forest would be cooler than the sun-baked shore, but the air beneath the trees was stifling.

  Aiyanna was standing beside a bramble, her ears pricked. “I see a squirrel trail,” she whispered over her shoulder. “I’m going to follow it.”

  “Good luck.” Toklo veered the other way, scanning the undergrowth for signs of life. He clambered up a slope, dry leaves crunching beneath his paws, and crossed a patch of dappled sunlight. Following a deer track, he climbed higher. As he trampled a shriveled bilberry patch, he saw movement ahead. Pausing, he narrowed his eyes. A grouse was pecking through leaf litter beneath a gnarled pine. Toklo trod more softly, avoiding a patch of ferns that would rustle if he crossed it. Excitement flickered in his belly. The scent of the grouse touched his nose. Closing in, he broke into a run and leaped.

  The grouse heaved itself up and Toklo flung his paws into the flurry of wings, feeling the plumpness of its body as he knocked it to the earth. Gripping it with one paw, he killed it quickly, snapping its neck between his jaws. He couldn’t hold back a bellow of triumph. If he raced back to the shore now, he was sure he would win. I’ll lead the ceremony!

  As he began to head for the lake, Aiyanna’s bark rang through the trees.

  “Leave me alone!”

  Toklo dropped the grouse. Was it a rogue bear, as he had wondered earlier? The same rogue bear who might have frightened Akocha and hurt Elki? He charged toward Aiyanna, fur bristling.

  “Stop talking to me!” he heard her growl.

  Toklo burst into a clearing. A flat-face den stood in the middle. Dry ferns and brambles smothered the dusty log walls. Aiyanna stood at one end of the den. Toklo strained to see who she was talking to, but the corner of the den blocked his view.

  “You must be wrong!” Aiyanna gasped. “Toklo would never do anything like that!”

  Toklo’s hackles rose. Who was she talking to? What was the other bear saying?

  Hakan! His thoughts flashed to the grieving black bear. It must be him. He’d tried to spoil the trials, and now he was telling Aiyanna they’d killed Chenoa!

  Toklo charged forward. “It was an accident!” he snarled.

  Aiyanna swung her muzzle toward him. Shock gleamed in her eyes. “Then it’s true? You did kill them?”

  Kill them? Toklo halted, confused. What was she talking about?

  A scent touched his nose that turned his blood cold, and he stared in horror as a half-brown, half-white bear stepped from behind the den. It was Nanulak from the Island of Shadows. The bear Toklo had once called a friend.

  “What are you doing here?” Toklo hissed.

  Nanulak stared at him with pure hatred in his eyes. His mottled brown-and-white fur was ragged and coarse with leaf scraps, and there was a deep scratch above one eye, as if he had been fighting.

  Beside him, Aiyanna whimpered. Toklo turned to look at her. She was gazing at him as though she hardly knew him. “You killed his family!” she whispered. “Then you left him. He nearly died.”

  “Is that what he told you?”

  “I know your journey has been hard. I know you had to fight to survive. But did you really—”

  Toklo cut her off. “Of course not! Nanulak’s always been a good liar. I don’t think he’s ever told the truth in his life.” He tried to ignore the pain jabbing at his heart. How could Aiyanna believe I’d kill a bear’s family? “We met him on the Island of Shadows. He pretended his family had abandoned him. So we looked after him and let him travel with us. But then he tried to trick me into killing his father, who had only ever loved him!” Toklo shuddered as he remembered. Nanulak’s mother—a brown bear—had come looking for her son, too, but Nanulak had turned on her, driven crazy by his belief that he didn’t belong to any group of bears.

  Toklo turned back to Nanulak. “You attacked Elki, didn’t you? You tried to spoil the trials, not Hakan! Is that why you came?” He didn’t give Nanulak a chance to answer. “Did you want to ruin the gathering for everyone? The Longest Day should be peaceful. You don’t belong here. You don’t belong anywhere that decent bears meet.” He flexed his claws. “You have only ever hated those who love you.”

  Nanulak growled. “You left me! You rejected me just like everyone else. As soon as you found out I was half-brown, half-white, you turned your tail on me!”

  “That’s not why I left you—” Toklo began angrily.

  Nanulak raged on. “You must have known I’d hunt you down. I’m going to make you sorry you abandoned me. I thought you were different. But you’re just as cruel as the others. I’m going to make you suffer like every other bear who has ever hurt me.” His gaze flicked toward Aiyanna. “And when I’ve finished with you, I’m going to make her suffer, too.”

  Blind fury blazed through Toklo. Rearing, he lunged for Nanulak. The bear ducked beneath his outstretched paws and rammed his head hard into Toklo’s belly. Winded, Toklo staggered backward. Dropping onto all fours, he felt a violent blow to his shoulder. For a heartbeat, his leg went numb, and he lurched against the wall of the flat-face den.

  Claws raked along his side. Then he felt the weight of Nanulak on his back. Teeth sank into his neck. Panic spiraling, Toklo tried to shake him off. Backing along the side of the den, he felt the wood yield behind him, and he crashed backward through the wall.

  Surprise flashed beneath his pelt as he found himself inside. Nanulak must’ve been surprised, too, because his grip faltered. Toklo staggered clear and swung a hefty blow at Nanulak’s muzzle. Wood splintered as Nanulak crashed sideways into a pile of flat-face clutter. Toklo hit him again, feeling flesh rip beneath his cla
ws.

  With a roar, Nanulak turned on him. He reared up and gripped Toklo’s head with his front paws. Wrestling, they lurched across the den. Toklo grabbed Nanulak’s throat between his jaws and heaved with his hind legs until Nanulak began to stumble. Toklo tasted the salt tang of blood and bit harder. Roaring with pain, Nanulak swung him around with strength Toklo had never felt in a bear before. Unbalanced, he let go and fell onto something hot and jagged with a bright light inside. Pain seared Toklo’s flank, and he glanced around to see flames leaping beside him. The fire caught some pelts fluttering beside an opening in the wooden wall and bloomed like huge yellow flowers.

  Toklo swung his gaze back to Nanulak. The brown-and-white bear was staring in horror as the fire licked the wood above his head. Turning, he fled toward the opening. Toklo raced after him, crunching over the shattered flat-face mess.

  As he burst from the den, he saw Nanulak push past Aiyanna and flee into the forest. Behind Toklo, flames started to reach through the opening, lapping hungrily at the dry wooden walls.

  “What happened?” Aiyanna stared past him toward the den.

  “We spilled fire on the ground!” Toklo nosed Aiyanna toward the trees. Pain throbbed where Nanulak had torn his pelt. Toklo knew that in a moment the flames would touch the dried ferns and brambles and spread faster than they could run. Blood roared in his ears as he chased after Aiyanna.

  “Keep going!” he roared as an explosion ripped through the air behind him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Kallik

  A loud blast echoed from the pine-covered hillside.

  “What was that?” Kallik lifted her head from the fish she was sharing with Yakone.

  Beside her, Yakone tensed. “It sounded like a huge firestick.”

  Kallik narrowed her eyes. Smoke was rising from the trees at the top of the slope. Then she glimpsed flames leaping through the branches.

  The hot wind, whipping fiercely down to the lake, tugged at Kallik’s fur. She saw the fire flare and brighten. Horror hollowed her belly as she watched flames spring from treetop to treetop, growing taller as the wind drove them toward the shore. The scent of smoke touched her nose. “We have to get out of here!”