Read Online Island of Shadows by Erin Hunter - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Erin Hunter
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the rear. By now the daylight was fading, much to Lusaâs relief. It would be easier to stay hidden in the flat-face area if it was dark, and there wouldnât be as many firebeasts and flat-faces moving around, either.
The line of hills reared up above the low roofs of the denning area. Lusa thought that they looked ominous, as if they were frowning down on bears and flat-faces alike.
I really donât like this place , she thought. If Kallikâs Frozen Sea is only on the other side of those hills, I donât think I want to stay there.
They had reached the outskirts of the denning area when Lusa heard the roar of another firebeast. She glanced around, but there were no BlackPaths nearby, and the roar was growing louder and louder, battering against her ears.
Then she heard Toklo call out, âGreat spirits!â
The brown bear was looking up. Following his gaze, Lusa saw a metal bird screaming across the sky straight for them. But this wasnât like the birds she had seen flying above the Last Great Wilderness, with their whirling metal wings on their heads. This was much bigger; it had rigid wings that stuck out at the sides, and glaring eyes that looked down at her. As Lusa watched, transfixed by terror, curved claws emerged from the underside; she could imagine it swooping down to catch her and carry her off to its nest.
âRun!â she squealed, taking off across the snow.
The metal bird bore down on her. Its screeching filled the whole sky, and in her panic Lusa had no idea where she was running. She glanced up to see the glaring lights above her head, fell over her own paws, and rolled in the snow. Scrambling up, she ran on again, expecting at any moment to feel those cruel talons meeting in her back.
Suddenly the lights vanished. The screaming of the metal bird began to die away. Lusa halted, panting, and realized that she was standing in a narrow pathway between two flat-face dens. She had fled into the denning area. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would burst out of her chest, but for the moment she was safe.
Where did the bird go? Did it catch one of the others?
Lusa forced herself to be calm, to steady her breathing, and to look around for the others. The narrow pathway stretched in both directions; a light shone from one end, and a firebeast rolled past. The other end was dark. Sniffing the air, Lusa caught the tang of firebeasts and a faint trace of rotting flat-face food, but there was no scent of bear. She couldnât see any of her friends.
âToklo?â she called cautiously, afraid of flat-faces hearing her. âKallik? Yakone?â
There was no reply.
âIâd better get out of here and find them,â Lusa muttered to herself.
Everything was quiet now, except for firebeasts growling in the distance. Lusa had no idea where she was or what route she had followed to get there. The snow on the path was dirty and half melted, so she couldnât even follow her own pawprints back to where sheâd left the others.
She was sure that she hadnât crossed a BlackPath, so she headed away from the lighted end of the pathway, clinging to the shadows of the den walls that rose sheer on either side. At the end of the pathway she peered cautiously out from behind the nearest den. An open stretch of ground lay in front of her, bounded on all four sides by more dens. BlackPaths led away from the ground on both sides, and there were two or three other narrow paths like the one where Lusa was hiding.
âI donât remember this place,â she murmured. âI donât remember anything !â She crept out into the open, only to dart back into cover a moment later at the sound of flat-face voices.
Two male flat-faces appeared from one of the narrow paths and crossed the open space, talking loudly. At first Lusa thought they were heading for her, and she braced herself to run. But then they disappeared into one of the nearby dens, the
The line of hills reared up above the low roofs of the denning area. Lusa thought that they looked ominous, as if they were frowning down on bears and flat-faces alike.
I really donât like this place , she thought. If Kallikâs Frozen Sea is only on the other side of those hills, I donât think I want to stay there.
They had reached the outskirts of the denning area when Lusa heard the roar of another firebeast. She glanced around, but there were no BlackPaths nearby, and the roar was growing louder and louder, battering against her ears.
Then she heard Toklo call out, âGreat spirits!â
The brown bear was looking up. Following his gaze, Lusa saw a metal bird screaming across the sky straight for them. But this wasnât like the birds she had seen flying above the Last Great Wilderness, with their whirling metal wings on their heads. This was much bigger; it had rigid wings that stuck out at the sides, and glaring eyes that looked down at her. As Lusa watched, transfixed by terror, curved claws emerged from the underside; she could imagine it swooping down to catch her and carry her off to its nest.
âRun!â she squealed, taking off across the snow.
The metal bird bore down on her. Its screeching filled the whole sky, and in her panic Lusa had no idea where she was running. She glanced up to see the glaring lights above her head, fell over her own paws, and rolled in the snow. Scrambling up, she ran on again, expecting at any moment to feel those cruel talons meeting in her back.
Suddenly the lights vanished. The screaming of the metal bird began to die away. Lusa halted, panting, and realized that she was standing in a narrow pathway between two flat-face dens. She had fled into the denning area. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would burst out of her chest, but for the moment she was safe.
Where did the bird go? Did it catch one of the others?
Lusa forced herself to be calm, to steady her breathing, and to look around for the others. The narrow pathway stretched in both directions; a light shone from one end, and a firebeast rolled past. The other end was dark. Sniffing the air, Lusa caught the tang of firebeasts and a faint trace of rotting flat-face food, but there was no scent of bear. She couldnât see any of her friends.
âToklo?â she called cautiously, afraid of flat-faces hearing her. âKallik? Yakone?â
There was no reply.
âIâd better get out of here and find them,â Lusa muttered to herself.
Everything was quiet now, except for firebeasts growling in the distance. Lusa had no idea where she was or what route she had followed to get there. The snow on the path was dirty and half melted, so she couldnât even follow her own pawprints back to where sheâd left the others.
She was sure that she hadnât crossed a BlackPath, so she headed away from the lighted end of the pathway, clinging to the shadows of the den walls that rose sheer on either side. At the end of the pathway she peered cautiously out from behind the nearest den. An open stretch of ground lay in front of her, bounded on all four sides by more dens. BlackPaths led away from the ground on both sides, and there were two or three other narrow paths like the one where Lusa was hiding.
âI donât remember this place,â she murmured. âI donât remember anything !â She crept out into the open, only to dart back into cover a moment later at the sound of flat-face voices.
Two male flat-faces appeared from one of the narrow paths and crossed the open space, talking loudly. At first Lusa thought they were heading for her, and she braced herself to run. But then they disappeared into one of the nearby dens, the
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