Read Online Seekers #6: Spirits in the Stars by Erin Hunter - Free Book Online

of Unalaq. That bear is trouble.
    “Where do you come from?” Aga asked him, distracting him from worrying about the hostile bear. “Not from somewhere with ice and snow,” she added, a humorous gleam in her eyes. “That brown pelt of yours stands out sharper than a walrus!”
    “I’m from a place with forests and mountains,” Toklo began.
    “Forests?” Aga asked curiously.
    Of course—she’s never seen a forest! Toklo realized. “A forest is a place with a lot of trees. And trees are like bushes, with leaves and branches, only bigger. Where I come from, you can walk among the trees for days and days and never come to the end.”
    Aga blinked in wonder. “Truly the world is wide,” she murmured. “And why have you come here?” she went on. “Why did you leave your . . . forests?”
    Toklo wasn’t sure how to reply. If I tell her about Ujurak and his quest, she’ll think my brain is full of cloudfluff!
    Before he could decide what to say, he was distracted by a flicker of movement. An Arctic hare had sprung up from a dip in the ground and was racing up the valley a few bearlengths ahead.
    Without thinking, Toklo took off after it, his powerful paws scattering the snow as he ran. Beside him he was aware of Illa, running with longer strides, much more experienced in the snowy landscape.
    Veering to one side, she careened into Toklo, knocking him off balance and nearly sending him rolling in the snow.
    “Hey!” he protested.
    “This is our prey,” the young she-bear growled.
    We’ll see about that. Determined not to be put off, Toklo pounded after Illa, catching up with her so that the two bears were racing neck and neck for the hare. Suddenly the hare swerved toward Toklo; with a spurt of energy, he reached out for it and brought it down with a deft blow to its head.
    “That’s mine!” Illa said indignantly, coming to face Toklo, her eyes blazing with frustration. “I chased it into your paws. Hand it over!”
    “No. It was a fair catch,” Toklo argued.
    “But you don’t understand.” Illa’s voice grew quieter, filled with desperation. “We need that hare far more than you do.”
    Why? Toklo wondered. What are these bears not telling me?
    “I need it, too,” he told the young she-bear. “My friends rely on me to hunt for them.”
    Illa opened her jaws to go on arguing, but at that moment Aga padded up.
    “Let Shesh have the hare,” she ordered.
    “Shesh? That’s not my name,” Toklo said, surprised.
    “But it is what you are,” Aga explained, dipping her head to him. “‘Shesh’ is the word for a brown bear.”
    “You’re really giving this hare to him?” Illa broke in, sounding surprised.
    Aga nodded. “There’s no reason to make these visitors feel unwelcome.”
    Toklo was struck by how calm she was, and how she seemed to know all about him and his friends. It’s almost as if she was expecting us, he thought, then pushed the thought away. Bee-brain! You’re starting to sound like Ujurak!
    Carrying the hare, Toklo led the way along the valley until they reached the thornbushes where he had left his friends. Lusa was on watch, and she let out a squeak of alarm when she spotted the white bears.
    Toklo heard Aga whisper, “So you have come at last.” He stared at her. What does she mean?
    “It’s all right, Tungulria, black one,” Aga said aloud.
    Lusa gave the white bears a panicky look, then ducked out of sight into the makeshift den among the thorns. Toklo heard some shuffling and tensely whispered conversation before she reappeared with Ujurak and Kallik. He looked for Kissimi; the cub was nowhere to be seen, and Kallik was looking particularly tense and determined.
    “These are my friends,” Toklo said, dropping the hare at his paws. “This is Lusa, the brown bear is Ujurak, and the white bear is Kallik.”
    As Toklo introduced them, Aga and Illa gave their visitors a formal nod, which Lusa and the others returned awkwardly. Ujurak seemed most comfortable with