Read Online Smoke Mountain by Erin Hunter - Free Book Online

can’t get it open. I don’t know how he did it.’
    â€˜Oh.’ Kallik nosed the box. She’d seen ones like this behind other big no-claw dens, but she’d never tried to open one. ‘How would it work?’
    â€˜This top part lifts up,’ Taqqiq said, shoving the box with his paw.
    â€˜Maybe if we try to lift it together?’ she suggested. She pressed her paws to the bit of the top that protruded from the metal box. Taqqiq leaned into it with his shoulders and heaved up. To Kallik’s surprise, the box opened and the top slammed back into the wall behind it. Kallik flinched, but there were no sounds of no-claws coming out to see what had made the noise. She couldn’t believe this much noise wouldn’t bring no-claws running, but then again, the noise coming from inside the big den was loud enough to drown out anything.
    â€˜There’s nothing here!’ Taqqiq snarled, digging through piles of shiny, soft, flabby stuff and broken no-claw things. He dropped to all paws and scraped his claws along the ground in a frustrated gesture.
    â€˜It’s all right,’ Kallik said. ‘We’ll find something.’
    â€˜Hrrmph,’ Taqqiq grumbled. He looked around at the den and the firebeasts, then back at her. ‘I’m not just a useless lump of fur, you know.’
    Kallik blinked at him, surprised. ‘I know that.’
    â€˜You think those other bears are so great, like they’re the only ones who can find food and figure out which way to go.’ He swiped the metal box with his paw. ‘I survived on my own for a while, just like you did, remember? But you treat me like you think I can’t do anything.’
    â€˜That’s not true!’ Kallik said with a pang of guilt. ‘I mean . . . this isn’t the right world for us – of course it’s harder for us to hunt when we’re off the ice.’
    â€˜And all you do is complain about my friends,’ Taqqiq persisted, ‘and then drag me off on some other bears’ journey, and then get all mad when I complain about
your
friends. They’re not even white bears! What do they care about the Endless Ice?Sometimes I think you’ve forgotten that
you’re
a white bear.’
    Kallik glanced at the reeds near the edge of the denning place. The light from the den was blindingly bright, making it hard to see into the darkness, but she thought she saw the gleam of the other bears’ eyes watching them. She hoped they couldn’t hear this conversation from where they were.
    â€˜See!’ Taqqiq snarled. ‘You’re not even listening to me! You’re thinking about
them
!’
    â€˜I’m sorry!’ Kallik protested. ‘I am listening, really.’
    â€˜You say you came all this way to look for me, but now that you’ve found me you ignore me and act like I’m some stupid nuisance.’
    â€˜Taqqiq,’ Kallik said. She stepped forward to press her nose into his fur, but he jumped away from her, glaring. ‘I’m sorry you feel that way. I don’t mean to treat you badly. I really do want you on this journey with me – and I’m sure our mother does too.’
    Taqqiq snorted. ‘Nisa is dead,’ he growled. ‘We don’t know what she would think.’
    â€˜I think she would like them,’ Kallik said, jerking her head at the shadows where her friends wereall waiting. ‘They’re brave, like she was.’
    This was the wrong thing to say. Taqqiq’s fur fluffed up all across his shoulders and he bared his teeth. ‘You keep saying how brave they are! How great and perfect and wonderful they are! Well, I’m just as good as them! I’m brave too! Here, I’ll prove it!’
    â€˜No, don’t!’ Kallik cried, trying to hold him back, but he marched out of the shadows and headed for the nearest firebeast. Kallik peeked out to watch him go. ‘Taqqiq, come back!