Read Online Smoke Mountain by Erin Hunter - Free Book Online Page A

Leave them alone!’ She looked at the firebeasts’ enormous round black paws and thought how easily they could crush her brother if they wanted to.
    She looked back towards the others again. Were those Lusa’s bright eyes watching from the tall reeds? Were the other bears scared for her brother? Or were they secretly glad that he might not be able to travel with them any more if he got hurt by a firebeast?
    It didn’t matter. She couldn’t let Taqqiq face the firebeasts on his own. He was wrong if he thought they couldn’t guess what Nisa would want. She most definitely wouldn’t want Kallik to abandon herbrother now. Digging up every bit of courage she had, she crept after him.
    Taqqiq was standing almost nose-to-nose with the nearest firebeast. It loomed over him, all shiny and hulking and dreadful-smelling. Its two round, blank eyes stared back at Taqqiq.
    Kallik edged up beside him, sniffing the air. The firebeast didn’t move. ‘Is it dead?’ she whispered. ‘But if it’s dead, why doesn’t it fall over?’
    â€˜You don’t know anything,’ Taqqiq scoffed. ‘It’s sleeping. That’s what they look like when they sleep. Hey, firebeast! Where’s your fur? Did something claw it off while you were sleeping? You’re so stupid, maybe you haven’t even noticed that you don’t have any fur!’
    â€˜Oh, shhh, don’t make it mad!’ Kallik cried.
    â€˜It doesn’t even notice,’ Taqqiq said. ‘Firebeasts are so dumb, a seal could probably trick them.’ He said this really loudly, but the firebeast didn’t blink. It stayed perfectly still.
    â€˜OK, I believe you, Taqqiq,’ Kallik said. ‘You’re very brave.’ Her paws were trembling. A crash from the den behind them made her jump. She could hear the constant murmur of no-claw noisesthrough the open door. Even if the firebeast stayed asleep, she knew that no-claws could come out with firesticks at any moment. They had to get out of this open space.
    â€˜You think
that’s
brave,’ Taqqiq said. ‘Watch
this
.’ To Kallik’s horror, he reared up on his hind legs and slammed his front paws into the firebeast’s face.
    â€˜ARRF ARRF ARRF ARRF ARRF ARRF ARRF!’ the firebeast bellowed.
    Kallik pelted back behind the metal box. Her fur felt as if it were about to fly off her skin, and her heart was thundering almost as loudly as the firebeast. She crouched there, shivering, for a long moment. Slowly she realised that Taqqiq was huddled up with her, his nose pressed into her fur. He was shaking as badly as she was.
    She could still hear the firebeast roaring, but it didn’t seem to have come any closer. ‘Is it going to find us and eat us?’ she asked.
    Taqqiq jumped away from her and took a deep breath. ‘I’ve never heard a firebeast do that before,’ he said. His voice was all wobbly and high-pitched. ‘They never woke up when Salik hit them.’
    â€˜Why isn’t it coming after us?’ Kallik whispered.
    Taqqiq shook himself. ‘Maybe it’s scared of us too,’ he said. His voice was lower now, as if he were getting over being startled.
    â€˜I don’t think that’s it,’ Kallik said. ‘We didn’t look very scary when we were running away.’
    Taqqiq slid over to the edge of the box and poked his nose around the corner. Kallik held her breath. Would the firebeast spot him?
    Her brother sat down with a thud. ‘We’re seal-brains,’ he said.
    â€˜We are?’ Kallik said. Seal-brain or not, Taqqiq wasn’t about to persuade her that firebeasts were safe.
    â€˜It’s not the firebeast making that noise. Come on, look.’ He stood up and trotted back out into the open. Reluctantly, Kallik followed him.
    â€˜ARRF ARRF ARRF ARRF ARRF!’ The fierce roaring certainly
sounded
as though it were coming from the firebeast. But