A Friend in the Wild: Part 2

By MARIE GIBSON, Illustrator KELVIN HAWLEY

"I'm hungry and I'm cold,"Arnya complained, interrupting her brother's thoughts. It was late afternoon, and they faced another night alone. She shivered as a dark bank of cloud rolled up from behind the western mountains. It blotted out the sunlight that had been shining on the treetops below. More rain showers were on the way. This was the third wet day in a row. Arnya pulled the skin of the bear they had killed last autumn close around her thin body.

It had been an evening like this when the bear had tried to take the cave for its long winter sleep. The fire had died down to a few embers and the family went into the forest to gather wood.

They were on their way back to the cave when sharp-eyed Peli spotted the bear. It was sitting on its haunches at the entrance to the cave, taking no notice of the dying fire. Bears, with their vicious claws and great strength, were afraid of nothing.

Publisher: Shortland Publications, $10.10

Age group: 10-12 years