At one point, the bear turned butt-first toward the tree, raised up and scratched its mighty back up and down on the bark. When it did, it turned its face directly toward Alex and Senta-eh and both felt a shock of recognition. Where the bear’s left eye should have been, there was only a dark socket.
This wasn’t just a godat-ta, this was the same godat-ta Senta-eh had badly wounded on the trail to Denta-ah.
Alex leaned his head in close to Senta-eh. Quietly, as though the bear might be able to hear them across the distance, he said, “You don’t suppose he can smell us up here, do you? And if he can, do you think he remembers us?”
Senta-eh who was normally good at everything except humor, looked very serious and said, “Yes, I think he has memorized our very scent and at this very moment, he is planning how he can come and eat us.”
Alex pushed her away and said, “Hey, this is how I get my ideas, you know. I think up crazy ideas and once I’ve figured out what the worst one is, I give it a try.”
“And do you have a crazy idea now? Or are we going to leave the Winten-ah and start our own little tribe here with Harta-ak and Versa-eh on this very spot?”
The idea of starting a little tribe with Senta-eh gave Alex an electrical charge that ran through his body. He felt his face growing hot, so he turned away and looked back at the bear.
He had been straddling the top of the cliff, staring down, and stood suddenly. When he did, he knocked a few pebbles loose and watched as they ran down the steep side of the cliff.
“I have an idea. We need to go and scout the area where the godat-ta comes and goes.”
“You mean the area where he can smell us, chase us, and eat us?”
“That’s the place.”
“Let’s go.”
“Wait. We need to prepare first. Follow me to the stream.”
They dropped down to the camp, where Harta-ak and Versa-eh were stretched out, taking an afternoon siesta.
Harta-ak opened one eye and said, “Come up with a plan?”
“Of a sort.”
Harta-ak sat up. “Ready to go.”
Alex reached a hand out and pushed him back down with a smile. “We’re just going on a scouting mission first. You two stay here. Keep an eye on the horses. I’ll need you soon enough.” Alex, Senta-eh, and Monda-ak walked to the small stream that wound past their campsite. At the edge of the flowing water, Alex scooped up some mud and slathered it on one arm, then another.
“This is your plan?”
“Umm... yes, it is. A small part of it. We’re going to cover ourselves in mud from head to toe. You reminded me how good Godat-ta’s sense of smell is, so we’re going to do what we can to cover up our scent, so we can get a little closer.”
Senta-eh didn’t hesitate, but stepped to the edge of the stream and covered herself in mud from head to toe.
Nothing you do can cover up your beauty. Not even mud.
Alex shook his head to clear it and try to focus on the problem at hand.
When they walked back to camp, Versa-eh couldn’t help herself. She laughed and pointed at them. “This is your plan, Manta-ak?”
“I know, I know.” Alex bent down and put his face close to Monda-ak. The dog stuck his snout in Alex’s neck, inhaled, and sneezed.
“Stay here with Versa-eh. We’ll be right back.”
Monda-ak looked hurt at being left behind, but padded to Versa-eh’s side and curled up beside her. Alex could almost read his thoughts: At least she smells like she is supposed to.
“We’ll be back before dark.”
Alex and Senta-eh walked a wide path around the opening to the basin, stopping and listening every few strides. They wanted to avoid running into godat-ta in the open, which would have terrible repercussions for them.
THE BASIN WAS ALMOST a perfect bowl, with a single easy access point where the wall had crumbled away. Alex and Senta-eh climbed up on the west side of the bowl as quietly as possible then slowly peeked their heads over the edge.
They were much closer—an uncomfortable distance closer—to godat-ta. From their normal perch, they were at least a hundred feet above the bottom of the bowl and several hundred strides distant. Here, by the entrance, they were, at most, seventy-five feet above the bear. That distance shrunk even more when Alex thought that fully stretched to a standing position, the bear himself was almost thirty feet tall.
From their new vantage point, they were able to get a new perspective. The tree with the wasta-ta loomed above them and the bear was asleep less than a hundred strides away.
Alex moved to the very edge of the bowl above the entrance. The lip of the bowl was wide—at least five strides across, and relatively even. Alex peered down and saw that it was an almost sheer drop off to the ground below. If godat-ta saw them, though, Alex estimated that he would be able to climb up and grab them with ease.
The area around the top of the rim was filled with rocks of all sizes, from boulders too big for Alex to be able to move down to pieces of granite the size of his fist.
Just as Alex was peering over the side of the cliff, something roused godat-ta from his slumber. With a snuffling sneeze, he sat up suddenly and tested the air.
Alex froze and Senta-eh melted back from the edge of the cliff. Slowly, inch by inch, Alex did the same until his head once again disappeared behind the rocks. They both sat stock still, listening.
Godat-ta stood, shook
