kay! Phew! I am finally caught up in chapter submissions! So, erm, read the three new ones, and I'll update again next week, hopefully. Please R&R!

"Kia, wake up!"

Kia awoke to the sound of Kenai's voice, followed by a gentle nudge to her shoulder. She yawned and slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes with her paws. She yawned and stretched her arms, before opening her eyes.

Kia smiled at Kenai, who was seated beside her with a half awake Koda in his lap. "Good morning." she said, yawning again.

Kenai returned her smile. "Morning...boy, you look tired."

Kia laughed softly. She had been awake for a long time last night, trying to figure out a way to ask Kenai what Koda had meant, when he said that he and Kenai weren't really brothers. She looked at Kenai, who seemed to be waiting for her to tell him why she was so worn out, and she shrugged. "Ohh..I was just up late last night...thinking.."

"About what?" Kenai asked.

"Something Koda said to me while we were watching the Great Spirits."

"Uh oh, what did my little brother tell you now?" Kenai snickered.

"That's just it...he said you two aren't really brothers..." Kia said frowning, obviously confused. "So...you're not really his brother?"

Kenai did a double take as she said this, and gulped nervously. He had not planned on telling her about his transformation from man to bear just yet. It might scare her away. After all, she had been terrified of the hunter that had attacked her earlier.

"Wha? Oh, haha, Koda's just kidding!" he stammered nervously, "Of course we're brothers! Ehehehehe.."

Kia frowned, trying to decide if she believed him or not. "Then why is he telling me otherwise?"

Kenai noticed her puzzled frown and laughed nervously. "Oh, don't worry. Koda's just kidding! He, um, likes to tell all our friends that I'm not really his brother...I think he just wants to see if he can fool you."

Kia shrugged. "Ummm...okay. I guess, if you say so.."

Kenai put a reassuring paw on her shoulder. "I'm sure."

It became so silent around them, that they could hear were the mammoths' footsteps, and Koda snoring. Birds flew over them, chirping happily. They saw a mother fox with her young foxcub laying over by some bushes.

All was peaceful, until they came to a grassy area with trees, and a twig snapped, attracting the mammoths's attention. Fearing that they were being followed by a hunter, the frightened mammoth herd broke into a run.

"Woah, hang tight, Kia!" Kenai said, gripping onto the mammoth for dear life.

Kia nodded, but they were moving so fast, she lost her balance and almost fell off the mammoth's back, but thankfully Kenai grabbed her bear mane in his jaws, and helped pull her back onto the mammoth safely.

"Thanks." Kia said smiling gratefully at Kenai.

The larger brown bear nodded. "Just make sure you hold on- tight!" he warned.

Kia nodded, and clutched onto Kenai. He blinked, surprised. That wasn't exactly what he had meant...but who cared? He held onto the mammoth with one paw, and gripped her protectively with the other paw, so that she wouldn't fall again, as the mammoth herd sped on..

Meanwhile, back at the clearing where the twig snapped, two moose brothers stepped out from behind the trees.

"Hey! Wait for us eh!" They called, but the mammoth herd did not stop running.

"Oh gee eh, why did they run off? We just wanted a little protection from that hunter... not to mention you were going to let me drive this time!" One of the moose, known as Rutt complained.

"Well, maybe if someone hadn't stepped on a twig, they wouldn't have been scared, and ran away before we could catch up!" the other moose, Tuke said accusingly.

Rutt glared at his brother. "Well you were in the way, and I couldn't see where I was going! So it's your fault!" He paused. "Pinecone breath!"

"Crusty tail!" Tuke shot back.

"Twig legs!"

"Big nose!"

Rutt inhaled a deep breath, and said nothing for a moment. "You went too far that time..." he muttered, walking away.

"Sorry! Hey! Where you goin'?" Tuke called after his brother, who was walking in the direction the mammoth herd had walked.

"I'm going to catch up with those bears, that way if we run into the hunter, I will be safe!" Rutt called back.

Tuke ran after him. "Well wait for me, eh!" He said as they headed in the direction the mammoths were going..