She was back on the Endless Ice, watching the many-colored lights dance in the sky. Lusa opened her mouth and closed her eyes, as if she could drink them in. The constellations in the night sky shone like diamonds as one group of stars in particular started moving, stretching and shifting until it resolved itself into a familiar figure. Lusa, who knew what was coming, sighed happily as her old friend Ujurak galloped down from the sky, past the low mountain ranges and landed next to where she was sitting. Ujurak, now a furry brown bear with a hint of starshine in his fur, touched noses with her in greeting.

"Lusa, you look well," he said simply.

"And you, you never seem to age a day," Lusa joked.

Ujurak laughed, then grew serious. "Lusa, it's great to see you, but I have an urgent message for you, you and Miki."

Lusa's ears pricked at the mention of her new mate, a black bear she'd known since she was a cub, when was still learning the basics of being a wild bear.

"We all miss you, Ujurak…" she whispered. The brown bear had died when he helped his friends destroy an oil rig in the Arctic, on their final journey together. Now he remained a constellation in the sky at night, sometimes appearing in dreams to his friends.

Ujurak closed his eyes. "Remember what I said? I'm always with you, watching you all—you and Toklo and Kallik."

Lusa laid her ears back involuntarily as she realized what this would imply.

"Ahem. Not ALL the time…" Ujurak teased.

She laughed, remembering Ujurak's penchant for knowing exactly what they were thinking. Also a slightly creepy trait…

"What I mean is, I'm very proud of you all, and happy for you," he said, "but there is a bear right now that needs your help, in the waking world."

Lusa frowned. "Where, exactly? In the Bear Bowl?"

"No, he's kept by a single human, in a private home. The bear is albino, meaning he's white, with red eyes. His kind are normally born with black coats, like you. However, his being special meant he was taken from the wild as a cub and raised in captivity."

"So, he's a black bear, like me? Like Miki?" Lusa struggled to envision this creature.

"He's…..different. He's a type of bear from the other side of our planet. When his owner left his homeland to migrate here, he brought his pet bear that he'd raised from a cub."

"Other side of the world? Raised by a human from a cub, like a cat or dog?" Lusa sounded incredulous. She'd been born in a zoo, so she knew all about humans keeping bears captive, and she'd been in wildlife refuges where animals were kept safe from human hunters, but this sounded too strange even for her.

"…..more I'm not able to tell you, just know that if you follow the birds, they'll lead you to Raja. Just wake up, and your journey will start…"

Ujurak's form began to fade as he spoke, and the stars shone more brightly in his fur.

"Bye," whispered Lusa sadly as her friend disappeared back into the sky.

Right, then. Time to find this Raja.

Miki and Lusa set out on their journey immediately, their determination burning strong within them. They followed Ujurak's advice and looked to the skies, watching the birds soar gracefully above them. The birds seemed to be leading the way, guiding them through the dense forests and across sparkling rivers.

As they trekked through the lush wilderness, Lusa couldn't shake the feeling of urgency that gripped her heart. She knew they were getting closer to Raja with every step they took. The thought of a bear being kept in captivity, far from his natural home, fueled her determination even more.

After days of travel, they arrived at a small suburb nestled between the mountains and the sea. It was after sundown, and the scent of spices hung in the air, leading them to a humble curry restaurant at the edge of town. A two-story house stood next to it, and a lone figure stood on the doorstep, leaning against the door and blowing out clouds of smoke. As they approached, they noticed a man standing by the entrance, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

"Hooooow are we going to do this?" Whined Miki.

Lusa stared at him. Miki was many things, but he was never one to just give up without even trying.

"I mean, look at that! How are we going to break in here? We don't even know where Raja is," He said.

Lusa sighed. She could definitely smell bear-scent, but she wasn't quite sure where it was coming from.

"I believe I can help you with that," came a voice from right behind them. Lusa gasped and whipped around to see a man who looked very similar to the one outside the house. She was about to run when she recognized his scent as Ujurak's.

"Why didn't you TELL me you were coming?" She hissed. "Miki is having a heart attack because he thinks you're sending us to break Raja out by ourselves."

"Uh, Lusa…" Miki said, nudging her.

"Oh, right. This man here—" she nodded at a smug-looking Ujurak—"is Ujurak."

Miki's shoulders drooped in relief. "Phew, good. Guess that explains how you can communicate with us."

Ujurak smiled. "Quite. This man is a restaurant owner. I will pretend to be a newcomer to the neighborhood, asking about the best places to eat, the nicest hiking trails, that sort of thing, while you go and free Raja from his enclosure in the back."

The bears headed to the back of the property while Ujurak steeled himself to go meet Raja's owner. He took a few deep, calming breaths and strolled up to the door where the man was standing, looking out at the night and smoking a hookah.

"Hello, bro," called Ujurak.

The man turned around, his eyes narrowed as he studied Ujurak. "And who might you be?" he asked, blowing out a puff of smoke.

Ujurak smiled warmly, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. "I'm a newcomer in the neighborhood, and I've been going around saying hi to all the folks."

The stranger stared at him. "Do you always go around saying hi at 10 P.M.?"

Ujurak cursed inwardly. Why hadn't he made sure Miki and Lusa had done this when it was lighter? Now he seemed like a potential creep.

Ujurak quickly recovered, pointing towards the sky where a shooting star streaked across the darkness. "I was just admiring the night sky and couldn't resist introducing myself to my new neighbors. I couldn't help but notice the beauty of this place under the stars."

The man's expression softened slightly as he followed Ujurak's gaze upwards. "It is a beautiful night," he admitted, taking another drag from his hookah. "I'm Malik. Welcome to our little corner of the world."

Ujurak nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Malik. Your town has such a welcoming atmosphere, I couldn't help but feel drawn to it."

Malik peered at him and blew another puff of smoke, which almost sent Ujurak into a coughing fit. "You're not Arshdeep Singh's nephew, are you? Harjit? I heard he had recently moved here from Ontario."

Ujurak hesitated. If he pretended to be Arshdeep Singh's nephew, he might get more information about Raja. But lying always made him feel uncomfortable. He decided to take a chance.

"Yes, that's me," Ujurak replied with a smile. "Arshdeep is my uncle. He speaks very highly of you and your restaurant."

Malik's eyes lit up at the mention of Arshdeep. "Ah, that old rascal! It's been ages since I've seen him. Come to the Kebabs n Curry tomorrow, when we open, and I'll give you a meal for half-price, plus a free cup of our world-renowned tea!"

Ujurak smiled graciously, relieved that his impromptu story had seemed to pay off. "Thank you, Malik, that's very generous of you. I'll definitely take you up on that offer."

As they chatted further, Ujurak subtly steered the conversation towards Raja, pretending to be curious about local wildlife and any exotic pets people in the area might have. Malik eagerly shared about his prized albino bear, Raja, explaining how he had raised him from a cub and considered him part of the family.

Feigning interest and admiration, Ujurak commended Malik on his care for Raja but gently hinted at the importance of letting wild animals roam free in their natural habitats. To his surprise, Malik seemed to take Ujurak's words to heart and expressed a newfound openness to the idea of letting Raja return to the wild.

Before bidding Malik goodbye, Ujurak subtly slipped a small feather charm into his hand, whispering a fewwords under his breath that only the winds could carry. As Ujurak made his way back to the rendezvous point with Lusa and Miki, a sense of hope filled his heart. Perhaps, just perhaps, their mission to free Raja would be accomplished without any need for force or deception.

~~~Thanks for reading! Currently working on part two

A quick note on the story, Raja is a sloth bear, a type of bear native to parts of South Asia including India. Baloo from "The Jungle Book" is also a sloth bear. They are generally vegetarian, and like minding their own business, but have been kept as pets in India for centuries, often kept in cruel conditions for entertainment. Raja is one such bear that (somehow) got smuggled into what the humans call Canada, but our heroes are working to help him find his way to a better home than Mr. Malik's back yard...