6 Mother bear

Chapter Six MOTHER BEAR Kiki stared at the polar bear. Her feet felt as if they were stuck to the spot. It was pretty amazing, staring into the eyes of such an incredible predator. Connor grabbed her arm. "Come on!" he said. "We have to get inside!" Dr. Mikkelsen was already running across the wide space in front of the building. She

turned and shouted for them to follow. The polar bear was still watching Kiki and Connor. "Quickly!" Connor shouted. Kiki ran. The nearest door seemed so far away, but Dr. Mikkelsen made it inside and held it open for them. At any moment, Kiki imagined the weight of the bear crashing into them, and knocking them down into the snow. Gasping, she ran as fast as she could. She and Connor burst through the set of double doors.

The heat inside the building hit Kiki with a rush. Dr. Mikkelsen slammed the doors shut behind them. A man with a gray beard and heavy glasses hurried up to them. "My name is Dr. Bridgers," he said. "Are you okay?" Kiki, Connor, and Dr. Mikkelsen looked at one another, and then nodded. "That was crazy," gasped Kiki, holding

her sides and breathing heavily. Connor looked a little green. "I really thought the bear was going to catch us!" he said. Kiki realized they were in a large room with windows all along one side. Several other people were there, gathered around the windows and watching the polar bear outside.

The bear was padding past the main building. Kiki and Connor hurried to the window to watch. Kiki felt a thrill run down her spine as she watched the bear's enormous paws moving soundlessly through the snow, swaying and sniffing the air. Kiki could hardly believe how close she was to such a beautiful, dangerous animal. Connor suddenly gasped and clutched Kiki's arm. "She's not by herself," he said. "Look, she's got cubs!" "Oh my GOSH," Kiki whispered. At first, the two little shapes following the polar bear were difficult to see. Their fur was whiter than their mother's. They blended perfectly with the snow as they rolled and played together, biting each other's fluffy snowball-like ears.

"They fight like my little brothers," Kiki said with a giggle. They watched, holding their breath, as the mother bear strode on past the windows. She was leading the cubs toward a stretch of ice not far from the research center. Kiki could see a glimmer of stone-gray water shining through a hole in the ice. The mother bear stopped, and glanced at her cubs. "Come along," she seemed to be saying. "I have something important to show you."