Touching Spirit Bear

There is not a lot of dry wood on the island due to the high amount of rain, and Cole resorts to breaking off tree branches to create his fire. It ends up being smoky but keeps the mosquitoes away. The at.óow somehow survived the fire, and Cole is glad for it. Cole stares into his fire and out at the bay and spots an orca family searching for food. He shows no interest and focuses on his fire, trying to clear his mind. Just then, the Spirit Bear appears near the water about 100 yards away from Cole, “watching him with a fearless and passive stare” (47). Cole goes into the brush to find a stick to fashion into a spear so he can kill the bear. He makes the spear, but by the time he returns, the bear is gone.

Cole turns his focus back to survival and makes himself a mattress out of some large logs and the at.óow. Night falls, and although the Spirit Bear does not return, the Big Dipper (also known as Ursa Major or “Great Bear”) is clearly visible in the sky.