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LADI’S HEAD FELT like someone hit her with the blunt end of an axe. She couldn’t make out which way was up. She rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust to the dark. At last, she was able to make out they’d put her in a cage. It was small and cramped. A collar was heavy around her neck. They’d caged her not far from where they found her. She put her face against the door and looked down. The white bear was across from her. That meant she was in the cage just above the wolf she’d been trying to save.
“Wolf, wolf! Can you reach my pack?”
“Leave it be, greenie girl,” the bear growled in a distinct but feminine tone. Although it was guttural, Ladi could understand her. Which meant they’d been able to understand everything she’d said before.
“I won’t. I’m trying to rescue you.”
“Some rescue. Y
