“It’s a good day to travel‚” Benny said‚ when Emily saw him on the beach.

“Lets go find Siku.”

“We can use my umiaq‚” he said.

“And I will bring my brother‚” she said. “He will want to come too.” She went to find Oliver all the while thinking of Siku. She returned with him‚ trying to make him excited at the thought of going out on the water.

“Why don’t you get yourself a real boat‚ Benny?” Oliver asked.

Benny laughed. “A real boat? Skin boats are still the best for the ice. You can’t get anything better; they’re light‚ flexible‚ tough‚ paddle well‚ sail well‚ and you can fix them anywhere.”

Benny put on a white parka and pants that made him partially invisible to the whales. It was July and the sea ice was breaking up and scattering. While Benny steadied the skin boat‚ Oliver climbed into the bow. He had brought his seal harpoon and rifle. He tucked them under his arm.

“You are not hurting Siku‚” Emily Toozak said when she saw what Oliver had brought along.

“Don’t worry‚ Emily!” said Oliver. “See this little harpoon? I am hunting seals‚ not whales.”

“But Siku may see it and think we are hunting him‚” Emily said.

She got in last‚ grabbed a paddle and seated herself firmly‚ as if to say I am Emily Toozak‚ the seventh generation of Toozaks. I am here to find Siku and protect him from all who would harm him. It is my responsibility‚ the responsibility of my family. They soundlessly launched the graceful umiaq.

She dug in her paddle.

“Let’s go‚” Benny said softly. They dug in‚ and the skin boat skimmed through the water. It glided past floes of turquoise-blue ice as it silently parted the water. Murres looped around the paddlers‚ got back on track‚ and flew on to their breeding grounds.

Oliver spotted a seal hauled out on an ice floe. He pointed and Benny turned the boat in that direction. Then a plume shot up thirty feet above the sea surface.

“There‚” whispered Benny. He refrained from pointing to the whale. Old whalers believe pointing was an insult to the whale.

Siku had been in these waters overnight. Now he spy hopped‚ saw the boat‚ and dove. The three people put down their paddles. Oliver stood in the bow waiting for the whale to surface again. Emily Toozak sat stone-still. They were silent. Fifteen minutes passed. Then Siku’s rostrum surfaced nearby. A plume of warm breath rose from the ocean’s surface. The whale seemed skittish.

“He thinks we’re hunting him‚” whispered Oliver‚ putting down his seal harpoon.

“But we’re not‚” Emily said firmly but quietly.

“He doesn’t know that‚” said Oliver.

Siku was alarmed. He dove and then surfaced next to the skin boat. The seal harpoon and line went overboard. Siku’s fluke caught in the line and he tugged the boat seaward. Emily’s first thought was for the whale. I must do something to help him. He dove deeper and came up again‚ tangling the rope around him more tightly.

Emily quickly drew her knife from her belt‚ reached down‚ and started to cut the lines. The boat rocked. She leaned over the side‚ her knife still in her hand. Siku was almost free. But the rope was caught around the narrows of his fluke. He pumped his flukes to cast off the rope but could not. He breached and fell backward. The spray soared fifty feet high and fell back‚ drenching them‚ nearly washing them over the side. Benny was on his knees trying to steady the boat. Emily was practically over the side‚ slashing wildly at the remaining ropes. She would not give up.

The whale tried to rise in the water‚ to see the girl whose eyes he had looked into just yesterday. But he was caught.