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Spencer crept down a long hallway toward the snores. Dora said Pam’s office was next to Pam’s bedroom, so Spencer was sure he was on the right track. He crept to the last door in the hall and was relieved to see it was Pam’s office. He spotted the door to Darwin’s room right away and silent-walked over to it, pulling off his night-vision goggles as he went. He didn’t want to scare the cub. Spencer opened the door and felt around on the wall inside the room until he found a light switch.

“A light just went on in the house,” Spencer heard Aldo report in his ear.

“It’s me,” he whispered back, closing the door behind him. He resisted telling Aldo how cool Darwin’s room was. Part of it had been made to look like a forest. Miniature trees took up half the space. Spencer walked over to them, searching the branches. He knew cubs liked to flop their limbs over tree branches and sleep, but he didn’t see Darwin anywhere. Before turning away from the little cluster of trees, Spencer reached out to touch the trunk of one. It’s fake! he thought, impressed by how real the artificial bark looked.

On the far side of the room, Spencer spotted a little cave. Spencer quietly approached it. When he was only a few steps away, a little paw poked out of the mouth of the cave, stretching straight out. Then another paw joined it. Spencer stepped closer. In the dark cave, he could just make out the rest of the cub’s slumbering body.

Spencer crouched down. “Maruh,” he quietly growled a hello.

The paws disappeared, quickly drawn back into the dark bundle of fur. Darwin scrambled clumsily to all fours and tripped over his paws, flopping deeper into the cave to hide.

“Shala.” Spencer whispered the Ragayo word for “safe.”

A second later, Darwin poked his head out of the artificial cave. His fur was jet-black, like Dora’s, but even darker somehow. The way the cub’s black fur gleamed reminded Spencer of the black jade of his bear figurine. Darwin blinked at Spencer, the big ears the cub hadn’t grown into yet twitched. His little black nose sniffed nervously. Spencer was careful to stay completely still as he watched the cub.

Darwin seemed to gain some confidence. He took a few cautious steps forward, until his whole body was framed in the mouth of the cave. Spencer caught a glimpse of white fur on the cub’s chest. A blaze mark! Spencer smiled, hoping for a better look at the cub’s marking. Just then, Darwin’s curious snout seemed to get the best of him. The cub wobbled up onto his hind legs. He nose sniffed rapidly in Spencer’s direction.

At the sight of Darwin’s blaze mark, Spencer gasped.

Darwin dropped back to all fours, frightened.

“I’m sorry,” Spencer whispered, his eyes wide and locked on the shining fur in the middle of Darwin’s jet-black chest. The blaze mark was in the perfect shape of a crown. Spencer had never seen anything like it. Usually, blaze marks were swoops or blotches of white fur. Professor Weaver had a triangular blaze mark, but still … that was nothing like the perfect crown symbol that seemed emblazoned on Darwin’s chest in shining silver fur. The rest of Darwin’s fur was so dark that the crown practically glowed.

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How had Pam managed it? Spencer wondered. He knew Pam had scientists who had already done crazy things with bears. After all, there was the microchipping technology that Pam used on the whole bear army. But this was different. Spencer knew that bears were born with their blaze marks. Somehow, Darwin had been born with Pam’s symbol of his power, the crown, on his chest.

Spencer looked up at the cub’s face. Darwin was peering out of the cave anxiously. “I wonder what else is special about you,” Spencer whispered, knowing there must be more. Darwin shrunk back even farther, and Spencer pushed the question out of his head. Now wasn’t the time to solve the mystery of Pam’s prized cub.

Spencer wasn’t sure if the cub understood his Ragayo, but he hoped the tone of his voice would communicate that he wasn’t going to hurt Darwin. “Shala,” he said. Darwin poked his head back out.

Darwin padded closer, sniffing first at the mission pack on the ground, then at the coil of rope, then finally at Spencer himself. Spencer tried not to laugh as Darwin’s snout tickled his shin. “Now I just have to get you to ride quietly in this sling I made for you,” Spencer whispered to the cub. “Shala, anbranda,” he added as he reached out to touch Darwin. “Wow,” Spencer whispered, petting Darwin. The cub’s fur was softer than anything Spencer had ever felt before. Kate’s fur was soft, like a fluffy dog, but Darwin’s was somehow softer still. Spencer retrieved the little knob of ginger root from his mission pack, then returned the backpack to his back.

“Here goes nothing.” He placed the ginger root on the floor between himself and Darwin. Darwin lowered his snout to sniff at it. He extended a shiny black claw and jabbed the root, then picked it up with his mouth. Adrenaline started to pump into Spencer’s veins. He knew how loud cubs could be when they were in distress. There would be no hiding the sound. As Darwin started to gnaw the ginger root, Spencer reached forward and picked the cub up in his arms. He was relieved by how light Darwin was. He couldn’t be more than ten pounds, and the rope sling would definitely be secure enough to hold him.

“You’re going to come with me, anbranda,” Spencer cooed as quietly as he could. “So far so good. Shala.” Darwin continued to gnaw the ginger root, allowing Spencer to tuck him into the rope sling he’d made. “Look how comfortable you are. You’re just going for a fun ride.” Spencer couldn’t believe his luck. Darwin was so captivated by the ginger root, he hadn’t protested being carried at all, but Spencer didn’t know how long that would last.

Spencer got to his feet. He grabbed his night-vision goggles from the ground where he’d left them and tugged them on over his eyes. He strode quickly to the door, snapped off the light, and let himself and Darwin out into Pam’s office. Spencer paused, waiting for the sound of Pam’s snore. The moment he heard it, he made a break for it, running as fast and as quietly as he could, holding Darwin against him in the knotted sling. Silently, with Spencer landing lightly with every stride, they flew through the hall, down the stairs, and out Pam’s front door.