Read Bear for Free Online Page B

barking as he took his place behind Lizzie. “She’s a natural.”
    Lizzie beamed. It was true. Driving a team of sled dogs seemed like the most natural thing in the world. It was just like Aunt Amanda had said: If you found the thing that was right foryou, you knew it. The day before, driving a sled for the very first time, Lizzie had felt sure of herself right from the start. Somehow she had known just how to lean her weight to one side or another, how to put a foot down to help push the sled like a scooter when the dogs were working hard going up a steep hill, how to know just when to call out “Gee” or “Haw” to get the dogs turning to the right or left when a fork appeared in the trail.
    Mushing was the most fun Lizzie had ever had. She was already having Iditarod dreams. Maybe she would adopt Bear and train him to pull her on a scooter. That’s how some mushers started, according to Tim. And someday she would have a whole team of dogs. Maybe someday she would win that most amazing race — or even just finish it, which would be enough.
    “Okay, Muffin,” yelled Tim. “Hike!” And the dogs stopped barking and took off, jerking the sled hard. Silently, the dogs raced up thetrail. Swish, swish went the runners of the sled. Jingle, jingle went the dogs’ collar tags. The white snow lay deep and soft all around as the team pulled together, working as one with their drivers.
    Lizzie’s heart was so full, she thought it might burst.
    An hour later, back at the Carters’ place, everyone sat down for dinner: big bowls of chili that had simmered on the woodstove, homemade bread, and a huge salad.
    Charles could not stop talking about the sled ride. Mom and Dad kept telling Lizzie how proud they were of her. And the Bean was so excited, he could hardly eat.
    “Cheers!” Tim held up his glass of cider. “Here’s to Lizzie, the newest musher on the block.”
    “Cheers!” said everyone.
    Fern clinked glasses with Lizzie. “We have something else to celebrate, too,” she announced.Her eyes sparkled. “Guess what? Dad changed his mind. He decided he was wrong about Bear, once he saw the way he pulled that log. He thought about it overnight and this morning he told me I can adopt Bear, if I promise to do all his training and chip in for his food.” She bent to kiss Bear, who dozed on her lap. He opened one eye and licked her hand.
    I love my new home. It’s cozy and warm inside, and I also get to run and pull things. What could be better?
    For just one second, Lizzie felt her heart sink. She had been imagining Bear as
her
dog. But then she smiled. This was so much better. Bear belonged up here in the north, where he would have snow to roll in all winter long and older dogs to teach him the ways of running as a team. She held up her glass. “Congratulations! I think you guys are the
perfect
forever family for Bear.”
    As they clinked glasses, an eerie noise rose from outside. A howling, yipping, crooning hullabaloo. “What is
that
?” Mom’s eyes widened.
    “The dogs are singing.” Tim got up to open the door. “They do it all the time. One starts and the others join in. Sometimes we sing along with them.” He poked his head outside. “I think I know why they started. Come see!”
    Everybody jumped up from the table and ran to the door. Tim pointed straight overhead. Lizzie looked up to see brilliant streaks of red and green pulsing across the sky, filling the darkness with dancing veils of color. “Oh!” She drew in a breath of clear, cold air. “How beautiful!”
    “It’s the northern lights,” Fern whispered. “The whole sky is celebrating with us!”
    And Bear, nestled in her arms, lifted up his little nose to the sky and joined in the howling chorus.

PUPPY TIPS
    Sled-dog racing is a very exciting sport. But did you know that sled dogs have been used in other ways? Long ago, sled-dog teams helped explorers discover new parts of the world, in the Arctic and in Antarctica (sled dogs are no