The Longest Day (book)

Template:Infobox The Longest Day is the sixth and final volume in the Return to the Wild series.

Blurb

The final epic book in Erin Hunter’s New York Times bestselling Seekers series! The Longest Day Gathering is about to begin—and with it, the end of the bears’ great journey.

Lusa, Toklo, Kallik, and Yakone have returned to Great Bear Lake for the Longest Day Gathering. This means being reunited with the familiar faces of bears they have encountered throughout their travels—but it also means returning to life among their own kind, which may not be as easy as they thought.

The sixth and final book in the action-packed Return to the Wild story arc is full of adventure, tough choices, and even tougher good-byes. For the fans who have made Seekers a repeated bestseller and who have eagerly awaited the end of the bears’ travels, this thrilling series finale is not to be missed.

Detailed Plot Summary

The bears stand together on the ridge above Great Bear Lake.  Lusa doesn't feel ready to leave her friends, but they wish her luck as she goes to find the black bears. Lusa recognizes the forest where the black bears stayed from the previous year. Ossi and Pokkoli are there to welcome her, but feel hostile toward the brown and white bears. When Lusa goes to the lake to drink, Ossi warns her that the brown bears are arguing more than usual after the death of their previous leader, Oogrook. Lusa worries that Toklo will be in the middle of an argument. Toklo is greeted by Shesh, the bear who told him the story of Arcturus and Paw Print Island at the last gathering. He tells Toklo about Oogrook's death, and wants Toklo to be their new leader. Hattack unexpectedly barges in and complains that Toklo stole the glory from him, and he was going to swim across the lake, when in reality he lied. Hattack starts a rivalry with Wenona, a she-bear who lived in the territory next to Oogrook's. While hunting alone with Toklo, Hattack tells him he is unfit to be leader and is bossing the other bears around. Kallik and Yakone arrive on the white bears' shore and are surprised by Illa and Tunerq. To Kallik's delight, Kissimi is also with them. Taqqiq, his mate Shila, and her brother Tonraq are next to arrive, and Taqqiq is friendly to Kallik this time. While the white bears are swimming out in the lake, four grizzlies tell them to stay on their side of the water. Kallik refuses to fight, but the male bears are too willing to resist. Lusa has a nightmare about bears in danger, but Pokkoli and Ossi think it's just a dream. Lusa is sure Ujurak is sending a message, which becomes clearer after she hears Chula's voice calling for help in the dream. She asks Ossi which route he used to reach the lake, and he shows her. By a BlackPath, a firebeast carrying logs on its back has crashed and spilled them beside the path, trapping a group of black bears underneath.  Lusa and Ossi work to free the bears. Chula has a log trapping her leg, which Lusa and Ossi have to use a stick to lever off. Miki and Hashi were with the group, but are now missing. Rudi is trapped in a small space between the logs and the firebeast, and Sheena is stuck without her cubs. Lusa finds Hashi on the ground, badly wounded, and Ossi enters the nearby woods and finds Tibik, Sheena's son. Her daughter, Hala, was crushed to death by the logs. Lusa does her best to tend to Hashi's wound and Chula's leg, before Sheena leaves to get help and returns unwillingly with Kallik and Yakone. The white bears are strong enough to lift the logs away from Rudi and carry Hashi back, bringing Hala's body and letting Chula ride on Ossi. Hashi dies before they reach camp, and the white bears clear out once the black bears arrive.  Before dawn, Lusa returns to the scene of the accident to look for Miki, but Toklo comes with her and helps her look. They find Miki in the woods, with a head injury. Toklo carries him to the black bears' camp, and then returns to his own. Neither Shesh nor Hattack is pleased that Toklo helped black bears. Yakone and Kallik try to return to the black bears' forest to help Lusa treat all the injured bears, but the black bears reject their help. Rudi is frightened of Kallik when she sniffs his wounds. Lusa finally asks them to leave, since she will not get any rest with the other black bears worrying and complaining. She attends the burial of Hashi and Hala, and listens to Dustu tell a story about Hashi climbing the tallest tree in that same forest. She starts to feel that someone is watching her.

Characters

Polar Bears

• Kallik

• Yakone

• Kissimi

• Illa

• Tunerq

• Taqqiq

• Shila 

• Tonraq
• Qanniq
• Silaluk (mentioned)

• Kotori

• Imala

• Chulyin

• Suka

• Sakari (mentioned)

• Pakak (mentioned)

• Siqiniq (mentioned)
• Tartok
• Nukka
• Anarteq
• Unalaq (mentioned)
• Aga (mentioned)
• Sura (mentioned)
• Nisa (mentioned)
• Salik
• Manik
• Iqaluk
• Kunik
• Nanulak's Father (mentioned)

Black Bears

• Lusa

• Pokkoli

• Ossi

• Chula

• Miki

• Hashi
• Issa

• Dustu

• Dena

• Leotie

• Sheena

• Tibik

• Hala

• Rudi

• Yakni

• Hakan

• Chenoa (mentioned)

• Yogi (TLD)

• Ashia (TLD)
• Arcturus (mentioned)

Brown Bears

• Toklo
• Oka (mentioned)
• Tobi (mentioned)

• Hattack

• Shesh

• Wenona

• Akocha

• Holata

• Elki

• Elsu

• Muna

• Tuarl

• Tayanita

• Aiyanna

• Izusa

• Makya

• Wapi

• Yas

• Fala

• Flo

• Chogan (mentioned)

• Oka (TLD)
• Ujurak
• Ursa (mentioned)
• Nanulak's Mother (mentioned)

Grolar Bears

• Nanulak