Yakari

The young bear cub, Rayon de Miel, has decided to set himself free from his mother's authority and live all by himself from now on. But it's not that easy! Yakari and Petit Tonnerre surprise him clumsily trying to fish for food. This is no easy task for an inexperienced bear cub. Yakari is all the more worried for his friend because there are hunters about who are planning to shoot him.

Everything's gone wrong over in the swamp. The animals are all having to leave it because a monster has scared them all away. They call Yakari to the rescue. When they reach the edge of a pond, they have to confront a terrible alligator! It's a creature Yakari doesn't know, and it refuses to negotiate with him.

For a little goat who dreams of getting away from it all, life in the herd is far too monotonous. It therefore decides to take a long trip. It ends up in the woods, where it meets Yakari. Unfortunately, Yakari is not alone. The wolf is prowling around the woods too. The goat has never heard of the wolf before, and acts oblivious. It's very headstrong, and puts itself in great danger.

Traditionally, Yakari's tribe celebrates the arrival of Fall with a big horse race called "The 7 Fires" The aim is to ride around seven bonfires which are lit in various places all over the Sioux's vast territory. This year, Yakari, Arc en Ciel and Graine de Bison are all allowed to participate. Graine de Bison claims he will win. The three papooses are very excited.

Who's been stealing Yakari's things? The flying squirrel? The little creature loves to store things in its nest (to the great annoyance of Mrs. Flying Squirrel). Yakari's suspicions seem to be justified by the fact he finds his things at the foot of the tree. But the flying squirrel fiercely denies any involvement in the theft.

Yakari takes part in an expedition to the Rocky Mountains to look for an obsidian stone. On the way, he gets to know a great elk and his herd. But the elks get attacked by wolves and Yakari, up on the back of one of them, gets dragged into a long chase that takes him far away from his people, into a wide landscape covered in snow and ice.

There is one creature living in the forest which is so fast, it can attack the birds in the sky and a porcupine down on the ground at the same time. This unidentified creature is spreading panic among the animals. Is it some kind of cat? Or a bird? Yakari is puzzled. He Who Knows casts a little light on the subject when he mentions the ancient legend of the Lynx and the Coyote.

What has happened to Maigrichon? Usually the skinny bear, who is a friend of Yakari's, is as gentle as they come. But for a few days now, he's been in a foul mood. He keeps ranting and raving and seems to have it in for all the animals in the forest. The others can't stand him any more. Yakari has to do something! It's all the more urgent since the men of the tribe have decided to capture him.

There are no more fish in the river! The situation is all the more urgent since it's making the starving grizzly bear mad with rage. Yakari notices that parts of the river are a strange color and smell funny too. He decides to head upstream. This leads him to Élan Lent! He's started work (at his usual pace, i.e. he's taking his time about it).

It isn't a common occurrence, but one day, Yakari and Arc en Ciel get into a fight. Arc en Ciel is upset and lets her horse Grand Gris and Petit Tonnerre drag her off on a long ride. They go so far, she can't get back to the camp before nightfall. Yakari is worried and immediately sets off after his friend. But will he get there in time to protect her from the danger which is hanging over her?

Yakari comes to help out Front de Sable, an injured bison who is lying on his side. He has been attacked by hunters and is now in poor health. He's quite weak and completely disoriented. This is unfortunate news, since Front de Sable is the ‘lead bison' of his herd, and it's his job to find the right path to take for their annual migration. But now, he can't tell which path is which.

Roc Tranquille is telling the children the legend of the sasquatch. Yakari and Arc en Ciel listen in awe to the story of the hunter who turns into a beast which is half-bear, half-man. But Graine de Bison isn't impressed and treats the story in an offhand manner. This really seems to annoy old Roc Tranquille, who feels a little respect should be shown for ancient beliefs.

Yakari is ahead of Graine de Bison in the tree-climbing contest. This gets on his young friend's nerves, and he decides to up the stakes. He starts climbing the highest tree in the forest. It's such a tall tree that its top branches are lost in the clouds! When he gets to the top, Graine de Bison starts feeling dizzy and daren't climb down again.

The mischievous Oreille Tombante drags Yakari and Petit Tonnerre off to the foot of a mysterious rock against their will. It's a funny sort of rock which has vertical fissures in it as if it has been clawed by a giant bear. It's a sacred place for bears, and they keep a fierce watch over it. One big brown bear doesn't appreciate Yakari's arrival and charges at him in a rage.

Flèche d'Argent, a young teenager from Yakari's tribe, returns to his people to accomplish his ‘hanblechia', which is his ‘vision quest', a Sioux rite of passage. Yakari and Graine de Bison are thrilled to see the young boy again. But they lose their enthusiasm when he treats them with condescension.

When Yakari goes to visit his old friend Esprit de Lune, he is disagreeably surprised to find her looking sullen and worn out. She tells him she's lost her taste for life. And she was always such a cheerful person before! Yakari has to do something. Following the advice of Celui qui Sait who tells him jay feathers have great healing powers.

Yakari and Petit Tonnerre meet three young wolves who have been totally left to their own devices since the disappearance of their leader: Grand Blanc. They have lost their pack and their guide. Without anybody to show them the way, they are adrift and have started acting unpredictably. They are now a danger for Yakari's tribe.

The great elk Front de Bois makes for quite a strange leader! He thinks his enormous antlers give him the right to tyrannize the other members of his clan! He is particularly ruthless and unfair towards two other elk: Saute Buisson and Herbe Tendre. Yakari, who has only ever known the wisdom of leaders like Celui Qui Sait and Roc Tranquille.

Two Sioux from a different tribe, no longer content to merely be expert hunters, start to mistreat their own horses so they can be the quickest catching pumas. This disgusts Yakari and Petit Tonnerre who decide to trick them to put them off hunting forever and dissuade them from abusing their horses.

It's incredible! It's morning, but the sun has forgotten to get up! This phenomenon worries Yakari's tribe. The explanation behind it is that a huge, thick flock of birds flying through the sky has hidden the light. Although he is pretty shaken up, like the others, Yakari overcomes his fears and goes to meet with the birds.

The woods suddenly seem to be full of a multitude of extremely varied animals making different cries. And all of them are in the same place at the same time! It's very odd. Yakari investigates and finds that it's one single bird making all the sounds all by himself! He's a great imitator! Yakari is impressed. Unfortunately, the bird's talents aren't making him very popular.

Petite Feuille is a strange little girl in Yakari's tribe. She is extremely shy and hardly ever says anything. Petit Tonnerre tells Yakari that having a horse nearby seems to reassure her. In their presence, the little girl blooms. Yakari therefore plans to help her find her own horse. The girl sets her sights on a little ginger-haired mustang which she calls Nuage Rouge.

In this part of the plain, the uneven ground and the big piles of rocks make it difficult for even the most experienced Sioux to find their way around. The first to get lost there are Élan Lent and Œil de Bouillon. Yakari and Petit Tonnerre also get lost themselves when they set off to find the others. Only the big condor flying overhead has a global view of the twists and turns of this labyrinth.

After a discussion with the beavers, Yakari and Petit Tonnerre set off to find some pronghorn antelopes to see if they are faster than a mustang. They meet a family of pronghorns and while they are playing with the twin fawns Tipoo and Topii, they get separated from their parents by a wildfire.

Oreille Tombante, the dog from Yakari's tribe, is a little blue. He feels neglected and unloved. And he's felt that way ever since an adorable little puppy has appeared on camp. Ever since, everything has gone wrong: his food bowl never gets filled up (or emptied) now, and the old Tortue Rapide no longer shows him any affection.