Story

A group of very strange strangers appear in Kanqisat, and the locals don't like the look of them. They travel in jeeps, carry guns, and while they claim to be here for hunting, they don't appear to know what prey is in season, or where they might find it. The Council soon suspect they're not hunting caribou or bear at all, but tokotas. This suspicion is confirmed when Salaksartok returns to his handler injured, with what appears to be a sedative dart stuck in his fur. A task force is assembled to investigate.

It is established that the group, led by a shadowy man named Bora, are attempting to capture tokotas and smuggle them out of the country. They have a buyer lined up abroad, who sells exotic pets to rich idiots. The taskforce must work quickly to apprehend the Smugglers; but the criminals are growing brazen in their attempts. They begin setting fires at shrines and sacred sites in an attempt to demoralise the locals. Most are small and quickly extinguished, but one at Aga's shrine in Aqtuquaq Forest causes massive devastation, burning for a week before it is fully put out. It will take many years to heal the land, but many residents of Kanqisat lend their aid.

The forest fire's unexpected strength catches the Smugglers by surprise. Their group splinters in an attempt to escape. Haze and Francis find themselves driving up the side of High Peak, becoming increasingly lost; they stumble into the Ignik pack's territory and are confronted by the pack leader, a fierce dire nicknamed Tuffstuff. However, a local man, Yura, stops Tuffstuff from harming them. He arrests Francis, but Haze manages to slip away. He is then approached by a lone wild tokota, Uiritsaktak, who decides he needs a friend. Haze decides not to argue, as Uirit often brings him food. However, Uirit also steers him back into Yura's reach, and Haze is arrested for his participation in the fire, and for attempted pup-nap.

Yura notices Haze's resemblance to an adopted relative, and after discovering that Haze recalls having a younger brother in Kanqisat, he takes Haze to meet Tiguaq and family on their way to Pilitak, where Haze will be tried. The two brothers find it difficult to reconcile their differences. However, Tiguaq manages to convince Haze to cooperate with the investigation. This leads to Francis, Lewis and several other high-ranking Smugglers being arrested. The judge decides to let Haze go with a strong warning.

Given that the gang's leader Bora is still at large, Haze decides to leave Kanqisat and try to make money to pay the gang leader off in a more legal way, but Uiritsaktak doesn't want him to leave. Several months later, Bora is apprehended, and Kanqisat can finally breathe easily again; the Smugglers are defeated.