Dirt and small rocks fell on and all around Plucky and Djim. The ground heaved and tossed boulders around as the rumbling continued. Suddenly the shaking stopped. When the dust settled, Djim searched for Plucky. "Plucky! Where are you?" he called out.
"Djim! I'm stuck! Help!"
Djim crawled over toward a mound of dirt and rocks. He began to scoop out the earth with his paws. Slowly but surely, Plucky's small frame began to take shape. Soon Plucky could shake off the rest of the dirt that had nearly buried him. The earthquake that they had just survived had left them in utter darkness. Plucky stood up and thanked Djim. He then began to search for the scroll.
"The letter, the letter. It can't have disappeared," Plucky said hopelessly.
"I think we have bigger problems than a missing scroll, Plucky."
Plucky stopped what he was doing and turned towards Djim.
"For instance, how will we get out of here?"
It was then Plucky realized they were still trapped.
"I don't see a way out," Djim said.
"There has to be! There has to!"
With tears in his eyes, he pounded his tiny fist on a nearby boulder.
Plucky slid down onto his knees. Djim stood by him in the darkness.
The King left his tent to find the remainder of his standing army, supplemented by several mothers and the oldest cubs. All were armed with clawed staves. The ragtag army knelt before the King, their heads bowed. The King spoke as crisply as he could.
"We are the last bastion of freedom in this land. The which has but desire: to destroy everything and everyone who dares to oppose her. Her army may be as countless as the fish in the sea. We must not submit to this evil! This may very well be the end of our tribe! Take courage! We must fight more fiercely than we ever have before! They may win this battle, but our tribe will forever be remembered! To war!" The King shouted.
"To war!" his army shouted, new hope in their eyes.
Beneath the mountain, Plucky rocked back and forth. He had since ceased crying. He held his ruby as he swung. All of a sudden, the ruby began to glow, albeit faintly. Djim tapped his chin with one of his fingers.
"I think I know how we can get out of here, Plucky," Djim said thoughtfully as he snapped his fingers.
Plucky looked up at Djim and realized he was looking down at his pendant. Plucky slowly looked down and saw the faintly glowing shard. He took a deep breath and then exclaimed, "Of course! Why didn't I think of it before? Thanks, Djim!"
Plucky tightly closed his eyes and eagerly commanded the ruby to light their way out of the mountain. The ruby continued to glow, but nothing else seemed to happen. Plucky tried again but to no avail.
"Why won't this work? It's not working!"
Plucky was visibly frustrated. Djim crouched down in silence. He was deep in thought.
A single tear trickled down Plucky's cheek and landed on the ruby. Suddenly, the ruby glowed intensely and brightly, so much so that both Plucky and Djim had to shield their eyes. The mountain began to rumble once more. This time, however, part of the mountain above them was lifted by an unseen force, moved, and dropped elsewhere. Sunlight flooded the cave. Plucky shouted for joy as a hitherto unseen staircase appeared on the opposite side of the crater. Djim pointed toward the stairs.
"Let's go, Plucky! Lead the way!"
Both Plucky and Djim ran upward toward the stairs and their freedom. The staircase abruptly stopped just below the far end of the crater. When Djim reached the crater's edge, the ground rumbled for the third time but quickly subsided.
"Don't worry, Plucky... It was an aftershock."
Plucky lost his balance, and this time, he slid down the mountainside until the aftershock dissipated. A half-buried boulder broke his fall.
"Plucky! Are you okay?"
Djim slid down to where Plucky was and helped him stand up. Plucky brushed himself off.
"Where do we go from here, Plucky? What does your ruby think?"
Plucky held up his pendant and slowly turned in a complete circle. He expected it to lead them back into the forest, but this time, the ruby glowed more intensely in a different direction. They were to go along the north side of the mountain range. A nameless desert, stretching as far as the eye could see, bordered this side of the mountain range. Not even Djim's sharp eyesight could discern the end of the barren wasteland.
Plucky sighed. Djim scratched his head, then broke the silence.
"You know... If there is nothing there, then there is nothing that can harm us."
"I don't understand why we must go through the desert, though," Plucky pleaded.
"Maybe we don't have to... Look!"
Djim pointed east. There, before them, was a worn path that weaved through the mountain peaks.
"I believe we can reach the meadow faster if we follow this path."
"Maybe you're right, Djim."
"Send the elders and cubs up the mountain. There will yet be safety in numbers. Return to me once this is carried out."
A squad of four cougars bowed their heads before taking their leave. "Dismantle the watchtower. Its materials can be repurposed into spears and staves."
"Yes, your highness," spoke a commander, and he turned to order his soldiers to begin taking down the nearest tower. The King quietly surveyed the valley as he headed for the bend in the river. He turned to face his army and shouted so all could hear him.
"They will bear down on us like rain. Let it be known that nothing is more dangerous and terrible than a cornered cougar!"
Everyone in the valley growled in support. Meanwhile, across the plains, all could see the massive army assembling at the far end of the grassy plain, where it met the mountain range. The King continued, this time speaking so he alone could hear.
"Plucky and Djim must succeed. There is no one left to defy the evil in this world."
"Djim, I'm hungry," Plucky said, rubbing his stomach.
"Do you have any food left in your pack?"
"Let me look... No! It's all gone!"
"Stay put. I'm going downhill to see if I can find some jungle-fowl. Plucky sat atop a boulder while he waited. The nearest trees were downhill in the forest. He hoisted his pack above his head, which provided some shade, although his arms tired after a time. He was still recovering from the canoe ride. Plucky hopped off the boulder and began to wander around. He noticed there was a bird's nest set upon a mound of rocks. In the nest were two eggs. Plucky's stomach grumbled.
"Maybe I could get Djim to start a fire," he thought as he approached the nest. Seemingly out of nowhere, an eagle swooped down and began to attack him. The eagle hovered, flapping its wings in terrible majesty, as it tried to scratch Plucky with its talons and beak. Before he knew what had happened, Djim had chased off the eagle with a branch.
"Plucky! Get away from the nest!"
Plucky tossed the egg back into the nest and turned to run. The eagle flew to a position over its nest and eyed Plucky warily. It screeched at the invaders.
"Keep a wide berth, and the eagle should leave you alone," Djim spoke slowly but sternly.
Plucky and the eagle circled the nest; their tense eyes fixed on each other. Once they were past the eyrie, Djim rounded Plucky.
"Are you okay? Did the eagle hurt you?"
Plucky looked himself over and shook his head.
"There's an old saying in our tribe: curiosity killed the cougar. It also applies to bear cubs."
"I'm sorry, Djim. I am."
"You need to understand, Plucky. If anything should happen to you, you and your parents will never see each other again."
"You're right, Djim. I'll be more careful from now on."
Plucky shrank backward, his wide eyes locked on Djim.
"Aww, I'm sorry, Plucky. I'm just trying to keep you alive until we defeat the Witch and get your mother back; hopefully, your father will turn up somewhere. Where there is life, there is hope. Cheer up, kid! You're one Plucky bear!"
Plucky couldn't resist smiling.
"I'm doing this for my mother... And my father," Plucky said to himself. "Indeed you are!" Djim confirmed in reply.
"Now, let us be on our way. I didn't have any luck in the forest. Let's see if we can catch something to eat along the way. We might reach the meadow by sundown."
The Witch stood on the plains. Before her, in three ranks, were jackals mounted on fully grown bears. Behind them were hyenas, then both jackals and hyenas at the rear.
"This one battle stands between us and wealth more significant than any of you have known before. You will no longer have to scavenge for scraps! No longer will you worry for the safety of your families! Fight for me, and this land shall be yours forever!
In unison, the hyenas, jackals, and bears roared. The resulting cacophony caused a flock of birds resting in the nearby branches of trees to fly off in terror. Their eggs were abandoned for the time being. In one solid motion, the jackals mounted on bears slowly advanced towards the river and the valley beyond, first at a trot, then at full gallop.
"Your Highness! The enemy is coming!"
"Steel yourselves! This day will forever secure our legacy! CHARGE!"
The reformed cougar army, led by their King, charged across the river and toward the fight of their lives.
