Sitting in his prison cell, Plucky lost all sense of time. His meals all tasted the same – indistinguishable from dirt. He spent the majority of his time curled up in the corner by the wall, which happened to be the corner furthest away from the strange cougar in the cell next to him. He held on to his pendant often, hoping that they would let him go free. He noticed his neighbor had scratched lines into the dirt wall. This gave Plucky the idea to do so for meals. Three tick marks later, Plucky was still sitting on the floor. He barely touched the fold served to him, instead sliding it over to the cougar next door so that at least he might have more to eat. It seemed they had formed an uneasy friendship.
Suddenly, light shot into the cave as the boulder at the entrance was rolled out of the way. Plucky rubbed his eyes and saw two cougars standing in front of his cell. One of them unlocked the door to his cage.
"Come with us now, bear cub!" he commanded. Plucky stood up as quickly as possible and followed the guards out of the cave. The silent cougar gazed at him as he passed by. Plucky rubbed his eyes as he stepped outside, adjusting to the sunlight. The sun was high in the sky – about midday, he guessed. Another cougar approached with a hearty vegetable stew, which he was initially hesitant to eat. After the first spoonful, realizing it didn't taste like dirt led to him eagerly devouring the rest. He was then given a brown cotton garment to change into. He decided to wear it beneath his overalls. He then followed the two guards back toward the King's tent. This time, however, one of the guards pulled the tent flap open for him. Still, he cautiously stepped inside.
The King was now found sitting in the right wing of the tent. It was then Plucky noticed that both thrones were strikingly similar. He stepped forward and knelt as graciously as he could.
"You may rise," said the King. Plucky stood with his eyes still looking downward. The King continued.
"I have ordered your release because, upon further reflection, I may have been a bit harsh and unforgiving towards you. I hope you understand I was only acting in the name of safety for my people." Hearing this, Plucky was still confused as to what exactly was happening. He was a bear cub with no weapons of any kind. What harm could he possibly do to an army of armed cougars? The King continued.
"I see you are confused. Please allow me to explain. You had mentioned entering into a pact with a bear named Olive. While you may have the impression of her as a very kind bear, my people and I know her as the exact opposite. She is known to our people as a cunning sorceress. Many moons ago, we cougars were a peaceful tribe. We lived primarily on the plains to the north of us. We formed friendships with all we met. Those were truly happier times.
One fateful day, we were met by Olive and a horde of menacing hyenas. They stormed our village. Many of us fell that day. As for the prisoners she captured, she bewitched them to do her bidding. Some were bound and carried away. We never saw them again—those who were bewitched eventually turned feral. We subdued them and have kept them in cages for their safety, as well as ours.
In short, Olive's actions forced my people and me to migrate to this valley. More significantly, we became a tribe of warrior cougars out of necessity. We believed this would serve us in the event the witch's forces should ever return. As yet, we have enjoyed our peace. However, it unnerves me that you have dealings with the witch. However noble they may seem to you, I can only assume she has an ulterior motive. You may be one of her pawns without realizing it."
Plucky was left speechless after learning all of this from the King. The King continued.
"With that said, I need to know where your loyalties lie. It is in this spirit that I now offer you a choice: Become a soldier in my standing army, and you will have gained my trust. After a time of my choosing, I will grant you your freedom. You shall have a powerful ally in me. However, if you deign to refuse, you will promptly be returned to your prison cell. You will be spared the horrors of war, but you shall never again know freedom so long as I draw breath. What is your decision?"
Plucky shook his head in disbelief. The last thing he wanted was to return to the prison cave. He would have to fight for his life if he ever wanted to see his mother again. He could die without his mother ever knowing what had happened to him... What to do?
"What is your choice, bear cub?" the King asked a little louder, a hint of impatience in his voice. Plucky answered.
"Your Majesty, I would join your army, though I am afraid I know nothing of the ways of war."
Upon hearing this, a broad grin spread across the King's face. He clapped his forepaws together once.
"Bear cub, what is your name?"
"P-Plucky, your Majesty."
"Not to worry, young Plucky! I shall arrange for your training to commence right this instant!"
Plucky dared not tell anyone, but at this moment, he had never feared so much for his life. This surpassed being chased by the Great Lion back in the Forest. He managed to bow his head, then turned around to leave.
"I have not dismissed you, Plucky."
Plucky froze, then slowly turned around and began to offer an apology, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"Before you leave my presence, I would introduce you to the cougar overseeing your training."
The King turned to the guard on his right and inaudibly whispered something in his ear. The guard bowed his head and then promptly exited the tent. Plucky quietly hoped it was not one of the cougars who had captured and bound him. The guard soon returned, accompanied by a cougar shorter than he. His wrists were bound, and a sackcloth covered his head. He was led to a position before the King, and the sack was removed. Plucky immediately recognized him as the cougar which whom he had shared his meals back in the cave. The cougar did not look at Plucky. Instead, he bowed his head as he stood in front of the King, awaiting further instruction.
"Djim, as much as your prior actions displease me, I remain a benevolent King. As such, I have decided to offer you an opportunity to redeem yourself. Should you accept and complete this task to my satisfaction, I shall consider your past crime forgiven and grant you your freedom.
The opportunity is this: you will train Plucky, the bear cub, to your left. Teach him the ways of our people. Teach him to fight as we do. I sense he is a quick study. Should you decline, my pardon and your freedom are forfeit. Do you accept?"
After a slight hesitation that even Plucky noticed, Djim lifted his head and spoke.
"I accept, your Majesty."
"Very well, Djim. I expect only the best from you, this day and all the days that may come."
The King commanded his guards to untie Djim, and he turned to face Plucky for the first time.
"Plucky... Djim, you may take your leave."
Plucky bowed and crossed his paw over his chest, following Djim's example. The guards led them to the mouth of the tent. Both Plucky and Djim exited. The guards did not follow. Now outside and under sunlight, Plucky could look closely at Djim. Djim stood about half a head taller than Djim, though still short compared to the other cougars Plucky had seen. Most strikingly was his face, which wore the pains and weariness of someone much older. Then Plucky noticed that Djim was missing a flap of skin from his left ear. He wondered who or what could have been responsible for doing that.
Without even a sideways glance at Plucky, Djim spoke up.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I am hungry for something that doesn't taste like dirt. You coming?"
Plucky followed Djim alongside the river. They crossed the bridge, past the prison cave, and northward until they reached the bend in the river where the valley began. Djim suddenly stopped. Plucky caught up with him a moment later, then asked, "What are you going to do now?"
Djim answered by wading into the river, then dove in. A few moments later, Djim poked his head out of the water. In his mouth was the limp body of a fish. Removing the fish from his mouth, he called out, "There goes your chance to eat. I don't expect there to be any more fish swimming by for a while."
Plucky gingerly waded into the river. It was refreshingly cold – a nice contrast to the blazing heat of the valley. Djim shook his head incredulously and stared at Plucky.
"Don't tell me you've never hunted for fish before!"
Plucky, visibly embarrassed, attempted to tell of the games his friends had played around the river. Djim interrupted.
"Leave it to me to teach the ways of a cougar to a bear who doesn't know how to be a bear!"
Upon hearing this, Plucky's cheeks reddened.
"I can't swim that well, okay? Mother never taught me how to win because the water was too deep!"
"Well, in any case, you're in luck. I caught a second fish. At this, Djim lifted a fish with his paw. Plucky groaned, realizing he had been tricked into entering the water, though he appreciated the cooler temperature. Djim continued.
"I suppose you don't eat raw fish either. Give me a moment, and I'll fire them up."
Djim returned to shore, followed by Plucky, who shook off as much water from his fur as he could. He glared at Djim. Then in a flash of realization, his eyes widened, and he asked Djim a question.
"Wait, Djim! How do you know so much about me?"
Upon hearing this, Djim froze. He turned to look at Plucky. He sighed.
"I see there is no avoiding this. I'll tell you what. Let me cook these fish, and I promise I'll explain everything."
Djim spotted a vacant fire ring by the shore. He had a fire going before Plucky reached the pit. Plucky sat near the fire opposite Djim. The growing flames danced in his eyes. Plucky's mouth watered upon smelling the aroma of the trout turning on the spit. He hadn't eaten adequately cooked fish since before he met Olive. If only he had known then of all the horrible things, she had done. Maybe he wouldn't be where he was now.
"Plucky! Hey! Do you want to hear my story or not?"
Plucky shook his head as he came to, then nodded at Djim.
"So... Yes, or no? You can't have it both ways!"
"Yes!"
"Alright, so let me begin with this." Djim pointed to what remained of his left ear. Plucky looked up in wonder.
"Some time ago, when I was younger than you are now, a pride of nine lions, unlike any I had ever seen before or since, fiercely attacked us in the valley. I never found out why. I suspect the King knows something about it, though he hasn't told me, at least. Anyway, these lions overtook my parents right in front of me. One of them was on fire when he ripped off a chunk of my ear when I tried to attack them. For whatever reason, I was spared. I didn't even get burned."
Djim paused to let that sink in.
"My King told you that some of us cougars went crazy and we're convinced that the non-crazy cougars are the bad guys. Well, that wasn't me. I was forced to go with the hyenas. I overheard them talking about a witch bear who had a grudge against another bear in a forest west of here."
Plucky's ears perked.
"You went to my forest, Djim!"
"I thought I was telling the story here."
Plucky quieted down.
"Here, now, is the crux of this history lesson. The witch gathered a few of us cougars, then bewitched us into setting a trap for the other bear. She figured it would be easier to take advantage of his bond with our tribe. Long story short, her plan worked. The worst part is that I am too ashamed to say this more than once, so pay attention... I was one of the cougars who captured your father."
