Plucky stood at the base of the nearest watchtower. In front of him was a wooden ladder – the only sure way up or down. Up close, Plucky realized this tower was taller than any tree he had ever climbed. Djim looked up at the tower's nest, then at Plucky.
"You're afraid of heights, aren't you?"
"What? No! I can climb this!" Plucky retorted, trying to hide his fear.
"You don't have to lie about it. If you're afraid, say so. Everyone is afraid of something."
"Well, what are you afraid of?"
"I'll make a deal with you. If you climb this ladder, I'll tell you sometime." Plucky took a deep breath, then grabbed the rung above his head with both paws. He began to climb. The climb up was pretty easy, Plucky thought to himself. Back on the ground, Djim shouted, "Don't think about how high up you are! Don't look down, and you'll reach the best before you know it!" Plucky looked down at Djim, then shouted, "What did you say?" He immediately froze. Djim was as small as one of the fingers of his paw. Plucky strained to hear what Djim was saying and finally made out the following: "I told you not to look down!"
"Oh, now you tell me!"
Plucky's eyes were tightly shut, and he squeezed the rung before him as tightly as he could. It felt like an eternity had passed before he realized Djim had climbed up the ladder and was beside him.
"You can open your eyes now, Plucky."
"I'm scared, Djim."
"Okay. I want you to try something. I want you to open your eyes and then look up."
Plucky slowly turned his head upward and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was an orange-red sky. The watchtower had disappeared. After a moment, the realization kicked in. He looked forward and beheld the rim of the tower's nest. Annoyed, he scolded Djim, "You could have just told me I had reached the top, Djim!"
"I could have, but the look on your face right now made it worth doing it this way."
Plucky swung a leg over the rim of the nest and climbed in. He turned to glare at Djim, but he was already climbing down. Plucky leaned over the edge and shouted down to Djim.
"Where are you going now?"
After a pause, Djim shouted up.
"This is the safest place in the whole valley! You'll be fine! Remember, if you see anything other than hyenas coming to the party, wave the red flag!" "Red flag! Got it!"
There was still some time before nightfall, so Plucky spent it looking at the valley. For mostly dirt, it was surprisingly stunning. Up above, the first stars in the evening sky began to sparkle.
"Nice view, isn't it?"
Startled, Plucky spun around and saw Djim.
"When did you...?"
"I am a cougar, you know."
"I mean, weren't you getting ready to fight?"
"I am ready. Someone has to keep watch while you sleep."
"What about you?"
"We have your father's Owl to thank for that. It keeps us from getting tired." "Really? Wow!"
"Your father was a wise bear, Plucky."
"I wish I could have known him."
"I wish you could have too. Now, try to get some sleep. Tomorrow looks like it's going to be a long day."
Plucky yawned, spotted a blanket in the corner, and curled up beneath it.
Plucky awoke to the clamor of shouting and soldiers rushing about. Djim was nowhere to be seen. Remembering the King's orders, he stood, then located the flag. He held it at the ready as he scanned the horizon. It was still dark, but Plucky could make out the cougars arming themselves for battle. Even though Plucky was in a safe place, his mind still raced. He thought of his father and what he did during the fight for the forest. His experience was already proving to be much different than anything he knew. It was then he remembered his pendant. He grasped it. It brought him some comfort and courage. He then wondered where Djim was.
Just then, Plucky was startled by a cougar – not Djim – climbing into the watcher's nest. He sternly handed Plucky a clawed staff. It was cut shorter, so Plucky could wield it without it dragging on the ground. Before leaving, the cougar warned Plucky.
"Make sure to watch for any enemy trying to climb your tower. They may try! Wave your flag if this happens!"
Plucky quickly nodded as the guard leaped over and caught hold of the ladder as he climbed back down. Plucky turned back towards the plains. His flag was in one paw; the staff in the other. He gazed across the plains, intermittently watching for anyone climbing the tower. This was more work than Plucky was used to, and he felt worn out after about an hour. He shook himself and refocused his sight on the plains.
As the sun's first rays crept upon the horizon, Plucky saw the plains come alive with a swarm of ants. With newly found energy, he waved the flag but soon realized there was no need, as the cougars below had already taken notice of this new threat. The cougars quickly formed a blockade along the near side of the river. The King made his way to the front of the formation. He shouted, "Steel yourselves! No hyena or ant shall enter our valley! The day is ours!"
With each exclamation, the cougars stomped and growled in agreement. Plucky waved his banner a second time as he caught sight of hundreds of hyenas charging forward alongside the ants while the rest of them filled the spaces in between. The King shouted, "Attack their front legs, then their necks! Mind their pincers!"
The King raised his staff. It was adorned with a red cloth tightly tied beneath the claw. He pointed the upper case forward, upon which all but the last rank of cougars waded in and swam across the river, fully determined to meet their enemy head-on. To Plucky's surprise, he saw the enemy's forces were afraid of the river. The water turned red wherever they came into contact with the water – the same shade of red as Plucky's ruby. He silently thanked his father for casting this protective spell. Because of this enchantment, the cougars would gain valuable ground before engaging the enemy. The organized cougars quickly scattered to match the disorganized Witch's army. Soon after, a cloud of dust wafted into the air, making it difficult for even Plucky to tell what was going on on the battlefield. At one point, he thought he had seen a cluster of hyenas leave the battle amid the confusion, but he wasn't sure.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the cougars had difficulty seeing due to all the dirt being kicked into the air. They had to rely on their sense of smell and instinct. Djim was right in the middle of it all. It seemed that everywhere he turned, an ant was fiercely snapping his pincers at him – the only sound an ant could make. By contrast, the hyenas were easy enough to spot. Djim ducked and narrowly avoided a set of pincers snapping shut above him. He spun around and dove beneath the ant. Then he thrust his staff upwards as hard as he could. The ant immediately collapsed, trapping Djim beneath its heavy frame. He struggled to crawl out in vain. Suddenly, he noticed the scent of approaching hyenas. Thinking quickly, he burrowed in deeper. The hyenas uneventfully passed by him. A few moments later, he heard a pair of cougars approach. "Help!" he loudly whispered as he repositioned himself to be seen again. The cougars spotted him, and together they lifted the ant so Djim could crawl out. Then one of his comrades dusted himself off.
"We're at war, and you're worried about getting dirty?"
The cougar sneered at him.
"I mean, thank you!"
The pair of cougars left the scene. One cougar leaped forward and caught a hyena by surprise. Djim dropped down to all fours. There were hyenas', ants', and cougars' legs around him. He crawled towards the first set of hyenas legs he saw and, as sneakily as he could, pulled the legs out from under them, only then to attack.
Now and then, a fellow cougar would accidentally trip over or step on him. Soon, more cougars realized what he was doing, and they followed his lead. Many hyenas were overtaken in this manner. Soon, a new problem arose, however: the dirt in the air began to settle. The hyenas took advantage of this, slaying any cougars they could. Many cougars stood up and engaged in paw-to-paw combat, which kicked up the dirt anew. A few of the remaining hyenas, still on foot, dropped to all fours but were quickly overwhelmed as the cougars had been working in teams since the beginning of the battle. The tide was slowly turning in the cougars' favor. Plucky set his flagpole down in relief. The hyenas fought fiercely in desperation, slaying several cougars. When the hyenas realized they were fighting a losing battle, they began to retreat. The King cougar raised his staff in victory. The remaining cougars cheered. When the dirt settled, Plucky cheered as well. A moment later, his delight was cut short by a loud commotion behind him.
