Plucky had had his father's ruby for as long as he could remember. He remembered what his mother told him when he asked where the ruby had come from. Why didn't she tell him the truth? He would have been much more careful with his pendant. If only he had known... or... was Olive lying to him? But, she seemed so familiar and honest...
Plucky snapped back to reality and remembering what Olive said. He needed to hurry so he could find his mother. As he wondered all of this, he scurried back and forth, gathering everything he thought he might need for his journey. His pack filled up quickly, and there was still more to take with him. Plucky took a step back and decided he needed to pack only the most important things, which he did. Finally, he ran to the kitchen, grabbed the map and stuffed it into his pack. It was time to go.
He picked up his pack and slipping his arms through it made for the door.
"I'm coming, Mother."
He reached and pulled the map from his pack. After consulting it, he memorized his route: He was to head north until he reached the mountains. He froze. He realized he would have to hike past the Lions. They would be waking up at any time now. He scanned the field. They appeared to be sleeping still.
Plucky decided he would walk along the side of the field so as not to lose his way. As he passed the Lions, he could not help but look at them. To his horror, the Great Lion stirred, then stood up, sniffed the air then quickly turned towards Plucky and charged. Plucky had only time to close his eyes and brace for impact.
A few suspenseful moments passed. Realizing he was still alive, Plucky mustered the courage to open his eyes. There, directly in front of him, stood the Great Lion in all his terrible majesty. Plucky leapt back, terror in his eyes. The Lion did not approach. It seemed he could not. Olive's magic still held sway. The Great Lion called out to Plucky, a hint of frustration in his voice.
"I know you have the ruby, Plucky. I heard everything the witch told you. She lied to you. If you should leave the forest, the ruby that hangs around your neck will lose its magic, and you will lose any hope of seeing your mother. Give me the ruby, Plucky. You know deep in your heart it is the right thing to do. Without thinking, Plucky shouted, "No!"
With that, he ran as fast as his stout legs would carry him. Behind him, he heard the Lion savagely roar. A quiet, crisp voice spoke as if it were directly behind him: "This magic cannot detain me forever. I will find you, Plucky. The ruby will be mine."
Shaken to his bones, Plucky ran, fearful for his life. He thought, If I could just make it to the mountains, I will be safe from the Lion!
Plucky could not run any longer. Only, where was he? He remembered the map, putting his pack down, he was relieved to see the map still there. He unrolled it. Nothing had changed. If only the map would show him where he was relative to the path he needed to travel on. There was still daylight, however faint. It would be dark soon. He looked around, there were trees and flora everywhere. He was utterly lost.
Plucky sat down, his back to a tree. He couldn't go any further. After catching his breath, he took in his surroundings. Scattered across the forest floor were several kinds of flowers. He recognized orchids marigolds and he even spotted a glowing blue amaranth, the rarest of all flowers. Plucky felt a little better and, standing up, he picked a direction, hoping it was north. He trudged on.
As Plucky walked, the canopy grew thicker and almost completely blocked out the sunlight. Some hours had definitely passed, he thought. He wondered if the sun was setting. Being a bear, Plucky could see great at night. He decided to climb a tree. Plucky had climbed several trees in his life, but never very far up. As daunting as these taller trees were, he figured it would not be much more difficult. The problem lay in climbing back down. He looked around and found a tree with a lot of low hanging branches. Plucky set his pack down at his foot and began to climb.
His ascent was fairly smooth. He had grown a bit since the last time he remembered climbing, and the extra branches were most assuredly a bonus. He approached the canopy, but he could not see a clear way through. The branches were thicker and more numerous. One careless move could send him tumbling down. After thinking for a few moments he realized he could continue his climb on one of the adjacent trees. There was one to his right. He clung to the thickest branch his paws could grip and to his delight, saw rays of sunlight peeking through the canopy. He reached the top of the tree and gasped.
He saw trees in every direction as far as he could see. In the distance, he could make out the hazy outline of the mountains. He had been going the wrong way. Plucky looked around once more. He could not see the edge of the forest. Suddenly, he heard a crack of lightning, and saw an enormous storm cloud approaching from the left. The wind picked up, and he felt a few drops of rain on his fur. If there was one thing Plucky disliked more than stirring the stewpot, it was getting rained on.
Plucky raced down the tree as fast as he could. The rain had arrived, causing him to slip more than once and nearly lose his grip. He fell backwards and landed on a thick cluster of branches. He became aware of a sharp pain on his right forearm. He twisted his arm towards him. He saw a bloody scratch. There was no time to tend to it. He carefully stood up and completed his descent, getting rained on the rest of the way down. It was then Plucky realized he had set his pack down by a different tree. He ran around, his hind paws sinking into the mud, and he found his pack, he hoped the map was still dry. He checked and it was. "It must be because it's enchanted," thought Plucky. He slipped his arms through the pack's straps. He checked his arm again. It still stung, but it seemed the cut had been rinsed out. He scanned his surroundings, searching for any kind of shelter from the storm. Lightning cracked again, this time much louder and closer. He spotted an outcropping of a rock resting on a thick tree root. He ducked and then crawled beneath. All he could do now was wait for the storm to pass.
Plucky grew hungry. He opened his pack and found a banana with a bruised peel. It would have to do for now. He ate it and dropped the peel on the ground. Some time later, the rain diminished to a steady sprinkle, then stopped. He crawled out from under the rock. He looked at his wound again. The sting had lessened, and it thankfully was not bleeding anymore. He wished his mother was there - she would know what to do. Plucky's stomach rumbled once more. He sat on the rock and reached into his pack. There wasn't much food left: a few apples and an orange next to a banana. He would have to save those for later. He turned towards where he saw the mountains and began walking again. After a short walk, the sun had set, and Plucky's feet were sore. He would have to stop and get some sleep. He was cold, and thought about starting a fire. He decided it was too risky - the Lions were still out there. Finding a fallen elephant ear leaf on the ground, he picked it up, then returned to the space beneath the rock and curled up beneath the leaf.
Plucky was back home. His mother smiled at him from the living room. She was sitting in her rocking chair. She looked younger, wearing a flowing flowery green dress she had just knit. It was decorated with various flowers from her garden. She beckoned Plucky to come sit on her lap. He cheerily ran to her and jumped up. She hugged him as she lifted him and cradled him in her arms. Then she began to sing his favorite song, a song she would sing to lull Plucky to sleep:
The stars in the sky bring hope to all
Who gaze upon them, big and small.
The moon has smiled upon us
The sun spreads its warmth over us
There is nothing but love I have for you
By all I say and all I do
Dream sweet dreams, o little one
The day has gone, the night has come
Rest, my child, and hear me sing
Of magic only dreams can bring
So make a wish and close your eyes
And think of peaceful starry skies
There is nothing but love I give to you
There is nothing but peace I offer you
Good night, sweet dreams my little bear
Remember, I am always there.
Plucky drowsily blinked and smiled at his mother as she carried him off to bed. Suddenly, he and his mother both heard the frightening roaring of a pride of Lions as they crashed through the door and leaping through the window into Plucky's room, immediately overwhelming his mother. Plucky screamed as they dragged her limp body away. In an instant the largest Lion pounced on his bed, trapping Plucky beneath him, eagerly glaring with blood-red eyes. The Lion spoke with a menacing voice: 'I'm coming for you.'
