While Plucky could not see anything, he felt the firm grip of a paw grasping each of his arms, leaving his feet dangling in the air. He was brusquely being carried somewhere. He cried out in pain, his infected arm throbbing under the pressure of the clawed paw. Even so, whoever was holding him did not loosen their grip. An indeterminate amount of time later, his blindfold was quickly lifted from his eyes. He squinted, his eyes adjusting to the flood of light.
When his sight came back into focus, he saw a large cougar on either side of him. The cougars lowered Plucky so he could stand. He saw his head only reached up to their elbows. They appeared to be in uniform - military, Plucky thought. They wore crossed brown straps. In their other paw they held a tall staff, with shiny steel claws capping both ends.
As Plucky took in his surroundings, he realized he was in a wide valley, divided in two by a river peacefully flowing straight for a distance, ending in a delta on the far end of the valley floor. There were three intricately crafted wooded bridges, each adorned with a stunning filigree pattern that ran across the length of the bridges.
Both of the valley slopes were littered with layers of caves and ledges. He could see families of cougars entering or exiting their caves. Some cougars were sitting in front of their cave. Others were cleaning what might be considered their front porch. Cougar cubs of all sizes were chasing each other in what appeared to be a game of tag. This reminded Plucky very much of the carefree days he spent with his friends back in the forest.
Organized in parallel lines on either side of the river were tan colored tents, the larger tents in the rear. Plucky realized these tents were for cougar warriors. Many were huddled around campfires. Others were busy sharpening their claws. The guards led Plucky past all of these as he endured the stares of all he passed by. Even the cubs stopped playing and eyed him hungrily. Plucky nervously kept his eyes on the ground in front of him. His captors abruptly stopped, and Plucky looked up to see the largest tent of all. Flying a brown pennant, with a golden colored cougar paw centered on it. The cougars finally released their grip, and Plucky sighed in relief, a tear trickling down his face.
He noticed the tent was T-shaped. The outer walls of the tent were adorned with painted silhouettes of cougar paws, alternating with an expertly painted filigree, the same pattern as found on the bridges. The guards motioned him to enter; they followed immediately behind him.
Plucky sighed in relief. It was noticeably cooler inside. His tender arm was still throbbing. The guards remained just inside. Afraid to run outside and attempt an escape, he slowly walked forward. It was extremely quiet, Plucky thought to himself. He instinctively turned right at the corner and saw nothing. Suddenly, a voice from behind him bellowed, "So this is the intruder!"
Plucky spun around and froze. In front of him sat the king cougar. He wore a small velvet crown, bordered by an intricately carved golden band. Centered on the king's forehead, was a single jade gem surrounded by a golden ring. In his right forepaw he held a silver scepter, capped by three more jade stones formed in the shape of a triangle. The king wore an exquisite leather loincloth around his waist. The king's throne was elegantly carved out of wood - the same pattern adorning the tent and the bridges, and was bedecked by three jade stones at the tops of three iron studs protruding from the top of the chair. On each side of the king stood a guard, dressed like the first two cougars Plucky encountered. Each of these cougars bore a staff with claws at both ends.
The king chuckled as Plucky stood in awe. Then remembering something he heard in a story once, Plucky knelt and bowed his head.
"You may arise, bear cub," the king said, this time not so dominantly. Plucky stood, despite his trembling legs. The king continued.
"Tell me now: what business does a lone bear cub such as yourself have in my kingdom?"
In a shaky voice, Plucky told of his journey thus far. When he mentioned Olive, however, the king's eyes widened and he leaned forward. Plucky finished his account.
"It seems you are in good company with this Olive. It intrigues me that she would have dealings with a mere bear cub, but I have learned not to underestimate her cunning. As is our custom, you shall be taken before the Great Owl."
The king then turned to the guard on his left.
"Untie him, tend to his wounds, and see that he is fed."
The guard nodded and produced a small flute from a pouch at his side. He played a quick three note melody. Immediately the two guards who had brought Plucky to the King's tent were at his side once more, motioning him to leave the King's presence. Plucky was grateful they did not grab his arms.
Once outside the tent, the guards untied Plucky. He was given a few moments to stretch and uncurl his arms and fingers. The guards led Plucky to a log set on the river bank, upon which he sat. One of the guards left and returned with a plate of roasted chicken. Plucky's stomach growled in excitement. He consumed the chicken as quick as he could. He thought to ask for seconds, but as soon as they saw he had finished, they instructed him to follow them. Plucky followed them deeper into the valley. Plucky looked up at the mountains. He was still awed by their size.
After passing the King's tent, they turned right onto a well worn path that wound its way up the western mountain. To Plucky it seemed this mountain was the tallest in all the valley. The sun shone extra bright on this day, and Plucky struggled to climb. The guards, taking note of this, grabbed his upper arms and half- carried/half-dragged him until Plucky found the energy to walk again. As best he could tell, they weren't even halfway up the mountain.
Finally, they reached a ledge. The path ahead led towards and into the giant mouth of a cave. The cave was so dark one could not see very far inside, despite the time of day. One of the guards nudged Plucky to enter the cave as the other guard instructed Plucky to repeat his story to the owl. Deep inside the cave, he heard the rustling and ruffling of feathers. Plucky shivered as he approached the sound. It was very cold inside, even for a cave. The restless flapping was more prominent now. Plucky could now make out the outline of a bird as large as he was, perched on a heavy stone. What stood out the most was the Owl's white eyes, faintly glowing and trained on Plucky.
"Speak!" The Great Owl screeched.
Plucky composed himself and told of his adventure thus far, with the Owl listening attentively. When he spoke of the ruby and what Olive had told him, the Owl shrieked and flapped his wings, screeching the words "Lies! Lies!"
The cacophony frightened Plucky, and he ran back towards the sunlight, nearly tripping over his own feet. In the blink of an eye, the two guards appeared, intercepting Plucky before he could go any further. One of the guards effortlessly lifted Plucky up and carried him on his shoulder. The guards headed back down the mountain, Plucky in tow.
When they arrived at the bottom, they continued past the tents, but this time they crossed over the bridge to the other side of the valley. It was then the guard set Plucky down. He watched as they heaved a large boulder out of the way, revealing a tunnel burrowed deep into the ground. The guards roughly nudged Plucky towards the entrance. The first thing Plucky beheld were several prison cells, many occupied by unkempt, feral cougars, one to a cell. Plucky cowered as they threw themselves at the iron bars of their cages, clawing at the air in a futile attempt to grab him. Occasionally the guards would fend off any paws they saw got too close to Plucky.
In one of the cells, Plucky saw a younger cougar, who sat against the back wall of his cage. The cougar sniffed then looked directly at Plucky. They locked eyes. Plucky saw the cougar drop his head, as if deep in thought.
