Sitting in his prison cell, Plucky lost all sense of time. His meals tasted the same - indistinguishable from dirt. He spent the majority of the time curled up in the corner by the wall - the corner furthest away from the mangy cougar next to him. He held onto his pendant as much as he could, quietly hoping that they would let him go free. He saw that the cougar next to him had scratched lines into the dirt wall. Plucky thought that he would do the same for meals. Three tic marks later he was still sitting on the floor. He had lost his sense of appetite. He hardly touched the food served to him, instead sliding it between the bars so that the nameless cougar would have more to eat. It seemed that they had formed an uneasy friendship.
Suddenly, light shot into the cave as the boulder was rolled out of the way. Plucky rubbed his eyes, only to see two new cougars in front of the cell. One unlatched his door.
"Bear cub, come with us now," he commanded.
Plucky stood up and followed the guards out of the cave. The silent cougar next to Plucky gazed at him as he walked by. Plucky rubbed his eyes some more as soon as he stepped outside, adjusting to the sunlight. The sun was high in the sky - about mid day, he guessed. Another cougar approached with a hearty vegetable stew, which Plucky was reluctant to eat at first. But after trying it and discovering it did not taste of dirt, he eagerly devoured the rest.
Plucky was given a brown cotton garment to change into. He decided to wear it beneath his overalls. He then followed the two guards back towards the king's tent. This time, however, they escorted him in.
The King was now found sitting in the right wing of his tent. Plucky noted both thrones were similar. He stepped forward and knelt as gracefully as he could.
"You may rise," said the King.
Plucky stood, his eyes still looking downward.
"I have ordered your release because I realize now I may have been a bit harsh and unforgiving towards you. I hope you will understand I was only acting in the name of my peoples' safety."
Hearing this, Plucky was still confused. He was a bear cub, with no weapons of any kind. What harm could he possibly do? The King continued.
"I see that you are confused. Allow me to explain. You told me that you are an acquaintance of a bear named Olive. While you may know her as a very kind witch, she is known to me and my kind as the exact opposite of that.
"Many moons ago, we cougars were a peaceful tribe, living in packs on the plains, and were loyal friends to any we encountered. One day, Olive came, leading her hordes of hyenas with an intent to subjugate us. Many cougars fell that day. She then bewitched many of her prisoners to carry out her bidding. Some were bound and carried away, never to be seen again. The rest became feral and turned on us. We eventually subdued them, in large part due to the help of another sorcerer who was yet our ally. These feral cougars were imprisoned for their safety, as well as our own.
In short, Olive's actions forced my paw. I and the cougars who remained had no choice but to migrate to this very valley. We began forging weapons and developed a unique style of combat, should the witch's forces ever return.
So here we are now. As of yet, we have enjoyed peace. However, it unnerves me that you have dealings with the Witch, no matter how noble they may seem. I can only assume she has something secret to gain. You may be a mere pawn without realizing it."
Plucky was left speechless after learning everything from the King. The King continued.
"With that said, I need to know where your loyalties lie. In that spirit, I offer you a choice. Become a soldier in my standing army, and you will have earned my trust. After a time, I will grant you freedom, and you will also have gained a powerful ally in me. However, if you should deign to decline this offer, you will promptly be returned to your prison cell. You will be spared the horrors of war, but you shall never again experience freedom. What say you?"
Plucky shook his head out of shock. The last thing he wanted was to return to the cave. He realized he might have to fight for his life if he ever wanted to see his mother again.
"What say you, bear cub?" The King asked, this time slightly irritated. Plucky answered.
"Your Majesty, I would join your army, though I know nothing of the ways of war."
Upon hearing this, a broad grin spread upon the King's face. He clapped his fore paws together.
"Bear cub, what is your name?" The King asked.
"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 in this moment he had never feared so much for his life. This even surpassed being chased by the Great Lion. He managed to bow his head, then turned around to leave.
"I have not finished, Plucky."
Plucky quickly turned back to face the King, his cheeks flush with embarrassment. The King continued.
"Before I dismiss you, I would introduce you to the cougar who will oversee your training."
The King turned to the guard on his right and whispered in his ear inaudibly. The guard bowed his head and promptly exited the tent. Plucky silently hoped it wasn't one of the cougars who had captured and bound him.
The guard soon returned, this time leading a cougar smaller than him. His wrists were bound and there was a sackcloth covering his head. Plucky moved to the side as the guard brought the prisoner before the King. The sack was removed, and Plucky immediately recognized him as the curious cougar with whom he had locked eyes with in the prison. This time, however, the cougar did not acknowledge Plucky; he bowed his head as he stood in front of the King and waited.
"Djim, as much as your prior actions displease me, I am a benevolent king, and I have decided to offer you an opportunity to redeem yourself. Should you be successful in completing this task, I shall consider your past crime forgiven and grant you your freedom. The opportunity is thus: you are to train the bear cub Plucky who now stands at your side. Teach him the ways of our tribe. I sense Plucky is a quick study. If you decline, my pardon and your freedom are forfeit. Do you accept?"
After a slight hesitation, 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 follow."
The King ordered Djim to be untied, after which he finally turned to face Plucky. How did Djim know him? Plucky thought to himself. The King then turned to Plucky. "Now, Plucky, you and Djim are free to go."
Plucky bowed his head and crossed his paw over his chest, following Djim's example. They followed the guards to the mouth of the tent, and Plucky and Djim exited. The guards did not follow.
Once outside, Plucky got a closer look at Djim. Djim stood about a paw taller than him. His face wore the pains of someone much advanced in age. Plucky noticed that something or someone had ripped a flap of skin from his left ear. Without looking at Plucky, Djim asked, "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry for something that isn't covered in dirt. You coming?"
Plucky followed Djim along the river, over a bridge, past the prison cave, and northward until they reached the bend in the river just outside the valley. Djim suddenly stopped. Plucky caught up with him a moment later and asked Djim, "What are you going to do?"
Without replying, Djim waded into the river then dove in. A few moments later Djim poked his head up from the water, a fish firmly clamped in his mouth. He removed the fish and called out, "Well, 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 water. It was refreshingly cooler than the heat of the valley. Djim stared incredulously and shook his head.
"Don't tell me you've never hunted for fish before!"
Plucky could only shake his head, visibly embarrassed.
"Leave it to me to teach the ways of a cougar to a bear who doesn't know how to be a bear."
Plucky angrily responded, "I never learned how to swim. Mother did that for me because the river was too deep."
"Well, in any case, you're in luck because I caught a second fish," Djim said as he lifted up a fish in his paw. Plucky groaned, realizing he had been tricked into entering the river, even though he liked the cooler water. 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 tried to shake off the water from his legs. He glared at Djim. Then in a flash of realization, his eyes widened and he asked, "Wait! Djim! How do you know so much about me?"
At this, Djim froze. He turned around and looked at Plucky.
"I see there's no avoiding this. I'll tell you what - let me fire up these fish and I promise I'll explain everything."
Djim spotted a vacant fire ring by the shore. Before Plucky reached the fire pit, Djim already had a fire going. Plucky sat on the ground, opposite Djim. The fire danced in his eyes. Plucky's mouth watered at the sight and aroma of the trout slowly roasting in front of him. He hadn't had a decent fish since before Olive cooked for him back home. If he had only known then all the horrible things she had done, he felt certain he wouldn't be where he was now.
"Hey, Plucky! Do you want to know my story or not?"
Plucky shook his head as he came to, then nodded.
"So... yes, or no? You can't have it both ways!"
"Yes!"
"Alright, so let me begin with this," Djim said, pointing to his left ear. Plucky looked attentively and couldn't help but look at the torn ear.
"Some time ago, when I was younger than you are now, a pride of nine Lions, unlike any I've ever seen before or since, fiercely attacked us in this valley. I never found out why. I suspect my king knows something about it, but he hasn't revealed it to me. Anyway, the Lions overtook my parents right in front of me. One ripped off a chunk of my ear, but for whatever reason I was spared. I didn't even get burned."
Djim then paused, so as to let that sink in.
"My King told you that some of us cougars went crazy and were convinced that the non crazy cougars were the bad guys. Well, that wasn't me. I was forced to go with the hyenas. As it turned out, she had a grudge against another bear in a forest west of here."
Plucky's ears perked.
"You went to my forest, Djim?" He asked.
"I thought I was telling the story here," countered Djim. Plucky quieted down.
"So here is the point of my history lesson. The witch gathered a few of us cougars and bewitched us into set a trap for that other bear. I guess she figured it would be easier to take advantage of the bond he had with my tribe. Long story short, her plan worked. The worst part of this is - I'm too ashamed of this to say it more than once, so pay attention - I was one of the cougars who captured your father. I'm sorry."
