A few months passed. Uniqua more or less got used to her new situation, but she was still miserable by it. Austin, with Horton and Rudy's help, spent the time building up his skill in archery.
One day, Austin and Rudy were having one of their practice sessions. Horton was helping them prepare the cushioned arrows by pouring colored powder onto them. This way, whenever an arrow hit something it would leave a colored mark.
"The musicians are not happy." Horton pointed out.
"I know, but I have to practice." Austin said as he blindfolded himself.
"Oh no complaints here." Horton smiled, turning the bucket upside down above him so he could see what was keeping the last of the powder. "I think it's going to be loads of..." Horton repeatedly hit the bottom of the bucket, only for the powder to hit him in the face. "Fun."
"The Great Animal is never going to give Uniqua up without a fight." Austin pointed out, reminding Horton that this was not for fun.
"You're not still thinking she's alive?" Horton wiped the powder off his face.
"When I find the Great Animal Horton, I'll find Uniqua."
"Well Austin, most of the kingdom thinks you're being foolishly hopeful, but I admire your determination." Horton smiled. "As for me, well, I watched you two play all these years and I know how resourceful she was, so, as hopeless as things look, I'm with you."
"Me too bro, we'll show that animal that he's not so great." Rudy smiled as he blindfolded himself.
"Thanks guys, this means a lot to me." Austin smiled. "Uniqua's alive and we'll find her, right?"
"Right." Horton and Rudy nodded.
"Animals! Assemble!" Horton called out.
The six musicians, who were green and blue colored Whos, came out carrying costumes of different types of animals. The tallest one carried the costume of a lion, and a blue one carried the costume of a boar. One had a fox costume, one had a duck costume, one had a bear costume, and the smallest one had a rabbit costume.
"Lord Horton I must object, we are musicians!" The musician carrying the boar costume protested.
"Sorry guys but the servants have the day off, we had to use someone." Horton shrugged.
"But I'm an artist! Not a boar!" The boar musician continued protesting.
"Could've fooled me." Horton said to himself through his teeth.
Horton never liked the musicians, he always found them snobby and drab, but they were good performers so he put up with them.
"Come on guys, they're harmless." Austin chuckled, bouncing one off his foot.
MUSICIANS:
We are a band and not a band of animals
This masquerade
The musicians put on their animal costumes.
MUSICIAN DRESSED AS A BEAR:
Is more than I can 'bear'
MUSICIANS:
There goes my reputation
It's awful, this humiliation
The duck musician had trouble getting one of his webbed feet on, and tripped, causing him to accidentally knock down the others. The lion musician wound up on the bottom.
MUSICIAN DRESSED AS A LION:
And I have the 'lion's' share
"Down on all fours please and growl ferociously." Horton said; no one obliged. "Come on guys, liven it up a a bit." Horton pleaded. "I want you to strike fear into my heart."
One short musician, dressed as a rabbit, roared like a lion, startling Horton.
"Not you Wesley, you're a rabbit!" Horton frowned, annoyed. "For heaven's sake..."
Wesley frowned back, disappointed, as the duck musician shook his head disapprovingly. Austin and Rudy got an arrow each and strung them.
"Archers, ready, set, go!" Horton removed the blindfolds.
All the animal musicians scattered. Austin and Rudy started firing the arrows. Rudy, who didn't get as much practice as Austin, dropped an arrow. Wesley laughed at him. Rudy, annoyed, ran after him after grabbing his dropped arrow. Austin however was having a lot of luck, and hit many animal musicians. One headed for a group hiding behind a wall.
"Duck!" The fox musician gasped.
"Yes?" The duck musician looked over the wall, only to get hit.
Wesley, meanwhile, had lead Rudy to another wall. Rudy fired the arrow, but Wesley hit it with a bat. Rudy ducked before the arrow could hit him in the face.
Again, an Austin arrow headed for a group of hiding animals.
"Duck!" The bear musician gasped.
"What?" The duck musician frowned, annoyed, only to get hit again.
Meanwhile, Jane was having tea with the court.
JANE AND COURTIERS:
Day after day all the princes ever does
Is practice, practice, practice
JANE:
Austin thinking of her and the way that it was
COURTIERS:
Practice, practice, practice
One of Austin's arrow brushed across Jane's face, breaking her teacup.
"Sorry mom!" Austin called out.
The duck musician appeared and ran across the tables, breaking them.
DUCK MUSICIAN:
They're not happy until they have attacked us
"Twelve seconds!" Horton called out.
COURTIERS:
Day after day all the princes ever does
Practice, practice, practice
Austin thinking of her and the way that it was
Practice, practice, practice
MUSICIANS:
If we had refused he would have sacked us
Rudy tried to get Wesley, but he kept failing. Wesley was just too quick. Rudy gave up and started aiming at other animals. This brought Wesley out into the open, and Rudy was finally able to get him on the back.
"Five seconds!" Horton called out.
MUSICIANS:
So we face a life of target
"Three, two...!" Horton counted down.
Austin aimed his bow at Wesley who, scared, dived into a bush as an arrow headed for him.
MUSICIANS AND COURTIERS:
Practice, practice, practice!
"Time!" Horton called out before bringing out a scroll for scoring. "Animals, assemble for counting."
He started looking over the animals.
"Aha! Very good, very good." Horton smiled, seeing how many Austin got; he then saw the duck musician. "You scored plenty of five pointers that's for certain."
The duck musician collapsed onto his stomach.
"Sorry Hans." Austin said, wiping Han's brow. "Why don't you take a few days off?"
"Lions are worth ten points, four...it's a total of forty. Eleven seven pointers and fourteen three pointers, with a total of...two hundred ninety-eight, well done Austin! Now Rudy let's see, a few five pointers, and many sevens and threes...that's one hundred and seven. And last but not least, the elusive one hundred-point white rabbit...doesn't look like you got him."
"Check the back." Rudy smiled.
Horton did.
"I stand corrected, and that brings your total to two hundred and seven."
"Wait a moment." Austin said, lifting up Wesley's fake tail: there was one of his marks.
"Oh, three hundred ninety-eight for Austin." Horton added the tallies to the scroll.
"You're getting a lot better Rudy." Austin smiled.
"Thanks, but I can't hold a candle to your marksmanship." Rudy smiled back. "You're one of the best. Some day I hope to be right up there with you, in both aiming and courage."
Even though Rudy was pretty brave there were times when his nervousness got the better of him. Austin on the other hand outgrew his shyness a long time ago, mostly thanks to Uniqua.
"Well, there's one way to practice being braver." Horton said after he finished with the tallies. "How about a quick round of Catch and Fire?"
"C-c-catch and Fire? Me?" Rudy winced, remembering the close calls they had when they first started the game.
"Well if you want to build up your courage..." Horton smiled hintingly.
"Oh all right." Rudy sighed reluctantly, regretting mentioning it.
Horton, Austin, and Rudy moved to another part of the castle where there weren't any people around. Horton helped Rudy into a suit of armor as Austin, who was many feet away, put a shield over his back. Rudy started to grow nervous
"Are you sure you're all right?" Horton asked, concerned, as he tied an apple onto Rudy's head.
"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fi-Oh! Too tight, too tight!" Rudy gasped, the string cutting off his circulation.
Horton quickly pulled down the string with his trunk, loosening it.
"Oops, really sorry." Horton said apologetically. "Sometimes I forget my strength."
"Ready?" Austin called out before turning around so that his back was to Rudy.
"R-r-*gulp* ready!" Rudy called back.
"Remember now, aim for the heart, right between the shoulders." Horton said to Rudy before moving out of the way.
Rudy nervously aimed the arrow at Austin.
"Come on Rudy, hold it steady." Austin said to himself.
Rudy fired the arrow, causing it to zoom towards Austin. Austin spun around, catching it, and fired it towards the apple on Rudy's head. The arrow sliced the apple in half, and Horton caught one half with his trunk.
"Fifty-two out of fifty-two!" Horton said excitedly. "Well done Austin!"
Horton then turned to Rudy, who had fallen to the ground from relief.
"Extraordinary courage Rudy, you're really improving." Horton smiled, helping Rudy up.
"Thanks." Rudy said as he took off his helmet. "I just hope I master this before we have to do it for real."
Austin smiled at the scene, then turned around and gazed into the horizon.
"Don't lose hope Uniqua, wherever you are...I'm gonna find you."