Around the same time, Austin and Rudy entered the deeper parts of the woods.

"He's in here Rudy, I can feel it." Austin frowned determinedly.

"How will you know the Great Animal when you see it?" Rudy asked.

"I'll know."

"If you say so..." Rudy, who had been turning around as he was walking, suddenly couldn't see Austin anymore. "Austin? Austin where are you?" He called out, almost panicking.

Austin, who was only a couple feet away but hidden by a few trees, turned around and shushed Rudy.

"Oh, sorry." Rudy chuckled, a little embarrassed.

They split up a little, and Rudy soon got nervous again upon seeing a dragonfly. He strung his bow and aimed it at the dragonfly...and kept aiming it since the little guy kept flying all over the place.

"Austin?" Rudy stammered. "Austin, oh Austin...! Wait, what am I doing?"

Remembering that Austin dismissed the idea of a bug turning into a dangerous creature, Rudy relaxed. However, instead of lowering his bow and arrow he seemed to forget that he was holding them, for he unintentionally let go of his arrow. Rudy gave a startled jump, and then grumbled over wasting an arrow. The arrow zoomed out of the woods...

Uniqua and Pablo were now nearing the woods.

"We better keep an eye out for hunters." Uniqua said upon noticing they were over the woods, a common place for hunters to hang out.

"At ease Uniqua." Pablo chuckled. "I can smell a human a mile away."

Rudy's arrow shot passed him, startling him and causing Uniqua to gasp.

"Where did that come from?" Pablo scratched his head.

"Austin!" Rudy's voice called out. "Hey Austin I need your help, I lost an arrow!"

"Austin!" Uniqua gasped happily. "He's here!"

Uniqua tried to fly into the woods but Pablo cut her off and grabbed her head, looking at her sternly.

"You will not lose control." Pablo frowned. "You will follow the plan as outlined."

Uniqua tried to look back into the woods and Pablo tried to regain control over Uniqua.

"Acknowledge." Pablo reminded her. "Acknowledge-!"

Uniqua flew past Pablo, knocking him upside down.

"Uniqua!" He called after her.

Pablo tried following her into the woods, but soon lost her.

"Uniqua?" He called out.

In another part of the woods, Rudy had lost Austin again. He was too busy chasing a mouse to look for him though. The mouse, frightened, ran onto a stump and was trapped by a small wall of bark. Terrified, the little mouse curled into a ball and shook.

"Oh I've got you know." Rudy smiled determinedly, aiming an arrow at the mouse. "Don't give me that innocent look, change! Go ahead change! I'm not afraid of you."

The mouse only looked at him with a frightened squeak. Rudy relaxed, and looked a little guilty.

"You're not the Great Animal are you?" Rudy said gently, suddenly feeling bad for scaring the little mouse.

The mouse cowered again. Rudy gently picked up the mouse and put him back on the ground. The mouse, confused, stopped cowering and looked a Rudy with bewilderment.

"Aw go on, get outta here." Rudy smiled gently.

The mouse, grateful, ran off. That was when Rudy realized that he hadn't been in this part of the woods before.

"Uh-oh."

In a less dense part of the woods, Austin was sneaking around the trees. He then noticed a flash of light ahead of him and ducked behind a tree. He peered around to get a better look of what was there. He saw Uniqua, but didn't recognize her in her swan form.

"A swan?" He said to himself. "A swan! Of course, 'it's not what it seems'!"

Austin strung his bow and waited for the swan to get closer. Uniqua, not knowing the situation, continued flying towards him.

"Come on...come on..." Austin said to himself.

"Austin!" Uniqua said to herself happily.

Luckily, Pablo had just noticed Uniqua...

"This one's for Uniqua!" Austin declared, leaping out from behind the tree and shooting the arrow at Uniqua!

Uniqua, startled, froze in midair!

"Uniqua!" Pablo gasped before knocking her out of the way.

Austin, bewildered, grabbed his bow in frustration and chased after Uniqua and Pablo.

"*Whew*, that was close." Pablo chuckled, relieved; he then saw Austin following them. "It's working, here he comes!"

Uniqua was too far ahead to hear. Pablo noticed and caught up with her.

"Hey, slow down, you're going to lose him!" Pablo protested, trying to slow Uniqua down by pulling her tail. "Slow down!"

"He's too close." Uniqua explained.

"Too close? He can hardly see us anymore let alone-" An arrow whizzed by Pablo, startling him and leaving a mustache shaped smoke trail on his face. "Speed up girl."

Pablo looked back down and sure enough Austin was very close by.

"Wow, that boy of yours can move."

"I told you, he's faster than you thought." Uniqua said, speeding up a little.

"Don't worry Uniqua, I've been taught just what to do in this situation." Pablo smirked.

Austin aimed an arrow at them.

"Well?" Uniqua waited for Pablo's strategy.

"Uh..." Pablo however blanked due to not having used his training in a while.

"Pablo!" Uniqua panicked slightly.

Pablo then noticed Austin's position.

"That's it! When the archer has you in his sights, fly into the sun and use its light! Follow me!"

He and Uniqua flew towards the sun and stayed in front of it. Austin shielded his eyes from the glare.

"What did I tell you?" Pablo smiled smugly. "Now all we have to do is stay in the sun."

Unfortunately, sunset had just started. Pablo and Uniqua gasped upon seeing everything grow darker, and grew even more scared upon realizing that Austin had disappeared.

"Pablo!" Uniqa panicked.

"All right, don't panic, don't panic!" Pablo panicked. "Oh no oh no, what are we going to do? We don't have protection from the sun, we're going to be killed!"

"Pablo?" Uniqua said.

"Stay calm Uniqua, we'll find a way out of this. Don't panic we'll escape...!"

"Pablo?" Uniqua said a little louder.

"Oh man he's gonna shoot us, he's gonna shoot us...!"

"Pablo!" Uniqua snapped.

"Yeah?"

"Look out!"

Austin was on a ledge and had aimed his arrow at them again. Pablo gasped in terror.

"Into the trees!" Uniqua ordered.

They both dove down and hid amongst the branches. Austin, frowning, entered the woods and searched for them.

"We better think of something quick, or else we're dead ducks." Uniqua noted.

"'There comes a time the old possum said, when there's no escape you have to play dead'." Pablo smiled, squishing some berries onto his chest. "Gives the right touch yes? Wait 'til I give you a 'ha'."

Pablo fell onto the ground, pretending to be dying. Austin, confused, watched Pablo in action. Pablo then saw the 'blood' on his hand from clutching his chest in agony and went rigor mortis. Austin, not sure if Pablo really was dead, went over to him to check. Pablo bit him on the foot, causing Austin to drop his bow and arrow and grab his foot in pain. Pablo gave Uniqua the thumbs up, and the two of them continued towards Swan Lake.

"That'll put some distance between us." Pablo smiled.

Back at Swan Lake, Tommy and Morton were keeping an eye out on top of a boulder.

"No sign of them yet." Morton looked around.

"I hope that petty penguin knows what he's doing." Tommy muttered.

"Incoming!" Morton had just spotted Uniqua and Pablo.

Tommy grabbed a couple fireflies, and waved them around to signal Uniqua and Pablo.

"Ha ha, there they are!" Pablo smiled.

Pablo and Uniqua landed next to Tommy and Morton.

"It's almost time Uniqua, look." Pablo pointed at the rising moon.

"I can't do it." Uniqua looked scared.

"But you have to." Pablo pointed out.

"He'll kill me Pablo!" Uniqua hung her head. "I should have known he wouldn't recognize me in this form."

"But he'll recognize you in your real form." Pablo pointed out. "If you don't do it now you've lost your chance for life."

Uniqua realized he was right.

"All right, I'll do it." She sighed.

Tommy dramatically raised a fist to his brow.

"Go." Pablo ordered gently.

Uniqua flew onto the lake where the reflection of the moon was supposed to appear.

"What?" Austin said to himself.

Unfortunately, there was no reflection! Uniqua gasped as she saw clouds blocking the moon.

"Gotcha." Austin smiled determinedly.

Pablo bumped into Austin's head on purpose, knocking off his aim. Annoyed, Austin aimed an arrow at Pablo but stopped upon noticing a glow coming from behind him. Confused, Austin turned around and watched as Uniqua the swan turned back into Uniqua the princess.

"Hello Austin." Uniqua smiled.

Austin at first didn't believe his eyes, but he soon recovered and ran into the lake, dropping his bow in the process. Uniqua ran towards him and Austin picked her up, swinging her around. They both kissed.

"Oh Austin, I've missed you so." Uniqua smiled.

"I've missed you too. Only Rudy and Horton believed me about you still being alive." Austin smiled back, but then remembered. "But you...but I almost killed..."

Uniqua put a finger to his lips.

"It's okay, you didn't recognize me that's all." Uniqua smiled. "You have no reason to feel guilty. Listen, you can't stay."

"Can't stay?" Austin was shocked. "No, I'll never let you out of my sight again."

"Listen to me Austin..."

"Uniqua!" Rothbart's voice called from far away.

"Oh no!" Uniqua gasped.

"Who is it, what's going on?" Austin frowned, confused.

"It's Rothbart!" Uniqua grew worried.

"Who?" Austin was even more confused.

"He has me under a spell!" Uniqua explained.

"So that's why..."

"Uniqua!" Rothbart called again.

"Let him come, I'll-" Austin glared.

"No, he has great power!" Uniqua argued. "You must go!"

"Then you're coming with me." Austin gave her back her swan locket.

"I can't, when the moon sets I'll turn back into a swan. This lake is my only hope of turning back. Please Austin, trust me, go!"

"There must be some way to break the spell." Austin was stubborn.

"There is, you must make a vow of everlasting love and prove it to the world."

"I'll do it, even if it costs me my life." Austin nodded determinedly. "Come to the ball tomorrow night, I'll make the vow there."

"I will."

"Uniqua!" Rothbart called again, sounding a lot closer.

"Quickly, go!" Uniqua ordered.

Austin disappeared and Rothbart appeared.

"Uniqua! Didn't you here me calling?" Rothbart glared.

"I uh..." Uniqua was at a lost for words.

"I thought I heard voices." Rothbart peered through the grass and saw Tommy; Tommy gulped and ran away.

"Oh, I was talking to myself." Uniqua got an idea.

"Talking to yourself?"

"Yes, I've decided to become your queen."

Pablo and Morton gasped. Tommy stopped running and looked back with shock.

"No, you mean...?" Rothbart started growing very happy and flew around the air. "Uniqua, Uniqua you've made me so happy. I'll be a good king you'll see, I'll wear nice clothes and keep my wings well groomed..."

Uniqua looked back towards Pablo, Morton and Tommy and winked. The relaxed upon realizing that she was bluffing. You see her plan was to distract Rothbart by having him prepare the wedding while she goes to the ball and Austin says the vow.

"You've made me so happy Uniqua oh..." Rothbart landed and reached into his cloak. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to know who this belongs to would you?"

Rothbart took Austin's bow out of his cloak! Uniqua, Pablo and Morton gasped in horror. Tommy didn't, he only fainted.

"'Come to the ball'?" Rothbart jeered. "'I will make a vow of everlasting love'..." Rothbart laughed evilly. "Though you could fool Rothbart did you?"

Rothbart tossed the bow into the lake.

"I'll never be yours, you creature!" Uniqua said angrily. "I will marry Prince Austin, and you cannot stop me!"

"Oh I hate to tell you this Uniqua, but you won't be able to attend the big ball tomorrow night." Rothbart took the locket out of Uniqua's fist.

"If you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me." Uniqua glared.

"No, I don't think so." Rothbart chuckled. "You see, you've forgotten one very important thing: tomorrow night, there is no moon."

Uniqua, upon seeing the sliver of moonlight left, realized Rothbart was right and fell to her knees crying. Rothbart laughed evilly as he left.