It turned out that Udara Groundslay was a short-eared owl. Unfortunately, Udara had been born without the gift of flight, but this did not seem to worry him one bit. He lived in a huge stone outcrop dotted with gnarled trees and stunted bush, which he had named Rockwood. Nothing moved or went on there that he did not know about. Udara was immensely wise and very fierce. He protected his territory jealously. When he saw the two unicorns and the hare entering his domain, he ruffled his brown and umber barred feathers and called, "Rukkudooh! What brings horned horses to my lands?"

Fleetscut had never heard a creature speaking so slowly and deliberately. Moreover, the murderous curved beak of Udara scarcely moved when he spoke.

Princess Platinum politely let a moment elapse before replying. "We have brought a longears with us. He seeks news of his kind, or any other beasts seen hereabouts."

The owl closed both eyes and twitched his ear feathers gently. Fleetscut thought he had gone to sleep, but then the big golden orbs opened again.

"Hurrukooh! Udara sees all, even in the moondark. Longears have passed through here, young ones, noisy and frivolous creatures. Horsebirds, also. I like not the horsebirds- they are rough, ill-mannered beasts."

Fleetscut could not restrain himself. "How many longears went through here, and when?"

Udara's body did not move, but his head turned as if it were a separate part of him, in a great half-circle. He regarded the old hare like a piece of mud stuck to his talon, his eyes anything but friendly.

"Hoorokkuh! You have lessons in courtesy to learn, longears. Speak only when you are spoken to. Your seasons have not made you any more sensible than the young ones of your kind."

The head turned in leisurely fashion until Udara was facing Princess Platinum once more. "Nothing in this life is free, believe my words. If the longears wants more information, he must pay me."

Platinum shot an inquiring glance at Fleetscut, who nodded his head vigorously. The unicorn spoke for him. "The longears wants to know what you require as payment?"

"Hoooooooh!" Udara let out the long slow noise as if he were considering. "The sweet heavy bread you carry, Udara likes that, it is good."

Fleetscut tossed his ration pack to Princess Platinum, who placed it on the ground, close to the owl's talons. Udara Groundslay looked down at it. His eyes closed, then reopened. "Uhkuhkuhk! More. I want more than just one!"

"But I don't have any more," Fleetscut said. "They only gave me one."

Udara kicked the packs lightly. "Hootooh! Then you wasted your time coming here, longears."

Fleetscut had put up with enough. "Just a tick there, featherbag, I think you're the one needs a lesson in courtesy. Maybe I'll just take my pack and leave, wot!"

Princess Platinum tossed her ration alongside that of Fleetscut generously. "There, now you have two! Give the longears your information."

"Humrumrum! There is a certain longears, a hare, not of the mountain from which you come. They say he is a March hare, wild and perilous. I have not met him- I do not know. Many longears are gathering to him at a secret place. I have heard them whisper his name- King Bucko Bigbones!"

Fleetscut could not help cutting in. "King?"

Udara's huge golden eyes blinked reprovingly. "I did not ask you to interrupt me. If you want to talk, then carry on, and I will hold my silence, longears!"

Platinum apologized for Fleetscut hastily. "Forgive him. It is the manner of longears to be excited. I will vouch for his silence. Please, the floor is yours." She shot a warning glance at the old hare.

Udara continued: "Whoohum! One of the longears dropped a piece of bark scroll. Reading is not part of my wisdom and of no interest to me. That is all I have to say. Here is the writing- you may keep it. You will be gone from my land before noontide."

Lifting his left wing slightly, with great effort, Udara allowed a small folded scroll to drop to the ground. Fleetscut pounced upon it. Without a backward glance, Udara Groundslay, the flightless owl, ambled off to pursue his solitary existence.

Fleetscut patted the princess's shoulder. "You're a jolly good pal, Platinum. I won't forget the way you offered up your pack to get my information. I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier."

"I had to do it," the unicorn explained. "If you had walked away with your pack, he'd have hunted and killed you. Us, too."

Fleetscut was at a loss for words!

"He's not a nice beast," Clover the Clever said.

"Well, let's see what the message says," said Platinum.

Fleetscut read it aloud.

"Two points north of dawn,

Find stone and shade and drink,

Follow where no water runs,

My sign you'll see, I think.

Discover then a streamwolf's ford,

Tug thrice upon the royal cord,

Then my honor guard will bring,

Loyal subjects to their king!"

Fleetscut was outraged. "Tchah, the very idea of it, a hare promotin' himself to king, the pollywoggle, an' doubtless lurin' our young Salamandastron warriors to his side. Who does he think he is, wot wot?"

Princess Platinum was outraged too. "The first four lines of the poem follow an ABAB rhyme scheme, but the last four lines have an AABB rhyme scheme! How can he be a good leader if he's not consistent?"

"I think we're getting distracted here," said Clover. "Let's focus on solving the riddle."

"It's no bally use," Fleetscut said after a while. "This Bucko Bigbones is too smart for us. Two points north of dawn, what in the name o' seasons is that supposed to mean?"

"I think I know what it means," Clover said. "Dawn rises in the east. Two points north of east- two points on the compass, that is- would be northeast. That's the direction we've got to travel."

Fleetscut sniffed. "I knew that, just testin' you." He didn't really.

"I wonder what's in the northeast?" Princess Platinum asked.

"Why don't we climb up this Rockwood and check it out?" Clover suggested.

They climbed the cliff and they saw a dried-up stream bed below. Clover pointed with her hoof. "That must be the path we're supposed to take. Follow where no water runs."

"Wizard!" Fleetscut exclaimed. "They don't call you 'The Clever' for nothing, eh wot?"

A solemn call came out of nowhere. "Kuwhoohuuuh! You are still on my land and the morn is half gone. Beware if you are still here at noon!"

When the owl called, Fleetscut fell over and hurt his knees. Biting his lip, he shouted back, "Yah, go an' boil your beak, mattress bottom!"