In a dark and dingy bar where Gar Face drinks in every night, he sits alone and hears the boasts of the other men who hunt in the forest. He pictures killing the Alligator King and how amazed the other men would be.

Ranger lovingly watches the kittens. He warns them to stay away from the Open, tells them stories, and sings a song for them every night. He promises to watch over them always.

The kittens’ mother begins to bring mice and small stakes, still alive, for the kittens to kill; she knows that they need to learn how to hunt.