Showcase #2

Issue Details

Synopsis

RIDERS OF THE WINDS! A young Indian, named Eagle Feather after an eagle that soars the skies over the village, is given the job of guarding the Indian tribe's sheep from predators. In the act of saving a young lamb from quicksand, Eagle Feather slips in and becomes stuck himself. Godfather, the great eagle after which he was named, swoops down and comes to his rescue.   Meanwhile back at the sheep herd, a mountain lion dubbed Black Lightning kills all of the unguarded sheep, disgracing Eagle Feather and his family. The tribe wise man says that his only hope of regaining his honor is to slay the beast that killed the flock.   With the help of his eagle companion, Eagle Feather climbs up the mountain and manages to make Black Lightning fall over the edge to his death. He proudly wears a feather dropped by his friend, the great eagle, on his head as he returns to his tribe with head held high. OUTCAST HEROES! A young orphan boy is sent to live with his Aunt Jane. However, the townspeople have heard about the boys bad reputation in the past and whisper to each other how he'll be nothing but trouble. He overhears every comment they make. When the boy is out of their sight, they take the rest of their frustrations out on a scared stray dog, who gets chased out of town. At the same time, the frustrated boy runs away from his aunt's home, feeling that he'll never fit in with the townspeople, and dashes into the woods.   He soon comes to find the mutt the town had chased off, with its leg caught in a trap. He gains the dog's trust enough to help it out of danger, and in return the dog saves the boy from a wild moose. Afterwards, the two of them become inseparable. While the boy and his new-found canine friend try to help out around town, it seems the people always mistake his attempts for mischief, like they got chased away after capturing an escaped steer with the boy's lasso.   The boy and his dog dejectedly decide to run away, since it seems like they will never be trusted. On his way back to his aunt's house to pick up some things for the trip, a heavy storm settles overhead. As they pass through town, the boy sees a house getting swept away by a flood. A man on the bank is calling for help, his mother is still stuck inside the house! The quick-thinking boy tells his dog to swim over to the porch with one end of the lasso and wrap it around a post so he can use it to get across. After they are both on the sinking house's porch, they head inside and guide the old woman to the roof to wait for rescue.   When the three of them make it back to the bank, the boy and the dog are hailed as heroes, never again being mistrusted by the townspeople who are now always happy to see them! THE RUNAWAY BEAR! Inside one car of a travelling circus train, Billy the trained bear listens to his friends, a lion and an elephant, talk about their time in the wild, before they were circus animals. But Billy was born in the circus and regrets that he never had an adventure like his friends had.   One day, Billy's car is jolted from the rest of the train and rolls into a grassy field next to a forest. When he discovers where he is, Billy is overjoyed. Finally he can live a life in the woods like his friends have always talked about! It's soon, though, he finds that the wild is not as easy as he thought. Failing to catch a fish, Billy chases after a bear cub in hopes to get some help. Instead he comes face to face with the cubs angry mother, who chases him away! When night falls, the eerie howls and other noises make Billy very afraid. Once the horrible night ends, Billy is scared out by a hooting owl. He runs until he sees a lost hiker resting against a tree. At last, a human who can help me! he thinks. The hiker yells in fear when he sees Billy coming, though, and climbs up to the highest branches of the tree, dropping his hat as he climbed. Billy was distraught at the human's distrust in him, but then he had an idea. Billy places the hiker's hat on his head and begins to do a dance, like he always did at the circus. The hiker realizes that he is a trained bear, and cautiously comes down. Suddenly, a pack of hungry wolves rush in from the forest and attack. But his years of circus training have taught Billy a few other tricks, as well. He curls his paws into fists and punches and dodges the surprised wolves until they flee. The hiker now trusts Billy fully. The two of them eventually find their way to a rangers station. The ranger there has heard about a circus bear that was lost, and he helps Billy get back home.   Back with the circus, Billy regaled his friends of his own adventure in the forest and his battle against the wolves.