Charge! Everyone made a beeline toward the center of the star . . . and right at Puss. He watched helplessly, sweating, as Kitty blocked Goldilocks in the nick of time to parry blows and blunt attacks, saving Puss. Kitty may have been angry at Puss, but she certainly didn’t want him dead.

Almost overpowered by the brute force, Puss dropped the map. It blew across the surface of the star and near Baby Bear’s paws.

But Dog swept in and tripped Baby before he could grab the map.

The melee ramped up into a torrent of action. Kitty and Goldilocks dueled once more; meanwhile, Puss had to fight and dodge the bears. Jack aimed his staff at Kitty and used its blaster power, which shot bolts of rapid-fire magic at her. Bang! Bang! Bang!

Kitty expertly dodged the attack, both jumping and ducking out of the way. As the calamity ensued, the wishing star continued to ascend. The magic got stronger as waves of cosmic power broke over the star’s surface and swirled at its edges, drawing objects in its wake toward it. One of those things happened to be Jack’s last baker henchman, who was pulled through the air and toward the wall of magic.

“Mister Horner! I need help,” the final baker called out.

“Duly noted, but a little busy at the moment,” replied Jack Horner, who aimed his staff at the others moving closer to the wishing star.

The baker’s body started distorting and elongating, being pulled closer into the star magic.

BZZRT! The wall of magic pulled the last henchman into itself, and whatever-his-name-was dissolved into magical dust.

Puss dodged an attack from Papa Bear’s claw and leapt to attack. But Papa Bear expected this and punched Puss in the air. Puss rocketed toward edge of the star, and he thankfully grasped the edge and saved his cavalier hat from flying away (that could have been bad)! Meanwhile, Jack Horner saw the map and leapt for it . . . but Dog quickly rushed in and grabbed it with his mouth. Dog then ran with the fastest speed he could muster.

Still, it wasn’t fast enough. Jack took this opportunity to grab Dog, steal the map, and fling Dog aside. Kitty caught him by the sweater.

The map changed hands (er, paws?) once more—this time, Mama Bear grabbed it. Jack turned up the strength of his magic staff and zapped Baby Bear off his feet and into the air. Baby tumbled through the air, drawn by some invisible force into the unbound magic at the edges of the star.

“Baby!” Mama Bear cried out. Seeing her baby about to be pulled into the wall of magic, Mama Bear grabbed onto his foot. But then she, too, started getting pulled in.

Papa noticed this and joined them, grabbing Mama Bear’s foot. This was still no good, though—the entire bear family was being drawn in together, linked like a daisy chain on a string. They were doomed!

After a few more swipes from Kitty, the map found itself directly in Goldilock’s range. This was her opportunity, her moment, what Goldilocks had been waiting a lifetime for. But just as she was about the grab the map, she saw Baby being stretched like taffy at the star’s edge. Then she saw Mama Bear, then Papa Bear . . .

Goldilocks knew what she had to do. She let the map waft away as she ran toward the bears. She grabbed onto Papa’s foot with all her might just as he started to levitate into the magic.

“Like I told you, Baby. You’re the smash. I’m the grab,” Goldilocks said, smiling. She wasn’t going to let her family slip away—not without a fight!

With a supernatural strength, Goldilocks pulled the bears to safety. They tumbled onto the star’s surface and fell into a big, furry pile—Goldilocks included.

Meanwhile, Jack picked up the map. Kitty leapt forward and kicked him in the face, which forced him to drop it once again. The two sparred, clashing with quick and mighty blows: Kitty’s deadly blades crossing against Jack’s magic staff.

Of course, while this duel took place, the map floated away. Dog chased it down, sliding to a stop in front of Puss, who was beside himself.

Dog slid the map over to Puss.

“Yeah. I don’t know what to do with this. But if you think you need it—”

“Thank you, perrito,” Puss said.

But Dog wasn’t done. He surveyed the chaos around them and knew he had to say something.

“You know, I don’t understand the whole nine lives thing. I’ve only ever had one life. But sharing it with you and Kitty has made it pretty special. Maybe one life is enough.” Dog looked at Puss pleadingly.

Puss thought about that for a moment. He saw Goldilocks piled together with the bears, embracing one another in relief over what they could have lost. He saw Kitty furiously fighting Jack . . . maybe to protect Dog, maybe to even protect him, despite how they left things. And that led Puss to one conclusion.

Maybe Dog was right. Maybe there was a Puss with just one life left to live, greater than any legend that had come before.