In the central western part of the Gillikin Country is a great
tangle of trees called Gugu Forest. It is the biggest forest in all
Oz and stretches miles and miles in every direction–north, south,
east and west. Adjoining it on the east side is a range of rugged
mountains covered with underbrush and small twisted trees. You can
find this place by looking at the Map of the Land of Oz.

Gugu Forest is the home of most of the wild beasts that inhabit Oz.
These are seldom disturbed in their leafy haunts because there is no
reason why Oz people should go there, except on rare occasions, and
most parts of the forest have never been seen by any eyes but the eyes
of the beasts who make their home there. The biggest beasts inhabit
the great forest, while the smaller ones live mostly in the mountain
underbrush at the east.

Now, you must know that there are laws in the forests, as well as in
every other place, and these laws are made by the beasts themselves,
and are necessary to keep them from fighting and tearing one another
to pieces. In Gugu Forest there is a King–an enormous yellow leopard
called “Gugu”–after whom the forest is named. And this King has
three other beasts to advise him in keeping the laws and maintaining
order–Bru the Bear, Loo the Unicorn and Rango the Gray Ape–who are
known as the King’s Counselors. All these are fierce and ferocious
beasts, and hold their high offices because they are more intelligent
and more feared then their fellows.

Since Oz became a fairyland, no man, woman or child ever dies in
that land nor is anyone ever sick. Likewise the beasts of the forests
never die, so that long years add to their cunning and wisdom, as well
as to their size and strength. It is possible for beasts–or even
people–to be destroyed, but the task is so difficult that it is
seldom attempted. Because it is free from sickness and death is one
reason why Oz is a fairyland, but it is doubtful whether those who
come to Oz from the outside world, as Dorothy and Button-Bright and
Trot and Cap’n Bill and the Wizard did, will live forever or cannot be
injured. Even Ozma is not sure about this, and so the guests of Ozma
from other lands are always carefully protected from any danger, so as
to be on the safe side.

In spite of the laws of the forests there are often fights among the
beasts; some of them have lost an eye or an ear or even had a leg torn
off. The King and the King’s Counselors always punish those who start
a fight, but so fierce is the nature of some beasts that they will at
times fight in spite of laws and punishment.

Over this vast, wild Forest of Gugu flew two eagles, one morning,
and near the center of the jungle the eagles alighted on a branch of a
tall tree.

“Here is the place for us to begin our work,” said one, who was
Ruggedo, the Nome.

“Do many beasts live here?” asked Kiki Aru, the other eagle.

“The forest is full of them,” said the Nome. “There are enough
beasts right here to enable us to conquer the people of Oz, if we can
get them to consent to join us. To do that, we must go among them
and tell them our plans, so we must now decide on what shapes we had
better assume while in the forest.”

“I suppose we must take the shapes of beasts?” said Kiki.

“Of course. But that requires some thought. All kinds of beasts
live here, and a yellow leopard is King. If we become leopards, the
King will be jealous of us. If we take the forms of some of the other
beasts, we shall not command proper respect.”

“I wonder if the beasts will attack us?” asked Kiki.

“I’m a Nome, and immortal, so nothing can hurt me,” replied Ruggedo.

“I was born in the Land of Oz, so nothing can hurt me,” said Kiki.

“But, in order to carry out our plans, we must win the favor of all
the animals of the forest.”

“Then what shall we do?” asked Kiki.

“Let us mix the shapes of several beasts, so we will not look like
any one of them,” proposed the wily old Nome. “Let us have the heads
of lions, the bodies of monkeys, the wings of eagles and the tails of
wild asses, with knobs of gold on the end of them instead of bunches
of hair.”

“Won’t that make a queer combination?” inquired Kiki.

“The queerer the better,” declared Ruggedo.

“All right,” said Kiki. “You stay here, and I’ll fly away to
another tree and transform us both, and then we’ll climb down our
trees and meet in the forest.”

“No,” said the Nome, “we mustn’t separate. You must transform us
while we are together.”

“I won’t do that,” asserted Kiki, firmly. “You’re trying to get my
secret, and I won’t let you.”

The eyes of the other eagle flashed angrily, but Ruggedo did not
dare insist. If he offended this boy, he might have to remain an
eagle always and he wouldn’t like that. Some day he hoped to be able
to learn the secret word of the magical transformations, but just now
he must let Kiki have his own way.

“All right,” he said gruffly; “do as you please.”

So Kiki flew to a tree that was far enough distant so that Ruggedo
could not overhear him and said: “I want Ruggedo, the Nome, and myself
to have the heads of lions, the bodies of monkeys, the wings of eagles
and the tails of wild asses, with knobs of gold on the ends of them
instead of bunches of hair–Pyrzqxgl!”

He pronounced the magic word in the proper manner and at once his
form changed to the one he had described. He spread his eagle’s wings
and finding they were strong enough to support his monkey body and
lion head he flew swiftly to the tree where he had left Ruggedo. The
Nome was also transformed and was climbing down the tree because the
branches all around him were so thickly entwined that there was no
room between them to fly.

Kiki quickly joined his comrade and it did not take them long to
reach the ground.