01x29 - Spring Hunter 3000/The Case of the Missing Moon

[bunniefuu]

That's me, Fred the housecat.

When my family leaves for the day,

I don't just sit inside watching the world go by.

I become...

Nature Cat, backyard explorer extraordinaire!

♪ Oh, go go go ♪

Tally-ho!

♪ Go go go ♪

Tally-ho!

♪ We're climbing up the trees now ♪

♪ We're swinging through the breeze now ♪

♪ We're getting muddy knees now ♪

♪ We're Nature Cat ♪

♪ Nature Cat, Nature Cat ♪

♪ Nature Cat, Nature Cat, Nature Cat ♪

♪ So what are we waiting for? ♪

♪ We're so excited to explore ♪

♪ All that nature has in store with Nature Cat ♪

♪ Go go go ♪

Tally-ho!

♪ Go go go ♪

Tally-ho!

♪ He's our favourite nature guide ♪

♪ We just can't wait to get-- ♪

Outside!

♪ We're swinging through the trees now ♪

♪ We're jumping in the leaves now ♪

♪ We're getting muddy knees now ♪

We're Nature Cat!

Tally-ho!

♪ Nature Cat, Nature Cat, Nature Cat ♪

Tally-ho!

Hmm. Let's see what we've got here.

Oh yeah!

Size, perfect!

Color, beautiful.

And most importantly, taste--

Man oh man, divine.

Hey there, Daisy!

Daisy, are you harvesting radishes?

Not just any radishes.

The tastiest radishes this side of the Mississippi.

Maybe even both sides!

But it's only April.

Spring's been around for just a few weeks.

How did they grow?

Radishes are hardy plants,

so they can be planted in cooler temperatures.

I planted these beauties one month ago,

when it was still chilly.

Aww. They grow up so fast.

Hey, we're heading to the forest if you care to join us...

Ooh, yes!

Now that spring's here,

we can play my favorite online game: Spring Hunter !

Check out the app!

Games! I love games! How do you play?

It's easy...

Everyone who downloads the app

tries to find as many spring objects as possible:

birds, flowers, you name it.

Each time you find a sign of spring,

you take a picture of it, or record it if it's a sound.

Different signs of spring

are worth different amounts of points.

The ultimate find in early spring is a deer antler.

Male deer lose their antlers once a year

and now is a good time to look for them!

Antler sheds are super hard to find,

so they're worth points.

Man oh man!

Oooh! This app sounds like loads of fun!

It is! And the best part is, whoever gets the most points

is deemed the queen of spring.

Or, you know, king.

Oooh, I wanna be king! King Hal!

My reign will be firm but fair.

And have you, fair Daisy, ever reigned as queen of spring?

I mean... won the game?

I almost did last year,

but ended up coming in second place to...

Zorka-.

But this year, this year, I'll be number one!

And we'll help you get there!

Whaddaya say, g*ng?

I say, look out, Zorka Six!

You got a mouse on the team!

Brace yourselves, nature!

For the spring hunters have officially sprung!

Tally ho!

DAISY: Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

So what kind of spring stuff should we be looking for?

DAISY: Now that it's spring, all kinds of flowers are in bloom.

Skunk cabbage, tulips, p*ssy willows...

Whoa, a blooming dogwood tree is worth fifty points!

Wait. There's a tree called dog-wood?

That's weird. I wonder if we're related.

Do you think that's my uncle?

Hey guys!

There's a dogwood tree on the other side of the creek!

Its white blossoms are so beautiful this time of year.

What are we waiting for? Onward and yonward!

Now that's strange.

This creek is a lot more creeky than usual.

Well... it rained a lot.

And it's been warmer.

Hey, maybe all the snow and ice from winter is melting.

That's a lot of extra water. It's gotta go somewhere!

Extra water?

We just need to find a way across.

Oh! How about that fallen log?

I dunno.

I'm not sure that looks sturdy enough to support any of us.

Gangway, mouse coming through!

Well sure, a mouse can cross.

But I still think the right move here

is to take a detour and...

Oh, come on!

Hold on-- a babbling creek with whitecaps

is worth twenty points.

Oh! We're already on the board, sweet!

BOTH: Sweet!

Sweet.

Oh no! Zorka- just got points!

She's winning! We gotta hurry!

Okay, I'm gonna cross, but I am not gonna look!

I'm crossing...

Did I cross yet?

How about now?

You guys will tell me, right?

I must have crossed by now!

Huh?!

(Whimpering)

I know the dogwood tree's somewhere around here!

I'm sure we'll find it...

Found it...

A dogwood tree! Yes! Thanks, Nature Cat!

Now we have seventy points.

We're back in the lead, baby! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

Oh yeah...

Hi dogwood tree, it's me, Hal!

What? Say that again?

I know, we do look so much alike!

We could be brothers!

Isn't it the prettiest tree you've ever seen?

Oh yeah, super pretty, Squeeks.

But we should get a move on.

The blossoms kinda look like the four points of a compass.

North, East, South, West!

Compass, totally, yeah.

Okay, who's ready to hunt down the next sign of spring?

Daisy, this tree only looks like this

for a few weeks out of each year.

Don't you just wanna soak it in while you can?

You know what? You're right.

Okay, gazing time's over. Tally ho!

Hey, that's my line!

Hey, Daisy, what are we looking for now?

Another clear sign of spring: animal babies!

New generations of animals,

like skunks, otters, fox, deer, are born in spring.

There's more food available and the weather is warmer.

No way! A photo of red fox kits is worth points!

We gotta find some!

Yeah!

Ooh, I'd love to see fox kits!

They're so cute!

Oh no!

Zorka- has taken the lead!

And Houston is catching up!

Uh, attention!

Does anyone here know where to find fox kits?

I wouldn't even know where to start.

GRACIE: Maybe I can help.

Gracie!

I thought you were hibernating!

Pff, hibernation is so last winter.

Now that it's spring and the forest is one big bug buffet,

I'm back above ground and bursting with energy!

Whoa, whoa, wait! Hold still a moment!

An animal that's come out of hibernation

is worth points on my app!

Say peas!

Oh! Make sure you get my good side.

Peas!

Oh! That reminds me - the spring peas in my garden

are probably worth at least ten points.

Is that why you guys are looking for baby red foxes?

Exactamundo, fro-- toad!

See? I remember.

Oh man! They'd be a huge score.

Not to mention also super cute.

Well, you're in luck.

Foxes sometimes build their dens in underground burrows.

And there's an old woodchuck burrow

that Ms. Fox turned into a nursery for her kits.

Come on!

Yes, ha ha! Good work, Gracie!

Hi tiny, fuzzy cuties! It's me, Hal!

SQUEEKS: You've outdone yourself, Gracie.

This is the cuteness mother lode.

More like the point mother lode!

This extra hundred points makes us tied for first.

Yes!

Guys, we need to talk about this Spring Hunter app.

It's fun and all,

but I'm worried that it's keeping Daisy

from enjoying all these amazing spring sights.

Maybe I can help.

Look, Daisy, the foxes are piling on top of one another!

Hmmm, fox pile, fox pile...

Nope, no extra points for fox pile. Too bad.

Well, we can't lose the momentum!

Good seeing you!

Ooh, and keep your eyes peeled for deer antlers.

They're kind of a game changer.

Oh! I think I hear a wood thrush!

I guess we gotta go.

I will see you soon, my old friend!

Thank you again for your help!

You're toad-ally cool!

Don't be strangers!

See ya, Gracie the toad.

Bye, Gracie! Have a good day-cie!

Lemme know if you guys see any birds.

Each birds' song is worth forty points--

and a picture can be worth double that: eighty points!

I thought a lot of the birds flew south for winter.

Some do. It's called migration.

Oh, a woodthrush. That's a migratory bird.

A woodthrush!

Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

(Woodthrush singing)

Its song is so soothing.

Ah, I could listen to this for--

Robin, three o'clock!

Daisyyy!

Robin! Twenty points!

I saw a red-winged blackbird one spring as a kitten,

but I've never seen them since.

Red-winged blackbird! Eighty points!

SQUEEKS: Look at that warbler

going to town on those juniper berries.

It's kinda like me when I find a hunk of cheese, huh? "Cheese!"

Or me when I find, like, a super expensive shoe to destroy

when I chew on it when I'm not supposed to.

Yellow-rumped warbler! Sixty points!

Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

Daisy, you didn't even look at it.

No worries, Hal, I've got it in my phone for later!

That bird spree was a real point bonanza.

Too bad Zorka- retook the lead with that otter's den.

I still think we can catch her if we--

SQUEEKS: Ooh!

If we just...

SQUEEKS: Did you see how the yellow-rumpled warbler

had that bright little patch on its tail?

So adorable, like a little yellow piece of cheese.

Cheese.

I liked the song the wood thrush sang.

It was like being at a concert!

I loved how that blackbird swoop-zipped through the sky.

It was like a plane!

Huh. I didn't notice any of that stuff.

I've been so caught up in playing Spring Hunter

that I forgot to actually experience spring.

Well, not anymore!

Hey, guys. So I've realized that--

ALL: Antler!

Why, yes! Ha ha!

Just as I planned! Ha ha!

Whoa! No way! A real deer antler.

That's worth the most points of all!

Yay for us!

Man oh man!

I can't believe this used to be on a deer.

Feel how heavy it is.

Whoa. Intense.

And it's so hard too.

Daisy! Aren't you going to take a photo!?

You'll be the queen of spring for sure.

This is so sweet!

I mean how often do you get to touch

an actual deer antler, right?

SQUEEKS: You did it, Daisy. You're the queen of spring!

Aww, I couldn't have done it without you guys!

Congratulations one and all!

We are the kings and queens of spring!

As stated previously, my reign will be firm but fair...

and fun!

Wink wink.

So let's put away the phone and get our spring on!

Oh yeah! Our spring on! Oh yeah!

(Cheering)

Nighttime sure is the right time for fireflies!

Hee hee!

Check out their glorious glow!

Whoa! How do they do that?

Say! Where's Hal?

He would love this.

(Hal sobbing)

Or maybe not.

Hal, old pal! What's wrong?

I'm... I'm just so sad!

Well, I can see you're sad and that's making me sad!

(Crying)

Hey, Hal?

Uh huh...

Why are we so sad?

Well, you all know how I like to howl at the moon at night.

But it's been so cloudy and I haven't been able to.

But tonight it's clear,

and when I went to howl at the moon, the moon was gone.

ALL: Say what?

The moon disappeared!

Hal, that's impossible!

Look up and see for yourself.

SQUEEKS: Ahh! The moon is missing!

I told you so!

(Crying)

Fear not, my canine friend!

We are gonna find that missing moon!

And nothing shall stand in our way!

Tally ho!

Except this tree.

Moonlight would have helped.

♪ We're gonna find that moon ♪

♪ Gonna find that moony moon ♪

♪ We'll look hither ♪

♪ We'll look yon ♪

♪ Find out where that moon has gone ♪

♪ Look high and low ♪

♪ But mostly high ♪

♪ Till that moon's back up in the sky! ♪

♪ So Hal, don't cry, keep your eyes dry ♪

(Blowing nose) There ya go.

♪ Gonna find that loony moon ♪

♪ Gonna find that loony moon ♪

♪ Gonna find that loony moooon ♪

Whoa! Finding the moon is a lot harder than I thought.

Maybe I can just howl at something else.

Like this bush!

Arooooo...

(Chittering)

Oh that's not going to work.

Oh, who am I kidding!

It's just not the same without the moon!

(Crying)

We can't give up, Hal!

We just need to investigate with a few questions.

The answer is yes!

I mean no! I mean maybe.

What? What? Did you even ask the question yet?

What happened?

Um, Hal. I didn't ask the question yet.

Whoops, sorry! Yeah. I didn't-- I don't know...

You know what, just go ahead.

Okay!

Have you noticed anything different about the moon lately?

Hmmmm... Now that you mention it,

a few weeks ago, I noticed something.

I'm remembering it in flashback form.

Mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, miiiii!

HAL: I was warming up, when the moon rose over the trees.

The moon was huge! So I howled!

Aroooo!

DAISY: Okay! So first the moon looked big. Then what?

HAL: Then, a few nights later, I felt like howling again...

But when I looked up...

The moon was smaller,

like someone had taken a slice off of it!

So I howled!

Arooooo!

Okay, so what you're telling me is the moon looked big!

And then the moon looked smaller!

A-ha! I know exactly what happened!

Someone has shrunk the moon!

Shrunk the moon, Nature Cat?

I'm sure there's a more logical explanation than that.

Let me check my phone.

Uh-oh! My phone. It's not working.

Oh man. I don't know what I did to it. No bars.

No problem, g*ng! We will find that missing moon!

Onward and yonward!

Moonlight really makes a difference.

♪

The moon!

HAL: And it's shrinking!

It's the moon shrinker!

No way. You guys, I don't think the moon shr--

Let's stop that moon shrinker!

Tally ho!

Ronald!

Stop right there, moon shrinker!

Moon shrinker?

What makes you think I'm a moon shrinker?

Because you just shrunk the moon!

And it's laying in your backyard!

Oh, come on, Moon! Speak to me!

You can't go! Not on my watch!

Mooooon!

Um, this isn't a moon.

It's a balloon! A Ronald Balloon!

NATURE CAT: Why do you have a Ronald balloon?

Because today was the annual Ronald Day Parade.

I'm surprised you didn't hear the band.

Ronald! Ronald! Ronald! Ronald!

Ronald Day or no,

I still believe with all of my gut that Ronald shrunk the moon.

Nature Cat, the moon isn't a balloon!

Well, then why did the moon look smaller a few nights later?

The moon can't shrink, Hal, it's basically a humongous rock.

I don't know, maybe clouds were covering a piece of it.

My money's on Ronald.

Told you it wasn't me!

Now if you'll excuse me,

I have to get ready for the Ronald Day dance party!

Whuh-oh!

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Happy Ronald Day!

♪

Oh! We're never going to find the moon!

Come on, Hal! We can't give up!

We can do this, Hal!

Did you notice anything else different about the moon?

Hmmm, now that I think about it,

the moon's been changing all month!

Hark! This calls for an artist!

What would you like? Still life? Water colour?

Papier mache perhaps?

Squeeks, I need you to sketch whatever Hal says!

Merci beaucoup!

Oui, oui, mon kitty!

Okay, Hal, what do you remember about the moon?

HAL: Well, at the beginning of the month

the moon looked like a full circle.

Aroooooooo!

Okay! Okay! Moon was a full circle!

Good good!

Then a week later the moon looked like...

a half circle!

Arooooo!

Got it! Got it! Half circle moon!

And then, just the other day, the moon looked like...

a banana!

Arooooo! Bananaaa!

One banana moon! Coming right up!

Then it was just, like, cloudy for a few nights,

nothing really special at all,

and then tonight it was completely gone!

Hmm. Circle, half circle,

banana, gone.

Perplexing!

I say, what could have happened to the moon?

It's never coming back!

Yes it is, Hal,

'cause I know a way to get that moon to come back out!

What? What is it? How? How?

A moon dance!

A moon dance?

That's not scientifically possible.

Moon dance on three, fellas.

Keep it snappy!

One! Two! Three!

♪ It's a splendiferous night for a moon dance ♪

♪ We're doing moon moves all over the place ♪

♪ We're gonna spin and flail

♪ Like there's ants in our pants ♪

♪ Until the moon starts to dance out in space ♪

♪ Moon dance! ♪

I should have seen this coming!

Whoa!

We're never going to find the moon!!

We would if my phone would just work.

It could give us some information on what's going on.

Hey, Dais! You need some light?

Oh! That'd be great, Squeeks.

Then maybe I can see why my phone isn't working...

Hey, Nature Cat, do you have a flashlight?

But of course, Squeeks!

Come on, phone. Why now?

Maybe I can just howl at this pebble!

Oh, sorry Mr. Pill Bug, it's just me, Hal!

The moons gone. I'm just real sad.

Hmm.

The light and shadows on Daisy change

as she moves around us.

(Gasping)

I think I know what happened to the moon!

I will share it with you post-haste.

But first, would you please put this on?

What? Why?

Because you are the moon!

I am? Whaaat?

Yes, now I want you to move around us again,

like you just did!

Hal, pretend that Daisy is the moon!

Aye aye, I can do that, captain!

Oh yeah! And I'll be the sun!

Look, everyone.

observe how the light changes the way that Moon Daisy looks!

Okay, so...

The light is lighting up the full circle of my moon costume.

HAL: Oooh! Full circle! Sort of like this picture!

Okay, now look, it's a half-circle!

Like this other picture!

Oh, and now a banana! Like this picture!

Hey! What happened? I can't see Moon Daisy anymore.

Oh no, we lost her too!

No, no, no, Hal!

Don't worry! Daisy's still there!

Yep, I'm still here!

When she's in that spot,

the light is hitting her on the other side

and this side is in shadow.

Wait a minute!

Are you saying that's what happened to the moon?

I think so.

I think the moon is still up there in the sky, Hal.

We just can't see it

because the side of the moon facing us is in shadow.

Hmmm, that's an interesting theory, Nature Cat!

But how can we be sure?

DAISY: Oh yes! Sweet!

My phone works! Let's check the web!

Whoa! Check it out!

Your theory was right, Nature Cat! Look!

The moon orbits around the earth...

NATURE CAT: And as it orbits,

the sun's light changes the way the moon looks!

HAL: Circle! Half-circle! Banana! Gone!

Banana, half-circle, circle, half-circle, banana, gone!

Hey, it's a repeating pattern!

It's called the phases of the moon!

Oh boy!

That means in a few days, I'll see the moon again!

And it'll look like a banana!

(Cheering)

Aroo!

This calls for a celebration!

Come on! Let's moon dance, everbody!

♪ Moon daaance! ♪

NARRATOR: Nature Cat, Squeeks, Daisy, and Hal

are cartoon characters, and not real animals.

To keep all of our animal friends safe,

check with a grownup

before you bring a pet on your next nature adventure.

Ha ha!

♪