Operation White Snow

**Operation White Snow** is the fifteenth episode of the show *Squirrel and Hedgehog*.

## Summary

Commander Jogjebi walks with Juldarami. He explains that he intends to send Scout Commander Aekku to Rabbit Village in Flower Hill where a skiing contest is being held, in order to meet with the remaining member of Tokgasi.
Unbeknownst to the pair, Aekku is eavesdropping on the conversation while Jogjebi goes on to state that in the mean time, they will work on their plan of attack using what information they managed to salvage from Tokgasi's findings. Juldarami's task is thus to go along with Aekku to supervise him and determine if he is a worthy asset to Jogjebi. Juldarami accepts whilst Aekku silently curses the "damn field mouse".

Juldarami, under the codename Pangulggot, informs Unhasu of his task at hand. Commander Goseumdochi is concerned this mission would jeopardize Geumsaegi's safety and suggests feeding them false information. Commander Darami agrees and thus, Operation White Snow is formed and Scouting Officer Goseumdochi is sent to Rabbit Village.

As Goseumdochi rides on the train, he receives word from Commander Darami that Murori, who's body had been recovered and found to be critically injured but alive, has awoken from her coma. Goseumdochi is overjoyed and the pair discuss how wonderful it will be to tell Juldarami she is alive. The call ends with Darami encouraging Goseumdochi to get aid from the local rabbits.

Rabbit Village is alive with much fanfare over the skiing contest and welcomes competitors from all neighboring communities, including the reigning champions from Monkey Village. A female rabbit guide welcomes Goseumdochi and the squirrel skiers competing for Flower Hill, and Juldarami is surprised to see the Scout Officer present.

Many communities come together: cats, raccoons, fowl, sheep, monkeys, pigs and even those from Weasel Village are welcomed and Juldarami is handed a bouquet of flowers.

In the privacy of his room, Juldarami finds in the flowers a note, telling him that not only is Murori alive, but she will be performing a song over the Radio of Flower Hill. Overcome with happiness that she is alive, Juldarami cartwheels, somersaults and dances around the room, happily noting that Geumsaegi will hear the broadcast on Bat Isle too, and playfully pokes at a small rabbit toy.

The morning of the contest arrives and the competitors line up at the top of the snowy mountains and the race begins. Aekku and Juldarami watch from afar and Aekku subtly tries to slink off without Juldarami's notice so that he might meet Tokgasi but curses that Juldarami follows him relentlessly. However, when a free-for-all is announced, Aekku plays on Juldarami's competitive nature and suggests they partake, and Juldarami agrees.

Whilst they ski, Aekku guides Juldarami off of the main course and tries to injure him by stopping suddenly in his tracks. Juldarami manages to successfully vault over the weasel and continue. Aekku attempts again, this time taking a detour and slamming into Juldarami's side, successfully knocking him off his feet and tumbling down the mountain. Satisfied, Aekku goes on to complete the race, but is surprised when journalists come not to congratulate him, but question on the morality of violently shoving other skiers aside, which he vehemently denies.

The rabbit guide reaches Juldarami on his snowmobile and rescues him, asking if he is injured, but Juldarami is more concerned that Aekku has gone on to meet Tokgasi without him.

Aekku relaxes in his room, assuming Juldarami must have been taken to hospital at this point, unaware that he has already met Tokgasi. He is surprised when Juldarami walks in, a bit pained from his tumble but otherwise none the worse for wear. Aekku pardons his behavior by simply wanting to win the game. Juldarami asks why he hasn't completed his task and met Tokgasi, to which Aekku replies happily that his task is complete, he met with Tokgasi and received the information and reveals a roll of film hidden inside a compartment of his ski pole.

Juldarami is upset, but maintains his composure, congratulates Aekku on a job well done and bids him goodnight.

Goseumdochi sends word to Unhasu that Juldarami has told him Tokgasi has supplied Aekku with a roll of film and to send a fake. Juldarami meanwhile ponders on how to handle the situation between switching the film and how to report to Jogjebi before an idea strikes him.

As he leaves, the rabbit guide greets him with a book Juldarami had requested, discretely whispering it has a recording of the days race inside. Juldarami thanks her and opens the book to see that it has been hollowed out to fit the tape. However, Aekku steps out and watches them secretly, wondering what they are up to.

Juldarami, settling in for the night, closes his curtains and places the tape in his VCR. sure enough, it is a recording, showing Aekku injuring Juldarami, and the hand of a competing skier discretely switching ski poles with Aekku. Slowing the tape down, he is able to identify that a mouse switched the poles. He is satisfied that now he simply has to switch the real roll of film with the supplied fake.

Aekku wonders the identity of the rabbit guide before recalling that she was the guide supplied to the Flower Hill skiers and considers that Juldarami, like Geumsaegi, is a planted mole, but decides to test the theory before acting on it. He goes to the bar and has a cup of tea whilst he wonders how he can test Juldarami's loyalty. As he steps outside, he notices a pair of rabbit children playing in the snow, and decides to use them as his test. As they pass by, he kicks the shins of the girl rabbit and she falls to the ground and cries as Juldarami kneels down to comfort her. He glares up at Aekku who remarks that he thought Juldarami only loved guns, but here is showing affection for children. Juldarami reminds him they are in Rabbit Village as to behave accordingly. Aekku apologizes, citing he is just so used to beating people up. However, the incident has Aekku paranoid that Juldarami is a mole and that he is in danger and decides to attempt escape. As he attempts to sneak outside, the rabbit guide interrupts him, reminding him that the closing ceremony is today, whilst a hidden Goseumdochi listens in.

Aekku apologizes for his forgetfulness and promises to stay for the ceremony before retreating to his room. Even more paranoid that he is being watched, he tries to calm his nerves with some television. He watches a TV show in which a magician places a bear in a magic box, spins it around and opens it to reveal three pandas, spins it a final time to have the bear re-emerge. Aekku is impressed and applauds the trick. He steps outside to meet Juldarami right at his door and immediately invites him to the circus.

Juldarami agrees and follows as Aekku curses that he is in fact being watched, but it doesn't matter because he has a devious plan. Juldarami asks why is he so interested in the circus so suddenly, and Aekku admits he just saw a piece of the act on TV and wants to see it in person. However, on route to the circus, Juldarami remembers that Murori is to sing at 9 p.m. that night and that he will miss it, being at the circus and all.

At the circus, the magic box magician arrives and welcomes a volunteer for his act. He invites several animals, all of which refuse. Aekku stands up and volunteers, much to Juldarami's surprise. Aekku winks at him and asks him to let him know how he does.

He is welcomed on stage and invited to step into the box, and Juldarami, concerned for what he might be planning, prepares to draw his weapon if necessary. The magician spins the box and the three pandas appear in Aekku's place and perform a little acrobatic trick for the audience.

Juldarami relaxes a little as he watches the pandas re-enter the box. It is spun once more only for the box to be open to reveal nothing. Juldarami is shocked and the flustered magician tries again to salvage his act before he and Juldarami investigate backstage to see that Aekku has murdered the stage hands and escaped through a window and into the night with a snowmobile.

Juldarami grabs his skis and follows in pursuit, lamenting he now has no choice but to kill him and bring the fake film himself.

As they wind down the snowy road, a large truck comes into their path and Aekku swerves along the hillside to avoid it whilst Juldarami lowers himself and slides beneath the bulk of the truck. Afterwards, Juldarami comes across Aekku's abandoned snowmobile and in a panic, contacts Goseumdochi for help only to be held at gunpoint by Aekku who had been in hiding.

Aekku announces that he was right in suspecting him being a Flower Hill spy and that he will kill Juldarami. The squirrel smirks, pointing out that he's outnumbered and to look behind him. As Aekku looks behind him, Juldarami attacks and knocks him into a tree which drops it's snow upon him. Juldarami stabs the mound of snow with his ski pole only to find Aekku is no longer there.

The weasel has managed to sneak around and gain a vantage point, and curses that these aren't ideal conditions for a firefight, so attempts to trigger an avalanche instead. The snow flows down the mountain and sweeps Juldarami off the cliffside and into the abyss.

Pleased with himself, Aekku returns to his snowmobile and drives off as Juldarami lies seriously injured in the snow. However it is now 9 p.m. and his personal radio happens to be tuned into Murori's broadcast. As she begins to sing her cover of My Dear Home Town, he painfully pulls the radio to his ear to hear her voice. The song rouses him to his feet and he struggles on through the snow and balances himself against a tree.

Spotting a flashlight signal being made out on the coastline, he realizes Aekku is trying to escape back to Jogjebi and swears he will defend Flower Hill and his loved ones at all costs.

Meanwhile, Mulmangcho and Oegwipali are out in a submarine to keep watch for any signals. As Mulmangcho cooks fish, Oegwipali is distracted by the smell of food and Mulmangcho orders him to go out onto the deck to look for the signal. Oegwipali agrees in exchange for food and Mulmangcho tosses him the bones of his recently eaten supper.

Oegwipali curses his brother for sending him cold and hungry and calls him "a crippled fool" and Mulmangcho, angered, comes out onto the deck to instigate a physical fight before they spot Aekku's signal. Responding with a signal of their own, Aekku weeps happily that Mulmangcho has kept his promise.

Goseumdochi races to the coastline, calling the police of Rabbit Village and alerting them to Aekku's location.

As Aekku shoves a makeshift raft onto the water to reach Mulmangcho's boat, Juldarami appears and holds him at gunpoint. Aekku is astonished and asks how he is still alive. Juldarami responds that he couldn't die without killing him first. Aekku draws his pistol but Juldarami shoots him in the wrist.

The Scout Commander curses that he was going to defeat Flower Hill and slay him, and Juldarami shoots him in the chest. Alive but wounded, Aekku wonders how he could be defeated by such a small enemy. Juldarami replies that Aekku only fights for his own interests and will never understand where Juldarami's strength comes from. He shoots Aekku until he collapses dead on the raft. The squirrel quickly switches Aekku's roll of film for the fake and collapses on the snow as his friends arrive. Goseumdochi urges him to go to hospital, but he refuses, knowing he must press on with his mission if he is to maintain his cover. He shoots himself in the shoulder and instructs the police to fire in his direction as he begins to paddle out towards the rescue boat.

They hesitate, aware that he might not even make it to the boat, but eventually agree and fire into the water, and Juldarami sees their gunfire as fireworks for him.

## Characters

### Heroes

* Juldarami
* Murori (voice only)
* Commander Darami
* Commander Goseumdochi

### Villains

* Scout Commander Aekku
* Commander Jogjebi
* Mulmangcho
* Oegwipali

## Songs

* My Dear Home Town - performed by Murori
* We're Little Scouts

## Trivia

* This is the first Squirrel and Hedgehog episode to feature CGI animation.