Courting and Loving

by Takara_Phoenix

Summary:

It's Bagheera's first mating season and he's driving Shere Khan crazy. The tiger wants the panther. But Shere Khan's father is not really a fan of that relationship, which makes everything unnecessarily complicated. But there's always Baloo to whack Shere's head.

Chapter 1: Playing, Laughing, Cuddling

Title: Courting – How Their Love Could Have Bloomed

Fandom: Walt Disney; Jungle Book; Jungle Cubs

Disclaimer : All rights concerning the movie reserved to Disney. The book said movie is based of though is property of Rudyard Kipling. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, animal relationships, mating, anal, explicit intercourse, mpreg

Main Pairing: Sheregheera

Side Pairings: Hathi/Winifred, Baloo/Baghee (one-sided)

Jungle Book Characters: Bagheera, Shere Khan, Louie, Hathi, Kaa, Baloo, Winifred, Hathi Jr.

Own Characters: Bashiri, Batuuli, Roshahr Khan, Sheena, Bara Shalimar Khan

Summary : It's mating season and Bagheera is finally off-age. Can Khan claim what is his?

 

Courting and Loving

How Their Love Could Have Bloomed

 

Playing, Laughing, Cuddling

 

The young panther grinned broadly, leaning down to hide between the long, green grass, trying to even his ragged breath, his tail brushing the earth behind him. This was the best thing about his day! Sure, he still didn't understand what brought his new, daily routine on, but he loved it nonetheless.

For the past few weeks he had feared that Shere Khan would leave their little group. The tiger had isolated himself more and more from the friends. But he liked the striped one. Very much. And thinking about not being friends with him anymore tore at the panther's heart. So he had gripped all his bravery and tried to confront the tiger.

One afternoon, as the striped feline had laid on a stone in the midday sun, the panther had just pounced at him, surprising Shere Khan beyond belief...

 

/flashback\

 

The tiger was resting, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. Even though his eyes were closed, he could still smell the panther nearing him. He would need to be dead to not tell this smell apart from everything else, he would always recognize the wonderful sweetness. Keeping his eyes closed, he decided to ignore the cute panther. Though the black-furred feline seemed to have different plans, because seconds later he felt a weight crashing against him. Gasping in surprise, he tore his eyes wide open, staring at Bagheera. Am adorable grin was spread over the panther's muzzle, his tail wagging behind him.

“What in the world do you want?”, grunted Shere Khan irritated.

“I want to play”, declared the black feline and tilted his head.

Why did the panther have to be such a cute thing? It was so hard to ignore, or deny, the other feline.

“Then go looking for the other losers”, growled the tiger in fake annoyance.

“But I want to play with you”, whined Bagheera with an adorable pout.

“Why? You should know I don't play. Go to the other losers”, hissed the striped feline.

“But they're no cats. They wouldn't understand”, sighed the panther and hung his head.

“Eh?” Was was that supposed to mean?

“I want to play catch with you!”, smiled Bagheera broadly.

“What?”, grunted Shere Khan.

“I run, you catch me”, grinned the panther, lowering himself onto the ground, waggling his behind.

The tiger blushed, grateful that the other cat had turned around and wasn't seeing him. Though what he saw was rather irritating. He had seen other cat's behinds before, too. Why was this one any difference? He didn't understand.

“Come on, Shere Khan!”, urged Bagheera, turning around some to stare at the tiger with big, pleading eyes. “Please, you know the others don't understand that!”

And he was correct. The others didn't understand their cat antics. Shere Khan sighed. How could he deny his panther anything if the cute cat looked at him like that? Not that the panther was his.

“You should run. Fast”, grinned the tiger sharply and stood. “Even though that wouldn't help you any, because I'll catch you anyway.”

“You wish!”, laughed the panther and ran off.

 

/flashback|end\

 

“Found you”, whispered someone into his ear.

The panther yelped and jumped, crashing against the tiger behind him, both stumbling over the greenery, rolling around in the dirt. Bagheera was still panting hard from all the running he had done in the past hours. He blinked confused at the weight on top of him and looked at the tiger.

Shere Khan gulped at the image of the heavily panting panther beneath him. Something about this scene was intriguing. He just couldn't put his paw on it.

“You... won again...”, smiled the younger cat shyly.

Again. Just like every time they played. And they played every day. Even though the result didn't change at all, they still never stopped playing. Bagheera was very proud that his plan had worked so well. Ever since he and Shere Khan had started to play with each other, the tiger spend more time with the 'losers' again. The others didn't understand it, but that didn't matter to Bagheera. He was just very, very happy that his tiger was still close to him. But this was a bit too close.

“Eh... Shere Khan... Could you... stand up...?”, asked Bagheera, feeling the heat rising in his cheeks.

His hind-legs on each side of the tiger scratched the striped fur nervously. This situation felt strange. Even he knew that laying beneath another feline like that was a display of utter submission. Normally every fiber of his being would try to fight such a situation. This time, with the strong tiger above him, felt oddly... right. He wasn't sure why, though. So he wanted the situation to end soon, because he didn't like odd.

“O—Of course”, stuttered the tiger a bit flustered.

He backed off some to give the panther the benefit of private space. Looking the black-furred feline up and down, he noted how exhausted the panther was. Yes, the cute cat lasted way longer than during their first hunting game. But it seemed to still exhaust the smaller feline a great deal.

“Do you... want to take a nap?”

“What? No!”, the panther jumped up hastily. “I'll leave with you!”

“No”, objected the tiger. “I meant, if you want to take a nap before we return to the lair.”

“Oh...”, Bagheera lowered himself onto the soft grass once again. “Well... Yeah... But... Are you tired, too?”

“No”, snorted the striped feline ridiculed.

“Then... What are you going to do?”, asked the panther confused as the tiger circled him.

Shere Khan curled his own body around the panther, wrapping one paw around the other cat and pulling him close. Bagheera cuddled reluctantly closer to him, enjoying the feeling of the warm, strong body next to his. He soon drifted off to sleep while Khan stayed on alert to watch out for predators, to keep his panther save.

Chapter 2: Learning, Discovering, Knowing

1. Learning, Discovering, Knowing

 

“Mom, dad...”, whispered Bagheera insecurely and shifted some.

“Yes, my dear?”, smiled the tall female softly, grooming her son.

“Uh... I... wanted to ask you something...”

“What is it, son?”, asked his father in a concerned voice. “Is something the matter?”

“Oh, don't worry so much, Bashiri”, laughed his mate.

The male huffed slightly, focusing on his son. “What is it, Bagheera?”

“I... I have been wondering... If you mate, you mate forever, right?”

“Normally yes. Why do you ask?”, nodded his mother.

“Ah, you found yourself a suitable mate!”, grinned Bashiri broadly. “You hear that, Batuuli? Our son is quite the womanizer. Tell me, who is the lucky female?”

“Uh... No... I mean... it's more like... I wanted to ask... Do you have to mate with a female...?”

“Oh...”, was all his father could get out.

“Well, Bashiri”, snickered the female amused. “What do you say now?”

“I'd say”, coughed Bashiri a bit uncomfortable. “I'd say it's time for you to have a honest conversation with our son while I'm off hunting.”

“Just what I thought”, smiled Batuuli and leaned in to rub her head against her mate's. “Be save, love. And get something good for dinner.”

The male nodded and strode out of the cave, leaving his mate and his son alone.

“What's wrong, mom?”, asked Bagheera worried. “Did I... say something wrong? I mean, I'm... I'm worried... is it wrong for a male to... like another male...? Because I've never seen to males together and that made me wonder if...”

“Hush now, little one”, interrupted Batuuli and licked her son's face. “There can never be anything wrong with love. Because your heart knows best how to choose your mate.”

“Oh...”, relief filled the little panther and he cuddled closer to his mother. “Then what did dad want you to talk to me about?”

“You're... very, very special, Bagheera”, smiled the female. “We've always known that one day you'll... choose different. It has to do with your heritage.”

“My... heritage?”, asked Bagheera confused.

“You're different from other cubs. You know that the females are the ones carrying the cubs, right?” Her son nodded. “Not only females can, though. There are only a few male cubs being born with the ability to carry. It had been... the influence of some human shaman, who took your great-great-great-grandfather captive. It's said he put a spell on him, experimenting with our race. This special gift had been passed down throughout my bloodline. Though since I am female, your father thought that maybe I broke the line, broke the spell.”

“So... me... liking him is...?”

“No, it doesn't necessarily has to mean that you have the ability. We will see that once you hit your mating age and until then it's still a little time to go”, smiled Batuuli. “But now, please tell me. Who is this mysterious boy you like?”

“Uh...”, the cub blushed slightly, grateful for his dark fur. “It's... Shere Khan...”

“The tiger cub you're friends with?”, asked his mother surprised.

Bagheera nodded without another word, trying to hide his face beneath his paws. If it wasn't so urgent for him to know, he would have gladly avoided this conversation with his mother.

“This is not good”, hummed Batuuli and shook her head.

“Why? I thought you said it's alright to like him!”, exclaimed Bagheera wide-eyed.

“It is”, tried his mother to explain. “But not to everyone. I know the name Khan. I knew Roshahr Khan when he was a cub and I know how he was raised. I doubt he would be pleased with that.”

“But he doesn't have a say in that”, murmured Bagheera confused. “It's, well, Shere Khan's decision, isn't it?”

Her eyes darkened as she nodded, though it was anything but convincing. Bagheera observed his mother in worry. Something was off with that. But there was still so much to digest for him for now, he couldn't concentrate on that now.

 

/break\

 

“What is bothering you, Shere Khan?”

The strict voice of his father made him jump slightly. Ever since his mother had passed away, his father set him on edge.

“Nothing, dad”, whispered the tiger cub.

Roshahr Khan walked up to his son, his eyes hard. He had spend the past years trying to form his heir into the perfect heir to make him proud. Ever since he had lost his mate, he tried to make things perfect, to make his son strong. Stronger than he had been, because the loss of his mate had taken it's toll on him and he wanted his son to be strong enough to come over such a pain.

“It soon is time for you to choose your mate, Shere.”

“I... I think I found someone...”, murmured Shere Khan and lowered his head.

“And who may that be?”, asked Roshahr curiously.

“It... It's a close friend of mine”, whispered his son.

“A friend of yours?”, repeated the older tiger intrigued. “But aren't your... friends those little bunch of colorful cubs? Haven't I forbidden you to meet them?”

They were making his son weak. Friends did that. You bound with them and then they'll let you down and you're alone. He couldn't let that happen to his son.

“I know, but... Bagheera said...”

“Bagheera? The panther cub?”, growled Roshahr. “Is it him? I know your friends are only males. Is it the panther?”
“I... yes”, admitted Shere Khan with a slight blush.

“You will not see him again. You will stay away from him. He means no good for you.”

“You're wrong, dad!”, objected the cub desperately. “He's a good friend! They all are!”

“No, they're not. And they will one day turn on you, so you better be the first to do so”, growled his father angrily. “You will stay away from them. You hear me, Shere?!”

“I... yes, father...”, whispered the younger tiger and hung his head in defeat.

It was useless to argue with his father. He had tried before, back when Roshahr had first ordered him to stay away from his friends. And then he did. Listened to his father, kept more and more to himself, trying to get away from them. But those stupid idiots were just too... He couldn't dump them, not completely. He stayed close, even though he stayed to himself. And then Bagheera had started to force him into bonding with their friends again. And he couldn't deny his panther.

“Where are you going, Shere?”, asked his father darkly.

“I'm tired, I'll go to sleep”, grunted Shere Khan and kept walking deeper into the cave.

If he couldn't even get rid of stupid Baloo and stupid Louie and their stupid mischief and stupid Kaa without a backbone and stupid, always afraid Hathi with his stupid, knows-it-all girlfriend, how was he supposed to stop being close to Bagheera? He really tried to act like they didn't mean a thing to him, but they meant the world to him. After his mother had died, he had ran away and that was how he first met Baloo and Louie. In his time of loss, they had unbeknownst cheered him up. They became his family when his father started to fail him as one. He just couldn't tell them, because even though they were like a family to him, he still had to hold to his true family. To his father.

Chapter 3: Wanting, Needing, Courtin

2. Wanting, Needing, Courting

 

The black panther yawned widely, stretching his lean body. He woke up and looked around, eagerly searching for one single thing. A soft smile graced his lips as he saw the violet flower.

He wasn't the little, slightly awkward cub anymore. No, he had grown into a beautiful, adolescent young panther, with a sleek and luscious form, that brought him many admirers.

This was the first mating season for the cubs already and Bagheera started to realize how important this time of the year truly was once Hathi and Winifred started to separate from them. The cubs weren't cubs anymore and the two elephants seeked the company of each other more and more. He had started feeling strange. Hiding the flower, he made his way over to their lair.

“Baghee? Are you alright?”, asked Louie concerned as the panther entered.

“Sure, I'm feeling good”, smiled Bagheera and shuddered slightly.

He felt so hot, it was more than bothersome. And he hated being on his own these days, always trying to seek Shere Khan's company. He wanted the tiger. But how was he supposed to get what he wanted if Shere Khan did his best to avoid them. He rarely even showed up at the lair anymore.

“Is Shere Khan here?”, asked the panther slowly.

“He hassssn't been here in daysss”, declined Kaa and shook his head.

The snake was laying in front of the throne, watching how Louie and Baloo were passing a melon over, throwing it from one side of their lair to the other, catching it and throwing it back again.

“Why are you so worried about stripes anyway?”, grunted the bear confused. “It's mating season. Maybe he found himself a little miss stripes and they are busy.”

“Uh”, shuddered the ape. “Gross. I can't even start imagining the great annoyance that is Shere Khan being all mushy and lovey-dovey.”

“You mean like those two over there?”, snickered Baloo.

“Stop talking like we are not there!”, chided Winifred annoyed, a slight blush covering her cheeks as she backed off a bit.

Her trunk was still linked with Hathi's as the two elephants walked over to their friends.

“And don't be so mean”, added Hathi worried. “I think something's wrong with Shere Khan. He's acting quite out of it in the last time.”

“Why? He has been the same grumpy, mean stripes we all love and cherish”, chuckled Louie amused and caught the melon, breaking it in half to eat it.

“Hey! Give me some, too!”, protested Baloo.

The ape rolled his eyes and threw one half over to his best friend. Bagheera licked his lips, watching his friends' antics for a while, before he took off. Why was the tiger avoiding them like this? It had taken Bagheera so much time to get Khan to open up. Why did the tiger retreat again now? Biting his lips nervously, the panther headed for the direction he knew to look for Khan. The tiger's smell was all over the place. Though he knew he needed to be cautious, the tigers didn't like them all that much. He needed to risk it, though. Because he needed to see Khan. Sneaking around the cave where he knew the tigers lived for what felt like eternity was all he did these days. Waiting and hoping that Shere Khan would come out. All he wanted to do was seeing the tiger and play with him, or cuddle with him, or just stand next to him. He had truly hoped the youngest Khan would come out again, at least for some time.

Why was he avoiding them like that? Disappointed, the panther turned tails and made his way back to the lair. If he couldn't be with the tiger, he would at least spend some time with their friends.

What he didn't see however were the yellow eyes looking after him longingly.

 

/break\

 

Shere bit his lips as he watched Bagheera. His only pastime these days. Watching how the beautiful panther strode up and down in front of their cave, thinking no one knew he was there. It was too cute how Bagheera truly believed he could fool the most powerful predators in the jungle.

“Baghee...”, whispered Shere Khan longingly.

How much he wished to get out there and chase the panther once again. Chasing him until he had the black beauty underneath him and then he could finally claim what was supposed to be his...

“You're doing it again, Shere”, chided a voice from behind him.

“I'm doing nothing, Sheena”, grunted the male tiger irritated and turned to her.

The female tiger snickered slightly and circled him, tilting her head as she eyed him.

“Yes you are. You're pining after your cute, little panther again. And frankly enough, your moping is slowly making me sick”, sighed Sheena bored.

He growled at her, baring his fangs annoyed. She looked at him, not even half impressed.

“You know your father is going to be very, very disappointed and angry if you don't choose a mate soon. You should at least pretend to court a female, or else he's going all 'big, bad angry cat' on everyone”, murmured Sheena and rubbed her head against his.

“So you're just after your own good again?”, grunted Shere and backed off some.

He eyed her with distrust and irritation. She smirked at him and beckoned him closer.

“Don't be a grumpy moron, Shere”, chided the female and stepped closer to him.

“Why shouldn't I? You and I, we haven't been close in many summers”, grunted Shere Khan and loomed over the smaller tiger darkly.

“That's only because you spend every damn, free minute of those many summers with that cute, little panther and those odd friends of yours. Not my fault you ditched me the second you found someone better to play with”, hissed Sheena with a feral look in her eyes.

“Then what do you want from me?”, wondered Shere and retreated some.

“I want to help you. Because, even though you ditched me and left me bored to death with Balaraj and Amari, who both are so dumb sometimes”, grunted Sheena. “Despite all of that, I still consider you my best friend. So I want to help you. Moping like that isn't like you.”

Surprise passed over his face as he eyed her some closer. She was being honest, it was evident in her golden eyes. A sly smile tugged at her lips as she saw realization dawn over Shere.

“See, to help you, I offer you a little game. A game of courting. You may pretend I am your precious panther, but since you don't intend on courting him, you should as easy just court someone else to mate with. I mean, look at you, you're too big of a coward to stand up to your father and take what you want, then why don't you just do what your father wants and get yourself a nice female.”

“So you are after what's best for you after all”, snorted Shere and shook his head.

“Well... mate of the next ruler, yeah, doesn't sound half-bad”, snickered Sheena and shrugged. “But you know I'm right. You can as well be a complete little cub and do as daddy says.”

Khan growled at her, his eyes dialed before he turned his back on her and retreated back inside the cave. Sometimes he hated that stupid female. Sheena had always been good at reading him, what was going on inside his head. And it annoyed Shere Khan that she was right once again. He was obeying his father's every word. Had stopped hanging out with his friends, had stopped seeing Bagheera (not counting in the times the panther had sneaked around their cave). Even though his guts, his heart, just about any part of him, wished and wanted and needed to be near the panther. He wanted the beautiful, black cat all for himself. Instincts told him to court the one he desired, but loyalty towards his father – his only family left – told him the opposite. He felt torn between those two. Family and mate. Was it fair that he had to choose between them? Why couldn't he have both? A sad look passed over his face as he remembered his mother. Shalimar Khan would have never made him choose.

Chapter 4: Craving, Claiming, Taking

3. Craving, Claiming, Taking

 

Bagheera whined in his sleep and turned unsettled. He wasn't feeling good, he was so hot and he wanted... Though he wasn't sure what exactly he wanted.

“Shere Khan”, moaned the panther and hid beneath his paws.

He longed for the strong tiger, to be held by him and groomed and... He didn't really know, but he knew that he needed the other feline. In his hazy daze, he didn't notice the cub nearing.

“Baghee, are you alright?”, asked a soft voice, slowly approaching the cave.

“Khan”, whined the panther and turned around.

Something fell down onto the jungle floor in front of the cave, a flower. Steps retreated from him. The other cub hurried away, on his way to the tiger cave. Even from afar he could see two young tigers. A pretty female and the striped one he was looking for.

“Shere Khan!”, called the cub out.

Both tigers turned to him wide-eyed. Shere Khan grunted annoyed as he recognized him.

“What do you want, Baloo?”, growled the tiger irritated.

“You're an idiot!”, growled the bear back.

Khan sat up surprised. Baloo was probably the most aloof animal he knew, never before had he seen the bear angry or heard him raise his voice.

“What's that supposed to mean?”, asked Shere Khan threateningly.

“Bagheera loves you and he suffers because you don't have the balls to act on the feelings you obviously also harbor for him!”, hissed the gray-furred cub furiously.

“What do you mean suffers?”, wanted the tiger to know and tilted his head.

“He misses you and longs for you and whatnot and you sit here with a girl and chat happily, completely forgetting about him”, accused the bear. “If you don't get your act together soon, you will regret it, because Baghee deserves so much better than that!”

Shere Khan backed off some. This was not the Baloo he knew and (even though he would never admit it) valued. But the bear was right. Bagheera deserved only the best.

“Oh for the love of the jungle”, groaned Sheena next to him and rolled her eyes. “What are you still doing here, Shere? Go and get your little panther.”

Khan looked from one of his friends to the other and realized one thing. He missed his stupid bunch of looser. And he missed his beautiful panther. If his father truly loved him, then he would have to deal with Shere's choice of friends and especially so with Shere's choice of a mate. The tiger started to sprint off in the direction he knew he would find his panther. The panthers' cave, the unmistakable place where he could smell his panther. He stopped in front of the cave, seeing a violet flower laying there. Confused by the displaced plant, he picked it up.

“What is a tiger cub doing in our territory?”, asked an authoritarian voice.

Khan looked up at the mighty panther in front of him. Next to the adult emerged a beautiful female with soft eyes. She seized him up critically before tilting her head.

“You must be Shere Khan, Roshahr's cub”, concluded the female. “I am Batuuli, this is my mate Bashiri. And I hope you are here for our son.”

“I... uh... Yes, ma'am”, nodded the tiger reluctantly.

“Well then, hurry. He is not feeling good”, urged Batuuli and pointed at the cave with her snout.

“We are off hunting. And we won't return before sunset”, stated Bashiri and left.

“You two will have the whole cave to yourselves”, smirked the female and winked at Khan.

The two adults ran off into the greenery, leaving the tiger on his own. A whimpered sound came from within the cave and Khan felt the pull to get to his panther. He ran deeper into the darkness, until he reached Bagheera. Khan stopped abruptly as a sweet, alluring scent hit his nose. Never before had he smelled something as intoxicating as that.

“Bagheera?”, whispered Shere and walked up to the smaller feline.

“Shere Khan?”, mewled the panther and turned to look at him.

“Yes”, nodded the tiger and placed the flower next to his chosen mate.

He pushed his nose against the heated forehead of his panther. The smaller cat moaned at the contact and pushed back against him, reaching out for the tiger with his paws. The smell of the flower hit the panther's nose and he blinked a bit.

“You brought a flower”, smiled Bagheera. “I knew it.”

But before the tiger had a chance to ask what he was talking about, he felt the muzzle of his panther pressed against his own, a tongue licking over his lips. A happy daze overwhelmed Khan and he scooted closer to his chosen one. The panther laid on his back, his hind-legs spread, his paws reaching around the tiger's neck, pulling him even closer, until Shere was looming over him, his front-paws on each side of the smaller cat's head, the hind-legs between Bagheera's.

“I love you, Bagheera”, purred the tiger and licked his panther's face.

“I love you too, Khan”, mewled the black feline, flexing his claws. “I want you.”

“I want you too, my beautiful panther”, growled Shere Khan possessively.

The tiger lowered himself onto the smaller cat, relishing in the feeling of the soft fur beneath him. Having the one he wanted beneath him like that made him feel giddy and odd, he felt his shaft exit it's sheath, as it did so often in the past time whenever he thought about his panther. The legs around his waist flexed, urging him to come closer. The tiger felt obliged to obey Bagheera's wish and lowered himself some more, pushing against a soft spot. A very tiny hole, a tight pulsing entrance. Shere Khan growled at the feeling of this in want pulsing tightness, his primal urge to be embraced by it taking over. Thrusting into the welcoming heat, he moaned lustfully.

“Mine”, growled the tiger, licking his panther's cheeks.

“Yours”, mewled the smaller cat submissively and bared his neck.

Khan thrust hard and needfully into the tight channels, building a harsh rhythm up. Their grunts and groans were everything that could be heard in the cave. For the first time in his life felt the panther absolutely complete. He enjoyed writhing beneath his tiger, the hardness within him, slowly driving him insane. The thrusting became even more frantic, until the panther felt a warmth spreading through his belly, the tiger above him growling possessively and biting down on his neck. Collapsing on top his new found mate, cradling the smaller cat close to him. A steady purring erupted from the panther's chest as he cuddled closer to his tiger.

“I love you, Khan”, murmured Bagheera breathlessly and closed his eyes, feeling completely at ease for the first time in weeks.

A stupid and satisfied grin spread over Shere Khan's muzzle at the realization of what had just happened. He had claimed his panther as his mate, had the beautiful feline close to his heart.

“And I love you, Bagheera”, replied the tiger.

The panther shifted a bit uncomfortable in the embrace. “Is this always so sticky?”

“I don't know”, shrugged Khan and sat up some, looking his mate up and down.

There was something sticky between his panther's legs. The tiger started grooming his mate from head to toe, freeing him from the sticky liquid.

“I think my mom will give us a very explicit and embarrassing speech about this whole... mate-stuff and about what that sticky stuff does...”, murmured Bagheera, bathing in the attention.

“She will?”, asked the tiger confused.

“Yes”, muttered the panther embarrassed and hid his face in the striped fur.

“I just met her and your father. They said they won't return before sunset. So we can enjoy the moment for now and worry about that later on”, suggested the tiger and snuggled close.

Bagheera smiled and cuddled close too, until both of them were deep asleep.

Chapter 5: Finding, Raising, Loving

Finding, Raising, Loving

 

The tiger cub sat there in the high grass, hind held high in the air, head lowered onto the ground, trying to hide from the elephant cub obliviously running around.

“Oi, oi, oi... I have a very bad feeling about this...”, muttered the elephant a bit worried.

A big grin spread over the tiger's lips and in one swift movement they crashed into each other, tumbling over the ground for a little while.

“I don't know why you're having a bad feeling about this, Hathi...”, drawled the tiger on top of the other, a victorious grin on the muzzle. “Aside from you always loosing, of course.”

Hathi pouted a bit, not really angry since he knew they were friends. Kaa laid on a tree above them, observing their every movement, rolling his eyes at their little game.

“We ssshould get back to the lair”, noted the snake and raised his head. “Louie is waiting for us.”

“Yes, we're running late. Come, Khanny!”, nodded Hathi, trying to get free.

The feline sighed and got up to give the elephant the benefit of moving.

“Sure”, grinned the tiger and jumped off. “Who's last is a rotten melon!”

“Unfair! You had a head-start!”, screamed the elephant and tried to follow his feline friend. Kaa only shook his head and crept slowly after them, silently wondering when and how exactly the jungle had changed so much. And then it came to him...

 

Bagheera was slowly tiptoeing through the thick greenery, not really on the hunt, rather just taking a little stroll through his home, enjoying the peace and quiet for a change.

Until a horrible screeching interrupted said peace. The feline jumped wide-eyed and looked around, his eyes scanning his surroundings until they stopped at a little wicker basket. Curiosity got him and he scooped closer, sniffling the little bundle. It was a cub. Though not an animal cub.

 

Oh, Kaa remembered very well what a ruckus the human cub had caused. Especially so in the house of Khan. He himself had played mouse back then, eager not to miss the outcome...

 

The panther with the wicker basket in his muzzle was hard to miss, he had drawn much attention to himself with that. The attention of a half-asleep snake, too. Kaa opened one eye curiously and contemplated if he should follow his friend. Though since the jungle was rather dull these days, he decided to do so. They soon reached the cave of the big felines.

“Baghee? Are you finally back?”, called the booming voice of the tiger.

Shere Khan emerged from within the darkness, a very tiny kitten in his muzzle. The unique cat, black fur though with stripes shining through in the light, gave a happy yelp as it saw Bagheera.

“Your daughter had been a real little nuisance”, grunted Shere Khan.

“How come she is always my daughter when she annoys you, but otherwise she's your little angel?”, chuckled Bagheera and sat the basket down.

He walked up to the tiger and pushed his head against the taller cat's before taking the kitten from him, laying it down between his front-paws, licking her head.

“Hello, my princess”, purred the black feline.

“Say”, grunted the tiger with a critical look. “What is it you brought with you there?”

“I, uh...”, stuttered the panther and tilted his head nervously. “I found it all on it's own. I couldn't leave it all on it's own, it would have died otherwise... And it's just a mere cub, probably not older than ours, how could I leave it alone...?”

“An abandoned cub?”, hummed Shere Khan understandingly and nodded. “Of course you couldn't, love. Your motherly instincts are still in overdrive...”

The tiger laughed at his mate's behavior, walking up to the basket to look at the cub. His humor died however as he laid eyes on the naked, hairless worm. A growl escaped him.

“This is not a cub. It's a human”, spat the tall cat angered.

The tiny tigress started crying at her father's growl and the panther did his best to calm her.

“Please, Shere, lower your voice. You know how sensitive Bara is”, pleaded Bagheera.

Khan sighed and shook his head. “Still, this is not a cub. It's a human. You know how much I despise humans. I will not tolerate one in my jungle.”

“Then what do you want to do?”, growled the panther now, standing up, leaving his daughter on the ground to walk up to his mate. “Do you want to kill it? Just because it's a human. Even though it's not to be blamed for what it is? Try killing a cub in front of me, Shere, I dare you.”

The tiger gulped slightly at that. This motherly treat was making his Bagheera dangerous.

“It may a cub now, but it will grow into a killing human all to soon”, grunted Shere, acting as if he was unimpressed by his mate's threatening stance. “It's in their nature to kill.”

“Just as it is in our nature to mate with females?”, asked the panther. “I remember just perfectly how your father used to preach to you about your nature. But if you were willing to trust our love, why are you not willing to trust this innocent cub?”

“Because it's human and I won't trust a human. And that's final”, roared Khan loudly.

“If you can't trust it, then trust me!”, hissed Bagheera. “It only needs guidance. If we raise it to be good, it will be good. It'll only grow into a dangerous human if it has contact with humans. We could raise it to be one of us, we could...”

The happy, giggling sound of their daughter stopped his preach. The couple turned to the wicker basket, where Bara was half hanging in, her paws patting the human cub which reached out for her, both of them giggling gleefully at that. Bagheera smiled and walked up to them.

“Just look at them, Shere”, whispered the panther. “They're just cubs. They don't know wrong from right. They don't know if they're supposed to be enemies. Just as we didn't know that we weren't supposed to be lovers not all that long ago. At least give it a chance, love. Please, for me.”

Shere Khan heaved a sigh and stood next to his mate, observing the cubs critically.

“How could I ever deny you, my panther?”, muttered Khan and shook his head.

 

“Uncle Kaa! Hurry, or we'll be late!”, screamed the tiger cub sitting in front of the lair.

“I'm coming, Bara, don't russssh me”, hissed the snake, irritated that she interrupted his musings.

Loud music could be heard from within the lair and the snake nearly feared to enter it at all. The two cubs he had been babysitting though couldn't wait and hurried inside. He followed close, watching how the elephant cub ran up to Hathi and Winifred, telling them all about his day. Apes and monkeys were playing music, their leader dancing in the middle of the lair with a bear wearing a bask skirt, both whirling a young human in their midst, who was obviously having lots of fun. The human boy spotted the black tiger cub and brightened significantly.

“Big sister!”, called the boy with a bright smile. “Grandma just said you would come soon!”

And true, Bashiri was laying in a shadowy corner, her once black fur tainted the slightest bit gray, her eyes soft and full of love. She laid cuddled close to her mate, both of them observing the party.

“I told you to not play so long!”, chided Bagheera from above, he and Shere laying on a bolder together. “You two shouldn't have come too late to your brother's birthday party!”

“I know, mom, I'm sorry”, whined Bara and tilted her head.

“No pouting at my party!”, interrupted Louie them. “Come here and dance with us, little princess!”

Baloo grinned at her and waved her over invitingly, the human on his shoulders. She grinned broadly and ran up to the bear, the human and the ape. Kaa smiled sentimentally.

“Mowgli Khan, prince of the jungle. Who would have thought a human would ever be one of usss?”

 

~*~ The End ~*~