Walt Disney's The Jungle Book: How it should been.

by ShereKhanTheTiger

Summary:

Mowgli, an abandoned child raised by wolves, has his peaceful existence threatened by the return of the man-eating tiger Shere Khan. Facing certain death, Mowgli must overcome his reluctance to leave his wolf family and return to the "man village." But he is not alone on his quest: Aided by Bagheera, the panther, and later by the carefree bear Baloo, he braves the jungle's many perils.

Notes:

This is my version of The Jungle Book, or, at least, what the Disney version could've been. I recently visited the Walt Disney Museum, which was far darker and more loyal to Kipling's book than the final movie was. It featured characters like Messua, Buldeo, Tabaqui, and the wolves had a much larger role in the original script as well. The ending would also feature Mowgli being forced by Buldeo, the hunter, to lead to the treasure under the ancient ruins; by then, Mowgli would distract him as Shere Khan attacked, killing the hunter. Mowgli would then use the hunter's rifle to shoot the tiger in the face, killing him instantly. In the end, Mowgli would be a hero among both humans and animals. My version will mostly contain elements of Peet's original piece but with elements from other works as well.

As you can see, I'm starting this story off with this song as it was going to be the original opening for the Disney movie.

Chapter 1: Brothers All

Out of the jungle, out of the sky
Whether the largest or the least
Whether we walk or whether we fly
Bird, fish or man or beast

We are of one mind, you and I
Give us our freedom or soon we die
Freedom or soon we die

From my heart I call to you
To you, Mother Wolf and old Baloo
Oh hear me, Akela and Bagheera too
Hear me cry the jungle call
Brothers all, brothers all

Though life may change and years pass us by
We will remember this great law
Law of the sea, the earth and the sky
Whether we swim or crawl

We are of one blood, you and I
Give us our freedom or soon we die
Freedom or soon we die

From my heart I call to you
To you, Mother wolf and old Baloo
So hear me, Akela and Bagheera too
Hear me cry the jungle call
Brothers all, brothers all, brothers all

 

 

https://youtu.be/PpPjTJKTvpE?si=cvd6Mk0kpGacsw4g

Chapter 2: A Basket on the river

Summary:

As a human baby is whisked away from his village during a storm, meanwhile, a pack of hungry wolves prowls nearby. What will this lead to?

(P.S. The words in italics are the words of the narrator.)

Many strange legends are told of these jungles of India, but none so strange as the story of a small boy named Mowgli. Of his wonderous adventures with all the beasts of the jungle, the great Seeonee wolf pack, his friends Bagheera the panther, Baloo the bear, and his enemy, Shere Khan, the king of all tigers. It all began one stormy afternoon, as the rains poured down like the tears of God.

It had been raining for an entire week, and a she-wolf was in a bad mood. The endless rains meant poor hunting, and she had hungry pups to feed. As she stood at the entrance of her den, scowling fiercely at the swirling clouds, the giant trees of the jungle reeled from the howling winds and driving rains as a torrent of water roared down the gulley below the wolf's cave. Suddenly, a blinding lightning flash, followed by a shattering thunder crash, sent her slinking back inside.

"This wretched storm," she snarls, "rain and more rain, and more mud, and no hunting for most of the week. " Then, realizing her uselessness in complaining about forces beyond her control, she sighed as she flopped down to comfort her terrified pups.

"Don't be afraid, little ones," she whispered in her soft, motherly voice, "These storms will soon pass, and our den won't come crumbling down on our heads. These rocks have stood for thousands of generations, so have no fear, my children."

No sooner as she said that, a flash of lightning illuminated the cave door; thunder jolted the room, and with a howl of terror, the five wolf pups scrambled further into a narrow space between the wall and their protective mother. The she-wolf chuckled at her pup's antics before lying back down to go to sleep.

                                                                                                                 ~

Far off in another part of the jungle, the storm had somewhat passed, and high above the dripping jungle, a vulture was circling, lightly riding the air currents while his farseeing eyes were scouring the forest below when he noticed a small speck that was moving along the swollen river. When he swooped down for a better look, he quickly discovered a brown basket with an infant boy inside; the basket was clinging to a large, broken-off branch, and the old vulture exclaimed, "A mancub? Why, sure enough, it's a mancub!" And he whirled away through the trees in the dense jungle. The old vulture flew until he eventually reached his destination, landing on a tree branch above a large rocky ledge. A small pack of bedraggled wolves stood nearby, grumbling about their wet coats as they shook water from their shaggy pelts. One wolf, however, with a gray coat, stood apart from the others on the very top of a boulder. This was Akela, the pack leader who had led them with strength and wisdom for two years. He was wise and noble and had never missed a kill. The vulture spotted the gray wolf and called out to him.

"Akela! Akela! The great chief of the wolves! The man village up north has been completely flooded, and a man-cub was carried off by the river!"

The old wolf looked up at him and muttered indifferently, "One less to worry about; the less of them, the better." Most of the other wolves agreed with their leader and nodded their heads.

"But he's still alive," the vulture cried, "he's floating down the river towards the rapids right now as we speak!" That got Akela's attention, and he was up on his legs.

"Well then, we might as well see his finish. Onto the river o wolves. To the river now," and as the leader jumped off the boulder and trotted down a narrow trail into a ravine, the pack obediently trailed right behind.

                                                                                                                  ~

As the she-wolf and her cubs rested, she was awakened by the sound of running. When she went to the entrance of her cave to see what it was, she saw the pack passing by along the trail below the cave. Confused about what was happening, she called out to them, "What's going on? Where are you all headed?!"

The last member of the procession who passed by stopped to inform her of the subject, "Didn't you hear?" he said, "The river has washed away a man-cub from its village. It'll go over the falls!" At that, the wolf went bounding away after the pack. The she-wolf took in everything the other wolf had said and said, "A man-cub lost in the river?" she said to herself, worried, "That can't be good." And she lept out of the entrance of her den and trotted after the others.

                                                                                                                  ~

The wolf pack eventually reached the shoreline and saw the basket containing the small boy whirling along in the swift current toward a roaring cataract. As the pack watched on and followed his progress down the river, Akela said, "Nothing is so helpless as a man-cub. A wolf-cub might've tried to save himself, but the man-cub is the most helpless of all creatures," and his subordinates all nodded at his words. In the trees above, a panther moved like a black shadow along a network of branches. He, too, had been watching the boy in the basket. As the timber approached the falls, the great cat went leaping across the rocks out over the river and reached out to try and scoop up the basket with his paw, but whatever his intentions were, he was too late as the timber branch. The boy slips past beyond reach and plunges straight over the falls into the boiling foam below. For a moment, everyone's quiet as they watch for any sign of the basket, but the basket is gone when the timber shoots out to the surface.

The gray wolf shakes his head in sympathy, "One less of them," he mutters, then turns around and leads the pack away down the trail. The panther is about to turn away, too, when he is surprised to see Raksha plunge into the river near the base of the falls. She is lost in the foam for a split second until she submerges, carrying the basket in her jaws. After jumping out of the water and shaking herself off, she trots in the direction of her den, and high above, perched on a tree branch, the same old vulture watched on as she carried the child off into the forest and flew after her.

                                                                                                                   ~

As Akela took leave of the pack, he sternly reminded them that there would be a council meeting next full moon. "I expect all members to be there. Now go back to your dens," he says before heading to the den. He heaved a weary sigh as he entered the den to sit beside his mate.

"I've just witnessed the finish of a man-cub, drowned in the river; it was the most pitifully helpless creature I ever did see-" his mouth fell open in stunned amazement when he saw the basket containing the child inside sitting right in front of him.

"Ra-Raksha!" he stammered, "don't tell that you-you saved him?!?"

"I couldn't just let him drown," she pleaded, "A cub is a cub, no matter what kind, and must be protected at all times."

Akela had a frown on his face, "We can't keep him here," he argued, "he must be turned out, and now!"

Then Raksha leaped to her feet and protested, "Turn him out? To be torn apart in the jungle, never!"

"Raksha," Akela said, "I won't allow you to put our pack in danger."

"Does he look dangerous to you? "Look at him and tell me just how dangerous he is."

Akela looked down at the tiny infant in the basket; as he looked him over, he saw how the child looked up at him with curiosity instead of fear. In all his years, Akela had never once come across a man or beast who didn't look upon him with fear, and yet here was this small, innocent cub who looked up at him and was not afraid, even though Akela could've killed him with just one swipe of his paw. The wolf couldn't help but smile as he observed the infant laugh at him. But at that very moment, a sharp-beaked shadow crossed the cave entrance, and the old vulture entered, bowing humbly to the wolves.

"Good evening, Akela, the great leader of all wolves, and Raksha, looking more beautiful than ever, and how're your handsome children doing?"

Raksha quickly moved to shield the boy from the bird's view but left a tiny human foot exposed, which was more than enough for Chil as he continued to speak and stared pointedly at the foot.

"Remember when I told you about the man-cub who'd been washed away from his village? Well, I heard a rumor that he'd been drowned in the river, but I never trust rumors- do you?"

The wolves glowered in a cold fury at the mangy intruder but made no reply. Then, the Vulture continued talking.

"Now, I think the law of the jungle makes it clear," he leered, "that as I was the first one to spot the cub, it is my right to feast on it."

Akela picked up a bone and flung it at the bird, watching as it clattered to the stone floor. "Here, a bone. It's not much, but it's more than enough for you."

Chil looked over the bone and shook his head in disappointment. "A dry, worthless bone," he sighed. I'm sure we can do better than that."

"The hunting has been miserably poor these past few days," explained Raksha. These endless rains and mud have made it really hard to chase down the quarry."

"A pity," the vulture shrugged. It seems that I'd be doing you a favor if you just gave up the man-cub. As I said before, it is my right after all."

At that moment, all Akela saw was red, and he could no longer control himself. He bared his white teeth and lept at the vulture.

"GET OUT!" he exploded, "you dish-licking bone-picker! You wretched scavenger. The man-cub is ours, now leave, or I'll send you back to your mother featherless," and the vulture was gone in a flash. Then Akela turned back into the cave and flopped down to the floor with a mournful sigh of exasperation.

"Oh Raksha, what kind of trouble have you brought upon this poor family?" Raksha watched her mate with an amused look on her face. Until today, she'd never have thought to see Akela go above and beyond to defend a creature that wasn't of their kind. Then she turned to see that the child had crawled out of his basket and was hopping around on all fours, playing with the wolf cubs. That's when it came to her.

"I know what I'll call him," she murmured, "since he came from the river and because he hops on his hind legs, he shall be called Mowgli, the little frog." She smiled affectionately.

Akela looked at her and then watched the small human playing with their cubs. "Very well," he sighed, "Mowgli, it is."

That was how Mowgli, the man-cub, became a member of the Seeonee wolf pack: through the compassion of a mother and a father's protective instinct.

Notes:

Looks good so far, huh? It has a very Moses-esque feel to it, doesn't it? More will be coming in the future.

Chapter 3: Life among the beasts

Summary:

Mowgli's good life is suddenly cut short when a certain man-eating tiger returns to the jungle.

Ten times, the rains had come and gone, and we can only imagine the kind of life Mowgli the man-cub had led amongst the wolves, he was a favorite of all the young wolf cubs of the pack, although they themselves were already full-grown wolves and had gone off and left the den when he was still a child. Akela and Raksha taught him all things: how to recite the law, how to hunt, and the master words, "We are of one blood, you and I," so that he'd know what to say if he ever encountered danger. The lad also taught himself how to climb trees and swing on the vines by watching the monkeys swing on the vines, and with much practice, soon, he could climb the tallest trees and swing on the vines as if he were one of them. When he was tired, he basked in the sun; when he felt like his skin was burning, he splashed in the jungle rivers, and as he grew, he grew stronger and faster than ever. When he came of age, he was allowed to join the hunt and would drive the game for them, leading to many successful hunts. No man-cub was ever happier until one fateful day.....

After catching a buck, Akela took his share, for the law stated that when a kill is made, the leader would always get the first share. Once he drew away from the group as the rest began to tear into the dead carcass, he slipped through the leaves and vegetation to find a secluded spot in the forest eat in peace. Once the old wolf found a nice, isolated place under the branches, he plopped down to feast, when he accidently stepped into what seemed like a small hole, Akela looked down and pushed back the grass to see what it when when he noticed that it wasn't a small hole, but rather, a huge cat-like paw print imbedded deeply in the ground. Akela frowned for a second before bending down to sniff the paw print, but when he looked up ahead, he noticed that there were many other similar paw prints hidden underneath the tall grass. But that wasn't the worst of it as he kept following the many paw tracks into the dense jungle, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye, he slowly turned his head to his right to gaze at a regular  straight tree. That's when he noticed the strands of red in the huge claw marks inbedded in the trunk of the tree, when Akela calmly walked up to  the tree to sniff the bark, his eyes grew wide with fear and shock.

"N-no.....it can't be," the old wolf whispered, "h-how could it be?" 

Akela quickly looked around to see if there was anyone with him, as he was slowly backing away from the scene, he heard a twig snap behind him. The old wolf immedietly jumped around to face whoever it was.

"Woah, woah," a young wolf said, "It's only me father." The wolf had been looking for him. Akela looked at him for second, then turned around to the scene behind him. While he was double checking, the younger wolf noticed how strange he was acting.

"What's wrong, father?" the wolf asked, when he saw the concerned look on Akela's face. In all his years, the wolf had never seen Akela worried orr even on edge, but this was something entirely foreign to him. After thinking for a long second, Akela finally opened up his mouth to speak.

"There'll be a full moon tonight, correct?"

"That's right."

"......Gather everyone," Akela said, "We meet at the council rock, tonight."

"Father?" The young wolf was confused for a moment.

"I said go, now!" Akela snapped, which sent the other wolf scurrying away to bey his order. The old wolf looked behind him for one last time before turning to trot along the path he came through before. If his suspicions were right, his adopted son Mowgli might be in grave danger, and he could only hope that the pack would honor their most ancient law, "The pack should always defend their own, whatever their own may lack."

Notes:

This is the second chapter of my story. As you can see, I took great liberties with it, incorporating elements from Mowgli's Brothers and Bill Peet's original version. The next chapter will be out soon enough, so sit tight. Sorry it's bit short, but all will be revealed in the second chapter.

Chapter 4: The Council Meeting.

Summary:

The meeting will decide Mowgli's fate: whether he will stay with the pack or leave.

That evening, Mowgli was playfully wrestling with the wolf cubs in front of the den, with Raksha looking on and smiling. Mowgli had grown up during the past few years; he had wild, untidy black hair covering his forehead and ears and reaching down to his neck. His body was so skinny that his ribs were showing, and his knee bones were pointed out due to running on all fours for a decade. As he and the cubs rolled around in the dirt, a young wolf came running up the trail to join them.

"GRAY!" Mowgli yelled excitedly as the wolf jumped on him and licked his face repeatedly. Hahahah. Stop it, that tickles." As Mowgli and the wolf wrestled affectionately, another young wolf came limping up the trail to join them.

"Oh, Phaona," Raksha cried when she noticed her other son was in pain. "Are you hurt?" She went up to Phaona and started licking him, much to his embarrassment.

"It's nothing," the wolf grumbled, "just another beastly thorn; the trails are full of them," and he raised his lame paw to Mowgli expectantly, who immediately took his paw in his hand and went to work searching between the pads with his fingers. Unbeknownst to them, there was a group of monkeys hiding in the trees above them, watching the boy's actions. Once he found the opening, he slowly pulled the thorn out, causing Phaona to sigh greatly. The monkeys grinned and looked at each other as one of them whispered, "Come on, let's go tell the boss."

After licking the spot on his paw where the thorn was once struck, Phaona turned to Mowgli, "There's going to be a meeting at Council Rock tonight, and Father expects you to be there. Says it's really important."

"Really," the boy said, "Akela expects me?"

"Yep," Phaona nodded. He says that the meeting concerns you specifically." Mowgli looked confused momentarily, then turned to Raksha, who gave him an agreeing nod. "Go on then, if your father wishes to see you, then it would be unwise to refuse him," she said. After confirming her to leave, Mowgli turned to his two wolf brothers and agreed to go with them.

"Race you there," he exclaimed, running down the trail, leaving the others in the dust.

"Ohhh....we'll get you for that, Mowgli," Gray yelled, and they both ran behind him down the trail. Raksha chuckled at the sight and yelled to Mowgli, "Remember, son, run like a wolf!" "I AM A WOLF," the boy yelled back as he and his two wolf brothers raced down the trail. Raksha smiled and sat down with her paws crossed while watching her youngest pups roughhousing in the dirt. Unbeknownst to her, watching from above on a tree limb, the mysterious panther had been listening to the entire conversation; soon enough, he got up and slipped quietly away in the direction Mowgli and the others went.

 

                                                                                       ~

 

The cubs sprinted as fast as they could, entering the jungle again, where the large leaves hit their faces. Then, pretty soon, they were running through a clearing. Gray was racing up in first place while the others were catching up behind him, and Mowgli was all the way in the back. Although the boy had long grown accustomed to running on all fours, it still put him at a huge disadvantage, especially when trying to move around and keep up with the others. So he stood up on all fours and began to run on both legs, leaping over rocks, slipping under logs, and jumping up to swing on the vines; pretty soon, the boy was able to swing past and landed on the hard first floor when he was far up ahead so that he could reach the Council Rock before the others.

"What's the matter, fellas? Having trouble keeping up," he teased as he continued to swing on the vines, bypassing them entirely.

Eventually, he climbed up the rock and reached the very top, where all the wolves were assembled in a natural arena formed by the rock's ledges. In the center of the circle stood Akela, proud and strong as ever, looking over the members to ensure everyone was there. The full moon was illuminated over the jungle, making it seem as though it were bright as day. Once Akela laid his eyes on Mowgli, he briefly expressed an affectionate smile, but it returned to an expression of worry and uncertainty. For a moment, not a word was whispered amongst the pack; the only sounds that could be heard were the crickets chirping and the scratches of a bat's claws on the cave below. Before long, the silent spell was broken by Akela's loud, booming voice,

"LET ME HEAR THE HUNTING SONG OF THE SEEONEE," he cried.

As soon as these words left his mouth, a piercing chorus of deep howls erupted as half a dozen or so burly-looking wolves seated on a series of boulders lifted their heads in unison. Then they all began to break out in song, with every turn and flourish. Every deep-mouthed member of the pack knew that, at that moment, the full moon's sliver light shined, illuminating the rock in her glow.

"To the moon we lift our voices,"-the wolves raised their shaggy heads upwards, howling in between the verse before continuing the following,-"In a fearful harmony,

No one but us rejoices at

The Song of the Seeonee

"All for one and one for all

We'll sing out our deeds tonight

Oh, hear the tune of the wild hunting call

as we sing by the moon's silver light (silver light)."

One dark-colored hunter took up the next verse, his deep voice baying:

"The pack can always defend its own;

Whatever its own may lack," the wolf was joined by his comrades as they once again sang together in one voice:

"And the tiger may be king when he fights alone

but the tiger fears the pack,"

To the moon, we'll lift our voices; Once more, the night sky was filled with the mournful tune of the howling chorus. "In a fearful harmony

No one but us rejoices at

The Song of The Seeonee,"

The song had hardly finished when the rest of the pack lent their voices to the howling; Mowgli and his wolf brothers also joined in the howling, thoroughly enjoying themselves without a care in the world; their howls echoed across the valley, causing the nocturnal creatures of the jungle and the herds of deer and antelope to stop their grazing, nervous eyes and ears scanned all directions in alarm at the haunting melody that seemed to be coming from all directions in the darkness, their hearts pounding furiously as though they were running for the lives to evade an unseen hunter. The song ended with the pack all yelling wild cheers for their leader.

"AKELA! Lord and master of the Seenone pack," the wolves all cheered.

While the cheers were going on, Mowgli began to wrestle with the younger wolves and play with the pebbles in the moonlight without even considering the seriousness of the situation. After a long silence, Akela opened his mouth to speak.

"The first order of business for this meeting is to deliver some serious news, "the great wolf paused for a moment before continuing, "I have just received some grave information that, after all these years.....Shere Khan, the tiger, has returned to our part of the jungle."

No sooner had he said that, the entire council broke into whispers of ear and concern; some gasped loudly, while others turned and twisted their heads around to look at their leader to see if what he said was true, while Mowgli frowned and twisted his face in confusion.

"Shere Khan, who's that?" he whispered.

"The tiger, he's returned," one of the wolves said, "but why? After all these years," another said with panic in his voice.

"I can think of only one reason," another wolf muttered, and pretty soon, everyone turned their heads to Mowgli, who had a look of bewilderment and confusion written all over his face.

"He wants the man-cub," one wolf shouted, and all the others nodded and murmured in agreement.

"Akela, we knew something like this would happen," one wolf shouted. Didn't we tell you and Raksha all those seasons ago?" Another wolf joined in and said, "Khan will surely kill the boy and all who try to protect him."

" Can't you see, Akela?" another wolf asked, "The man-cub is putting us all in danger."

Akela listened to their ramblings until he could hold it no longer. "Mowgli is my son; our brother is in all but blood. He is more than entitled to the protection of this pack."

"Exactly," one wolf said, "the boy is not of blood. He's a man, a man's cub."

"Why do you think I had you all sing the hunting song?" Akela growled, "The pack should always defend its own, whatever its own may lack. It is our duty to protect him."

"Our duty?!" grumbled an older wolf with a deep scar running down his muzzle. "I've felt the claws of Shere Khan, and I have no intention of experiencing that ever again. I want none of it."

"Nor I," another wolf chimed in. "None of us do," the rest of the wolves said in unison.

Furious at his pack's cowardliness, Akela angrily reminded them of the penalty for disobeying their alpha. However, their fear of Shere Khan outweighed their fear of the punishment that Akela had in store for them. As the council continued to argue back and forth, Mowgli's wolf brothers stood at his side and in front of him, each in a fighting stance, ready to defend him to the finish if it ever came down to that. But, just then, at that very instant, a large black shadow dropped down from the tree above them and landed right into their midst; it was the mysterious panther.

"Hold up, wolves!" he exclaimed, "Perhaps I can help."

Everyone present instantly grew quiet and hesitantly looked to their leader for further orders on what to do next. After a few seconds of tense silence, Akela turned to the pack to speak.

"Hold on, wolves. Let's hear what Bagheera has to say," he said before turning to the panther. " Speak your peace, old friend."

With solemn dignity, Bagheera began to speak with a voice as soft as wild honey dripping from a tree, "As I'm neither a member of this pack nor even a wolf, I have no right to speak at this assembly, but I know man more than anyone here, and I know of the man-village that'll be safe for him." As he stared at the pack, his proposal was met with sullen silence; then he turned to Akela, "What're the odds in a battle with the tiger?" he asked, "A small chance, and at what cost? The life of one man-cub for the lives of many wolves?" The Bagheera turned to the other wolves.

"Allow me to return the boy to where he belongs; this way, you'll be killing two birds with one stone," the panther explained. Not only will he be safe, but you'll also avoid any quarrel with Khan."

Everyone began to murmur in agreement; Akela, who'd been silent for a good while, finally gave his answer: "Bagheera is right; the village is the only place where the boy will be safe. The pack honors your contribution. Now, this meeting is over. Go back to your caves," and the wolves soon began to disperse.

The panther nodded and turned to a bewildered Mowgli, "Alright, man-cub, let's be on our way." They soon began down the trail, off into the shadowy darkness of the dense jungle below, with Akela and his wolf brothers following close behind. As they trotted down the trail, Mowgli couldn't help but protest.

"But Akela, I don't want to leave," the boy complained. This is my home!"

"I'm sorry, son, but there's no other way," the old wolf said sorrowfully, "for even the strength of the pack is no match for the tiger."

As they went back and forth, Raksha came running up the path behind them, "Where are you going with Mowgli?" she demanded of Bagheera.

"I'm taking him to the man-village," the panther explained, "somewhere where he'll be safe."

Raksha then put herself between Mowgli and Bagheera, "Well, I won't let you," she growled, "he's my cub." Akela came up behind her to calm her down.

"Raksha, we both knew this day would come. Please," he pleaded, "please, it's the only place where he'll be safe." Realizing the futility of her protests, Raksha sighed a heavy sigh and turned to Mowgli, who crawled over to her and cupped both sides of her face with each of his small hands. "Mother?" he said with a mention thick in his voice.

"Listen to these words, in case I never rest my eyes on you again," the she-wolf said, "You are mine, mine to me. And no matter where you go or what they might call you, you will always be my son." Mowgli began to cry and hugged his adoptive mother tightly. Then, after letting her go, he, in turn, gave Akela and his brothers tight farewell hugs.

"The best of luck I wish you in man's world, my son," the old gray wolf said and bid him a final farewell. After the tearful exchange, Mowgli and Bagheera watched as the wolves all turned around, hurried off down the trail, and disappeared into the night. Bagheera then beckoned home to come along. "It's best we leave now," the panther said softly, "come on, man-cub. " And they both walked off into the night.

Chapter 5: A serpent in the tree.

"But I don't want to go to the man-village," Mowgli complained, "I want to stay in the jungle!!!!" The boy was close to tears.

Bagheera sighed and shook his head as they continued down the path in the jungle. He had no time for this; the boy would have to be made to see reason.

"Listen to me, man-cub. Shere Khan hates man, and he will not allow you to grow up to become one," Bagheera said.

Mowgli frowned at that. He'd never even seen Shere Khan, much less done anything to him. 'Why would the tiger be so hellbent on killing him, the boy wondered?' "But why? Why would he want to kill me?" the boy asked, "I've never done anything to him." 

"He's been gone from this part of the jungle for many rains", Bagheera explained as he kept on walking down the path, "it's said that he was driven from these parts when he when he rendered lame in one paw by a hunter who shot him while he was attacking a herd of buffalo."

"Is Shere Khan big?" Mowgli asked curiously.

"Aye, the largest of his kind," Bagheera nodded and exclaimed, "Not even Jacala the crocodile would stand a chance against the tiger, he'd be torn asunder. Savage, cruel, and utterly without mercy, with no regard for the law of the jungle. THAT'S who Shere Khan is. And don't you DARE say that you're not afraid."

"But I'm not afraid," Mowgli exclaimed, "Maybe if I go up to Shere Khan, perhaps I can just explain to him that I'd never do a thing like that."

"Nonsense." Just then, they came up to a tree. 'Excellent, ' Bagheera thought. "We'll continue tomorrow," the panther said as he turned to face the boy, "Now, up the tree and let's get some sleep. Khan hunts by night, so we should be safe up there, and we'll start off at the crack of dawn."

Mowgli glared at him for a minute before scrambling up the trunk and onto a heavy tree limb. Bagheera climbed up after him, and in an easy bound, he was right beside him.

"I'm not going," the boy stubbornly insisted as he settled down astraddle on the tree limb, his head resting against the trunk.

"Enough of that talk," Bagheera growled grumpily as he stretched out his body to full length, his sleek head resting on his crossed paws. But his eyes were kept open as he remained alert to every sound and movement in the dark, foreboding jungle below that surrounded them

"I don't want to go," Mowgli yawned sleepily.

"You have no choice," Bagheera exasperatedly snapped, "this jungle is full of all kinds of dangers. Even for me." But the boy was persistent in making his point.

"I'm not afraid. I can look out for myself," Mowgli insisted, "I know I can." No sooner had he said those words, a giant female python appeared out of the tree leaves above and slid down to the tree limb, looking the boy in the eye.

"There's no sense in arguing over it," Bagheera sleepily said, completely oblivious to the danger behind him, "You're going back to that man-village and that's that."

While he was saying this, the giant python was hypnotizing the boy while quietly wrapping a few of her huge coils around the boy until he was wrapped up like a mummy.

"I've already saved your life once," the panther said, "don't expect me to save you aga-," he turned his head to look at Mowgli, only to see the python with her mouth wide open, preparing to swallow the hypnotized boy whole.

"KAA!!!!!! HOLD IT KAA," the panther jumped up and smacked Kaa in the mouth, causing her head to hit the bottom of the branch above, releasing Mowgli from her grasp.

"Oof," Kaa exclaimed as she shook her head to clear it, "A friend of yours, this hairless bandar log. Bagheera?" She asked. 

"Indeed not," the panther exclaimed, "I was merely trying to save you from a long case of indigestion. This miserable man-cub is so spoiled rotten that he wouldn't even be fit for a pack of jackals."

The python studied the boy with her hypnotic, beady eyes for a minute while the latter began to unwrap himself from her coils and climbed out of them before drawing back in disgust.

"Ugh, I see what you mean," she says while recoiling in disgust, "I'll take toads and lizards any day," she says while sliding down the trunk. When she finally reaches the bottom of the jungle floor, she looks up at Mowgli one last time before sneering.

"I hate the taste of man-cubs," she muttered before disappearing into the dense undergrowth far below.

Slightly shaken up by the experience, Mowgli breathed heavily while looking in the direction which Kaa had slithered. Had Bagheera not saved him at the last minute, he'd be a goner for sure.

"Bagheera....I," he turned to his right to see the panther staring down at him with a hard expression upon his face.

"So, you can look at for yourself, can you?" the panther asked with a bitterly sarcastic look formed on his face, "So you want to stay in the jungle, do you?"

With a look of defiance, Mowgli glared at him, "Yes, I want to stay in the jungle."

Bagheera rolled his eyes before chuckling to himself, "This cub........," he sighed before exclaiming with a grin on his face, "Now for the last time, GO TO SLEEP."

Mowgli turned his body on his left side and rested himself on the tree trunk while Bagheera stretched his body out and crossed his paws before lying out on the branch. With that, they both closed their eyes and fell asleep, unaware of what they would face the next morning.

Chapter 6: A wild day.

It was dawn, and an early mist hung over the air as the sun rose. A large herd of elephants was trotting through the jungle below, mostly bulls and a single female. In front of them, an enormous bull elephant was at the helm; he was all scarred from past battles and had a look of aging on his face. Beside him was an elephant calf who was listening to the lecture the older male was giving him.

"So you see, son, "the great elephant said to his son, "As the jungle patrol, it is our sworn duty to patrol the jungle and ensure that the law is being upheld."

"Really?" The calf asked in curiosity.

"Yes," his father nodded, "We are the descendants of Tha, the one who created this jungle. When he drew his tusks from the watery depths, the rivers ran. He created all. The mountains, the trees, the ravines. He also created the first law of the jungle. And as his descendants, that is why we patrol this jungle everyday and make sure that it's inhabitants are obeying it."

As the young calf took in everything his father was saying, he looked around. And as he was looking around, he looked up and noticed a panther sleeping in a tree with a rather strange-looking creature sleeping right next to him.

"PA, PA!!!" he exclaimed, "Look up there. In the tree, what's that thing?" The calf asked.

The old elephant turned around to see where his son was pointing. And when he looked up, he saw Bagheera the panther sleeping on the tree branch with.................a man-cub. The old bull immediately saw red and lifted his huge trunk with a loud trumpet, waking both Bagheera and the boy up.

"Huh", Mowgli said while Bagheera lifted his head up with a tired look on his face, "What's happening?" the panther murmmered.

Soon, the ground began to shake as the great bull elephant started to charge at the tree and then rammed into the trunk with such force that it shook, causing the startled duo to clutch the tree limb tightly to keep from falling. Down below, the elephant herd was gathered around the tree as the great bull kept ramming with all his force.

"MAN-CUB, MAN-CUB!!!!!!!" the great bull bellowed, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY JUNGLE???!!!!" And with his huge head, he gave the trunk another violent butt, practically uprooting it.

As he kept head-butting, Bagheera and Mowgli both hung onto the tree limb for dear life before finally managing to get a good grip.

"IT'S NOT YOUR JUN-," Mowgli tried to yell down at the elephant before Bagheera quickly slapped his paw over the boy's mouth, keeping him from uttering another word. 

"HOLD ON, GREAT HATHI!!!!," the panther exclaimed and gave the kid a sharp look that said shut up before continuing, "Don't worry yourself over the man-cub, he's on his way to the village."

At those words, Hathi stopped butting the tree and looked up at Bagheera to see if heard right. "To stay?!?!" the huge tusker roared.

"Aye, to stay," the panther exclaimed in an assuring tone, "I promise you that."

Hathi considered Bagheera's words for a second before deciding to let the situation slide. Before going, he turned back to the panther.

"Alright, I'l let this one slide, but only because for your sake, Bagheera," the elephant said pointedly. 

"You have the word of Bagheera," the panther assured, "I promise that you have to lay eyes on this naked little creature ever again."

Hathi nods at those words, and as he turned to leave, he gave one last contemptuous look at Mowgli and pointed at him, "I'm no killer man-cub. But if I ever come across you in my jungle again, I WILL NOT show any mercy. R-rrrumph! Man and his red flower," Hathi said under his breath. And with that, he turned away; as he was leaving, the rest of the herd followed his lead. They also glowered at Mowgli in contempt as though he were some kind of disease.

"The very idea of a man-cub in our jungle. Just look at him," one of the female elephants said as they continued down the trail, "That impudent little devil. The very sight of him is disgusting."

As the herd left, the elephant calf was rather confused as to why his father and others had acted so violently when they saw the man-cub. He was curious and ran up alongside Hathi to ask him, "Father, why do you hate the man-cub so much?" the calf asked.

Hathi looked down at his son for a moment before sighing. 

"It's a long story." 

Mowgli and Bagheera watched the herd continue on their way down the trail before disappearing into the forest. Once they were sure the elephants were gone, Bagheera let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Whooie!" the panther exclaimed while taking his paw off the boy's mouth, "THAT was a close call. Now let's get out of here before anything else happens!!!!" And with that, he leapt down from the tree limb and landed gently on the ground. As Mowgli followed suit to join him, the panther took one last cautious look around and when the boy touched the ground, he began to run with Mowgli running after him.

"BAGHEERA!!! BAGHEERA!!!!! WAIT UP!!!" the boy cried as the panther raced through the forest trees. After Bagheera stopped running, Mowgli finally caught up with him and then asked a question.

"Bagheera, what did Hathi mean when he said man and his red flower"?

Bagheera turned to look at the boy and said, "The Red Flower is called fire in man's language."

"Fire?" Mowgli asked while puzzled.

"If you've never seen or heard of fire, then it's pretty hard to explain," Bagheera said before stopping to stare at a charred, black spire that was rising up out of the ferns. 

"Do you see that spire over there?" Bagheera asked while pointing at it. Mowgli looked up at the charred remains before nodding.

"That is a great mango tree............or....at least it was before it was devoured by the red flower."

Mowgli listened while staring at the spire, confused as ever, "The red flower......fire?" He asked dumbfounded.

"Aye, the red flower," Bagheera said, "Many years ago, before my time, after having grown sick and tired of man's constant persecution, the animals of the jungle all banded together and attacked man's villages. Destroyed his houses, ravaged his cane fields, carried off his cattle. Then, man, in his anger, unleashed the red flower, which destroyed the jungle and killed many of the beasts. Hathi was one of the few survivors, so he has good reason to hate man."

Mowgli was stunned for a minute before asking grumpily, "If man is so awful, then why do I have to go live with him?" It wasn't fair, at this point, everything he'd heard about man was nothing but negative. It sound like he was the cruelest monster alive. Mowgli didn't look forward to spending any time with him if what Bagheera said was true.

"You have no other choice," the panther growled, "The jungle is no longer safe for you, you're being hunted by a tiger. As unfortunate as it is, only man can protect you now."

Just then, they heard some rumbling coming from the jungle. As it got closer and closer, the ground began to shake, the due looked on in fear from where the noise was coming from. Just then, before anyone could blink, a great big black rhino came crashing through the bush, and he did not look happy.

"I smell a man-cub," he bellowed, "Death to the man-cub". And he ran straight for Mowgli. At that very instant, without thinking, Bagheera immediately knocked the boy out of the way with lightning speed, sending him sprawling out of the rhino's path.

The rhino lumbered to a stop and swiftly turned around. His small red eyes darted about in confusion as he tried to find the boy. "I'll find you man-cub, wherever you are," he exclaimed while sniffing the air to try and locate the boy. But unbeknownst to him, Mowgli and Bagheera were already cautiously tiptoeing away to the base of a large tree trunk. They then began to race up the trunk as fast as they could until they were safely perched onto a tree limb while out of harm's reach. They looked on as the nearsighted rhino went off grumbling to himself, charging at any bushes and boulders in his way, hoping that it would be the man-cub.

Mowgli couldn't help but find the whole thing ridiculous and shook with laughter, "AH HA HA HA HA!!!!" he laughed, "Did you see him? He's so blicnd and stupid that he can't tell a bush from a man-cub."

But Bagheera wasn't laughing, as usual; he was dead serious. "So you think this is funny, do you?" he asked with bitterness in his voice. "You really believe that you can look out for yourself, do?"

"Yes, I AM able to look out for myself," the boy exclaimed with stubborn determination.

"BAH!!!!! You're not safe on land, in the water, or up here in the trees. What are you going to do? Grow wings and learn how to fly like Chil the vulture?" the panther asked with his questions practically dripping with bitter sarcasm. 

Mowgli tries to find a good rebuttal for Bagheera's words, but he can't seem to come up with any. All he can do is sit there in stubborn silence, before pouting. "I'm not going there," he stubbornly pouts, which, of course, makes the frustrated panther all the more irritated.

"Oh yes, you are!!!"

I'm staying right here," Mowgli exclaimed while turning around the grab the tree trunk.

Bagheera stomped towards Mowgli and angrily stated, "You're going back to that village, even if I have to drag you every step of the way." With that, he grabbed hold of the boy's breech cloth and began to pull at it while Mowgli stubbornly clung to the trunk.

"Let go of that trunk," Bagheera growled while pulling, "NO YOU LET GO OF ME!!!!!", Mowgli exclaimed. The boy did his best to hang on, but the panther was far stronger, and after a brief struggle, Mowgli lost his grip, and they both went tumbling off the limb and crashed through a tangle of vines before finally landing on the jungle floor with a heavy thud. Bagheera hit the ground first before Mowgli landed right on top of him. As they were slowly getting up, the tree branch they had sat on had broken off and landed on both of them.

'That was the final staw', Bagheera thought to himself while growling in anger and frustration. As he pulled himself up from the ground and shook Mowgli off of him, he groaned in anger, "Ohhh.....that does. I'VE HAD MAN-CUB. I've saved your life not one, not twice-but THREE TIMES already. I've paid my debt many times over. And from now on, you're on your own.....ALONE!!!!!!!!!", he yelled before bounding away in the bushes. 

"Don't worry about me," Mowgli muttered angrily before turning to sit down at the base of the giant tree. As he sat there staring off into space, the jungle was still and silent for a while, and there he was looking as helpless and tiny as ever. For the first time in his life, Mowgli was truly alone.

Just then, the silence was broken by a loud thrashing, which startled Mowgli, and he turned around to look behind to see where the noise was coming from. 'What kind of beast could that be?' Mowgli thought to himself. As the noise grew louder and the thrashing got closer, Mowgli became fearful and slowly backed away, unsure of what to do.  

Just then, the thrashing stopped, and the bamboo cracked open to reveal an enormous beast.

"AHHH!!!!!!!", Mowgli exclaimed.

Notes:

Ooooooh..............quite the cliffhanger huh? Has Mowgli met his end, or did something else come bursting out of the forest? Stay tuned for more.

(As a side note, this chapter was wild. Mowgli had elephants and rhinos trying to kill him, falling out of trees, getting left behind by his only protector, and now, something else happened upon him. Can the poor kid ever catch a break?)