Author's Note: To any readers of my previous story, this is a completely unrelated fic to A Slave Named Shanti. While the future of that story is still TBD, I did take notice of some of the comments regarding how you'd like that story to end. Without giving too much away, I think that most people would like to happen would clash with how I imagined the story, especially regarding the relationships between Shanti/Kaa and Shanti/Mowgli. However, it did inspire me to write this story, so perhaps this may quench people's desires. Please enjoy!


To any man or beast roving within, the wild jungles of India were a constant source of mystery and intrigue. From every unseen corner stalked prowling animals, scheming predators keeping their eye on some unsuspecting prey. As a result, such prey found themselves in a persistent state of trepidation. Who could tell whether that movement in the corner of one's eye was merely a trick of the light, or a carnivorous creature just ready to pounce, ridding the jungle of the prey and their fearful awe? Indeed, in the great unknown expanse of the jungle, who could even tell if some other danger lurked, beyond that of merely serving as a meal to some greater beast? Behind every tree, within every shadow, any danger was possible. And so, often the worst threat to a wandering presence was the very anxiety that kept them cognizant of danger. A fearless man ignorant of the jungle's dangers suffered death but once; the fearful experienced thousands.

These harsh truths were well known among the few scatterings of civilization in the jungle. It was rare to find villagers wander too far into the brush, tending to hunt and gather as near to their home as possible. The sight of man, or scent, was not commonly found in the deeper regions of the jungle. This was just as well to the predatory animals inhabiting these regions. Few had particular desire for the taste of human flesh. They made do with the prey that did present itself to them in their remote habitat. Should man somehow find its way that far into the jungle, then perhaps a meal could be made of them. Still, there was always a risk, however small, that villagers would seek retribution for a missing friend of theirs. This was rare indeed, particularly so deep in the jungle, but it nonetheless gave pause to creatures seeking to make a meal out of man.

It was for this reason, then, that Bagheera the black panther was so puzzled to detect an unfamiliar scent during his hunt one morning. The sun shone particularly brightly, warming the land and casting dark shadows in the densest parts of the jungle where the feline currently strolled. The panther was used to walking this part of the jungle. He visited every month or so, to meet up with old friends. Kaa, the great rock python, made his home in the canopy of this region, and thusly Bagheera's visits here were normally cordial, to chat with his reptilian companion since childhood. They had mutual trust of one another, and neither feared being consumed by the other. Kaa usually snapped up the few animals passing through for himself, and Bagheera in turn was happy to scavenge elsewhere.

This made it all the more strange for Bagheera to discover a live scent here. Continually moving forward, the panther kept his nose pressed to the ground, following the strange smell. 'Still fairly fresh' he thought to himself, eyes turning upward to look around. 'Still alive? Kaa usually makes quick work of his victims… Could they have escaped his grasp?" Taking another whiff, the feline shook his head. 'It's too strong for them to have left. Whatever this creature is, they're still nearby…"

Bagheera began moving again, but he was not hunting. In fact, he was at a loss how to handle the situation. Out of courtesy, he gave Kaa dominion over this area where he made his residence, to consume as he pleased. Why would the snake not have noticed this scent himself, and coiled up for himself an easy dinner? Could Kaa not have noticed? The thought gave Bagheera a pang of concern. The python was some decades old at this point. Surely he hadn't…

Picking up his speed, Bagheera disregarded the scent and made his way for where he knew Kaa usually made his home. Yet even as he ran, he could tell the scent was getting stronger. Perhaps… this creature had gotten the best of Kaa? Bagheera pushed the thought of his mind, needing his thoughts to be clear to deal with whatever it was he was drawing toward.

At last the panther recognized the familiar stone formation a few feet off from a wide tree trunk that marked the serpent's usual nest. By now the scent was flaring in the panther's nostrils, a bit more defined. It was a soft scent, somewhat fragrant, yet pervading it was something else, something more primal…

Gazing up towards the canopy, Bagheera narrowed his eyes and widened his ears, searching for any sign of Kaa or the mysterious source of the scent. The tangle of leaves and vines hid what lay beyond from view, but the panther was able to pick up a faint sound. Bagheera heard a soft, calm voice, but it wasn't speaking. It was… giggling?

The panther had just about enough of this mystery, and called up with a mild tone of concern. "Kaa? Are you up there? It's Bagheera!" Sure enough, at the sound of his call the giggling stopped, replaced with a hissing that Bagheera knew all too well. After a few moments, the panther was relieved to see the head of a snake wind down through the canopy above the jungle floor. The large, brown spotted python was unmistakable, as was the wide grin adorning his lipless mouth.

"Why hello, my friend! What a lovely surprise! I must admit, I wasn't expecting your company." The snake's neck twisted as he spoke, scales glistening in the sunlight as he did so.

"I wasn't expecting to speak to you so unexpectedly myself, Kaa! I'm simply happy to see that you are well," Bagheera said in reply. Seeing the snake in good spirits calmed him down as he sat on his hind legs, but his voice still carried an air of worry that did not go unnoticed by the python.

"Hmm? And is there any reason why you would think otherwise?" the snaked asked curiously.

"Oh, no not at all. No good reason at least," Bagheera said sheepishly. It seemed he may have made a faux pas by suggesting the predatory snake was in some sort of danger. "It's just my overactive imagination, nothing more. I had detected a scent I haven't noticed before and, well, I became concerned that things were amiss."

With a dismissive laugh, Kaa waved away Bagheera's concerns with his tail. "Nothing amiss here, I'm afraid! I'm living in especially good conditions, in fact."

"A happy fact, indeed," the panther nodded, before furrowing his brow. He inhaled again, taking in the strong aroma surrounding him. "Hmm. That scent is particularly strong here. Don't you sense it, Kaa?"

Kaa eyed Bagheera with a look of suspicion, before flicking his tongue a few times into the air. "My, that is a scent. It must have… escaped my notice somehow…"

Bagheera cocked an eyebrow at that. Kaa, not noticing a scent as overwhelming as this? That was unlike him, almost too farfetched to be true.

"You, old friend? Didn't notice? Now, I may have let my fears get the better of me before, but I have more confidence in your skills as a hunter than that. Surely you can't be serious?"

Kaa huffed, straightening his coils and turning his head away from the panther. "As a matter of fact, I am serious. I was in the middle of a little siesta, and was still in the throes of rest. Is that not feasible to you? Or are you so much greater a hunter you can't imagine taking a small nap? I daresay, if you only came here to insult me, you've achieved your goal."

The panther shook his head again, apologetically. "I'm sorry, Kaa. This was not my intention at all. If it pleases you, I can take my leave. Perhaps I can return later under better circumstances?"

"Ohh, I suppose so. I shall have to think it over…" Kaa said melodramatically, batting his eyelids in a showy expression of hurt.

Bagheera stretched out on to all fours, ready to leave the snake to recover from his unintentional wounds. He had only taken a few steps forward when he noticed something in the corner of his eye. Pausing, he turned his head, spotting something laying incongruously on the ground some few feet away. Strewn unceremoniously behind the wide tree trunk was a bright purple cloth, a sight practically unknown to denizens of the jungle.

"Mmm? And what's this?" Bagheera said, intrigued. He made his way to the cloth and got a closer look. Though it was sitting in heap, he could tell it was a few feet long, with a small streak of red cloth surrounding it. Just next to it, a smaller cloth could be seen. This one was smaller, and completely white. Bagheera stood puzzled, and was about to inquire further when his nose bustled with excitement. Whatever these findings were, they were drenched in the mysterious scent Bagheera had discovered.

The panther looked up at the snake suspiciously. "Kaa? Might you have any idea what these are doing here?" The snake's face had fallen, eyes wide and neck curled up in embarrassment. "Wh-oh! Those silly things? Well, ahem, it's actually a bit of an amusing story…"

Bagheera wasn't interested. He had known Kaa long enough to know when the devious serpent was hiding something, and poorly at that. Sitting up straight, the panther looked him straight in the eye and spoke authoritatively. "Kaa, there's no point in hiding things now. You know something about that scent, and you know something about these pieces of cloth. What on earth are you—"

He ceased speaking suddenly, his mind coming to a realization. 'Pieces of cloth… of course. It's no mystery who could make those…' Leaping up to a branch some ten feet off the ground, Bagheera stood face to face with his serpentine friend. "Kaa. Do you have man in your coils?"

Sighing with great disappointment, Kaa's head rose a bit higher, away from the accusing gaze of the panther. Just then, from an even higher branch, a collection of coils emerged. They were looped neatly in a row on top of one another, each loop smaller than the last. As the coils made their way into the light, however, Bagheera took notice of the strange appendages poking out of the bottom. Two smooth, hairless legs stood out at an angle, small feet flexing playfully at either end.

"Not so much a man, my friend. More like…" The cocoon of coils at last were fully revealed, and Bagheera could see what sat at the top of the highest loop. From within the coils poked a small face, adorned with a wide grin and spiraling, colorful eyes. The head was nearly hairless as well, save for the decent amount at the crown, with strands pulled out with purple ribbons on either side. The panther's own eyes grew wide as he realized at what he was staring.

"A girl-cub?"