ROOOOAAAAA. The leap, the surprise, that's what mattered most.

Squuuueeueuueue—had to be faster, mommy, daddy, where was mommy and daddy?

"Mmph…Taru?" Her hand felt around her, had he fallen? No, he was gone. With a strangled gasp she shoved her mate.

"TARU'S GONE, KERCHAK!"

Kerchak mumbled in his sleep, barely awake. "Wheeezeehaaat, Kuula?"

His mumbled question was answered by a scream they knew too well and both parents were wide awake.

"SABOR! NO!" Rushing from the nest, awakening all others, they ran towards the sounds of feet and brush and leaves and struggle. Then, Kerchak stopped, and his arm shoved Kala back, as he himself shuddered and looked away.

She thrust against him. Then she smelled it.

Blood.

Tears poured and she clung to her long time mate, sobbing. She wouldn't be moved, staying there long past dawn as the family came down and consoled and cried with her. Kala winced as Amir ambled forward, her tiny ones in tow.

"Mother. I am sorry. The jungle can be so cruel. Nothing I can do would ease your sorrows."

The heartfelt words fell on deaf ears as Kala nodded numbly at her oldest daughter. Kala and Kerchak had been mates since barely out of adolescence and had thankfully, at least, begotten many children. This one had been what was acknowledged by both mates as the "last one", for they were both far into their age. There would be no others.

Her grief, as was common, was shared by all and her silver backed mate stood apart from the others, his heart aching. He had watched so many children grow up, a great many of them his and Kala's. Now, they had lost one…their last… and it was their fault. Too old, too slow, too tired at nights to awaken easily as they had done with Amir and her siblings. The jungle had claimed their child because they, the parents, couldn't protect him.

My son…

Kerchak ached remembering the difficult pregnancy and delivery of this one, how it had spanned twice the normal birth time and caused Kala more pain than all others combined. They had agreed at the arrival of this one, there would be no more.

Two days later, Kala became a mother again.

But it was not their kind.

A/N::

Just something I thought of while watching Disney's Tarzan. Kerchak makes it blatantly clear that Tarzan is not to be known as his son until he is on his death bed, and I think he might have been stuck in grief at first, and then anger for his mate going against his wishes.