Author's Note: I love Jungle Book, this takes place one year after Jungle Book 2, Shanti=10 years, Mowgli=10 years, Ranjan=5 years...Somewhat going along with the cartoon Jungle Cubs how Khan used to be friends with everyone...Don't forget to Review!

Summary: A virus has infected the jungle animals, and the JB crew has limited time to cure the wildlife, but the cure lies in Shere Khan's past and betrayal...

Disclaimer: Sadly...but no...


Chapter Two

And the Rhinos Run Their Eyes

February

Bagheera had been through just as bad if not worse last twenty-four hours compared to Baloo; his stomach had been cramping nearly the entire time between Baloo leaving and the village men finding him.

He didn't pay attention to the mens' conversations; Shanti had lifted his head into her lap and was gently rubbing her fingertips along his head and muzzle, helping to distract the panther from his aching head.

Unfortunately, Shanti's petting didn't distract him from his aching stomach that decided the relaxing roll of the stretcher he was placed on to carry him back to the village was a very BAD idea, and ended up struggling right off the makeshift stretcher and emptied his stomach painfully.

Shanti was right there next to him, gently rubbing his next and between his shoulders to ease the painful convulsions.

"Let's get you back to the village..."

Bagheera black out.

xxx

"That morning sun peeks over the mountains, and all the rhinos rub their hair..."

Bagheera felt his heart warm at the sound of Mowgli's smooth voice, though glad to hear and see the man-cub as Mowgli slipped inside the hut, the panther wished it was on better tidings.

Mowgli had softened to a low, soothing as he shut the door.

Mowgli's face lit up when the turned, "Bagheera? You're awake."

"Mmhmm...good to see you man-cub."

Mowgli sat next to where Bagheera lay on a pile of straw and blankets.

"M-mowgli? Is Baloo here?"

"Yep, he's at my hut, sleeping right now."

"Good." Bagheera let his eyes drift closed, content to get as much rest as he could for now until the inevitable stomach ache returned.

"Bagheera? You know what this virus is called? Baloo said it was nothing major..."

Bagheera interrupted with an outright groan as he let his head rest on the blankets.

"It is major, it's called the Sleeping Death, a deadly Jungle Fever. Though I'm not surprised Baloo doesn't fully remember the severity...*cough*...of this disease."

"Why not?"

"He caught this many years ago as a cub himself, he probably doesn't remember since he was so sick then."

"Then how do you remember?"

"I was on of the few who wasn't as ill as the others...*groan*...Now my luck from back then has...*oomph*...run out."

"Are you okay Bagheera?"

"No, apparently my stomach finds it better for me to be in pain than actually get decent sleep."

Mowgli winced a little, Bagheera never expressed discomfort except when mad or just plain tired and irritable.

"Rest jungle prowler, you are safe and cared for here."

Shanti's mother had slipped in, she gently and a little slowly in hesitation, smoothed the fur on Bagheera's neck.

"Can this be cured? I mean you guys made it earlier, why not now?"

Bagheera sighed heavily, coughing a little and shaking his head, "It's not that simple...*cough*..."

Shanti's mother, Kelebek, shooed the boy outside as Bagheera started wheezing and soon would be too weak to speak.

"Mowgli!"

Mowgli turned to Bagheera who had painfully pushed himself to sit upright, "Yes?"

"Find Louie, I know he's a jerk and scatter-brained, but he has the patience to deal with Hathi, the jungle maybe infected completely and this could get worse than just Baloo and I ill. Hathi will blow if that happens."

Mowgli nodded and left at a run, and Bagheera admired his confidence and understanding as he slumped back down, exhausted.


"Do-de-do-da-ba!...Do do do-de-do...!"

"King Louie! Put me down you stupid monkeys!"

Mowgli came into loudly, complaining at the monkey's greetings the entire way from where he'd been ambushed near the start of the ruins.

Louie was lounging in his 'throne' and looked up at the upside down Mowgli with a serious and confused expression.

"Now what would the man-cub be doing down here?"

"I'd tell you if I wasn't upside down!"

"*sigh* alright-alright...let 'em down boys."

"Oomph!"

Mowgli growled as he picked himself from the stones.

"Well man-cub? Whatcha doin' here?"

"Bagheera sent me, he said you'd be able handle Hathi because the jungle's..."

"Whoa-Whoa! What's this about Bagheera sending you? Now why would ole Baggy do that? He could've stopped by himself."

"He can't!"

"Well, why not?"

"He and Baloo are int eh man-village!"

"What?" Louie 'stood' up and Mowgli had to take a step back and raise his hands in defense.

"They're really sick, Bagheera thinks the jungle maybe infected."
Louie leaned into Mowgli a bit, "Did Bagheera say what it was?"

"Something like the 'Sleeping Death'...Jungle Fever..."

Louie stared for a second, then sighed heavily, "Not again! Lemme guess man-cub, Bagheera want me to deal with Hathi 'cause Baloo's gotten the entire Jungle sick."

"Yep."

Louie ran a paw down his face in agitation, "Alright-alright, let's go tell Col. Hathi and get the word movin' around."

xxx

Mowgli though he was going to hate following King Louie around, but the swinging on vines to move quickly was actually a lot of fun; you could go anywhere as long as there were vines and trees.

Louie stopped on a branch conveniently above Hathi's head, starting a conversation and ignoring Mowgli's struggling to clamber on the branch.

the elephant herd was right among some old and collapsed wells as the far side of the ancient ruins, and the stones near the intruding tree roots were loose and crumbling.

(Why the elephant herd was there, Louie forgot to ask.)

Louie was completely distracted by his conversation, he didn't see Mowgli's struggling...

At least until the struggling turned into crumbling rocks...

Then Mowgli started screaming...

Not shouting in complaint of being at the bottom of a well.

Screaming in agony of a broken arm.


Bagheera awoke the next time to...well he wasn't sure what woke him, but his new arrangement consisted of the dozing Baloo, and a barn near where he was before he fell asleep, probably to calm the other villagers since there was a guard outside the door.

Baloo sneezed himself awake, groaning a little as Ranjan slipped inside to grab a basket and hand to a lady outside, obviously she was nervous of entering the barn and the little boy was not.

A shout made the extremely bored guard jerk from where he was leaning on the barn, several women and children began screaming and rushing past the barn as Chandra grabbed Ranjan and shoved him in the barn with Shanti and two other girls, slamming the door shut as several men joined the guard and Chandra to take of the disturbance towards the gates.

"Tiger! Tiger!"

"In the Village!"

Shanti whimpered a little, and Bagheera forced himself to his feet to gently rub his head against her hand once, soft reassurance as the worst case scenario of the panther and bear in the village came true.

Shere Khan was in the village.

Ranjan clung to Shanti's skirts with one hand and a handful of panther fur in the other.

"No! Chandra!"

Ranjan gasped and buried his face in Bagheera's fur, hearing his mother's cry and father's shouting something, which came clear a moment later.

"Mowgli!"

xxx

Messua tensed as she watched the long, lean tiger ease the unconscious Mowgli off his back, the boy's right forearm bending in two directions.

Once Mowgli was safely on the ground, the tiger backed away, strange though...

The men with guns and torches followed one step at a time; Messua went to Mowgli's side, Chandra followed and quickly snapped the bone back into place.

Mowgli woke up, and started screaming.

Messua was holding Mowgli still with all of his thrashing while Chandra tried to calm him down.

But Mowgli didn't, he just kept shouting names of his animal guardians and friends, and even shouted for Kaa and Shere Khan.

The tiger froze, unfortunately Baloo had heard Mowgli's shouts and had literally come running out of the barn, fully ready to tear into the tiger.

The guns went off.


Sorry if that was a little harsh...It will get better...just needed to add to the plot...a little mean even for me...Baloo/Mowgli bonding next!

Well? Whatcha think? Review please!