"Jane!" Tarzan called out, noticing an upright, pale figure standing ahead, with a shorter one next to it. It was Jane Porter, Tarzan's wife, originally from England. She and her father, Archimedes Q. Porter, originally arrived here on an expedition to thoroughly study and document the behavior of gorillas in the wild. In the midst of that expedition, Jane got lost, but was found by Tarzan, who brought her back to the safety of her camp. The leader of the expedition was a fickle man who instead wanted to capture and sell the primates to zoos and circuses, if not hunt some of them. Over the course of a few months, Jane fell in love with Tarzan, and decided to live with him instead of heading back to England, after they defeated the expedition leader to save the apes, and her father stayed along as well, under the guise that they were lost in the jungles.
"Tarzan, there you are." Jane said, walking over to him and placing his hands on his shoulders gently: "We were just looking for some herbs. My father seems to be a little ill."
"Ill?" Tarzan asked, concernedly addressing the old man afterwards: "Archimedes, what's wrong?"
Archimedes sneezed, then explained what was wrong: "Oh, my boy, it's just a cold. I can manage, don't worry.", he said, wiping his nose with a clean leaf instead of his hand, as he was instructed by Tarzan.
Tarzan lowered his gaze for a while, and then came up with an answer that could help the old man: "Look for some mint leaves and inhale them. It could help you sneeze out the ooze better."
"Now, what was all the hullabaloo about back there? It sounded like trouble." Jane asked Tarzan, for she heard the noise of the battle rather well, and was worried about the safety of the youngest members of the troop.
Tarzan sighed, and began to explain: "Nuru and Sheeta attacked us. Nobody got hurt, because Tantor and I arrived on time." he was glad the outcome was at it was, and that Tantor was by his side. Otherwise, the battle with two young adult leopards, who were fit and strong, would have proven to be even more difficult.
"The leopards? Nasty business.." Archimedes commented from behind, as he continued catering to his own business.
"How did they come so close to us? They could only have been lured nearby by something, or someone." Jane said, because the territory of Nuru and Sheeta spread further south than the location of the troop's last nest.
"That was me." Simba butted in, walking beneath the two, glaring up at Jane innocently, seeing her for the first time. Like lions, humans were, in the cub's eyes, drastically different between their genders. The females had a more frail physique than males, with thinner arms, and were usually shorter. But he saw Jane as a beautiful woman and he looked to her fondly.
Jane looked down in surprise, only to see the golden-pelted lion cub for the first time, and the first time she has seen any lion so close to her. A sympathetic smile crossed her lips as she crouched over to take a look at him, moved by his comforting appearance and harmless glare: "Well, aren't you simply beautiful?" she gracefully moved her hand across the fuzzy hair on his head, and over his shoulders. Feeling these affectionate touches, Simba nuzzled Jane's knee and purred gently, already imprinting on Jane as someone he could trust.
"I saved him from the leopards." Tarzan said, motioning his hand towards the warthog & meerkat duo: "We also found two of his friends here. They were originally raising him as their son."
Soon, Timon and Pumbaa came from behind Tarzan, looking up at his partner. Timon was compelled to introduce himself first, so he stepped forth before Pumbaa: "Timon, the most carefree meerkat in this part of the jungle, at your service." he bowed down.
Pumbaa looked up and smiled at the woman: "Pumbaa. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"My pleasure." Jane giggled. She immediately took a liking to these new characters, but was wondering what Tarzan would want of them, or if they wish to join the troop on the trip to the next nest, and also, they were wondering where the next nest will be: "So, where is our next nest going to be?"
Tarzan was led to think very thoroughly of this, because could not afford choosing a place that was too close to a predator's territory, and had plenty of sheltering in the form of trees. And the smell that the wind was bringing him reminded him that they were very close to the seashore, and this meant something that Tarzan held dear to his heart in more ways than one. He thought for a while until he came to a decision: "We're heading west."
"West? To the sea?" Jane asked.
"Yeah. The treehouse is close by, so we'll be safe there for the night." Tarzan replied, winking in affirmation that they had a safe shelter after all. Moreover, they were fully protected from the weather, should the wind blow, or should rain fall. Jane only nodded in agreement and went to check on how her father was progressing with the mint leaves: "Daddy, any luck with the mint?"
"Oh, yes, dear. I took some leaves for inhalation now, and I brought a few more for the road, in my satchel." Archimedes responded.
"So, we're ready to go.." Tarzan said to himself, and then addressed the troop: "Alright, everyone: we're heading west to the old treehouse! Take your children with you, keep them close and don't carry anything unnecessary!" with a spear in hand as a trekking stick, he marched ahead, and everyone else from the troop followed in a long line. Simba, with Timon and Pumbaa, joined Tarzan at the front.
Two hours later...
The troop managed to cover 6 miles in the first two hours of travel, and they were still heading forward strongly, with no pauses or anything of the like. However, this did take a toll on the younger members of the troop, as well as Simba. His paws and legs were aching from the long, tedious walking, and he grew hungry and thirsty. He wanted to see if anyone was willing to lend him a hand in helping him rest along the walk.
"Can you slow down a little?" Simba beckoned, find it hard to keep walking on, because he was tiring, and because his legs turned sore from the walk. Noticing Pumbaa besides him, he looked to him for possible help: "Pumbaa, can you carry me for a while?"
"Sorry, kid, I'm already out of seats." Pumbaa said, as he was already carrying a few baby gorillas, and Timon, on his back. Simba frowned in exasperation, and stood still, looking around hopelessly to find a solution for his fatigue and leg pain, and it seemed like he was doomed to walk a hurtful lot more. Until, he heard thudding footsteps from behind, followed by a familiar voice: "One free ride, coming right up!"
"Whooooooa!" Simba yelled, as he was picked up by Tantor's long, dexterous trunk and placed comfortably on his shoulders, where he could even lie down for a while. He was awe-inspired to see the world with an elephant's eyes for the first time in his life. In fact, Simba had always admired elephants, not only for their large size, but also for their loving and kind nature, which made them highly respected back in the Pride Lands.
"I bet you like the view, Simba." Terk said, as she was lying on Tantor's back, as she did most of the time: she was one of the lazier members of the troop and also one of the more tomboyish and somewhat aggressive females, as she stubbornly protected what she claimed as her own originally. But since Simba didn't take up her space, she wasn't bothered by his presence.
"Thanks, Tantor!" Simba said, and laid himself to rest for a while, looking down at the rest of the troop that was ahead, as they maintained the fine linear order set up by Tarzan in the first place. Most of the single females or male gorillas moved in the front, while the mothers and young gorillas stuck behind for protection.
One hour/three miles later...
In another hour, they had arrived at a bridge that separated the mainland from a small, high island rising from the sea floor, not too far from the shore. Tarzan stopped here and addresses the troop: "Everyone! We will each cross the bridge, one at a time, do you understand? Only mothers can carry their babies with them, but you can't cross it two at a time. The bridge is flimsy, old and fragile. We shouldn't risk breaking it apart on any account!"
The King of the Apes then moved to address the largest and most powerful members of his group, Tantor, and a certain male gorilla named Taug, the largest and most heavily built of the troop and therefore the only one he could rely on for protection: "Taug, you take the first watch. When you feel tired, take a shift with Tantor. The same goes for you, too."
"Alright." said Taug, who was ready to obey. Tantor followed his reaction with a nod of understanding directed at Tarzan.
"I'm going over last, because I want to see everyone get across safely. Who's gonna go first?" Tarzan asked, looking around the group to see if anyone would volunteer to take the first crossing. After a few seconds of silent waiting, he heard an answer from a rather unexpected darer: none other than the young cub: "I'll go."
Tarzan was quiet for a few seconds, but eventually nodded in approval, afterwards motioning him to start crossing. The cub then climbed down Tantor's face, and slid down his unfolding trunk, and slowly approached the beginning of the bridge, with a slight tinge of anxiety within his mind.
"Don't look down when you go over. Only ahead. You don't have to be afraid of falling that way." Tarzan warned him, so that he is careful enough, but without fear. When Simba started walking over, he could feel a slight swivel in its structure, and that made him stop for a second. Against the odds, the cub summoned up his courage and moved on, determined to cross it with the empowerment he received from Tarzan. While he was walking, he discovered that the closer to the center he was, the less swiveling there would be, and the more balanced his crossing would be. Soon, he would reach the bridge's end, and look down at the hissing ocean below him. Seeing what he had crossed over, Simba let out a sigh of great relief, glad that everything turned out just fine. He shouted across, to Tarzan: "I'm through!"
Gradually, everyone made the crossing successfully, and as instructed, one at a time, because the bridge was growing old and flimsy, and could break at any point. In a matter of minutes, they finally settled inside the indeed large treehouse, where Tarzan was, in fact, meant to be raised. It was built by Tarzan's true parents, who were the survivors of a shipwreck that happened when an English galleon set sail for Africa's western coast. However, their lives were abruptly ended by the attack of a large, formidable female leopard that the gorillas referred to as Sabor. However, a baby Tarzan survived the onslaught, and was heard by Kala, one of the troop that he now leads. She survived an attack by Sabor and managed to rescue the baby from her claws. When she took him to the troop, they showed great disapproval of his presence, especially the leader and Kala's mate, Kerchak.
Night had already fallen by the time everyone settled into the different parts of the large house, which was engulfed by the jungle undergrowth. As Simba walked in, he was already taken in by its structure, and surprised that such things even existed, so finely structured and measured they seemed, like they were out of this world: "So, what is this place?"
"It's where auntie Kala found Tarzan when he was little." Terk replied, to teach Simba about the place and give him some insight into Tarzan's past life: "Still can't believe Sabor came all the way here for a pair of humans..."
"Who came?" Simba asked, confused at hearing the name.
"Sabor." Kala joined the conversation, as someone who witnessed everything come to pass: "She was a female leopard that was our enemy for a long time, and she killed Tarzan's family. I could hear his cries coming from here, and I ran away from the rest of my troop. I found him in his cradle, all alone. We were quick to imprint on one another, but Sabor attacked us again. I managed to shake her off, and I took him to the rest of the troop. "
"Why did you save him?" Simba asked.
"Because I knew that there was a lot more to him than his appearance suggested, and that he had a greater deal to offer us than anyone else knew, including Kerchak." Kala sighed, with a bit of a smile.
"Who was Kerchak?" Simba asked.
"Kerchak was our leader before Tarzan came of age... my mate. He was stubborn and fierce, but still.." Kala sighed a pause, in remembrance of his life: "Still a great leader who cared for our troop's well-being and gave his all to defend it from danger... eventually, he gave his life in a terrible attack we suffered from a group of humans who wanted to trap and kill us. I'm more grateful than anything that I found Tarzan here, because if it weren't for him, we wouldn't be here, where we are now. And I'm very glad Jane and her father are with us as well." Kala then looked out of one of the windows. She had managed to cope with many losses over the course of her life, among them the death of her own mate, and even earlier, the death of her actual child at Sabor's claws. Yet Kala did not speak of the latter, because it was still much too painful to share, so she kept it to herself. However, something about his innocent curiosity reminded her of the time Tarzan was a child, and how inquisitive he used to be, and not always for his own good. And like Tarzan then, he was an outcast among those who were not his own kind.
"And the leopard?" Simba asked: "What happened to it?"
Tarzan then approached the conversation himself: "Sabor died of old age a long time ago, but not without leaving behind some legacy. She had a cub that grew up to become just as fierce as her. She attacked our troop last year, and Kerchak was overpowered. I jumped in to distract her and try to fight back at her, with nothing but my spear in hand. Though, she was clever enough to break off the tip and send it falling down a ledge. The only hope I had of saving my skin was to go after it with no weapons in my hand. She cornered me in some tree roots, but before she could reach me, I got her paw stuck in there, before making one last jump to get the tip."
"And what happened then?" Simba asked again, anticipating the climax.
"Then she fell on the tip, and our most feared enemy had been defeated that day." Tarzan ended, and then moved over to say something that concerned all of the troop, because it was time to sleep by far: "Okay, everyone, get some sleep! You'll be safe here for the night..." he moved to the window looking out into the jungles to the west: "I hope."
Simba, though, had found Tarzan's old cradle, which was already in an advanced stage of decay, but still maintained a solid form to sleep on. He tucked himself inside and lay to sleep, but not before looking out into the nightly sky, and seeing the moon shine across the sea, and hundreds of stars glistening, remembering his father's words..
"Whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you... and so will I."
Feeling more alone than ever, Simba lay down, sighed and tried to do his best to sleep...