The sun was sinking low when Tarzan looked at the retreating gray back of Kerchak. Curious about as to where he could be going, Tarzan began to follow him. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted his two cubs napping on Terk. Alone, silently he crept behind the giant ape. With a numb feeling he began to recognize the worn path Kerchak was on. It was one he had traveled many times. Up ahead lay the burial site of Kala and Khari.
Along the way, it seemed Kerchak had gathered flowers because he lay them over her. Hidden by the thick brush of the jungle, Tarzan realized this was a gross invasion of privacy. His stomach churned and sank like a rock as he heard Kerchak talking to his mother, " Oh Kala. I miss you every day. No matter how how great distance put between us, it feels like you are always here. Tarzan, he is so like you in many ways. I am so deeply reminded of you around him that I forget you are even gone. Can you believe that? I forget that my own mate is dead. I sometimes find myself talking to you, only to realize that you are never going to speak back to me. Every morning when I wake up, there is a second before I remember that you are dead. In that second, I feel such… bliss. But then the jungle crashes down around me and I remember. But I can't even be sad for long, because Tarzan is always there with drool running down his face and those ruddy cubs are curled up around my head and their little feet kick out in their sleep and hit me in the nose. After Khari, I felt so lonely. I felt like I had lost my family. Me and you were separated and always mad at each other. Do you remember the time you got so mad me you shoved a banana up my nose? "
Tarzan felt ill as he listened to Kerchak talk. 'I don't belong here. I NEED to leave. I am bad.' He mentally screamed at himself. But there was something in Kerchak's tone that made him stay.
"Something has changed. I feel less lonely. I feel like I have a family again, Kala. I wish you could be here, Tarzan has grown a lot. Quite the little ape he has become. You would be so proud. He loves mangos, almost as much as you did. He has made so many new friends since you left, and he even calls those cubs his brothers. I did not understand it at first. I did not know why you would leave him to me, especially when your sister Catile would have raised him with Terkina. But, I get it now. He is mine now, and has been for awhile, and I cannot even imagine him not being with me. When we lost our son, I thought I would never love another child, but I was wrong. You were right Kala. You were always right.
Making himself known, Tarzan stepped out of the thick foliage. Hot tears streaked his face. Kerchak looked surprised at his sudden appearance and wanted to feel mad at the eavesdropper but suddenly Tarzan was hugging and Kerchak felt his embarrassment and anger melt away. Wrapping his arms around him he felt Tarzan shuddering from his tears.
That sun had disappeared and the moon's light shone through the canopy. In the distance you could almost hear the twin howls of wolf cubs seeking out their two missing pack members. Wiping his tears, Tarzan came to a resolution, "I am sorry for listening. Can we go home, Dad?"
It sounded alien on his tongue, but something he could definitely get used to. Throat tight with emotion, Kerchak nodded his head and with a grunt, he put his son on his back and they left for home.
As they broke the tree line, two happy cubs ran up to greet them. Dancing merrily around the ape they barked cheerfully and soon after the family lay down to sleep in their nest.
Feeling at peace, Kerchak looked at the sky and sighed as he heard Tarzan snoring against him and the cubs growl playfully in their sleep. This was his family. Kala was right. She always was.
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Is this finished? Should this be the end? Review and tell me!
Thanks for reading this little story through and looking past all of my amateur mistakes
Ciao!
REA