Cherry panted as she kept running with Atticus and Mowgli before she stopped. "I can't run anymore..." She then pouted as she was out of shape to run and keep up with them.
Atticus soon picked her up and gave her a piggyback ride.
"Are you sure I'm not too heavy?" Cherry asked.
"Please." Atticus snorted.
"Oh, right," Cherry said. "Supeer-strength."
"Hang on tight." Atticus told her before running with her.
They soon kept running away from the tiger and headed right for the temple.
And where they knew what to do once they were in the temple. Atticus soon put Cherry back down on her feet. Cherry went forward, but Atticus soon held her back since there was lava below the bridge.
"Oh, now what?" Cherry asked Atticus nervously.
Atticus soon whispered to them of where the gongs were and where to hide. Mowgli soon jumped over to the other edge.
"Come on, Cherry." Atticus told his best friend.
Cherry backed up nervously. "L-L-Lava..."
Atticus soon picked her up and jumped over the edge.
"WAAAAH!" Cherry yelped.
Mowgli nearly slid and tried to climb over, but was stuck. He soon made it up as Shere Khan was right behind them and he pounced over the lava pit, making it up the stairs behind them.
"He's behind us..." Cherry said in a scared tone.
"Quick, let's get to our stations." Atticus said.
Cherry shivered nervously before she ran off to her spot while Mowgli and Atticus went to their own.
"No matter how fast you run, no matter where you hide, I will catch you." Shere Khan mocked.
Mo soon ran to her spot.
"Oh, please let this work..." Cherry said to herself quietly and nervously.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Shere Khan smirked as he entered the temple while looking for the humans.
"Okay, and now." Atticus whispered before he and Patch hit their gong.
Shanti and Darla were soon rushing to the temple despite being told to go back to the village. They soon heard the echo of the gong. Shanti covered Darla's mouth as they hid away from the tiger.
"That was close." Darla muffled.
Baloo, Ranjan, and Bagheera soon made it over to the temple as it got dark and lightning seemed to flash as thunder struck.
"Take the kid, Baggy," Baloo told the panther as he put Ranjan on the floor and ran off inside of the temple. "I'll go help the kid!"
"Baloo!" Bagheera called out.
Baloo turned back to the black panther.
"Be careful." Bagheera told him gently.
Baloo nodded to him and soon went inside.
Meanwhile in the temple, Atticus's plan was working perfectly.
"Why was I cursed to talk to animals anyway?" Cherry complained to herself. "Why couldn't I had another hidden talent like curling my tongue or something stupid like that?" She soon heard how angry Shere Khan was getting. She curled up slightly and shivered anxiously. "I'm going to talk to Mom and Dad about this animal speech thing..." she then said to herself, trying not to make too much noise.
Baloo soon looked around for Mowgli while Shanti did the same thing, and where they soon bumped into each other. "You! You stay away from me! What're you doing here?! I'm here to help Mowgli!"
They both then stopped once they realized why they were both there.
"Uh, I guess we're on the same side." Baloo smiled to Shanti.
"I guess so." Shanti replied.
They both then split up and Baloo soon spotted Shere Khan, and where he saw what was going on and decided to join in. Lightning flashed as Shere Khan soon came toward the gong that was being pounded on by Baloo. Shanti soon came behind another gong and hit that with two sticks to throw off the evil tiger. Mo soon banged on her gong then. Shere Khan snarled as he was soon running around in circles, and where it seemed like the plan was working until one of the gongs became loose. Cherry cringed nervously as she feared that it would be her, but it was actually Shanti.
"Oh, no!" Shanti whimpered once Shere Khan spotted her.
"Hey, I lucked out, and I didn't even get hurt." Cherry smiled innocently.
As if karma wasn't being fair, her gong soon fell next. Cherry's eyes widened as she then bit her lip. The gong seemed to slide down on the other side before falling on her.
"WHY!?" Cherry cried out.
"Well, if isn't this a pleasant surprise?" Shere Khan smirked.
Shanti frowned as she lowered her sticks as Cherry struggled to stand up.
"So, who's it going to be, Man Cub?" Shere Khan challenged. "You or your adorable little girlfriend?"
Mowgli knew which one Shere Khan meant. Shanti tried to throw sticks at Shere Khan only to have worse luck than Cherry.
"I'm waiting~" Shere Khan taunted Mowgli. "One... Two-"
"No, don't!" Mowgli cried out as he ran out and showed himself.
"No more games, Man Cub." Shere Khan glared.
Lightning flashed as Mowgli soon ran and Shere Khan snarled while coming after him. Baloo soon charged at him. Shere Khan then knocked down on the floor.
"Way to go, Baloo!" Atticus cheered.
Mowgli and Shanti soon ran together.
"Somebody...?" Cherry weakly called since she was still crushed by her gong.
Atticus soon lifted the gong off her.
"Thanks..." Cherry said before standing up though was hunched until Atticus fixed her back for her.
"Atticus!" Darla called out as she soon ran toward her big brother and she soon hugged him, happy to see him.
"Darla, what are you doing here?" Atticus asked.
"Shanti brought me here." Darla replied.
"Should have known." Atticus said.
Shere Khan tried to lunge out for Mowgli only to be tackled down by Baloo. The tiger soon got loose and continued his hunting.
"Mowgli, look out!" Baloo warned the feral boy.
"We have to protect Mowgli and Shanti!" Patch told them.
"Can they make the jump?" Cherry asked worriedly. "There's a lava pit below."
"Why is it always a lava pit?!" Darla complained.
"I'm sure they can make it." Atticus said.
Mowgli and Shanti soon jumped and made it on the other side away from the evil tiger, and where Shere Khan made it, only for him to hang on to the side of it with his claws. Mowgli soon helped Shanti up as Shere Khan stalked right behind them.
"Mowgli..." Shere Khan grinned maliciously as he almost had them, but before he could get to them, the ground underneath them moved.
Darla bit her nails nervously as she felt worried for Mowgli and Shanti right now.
"Uh, is that a statue head of a tiger?" Mo asked.
"I think it is." Patch replied.
"I think it's leaning into the lava pit." Darla said.
Shanti and Mowgli screamed as it looked like they were going to fall in while Shere Khan lost his grip and fell from the statue head. Luckily, Baloo took Shanti's hand and Mowgli grabbed onto her ankle.
"Oh, thank goodness." Atticus said as he saw that.
As for Shere Khan, well, he was now trapped and was now going to be tortured by an annoying vulture.
"Should we get him?" Cherry asked.
Cherry, Atticus, and Patch paused for a few moments to think this over until they finally reached a verdict together. "Naaaaah!"
"I think he deserves to get tortured." Darla smirked.
"You said it, Dimples." Cherry agreed.
Shere Khan groaned as he was soon trapped with a certain vulture who was more annoying than the other four who were like The Beatles.
