Let's start on Part 2 of this story, shall we? Read on to find out what happens! Thanks for reviewing, dream lighting and Xx Rebel Writer xX.
It didn't take long for Mowgli or Misty to start getting used to the village. Mowgli was quickly taken in by a family who already had an overactive younger son called Ranjan, who looked up to the older boy no end. Mowgli became basically fluent in English within two months.
The time portal didn't arrive for Misty, but she was OK. The girl that they'd met, who introduced herself as Shanti, persuaded her mother to take Misty in. As soon as they were within the village, Shanti turned out to be a good friend to both of them, and her flirty act at the river seemed to be a one-time thing, especially once she accepted that Mowgli and Misty were together. Misty was really worried about her family, but she tried to have a good time.
One night, after two months, the two kids pinned up a sheet and made puppets, and put on a show about Mowgli's time in the jungle.
"I never knew where I came from, but I always knew where I belonged." Mowgli narrated. Misty held up the puppets to match what he narrated. "This is me and Bagheera," Mowgli said, "The panther who found me in the jungle. He's a good friend of mine. But my best friend of all was...good old Papa Bear. We had some crazy times together. And when the monkeys grabbed me, things got really crazy. Then, I came face to face with the meanest, scariest tiger in the whole jungle: Shere Khan."
Ranjan jumped up and down when he got to that part. "You stay away from Mowgli, you mean old tiger, or I'll tie some fire to your tail!" He pulled the sheet down, and continued acting like a wild thing until Mowgli pulled the sheet off him. "I got him, Mowgli! Did you see, I got him!"
"You sure did, Ranjan," Mowgli laughed, "But it's gonna be kind of hard to finish the story now."
"But we all know how it ends." Ranjan pointed out. "Shanti blinks her big beautiful brown eyes at you-"
"And we both follow her into the village." Misty finished.
Shanti giggled. "I did not!"
"Did so." Mowgli shot back.
"Something was in my eye!"
"Both of them?"
"Well..." Shanti paused. "You were so ugly you made my eyes water! I couldn't have flirted because I saw your girlfriend right there with you!"
Misty giggled too. "Shan, each to their own." She usually called Shanti "Shan", although she was the only one that did so.
"Well, you-" Mowgli began, but the leader of the village, Ranjan's father stopped him.
"No, no. We give thanks for Shanti's beautiful brown eyes. Without them, Mowgli and Misty would never have found their way into our lives."
Shanti's mother thanked the two kids for a wonderful story, and went to lead the two girls back home.
"Good night, Mowgli." Shanti said, pretending to flirt.
"Goodnight, Mowgli." Misty said, going over the top and fluttering her eyelashes.
"'Night, girls." Mowgli said. "Watch out for Shere Khan on your way home."
Shanti rolled her eyes. "You and your stories. Everyone knows tigers don't come into the village."
Misty stuck her tongue out at Mowgli, who started laughing (when they could find a space alone, she could do a lot more than just stick it out).
Ranjan growled. "Tigers go wherever they want!"
"Goodnight, boys." Shanti's mom said.
Before the girls went to bed that night, Misty started up an interesting conversation. "I think Mowgli misses being in the jungle."
"Why would he?" Shanti asked. "I'd be terrified if I lived there."
"Well, he is used to it." Misty pointed out. "He loved it there. Sometimes I see him looking out of the village gates. He misses everyone there. Well, he probably doesn't miss Shere Khan much. Or Kaa. But Bagheera, Baloo...he misses them a lot. I miss them too, kind of."
"I guess I understand." Shanti admitted. "But it's really dangerous out there, and as far as I'm concerned, it's good that we're not allowed to cross the river." That was one of the rules in the village; no child was allowed to go into the jungle. The furthest anyone went was to the river, and that was to get water, just as Shanti and Misty did every morning (they took turns actually getting the water, but the other always kept the one getting it company).
Speaking of which, it was Shanti's turn the next day. The two girls walked to the river, chatting away.
As Shanti crouched down to fill the jug, Misty continued to talk, and both of them got a shock, when a voice said "Hey, girls."
Mowgli was hanging upside down on a branch. "What are you two doing here?" he continued, slipping onto one of the stepping stones in the water that Misty had helped him place for a quick escape route to the jungle if they ever managed to get through without the adults noticing them sneaking off.
"Um, getting water." Shanti told him.
"Enough about us." Misty said. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I'm on the lookout. For danger."
"Please. There's no danger around here." Shanti insisted.
"Are you sure you're not here just to enjoy the view?" Misty teased. "Or even better, to make sure me and Shanti don't tell when you go back to the jungle."
"Nuh-uh." Mowgli insisted. "Keep this just between the three of us, but yesterday, I saw tiger tracks."
Shanti didn't believe him, but Mowgli kept insisting. "It's Shere Khan. I hear he's looking for me – and you too, Mist. Seeking his bloodthirsty revenge."
"I didn't do anything!" Misty protested. "You made that up! Even if he is looking for you, it's just you. Cause I wasn't the one who tied fire to his tail."
"Still," Mowgli said, "keep your ears open, and always watch your back. Or the last thing you'll ever hear is-"
"ROAR!"
Shanti and Misty screamed at the first moment, until they realized what just happened. Both girls overbalanced, and grabbed hold of each other as they fell into the river, with Ranjan still playing tiger. He and Mowgli burst out laughing at the girls' faces.
"When does the tiger roar?" Mowgli said.
"NOW!" Ranjan yelled.
Shanti stood up first. "Boys." she muttered, taking hold of Ranjan's hand and leading him away. "Come on, Ranjan. He's a bad influence."
Mowgli shrugged as Ranjan looked back.
Misty stood up and tried to wring the water out of her skirt. "That was a mean trick to play on Shanti." she remarked. "She's already scared enough of the jungle. If you keep going on about Shere Khan to her, she'll make sure you never go into the jungle again."
Mowgli shrugged again. "She's just a friend. She can't stop me from going in. Besides," he grinned mischievously. "I have a plan. We'll be in the jungle within an hour, I guarantee it."
Misty smiled a bit too, but then she said "Wait a sec. Can't you stay for a few minutes? We're alone." She didn't wait for an answer, and lunged for a kiss. Mowgli dodged just in time.
They played this game a lot. It was basically kiss tag, just that once the tagged one was caught, they were all too happy to play along.
It took ten minutes until Misty caged Mowgli in her arms and got the kiss, slipping her tongue in and touching his for a second.
Then she smiled and broke the kiss. "Let's get going." she said, then she scooped up Shanti's forgotten water jug. "I better bring this back for her."
Mowgli grinned, slung an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders, and they walked off.
Well, that's done. I have a feeling not many people liked "Jungle Rhythm" and I kind of have a love/hate relationship with it, but just a warning, it's coming up. Please, just review, though.