Kingdom Hearts
by hikaranko
Summary: This is, in all seriousness, a direct novel adaptation of the game Kingdom Hearts. "The Destiny Islands are a beautiful paradise where children's laughter abounds. Day after Day, Sora, Riku, and Kairi talk and dream of new places, new worlds, beyond their islands... Little do they know a great destiny awaits them..."
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts at all. This entire fan fic is really just the game in novel format, so credit for the existence of all of this goes to all the hard workers at Disney and Square-Enix (most especially Tetsuya Nomura). I must also thank the creators of the KH manga (from which I borrowed stuff).
Author's Note: Apologies for the last chapter. Not the best written chapter, I admit. Anyway... here are the answers to some questions that I've been asked.
Q: Didn't Sabor... die early on in the movie?
Hey, I'm not the one who decided to have Sabor in here. This world takes place more or less in the middle of the movie, so I guess Square-Enix and Disney wanted to keep him. He didn't die too early into the movie... It was about 20 some minutes in. No complaints from me, really. Sabor was a pushover. :P
Q: ... Why did you include the slides quest in the last chapter?
Ahh, the slides. Yes, that was really lame and a major pain in the butt to write, mainly because I didn't want to write about it. It's such a feeble little quest... but it led up to an important point, so it had a decent reason to stay. Please don't beat me over the head! The walking around and puzzle solving parts aren't easy to write, nor are they particularly fun to read, so I try to keep those scenes as short as possible (did you notice that the actual looking for the slides part was only like, a paragraph long?) except when I have the manga to reference to.
Q: Blah blah blah, I know all this stuff! What about the stuff we don't know?
Hey, I said from the very beginning that this might be boring for the KH veterans, and that next to nothing will surprise 'em... but the people who haven't played the game (and may not ever play the game because the idea of having a giant key as a weapon strikes them as too weird a concept to handle... hmmph) don't have a clue. Those people are my target audience. I'm doing my best to include some nice, fresh material that can help bridge some gaps, but it's not as easy as you may think it is. So please, bear with me.
Q: What's happening to Riku (and Kairi)?
I can't tell you that. One reason would be because it'd be like, the biggest spoiler ever (for those who haven't played the game before), and another reason would be because this is, for the most part, from Sora's POV. I'm trying to keep the villains and those guys a mystery, just like the game did. We're supposed to be the good guys, so we're not supposed to know what they're up to. Another reason would be because I don't really know for sure. I could probably think up a scenario about what they're doing and thinking while Sora's out lookin' for 'em, but it probably wouldn't be true. And since in this story I'm sticking as close to the game as possible, I'm not gonna include my theories here. I'm just telling everyone what happened in the game, just in case they didn't get to play it. After all, the KH universe belongs to someone else, not me.
There are tons of other fanfics out there that discuss Riku's status before/during/after the game, so if you like, you can take a gander at some of those.They really are quite interesting.
Q:Why doesn't Sora just step on the shadows with his big shoes?
... As big as Sora's shoes may be, they are not big enough to crush the Heartless. Nor is Sora heavy enough to be able to beat the shadows by stepping on them. I mean, look at him! He's all lean and skinny and stuff! And the shadows are like, half his height! I don't think he could even raise his foot that high. And the idea of Sora jumping on them is a little too Super Mario for Kingdom Hearts.
Q: Ugh, I'm confused!
Good! It's okay to be confused, the entire game is just a trip. :D The only advice I can give you here would be... try not to think too hard about what's going on.
Chapter 12
Strangers Like Me
Deep Jungle
Tarzan led the way deeper into the jungle, walking crouched over in the style of a gorilla, supporting his weight on his knuckles. Sora and the others followed him closely, aware that it wouldn't be difficult for them to get lost in the jungle depths. Clayton brought up the rear of the party, his hands glued to his shotgun as though they were physically attached. They walked in silence, for the most part, except for the occasional instructional phrase or grunt from Tarzan or Goofy's attempts at getting his teammates to talk to each other (with which they both responded to by glaring at each other and then turning away).
They had been walking for quite a while before they reached a small lagoon. There were several deep pools of water, in which several hippos could be found bathing. The entire area was surrounded by moss covered trees and vines. There were several thin trees that seemed to be growing right out of the water, providing a small amount of shade from any sunlight that might manage to stream through the thick tree canopy.
"Whoa…"
Donald's eyes grew wide, his jaw dropping. Goofy looked out over the waters and sighed contentedly. "This place is bee-yutiful…"
As the group stood in awe, gaping at the lagoon before them, Tarzan examined a growth of ivy that could be found on one of the trees. He dug his hands into and climbed it a little ways upward, then climbed back down. It was definitely strong enough to support human weight. He peered up into the canopy, trying to see where it led. Then, with a firm nod, Tarzan turned to Sora.
"Sora," he called firmly.
Tearing himself away from the vision of the lagoon, Sora moved toward Tarzan. The jungle man immediately pointed at the growth of ivy and gestured toward the top of the tree, making climbing movements with his hands and pointing to the canopy. Sora's jaw dropped.
"Y'mean, we gotta climb up this tree?" he asked in disbelief.
The other members of the group spun around to look at Tarzan and Sora. Tarzan merely nodded and smiled, and then offered to give Sora a boost. Sora stared at the ivy for a moment before taking a deep breath and climbing on. He dug his hands into the plant, giving it a hard tug to test how sturdy it was. He then swung himself up onto it as though it were a ladder, finding holds for his hands and feet as quickly as he could, and climbed.
Sora looked over his shoulder, down to where everyone remained. He shuddered slightly upon seeing how high up he had already climbed. Then, taking a deep, calming breath, he called out.
"It's okay guys!" he assured them. He swallowed hard. "Just… don't look down!"
Donald nodded and looked over at his companion. "Okay. Let's go, Goofy."
The captain wrung his hands and looked at Donald sadly. "Do we have to?"
Donald whacked Goofy on the back of his head and pushed Goofy onto the ivy, and then climbed on himself, with Tarzan's help. But when Tarzan turned around to help Clayton, the British man was nowhere to be found. Apart from the hippos, there wasn't a single soul in sight. Tarzan glanced around the area in concern before swinging himself onto the tree and began to climb.
The growth of ivy conveniently led the party into the jungle canopy. There were vines dangling from every part of the canopy here, which swayed and moved in the breeze. Peering over the edge of the thick tree branch from which Sora and the others were standing, the ground was so far below them that they could barely even catch sight of it. Goofy was already trembling in fright. And what Tarzan was about to tell them didn't help at all.
From here, Tarzan had explained in broken English, they were going to have to use the vines to get around. It was a simple matter of swinging on the vines and jumping from one vine to the next. While Sora had managed to get himself eager and willing, it took a whole other set of arguments to convince Goofy. Basically, Donald had to force Goofy into a different mindset by keeping him so scared the entire time that the captain of the guard would have no idea that he was actually swinging from vine to vine. In any case, Sora and the others managed across the vines and reached Tarzan's destination.
As soon as they had arrived safely, Sora looked around them, concerned.
"Hey, where'd Clayton go?"
Both Donald and Goofy began to look around them. When no trace of the British man was found, they merely shrugged their shoulders.
"Maybe he went back?" Goofy offered with a scratch of his head.
As Sora was about to respond, Tarzan forced them to be quiet, placing his hand over Sora's mouth. His green eyes were locked onto two large figures that were perched on a large tree branch just above them, looking down at them expectantly. Two gorillas; one distinctly male and the other female. The male must have been the leader, judging by the silver patch of hair on his back. The female was brown in color, with softer features on her face, making her seem almost motherly.
"Kerchak…"
Tarzan moved forward slowly, releasing Sora, crouched over low to the floor. The large silverback gorilla glared angrily at him as he approached.
Sora's eyes went wide. "That's Kerchak?" he said quietly in disbelief.
The gorilla immediately cast a death glare at Sora. The boy shrank back, closing his mouth and backing away quietly. Kerchak's gaze immediately became malicious as he then turned back to Tarzan with an angry grunt, making a motion to leave. Tarzan's eyes went wide as he moved forward as though he was going to stop them.
"Kerchak, please listen to me!" Tarzan pleaded with Kerchak in gorilla.
The gorilla leader narrowed his eyes at Tarzan. "I told you to stay away from the strangers!" he roared in rage. "I said not to let them see you and not to seek them out!"
The female turned to the silverback. "Kerchak…"
"Don't try to defend him, Kala!" he roared, turning his attention on the female.
"Just listen to him, Kerchak," she said gently, shrinking back slightly.
Her expression was grave, her eyes glimmering in sympathy for her adopted son. Only then did Kerchak concede to listen, sighing in exasperation before turning his gaze onto Tarzan.
Tarzan took in a deep breath before speaking. "I know the nesting grounds are secret, but I…" He took in another breath, closing his eyes for a moment. He glanced over his shoulder to look at Sora and the others. "I trust them." He then looked back at the other gorillas, his voice softer, humbler. "You see, I want to help them, because… because… well, they need us."
Kala turned to Kerchak expectantly, continuing to plead with him silently on behalf of her son. The silverback continued to stare at Tarzan, who had lowered his eyes slightly in submission. The silence that ensued seemed almost unbearable. Sora, Donald and Goofy were aching to find out what exactly was going on. After a moment of the tense, awkward quiet, Goofy leaned toward Donald.
"Uhh, did you get that?" he asked quietly.
Donald rolled his eyes. "No."
Tarzan stepped forward, raising his eyes, still pleading. "Kerchak!"
The gorilla stared at Tarzan, his expression solemn and grave. Then, after a brief moment, he turned away as though something had come to his attention. His nostrils flared slightly as he looked up toward a different part of the jungle canopy. Then he simply turned and lumbered away silently.
"Kerchak…"
Tarzan then turned to his mother, who could only give Tarzan a long, sympathetic look. She closed her eyes and began to follow Kerchak. The jungle man sighed heavily, closing his eyes, crushed by the turn of events. Goofy looked over at Donald, leaning toward him again and whispering into his ear.
"He seemed sorta distracted by something," he whispered.
Donald nodded. "Was he looking toward the tree house?"
Then suddenly, Tarzan looked up, his eyes going wide, his nostrils flaring as though he'd caught an interesting scent. "Clayton."
"Clayton?" Sora echoed, confused. "What about him?"
Without another word, Tarzan bounded off, taking off through the trees, climbing up the tree trunks as fast as he could.
"Tarzan! Tarzan, wait up!"
The others exchanged concerned glances before chasing after him, doing their best to keep up. They climbed trees and swung across the vines as quickly as they could without falling, leaping from tree branch to tree branch. Eventually, Tarzan came into view, though still far ahead.
"Where do you think he's going?" Sora shouted as he slid down a tree trunk.
"The big gorilla was looking toward the tree house," said Donald. "Maybe he went there."
"He mentioned Clayton, too," Goofy offered as the trio continued to race after Tarzan.
Sora's eyes went wide. "You don't think… Would Clayton...?"
As Sora began to understand, his eyes glazed with determination and he pushed himself to run faster in order to catch up with Tarzan. The King's men looked confused, but continued to follow.
The gorilla plopped herself down in the middle of the tree house, gazing about her in awe at the unusual surroundings. She then turned her attention onto the peculiar blue and green ball that she had pulled out from among the boxes and crates. The gorilla had no idea what the object could be, but it was most certainly interesting looking. Curiously peering at it from all sides, the gorilla poked it and backed away quickly, expecting something to happen. Interestingly enough, the sphere began to slowly spin in place. After a brief moment of this, it stopped. Nothing else happened.
Blinking, the gorilla slowly moved back toward it, one finger outstretched, and poked its surface again. Once again, the ball began to spin. A small smile crossed the gorilla's face. She seated herself next to it and began to smack the sphere, watching contentedly as it spun faster and faster with each strike. She continued to do so, but would then stop the ball her other hand, only to hit it again. She truly found herself contented with her newfound game.
The barrel of the shotgun gleamed in the dim light as it was raised in the air, its wielder getting down on one knee as he set his sights on the unsuspecting gorilla. A wry smile crossed his lips as he watched the gorilla continue to play with the globe. He aimed carefully, squeezing one eye shut as his grip on the shotgun tightened. His finger began to squeeze the trigger, slowly. The hunter knew he couldn't afford to miss this shot. This was the perfect opportunity.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
The duck's voice was so hoarse and loud and so close to his ear that Clayton jumped back and fell onto his rear as he squeezed the trigger, the gun slipping slightly from his grip. He stared at Donald in surprise and alarm as the duck seemed to have appeared from thin air. The shotgun ended up blasting at the floorboards not three feet away from the gorilla. The noise forced the gorilla to jump from her place, stumbling clumsily backward before jumping onto the broken steps and climbing up them frantically to the second story.
Clayton ran a hand through his hair, his eyes wide as he looked up to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy looming angrily above him.
"What's the big idea?" Donald roared, jumping hysterically into the air.
They glared at him for a moment, Donald panting for breath, before turning their attention to Tarzan. As Goofy turned his eyes from Clayton to Donald and back to Clayton, Sora followed Tarzan's gaze to the balcony, where the gorilla had leapt up to. Clayton bit back a curse and stared warily at Tarzan. The jungle man moved forward, stepping deeper into the tree house, watching the gorilla as she retreated. He opened his mouth slightly, his eyes widening in recognition.
"Terk?"
The gorilla returned Tarzan's gaze, and as she was about to make her escape, she bumped into the large, lumbering frame of the gorilla leader. Her eyes went wide in horror, and she shrank slightly before him. Tarzan's breath caught at the sight of Kerchak. The silverback looked first at Clayton, his eyes practically spewing fiery rage, then at Tarzan. He grunted angrily, gestured to Terk, and turned to leave.
"Wait, Kerchak!" Tarzan pleaded. "Please!"
The silverback turned, his eyes locking on Tarzan. His face hardened in rage. "I asked you to protect this family. And you betrayed us all."
He then turned and lumbered away, taking his leave. Terk looked back down at Tarzan sympathetically, and then turned her attention to his companions. All of them were looking up at the gorillas, with solemn, sympathetic expressions on their faces. Donald watched her sadly as he took in a deep breath. Terk returned Donald's gaze for a moment before turning around slowly and following the leader.
It was then that everyone's expressions hardened in rage and every pair of eyes turned on Clayton, Sora folding his arms over his chest and Donald clenching his fists at his sides. But Tarzan's gaze bore the most anger out of anyone's. His long hair swung into his face as he turned sharply to glare at the British hunter.
Clayton looked at everyone's faces, his eyes wide in panic.
"You don't understand," he told them defensively. "I was only trying to…" He searched frantically for something to say. "Ah, a snake slithered by, you see." The words were practically stumbling over themselves clumsily. "I saved that poor gorilla's life!"
Tarzan could feel the anger welling up within him as he glared at Clayton. He took in a few deep, slow breaths before finally shutting his eyes and turning away. He shook his head slowly from side to side and hung his head in disappointment.
"How could you do such a thing?"
The group had returned to the tent and had explained what happened in the tree house to Jane. The young researcher was beside herself with rage. Her eyes were burning angrily as she turned on Clayton, yelling at him, her words said as clear as crystal, every syllable shaking in wrath.
"Now, Miss Porter," Clayton started to say, defending himself, "as I told you, I was not aiming at the gorilla."
Jane stepped up to Clayton, pushing her face into his, pointing one finger at him angrily. "You are not to go near the gorillas again!"
The hunter was taken aback somewhat. He laughed nervously, trying to loosen the tension in the tent. "All because of one mishap?" Clayton asked, chuckling slightly. "Come now…"
Clayton's attempt to soften the group hadn't worked at all. Everyone in the tent glared angrily at him, their faces only hardening with frustration and disappointment. Jane stood with her hands on her hips, her lips pressed together in a tight line, taking deep breaths through her nostrils in an attempt to calm herself (which wasn't working very well). Sora folded his arms over his chest as Tarzan turned around to glare at Clayton over his shoulder, his eyes burning in silent anger. Donald and Goofy stood behind the other three, equally enraged by Clayton's actions, Donald tapping one webbed foot on the floor.
Realizing he was outnumbered, Clayton slowly backed out of the tent, chuckling nervously. He turned around as he reached the doorway and threw the flap of canvas out of his way viciously. As soon as he was outside, Clayton's face twisted angrily.
"What am I doing with these imbeciles?" he asked himself, frustrated. He gripped his shotgun tightly in his hands. "Blasted gorillas! I'll hunt down every last one of them!"
He tapped the barrel of the shotgun in the palm of his other hand, and then slowly lowered it again, not releasing it from his grip. His free hand clenched into a tight fist as he remembered that they had no idea as to the gorilla's whereabouts.
"I'll track them down somehow." Clayton took a breath, calming himself down slightly. "I'll stake my life on it."
Clayton then pulled out a matchbox and pipe from the bag that was tied to his belt. He lit up the pipe and was about to put it to his lips when he heard a noise; a rustling from within the surrounding forest of bamboo. Clayton's eyes went wide. Immediately, he lowered the pipe as he strained his ears to pinpoint the location of whatever it was. More noises coming from the surrounding trees. Still nothing to be seen. The hunter put the pipe and matchbox away, tucking them back into their respective bags. More sounds. He continued to search the area, spinning slowly in place, looking around, getting ready with his shotgun. Still more sounds. Coming from somewhere else. Clayton raised the shotgun. He knew where it was coming from now. He aimed the barrel to the source.
He fired.
The sound of the gunshot echoed loudly throughout the jungle.
Everyone inside the tent looked up at the sound of the gunshot, Jane jumping slightly at the loud noise. Sora's eyes went wide as he looked over at the others.
"What was that?"
Tarzan's eyes lowered slightly. "Clayton."
Jane smiled slightly at Tarzan, her face softening. "Yes, Clayton," she confirmed. "It sounded like he shot at something." Her face took on a thoughtful glaze. "But what…?"
Donald grunted. "Who cares? That guy gets what he deserves."
"Oh, don't mind Mr. Clayton," Jane told Donald gently. "He's not a bad person – just a bit impetuous."
"Impetuous is right!" Donald said with a loud scoff, folding his arms over his chest in a huff. "Never met a guy more impetuous in my life!"
Sora rolled his eyes and crossed the floor toward the entrance of the tent, pulling back the flap of canvas so that he could see outside. Tarzan followed him slowly, glancing outside with an intense expression of solemnity on his face. There wasn't a soul to be found. The entire campground was deserted. Sora and Tarzan exchanged glances.
Goofy looked over at Jane, raising his hand slightly in the air to ask a question. "Uhh, what's 'impetuous' mean?"
Jane looked at Goofy, momentarily disoriented, and then smiled. "If someone is impetuous, then that means that that person acts hastily or rashly, or with sudden feeling." She placed one hand under her chin thoughtfully as she tried to think of a simpler way of putting it. "Abruptly and passionately, I suppose one could say."
"Oh!" Goofy exclaimed. "Y'mean like Donald?"
The duck turned to look at Goofy, his eyes wide in anger and disbelief. "I am not impetuous!"
Sora smiled. "Keep tellin' yourself that, Donald."
Donald's face began to turn red with rage, one hand clenching into a fist as Goofy began to laugh heartily, throwing his head back slightly. He began to mutter threateningly under his breath. Having taken a long, hard look at what was going on outside, Tarzan looked up and nodded at Sora. The Key Bearer returned the nod and turned to the others.
"Either way, we should probably go look for Clayton."
"He's not outside?"
"Well, he's outside. Just… not where we can see him." He cast a meaningful look toward Donald and Goofy. "And things being… the way they are…"
Almost immediately, they understood what was being said. Even Goofy. Glancing at each other briefly, both Goofy and Donald crossed the floor toward Sora and peered out into the clearing. It had really been completely deserted. Jane frowned slightly upon realizing that she was left in the dark.
"How do you mean?" she asked them.
She looked to Tarzan for an answer, but Tarzan merely returned Jane's gaze, without even a gleam of a hint in his intense, focused green eyes. The jungle man looked over at Sora and the others with an acknowledging nod and grunt.
"Let's go."
Jane watched helplessly as all four of them exited the tent without a word to her. She sighed, plopping down into the armchair, and began to fiddle absentmindedly with the slides. She looked wistfully at the doorway and took a deep breath.
"Be careful, Tarzan," she said softly.
As soon as they had all stepped outside, slight chills began to run up their spines. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Tarzan especially felt the strange new tension that hung in the air. The usual jungle atmosphere had been interrupted by something. It had to be something powerful. Usually, nothing could make the jungle feel as cold as it did at that moment. That's when they all heard an unusual popping noise, as though something had magically appeared in the area, followed by a series of soft thuds. It was a familiar noise. Sora held his breath, his heart beat quickening as he turned to look.
"Heartless!"
Not fifteen feet away from where they were all standing, was a group of shadow Heartless, crouched low to the floor and staring at the Key Bearer with their glowing yellow eyes. Sora clenched his fists at his sides and willed the Keyblade into the grip of his right hand, then got into a fighting stance. Both Donald and Goofy did the same. Within moments, all three of them had charged headlong into battle, swinging their weapons viciously, slicing through the shadows expertly.
No one realized it at first, but Tarzan, too, had joined the fight. Pulling together a crude spear with a sharpened rock, some rope, and a wooden pole, Tarzan jumped in. He swung and jabbed the spear into the bodies of the Heartless and essentially defeated them with only one or two hits. When Sora found the opportunity, he watched Tarzan as he fought his way through the Heartless that crossed his path. He battled as viciously and gracefully as a jungle cat. Sora's jaw may have dropped, but he was too much in awe to be able to tell.
"Tarzan, you're awesome!" Sora exclaimed as soon as the last Heartless was disposed of.
Tarzan tilted his head slightly to one side. "Awe… some…?"
It took Sora a moment to remember that English wasn't exactly Tarzan's first language. "Oh, uh, 'awesome' means…" He folded his arms over his chest as he tried to think of how to explain. "Well… It's like, really really great."
It took another moment for Tarzan to fully understand. He then looked at Sora and smiled. "Awesome."
Sora grinned. "Awesome!"
"This is no time for an English lesson!" Donald quacked.
"He's right," said Goofy. "We've gotta find Clayton!"
"Oh yeah," Sora gasped. "If there are Heartless around, then he could be in real trouble!"
Tarzan then moved forward, raising his nose slightly in the air and taking a deep whiff, trying to pick up a scent. He then turned to Sora and the others with a slight grunt and pointed toward the bamboo thicket. "This way. Follow me."
The jungle man took the lead, bounding toward the thicket on all fours like a gorilla, the others following closely behind him. They moved through an open path within the growth of bamboo. It was clear to all of them that the way had been made by slicing through the thicket. Sora narrowed his eyes at the short stumps of bamboo that remained.
"Looks like Clayton was here."
Tarzan glanced at the stumps and frowned. "Yes."
After almost a half hour of navigating through the bamboo thicket, the group came out into a familiar clearing. The area was completely surrounded by bamboo, a large stone placed in the middle by itself. Donald and Goofy looked around and gasped in surprise. They moved forward slightly and double checked, exchanging surprised looks as they did so. Sora scratched his head in confusion.
"What's up, guys?"
Goofy looked back at Sora. "This is where me an' Donald ended up after the crash."
"And look at this!" Donald said in surprise, moving toward the stone.
The duck pointed at something that rested on the rock's surface. Tarzan and Sora hurried to join them, peering over their shoulders at what Donald had found; a large curved wooden pipe. The duck picked the pipe up and showed it to Sora and Tarzan, his eyes wide in alarm. Placing his spear on the jungle floor, Tarzan took the pipe into his hands and inspected it, running the tips of his fingers over its surface and smelling it.
"Clayton."
"So he was here!" Goofy exclaimed, his face brightening. He then looked around, baffled. "But then… where is he now?"
"Well, he couldn't have gotten too far," said Donald, folding his arms over his chest.
Just then, a loud ruckus of screaming and screeching came from deeper into the jungle, opposite the direction that the group had just come from. Everyone turned around to see what was happening and saw a young black and gray gorilla bounding toward them. As soon as it caught sight of Tarzan, its yelling became less frantic and more direct as it called out Tarzan's name in gorilla.
Tarzan's eyebrows came together in concern as his intense gaze shifted, in search of something behind the gorilla. And everyone gasped when they saw a group of monkey-like Heartless bounding swiftly toward them, leaping off of rocks and poles of bamboo. They were constantly looking about them warily, their large glowing eyes darting about wildly, and jumping from one foot to the other. They leapt from the tops of the trees and landed several feet away from Tarzan. The Heartless looked at the group before them, confirmed the presence of the Key Bearer, and charged.
Everyone immediately armed themselves, using their respective weapons to block the attack of the Heartless. The gorilla began to shriek wildly, pounding its fists on the floor as the battle began. The eyes of the numerous Heartless gleamed malevolently as they took furious swings with their massive monkey-like paws, the sharp nails serving as their vicious weapons. Tarzan knocked the Heartless away from him with a sharp push on his spear. He glared at the beast for a moment before pouncing on it, the tip of his spear extended toward the Heartless. Goofy used his shield to cover for Donald as the wizard furiously cast a thunder spell on the wild monkey-like shadows.
Sora, on the other hand, struggled against the Heartless that had leapt at him. While he had been able to deal a fair amount of damage to the first of the shadows that had attacked him, the Heartless were quick to surround and gang up on him. Some of them had taken hold of his ankles while another jumped at him and knocked him to the ground. Fortunately for him, Sora had been able to stop the Heartless that had pounced on him from hurting him with the help of the Keyblade. He kicked his legs in an effort to shake away the other Heartless while trying to throw the one on top of him away.
"Hey!" he shouted to the others. "I could use a little help here!"
The gorilla yelled loudly, its voice reaching greater volume than Sora's, drawing everyone (and every thing's)attention toward it. It gestured desperately at Sora as soon as Tarzan responded to its call. Tarzan threw one of the Heartless to the floor and began to head toward Sora when he heard the gorilla screeching once again. As he looked, he saw that several Heartless were jumping toward the gorilla. Without another moment's thought, Tarzan hurried to protect his gorilla companion.
Meanwhile, Sora continued to struggle against the Heartless that had him pinned to the floor. He had managed to kick some of them in the face and knock them slightly away, but they always came back to continue. Not to mention the Heartless on top of him that he was still fending off with his Keyblade. Sora gritted his teeth as one set of claws almost managed to scratch across his cheek.
"GUYS!"
Donald shot a glance in Sora's direction and was about to blast the Heartless off of him with a fireball when he stubbornly changed his mind. He then switched targets and shot the ball of fire at one of the other Power Wilds that was closest to him. Goofy, on the other hand, jumped to Sora's aid, shoving the monster off of the Key Bearer with his shield. Tarzan bounded to Sora's side as soon as he had successfully protected the gorilla and immediately slashed at the last of the Heartless that had pounced on Sora.
"Sora, are you okay?" Goofy asked him urgently as he quickly helped Sora to his feet.
"Yeah, I'm good," Sora assured him. He then narrowed his eyes as he turned his gaze on Donald. "No thanks to him."
"He's fine," said Donald hotly, without so much as a backward glance.
Sora's grip grew tighter around the hilt of the Keyblade. He tore his gaze away from Donald and charged viciously at one of the Power Wilds, channeling his anger toward the duck into his attacks. Donald did the same. With their stubborn rage and misplaced aggression powering the battle, the remaining Heartless were quickly defeated. Even if Tarzan and Goofy hadn't extended any help, the pair of them would have been enough to finish the monsters off. As they observed them, Tarzan and Goofy realized that they were competing; who could finish off more of the Heartless fastest. When Sora's Keyblade sliced through the body of the last monkey Heartless, Donald folded his arms over his chest with a loud, stubborn, "harumph!"
For a moment, Sora forgot that he and Donald were quarreling and looked over at his companion with a grin on his face. But as soon as he saw the duck, turned away from him with his arms folded, Sora immediately remembered and narrowed his eyes.
"Are you both okay?" Goofy asked them. "No scratches or nothing?"
His companions didn't even bother to answer. They stood in stubborn, tense silence, not facing each other. Goofy sighed, exasperated. This was getting hopeless.
Tarzan moved toward the gorilla and began to speak with it in low, calm tones. Eventually, the gorilla handed something to Tarzan and said its goodbyes. Tarzan peered at the object that the gorilla had given him curiously for a moment before moving back to rejoin Donald, Goofy, and Sora, all three of whom were standing together in perfect silence. Goofy looked over at Tarzan as he approached, his eyes widening when he saw a Gummi block in Tarzan's grip.
"Donald!" he said excitedly. "Donald, look!"
The duck turned slightly to see what Goofy was getting excited about. His eyes shot wide open when he saw the Gummi block and he immediately moved to Goofy's side. Sora looked over and watched them calmly, folding his arms and shifting his weight onto one leg.
"A Gummi block!" breathed the King's companions. They both looked up at Tarzan. "Where did you get this?"
Tarzan looked confused for a moment. "The… gorilla. She… thanks you."
Sora shot a glance in the direction that the gorilla had ran off and smiled slightly. He then looked at Clayton's pipe, which had fallen to the floor when the Heartless attacked. He picked it up and examined it again before tucking it away.
"Come on guys, we gotta go find Clayton."
Everyone looked over at Sora, somewhat surprised that he had taken charge. Goofy and Tarzan nodded at each other in agreement and followed him, Goofy putting the Gummi block away. Donald watched them for a moment as they left and then, making a face, hesitantly followed.
As they headed deeper into the jungle, their surroundings seemed to grow narrower and narrower, engulfing them in the tangled mesh of trees and moss covered stones. The trees began to loom over them larger and larger, vines visibly dangling from their thick, stretched out branches. The trunks were thicker than entire buildings, their surface covered with moss and other, smaller plants. The sun had risen higher into the sky by then, casting shadows through the canopy of all the tree leaves that were almost directly above them. The floor was covered in various green plants such that hardly any dirt could be seen through their thick growth. It felt like the jungle had consumed them within its heart.
The silence that had blanketed the entire group had slowly been eating at Goofy. He was constantly looking at Sora and Donald, hoping that they would crack and finally apologize to one another about what had happened on the ship. The way Goofy saw things, both of them were at fault. As time went on, Goofy was able to see a visible breakdown in Sora's expression; he slowly went from stubborn, silent annoyance to being perfectly calm. Donald, on the other hand, was as stubborn as ever.
"Um, would one of you guys please say something?" Goofy asked, getting desperate.
They slowly turned to look at one another, their expressions completely unchanged, then looked back at Goofy. Even Tarzan slowed in his step to look over at the group that trailed just a few steps behind him and watched. Goofy looked at each of his friends in turn.
"Why can't you guys just say 'sorry' to each other, huh?"
Donald growled and turned quickly away. "No way," he said coldly.
Sora folded his arms over his chest. "Only if he says sorry first."
The duck shot an angry glance at Sora. "Why do I hafta apologize first?"
"Because you wouldn't listen to me and land the ship!"
"What?"
"If you had just heard us out and let us check this place out…!"
"Well if you hadn't just jumped at the controls the way ya had, we wouldn't've crashed!"
"Yeah, but if we didn't come here, then you never would've found those Gummi blocks!"
"So it's thanks to you?"
The boy hesitated for a moment. "Well - "
"We don't need you!" Donald yelled in his fit of rage. "We can find the king all on our own!"
Sora's face twisted furiously, turning slightly red. "Oh yeah?"
Goofy gasped in alarm. "Donald! The king said - "
Donald ignored his companion and turned to Sora in rage. "Yeah! Just get outta here!"
As the argument grew more and more fiery, Tarzan's attention had caught on something else. He had only torn his eyes away for a moment to look around, but as soon as he had done so, he noticed something strange concealed within the thick growth of foliage that grew on the base of a large tree trunk. Tarzan stared at it for a long while, trying to distinguish its features. It was definitely an animal. Relatively large, with a golden coat and dark splotches all across its body. It lay perfectly still, as though it weren't even alive. Maybe it wasn't. Tarzan slowly started to turn around.
"Fine then!" Sora shouted, spinning around on his heel and stomping away. "I will!"
Donald turned away. "Good!"
"Sora, wait!" Goofy called after him.
"Whose side are you on, Goofy?" Donald roared.
Tarzan tore his gaze away from the mysterious creature to glance at Sora. And that's when it rushed out of its waiting place and charged toward them, a blur of yellow fur and sharp claws and teeth. The leopard headed straight for Sora, the young, lean piece of meat that stood alone, most vulnerable.
"Sora!" Tarzan shouted urgently. "No!"
"Sora!" Goofy yelled, terrified. "SORA!"
The boy had little time to react. He had seen the leopard running at him just a fraction of a second too late. If only he had turned a moment earlier, there would've been time to will the Keyblade into his grasp and block the leopard's attack. Fortunately for Sora, Tarzan managed to push Sora out of danger's way and draw the cat's attention to him. Sora went rolling across the jungle floor until he stopped several feet away. Goofy immediately ran to Sora's side and grabbed his arms, helping him back up. Sora shook his head vigorously from side to side.
"Sora, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Sora replied. His blue eyes turned upward. "But Tarzan…"
The leopard and Tarzan circled each other slowly, their eyes locked on each other. Tarzan hissed at the leopard, growling its name. "Sabor."
Sabor responded with a growl; a low, threatening rumble deep within its throat. It looked over at Sora and Goofy, and then at Donald. It didn't take long for Sabor to realize which would be easiest to make its next meal. The leopard ignored the threat that Tarzan posed for the moment and charged toward the duck. Donald wailed loudly, panicked, and frantically pulled out his mage's staff. But even as the weapon was pointed at Sabor's powerful cat figure, Donald was too panicked to be able to focus his energy.
At this, Sora leapt to his feet, willing the Keyblade forward, and attacked. He took the Keyblade into both hands and then threw it at the leopard. The weapon spun through the air in a straight line toward the jungle cat, flying so quickly and with such force that when it smacked Sabor, the leopard was knocked away at an angle. Tarzan bounded forward and caught Sabor, wrapping his arms around the leopard and locking its front limbs tight in his strong grip. He looked up at the trio, who had regrouped around Donald.
"GO, NOW!" he ordered them as he held the leopard fast.
"No!" Sora shouted back. "We're not leaving you!"
Tarzan's eyes went wide in surprised awe. His grip on Sabor loosened slightly. Just slightly enough, as it would turn out. In that very moment, the leopard broke free of Tarzan's grip and turned on him furiously. Sabor ran at Tarzan, forcing Tarzan to retreat up into the branches of a nearby tree. Just as the leopard was about to follow him up the tree, Sora leapt forward and took hold of Sabor's tail. With a rough yank, Sora managed to throw the animal down to the ground. As soon as Tarzan reached one of the higher branches, he spun around and looked behind him. His eyes went wide when he saw that Sora was fighting Sabor.
"Sora! No!"
The leopard was sent rolling across the jungle floor until it finally managed to catch itself by digging its claws into the dirt and rocks. Then, having recovered, Sabor charged at Sora, its target once again shifting, its jaws wide open and its teeth gleaming with saliva. The boy used the Keyblade to block the oncoming attack and push the animal back.
Donald scoffed at the display. "What a show off," he grumbled to Goofy.
"But Sora saved you, Donald!"
"I coulda handled that on my own."
Goofy rolled his eyes. Suddenly, Tarzan leapt down from the trees and landed right next to Goofy with a spear in one hand. His gaze was fixated urgently on the battle between Sora and Sabor.
The leopard had managed to maneuver itself so that it was clinging to Sora's back, its claws digging deep into his clothes and puncturing flesh. Sora struggled with bearing the leopard's weight while keeping its teeth at bay with his Keyblade. Sabor only continued to dig its claws into Sora's clothes and skin as Sora struggled, until Sora finally dropped to his knees and forced Sabor's body to fall to the floor. The claws were still embedded in Sora's jacket until he used the Keyblade to strike Sabor's limbs until he was released. Having finally released himself from Sabor's grasp, Sora collapsed in a heap on the ground. He winced at his wounds as he slowly looked up at Sabor.
Tarzan and the others could only watch as Sabor rose to its feet and slowly begin to circle Sora, its hungry leopard eyes locked on his figure. Sora raised himself slightly as he tried to figure out how to escape. His mind raced – but it wasn't fast enough. Within moments, Sabor charged at him again, roaring viciously and baring its long, white fangs.
Goofy and Donald jumped to their feet, their eyes shooting wide open. "SORA!"
Sora fell backward slightly and prepared himself for the worst; to feel the leopard's teeth and claws digging into his flesh and ripping it clean out. He squeezed his eyes shut, his whole body trembling, his grip on the Keyblade tightening until his knuckles turned white. Images of Kairi and Riku flashed through his mind at light speed.
In the same instant that Sabor had leapt forward, Tarzan had sprung into action, swinging in on a vine and kicking Sabor out of the air and sending him flying into the trunk of a tree. The leopard crashed against the thick trunk and then rolled down the bumpy length of the tree back to the floor. Sabor immediately jumped to its feet and glared at Tarzan with a loud growl. Sora peeled his eyes open, relieved to see Tarzan standing between him and the leopard.
Tarzan gripped the spear tightly in one hand, every ounce of his attention focused on every move that Sabor made, every muscle that tensed on the leopard's body, every time its eyes flicked from one target to the other. Sora found himself frozen in place, paralyzed partially in fear and partially in awe. Goofy and Donald hurried to Sora's side and pulled him away from the battle scene as quickly as they could. The Keyblade vanished from Sora's grasp.
"What's the matter with you?" Donald yelled as he pulled out a Hi-Potion and handed it to Sora. "You coulda been killed!"
Sora's fingers drifted to where Sabor's claws had dug into his skin and winced slightly as his fingers touched it. "What do you care?" he muttered quietly. "All you care about is finding your king."
Only then did Sora take the bottle from Donald. He took a few small sips before returning his gaze urgently to Tarzan and Sabor.Donald clenched his fists at his sides, unable to say anything in response.
For a long, drawn out, tense moment, Tarzan and Sabor merely circled, their eyes locked on each other, the tip of Tarzan's spear pointing at the leopard. Suddenly, the jungle cat dashed at Tarzan quick as lightning, kicking up dirt and grass behind it. Tarzan leapt backward in a dodge and continued to back away, jumping up into a large, nearby tree, feeling the way with his free hand. It wasn't long before they reached a spot where the large roots of the tree had grown together, forming a small, flat platform overgrown with jungle foliage.
As Sabor slashed one claw fiercely at him, Tarzan looked about him and quickly grabbed hold of a nearby low hanging vine. He propelled himself back toward the tree, planting his bare feet on the trunk and, while still holding the vine in his left hand, ran all the way around the tree trunk to gain momentum. Tarzan leaned forward as he ran, streamlining his body, stretching his neck so he could see what was coming toward him. He launched himself forward, leaping from the tree trunk and landing back on the large roots, readying his spear in his grip. But the leopard had vanished.
Sora and the others ran as quickly as they could to keep up with the battle, stumbling over the tree's roots clumsily. Pulling himself over the roots, Sora did his best to keep his eyes glued on Tarzan and Sabor, but they had been moving so quickly it had become quite a difficult task. By the time Tarzan had re-entered his field of vision, the jungle man was standing alone, looking around him warily. Sora let out a breath, relieved to see Tarzan still alive.
Just then, Goofy found Sabor. "LOOK!"
Donald and Sora looked to where Goofy pointed and saw the leopard in one of the branches just above Tarzan's head. The ferocious jungle cat glared down at Tarzan, preparing to launch itself from its perch at its enemy. Sora rose to his feet as quickly as he could, cupping his hands around his mouth.
"Tarzan! Above you!"
The moment Sora had called out his warning, Sabor pounced. Tarzan turned his attention upward in time to see the leopard coming toward him, claws outstretched and teeth bared. Thinking quickly, he used his spear to block the oncoming attack and diverted the leopard's momentum downward, throwing the animal to the jungle floor far below them. Sabor landed on the ground with a loud, painful sounding thud, and then quickly recovered, jumping to its feet.
The leopard examined itself quickly and found a scratch on the length of its front leg. Its eyes shot wide open and Sabor turned to glare at Tarzan with a loud, malicious hiss. Tarzan adjusted his hold on the spear, returning the leopard's angry stare and mimicked the leopard, hissing ferociously back.
Tarzan leapt down from the tree roots so that he was level with Sabor, staying in his crouched position with the tip of the spear always pointed at Sabor. By then, Sora and the others had made their way to the foliage covered roots overlooking what had just become the new battlefield. They peered over the edge at where the two fighters were circling each other again. After a brief moment Sora made up his mind and slowly began to climb his way down to the lower level.
"Sora!" Donald yelled, grabbing onto Sora's arm before he went out of reach. "Whaddaya think you're doing?"
"I'm not just gonna sit here and let Tarzan fight it by himself!" Sora told him firmly, shaking himself free of Donald's grasp. "I don't leave my friends behind!"
With that, Sora wrenched his arm away and hurriedly climbed down the tangle of roots to reach Tarzan. Donald was momentarily stunned.
Suddenly, Sabor dashed forward, running at Tarzan so quickly that Tarzan barely had time to react. He managed to raise his spear upward in defense, but the leopard's claws broke through the wood and slashed across the left side of Tarzan's chest. The jungle man fell back slightly, wincing at his wounds, the three perfect red lines from which droplets of blood began to trickle. Tarzan glared at Sabor hatefully. He took the spear into both hands, glancing down for a split second to examine it. It was then that he realized that the sharp stone tip had broken off. The leopard growled low in its throat before jumping Tarzan again and successfully pinning him to the ground.
Sora's eyes went wide. "TARZAN!"
He then jumped the rest of the way down and ran at Sabor. He grabbed onto the leopard's flesh, both hands gripping a full set of fur, and began to try to pull the animal off of Tarzan. This only made the cat angrier. Almost immediately it turned on Sora, striking Sora with one clawed paw and hitting him back slightly, forcing Sora to release the handfuls of fur that he had grabbed and step away. Sabor's weight then shifted back onto Tarzan, pressing down on him. The jungle man did his best to keep the leopard's jaws away from him with what remained of his spear. As he did so, he tried to look around for where the tip of his spear had fallen. He caught a glimpse of it lying in a tangle of vines several feet below them.
Just then, there was a flash of bright orange light, followed by the smell of burnt fur and flesh and an angry hiss and roar as Sabor was practically shoved off of Tarzan. Both Sora and Tarzan looked up to where the light had come from. There, standing on the top of the large tangle of tree roots, was Donald, his mage's staff extended forward, smoke extending from the top of it like a gun barrel after it had been fired. No doubt about it; Donald had shot Sabor with a fireball. The Key Bearer smiled to himself before willing the Keyblade into his right hand. He charged.
As Tarzan jumped to his feet and hurried to reach the tip of his spear, Sora did his best to battle Sabor, Donald watching his back from up high and Goofy climbing down the tree roots to reach them. Sora had managed a way to successfully deflect the leopard's razor sharp claws with the length of the Keyblade, but it was just about all that he could do. Between blocks and deflects, Sora wasn't able to get in a single attack. Sabor was strong. Sora was being pushed slowly backward.
Thinking quickly, Sora pushed the leopard back slightly and made a break for the nearest tree, squeezing himself between the tangled roots in order to keep Sabor at bay until he came up with an idea. He stole a glance in Tarzan's direction and saw that the leopard had returned its attention to him. The jungle cat swiftly made a break for Tarzan, growling low in its throat as it approached from behind. Sora clenched his teeth together and pulled himself out of the roots slightly. He aimed the tip of the Keyblade at Sabor, focused as best as he could, and shot out a fireball. The flaming projectile hurtled toward the leopard, but missed it by only a few inches. However, the shot had managed to grab Sabor's attention.
Donald slapped his forehead and groaned. "He shoulda left that to me…"
Sora cursed his bad luck under his breath as the leopard growled and hissed angrily at Sora. Tarzan turned slightly, just in time to see Sabor slink quickly away from him and toward where Sora had concealed himself. He glanced at the sharp stone less than ten feet away from where he stood, and then looked back to where Sora and the leopard were. His mind conflicted, screaming too many different things at once.
The Key Bearer put the Keyblade away and ducked into the shelter of the tangled roots as Sabor was just about to reach his hiding place. The leopard roared furiously as it thrust its paws forward, smashing through the thin bark covering, its claws reaching just inches before Sora's body. The boy yelled in terror as Sabor continued to try to attack him through the roots.
Tarzan moved slightly toward Sabor, hesitant. His eyes darted back and forth between Sabor and his only weapon. From Sora's hiding place, he could see Tarzan. He took a deep breath and leaned toward the hole through which he could see Tarzan, cupping his hands around his mouth.
"Tarzan! I'll be fine! Get your weapon!"
By then Sabor had climbed around the nest of roots and had managed to come eye to eye with Sora, hissing straight into his face angrily. Sora jumped backward with a loud yell, bumping his head against the more solid roots. The leopard growled as it moved away and began sticking its paws into the spaces between the roots again.
The jungle man's eyes went wide, impressed by the young boy's bravery before he moved quickly to retrieve his weapon.
Sora's hands fumbled around his surroundings in search of a weapon he could use; the space there was much too small for the Keyblade to fit. Soon enough, Sora managed to grab hold of a large rock, and as soon as Sabor's paw crashed through another section of bark, Sora locked the paw at the wrist by wedging the rock into the same hole. Sabor roared angrily, rearing backward in an attempt to pull its paw out of the trap. Sora then wedged himself out of his hiding place hurriedly. The leopard took one feeble slash at him as the boy pulled himself out, missing as Sora clumsily tumbled from the net of roots and dropped to the ground below him.
Soon enough, Sabor managed to pull its paw out and, with a loud, infuriated roar, leapt to the ground and spun around to look at Sora. Sora took in deep breaths through his mouth, keeping his eyes on the leopard. One false move and it could all end right there.
Without another moment's hesitation, the leopard ran a charge straight for Sora, roaring fiercely. Sora braced himself. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared Goofy, right in front of Sora, just in time to block Sabor's attack and push the animal away. Sora looked up at his companion, surprised.
"Goofy!"
The captain looked over at Sora and smiled. "Didja think I was just gonna let you get eaten?"
Sora smiled and chuckled slightly. "Thanks."
That's when Tarzan's voice rang out in a loud battle cry. Everyone's attention returned to Tarzan and Sabor. Tarzan had grabbed hold of the leopard and thrown him farther away from Sora and Goofy. As the leopard recovered from the hit, Tarzan taunted it, mimicking the leopard's growl and roar. Sora looked at Tarzan's hand. The sharpened stone was gripped tight between Tarzan's fingers.
Suddenly, Sabor pounced at Tarzan, and everyone could only watch helplessly as both fighters fell backward, falling through a small, narrow hole that had previously been half covered by the surrounding foliage and small twigs and branches. Tarzan's yell echoed up from within the pit. Sora's eyes went wide as he leapt to his feet and ran forward.
"TARZAN!"
Goofy jumped forward and grabbed Sora by the shoulders. "Sora, wait!"
"I'm not gonna wait!" Sora told Goofy firmly, trying to shake himself free. "I told you guys, I don't abandon my friends!"
A wry smile crossed Goofy's face. "It's okay, Sora! Just believe in Tarzan. He's gonna be just fine, you'll see!"
Sora fell silent. He looked at Goofy in surprise, his eyes wide. Then slowly, he turned his gaze to the pit and took a deep breath. "Just believe?"
Goofy nodded slowly. He then dropped his hands and looked over at the pit. By then Donald had clambered down to the lower level as quickly as he could and had rejoined the others. For a long while, everyone merely stared at the open pit expectantly, waiting for the victor to emerge. If it was Tarzan, then they had won. But if it wasn't… then they would be ready for it.
After a long, drawn out moment, noises could be heard from within the pit. Some of the vines that ran deeper into the pit began to shake slightly. Something was coming. One of the fighters had won. The trio pulled out their weapons and got into their fighting stance. Sora took in a few deep breaths through his nostrils, preparing himself.
Ever so slowly, a yellow fur coat emerged, pulling itself out of the pit, it's shoulder blades visibly working to do so. The leopard's head was still hidden from view as it worked to free itself from the confines of the narrow hole. Sora and the others gripped their weapons, ready to finish the battle, when suddenly the rest of Sabor emerged from the hole. Its body dropped to the floor, limp, revealing a victorious Tarzan as he pulled himself out. He looked up at the trio and smiled slightly. Everyone let out a loud, relieved breath, and they all helped Tarzan out of the hole.
Sora's eyes dropped to the floor. "Sorry, Tarzan."
Tarzan looked at Sora, confused. "Why?"
"Because I… I doubted you. I… should have just believed that you would win."
For a long moment, they merely stood in silence, Sora's eyes lowered, until Tarzan placed one hand over Sora's heart. Confused, Sora raised his eyes to look Tarzan full in the face. Tarzan's expression was solemn for a long time. At length, Tarzan smiled.
"Sora, Tarzan, friends," he said. "It is… okay."
He then took hold of Sora's hand and placed something in his palm, closing Sora's fingers around it before removing his hand. Surprised, Sora uncurled his fingers and peered curiously at what he had been given. It was a single white fang. Sora's eyes went wide, his eyes darting to Sabor's limp body and then to Tarzan's face.
"This isn't… what I think it is… Is it, Tarzan?"
Tarzan smiled. "Sora very brave," he told him. "It's… a present."
He put one hand over his heart and then pointed at Sora's. Donald and Goofy exchanged surprised looks. For a moment, Sora was very confused, but it didn't take too long for him to see the significance of it. He smiled back at Tarzan and was just about to thank him, when the sound of a gunshot echoed across the jungle. Everyone's eyes turned skyward as they listened to the loud noise echo and a large flock of birds could be seen taking off into the sky. They all turned to look at each other worriedly.
It had come from the direction of the camp.
Author's Note: Woohoo! Madd movie references here... Since Kerchak never spoke in the game, I had to give him some lines from the movie. Kala too. And the Sabor fight... straight outta the movie. It was a grueling task, translating that scene into novel format (I had half a mind to find the original Tarzan books, but I decided against that). Another thing... trying to figure out exactly where Tarzan's command over the english language is atat this point in the game was really hard. It's not as good as it was by the end of the movie, it's more in the middle of the Strangers Like Me montage, so... yeah. Thus the title of the chapter. Also touching on a few motifs...that last scene with Tarzan was a little strange, I realize this. But I felt the need to get a start on that "believe" stuff. ... umm... yeah. :)
Another thing... Donald and Sora's ongoing argument... I had to make it carry on throughout the chapter. So they're throwing their private tantrums in their heads, being the stubborn donkeys that they are. And hey, throughout this world, I really was annoyed with Donald. I quickly switched him out in favor of Tarzan's insane gorilla strength and jungle man skills. ... then again, I switch Donald out in favor of a lot of characters but... oh well. Sorry Donald:D