On the way back home, the two of them passed by the desert, the shrublands and even the chasm that Mowgli recognized all too well. But, he was no longer going to let his fear of his past weigh him down. He was finally coming home.
When Mowgli and Shanti arrived home, however, the only sight that could greet Mowgli upon his return was even worse than Shanti had actually described it to be. "It looks horrible, doesn't it?" Shanti asked her old friend. "I didn't wanna believe you," Mowgli started. "I just can't believe it actually looks worse than how you put it," he finished.
Shanti wanted to be a source of strength for her friend, but she didn't know what she could do to help Mowgli. "So, what'll you do, Mowgli?" she asked her friend. "My father once told to protect everything the light touches. I'll have to fight Scar and Tajima for the jungle and for the village," Mowgli stated. "If I don't fight for these lands, who will?" he asked her. "I will," she answered. "It'll be dangerous, Shanti my dear," Mowgli warned his best friend turned true love. "Danger? Ha," Shanti began. "I laugh in the face of danger. Ha, ha, ha, ha," she responded further to his warning.
Just then, a bear, a black panther and an entire wolf pack approached the two of them. It was Baloo, Bagheera, and the Seeonee wolf pack. Raksha approached them first. "Shanti, dear girl," Raksha said to her. Then, Baloo approached her, acknowledging that she was finally back. "Shanti, how's my jungle princess?" the sloth bear asked her. He hugged her, and she hugged him back. "Never been better, Papa Bear," Shanti told the bear winking at him. "Shanti!" Bagheera exclaimed. "Bagheera!" Shanti hugged Bagheera, too. "How have you been handling yourself out there, my child?" the panther asked her. "I've been fine, Bagheera. Nothing to worry too much about," she responded to the panther.
Mowgli was happy to see all of his old jungle friends getting along so well with his true love for the first time in his life. Then, Rama and Grey Brother noticed Shanti had brought some help like she said she would. "Shanti, hold on a moment," Rama told her. "Could it be?" Grey Brother asked. "Oh, it is, Grey," Shanti told Grey Brother, along with everyone else. "Mowgli, is that really you?" Rama asked the young man. "I'm back, Father Wolf. I've come home, at last," Mowgli answered. They all bowed at his feet. "Your Leadership," they said in unison. "Welcome home, Little Britches. Welcome home," Baloo said after approaching Mowgli himself.
Then, Tanra, Palau and the rest of their friends could be heard from behind Mowgli and Shanti. "We're here," Palau told them all. "Everyone, calm down," Tanra added. "The back-up has arrived," Palau told them all. "What are you guys all doing here?" Mowgli asked them. "We were, um, not worried," Palau told Mowgli. "Right, not worried," Tanra added. "Because of 'no worries'. Just um…," Palau began, but paused. "Concerned," Tanra finished for his pygmy hog friend. "Cause you're our friend, Mowgli," Palau stated their concerns. "What about the meaningless line of indifference, you guys?" Mowgli asked them.
They decided to think of an appropriate response on the subject. "Well, we were thinking that maybe it curves a little bit," Palau told Mowgli. "Yeah, yeah," added Tanra. "Look, Mowgli, I'm happy to admit when Palau's wrong, and this was one of those times," Tanra told them. "What? I didn't even_ You're the one who told me about the line," the pygmy hog told the mongoose.
Then, the two of them and the rest of the outcasted animals noticed what Mowgli, Shanti and his old jungle friends were looking at. "Wait a minute," Tanra began. "This is the place you're fighting for?" Tanra asked Mowgli. "This was the jungle I was raised in for ten years of my life until I had turned ten," Mowgli answered for them. "The village just beyond here is my home, and I can tell you all. It's not a good sign that I can spot it when we're this far away from it," he finished. "Wow, that's a bummer," Palau stated. "Talk about your fixer-upper," Tanra added. "I like what you carnivores have done with it, although a little heavy on the carcass," Tanra continued.
The wolf pack was not impressed with Mowgli's newer friends. "How charming," Rama said sarcastically. "Can I please hurt these guys, dad?" Grey Brother asked Rama. "I'm sorry, but you can't. They may be difficult to deal with, but they are Mowgli's friends, nonetheless," Rama told his wolf son. "You get used to them eventually," Shanti told the wolf pack. "They're actually helpful when you've known them long enough," Mowgli told them all.
Now, it was time to talk to his newer friends about their comments. "Tanra, Palau, this wasn't my wolf family's doing, nor was it my panther and bear friends'," Mowgli told the mongoose and the pygmy hog. "And, this place wasn't always a wasteland," Shanti added. "It used to be a jungle that was as leafy and vibrant as your own home is, maybe even more," Shanti took the moment to brag a little. "What? You're pulling my leg, sister," Tanra told her. "I don't get it; if this place wasn't always such a wasteland, and if the carnivores and around us had nothing to with it, how'd it wind up like this?" Palau asked. "It was Scar, Tajima and the banished ones who did this to our jungle," Bagheera told them.
Tanra and Palau were confused by both the names and the term the panther used. "Scar is Mowgli's father's cousin, and Tajima is Scar's son," Shanti told them. "As for the banished ones, they're the animals who were banished from the jungle to the deadlands after a tyrannical tiger named Shere Khan, who thought he was above the law of the jungle and only thought of revenge, was finally defeated by Mowgli, himself," Shanti finished.
Baloo suddenly saluted Mowgli like an army corporal. "We are with you 'till the very end, Mowgli sir," the bear told his friend. "We are at your humblest services, my liege," Palau added to the bear's sentiment. "Everyone, follow me," Mowgli told them all. They all went into the jungle grounds and headed for the village. The only problem was that the village was being guarded by the banished ones.
Tanra and Palau were suddenly scared stiff, but shook it off fast enough to focus. "Hyenas and jackals everywhere. I hate hyenas and jackals," Tanra said to them all. "I really, really hope it's a quick death," Palau added. "Just-just not a lot of chewing," he finished. "So, what's your plan for getting us past the slobbering guards, Mowgli?" Tanra asked. "Live bait," Mowgli told them. "Good plan. Good plan," Tanra said, until he knew what that meant. "Hey!" the mongoose continued. "Come on, Tanra," Mowgli said. "Don't chicken out on us, now," he finished. "What do you want me to do? Dress in drag and do the hula?" Tanra asked Mowgli.
It wasn't what Mowgli had in mind precisely, but Tanra and Palau did it for a live bait trap, anyway. "Luau!" Tanra exclaimed dressed in a hula skirt. "If you're hungry for a hunk of fat and juicy meat, eat my buddy, Palau, here because he is a treat," Tanra started to sing. "Come on down and dine on this tasty swine. All you have to do is get in line. Are you aching_" Tanra sung further. "Yep, yep, yep," Palau joined in. "For some bacon?" Tanra sang even more. "Yep, yep, yep," Palau joined in, again. "He's a big pig," Tanra sang further. "Yep, yep," Palau joined in, one more time. "You can be a big pig, too. Oy!" Tanra finished his and Palau's distraction song with another exclamation. Then, they ran away from the hyenas and the jackals, screaming.
Now, it was onto Kaa, the python snake, and the sovereign tiger family. Baloo and Bagheera decided to take on the snake, while the pack distracted the tiger family. Finally, it was time for Mowgli and Shanti to head towards the village. "Shanti, find Ranjan and my mother and rally the villagers. I'll take care of Scar and Tajima," Mowgli told his girlfriend. "OK, Mowgli. Be careful," Shanti warned her friend.
Meanwhile from his own house, Kasiim, the old man who had helped Mowgli in Tanra and Palau's jungle was watching and began to get ready to fight the good fight. "Ah, my old friend," Kasiim said after he took out his priest's fighting staff from his hidden compartment.