Chapter 52: Pellicudar and Pachyderms

A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and the Walt Disney Studios. I do not own Tarzan or Pellucidar or John Carter, which is the property of Edgar Burrough's estate. I do not own Dresden Files, which is the property of Jim Butcher. I don't own…a lot of other stuff.

This is a creative work that I do not profit off of in any way, shape or form.

Hi everyone! Sorry this took so long. I was part of a Secret Santa project and then I got sidetracked and then I got Writer's Block. So this took much longer than it otherwise would have. Still, I enjoyed writing this and I hope you all enjoy reading this.

Lea gave a low whistle as he took in the giant snake. Now that it was dead, it almost seemed larger, if that was possible. Eighty or ninety feet long, with jaws big enough to swallow both of his half-pints in one bite. The jungle floor was soaked with its blood. Roxas and Xion were staring grimly at it. Neither had dismissed their Keyblades…smart. Who knew what else might be crawling around in the jungle?

The Waziri warriors were…pretty obviously staring at the Keyblades. This was kind of weird, talking to people who knew about Keyblades but didn't know Sora.

"Keybearers," Basuli bowed his head. "It is an honor to be in your presence."

The other two Waziri warriors bowed as well and Lea could see Tarzan's eyes widen in shock. Yeah, it was also kind of weird when you got down to it. Basuli didn't really seem the type to bow.

"You don't have to bow to us, sir," Xion shook her head. "We're not royalty."

"Perhaps you misunderstand," Basuli smiled. "I have always wanted to meet a Keybearer. A hero who travels across the stars and fights against the creatures from the shadows. I've heard legends of your brethren from when I was too small to even walk. And here I am now, not only meeting three Keybearers…this is beyond the wildest of my dreams as a child."

"Heroes? I don't really think I'm…er…well…" Roxas stammered. "We all did our part to kill the snake. And…it was the right thing to do…it's what Sora would have done."

Lea nodded at Roxas. As nice as the humility was, there was something off there. Roxas didn't like being the center of attention, but he wasn't shy like that. It was usually Xion who stammered when she was nervous.

"The boy has a point," One of the other Waziri—the short one with a bow—said. "By rights, any of us could make claim to the snake and decide what it's to be used for."

"We should take the fangs," Basuli said, drawing a knife from the folds of his tunic. "They could be valuable tools."

As Basuli and the other two Waziri began cutting the fangs from the giant snake's mouth, Lea turned his attention towards the others gathered. Markham and his men began double-checking their supplies, while Tarzan helped the two little kids up to to ride on the big, red elephant.

"Alright, I'll go double-check with Walter and the others, but i think we should be ready to break camp as soon as you give the word, Tarzan," Markham said. "Won't be much longer at all."

"Good…you'll be able to come back, Markham," Tarzan said, placing a hand on Markham's shoulder. The older man gave a brief nod and walked back to his camp, where Lea could see the three men who worked for him waiting.

"This is…remarkable," Doctor Doyle whispered, pressing her fingers to her lips. "Archimedes…do you know what this is?"

"An enormously large python," Professor Porter answered. He tightened his little bowtie and walked over to it. "Goes by the name Hista, though whether it's the original Hista or a nest mate if you will, I cannot determine. The distinction seems moot, when you get down to it."

"That's not at all what I meant," Doctor Doyle said. "This…is impossible. This species…it is larger than even Gigantophis."

"Now, my dear Robin, I really don't…say again?!" Professor Porter blurted. He slapped his forehead. "I cannot believe I did not piece this together sooner. This great brute…it must have come from only one place!"

"Excuse me, Professor?" Tarzan leapt back to the ground, landing on his hands and feet. "Hista has lived in the jungle since my mother was very young. What do you mean, it came from someplace else?"

"My dear boy, think!" Professor Porter insisted. "Where would such a brute at this be right at home? Pellucidar! Land of the dinosaurs!"

Dinosaurs? Lea shook his head. That had to be…well…okay, it wasn't the most unbelievable thing he had ever heard. Ghosts and demonic horsemen and little boys turning into donkeys were all way more outlandish than dinosaurs surviving for a gazillion years after they were supposed to go extinct.

"What's a dinosaur?" Roxas and Xion asked, at the exact same time, in the exact same tone of voice. Lea resisted the urge to wince. Of course, his two little half-pints would have had no basis for what dinosaurs were. How was he going to explain that?

"You don't know what dinosaurs are?" Ian asked. "They're these giant lizard things…some were as tall as trees and some had three horns on their heads and some were—"

"That's enough, Ian! And Archimedes, really!" Doctor Doyle looked halfway between astonished and annoyed. "The very idea…Pellucidar was what that crackpot Philander was going on about. Made a right fool of himself, he did. But then…seeing this snake…it makes one wonder."

"I dunno, Aunt Robin," Ian called from on top of the elephant—Xion said the elephant's name was Tantor. "This snake is an awful lot bigger than anything Tarzan's ever wrestled before."

"Ian, it's impolite to interrupt. Now where was I…oh! Now, see here young man!" Doctor Doyle put her hands on her hips. "Don't think for one minute that you aren't in huge trouble for running ahead of me and trying to…to…tangle with this…this…"

"Hista," Tarzan said. "The snake's name is Hista. And it's supposed to be dead."

For a moment, nobody spoke and the silence was almost unnatural—there wasn't even the chittering or chirping of animals and birds to break it up. Lea opened his mouth and closed it again, trying to think of what to say.

"There's lots of things that are supposed to be dead," Lea said. "But what matters right now is that all of us are alive and we're all supposed to be alive. The snake didn't get any of us."

He stole a glance at Roxas and Xion—both of them stared at him and then at each other. Xion placed a hand against her heart.

"You are right," Tarzan said, straightening up. "But I don't think that it's just Hista that we have to worry about. We need to keep moving."

oooo

Muviro crept silently through the jungle. At his side was the man who was once dead, Rokoff. Rokoff was unnatural…he did not breathe at all. His heart did not beat. Such beings Muviro had been taught to fear with all his soul when he was a boy, just as he had been taught to revere those who traveled amongst the stars. Bother all what he had been taught, none of it was useful. Muviro was not sure he trusted Rokoff, but he would prove useful. He, too, sought revenge.

That interloper Tarzan…he did not belong in this jungle. He looked like those who came from outside. Those who came to invade and infect his jungle. The men at the shoreline…the men who grew flowers…the pitiful little man who played with fire and water…none of them belonged here. This jungle belonged to Waziri…and all but Muviro had forgotten the old ways. In times past, Waziri were strongest. They fought and they bled and they killed. All knew their strength. All feared Waziri. And now…no more. Now they were friends with those who did not belong. Hate burned in Muviro's heart…the Waziri who was closest to the outsiders was that damned Basuli.

All of his life, Muviro had had to struggle. That wretched Basuli had never had to struggle. When they were small boys, Muviro and Basuli had been taught how to fish. Basuli had caught one quickly and got unending praise for it. It had not been worth any such merit. Basuli's fish had not been very large, barely enough to feed himself and his father. Muviro had taken much longer to catch his fish—but his fish had been large enough to feed many. He had gotten so angry, he had stabbed at the fish again and again and again…watching it thrash around in pain…it had, in a way, been quite thrilling. The chase…and the blood…and the fish trying to escape him. But it had all been for nothing—Muviro had killed the fish.

But what had Muviro gotten for his efforts? No praise of any sort! He had been berated for his cruelty in prolonging the fish's suffering. Rebuked and forbidden from any fishing for an entire cycle of the moon. And for a fortnight, while all the other children got to play, he had been confined to his family's hut. It had always been like that. For as long as Muviro could remember, every time he had bested Basuli at something—at anything—he did not get praise. His excellence was not seen or appreciated.

So many interlopers. Outsiders. Those who did not belong. The pale-face Tarzan and that fool scientist would be the first to fall. And the Keybearers…Muviro would deal with them yet. He would deliver them to Maleficent and La.

There they were…following along the trail. All of his enemies gathered in one place. At the head of the trail walked Basuli and his two men, Wasimbu and Chowambi. They carried spears and Wasmibu had a quiver of arrows and bow strapped to his back. Muviro grit his teeth. Those two had always hero-worshipped Basuli, even when they were merely boys. Following them were the interlopers—Tarzan and his wife Jane and that idiot scientist…who apparently had found a wife of his own. Tarzan had strength on par with Basuli but the others were weak. They would never last in a fight. Then it was the loggers…or rather, the men who once cut down trees but now grew flowers. Muviro did not know them. He did not care to know them. They were outsiders and so he would destroy them when the time came to do so.

Immediately following the men who grew flowers was a very large elephant, loaded up with boxes and bags…and a small child who was chatting away at him. Puh…pathetic. Muviro had seen this elephant before. Tarzan had been able to speak to it, somehow, and Muviro knew that this elephant feared many things. The Keybearers were taking up the end of the line. Three Keybearers…such a sight was not even heard of in the wildest legends from his tribe. There was a man about Muviro's age who had hair like fire and two children, undersized from what Muviro understood. They were nearing physical maturity but they spoke and acted far younger than their years. It would not be difficult to grab one of the children. The boy with blond hair…as pale as as Tarzan. Or the girl who wore her hair far too short? Either would be easy pickings. Muviro took another step, placing his heel down before the rest of his foot.

"Don't!"

Muviro bit back a curse. Rokoff had a hand placed tightly on his shoulder. Muviro did not care to be touched in such a way. He reached for his knife but Rokoff shook his head and pointed upwards.

"Look," Rokoff whispered. High above them, in the branches of the trees, there was a small boy swinging on the vines. "He might have seen."

"He would have given us away," Muviro muttered. "And then it would have been lost."

Muviro was strong—stronger than Basuli. But there were only the two of them and there had to be seven or eight who were able to fight amongst Tarzan and his friends, and that was not counting the elephant.

"Yes," Rokoff said. "We must be most careful. Tarzan is no mere brute. He is clever and ruthless. You can be sure that any who would ally with him will also be clever and ruthless. We need to choose more carefully."

Yes, Muviro supposed that was true. But the group would not be able to travel so closely together for so long. They would eventually have to stop—and likely there would be stragglers. They would strike then.

"Remember what Mistress Maleficent said," Rokoff whispered. "That the one whose light shines brightest is the one who she needs."

"The girl, then?" Muviro asked, raising a finger towards the dark-haired girl at the back of the line. Such ugly clothing—she almost resembled a parrot. The creature called Pete and the man who only wore a hood and did not show his face said that this one was vulnerable, but not to be underestimated.

"Not that one," Rokoff said. "The smallest."

Following Rokoff's outstretched finger, Muviro realized he was pointing at the small girl dressed in yellow, riding the elephant. She could not be more than ten years old. Spoiled by her guardians, possessing no weapon of any kind…she would barely have time to scream if they were careful.

Muviro smirked.

oooo

There was always trouble in the jungle and Terk was really getting sick of it. Had things always been this bad? Every day it seemed there was somebody new that they had to fight. Leopards and hyenas and crocodiles and great big snakes, blech! Even worse were the humans who came around to mess things up. Poachers or loggers or miners, gah. Okay, the loggers weren't so bad. Markham had stopped cutting down the jungle with his stupid bulldozers and took to growing flowers instead. And his little girl Abby, Terk had to admit a soft spot for. She had big eyes and a sweet smile. And there other good humans—the Waziri like Basuli didn't hurt any animals except what they needed to eat and they never hurt gorillas. And Hooft and Hugo didn't have the brains to do anything worse than trick Tantor out of his peanut collection.

But now there were new humans in the jungle. At least three new ones, from what Tarzan was saying. And they could all wield weird swords called Keyblades, just like that boy from a while back. Ages ago, really. The kid had been called Sora and he'd just shown up one day—poof! With a really handsome duck and a…well, Terk wasn't sure what Goofy was exactly. He was taller than any gorilla, but his face was weird. Like a hyena or a jackal only without any fangs. What was even weirder was that those animals had worn clothes and couldn't talk to anyone but people.

Terk glanced at Moyo. He was probably the toughest out of any of the gorillas in the family, even if he was kind of stupid sometimes. Terk wasn't over the time Moyo had gotten it in his head that he could be a better leader than Tarzan—and boy howdy, was she right about that! Moyo had led the entire family straight into a big tarpit—and it had taken hippo sweat of all things to get the tar out of her fur. Blech! But Terk had to give credit where it was due. Moyo was braver than most—he'd been there with Tarzan yesterday, fighting off Hista

"Tarzan's worried," Moyo said as he bit into a banana. "Worried like I haven't seen before."

"Ugg…then there must be real trouble. Tarzan doesn't worry much," Terk nodded. "It's Jane who's the worrier, her and Tantor."

Terk shook her head. She wasn't much for science like Tantor and the Professor were. But she did know how to get stuff done and when stuff was gonna go do. And things were definitely about to go down, if Tarzan of all people was worried.

"Hista died in the tar pits," Moyo said, shaking his head. "We all saw it happen."

"Well, there's nothing saying Hista couldn't have had siblings. There's lots of animals that have tons of babies at once," Terk tapped her chin, a habit she'd picked up from Tarzan. "I think the professor said that snakes can lay up to 100 eggs, but only two or three don't end up eaten. So another Hista makes sense…sorta. The only animals I can think of that have only one baby at a time are monkeys, apes, humans, rhinos, hippos and—"

"Elephants!"

"Gah! What are they doing here?"

Flint and Mungo, two of the gorillas that Terk and Tarzan had grown up with, burst through the bushes and began climbing up a nearby tree. They were both crying like little babies.

"What's happening?" Moyo demanded. "What's going on?"

"An elephant!" Flint wailed. "Down there! And he's really mad! We all gotta run!"

A mad elephant? Oh no, oh no, oh no…that could be real trouble. There was only one elephant that Terk could think of that was mad. Mabaya—who came from the savannah and didn't talk and attacked everything that moved. Oh, for crying out loud, there was no rest for anyone was there?

"Where's Tarzan? I demand to speak to him!"

What the…wait a sec, that wasn't Mabaya! Mabaya didn't talk, he only roared. The elephant pushing his way through the trees…that was one of the savannah elephants that had joined Tantor's herd a while back. What was his name again? Baritu? No, that wasn't it…and it wasn't Taburi either…Baruti! Yeah, he was that little runt Jabari's father. The little Tantor Jr. who wasn't actually related to Tantor.

"What are you doing in our territory, Baruti?" Moyo asked, through gritted teeth. "Tarzan is not here."

"He's not? That's not acceptable!" Baruti trumpeted with his trunk and stomped one of his big tree-like legs down on the ground, squashing a fallen banana flat. "I need to speak to him! He needs to answer for what the humans are doing!"

"Why do you need to speak with him?" Moyo growled. "He's busy with Jane and the Professor."

"A likely story!" Baruti snapped. "I don't suppose they're finding some other way to ruin our jungle!"

Oh, this was going to be trouble. The last time Terk had seen Baruti get this angry, it'd been because Jane had tried to plant some flowers in Elephant Territory. The flowers had gotten way out of control and the elephants had wound up moving into Gorilla Territory and Bartui had tried to rally the elephants to kick out the gorillas. It'd gotten real ugly.

"Your jungle?" Flint called. "You're in our territory!"

"Never you mind, Mister Monkey" Baruti's wife—Jamila sneered. "This doesn't have anything to do with your kind."

Whoa now! That was way outta line! Jamila and Baruti didn't even come from the jungle. They had only moved in when Mabaya went crazy…and come to think of it, Mabaya had followed them here!

"Dad…it wasn't them…and it wasn't any of Tarzan's friends either," Jabari piped up. Yeesh, even after all this time, he still was the tiniest elephant Terk had ever seen. "We should go."

"My son was attacked," Baruti said. "A human abused him for their own twisted amusement. As Tarzan is human, he should be held accountable for not holding others in line. And given that Tarzan is also leader of this gorilla family, you should also be held accountable!"

"That's just stupid!" Terk said. "Did we hold you accountable for what Mabaya did, when he came tearing through here, knocking down every tree he could reach?"

"That is not the same thing!" Baruti argued. "Mabaya's gone rogue. He's as much a danger to himself as he is anyone else. He has no memories of what he was before. He's barely an elephant at all anymore."

"Well, where were these humans anyway?" Terk asked. "'Cause you guys travel way farther than gorillas do and humans tend to stay put when they decide they like someplace."

"Um…kinda far away," Jabari said. "Way past the river…near a valley. It reminds me of the savannah so I like to visit."

"What sort of valley?"

"Well, in this valley, there's these big stones…they aren't like boulders. They look more like trees," Jabari said. "They're all long and tall…and there are rocks that were shaped like leopards too!"

Oooh boy. That can't be good. That sounded a lot like the ruins of Opar, where that crazy witch kidnapped Tarzan ages ago. Terk shuddered. Bad enough when Hista was around. He was bad news, but the bottom line with him was that he was hungry. If there were humans—poachers or loggers or whatever—fooling around in Opar, there could be even more trouble.

"Look, you're not thinkin' here," Terk said. "There's different groups of humans just like there's different groups of elephants. Now, Tarzan's got stuff to do, but I'm bettin'—"

"A human assaulted my son!" Baruti snarled. He yanked out his trunk and grabbed Terk. He pulled her close—Terk was no stranger to being yanked around by elephants. Tantor did it all the time, but Baruti's glare was one of the scariest things she'd ever seen. "Now you listen here! I'm going to find Tarzan and make him pay for not keeping the humans in line. And then I'm coming back for you. You filthy primates should know your place!"

"Let her go!"

Moyo threw a melon and it bounced off Baruti's face. Jamila reached out her own trunk, but Moyo had been expecting it and shoved a branch in the way. He leapt up to a higher branch and then used the angle to hop onto Baruti's back. He yanked on Baruti's ears, which made the elephant trumpet in pain. Terk dropped to the ground, right in front of Jabari.

"Hey now! That's not nice at all!" Jamila called. "I'm starting to think that Baruti's right about all of you."

She reached out her trunk to grab Moyo but he jumped off Baruti's back, onto her head and then bounced his way back into the trees.

"Mister Tantor! Mister Tantor!" Jabari squealed and then he began running around in circles. "Mister Tantor! My father's gone crazy!"

The little elephant wailed and began running…in the same general direction that Tarzan and the others had gone off in. Oh, boy…Baruti and Jamila were on their way after him. Terk forced herself back up into the trees and grabbed a vine. She wasn't nearly as good at swinging around as Tarzan, but she didn't have a choice. She had to hurry…gah! Something had her leg!

"And where do you think you're going?" Baruti demanded, tightening his grip. Yee-oww! That was her leg!

"What is it with you monkeys?" Jamila sniffed. "Always so convinced you're special?"

"Roooarrrr!"

"What was that?" Flint said. Beside him, Mungo was whimpering. "Is it a leopard?"

It didn't sound like a leopard. It sounded…bigger. And more like a crocodile. But they weren't near water…a monitor lizard wouldn't go for anything bigger than a baboon, and they were smaller than leopards in the first place. That would mean…

"Run away!" Terk shouted. "Run, climb! It's a monster!"

"Monster?" Baruti scoffed. "Just how stupid do you think I am, you stupid monkey?"

The answer was really stupid, but Terk wasn't dumb enough to answer that. There was another Roooarrr that wasn't quite as loud as before…but it sounded closer.

And there it was! It was nine feet long and scaly. It was as tall as a gorilla with a snout filled with teeth that were as sharp as a leopard's fangs. And its feet…it had claws! Huge claws that were curved almost like some of the tools that the Professor used, that Terk was not allowed to touch.

"What sort of animal are you?" Baruti asked. "This isn't any of your business! Get away!"

The monster—velociraptor—it was called a velociraptor. It stared at Baruti and then it snarled. Terk scrambled back up a tree and grabbed a vine. No time to waste. She had to get away. Flint and Mungo scrambled after her, crying. Not that she would blame them this time, no way! As she leapt towards another branch, Terk glanced down and saw…a flash of brown and then another…wait, were there more velociraptors?

"Rooooaaaarrrrr!"

oooo

"There's the waterfall, old boy!" Professor Porter called out. "We'll be at the village before tea-time! Oh, this is splendid!"

"I will go up ahead," Chowambi said. "Somebody should let the elders know what to expect. It would be very unwise for us to arrive with no notice of our arrival."

Tarzan frowned. It was odd. They were nearly at the Waziri village…but there was something wrong. It normally took a full day to travel to the village, and that was by boat. Walking along the trails should have taken nearly twice that, if not longer, given the size of their group. But they were nearly all the way there now, and there were still a few hours until sunset. They had made excellent time…it was almost unnatural.

"So you know Mister Tarzan too?" Abby asked. Tarzan smiled. For the last two hours, Ian had been asking Abby about everything she did in the jungle. She had talked all about the flowers her father grew to harvest into medicines and about the animals she read aloud to.

"Sure do!" Ian said. "Last time I was here, Tarzan taught me how to swing on vines and how to climb trees and how to talk to animals! I've been practicing on my neighbor's dog, so I don't forget how! You should have seen Rover's face when I wished him a good morning for the first time!"

"Awww, that sounds so neat!"

Tarzan thought for a moment. When he had first visited, Ian had said that he hadn't any friends because he couldn't run and jump as well as the other boys in his school.

"Ian, you mentioned you were going to play with the other boys when you were going to play with the other kids in your class. Have you made many friends since then?"

"Oh…lots! There's Thomas and Edward and Henry and Gordon and James," Ian began counting off on his fingers. "Percy and Toby…and that's all in my class. There's other classes at my school too. We play sports at recess and on weekends. I'm not the best at baseball, but I can run faster than anyone and I can run longer too! I set some of the records in gym class."

"That's very good to hear," Tarzan said. "I remember that you used to be very lonely."

"Yeah…" Ian trailed off. "But it's been great. It really has been…and I owe it all to you Tarzan."

"That's not all that's happened," Doctor Doyle said. "Ian's put what he learned from you to good use."

"Aunt Robin…" Ian rubbed the back of his neck. "It wasn't really all that special."

"It was too, young man," Doctor Doyle retorted. "You pulled nine other students from a burning building. You got a medal for valor, you did."

"Yeah, but it wasn't that big a deal," Ian blushed. "I was just in the right place at the right time…"

"And you used the exact same tricks you learned from Tarzan to shimmy your classmates down to safety."

"That was ages ago, Aunt Robin," Ian protested. "Really, anyone else would have done the same thing if they could do the same things I could."

That sounded like a very big deal to Tarzan. Fire was something that almost everyone in the jungle feared, since it could spread so easily and burn so hot. When he had been a bit younger than Ian, he had accidentally started a fire while trying to carve stones for spearheads. It had spread…and spread…it was something Tarzan didn't like thinking about, even now…and he had long since confessed what had happened to his mother.

Tarzan glanced at the two children at the back of the line. Roxas and Xion. They were the ones who knew Sora…the ones who called him "brother." Which was curious, as they didn't seem to refer to one another as siblings. And something did seem to be bothering Roxas. He seemed apprehensive, though Tarzan wasn't entirely sure why…and he wasn't sure how exactly he could ask.

Still…if he were going to do this, he better do it now, while they had a little time. He grabbed a vine and swung back towards them. Roxas and Xion were walking fairly close together, their hands brushing against one another.

"Is everything alright?" Tarzan asked. Best to do this directly. "You two seem a bit…tense."

"We're fine, sir," Xion said, far too quickly to be convincing. She was not a good liar at all. "Er…is everything alright with you?"

"I was hoping to speak to you both," Tarzan said. "Sora was a friend of mine and it's been a long time since I've seen him. Is he well?"

Roxas and Xion hesitated. Visibly. Tarzan bowed his head. He wasn't surprised, really. It had been very sudden when Sora had stopped returning to the jungle—and then for two years, Tarzan had forgotten him entirely. There was some sort of witchcraft in there. Tarzan suspected something similar to what Queen La tried to do. He looked at Roxas and Xion again. They were staring with wide eyes. They looked almost like bush-babies, cornered by a predator.

"How did it happen?"

"It's…hard to describe," Xion said quietly. "He's not dead…but he was taken from us…somewhere we can't find him…someplace he can't come home…we might not see him again."

Tarzan felt as if he had been kicked in the stomach. That was…one of the worst things he could have thought of. In the jungle, death was completely natural. Predators, like leopards and jackals, had to eat other animals to survive. Even gorillas would eat termites. Death was natural, Tarzan could accept it, even if he didn't like it. But Sora had been taken somewhere. Taken from his home.

"We're trying to live up to his example," Roxas said. "But it hasn't always been easy…we think that whoever we're fighting might be the one who sent that giant snake after you and the gorillas."

"Tarzan…" Xion grimaced. "This is going to sound like a weird question…but are there ghosts in this world? Or some special tree or mountain or something?"

"There's nothing quite like that," Tarzan said. "But La's spirit has…lingered before. It's possible she was able to come back somehow…if she had help. And you did mention you were fighting a witch yourself."

"Yeah…" Roxas said. There was something in his eyes. Something…familiar. Tarzan frowned. "Sora fought her before and beat her…but she came back somehow…"

He didn't continue and Tarzan didn't feel the need to make him. It was clear that Roxas missed Sora very much. Tarzan knew how that felt.

We're trying to live up to his example.

"You remind me of…myself," Tarzan said. "Roxas…you are not Sora. And you shouldn't try to be."

"What?" Roxas asked. "What do you mean? Of course, I'm not Sora. I am me, nobody else."

"Yes," Tarzan said. "But you're trying to emulate Sora. Do the things he would have done."

"Roxas…" Xion said. "I think…I think we might need to listen to him."

"A few years ago," Tarzan said gently, "Kerchak—the leader of our family—died. And he asked me to take care of the family. And for a long time, I kept trying to do things the way that Kerchak would have done…and while there wasn't a bad thing, I was too busy trying to be like Kerchak that I neglected some of the things that I was good at. Things that were useful and helpful."

Tarzan hesitated as he saw Roxas and Xion look at one another again. Roxas in particular seemed unsure.

"I've seen the Keyblade you use, Xion," Tarzan said. "It's exactly like Sora's. Did he leave it to you?"

"Um…no…I copied it…when I made mine," Xion said. "I…I don't want a different Keyblade though. I like having a Keyblade that looks like Sora's. Using it…it makes me feel like he's still here with me."

Tarzan nodded. He knew very much what that felt like. He still occasionally visited the carving of Kerchak down in the caverns. Doing so made it seem like Kerchak was still with him, even now.

"I understand," Tarzan said. "I truly do. But I don't want you two to overlook the things that you're good at. For all you know, there may be something that you two can do that may save lives one day."

Roxas and Xion didn't say anything to that either and for a moment, Tarzan felt a little guilty. Perhaps he had overstepped his boundaries. But Sora was his friend and he missed him. Perhaps there would have been another way to broach the subject.

"Tarzan!" Basuli called. "We're here!"

Tarzan startled. The village…they had come to the Waziri village. And Chief Kewashi stood at the entrance. Basuli embraced his father and it occurred to Tarzan that Kewashi looked much older…even though it hadn't been that long since they had last seen each other.

"Tarzan…it is good to see you, old friend," Kewashi said, clasping Tarzan's hand. "I have seen troubling things in recent days."

"As have I, Kewashi," Tarzan answered. "I'm glad that we are able to meet now, while things are relatively calm. Did Chowambi tell you what's been going on?"

"Yes, but I already knew," Kewashi nodded grimly. "Come. Usula needs to speak with you."

oooo

It was the most curious environment that the Phantom Blot had ever seen. An entire ecosystem that was trapped in time long past. There were dragonflies with wingspans thrice his height. There were flowers and mushrooms the size of dining room tables and even larger. This was simply remarkable.

To say nothing of the denizens of this realm! Dinosaurs! Such beasts were thought to have gone extinct eons ago! The Phantom Blot trailed behind Maleficent, taking as many samples as he could…these vines were of such a curious composition. They would make for fine bindings for his newest traps. The Phantom Blot grabbed a heaping fistful and tugged. Oh yes, this would do quite nicely indeed. There was nothing quite like quality ropes. But that didn't answer all of his questions.

"What else is your purpose here, Mistress?" The Phantom Blot asked. "How can this realm be of assistance to you, in the grander sense of the word?"

"This realm is tied to eras long gone by," Maleficent said. "From the earliest age…when all worlds were one."

"The Age of Fairy Tales," The Phantom Blot murmured. "Yes, I've heard the legends. And this…are you saying that this realm is a world in its own right? That it exists separately from the jungles above us?"

"Not quite…but the duality of this realm to the realm above us is an equivalent like no other," Maleficent said. "Not that I have seen in many years, at least. This realm is tied to the jungles above us. Where there are mountains above, so there be valleys here and vice versa. And where there are trees…there are trees, including one that we need."

The Phantom Blot glanced around. There were many impressively tall trees as far as he could see, but there didn't appear to be any that stood out from any other. At least not amongst its brothers here—any one of these trees would be taller than even the tallest in the worlds that he was familiar with.

"Patience…" Maleficent purred, as if she had read his mind. In truth, that was likely the case. "This realm, Pellucidar has much to offer us…and you will see when we find the tree we need."

"What is it, my lady? What makes the tree so special?"

"It is that which allows this realm to exist in the first place," Maleficent said. "Unchanging throughout the eons, Pellucidar has thrived…and it is due to a tree that has prevented death and decay."

The Phantom Blot watched as a great beast soared above their heads—it had to have a wingspan of nearly twenty feet—and dove down towards a lake. With a splash, it grabbed a large fish, almost alien-looking, and gulped it down.

"Mistress…this is not a land where nothing can die," The Phantom Blot said. "…What is your angle?"

"These creatures have existed far beyond even my own life," Maleficent said. "They date back to an age from long ago…and this world should have collapsed in on itself through the ages…but there exists a tree that sustains it."

"You've mentioned that…" The Phantom Blot said. "And is there a twin in the jungles above?"

"Yes…the same magic that sustains Queen La and the magic that sustains Pellucidar…and there is one other link…there exists a being who resides in the jungles above…one who can heal the sick and the wounded."

"Do you not have that ability yourself?" The Phantom Blot asked. "I've seen you perform magic far beyond traditional healing spells. La herself had her physical body restored by your power."

"My power varies due to the nature of the division between life and death on a given world," Maleficent said. "But by harnessing this power…I will be able to perform feats that far surpass my current abilities…"

"Being…you said there was a being that holds this power," The Phantom Blot said. "You would have to kill the being to take it for yourself…you'll need to use…"

"Mordite," Maleficent said, nodding. "Correct. I see that you are far more intelligent than your fellows."

"I behave as I need to," The Phantom Blot said. He glanced down and scooped up a curved stone. Oh, that would do quite nicely indeed for one of his traps. "But then..who is it that holds this power? One of the tribesmen? The Waziri?"

"They're not to be underestimated," Maleficent said. "They know the legends of old. But they cannot stop us now…La and the others have started their work. Spreading discord and strife…building an army. There will be nothing to stop us from destroying this realm…Pellucidar and the jungle alike. And then…we will take, for ourselves, the power of Mangani, the Silver Ape."

OOOO

A/N: Here we are, my dearest readers! I sincerely apologize that this chapter took so long to get updated! I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Please, leave a review if you're so inclined. Tell me what you think!

I appreciate each and every one of you!