Transition Plan Chapter 113: Searching for Jeanne Part 31
Rated T for one disturbing and several fun sexual situations and violence
Jeanne and Jack continued their westward trek back to Nigeria and knew they could encounter Akut and his troop at any time along the way. They heard normal gorilla noises, and dropped to knuckle walking. Jeanne remembered exactly what to do, as Jack was retraining her in Mangani ways and language ever since they escaped Dar es Salaam. It was amazing how beautiful she looked on all fours as his Mangani female mate. All her attractive black body hair and long tresses made her resemble the Mangani gorillas all that much more.
It was Akut and several of his mates greeted them cheerfully, "Welcome back to the Land of the Eastern Mangani. You look tired and hungry. Come to our nest."
"Thank you Uncle," Jack replied, giving Akut a subservient male to superior male bow. Jeanne's motions were even more humble and she was not directly addressed by Akut, so she said nothing, as was custom.
"We especially welcome your mate Jeanne. I know we really didn't get much time to chat earlier. You'll have to meet my all mates, young one."
"Mates?" she thought and shot the glance to Jack.
But she didn't hesitate to respond, "I welcome meeting my Mangani sisters, Honorable Akut."
Her manners and mannerisms impressed the entire troop. They thought her accented Mangani was intriguing.
Akut grunted approvingly, "Jeanne is exquisite, Grandnephew. A fitting mate. Worth the long wait."
Something about Akut's praise seemed disingenuous and made Jeanne's intuition hackles go up. Gorilla males were a different species, but she felt the same gratuitous attitude of human males coveting a woman. She'd been the object of many men's desires and heard all the 'come on' phrases and tactics. This didn't feel right at all, but she rationalized that gorillas could be different. Animal behavior was not human behavior. None of the jungle animals she'd met so far possessed the same evil human desires like the awful men she was around. She accepted the comments from Akut being simply candid praise. She scolded herself for still being too wary of anything and anyone she didn't know.
"They are Mangani for pity sake. They're family," she chided herself.
What both Jack and Jeanne both missed was Akut was deliberately vague on whose mate she was. In any case, Jeanne should have paid attention to her own internal warning system that worked for eight years.
Akut explained how different the polygamous Eastern Mangani gorilla troop was than the West. It still didn't feel right to Jeanne that one male should have multiple mates, although she was well aware that to be true in many species the animal world. Gorillas were at the top of the intelligence chain in the wild, especially the Mangani apes. They were nearly human in every aspect of their behavior. It just seemed to Jeanne that gorillas should live like people did with single mated pairs. Like the Western Mangani she was proud to be part of.
Jack and Jeanne enjoyed several days of very comfortable nesting, eating, socializing, and grooming with Akut's troop. She got to know a number of the females and they were very comfortable with her. They didn't really seem any different than the females of the western troop. Jack and Jeanne did their share of the family's chores and food gathering. The insect cuisine was particularly tasty to her and they were both full quickly at each meal. The grooming was all very nice with the other females and as always with Jack, but she felt uncomfortable with Akut's grooming touches, who paid too much attention to her 'hindquarters'. She had never had felt that way with any of the juvenile or adult males in Jack's Mangani troop even though that was a really long time ago.
One night something different happened as Akut announced, "Tonight, we celebrate your reunion and the victory over your enemies, your being with us, as well as becoming mates with us. We honor bringing the East and West Mangani together again. We give you our greatest hospitality we can show kin and friends 'of the jungle'."
Jack noted, being kin, holding Jeanne's hand, and spoke humbly, "We're honored, Uncle Akut."
Akut grunted and gestured and all the females got up and most got in a circle in front of Jack, Jeanne, and Akut.
"What's happening Jack?" asked Jeanne.
Akut overheard and explained, "It's a females' dance, Jeanne. For me, their mate. We would be honored if you would dance too, Jeanne."
Jack was shocked. Jeanne had the same surprise, so she leaned over and whispered in English, "I didn't think Mangani danced?"
Jack answered, "We don't. But I guess they do."
The sophistication of this branch of the Mangani society was impressive. They'd already both noticed the Eastern Mangani used tools to dig for ants and other ground dwelling insects, and ground grains with flat and rounded rocks. Sometimes they ate their food from hollowed out gourds. Professor Porter would have been very happy being here, Jeanne concluded.
Jack asked, "Umm, Jeanne, will you accept the invitation to dance with the other females for me?"
Still in English, she answered, "Yes sweetheart. It would be fun. Especially since Akut asked, and I don't want to show bad social etiquette with your new family. We need to be accepted into the troop. I want to dance with the other Mangani females, since I am one. I know how special this is, and it's pretty exciting to do my first ever Mangani dance."
He smiled proudly at his mate. She kissed Jack long and deep, both from their all fours position, eliciting some appreciative hoots from their kin, who watched everything the humans did, and replied, as she assumed the proper subservient female position to a dominant male, "Great Akut, I accept your invitation to dance for Jack and you with your mates.
Akut was very pleased and smiled broadly at this youngest adult female in the troop. Some of his other mates looked very nervous.
Jeanne moved on all fours to join the other females in the circle. She smiled at all of them and most returned the smile. Several seemed reticent though. She rationalized they were probably shy meeting another human, since she hadn't interacted with all of them yet. She was ready for... well... she wasn't sure what she was ready for. Jack admired how lithe and beautiful she always moved as a Mangani female, particularly now. It was incredible how wonderful her large breasts looked as they dangled and swayed whenever she was on all fours. She grinned at Jack. She knew what he was watching and gave them an extra jiggle at him just for good measure, and he just about swooned. She winked at him and blew him a kiss. It was so much fun for her to throw him off kilter, and so easy to do.
Humans kissing was something new for the Eastern Mangani. who'd never seen it, and they'd seen Jack and Jeanne do it a number of times. Several mates tried kissing Akut, who thoroughly enjoyed it. The females opened the dance circle for Jeanne. She could easily pass for a real Mangani female ape. Her very darkly tanned body and her long black hair hung down between her breasts and further down her back much like upper body fur, and she had enough black hair body on her legs, arms and underarms, and her feminine areas that, while one could tell she was human, she blended very well with the apes.
Three older females, one with considerable gray fur - whom was introduced as Akut's original mate - went to several hollow stumps and with large sticks they had found, started a visceral drum beat that reached deep into the primal part of their souls. Jeanne wondered if she could handle the way it was moving her. Both Jack and Jeanne realized instantly this dance was actually a mating dance and they blushed at each other. She knew she'd have to mate with Jack when they got home in front of everyone in the troop for the Silverback's approval of their being mates. They'd already talked about that. They both should have realized that same tradition would happen here too.
The rhythm was very fundamental but Jeanne heard nuances more complex than she expected. She was inspired by the beat to dance, and for a few moments she watched the gorilla females to match their steps. She picked up on it quickly and matched the apes step for step and by grunt and hoot. Jack thumped his chest and hooted back at Jeanne just as Akut did the same with his mates. She blushed and grunted back appropriately as a mate would. They were both truly Mangani.
This was amazingly primitive and thrilling to the newlyweds. It was fascinating to see how another troop of Mangani had evolved. A long time ago Archimedes Porter had discovered that the Mangani were more than just ordinary gorillas. The Eastern troop would fascinate him.
Akut leaned over to Jack and whispered, "Now watch, Grandnephew, and follow my actions when I tell you, and learn."
Both males sat on their haunches and watched the females dance in the circle. Akut had his eyes on the nine gorillas in the circle. Jack only had eyes for Jeanne. Jack didn't notice Akut was staring at Jeanne too, nor did she, because they were only focused on each other.
While she matched the dancing movements of the gorilla females, Jeanne added the most seductive elements of her routine from Dar es Salaam and those additional provocative moves were intended for Jack's enjoyment. Jeanne's breasts swayed and swooped with the rhythm, and she moved her arms and legs and hips gracefully like the other females. She added a lot of four point squats and stretches and kicks right in front of Jack when as she moved around the circle, in addition to turning and wiggled her feminine attributes at him from behind like the others did for Akut. The simple gorilla dance moves were easy for her, after her year of dancing with the burlesque dancers. She twirled around and leaped with her fellow females, matching their paw and arm moves. It staggered Jack. While there were some similarities, her personal dance for him was much more erotic than the burlesque routine he'd witnessed. It was even more special because it was only shared between her and him and their new family. The pair's gaze for each other hardly broke.
This was truly Jeanne's personalized mating dance for Jack.
The primitive Mangani dance was far more stimulating than the Nigerian wives' dance his mother had done more than once for his father years go. The sensual dance physically affected Akut and Korak. Which was exactly the point of it.
Akut lied to his grandnephew, knowing the young adult was far too trusting, "Wait here, Korak. Your turn will be last. Just do what I do, and await my signal."
Akut got up and as each of his mates danced by, the huge gorilla moved from partner to partner, joining with each one of his mates from behind as they presented themselves to him while still circulating around the dance circle. Akut seemed inexhaustible, with each mate getting the same full dose of attention from him. Jeanne watched to know what to do with Jack when it came their turn in the circle. She observed that some of the females seemed oddly unemotional about their mating with Akut.
While Akut took each of his mates in succession, Jeanne was on the far side of the circle so she would have the honor of being last with Jack. The drumming continued and their young eyes were stoked with desire for each other, knowing it was their turn soon. She stared at Jack's readiness for her and she couldn't wait to join with him. He seemed bigger than normal, but they already knew from their very first time together accommodating him would not be a problem.
There was considerable shouting and hooting from the juvenile offspring of the mates for the each successive mate to move into position as Akut finished with the one before.
Since it was about their turn, Jack and Jeanne thought the building excitement was for them, and joined in the Mangani cheering. The Eastern Mangani seemed anxious to watch their human brethren mate. Mating in front of the Eastern Mangani the first time the way gorillas coupled would make it easier to do at home. They had never tried this way of making love yet.
Akut took his final, most recent mate, as well as all the drummers, with the others still dancing and swirling. From across the circle, Jeanne exclaimed, "We're next and then we'll be true family to Akut."
Jack and Jeanne clearly believed that his simple coupling with her in the circle mating dance of the Eastern Mangani could really bring the two families back together.
But something was wrong. Jack was really ready to step forward, and there wasn't any sign from Akut for Jack to do so to mount Jeanne. She was next and Jack was expecting Akut to signal for him to jump into the circle of the dance, so he got up anyway. Akut continued to ignore Jack.
It was then that Jack finally noticed all the females and family's eyes were on Akut and Jeanne, not him and Jeanne.
There were no more gorilla females in line between Akut and Jeanne and Akut was making exactly the same approach to Jeanne as he did his other mates. Jack instantly realized what was going to happen, but Jeanne had no idea.
He couldn't think of anything more repugnant and morally wrong for Akut to do to Jeanne, and Jack's anger skyrocketed, knowing that both of them had been duped by Akut. This was not about mates Jeanne and Jack becoming part of the Eastern Mangani family to heal their divisions, but was all about Jeanne becoming Akut's 13th mate.
Jack instantly leaped between Jeanne and Akut, snarled viciously at the top of his lungs, and bared his teeth like any adult male ape in defiant protection of Jeanne from Akut. Jack assumed a defensive crouch, knife drawn, ready to defend Jeanne. She had already turned happily around to be ready for Jack's mating with her, and she didn't see Akut's approach and obvious intentions, so she kept dancing until she heard Jack's fighting roar.
Jeanne turned instantly and was aghast seeing exactly what Akut had in mind for her. She shrieked in horror and hid behind Jack, crouching in true fear. She was defenseless against the giant old ape. She had left her knife where she had been squatting next to Jack during dinner. Jack held his free arm instinctively against her flanks in protection. It was comforting to her.
The drumming abruptly stopped, with the older female drummers seeing the angry confrontation between Jack and Akut. There was much confusion and agitation among the others.
Jack growled angrily, "No Akut! Jeanne is my mate. We are already one."
As tall and as powerful as Jack was, Akut still towered over him and was four times the young man's mass in pure animal muscle.
Akut beat his chest, rose up on two legs, and roared back, "I will mate with her as I have all the others. I am the only male in my land who mates. This is our way. Ever since The Split."
Jack was not backing down and seethed at the gorilla, "No! Jeanne is mine, Uncle. Only mine. We are Mangani, but we are human, not ape. You will not dare touch her. This is an abomination to Jeanne and me. I will not permit it."
Akut dismissed his claim, "You are of the western Mangani troop. Their ways and human ways have never been our ways. All Mangani females are my mates, no matter what species. If Jeanne claims to be Mangani, then she is mine. Do not cross me, Grandnephew."
He turned his attention to Jack's mate, "Submit to me Jeanne, and Korak will live. Refuse me and both of you die."
Jeanne was about to angrily deny the gigantic gorilla, but Jack bought some time by interrupting her, "Uncle. You give us an ultimatum that Jeanne and I must discuss."
Akut saw no harm in the two human mates discussing his demands, "Because you are new to our ways, I grant you that. You have little time. Choose quickly."
They retreated a few steps, knowing they were trapped by the ring of females, and Jack kept his guard up, watching all around. The pair spoke in French so she would explicitly know what to do, and the Mangani could not understand.
Jack whispered to Jeanne, "There is only one way out of this."
Jeanne was in near total panic, "Jack. Surely you aren't suggesting…"
He interrupted Jeanne's hair-trigger temper, "Absolutely not. I will never let him. No. Jeanne. I have to claim you in front of all of them. It's the only way to show them the right way for Mangani to live."
"Isn't that dangerous? We're surrounded. They would just stop us. Pull us apart. They could kill you. We should just run."
"They're twice as fast as us. We can't run away, and there are no vines to escape by. I have to mate with you faster than we've ever done before. Before they can react. Mating with you in front of Korak will put them all in shock just long enough. No one would expect a challenge, because he's never been successfully challenged. He's claimed me as kin publicly. Kin cannot kill kin. Even if he says he'll kill us if we don't submit. It will confound him with his own mates. And buy us time."
She touched him tenderly, "Oh dear, Jack, please don't let this be the first time that Mangani kin kills kin."
"All we need is time. I don't think we are alone here," he noted, and pausing for a moment, she felt the other eyes around them too that Jack already sensed.
Frightened, Jeanne assured him, "Jack. I'll do anything in front of them with you if it will protect us and stop Akut."
"You are stalling, Korak. Choose," Akut warned.
Hurriedly, Jack instructed Jeanne, "Stay near me. When I push you from behind, I will have to mate with you. As fast as we possibly can. They all have to see 'proof'. I'm sorry, sweetheart."
Touching his face, Jeanne assured him, "It's OK, Jack. Loving you is never a chore. Perhaps we can make something beautiful out of this. Keep me close in front of you. I have an idea."
"What will it be Grandnephew? Enough human affection. Her affections must be for me from now on," Akut snarled.
Jeanne stood directly in front of Jack. Her husband's hands were on her shoulders, but her hands were unseen by anyone, behind her, and below Jack's waist. This would have to be lightning fast. She was accelerating the process.
"You're almost ready," she whispered in great satisfaction with her techniques Jack was so familiar with.
"Yes I am. Because of your 'magic fingers', Jeanne," he whispered back. He was right on the verge and soon it would be impossible to hold back what was about to happen. Timing was everything now.
"Shut up and thank me later," she shot back with an amused grin.
Jack kept her close and he raised his knife in absolute defiance, "I, Korak the Killer, challenge you, Uncle Akut. Your claim as one mate to all Mangani females is dead wrong. I claim Jeanne as my mate. My mate only! You cannot have her."
He gave the loudest jungle yell he had ever made in his life. It was truly earsplitting to everyone. Akut covered his ears and groaned and doubled over in true pain, as did all the other gorillas who howled in duress. Jack's yell was tuned for ape ear sensitivities, not human.
Jeanne still cringed with the aural pain because she was right in front of Jack, but kept her hands focused on what she was doing until Jack's yell began to subside. Jeanne's ears would ring for hours, but she felt his push on her back. Instantly she dropped on her hands and knees and she and Jack joined, finishing in seconds just as his yell ended. The urgency of his climax surprised them, but this was about survival, not romance.
Jack pulled back from Jeanne, spread his legs and arms wide and arched backward, emphasizing to all of them the hard facts of the extensive, undeniable proof of what he had just done with Jeanne. Everyone's eyes went from Jack's to Akut's hindquarters. The apes were astonished at Korak's size compared to their aging Silverback. Jack was more than twice the size of Akut there. Every ape hooted and yelled in shock and surprise, pointing at Jack and his audacity to claim Jeanne as his own. She carried the proof of their mating too. No one knew what to do.
The great ape recovered from the jungle yell but saw what Jack had done to Jeanne before all of them. Once claimed there was no recourse. Utter shame and banishment would befall any who even attempted to take another's mate. Akut was not exempt from the law. The only way Jeanne could be his was if Akut killed Jack in combat to claim Jeanne as his own, or Jack abandoned his mate in fear of his life. Akut had done plenty of that before.
The great ape roared and beat his chest as all his females had witnessed the humans mate, but they didn't attack. They were completely stunned. No one had ever dared this in defiance of Akut. All the lesser females submitted every time. And the few males who had dare claim their mate over Akut's claim relented to the Silverback's demand and fled their mates, or were killed where they stood.
Akut was incensed, "Korak. You dare defy the will of Akut? When you are dead I will take her to be mine!"
"Never, Akut, I am Korak's mate and Korak's alone," Jeanne screamed in defiance.
Jack yelled,"The ways of the East are wrong. In the West, Mangani are mated pairs, including my father the Silverback."
"The ways of the West do not apply here. They never have. I rejected the West."
As they battled verbally, Akut started circling Jack, and Jack quickly shifted and put himself between the ancient Mangani male and Jeanne. All the females huddled back from the males. They would not attack. A challenge was always the males one on one. Jeanne watched for any sign of the females capturing her. She quickly went over to her backpack and pulled her knife to protect Jack's flanks.
Jack still wanted a peaceful way out of this, talking and still sizing each other up, "You and I are kin, Uncle Akut. Kin does not kill kin."
"Younger kin also does not disobey older kin. I will give you one more chance because you don't understand our ways. Give her up and you will live."
"No. I cannot."
"Then I will take her one way or another, Grandson of Kala, and you will die."
Jack shifted his knife to his left hand and grabbed a lethal looking knotted branch for a club and raised both weapons defiantly, "You will have to go through me first, Uncle."
"I thought you'd never ask," Akut roared and rushed headlong at Jack.
Jack shoved Jeanne away and leaped aside. She ran through the shocked circle of females and looked for a defensible hiding place. Akut tripped and tumbled, but regained his stance and charged Jack again.
Jeanne grabbed a vine and shimmied straight up into a branch. Once crouched on the branch above the fight, she felt a presence. Another female had climbed with her and held a vine in her hands to rope Jeanne in the lasso and take her to Akut.
Jeanne seethed, "I will be no one's slave again. Not human. Nor ape!"
She wickedly wielded her knife and sliced the vine to pieces, and advanced on the female gorilla. It was just like a knife fight in Douala. Something snapped inside Jeanne over the threat of being captured and bound again, this time as an ape's forced mate.
The female gorilla was no match for Jeanne's attack. Jeanne stabbed the ape in the forearms and shoulders and sliced at the female's belly. The gorilla female screamed and vainly protected herself and held her wounds. She was cowering behind any cover she could find with Jeanne's relentless onslaught. The female ape was bleeding badly, and backed away. She was in searing pain over her body. She started crying out to Jeanne, begging for mercy.
Jeanne was so angered by this attempted capture, she wasn't listening and not relenting, and was about to kill the female when a young male appeared between them. Jeanne stopped a moment, thinking how to take both of them.
He was subservient, not combative, and begged, "Please, human! Do not harm her. I know you don't really want to."
Jeanne answered, "Why not? She would have bound me and given me to Akut. I can fight you too. You do not scare me either. I have fought entire gangs of humans with knives."
"Neither of us wish to harm you. We are compelled to obey Akut upon threat of death. We don't want to obey him. But so many have died. We are afraid."
"I don't believe you or her."
"But you must."
"Why?"
"Because she is my real mate who Akut took from me. I love her. And you, Mangani West kin, believe as we do."
Jeanne presupposed this could be a lie, like all the lies she told as Meriem, "I have seen no males other than Akut. How can I trust you?"
"There are other Mangani males in the trees. Watching you. Hoping Korak wins."
"I know that. Who are they?"
"Exiled Males. Some from other troops. Some born of Akut and his females. There are other females who were Akut's mates but they escaped back to their mates. We live in fear and hide every day from Akut. We are Mangani with no troop. Biding our time. He won't live forever. He is very old. Failing. Then our mates can come back to us. If we are not all dead by then."
"Why don't you act on your own?" she asked skeptically.
"We are not strong enough. We have dreamed of this day - that a liberator from the Western Mangani would come to save all of us. One of Kala's descendants. Korak is the One. We heard the stories of a Mangani troop with many families like yours."
"Goodness. So Akut's mates… are all abducted? All forced?"
"Most. A few chose his ways," the male stated.
Suddenly Jeanne felt she was a kindred spirit to these frightened Mangani and ashamed he had attacked the female so viciously, who was in terrible pain. Jeanne had been forced to do everything against her will too. Jeanne felt safe with these two gorillas, but assured herself no others would try to subdue her why she was distracted. She felt the others and saw another couple cowering together as secret mates. It was one of the females in the circle Akut had mated with. Their eyes were haunted, helpless, and fearful. She knew that feeling.
The young male continued to explain, "Others do believe as you do. As Akut's sister Kala does. One male and one female is the true Mangani way. One mated pair is a family. Not one male over all the females. Each pair lives peacefully with other pairs, led by a Silverback chosen by all the family – who has only one mate. Not a dozen."
"Then you are kin to us," Jeanne smiled, "Korak and I will do everything to see that happens here like in the West. I am so sorry I hurt your mate. When this is all over I will personally tend to her healing."
The trio exchanged smiles of trust and gratitude.
…
Below Jeanne and the young gorilla mates, the lethal conflict raged between Jack and Akut.
Still in the dance circle, it was clear to Jack he was fighting a battle that could not be won. He had remembered the way Jeanne had leveraged his weight and had just thrown Akut against a massive tree. All it did was crack the tree trunk. Akut shook it off and charged again, even more enraged, and apparently with little injury. Jack did not want to kill Akut. He got some glancing blows and slices but it just made the ape madder. Jack just got grazed by a haymaker from the ape's massive fist and just barely got away from a second killing blow and a bite to the neck with the Silverback's fangs.
Jack tried to calm the fight even as they fought, "We are kin, Uncle. Stop this! This is madness. Let us go and we will never come back. We will never challenge your way of live again."
"You cannot be allowed to live, Korak," Akut roared.
"Why? What sense is there in that, Uncle?" Jack asked, continuing to emphasize their kinship.
"Because others will see that living like you and your Jeanne do as single mates can be done and others will wish to do so unless I destroy you and your mate."
"They have already seen that. It's too late. We just showed everyone the right way. There is no stopping that now whether Jeanne and I live or die. Let those who want to have our way live in peace and you can still have your way. There can be more than one Mangani troop in the East. Some will stay with you."
Dozens of hidden ears above the battle heard every word Jack said, and he knew it. And so did Akut.
The great ape was intransigent, "I cannot. It's too late. My ways will die when I die."
Jack braced for a charge for which he had no defense and no cover.
Without warning, Tikara dropped from the branches between Jack and Akut, and leaped at Akut's throat with a terrible growl, bowling the huge ape completely over backwards. A dozen or more leopards dropped out of the trees, keeping every other member of Akut's family at bay. Most of the gorillas hooted and roared or screamed to turn and flee into the jungle, but were stopped. Tikara viciously clawed Akut, doing real damage, but he managed to throw her off and got up, but this time staggering. His arm and leg muscles were on fire, ripped and bleeding in several places. An ear was missing and it bled all over his jaw and face.
While making sure to cut off Akut's dodges and feints to lunge at Jack for the final blow, Tikara shouted over her shoulder in the leopard tongue, "Run, Korak. Take Jeanne and cross the river. You are brave to fight him, but do not be foolish. You just got your mate back. I will never let you perish defending Jeanne. No matter what the cost."
Jack remembered the terrible story of Tikara losing her mate to Sabat. He was in exactly the same situation and he knew Tikara would fight to the death to prevent Jack from suffering a similar fate. Jeanne had seen this all happen, dropped from her branch, and she grabbed his hand and they ran like the wind.
Tikara leaped and make a crunching bite to Akut's shoulder, breaking a collarbone, but he threw her off and managed to get free, but roared in terrible pain from the bite and the break. With five remaining females around him, Akut tried to ignore the searing pain, and chased Jack and Jeanne and the leopards all the way to the border between the Eastern Mangani and Leopard Territory.
At the river border, Jack grabbed Jeanne and leaped to a vine and cleared the water. They were out of Mangani East lands and into Leopard Territory. They were safe.
Akut and his remaining females stopped at river's edge. They hated swimming. They balked at the nearly 20 sets of sharp leopard fangs and claws that would greet them in the leopards' turf if they dared go across. Jack had never seen that many leopards together in one place. They were solitary hunters and families. This was a truly a pride of leopards.
"Touch my Dad and his Jeanne and I will gut you personally, you sad old ape!" shouted brave Mykelti in Mangani to Akut from across the river atop a huge rock outcropping hanging over the river. This unsettled Akut in many ways - that Korak had a vast leopard family defending him, the leopards knew how to speak Mangani, and after decades, dangerous predators had no fear of him.
Tikara and the leopards who'd attacked Akut's family to save Jack and Jeanne swam across the river and shed the water from their fur on the other side, with Mykelti on guard with the other leopard defenders. Now there were over 30 of them. Never had Akut witnessed such a gathering of the animal kingdom against him.
Jack and Jeanne stood bravely near Mykelti, flanked by Jack's two adopted leopard daughters and Tikara. Jeanne had her slingshot ready, and Jack hefted his crossbow in defense of any other attacks. This was a truly formidable leopard family. Jack roared a leopard's roar, and all the other leopards joined him. It was deafening. Fully armed humans and leopards together completely intimidated Akut's family.
The battle was completely lost, so Akut shouted, "Fahh! Be gone. All of you. Korak, I turn my back on the Mangani of the west. Goodbye forever. Do not return or suffer the same fate the next time."
"Come, my mates," he ordered and started back in the jungle.
Four of the five females went but one lingered. A young adult male appeared in the shadows, silhouetted. He stared at the one who held back and made a beckoning gesture to the female. One of affection.
Akut stopped and yelled at the younger male, but made no effort to attack, "What are you looking at?"
"My mate whom you stole from me years ago. Your ways are wrong, Akut. Korak and Jeanne have shown you that. They are living proof of the Legend of Kala's Mangani in the West."
Akut was dismissive, "My sister's way is not my way. If you don't like my way, chose your own way then. I do not care now."
The male and female exchanged an expectant loving look and exclaimed loudly, "We choose Kala's way."
The male and female ran to each other and groomed themselves in happy reunion.
The other females saw their mates and intended mates hovering nearby. With one being brave, others wanted to follow, and did.
Akut was exasperated but said, "I hate to spoil this happy reunion for all of you, but you cannot live here. You may not want to live in my troop to my rules, but I will kill you if you do as long as I breathe."
They had nowhere to go and were very hesitant. Akut would kill them all. They were all young, just barely all adults. They were no match for Akut's power. Only the armed human and the leopardess had successfully challenged the old Silverback.
Tikara shouted from across the river in the language of the gorillas Jack had taught her, "You Mangani are all welcome here. Start your new family in our land. Korak is kin to us. You are safe with us."
Akut saw it all fall apart, "Go! I release you all. It is over. Like you would listen to me…"
All but one female joined with their mates and the pairs forded the river joyfully. They could live now as they wished.
One other gorilla remained with Akut, a juvenile male, and he said, "Son, why not go with the others?"
"I wish to stay Father. I have no mate. I will succeed you and carry out your beliefs. These others do not believe as you and I do. I will take care of you in your old age with Mother."
Just when Jack and Jeanne thought it was all over, another female appeared from the woods. Older, almost all gray too, with a couple of very young offspring. She was the one he mated first years ago, the one he mated first in the circle dance, and who was one of the drummers.
"Akut?" the old gray female asked.
"What do you want, dear mate? To ridicule me and leave like the others? To take another young male than stay with me? For I am disgraced."
"No dearest. To stand by you as always, you big stupid ape, and our family with you. We will stay. Your youngest son and daughters need a father. I need you as my only mate."
"Why?"
"Because I love you. More than any of the others, just like I have always. That is why I stay, why I have always stayed, even if the others fall away. I do not need the threat of death or punishment to make me stay with you."
"I love you too, dear. Thank you for staying. Perhaps sister Kala is right. You and only you have always been my truest mate."
The aged gorilla pair lumbered off into the woods, with their oldest and latest brood of children. He looked all of his advanced age. And tired. He held his broken collarbone.
Jeanne was actually in tears watching it all unfold, "Jack. I… I think we witnessed something amazing…"
All the mated ape pairs or those who wanted to be paired with their chosen who left Akut had witnessed the whole thing, looking at each other and at Jack and Jeanne and Tikara. They couldn't be happier. They were free from the Silverback's tyranny and domination and living in a new land free from him.
In Mangani, Tikara announced, "You are all welcome here all the rest of your days, until Akut welcomes you back."
"Or he is gone and we can reclaim our land," noted one male.
Tikara promised, "We will protect any kin of Korak that believes as he and his mate Jeanne do."
One skeptical Mangani male, holding his returned mate closely, asked, "Why, great leopard? Do you just want us for food?"
Tikara shook her head, "No. Never that. You are welcome here because we only mate with one other too."
There were two sets of Mangani East gorillas in the jungle now. The new monogamous troop and Akut's decimated polygamous troop. Two more females emerged from the trees and greens and swam to reunion with their mates or intended ones on the other side of the river. They had just left Akut forever.
A gorilla male talked to Jack, "Perhaps the Great Fear is over now. Thank you Korak. You, our Mangani naked ape ally, gave us the courage to do what we long felt was right."
"Be our Silverback, Korak," encouraged another mated pair.
"Thank you but I cannot. I will someday be the Silverback of the Western Mangani, your kin, and we must return to my father and mother and family and my mate Jeanne's family. You must think long and hard of who is most worthy to become your Silverback as we do. Remember leadership is a choice, not a fight. We Mangani are the smartest animals in the jungle. Use your minds, not your brawn."
"We will do so, Korak, we are indebted to you and the Western Mangani forever. You and Jeanne and your children are always welcome with us."
He bid farewell, "May we someday meet again and share meals in the jungle on a sunny day."
No kinder farewell could ever be said between Mangani friends separating.
The new troop assembled of a mix of male and female paired apes and went their own way, with a grateful goodbye to Korak.
"Thank you Korak, for showing us the right way to live."
Tikara's family and all the other leopards took this all in. Her Mangani was workable, but her offspring only understood a little of what had been said.
Mykelti was always the outspoken one of her litter, watching all the gorilla pairs gather on their side of the river, and observed to Tikara, "Mom, suddenly it seems crowded on our side of the river."
She scoffed, "There's room for all. Besides, gorillas just eat fruits and berries and bugs. We will not go hungry."
"Can we eat them?" the boy asked.
"No!" she roared angrily at her son and swiped him with the backside of her paw for emphasis, for all to hear, "We will never have a Sabor incident with apes and humans and leopards ever gain. Only in our own defense – at their provocation - will we ever strike a claw against them. There is plenty of prey for us in the jungle. Do I make myself perfectly clear, Mykelti?
"Yes, Mother," he said dejectedly, realizing what a stupid thing he had said.
Tikara was visibly shaken. The girls and the other leopard kin were in agreement. The rest of the leopards heard her chastisement of her son. They knew she meant this behavior to apply for every leopard family. Tikara was clearly the new matriarch of the loose confederation of singles and pairs and family groupings of leopards in Leopard Territory.
All but Tikara and her first litter departed from Jeanne and Jack. One lone adult male approached her. The two exchanged pleasant looks and rubbed their heads together with a satisfied loud purring.
Jeanne smiled at the bonded pair. She was not afraid.
Jack chuckled in Mangani, "Looks to me like you have a great future together, Tikara. Congratulations to you and your new mate. You have our blessings."
She answered in Mangani so Jeanne would understand, "Thank you Korak. We were mated while you were finding your Jeanne in the city. You are always welcome here, and for all the time you spent with me as my mate and the cubs as their father when they needed a father to show them how to live and hunt in the jungle. And you, Korak are a great hunter. I never had a human mate before. I will never forget you, dear Korak. My next boy cub will bear your name."
Jeanne raised an eyebrow.
Korak hugged his adopted leopard family, and so did Jeanne, but she was indignant with her own mate, "Where's your manners, Korak? Teach me to say 'thank you and see you again soon' to Tikara and her new mate and your family in their language, not ours."
"Uhh... sure Jeanne."
He did and the leopards were pleased with her sentiment. Tikara was very impressed with Jeanne, particularly her control of Jack. Human females were not much different that leopard females with their males.
It was a particularly tearful goodbye for Jack with his surrogate leopard son. Mykelti whimpered sadly, "Mom may have a new mate, and he's really nice, but you'll always be 'Dad' to me, Father Korak."
"I hope my human son is as fine a young cub as you are, dear Mykelti," Jack choked.
Jeanne really lost her composure at that tender moment, and tears streamed, as she clutched her hands in front of herself. Jack and Mykelti's goodbye hug lingered, and he had one more goodbye for Tikara.
But part they must, and Jack and Jeanne proceeded west through Leopard Territory alone with no further incident.
...
Jeanne seemed to be fairly calm about having weathered yet another assault on her, but as they walked, Jack took her hand tenderly and asked, "Jeanne, dear, are you going to be OK?"
She said fairly confidently, "Yes, Jack, I think I'm actually going to be fine about all this."
Jack observed, "You do seem to have come through this latest attack better than the other times."
Jeanne shook her head in disbelief, "I just can't believe a giant gorilla attacked me this time. Good grief, dear husband. Why does every male of any species on the planet seem to desire me so much?"
Jack said sincerely, "Sweetheart, you are still the prettiest creature in the jungle. Even the 'human jungle' of the big cities."
"Awww, that's sweet. Thank you for saving me again, Korak," she said as she leaned against his shoulder and squeezed his arm and hand as they hiked together.
"I'm just grateful that you seem fine."
"I think I know several reasons why, sweetheart," she explained as she stopped and turned and looked him in the eyes softly.
"How is that?"
"Well, you were right there protecting me from the start before I even realized there was any trouble at all. Akut never had the chance to really threaten me, dear."
"I suppose so. And?"
She smiled in adoration, "All the love and support and strength and confidence you built up in me in the months after the long ordeal has really made me a much stronger woman. I think I can handle just about anything as long as I have you beside me."
"You can count on that," he stated confidently. She was a stronger woman, just by the way she carried herself.
"And I wasn't helpless this time. I fought a female who tried to subdue me. I was just angry, not frightened after the initial attack. Like a street rat in Douala. I had my knife, and I was in control."
"I could tell," he smiled.
"And this was all for a good cause, Jack. We fought for something noble. For the Mangani apes that you stood up for and saved them too, not just me. And gave them our way of life after living their own nightmare for years. I can relate to that."
"I guess you're right."
"But there was one more thing," she said in a snarky tone.
He wasn't sure he wanted the answer to this but he asked anyway with a raised eyebrow, "And what was that, cherie?"
She snickered, "Simple, Viscount. No other 'damsel in distress' could ever claim their 'brave hero' husband made love to them in the midst of the battle. What's better than that, Jack, hmm?"
"The 'hero husband' making love with the damsel after the battle?" he suggested with a smirk.
They both had a good laugh about that, and she gave him a sweet little girl kiss on his lips, and promised "Not right now, dearest, I'm not that recovered yet. But later, I assure you."
...
As they hiked west, Jeanne knew she had a lot more to tease Jack about now, "So. Let me get this straight. You were a human mate to a leopard? Well jungle boy, you got some 'splainin' to do. You couldn't wait for me again?"
Jack completely missed her humorous tone, looked very worried about another blow up. He was emphatic, "Jeanne Meriem-Marie Clayton! I would never try such a thing. That's totally morally wrong."
It was fun to hear Jack use her own name-teasing phrase used back to her. With her new middle and last names.
She grinned, doubled over, and exploded in laughter, "I know, dear. Gotcha, husband! Unless Tikara's next litter comes up with all the cubs having auburn fur and green eyes and the boys having really long... uh... tails. Then, dear husband, we are going to have another long talk."
They had a good laugh, but he added, "You know I'm only attractive to you, dearest. Animals don't find a 'naked ape' appealing in the slightest."
She kidded, "Hmmm. I bet. What jungle female could ever resist a big handsome guy like you? Of any species?"
Jeanne hugged Jack, and she made a sensual "Rarrrh!" sound with fingers raised in a claw-like gesture just to tease him further.
"You just cussed me out in leopard speech," Jack noted smugly, remembering an earlier joke his father said he had played on his mother years ago.
It was Jeanne's turn to have a fretful look and the color ran out of her cheeks, "No… Jack… Omigosh… Really?"
She was truly embarrassed.
"No. Kidding too. Gotcha, Mangani girl," and he slapped his knees with a good laugh.
"Just because of that, I'm holding out on you tonight. And tonight was gonna be a deluxe version of a 'bad Meriem' night, dear," she scolded.
Jack got huge eyes. He wanted her even more after that dance and their too-quick coupling to save themselves.
She grinned, reacting to his big, sad puppy dog eyes, and gave him a big slurping smooch, "Kidding again… lover."
Jeanne got a more serious look as they hiked, "So tell me the real story about Tikara and her family with you being the leopard's surrogate mate. I know I teased you pretty hard about that. They all loved you so much. Especially the boy. He clearly felt like he was your son."
"It's all very simple," Jack said.
She interrupted him, "Oh? Hmm. Well let's see if I know my Jack. You rescued Tikara from a life-threatening situation. Her real mate gets killed but you kill their attacker. She owes you a life debt. You refuse and but she still wants to do the right thing for you, and joins you in your trek across Africa to save me. You help her raise her cubs and become friends so close that she and her cubs bond with you like a mate and a daddy. And she and her litter wish you were a real leopard to make more cubs with their mommy. They repay the life debt in our battle against Akut. And now you are allies for life."
He had a stunned expression as she gave him a smug look. He knew that right now they were definitely not sharing the connection.
"Uhhh… Yeah, Jeanne… um… that's about it," he stammered.
She leaned closer and praised her husband, "Dear, sweet Jack. You are so predictable. Such a softie. And I love you for it."
She completed a deep kiss.
When they came up for air, Jack complained weakly, "Don't let anyone hear you say that, Jeanne. 'Korak the Softie' doesn't strike fear into anyone's heart."
They laughed heartily hand-in-hand, reflecting on their latest adventure.
"Jack, I think Grandmother Kala would be very proud of you today. I would be fun to stop back in a few years and see what grew today from the seeds you planted."
"Thanks cherie. That would be nice."
Purposely using his jungle name, she praised him, "You know Korak, sweetheart, it seems that no matter where you go and what you do, everyone - human or animal - becomes your friend. You have a gift, dear."
"Not everyone, Jeanne. I wish Uncle Akut had become my friend. He took his defeat really hard."
"Maybe he'll come around by the time we come back," she said hopefully.
"Perhaps. But yes, it does seem that way. God has blessed me, I guess."
They walked silently with arms around each other's waists after lunch about mid-afternoon. They were hot and tired and both really wanted to rest but knew they had to press on. Today's lunch had not wanted to become lunch for them, and the chase wore them out. They decided to nest right here for the day.
"Um… Jack…" Jeanne asked demurely, after Jack had completed a very soft, comfortable nest for them for the evening.
She partially reclined in it, emphasizing her long beautiful legs, but remained propped up on one of her arms. She smoothed a place for him beside her.
"Yes, Jeanne," Jack gulped
"Back there. With Akut. What we did. We... umm... had to be very rushed," Jeanne alluded to their most recent sexual encounter, borne of necessity, not pleasure or desire.
Jack hoped this was going somewhere, "Well yes, of course. What you did was perfect, dear. He would have killed us if I'd taken any more time. I'd have never done it that fast myself. You got me to exactly the right point."
She said proudly, "Well, dear, I know how to take care of you. And you're welcome. About that whole thing... Jack…Can we try that 'Mangani way' again, sweetheart? That was nice. Very nice."
Jack was grinning from ear to ear, "Really? I wasn't sure you'd like that way."
She looked dreamily at him, "Oh yes I did, it felt… really... different… but different good… But, jungle boy… do it slower. Please… and... umm... can we do it now?"
It was hours before nightfall.
"I'd love to. It felt good to me too, Jeanne. But uhh... could you, uh… do that dance thing again first?
"Sure cheri. But we don't have an old stump here for a drum."
"Cherie, you don't need a drum. Just dance for me."
"You're sweet."
When Jeanne was done with her irresistible dance, neither could escape the inexorable desire to couple. At the conclusion of the dance, Jack and Jeanne smiled with intense desire as she ended her dance right in front of him like the other gorilla females did for Akut. She closed her eyes, turned around, dropped to her hands and knees, and arched her shoulders up as he approached and knelt behind her. She held her breath in joyful anticipation. She gasped when he laid his hands softly on her shoulders and felt a gentle, intimate feeling grow behind her.
Quite some time later, because of their slow and gentle union, her cries of ecstasy followed, soon after by his own. They spooned in the aftermath, aglow in their emotions, still joined as long as they were able. Few times felt better than this, they concluded.
Far above in the trees, the young female who Jeanne had fought, befriended, and healed in the tree above the fight, watched them join, was now completely reunited with her mate. The gorilla mates were inspired to couple also, to shake off the horror of being ripped apart from each other to become Akut's mate by force more than two rainy seasons ago. They were happy and pleased seeing Jack and Jeanne in their emotional union 'the Mangani way'.
"See? Apes can teach humans something."
Both suppressed a snicker and they left the humans alone again in the jungle to join back with the new monogamous Mangani troop of multiple pairs.
The 'Mangani way' and the many times Jack and Jeanne would do it from now on would always be special to the newlyweds, because doing it the first time in extreme urgency saved their lives. Showing their Mangani West brethren they were mates when that time came in their acceptance ritual would be very easy for them now.
…
Unimpeded, the rest of the journey was much quicker. They hiked and swung over the top of Kamerun and Nigeria with no let up. They were very anxious now to get home. As they entered the land of the Western Mangani, every animal friend they met swore not to celebrate or spread word to parents.
…The Treehouse...
But Jane had picked up on thing already. Things seemed weird today, but a good weird. She couldn't pin it down, and it would have to wait. She had chores to do and diapers to change.
Tarzan sniffed the air and the sounds of the jungle didn't seem quite 'right' but he was hunting a warthog for dinner and couldn't be distracted further.
…The Border of the Land of the Western Mangani...
Munching on some wild fruit during a rest on their final leg to home, Jeanne asked with his head in her lap, absentmindedly grooming his beard and twirling his chest hair.
But she ruffled his dreadlocks and ordered, "Now jungle boy, honeymoon time is over. Back on the trail. The next time I make love to you is going to be in our bed in the treehouse or a nest on your land."
"Slave driver..." he quipped, but realizing what he said, he apologized profusely, "Goodness, Jeanne. I'm so sorry..."
"Not to worry sweetie. Remember you did buy me. I am and forever will be your slave. Unless you sell me."
He smirked, "Not on your life, dear wife. At least, not unless you give me good reason to sell you!"
They both laughed, pecked each other, and anxiously traveled the miles left to the treehouse. To home.
They knew the year-long readjustment for Jeanne, their marriage, and their honeymoon was over. It was time to reenter the real world.