Kala stared upward at the closed in canopies surrounding the jungle
sky, enveloping it in a lampshade of green, dappled light escaping
down and shedding beams of gold across the jungle floor.
She had managed to slip away from the group for a while, having found their business too exaggerating...and rather annoying, to be honest. They were all talking about the same thing, which seemed to have been the greatest topic to discuss in the colony since...she couldn't remember when.
Everyone was talking about their group's newest leader following Kerchak, Tarzan, was finally mating with his human love. They were all discussing it of course, although sometimes with not the best of extent. In fact, that was one of the reasons why she had wished to escape from the bubbly gossip that was travelling from ear to ear. She had managed to catch a couple of words being said just before she had left;
"And I hear it's the big day today!" She had heard Momka exclaim to her group of friends, who, at the adult stage in a gorilla's life, could never get rid of the disapproving habit of giggling and squeaking like a newborn balu.
"I know. Everyone's expected to show up." Now Kala heard Teeka's voice, Momka's oldest friend, reply back in a somewhat excited voice.
"Why do we have to go, though?" came Kina's puzzled tone. "It's not like it's our mating ritual or anything...I thought those things had to be private! You know, like in secret. Why does the whole group have to turn up?"
"Beats me." Teeka groaned. "Maybe it's something to do with Jane's En-go-loish culture, or something. You know, what they do back home."
"What?" Momka giggled, sounding extremely amused. "You mean like, when people are actually watching you?! But that's so unladylike!"
"Exactly." Teeka continued, her attitude now sounding rather suspicious and a little spiteful in its words. "I don't know what Tarzan's getting himself into, really. I mean, mating a human who runs her life in a different way than we do? What's with that?"
"Well, he does love her, you know." Kina put in, sighing slowly as if she had already explained this for the tenth time. "If you really care about someone, you shouldn't really-"
"Yeah, yeah, we've all heard the pep talk a kajillion times before!" Momka interrupted, her bossy sentences bringing the little group of females to a hush. "We all know that stuff, Kina...but how does he know that he's doing the right thing? I mean, Jane's a freak! They won't last very long, if you ask me."
"Yeah, me neither." Teeka agreed. "He really has to be so picky, that guy. Picking that human out of everyone he could have had. They'll end up being so confused over one another in a few weeks, then it will all be finished before it even began! Tarzan deserves better, in my opinion."
"I suppose." Kina eventually consented, although sounding slightly reluctant. "They probably will end up fighting a lot..."
"And screaming..." put in Momka.
"Let's face it, girls." Teeka concluded triumphantly. "Tarzan's future is on the rocks thanks to that Jane."
Kala had heard enough. She didn't really feel like eavesdropping to boisterous she-apes all morning, which really didn't have anything that was any of their business to talk about. But of course, it was more or less the shame that made Kala turn and walk away.
She had thought the exact same things when she first found out about Tarzan and his visits to see Jane. How she had been so objective towards it, and had never even given him a chance to tell her all about it. Most of the influence of this matter was on the shoulders of Kerchak, of course, but she actually blamed herself now for believing it too...for a while.
Ever since that Jane had come to live in the jungle with Tarzan, it was like Kala had just inherited the daughter that she never had. She had grown quite attached to the young, polite, slightly clumsy Jane Porter, ever since she had rescued her from the clutches of one of those cages; she had felt a close bond form between her and Tarzan's friend. One that she couldn't ignore.
And now, she was joining her life with her son, remaining there with him in the jungle for the rest of her life. Kala hoped that they would each treat another with the love and encouragement that couples should give one another. She didn't really heed what anyone else said...in her opinion, Tarzan and Jane were perfect for one another, and were meant to be together.
"Hey! Sap-boy! Better get a move on! Ya wanna be punchtwowool!"
Kala halted in her steps at the sound of the distant cry that escaped from the bushes behind her. She sighed in a quite exaggerated tone as she recognised whom the hollering had come from. Her niece Terkina.
'But who was she talking to?' Kala wondered, her brows knitting together in confusion. However, her question was immediately answered for her, as the bushes were pushed apart, and a figure ran through them, seeming as if they were in a hurry to get somewhere.
"Tarzan!" Kala greeted, stopping in her tracks waiting to talk to him. "Good morning! Where are you rushing off to?" She made it so that Tarzan would have to stop and talk to her, as she was blocking his way with that concerned but demanding look that mothers often give their children.
Understanding this, Tarzan brought his dashing to a stop, looking slightly impatient at having made to wait.
"Can't stay long..." he seemed to blabber out, itching to get on his way again. "I've got to be punchtwowool! I can't-"
"Calm down, Tarzan." Kala instructed, rolling her brown eyes. "You're hard enough to understand sometimes when you're not frantic. Now. Where are you going to be...well, whatever you called it."
"I think it might mean...'On time'." Tarzan pointed out, still looking rather nervous. "The professor told me that I had to be at the treehouse as soon as possible, because he was going to help me get ready...ready for-"
"Your special day?" Kala finished smugly.
Tarzan raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Yes. How did you know-?"
"Mothers know too many things for their own good. It's a habit."
Tarzan sighed slowly, a puzzled expression crossing his features. "It must be."
"Everyone's talking about it." Kala told him, her voice subdued at the thought of what she had just heard from the group of females. "In more ways than one."
"What do you mean?" Tarzan inquired, cocking his head to one side as his eyebrows closed together in misunderstanding.
"Well..." Kala sighed, not really wishing to say this, but figured it was for the better. "Some of the group feel that you're making a mistake, spending the rest of our life with Jane. They feel...that..."
"She's different." Broke in Tarzan, this time with a certain tone of anger hidden in his low voice.
Kala shook her head slowly. She knew that Tarzan was easily manipulated by the fact that someone was called different, or strange. Most of his past was spent struggling to overcome the pain of that. Kala knew that he didn't want Jane to go through what he had been through.
"You and I both know that that doesn't matter, Tarzan." She spoke up, her voice calm and relaxed. "Everyone should know that by now."
"Well, why don't they?!" Tarzan asked loudly, a frown beginning to form.
Kala spoke to him sternly, but keeping her voice mellow and understanding, doing her best to get the message through. "All that matters is that you love Jane." She answered. "You shouldn't listen to what anyone else might say."
Tarzan nodded slowly, his frown fading from his forehead. "I know."
"Now, go on." Kala smiled, standing aside for him. "You'd better go. You don't want to be late, do you?"
Tarzan grinned. "All right. Goodbye, Mother...and thank you." And with that, he continued on his way towards the treehouse, where Professor Porter lay waiting for him.
She had managed to slip away from the group for a while, having found their business too exaggerating...and rather annoying, to be honest. They were all talking about the same thing, which seemed to have been the greatest topic to discuss in the colony since...she couldn't remember when.
Everyone was talking about their group's newest leader following Kerchak, Tarzan, was finally mating with his human love. They were all discussing it of course, although sometimes with not the best of extent. In fact, that was one of the reasons why she had wished to escape from the bubbly gossip that was travelling from ear to ear. She had managed to catch a couple of words being said just before she had left;
"And I hear it's the big day today!" She had heard Momka exclaim to her group of friends, who, at the adult stage in a gorilla's life, could never get rid of the disapproving habit of giggling and squeaking like a newborn balu.
"I know. Everyone's expected to show up." Now Kala heard Teeka's voice, Momka's oldest friend, reply back in a somewhat excited voice.
"Why do we have to go, though?" came Kina's puzzled tone. "It's not like it's our mating ritual or anything...I thought those things had to be private! You know, like in secret. Why does the whole group have to turn up?"
"Beats me." Teeka groaned. "Maybe it's something to do with Jane's En-go-loish culture, or something. You know, what they do back home."
"What?" Momka giggled, sounding extremely amused. "You mean like, when people are actually watching you?! But that's so unladylike!"
"Exactly." Teeka continued, her attitude now sounding rather suspicious and a little spiteful in its words. "I don't know what Tarzan's getting himself into, really. I mean, mating a human who runs her life in a different way than we do? What's with that?"
"Well, he does love her, you know." Kina put in, sighing slowly as if she had already explained this for the tenth time. "If you really care about someone, you shouldn't really-"
"Yeah, yeah, we've all heard the pep talk a kajillion times before!" Momka interrupted, her bossy sentences bringing the little group of females to a hush. "We all know that stuff, Kina...but how does he know that he's doing the right thing? I mean, Jane's a freak! They won't last very long, if you ask me."
"Yeah, me neither." Teeka agreed. "He really has to be so picky, that guy. Picking that human out of everyone he could have had. They'll end up being so confused over one another in a few weeks, then it will all be finished before it even began! Tarzan deserves better, in my opinion."
"I suppose." Kina eventually consented, although sounding slightly reluctant. "They probably will end up fighting a lot..."
"And screaming..." put in Momka.
"Let's face it, girls." Teeka concluded triumphantly. "Tarzan's future is on the rocks thanks to that Jane."
Kala had heard enough. She didn't really feel like eavesdropping to boisterous she-apes all morning, which really didn't have anything that was any of their business to talk about. But of course, it was more or less the shame that made Kala turn and walk away.
She had thought the exact same things when she first found out about Tarzan and his visits to see Jane. How she had been so objective towards it, and had never even given him a chance to tell her all about it. Most of the influence of this matter was on the shoulders of Kerchak, of course, but she actually blamed herself now for believing it too...for a while.
Ever since that Jane had come to live in the jungle with Tarzan, it was like Kala had just inherited the daughter that she never had. She had grown quite attached to the young, polite, slightly clumsy Jane Porter, ever since she had rescued her from the clutches of one of those cages; she had felt a close bond form between her and Tarzan's friend. One that she couldn't ignore.
And now, she was joining her life with her son, remaining there with him in the jungle for the rest of her life. Kala hoped that they would each treat another with the love and encouragement that couples should give one another. She didn't really heed what anyone else said...in her opinion, Tarzan and Jane were perfect for one another, and were meant to be together.
"Hey! Sap-boy! Better get a move on! Ya wanna be punchtwowool!"
Kala halted in her steps at the sound of the distant cry that escaped from the bushes behind her. She sighed in a quite exaggerated tone as she recognised whom the hollering had come from. Her niece Terkina.
'But who was she talking to?' Kala wondered, her brows knitting together in confusion. However, her question was immediately answered for her, as the bushes were pushed apart, and a figure ran through them, seeming as if they were in a hurry to get somewhere.
"Tarzan!" Kala greeted, stopping in her tracks waiting to talk to him. "Good morning! Where are you rushing off to?" She made it so that Tarzan would have to stop and talk to her, as she was blocking his way with that concerned but demanding look that mothers often give their children.
Understanding this, Tarzan brought his dashing to a stop, looking slightly impatient at having made to wait.
"Can't stay long..." he seemed to blabber out, itching to get on his way again. "I've got to be punchtwowool! I can't-"
"Calm down, Tarzan." Kala instructed, rolling her brown eyes. "You're hard enough to understand sometimes when you're not frantic. Now. Where are you going to be...well, whatever you called it."
"I think it might mean...'On time'." Tarzan pointed out, still looking rather nervous. "The professor told me that I had to be at the treehouse as soon as possible, because he was going to help me get ready...ready for-"
"Your special day?" Kala finished smugly.
Tarzan raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Yes. How did you know-?"
"Mothers know too many things for their own good. It's a habit."
Tarzan sighed slowly, a puzzled expression crossing his features. "It must be."
"Everyone's talking about it." Kala told him, her voice subdued at the thought of what she had just heard from the group of females. "In more ways than one."
"What do you mean?" Tarzan inquired, cocking his head to one side as his eyebrows closed together in misunderstanding.
"Well..." Kala sighed, not really wishing to say this, but figured it was for the better. "Some of the group feel that you're making a mistake, spending the rest of our life with Jane. They feel...that..."
"She's different." Broke in Tarzan, this time with a certain tone of anger hidden in his low voice.
Kala shook her head slowly. She knew that Tarzan was easily manipulated by the fact that someone was called different, or strange. Most of his past was spent struggling to overcome the pain of that. Kala knew that he didn't want Jane to go through what he had been through.
"You and I both know that that doesn't matter, Tarzan." She spoke up, her voice calm and relaxed. "Everyone should know that by now."
"Well, why don't they?!" Tarzan asked loudly, a frown beginning to form.
Kala spoke to him sternly, but keeping her voice mellow and understanding, doing her best to get the message through. "All that matters is that you love Jane." She answered. "You shouldn't listen to what anyone else might say."
Tarzan nodded slowly, his frown fading from his forehead. "I know."
"Now, go on." Kala smiled, standing aside for him. "You'd better go. You don't want to be late, do you?"
Tarzan grinned. "All right. Goodbye, Mother...and thank you." And with that, he continued on his way towards the treehouse, where Professor Porter lay waiting for him.