A/N: I don't believe it- I'm updating this. It's a miracle, I know! Anyway, something just nagged and nagged at me- I hate having an unfinished fic on my account so I'll more than likely finish this before April anyway! ^_^ Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I'm happy y'all like it, and, Cathy, if you're still around, once again, I dedicate this to you!
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"You have no idea where you're taking ussssssss, do you?" Kaa spoke to Louie and Baloo. The two in question stopped to glare at their slithery companion.
"Well, uh," Baloo scratched his head, "I guess, uhm, uh...no. No, I don't," he admitted.
Louie also scratched his head a bit then looked around searching for something but, apparently, not finding it. He answered the snake's question, "I thought we were going to Khan's place?"
Mowgli nodded. "Yeah! We're going to find Khan and get Ranjan!" He turned to the snake, annoyed. "REMEMBER? Or did you already forget?" Mowgli wasn't the least bit happy to have the snake accompanying them.
Kaa rolled his eyes. "Yesssssss, I 'REMEMBER,'" he glared at Mowgli, "BUT I don't think thessssssse two bafoonsss 'REMEMBER' how to get to Khan's place."
"That's not true is it papa-bear? Louie?" Mowgli asked, hopping from foot to foot while shooting hate-filled glares at Kaa. He didn't want anything out of the snake's mouth to be credible. If it was that would mean Baloo might allow the slithery creature to stick around. The sooner Mowgli could get the snake to upset Baloo, the better.
"Actually, cuz," Louie began, his cheeks tinted a light pink, "it is."
"What?!" Mowgli exclaimed.
"Yeah, it's true," Baloo admitted. "We don't know exactly how to get to Khan's place."
"Ssssssee?" Kaa smiled triumphantly. "I told you they had no clue whatsssssssssoever!"
"And I suppose you do, huh?" Louie demanded angrily.
"Actually, yesssssss, I do." Kaa told them, his triumphant smile only growing wider.
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"Are you-are you okay, Bag...heera?" Shanti tripped over the panther's name once again. She was now riding on his back due to her ankle. When she had woken up earlier she had stood up only to collapse back onto the ground. She was pretty sure it had to be pretty uncomfortable for Baghheera. She wasn't exactly the lightest person in the world and she kept pinching his fur by accident. "Bag....?"
"I'm fine," Bagheera replied between clenched teeth. Why did humans have to be so heavy? He flinched when Shanti gripped his fur around his neck a little too hard for comfort.
"Maybe I should try walking again?" she offered, feeling guilty.
"No," Bagheera told her, "your ankle looks pretty bad and I doubt walking on it would help. I'm sure you still couldn't walk on it even if you tried again."
"Yeah," muttered Shanti still feeling guilty, though she was sure he was right. Her ankle did still hurt. A lot. She glanced at it, then turned her head away, not wanting to look at it any longer than necessary.
The duo continued in silence for some time. Shanti wasn't sure, but it looked almost like they were going around in circles. She had asked Bagheera about that, but he had told her that much of the jungle would probably look the same to the untrained eye. She sighed quietly feeling very out of place. And now she felt like some kind of burden. Bagheera might deny it, but his heavy breathing and panting told her otherwise.
I know we have to be nearing Khan's place, Bagheera thought, sniffing at the air before continuing their journey. When'd it get so hot out here anyway? the thought popped into his head but he quickly pushed it aside. We should almost be there. Almost..almost....
"Ugh!" Shanti cried out as Bagheera collapsed beneath her. She quickly hobbled off him, and began shaking him. "Bagheera?!" She shook him harder. "Bagheera!! BAGHEERA!"
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Mowgli followed behind Baloo and Louie as they followed Kaa. The boy's arms were crossed and his face was drawn into a frown. I can't believe we're letting that snake lead us to Khan!! What if he leads us to a trap or something?! He kicked at the dirt. He didn't like this setup at all, but Baloo and Louie seemed okay with it. And where were they, anyway? They'd been traveling for quite some time now and the scenery wasn't exactly getting prettier.
"Hey, Kaa," Louie called out, "we getting any closer?"
"Yeah," Baloo also called out, "we've been walking for a looooooooong time now!"
"We're almosssssssst there, I promisssssssse!" Kaa assured them, "we should get there around," he looked up at the sky, "sundown," he guessed.
"Sundown?!" Baloo threw up his hands frustrated. "That's just wonderful!"
"What's wrong, cuz?" Louie asked. "As long as we get there, right?"
"At sundown, he'll be better," Mowgli pointed out, also disheartened at this piece of news and a bit upset.
"Yeah, Lou," Baloo explained, "cats can see really good especially at night. Khannie will have a slight advantage over us." Slight? Baloo thought. Who was he kidding. Now Khan would just have a bigger advantage over them!
"Yeah, I wonder if that was on purpose..." Mowgli piped up. The other three gave him curious looks. "Well, how do we know we weren't set up to meet Shere Khan after dark?" Mowgli questioned sending Kaa a significant look.
Kaa rolled his eyes exasperated. "You've got to be kidding. I didn't even know that you buffoonssssss were looking for Shere Khan until yesssssssterday when Bagheera and ssssssome girl practically tackled me!" He defended himself. Baloo rolled his eyes.
"I doubt Bagheera would attack you- he only eats vegetables, remember?"
"Then again," Louie smiled at Kaa, "he might mistake you for a vegetable. I would!"
"Har, har, har," Kaa laughed mockingly. "Look who's talking."
Mowgli suddenly reached towards Kaa and yanked the snake towards him causing Kaa to cry out in pain. He glared at Mowgli. "What was that for?!" he demanded indignantly.
"Did you say some girl was with Bagheera?" Mowgli demanded. Kaa nodded impatiently.
"Yessssss, man-cub, that's what I sssssaid!! Sssssome girl- ssssssaid ssshe wasss a friend of yourssssss from the village or sssssomething. Or I assssume sssso, anyway."
"Well, that'ssssssss jussssssst dandy," Louie mocked Kaa. He groaned. "Now we have three humans in the jungle?"
"Huh?" Baloo looked at Mowgli and Louie confused. "I thought you all knew that?"
"Baloo! You mean, you've known Shanti was here but didn't say anything?" Mowgli folded his arms over his chest getting more and more annoyed. First Shere Khan had kidnapped his brother, then he'd gotten lost in the jungle, Kaa was leading them to Shere Khan and he had serious doubts about that, and now, Baloo knew Shanti was in the jungle but hadn't said anything.
"Hey, chill, baby-bear!" Baloo held up his hands in surrender seeing Mowgli's furious face and defensive stance. "I just found out earlier when Kaa heard me hollerin' for ya. I didn't know you knew her or anything."
Kaa rolled his eyes. "Baloo, you need a crash courssssse in common sssssensssse." He nodded his head in a certain direction. "C'mon, we sssssshould be getting pretty closssse." He took off in the direction he had nodded in with the other three close in tow.
Mowgli glanced up at the sky. The sun was rapidly approaching the horizon. It wouldn't be too long before the sunset. He sighed. I hope Ranjan's all right. I hope Shanti is, too. I wonder what she's doing....?
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Shere Khan glared at the screaming baby. Honestly, how long can it possibly take for those jungle idiots to lead fresh meat to me? He looked up at the sky. I'll give them another few hours, otherwise I'll just settle for the meat I already have here.
