Two Brothers Under the Sun
Chapter – XXII
The Rain's Monster
Part 2: The Coming of the Monsoon
Cold Lairs, Tiger Khanate, south Bukuvu
The ground was moving. Each and every corner of the temple floor was obscured by massive, bulging coils. Bundo could hear rustling and hissing in the rubbish all around him. Taking special notice of the pulsing heap in the center, he spotted a claw in the sea of limbless beasts. Next, he saw that the snakes behind it were wrapped around the body to whom the claw belonged. For a moment, he thought he was witnessing the disposal of a traitor to the Khanate.
But when the pythons started to uncoil and disperse... the limb moved.
Bundo's brows shot past his forehead. The claw lurched with the head and torso following intacted, except for the blots that covered various little bits of the body. While the backside came forth, Bundo caught the scent of several plants, most he didn't recognize but one of them he knew was used as a medicine to treat wounds.
That was when it hit him that the red one had introduced himself earlier as the Royal Mjuzi.
Once he finally emerged from the snake pit, the tiger flared his nostrils and his eyes settled on the red dog. Not averting his gaze for even a second, the great predator stood calmly and perfectly still; giving the dhole an unspoken sign: he knew Bundo's scent and abided his presence... for now.
"Bundo, I welcome you and your dholes to my lairs." Spoke up the Great Khan as he sat in place, what little light there was in the temple chamber cast the tiger's shadow over the small canine. "I'm sure we can find a good use for your skills in my domain." He cordially said. "You will have to excuse me, but we didn't bring more mutton to celebrate the occasion."
"I'm not hungry." The dhole responded, inwardly considering the feline's words before he pressed on. "What I wanted to see here is you, the one who came and conquered this jungle, whose name brings dread to all that hear it, who not even the elephants dare to kick out." And he whose hatred of men raged above all the other creatures in the Bukuvu. By the time he finished his acclamations, his stance had turned submissive. "Shere Khan."
"Fair enough." Shere Khan nodded simply but, in spite of the darkness surrounding them, Bundo could still see his mouth tugging to form a smile. "But first, please allow me to show you my Khanate."
It was the densest patch of woodland Bundo had ever seen, a crowning achievement even for someone who had only been living in the jungles for a single season in his entire life. In these windless forests, the fallen leader could practically feel the trees growing around him. The pool he had stepped on his way was not the only one in the vicinity of the tiger's den: there were dozens of others, a pool every few yards as far as his eyes could reach. Droplets plunged from the overcast canopy to ensure they would stay there until all the water filtered to the moat. But the vegetation would never go away, far too thick and tangled that not even the pachyderms could uproot it, especially if they didn't plan on disturbing nature's balance across the entire south.
Emerging out of the shadow of the green crowns, Bundo found himself in a different world. At least, that was what it felt like when he stepped into the clearing of the Cold Lairs for the first time.
A world full of delicacies, majestic and imposing lairs, and all the water for one's leisure.
Mound-like dens all around, and these were certainly bigger than the ruins of the Bandar-log. There were one or two sentinels on the trees and walls, proof of how little the tigers had to fear in their lands. The guards were nothing compared to the number of hunters who came bringing all types of different game to the lairs: beef, poultry, venison, mutton, pork, chevon, fish, frog, lizard, rodent, and rabbit. Meats from far across the south bank of the Dirisha River. A true banquet that showed the power of the predator he was currently walking alongside with.
With a strange fascination, the dhole leader watched the tigers preparing their meals. First, they pierced their claws deep on the nape, cut it across to the base of the body, stripped off the hide to expose the flesh, then proceeded to cut the meat into several pieces; some they ripped with their fangs to eat right away, some they hanged on the branches of thorny bushes after washing it in the water hole (or reservoir, as he was told they called it), and the rest they kneaded with salt and squashed herbs to give some extra flavor before eating it. If the food was spoiled it would be discarded along with the trimmed fat and silver skin, all left for the vultures to claim for themselves. Waiting on the sidelines, the leopards stood patiently in anticipation of their turn to feast, a testament to the power the bigger cats had over them. The pythons didn't partake in the feasting, the prey currently bulging inside their stomachs would carry them for days on end.
All of these beasts under the leadership of a single leader. Another display of the power of the Khan.
"The jungle is generous, Bundo." The greatest tiger of them all stated, and Bundo was partially miffed that he didn't spare a glance at him as he spoke, again. Seemingly more focused on admiring his own realm. Which was understandable... although still annoying for the canine.
"We lack for naught. Our kind lived like this back in our homeland, long before the coming of Men."
The red dog listened as they both kept their stride, even though he already knew the story well enough. In fact, he had taken quite an interest in it since he first arrived in the jungle.
"No one has the right to simply take it all away, nor me, nor you, nor even the pachyderms."
He stopped in an instant. Glancing up at him, the first thing Bundo noticed was that a hard yet calm scowl was now adorning the tiger's face before he continued on.
"But a long time ago, before any of us were born, a group of meddlesome primates sought to tame the wilderness, claiming it all for themselves, forsaking the gift of nature and spurning the Will and Law of the Great Circle."
Shere Khan gazed off towards the far horizon in the direction where one could catch the smallest glimpse of the Great Waters. In his eyes, Bundo could see it: the homing instinct of a wayward beast. He had a home somewhere off in that direction.
Bundo knew that feeling very well too.
"Those apes sought to create their own realm in which they would follow their own rules and their rules alone." The feline's jaw locked. "Their lairs breathe with the Red Flower: a force of pure destruction they use to taint and tame the wilderness for their exclusive use."
He shifted his head. Finally, he set his focus back on his guest.
"Tell me, does that idea appeal to you?"
'Men'. Bungo glowered. "No."
The stripped cat nodded approvingly and carried on. "Through our blood and sweat, we rid these lands of their kind and saved the jungle. But, let's suppose they came back, bringing not only their fire and guns that make it easy for them to kill anybody that stands in their way, but also turning the very denizens of the jungle to their side, including the mightier apes of the Great Troop or the pachyderms themselves, and shared their blasphemous secrets with them."
He leaned forth at the canine, causing the latter to reel backward before asking him a question.
"What do you think would happen?"
Bundo stopped to imagine such a thing. Immediately, his mind was overtaken with thoughts straight out of his nightmares.
"The jungle... no, all the wilds would be theirs." He didn't mean for his words to come out weak, but they did.
"And, as predators, it's our duty to make sure that doesn't happen." The big cat went back to face the distance. "I had one... not sure if I should call him my friend after all things considered. He deserted me and is now Oathsworn to Kerchak, the Chief Silverback of the Great Troop." His gaze fell back on the dhole. "I'm sure you also know his protegee, the Man-Cub."
To that, Bundo clicked his fangs and gave a toothy growl.
"I don't want to watch another massacre." The last words the panther shared with him echoed in the dhole's mind. "Let us settle this with a Mashindano."
Back then, Bundo would have scoffed if he wasn't breathing in through his mouth so he wouldn't gag. The scent of that swine was overpowering. Without a word, the canine leaped at the feline; too mad to care if the battle was already lost, and too prideful to allow himself to miss a chance to kill the Won-tolla.
Facing the dog's onslaught, Bagheera was fearfully punished, but his grip had eventually paralyzed the dhole, who then realized he could not turn round and reach his opponent in a brief moment of regained sanity. The leopard's paw had shot out like the head of a tree snake and pinned the red dog by the scruff of his neck. Without ever loosening his grasp, the outlier hauled his enemy, hanging like a drowned jackal, up in the air. With his left paw, he bared his claws and cut off the red, bushy tail, flinging the dhole back to earth again.
Casting a look over his shoulder, Bundo could see the reminder of that humiliation.
That defeat. That indignation.
"If he grows up, with Bagheera teaching him the secrets of his kind, he could destroy us all. They must be stopped."
Yanking back his own rage, the red dog nodded in agreement.
The Khan trudged atop a ruined battlement of the stone fortification, reflective as ever. "Yet, the Colonel sides with them."
The bay-colored hound cursed the old long tusk under his breath. Since his clan arrived in the jungle, the Colonel had sided against him. First by letting the panther set the boundaries of their new hunting grounds, and then by giving preference to the crocodiles in their last meeting.
"We shall curb his fire before it blooms. Only then the jungle can truly be free of Men's corruption, and the Will of the Great Circle prevail."
Not once did the tiger's voice waver during his speech; a royal declaration if Bundo ever saw one.
'CRACK'
Yet, like it wasn't enough, the tiger lifted one of the nearby stones on his huge paw and clenched it with enough force to reduce it to dust.
"For that, I will gladly stain my paws as many times as I need."
"Oh, no one will ever dare to question your conviction, my Khan."
The voice belonged to the red one, causing both cat and dog to look as the humongous python slithered his way to join them... accompanied by another beast that, like the red dog, stood out from the others present at the ruins.
"And who might this be?" Tublat questioned, referring to the canine,
"Tublat." Hista moved between the dhole and the gorilla, turning to face the great ape. "We would like to introduce you to the newest member of the Khanate: Bundo, Leader of the Dhole Clan."
Bundo snapped out of his stupor. "This gorilla is your Oathsworn?" He asked the Great Khan.
"This feeble dog is joining us?" Tublat laughed, earning himself a glare from Bundo. "What idiot came up with this idea?"
"I did." The Khan said, his voice a cold monotone and his eyes with a questioning look. The others around the yard readily aimed their gazes at the Mangani.
Tublat's eyes widened in surprise and he quickly turned to face the tiger in front of him, doing his best to maintain a smile to hide his nervousness. "Oh, well... I am sure you had your reasons... my Khan."
"Correct," Gradually, Shere Khan's glare faded and he smirked at the treacherous ape. "In fact, I actually believe the two of you will get along quite nicely. You even have something in common:"
"You both hate the Man-cub."
The two scoundrels shared smirks of their own in response to that.
###
Theluji mountain base, Troop territory, northeast Bukuvu
Water brings life. The rains provide the jungle with the water it needs to survive; without it, nothing lives and everything in the Bukuvu would cease to exist. However, nature works in mysterious ways. And sometimes she likes to show its power to the creatures who live in the jungle as she does to those that live elsewhere. The elements compete with each other, bringing pain instead of benefit. While the sun brings light, it also brings heat; too much of which brings the Dry Season. As for the water, when it comes together with the wind, it sometimes takes the form of a Hurricane.
Since she first came to be, the Wakalu's been through many storms, some even worse than this one; at least according to the elders of the jungle. It would take the mother of all storms to uproot the Green Mother, so it was that many creatures could still make their shelter in the safety of her canopy.
Even so, the lands around it would be flooded and thus unfit for the gorillas to make their nests, forcing them to relocate to higher ground.
"Cozy spot, isn't it?" Timon couldn't help but snark as he inspected the bleak interior of the cave.
"I know it isn't much compared to your den," Kala took a moment to put down her load with the others. "But we get a pretty good view from the lowlands here and the Sunrise is beautiful."
"The Sunrise?" Questioned the meerkat, gazing upwards to the entrance. "I would love to see the Sun Now."
He had his point: the clouds had completely darkened the skies by then, and the wind currents swept across the fields, shaking the tree branches to their core. It was too much for even the birds; as time passed, more and more flocks could be seen taking off to find sturdier shelters like the crowns of the Green Mother. Through the wind and light rain, Kerchak's group carried their supplies up the slopes. High above their heads, lightning bolts burned a fiery trail across the rain clouds.
"Prepare yourselves, the storm is coming!" shouted the Chief Silverback, doing his best to be heard over the rumbling of thunder.
Sokwe encouraged from the back of the marching troop. "Not too much further now, once we are in the caves we'll be safe!"
The gorillas made their way across a fallen tree to pass a creek, bringing along food to wait for the upcoming rains. Baloo, meanwhile, walked upright through the stream, almost undeterred by the combination of rushing water below his gut and the weight of the supplies he hosted over his head.
"Will Bagheera be fine in this weather, Baloo?" Pumbaa asked as he moved along with the column, carrying his part in his tusks.
"He should be!" The ursine declared. "He had to head down to the pastures and help the herds move to higher ground." Before he trudged out of the ditch, he turned to look up at the clouds. "That's more than a storm brewing." He then aimed his gaze at Sokwe. "Think we are in for any cyclone?"
"A cyclone?!" Timon's terrified exclamation echoed from near the cave.
"Baloo's right." Kala joined the mongoose and, like him, focused her eyes on the cloudy cover. "The last Hurricane we had caused a Waterspout all over the eastern plains. But we should be safe up here."
"But how are we gonna get home?" Timon gestured to himself, Baloo, and Pumbaa; the latter two having just deposited their loads.
"We'll have to go back the way we came," Baloo stated and pointed in that same direction. "This way."
'THUNDER CLAP'
In a flick of bright light, the rains came down. Lightning flashed and rumbled through the heavy clouds and the gorillas hastened to find cover inside the caves.
"On second thought, maybe not." The bear checked his last statement.
"Hmm, this path looks like trouble." Pumbaa nodded uneasily.
"Think we should take the shortcut?" Timon's question had the trio change their attention toward the gorillas' makeshift bridge, which was now hanging over a furious current.
'CRASH'
It took less than a few seconds for it to give away and get drifted down the mountain.
"Yeah... looks like the rain beat us to it." Baloo went silent.
"We ain't gonna make it, are we?" Pumbaa asked his roommates as a sinking feeling washed over him with the rain, already knowing the obvious answer.
"Yeah, probably not," replied the sloth bear.
"Just so you know, I blame you guys for this." The meerkat grumbled.
"Come this way you three, get out of the rain!" Kala called them from within the shelter; her words serving as the last incentive to get the trio to run for cover into the tunnel. Inside, the big shots were putting order in the den.
"Did you make sure to bring everything we will need while we are here?" Kerchak questioned the foraging group while he also checked the stock. "These stockpiles have to carry us through the bad times."
"Are you implying these are good times?" Sokwe shivered momentarily. "Sure looks like we got enough food. But I think we should go to a place further away from the wind."
"We will stay here for the time being." A tired Kerchak shook his head before he prepared to find a place to do his pause. "Rest up, it should be a noisy night."
"That's all we can do, children," Kala addressed the younglings and juveniles, doing her part to help around the shelter. "Now I want you all to stay inside the den."
"Yes, ma'am." The youngsters chorused. Once they had left, the matriarch went to join the other she-apes. Watching the kids go, Baloo noticed a certain pair of younglings was missing from their ranks.
"Where are Tarzan and Simba?" Baloo pondered to himself in low voice.
Neither the meerkat nor the warthog answered right away. Instead, the smaller creature scanned the surroundings with wide, fearful eyes until he finally set his sights on a particular place.
"I think I know where they might be."
Baloo and Pumbaa followed Timon's gaze... straight to the mouth of the cave.
"Running around in this water, has the water run out of their coconuts?" Baloo said, getting dangerously close to raising his voice.
"This is not a good time for younglings to be outside." Pumbaa pointed out, fighting the same urge.
"Come on!" The ursine raced to the exit, snapping the duo out of their stupor. "Before the rain gets worse."
Restless water met the restless wind, stirring up the Waingunga's currents out of their paths and down the mountainside, creating mudslides all over the foothills, including near the vicinity of the caves. The enclosures built by the gorillas did their job and diverted the flow of water back in the river's direction and away from the storm shelters. However, the mountain trails that weren't blocked by the rocky avalanches still had turned slippery as a result of the downpour, difficulting the up and downhill trek.
To the four winds in the jungle, one could only hear the sound of the furious currents. And, occasionally, a voice calling for someone.
"Bagheera!" Tarzan called for his teacher, hands cupped around his mouth and grimacing. What was meant to be their last trip to bring more mound chunks for the construction of the dam had turned sideways incredibly fast. "Bagheera!"
"I have never seen the river flow this fast!" Simba cried, unable to look away from the fast tides that could turn the body of a tiny cat like him inside out.
Not a moment too soon, the flashing of lightning got him out of his frightened trance.
"Let's get away from here!" Tarzan didn't even need to exclaim it, the lion cub had already bolted away and the man-cub was soon joining him elbow-to-elbow.
A thunderbolt bisected a whole tree in the timespan of a blink. The wooden halves clamped on top of one another, changing the course of the stream. So furious was the current and the winds that part of the cliffside collapsed under its own weight. The rock debris was dragged by the torrent and it broke apart as it traveled down the slopes. It was now a cascade of stone and mud. The trees that suffered the most during the Dry Season wouldn't last till the next one, for the mudslides reduced them to nothing more than massive chunks of driftwood to be carried to the Floodplains. In the lowlands, most denizens ran to shelter themselves from the storms. But others had different things in mind when the elements brought chaos to the jungle.
In of the increasingly few straps of land situated above the water around the Mouth of the Dirisha, Makuu stared up at the rain clouds and motioned to the float. On cue, each and every single croc dug its snouts into the holes in the ground, locked its jaws shut, and moved to dive into the flooded plains.
The biggest animals helped each other and whoever had been caught in the storm the best they could. Basi led his pod in several search-and-rescue operations, while Bagheera had been granted leave earlier to check on the great apes. Putting his natural balance and surefootedness to use, the panther braved the furious monsoon, sent a passing glance at the bear's dwelling, which would hardly remain abandoned in a time like this, and continued climbing toward the mountain base.
Suffering from panic blindness, some of the herds rushed aimlessly from the trees' cover to the open grasslands and exposed themselves to the weather among other threats.
"Here they come, Berdan!" Shere Khan came out of the deep jungle to watch the spectacle from an advantageous scouting point. "Cattle! Deer and antelopes!" Inspired by the frenzied weather and reenacting his kind's natural trill for hunting, the Great Khan let out a powerful, half-mad roar up to the heavens. "Food! We'll eat!"
The one called the 'Dreaded' by the creatures in the jungle charged down at breakneck speed against the frightened herds. To his side, came his brother and their followers who had eagerly anticipated this moment: the last great hunt before the last migrants left for the Pride Lands, the one and only time when their glorious leader allowed them to overstep their duty to the Great Circle and indulge in pure, borderline mindless mayhem.
So, the tigers surged out of the soaked shrubs and launched themselves squarely into the stampede.
Now running through mucky terrain, the two younglings headed for higher ground, only to be surprised by torrents cascading overhead; the water levels had risen high enough to swallow their new boundaries and unleash a flood across the Theluji base. Tarzan and Simba found themselves treading water, the volume around them raised to several feet in seconds. They tried to continue climbing but the water flow was too powerful and pushed them back.
The ground Simba was walking on gave in, sinking down to the deep end of the river, bringing along the lion cub.
"Simba!" Tarzan's scream was obscured by the startled gasp of the kitten as the current pulled him. Not thinking at all, the man-cub dived after his friend to help him. There were now two younglings caught in the flash flood.
Tarzan looked around, thinking fast. He grasped an exposed tree root sticking out over the edge of the stream. Simba, for his part, folded his arms on the boy's torso and refused to let go. As the pair held on to dear life, the rushing water crashed and engulfed them sporadically, making them gasp for air several times. The currents were coming strong, pulling both the cubs and the root till the latter started to rip. It eventually separated from the tree and the river swallowed it along with the two younglings. While the deluge flowed downriver, Tarzan and Simba tried their best to swim around the passing driftwood before they helped each other climb onto a floating tree, giving them just enough time to catch their breath; not an easy task when their makeshift raft was rocking on the raging current. They had even gotten dangerously close to a whirlpool at one point.
A pair of yellow eyes watched from the safe side of a tree which had a thick bind wrapped around the trunk. One of the few creatures in the Bukuvu who had nothing to fear from this type of weather. Its head shaped like a flat rock turned from side to side; shifting his attention between the cubs trapped in the rushing river... and the huge waterfall plummeting down the precipice in a sheer drop.
Apoplectic, the lion cub shrieked and recoiled on the raft. On an impulse, he and his companion wrapped their arms around one another.
Then, the creature lurched his head between the younglings and their deadly course. Overhead, thunder rumbled and lightning crackled. Tarzan and Simba, far too stricken due to their predicament, didn't even notice when a thick bind suddenly coiled around their raft and pulled it as far as it could from the waterfall, fighting against the tidal pull of the flushing stream. Meantime, the lion-cub only heard his teacher's voice calling through the sounds of the storm.
"Tarzan! Simba!" Bagheera shouted, he dared to hope they would hear his voice drowned in the furious wind.
"Don't worry, Bagheera!" A voice responded. "I got them!"
Who was that?
Was someone talking to Bagheera?
Simba struggled to slowly open his eyelids yet all he could see was a blur of color in the stormy background. The mysterious stranger brought the boys to where there was a clump of trees far away enough so the stronger currents wouldn't drag it toward the crag. Bagheera's paws swooped down from the high branches and quickly hefted the boys to his side. The lion cub's eyes started to focus again, finally allowing him to make up the shapes in his surroundings. Simba was barely able to get full detail of his teacher's silhouette while the panther looked down directly at their savior and said: "Thank you." Before he adjusted Tarzan so the boy wouldn't fall from his back while he carefully lifted Simba by the scalp. Once he was done, he carried both younglings away from the angry river, definitely not wanting to risk their safety any more than he would have to on the way back. As they got further and further away from the stranger, the last thing the kitten saw of him was a flat head submerging beneath the waves.
Pua?
Bagheera ran over the flooded forests, gracefully gliding across the top and uppermost tree branches and their many twists and turns, avoiding the gnarled vines in order to not get tied down in their binds. As soon as the boys had fully recovered from their brief shock, Tarzan held on to the panther's back, making it easier for his teacher to move now that he didn't have to share his attention between his leaps and keeping the man-cub balanced. With the wind, the rain, the mud, the moss, and whatever the paths had suffered due to the tempest, the leopard had no gripes against carrying the younglings all the way to the gorillas' shelter. At the safety of the lands beyond the dam, Bagheera paused to catch his breath and gently dropped the boys on the solid ground.
"Are you both ok?" He asked them.
The duo needed a bit longer than they thought to answer him. Tarzan spoke first: "We're okay."
"It's going to be fine." The grownup assured the younglings nonetheless before turning in the shelter's direction for a second. "Get ready. We will continue on foot."
The group resumed their journey, with no mishaps thankfully enough. Soon, the trio came across a familiar search party.
"Guys!" The lion cub exclaimed, getting the attention of his three guardians.
Both sides raced at each other. Tarzan and Simba launched themselves at Baloo, who had quickly assumed an upright posture to host the pair into a hug. Timon and Pumbaa dashed at the bear's sides so they could wait for their turn. Once he was done, Baloo gave them some space as he walked to Bagheera.
"They are a bit shaken up after this but they will be all right." Said the grown feline.
"Baggy, you are a lifesaver!" The sloth bear interrupted by bringing the big cat into a bone-crushing embrace as well, much to the latter's surprise and his back's dismay.
"Your poor things." Pumbaa cooed as he properly inspected the two cubs. "You are both soaking wet."
"We are fine, guys. Really." Simba said so but smiled nonetheless.
"Come on, let's get you two warmed up." Timon didn't waste time directing them back to the dry caves. "Do you know how worried you two had us?!"
In spite of everything they had been through, at that moment, the cubs couldn't help but smile now that they were together with their family, safe and sound.
They had done it, they survived their first Hurricane.
"Whoa!" Mungo exclaimed as he peered deeper into the cave. "Check out this big hole!"
Flynt joined him, equally fascinated by the underground tunnel. "I wonder how far back it goes."
"Don't let me catch you two wandering off into those caves." Kala's pointed tone came from behind them, bursting any ideas their young minds could make.
Groaning, the Donlumangani brothers nodded at the matriarch. "Yes, ma'am."
Her mate and their father conversed close by. Earlier that day, Kerchak had been the first to march into the blackness of the tunnels, surveying the cave systems as he did so to find a safe spot for the troops to spend the night. There was no expectation of predators in the underground, but the further one went into the 'Bowels of the Theluji', the closer they got to the 'Blood of the Mountains' which boiled hotter than any water. To say nothing of the danger of getting lost in the rocky maze or accidentally stumbling into a canyon, even riskier when the only source of light was the occasional flash of lightning from outside. The gorillas knew the moment the sun went down behind the cloud cover, they would be in for several hours of darkness.
The Chief Silverback had also voiced his concern that they had to abandon construction before having certainty that the fortifications could weather the sudden storms and redirect the water back toward the rivers. Either way, there was little they could do now but pray that the plan of the Great Circle would have them all make it through this unscathed.
"The rain should blow over by morning," said Kerchak. "But, just in case, we better ration our food to make sure we don't run out."
Sokwe responded with a nod. "We should have everything we need in case of an emergency, the storages are full."
The other gorillas were dispersed around the 'den', having already settled in for the night. After working on the dam and the shake-up caused by the surprise return of the storms, most troopmates didn't have trouble sleeping off the rest of the day. Bagheera had retired shortly after dropping off the boys.
Even as it unleashed its wrath, nature provided. The slanted or tattered openings on the cavernous ceiling allowed rainwater to fall inside the caves, resulting in fresh underground ponds where the apes would go to quench their thirst and, occasionally, clean themselves up. When the water found the 'blood' of the mountain, it would evaporate, providing a cooling effect to the tunnel system: as the water turned to steam, air drawn in through the holes was cooled and moved throughout the inner chambers, including the spaces where the apes were settling in, allowing them to enjoy their rest in cool surroundings. At Sunrise, whenever it was to come, they would wake up with no fatigue or stress of temperature.
Their guests on the other hand...
"Huh?!" Baloo woke on edge, a tiny yet well-placed jab to his ribs had rudely woken him from slumber. His jolting also stirred the warthog that laid back on his belly.
"Uhh! It wasn't me." Pumbaa blearily opened his eyes.
"Junior had a bad dream."
The two well-fed mammals stiffened to a halt.
Moving around their necks, the first thing they saw was their roommate who had just spoken and, more seriously, their lionic ward sitting down with a crestfallen face.
"They came back?" asked the ursine.
Simba's ears lowered even further. Yes.
"Ohh..." Pumbaa was immediately overcome. The three adults shared knowing looks and nodded; they knew what to do.
"Why don't you sleep over here with us?" Baloo spoke, for both himself and his companions.
Climbing on top of the bear, Timon patted the warthog's side like a mattress. His soft gaze lingered on the lion cub. "Mi Pumbaa, su Pumbaa."
"All right!" Simba bounded over to them, curling up with Timon on Pumbaa's tummy.
"Hey, got room for one more?" A voice whispered, prompting the quartet to glance to the side to see their favorite man-cub.
"Always, Little Britches." Like he usually did whenever Tarzan stayed over at the Dwelling for the night, Baloo signaled the boy to make himself at home.
Well... technically this was more his home than theirs but the principle still applied. The man-cub moved to his favorite spot, relaxing on Baloo's belly and leaning his head on Pumbaa's side.
"Isn't it Simba's turn to say good night?" He asked.
Baloo let out a hearty scoff. "Got that right."
The lion cub grinned: "Good night."
Then came Timon: "Sleep tight."
Pumbaa, in a bright demeanor, finished: "Dream of bedbugs tonight!"
Just like that, the swine fell asleep, snoring noisily. The younglings giggled; Simba then put a foreleg around Timon and pulled him up tight against him, while Tarzan shifted his head to the side. Soon, Baloo too went to dreamland, and, in between his deep breaths, his belly inflated with air like a cushion; making things even more comfortable for the animals resting on top of him.
Kala finished checking on everybody and moved to find her son. Her expression shifted from surprise to amusement when she saw Tarzan and Simba had fallen asleep just next to each other, looking like a pair of mismatched siblings in their nest instead of a pair in a group of mismatched friends piled on top of each other. Her mind went back to earlier today, the last time she had seen the little cat: Simba had moved closer to follow the troop, only for the Chief Silverback to hasten toward him and stride intimidatingly past the young lion, giving the message for him to keep his distance, to which the youngling timidly obliged.
She had watched the entire scene with concern... and made sure to have a word with her mate later.
Seeing them slumbering so peacefully, the she-ape fought the initial impulse to set her son more properly so as to quench the worry he would wake up feeling any kind of soreness in the morning, knowing that doing so would probably wake them up. So she decided to just let them rest. They'd certainly earned it, no matter what Kerchak would think.
Sparing one last warm smile at the kids, the matriarch whispered three soft words before she left:
"Nighty-night, boys."
"Hush, my darling."
"Don't fear, my darling."
"The lion sleeps tonight..."