Diata laid awake through most of the night, listening to the sound of rain pattering over the jungle foliage. Elsa and Jack were both fast asleep at her side, cuddling against her white fur. Diata gazed out into the night, scanning the foliage for any rival predator that might be lurking nearby. All the while, she pondered over what had happened. Diata wanted nothing more but for Elsa to grow up safe in the jungle. To raise her as her parents would want. But it was never enough.
She the heard Elsa groan next to her. She then turned her head, glancing down at Elsa who snuggled into her. Diata smiled. She leaned down her head and nuzzled her daughter.
Elsa moaned at her mother's touch. The lioness mother raised her head, glancing back down her daughter. She then glanced up at Jack, who was sleeping next to her. She knew the his family would still be searching for him. Though what she feared the most that if they find them, they would find Elsa too. What if they try and take her away?
Diata gazed down to Elsa, fearing to have her daughter be taken away. While it would be proper for her to be with her kind, it would mean she would lose her daughter.
Diata closed her eyes, gazing out into the night.
Inside the main cabin, North was sitting next to Anna's bed. He had been awake most of the night, long after Anna and Tooth had gone to sleep. Listening to the rain outside slowly ease as the storm passed. He glanced up to his wife and Niece, who were sleeping next to one another in bed. It was guilt he felt at leaving his nephew alone in the jungle. For someone his age, he would not make it through the night. Not in the jungle. If anything happened to him, he would never forgive himself.
North stood off his chair. He walked to the doorway, where his rifle stood up against the wall. He took his gun and opened the barrel, where he loaded two bullets into it. After words he pushed it back into the rifle and locked it.
"Are you going back out for Jack?"
North turned and saw Tooth standing behind him.
"Yes." North said with nod of his head.
"Have you been up all night?" Tooth asked, curiously.
"You look like you haven't slept."
"I shouldn't have left him out there." North claimed to her.
"I should have kept looking for him."
"You only would have been hurt yourself." Tooth insisted to her husband.
"There wasn't anything you could do for him.
North sighed. Tooth came up and cupped his cheek. North narrowed his eyes, having to admit he agreed with Tooth. It was dark, raining and even with his gun his chances were but the slim. It was also a hard thing to accept. To know that he couldn't do anything more to find his nephew.
North took hold of the hand of his wife. Afterwards he lowered his wife's hand down and turned to the door.
"Be careful." Tooth said.
North came out over the baloney of the cabin. He then turned forward, where he saw Mattias pull up in his jeep.
"North." Mattias said as he got out of the jeep.
"Mattias, come." North said, making his way down the steps.
Elsa felt a small droplet land over her face. Elsa groaned, opening her eyes. She leaned off the her mother side and sat up, rubbing the rain drop off from her face. Diata opened her eyes, hearing her daughter moaning. She raised her head up from her paws and glanced back down at her daughter. The lioness chuckled.
"You alright?" She asked, curiously.
Elsa glanced up at her mother. She then nodded her head.
"Looks like a rain drop fell on you." Diata joked.
Just as she said it, a single teardrop from above fell upon the top of the lioness head, making her flinch. Elsa chuckled, holding her hand over her mouth.
"One got you too, mama." She said.
Diata grinned happily.
"It did so." She said.
Diata then turned her head and looked to Jack, who was still sleeping next to her. Mourning was at its peak, which mean that other humans would soon be looking for him.
"We should be going," Diata said, glancing down to her daughter.
"His family will be looking for him soon. We must get him back to them."
Elsa turned back to Jack. Shen then proceeded to shake his shoulder, trying to wake him up. Jack moaned as he turned over onto his back. He then opened his eyes, glancing to Elsa.
"Wha...?" He said, leaning up his head.
Elsa turned and pointed in the direction they had came last night.
"What is it?" Jack asked, curiously.
Elsa took the boys hand and tugged on it to try and make him get up.
"Jack, come." She said.
Jack tried to get back up on his feet. He came on his injured knee and cried in pain, as he then collapsed over the ground. He narrowed his head, hissing in pain. He couldn't go anywhere in the condition he was in. He needed something to help him walk.
Elsa looked around for anything they could use to make him able to move. She gazed at the the left of the tree where she saw a long stick with a curved end lying on the ground. Elsa crawled over to the thin wooden stick. Jack watched the departing wild girl.
"Hey, where are you going?" He asked curiously.
Elsa crawled up and grabbed the stick off the ground. The wild girl came up to Jack and handed him the staff. Jack took the staff in his left hand and stuck it in the ground, pulling himself back up. He placed his other hand against the tree trunk as he stood up on one good foot.
Jack turned his head and looked to Elsa.
"Thank you." He said.
Elsa smiled, nodding her head to him. The two heard Diata roar to them. The two looked and saw Diata standing outside from the cover of the tree. She gazed back at them before turned and walking back into the jungle. Elsa turned back to Jack and took grip of his hand. The wild girl guided Jack as limped his way to followed her.
North and Mattias trekked through the dense jungle as they searched for Jack. North cocked his head, scanning the foliage.
"Jack!" he called out.
But still he heard nothing.
North paused for a moment, scanning the nearby foliage. Mattias came up behind him.
"Where could that boy be?" North said.
North pondered for a moment. They had searched near the campsite the night before. Jack was still no where to be seen. It could only mean that Jack was somewhere far off in the jungle.
Within his buffed chest, he could feel his own heart speed up at a great paste. North had an grieving feeling such a thing like this would happen. His concern of having Jack and Anna here with him was that they would get lost in the jungle. He always welcomed for them to stay with him, after all he rarely ever got to see his niece and Nephew.
But the jungle was no place for them.
"This way." He said, glancing back to Mattias.
North and Mattias plunged further into the lush wilderness. His his mindset was that hopefully Jack would be somewhere safe and out of harm's reach. Perhaps he may be making his way back to camp. To his luck, his Nephew was safe. However not the way he could think possible.
Elsa, Diata and Jack move down hill from the tree. The white lioness lead the way, often turning to look back at Elsa and her new friend. The wild girl walked down the hill as Jack followed after her. He limped down, using the staff in the place of his injured right leg.
"Oh man." said Jack, looking down the hill.
It wasn't going to an easy climb down, not with his broken leg. It was so steep to climb down on just one leg With his injury aside, the content rain last night was of no help to the situation. The lush plants that stood out from the hills were wet and he could easily slip down, or even get tripped by a root. Getting down this high ground was of no doubt going to be a challenge. Elsa looked back at Jack.
"Jack, come!" said Elsa, gesturing with her hand to follow.
Diata turned and looked back up to the boy. The hill was too steep for him to follow with his leg. He was going to need help.
"Elsa." She said.
"He may need some help getting down the hill."
Elsa turned back up to Jack. The wild climbed back up the hill and grabbed hold of Jack's hand. Elsa tugged on his arm.
"Come on, Jack." she said.
The jungle girl turned and pulled Jack along.
"Hey wait, Elsa!" said Jack as he tried to keep up with the wild girl.
The white haired boy limbed down the hill, he placed his staff forward and hopped down, his foot landed close to his staff. Elsa proceeded to guide Jack down the hill. Seeing the two beginning to follow, Diata turned and began making her way down toward the river below.
Close to the bottom of the hill, Diata leaped down and landed in the small stream of water. She looked back to her daughter and Jack. Elsa came down into the shallow stream. She turned to Jack, appearing in a crouching manner. Jack gave a small leap off the hill, his foot landed into the rushing water.
"Oh man." he said with grief.
"Jack Okay?" Elsa asked curiously.
The white haired boy turned to the wild girl.
"For now." answered Jack.
"But when Uncle North see's my leg, he's going to freak. I don't think Ill ever hear the end of it."
Jack knew his uncle was a bit protective when it came being in the jungle. With all the animals and chances of getting lost and never found. North wanted his family to always be within sight of him. When he gets back to camp, his uncle would confine them to the camp for the rest of the visit.
Jack and Elsa then heard a small growl come from Diata.
"Elsa." Diata called to her daughter.
The two looked to the white lioness, who stood at the other side of the thin river bank. While Jack was left without a single understanding to what she was saying, Elsa knew that her Mother wanted her and Jack to follow.
"What she saying?" Jack asked, glancing to Elsa.
"Mama wants Jack and Elsa to stay close." Elsa said.
Jack smirked. The words he said barred some familiar things.
"She sounds just like my Uncle." he said, smiling.
The two began walking up behind the white lioness as she came back up on dry ground. Elsa climbed up the small ledge of ground and later turned to Jack. The wild girl helped the white haired boy upon the ledge. Meanwhile, far back into the jungle, North continued to scoured the lush jungle for his missing nephew. The white bearded man brushed past some lush vegetation, pushing it aside with the silver reflecting barrel of his rifle.
"Jack!" he called out as he walked passed.
"Jack!"
All the while, far back into the lush jungle, Diata guided Jack and Elsa along. The two cubs trailed behind the white lioness. As Jack limbed along, he constantly thought about his Uncle and his little sister. Anna was probably missing him so much right now. She's must be upset as well that he had up and left. Jack let out a sigh, feeling so ashamed that he just up and left Anna.
Elsa turned to look at the white haired boy. She saw him looking a bit upset.
"Jack okay?" Elsa asked.
Jack glanced to her.
"Yeah." He said, nodding his head.
"it's just... I'm worried about my little sister. She must be so sad that I'm gone right now."
"Jack have little sister?" asked Elsa curiously.
"Yeah," he said.
"Her names Anna."
"Anna Jack's little sister." Elsa said.
"Ah-huh." Jack responded.
"She's best one any boy could have. Maybe you could meet her when we get back to camp."
The wild girl saw fit in the idea. She would love the chance to meet his family. Seeing them play behind the bushes, Elsa wanted the chance to face them in person. As the three walked along toward the camp sight, Diata suddenly caught the whiff of a scent. Diata stopped,
"Wait!" the lioness said.
Elsa ceased all movement forward. She place her left arm out to Jack, stopping him in his tracks.
"What?" he asked, confused as to why they were stopping.
"Mama?" Elsa asked, nervously.
In the past when Diata said to stop on walks through the jungle, it sometimes meant another predator was nearby. Although this time, it would soon to be revealed a different reason. Diata sniffed in the scent from the air. She then later narrowed her head to the ground and continued to identify the strange scent.
"What is it?" Elsa asked, curiously.
"I don't know." Diata said, glancing back to her daughter.
Just then, there was a faint sound coming in the distance. The three turned left as it called out again. The sound resembled that of a voice they had heard before. The three listened and the voice appeared to be calling out the name...Jack!
Elsa gazed ahead, hearing the light echoing voice that called out through the jungle. The voice sounded somewhat...familiar. While not entirely known to the wild girl, it did she recalled hearing it at a certain time not so long ago. Jack turned to the direction the voice had came from. His eyes widen in realization as to who it was.
"Uncle North!" He called out to his uncle.
"Uncle North!"
Elsa turned to Jack curiously. He seemed to know who it was that was yelling out his name. Was it the white bearded man she had saw the day before? Was he the man he Jack said would 'freak' if he saw Jack injured?
"Un-cle..." Elsa said.
The young boy turned to her, appearing happy and a bit of relief.
"Yeah, that's my Uncle!" Jack explained to the wild girl.
"He might be nearby!"
Jack turned back leftward to the lush tropical forest, shouting out to his Uncle as loud as he possibly could.
"Uncle North!" He yelled out, cupping his hand at the side of his mouth.
The bleach blond girl turned to her lioness mother, just as she walked up to her side.
"Elsa, who's he calling to?" Diata asked.
"He says his uncle's nearby." Elsa insisted.
Diata gazed toward the dense, wide crowd of trees. She recalled the last day, she saw one of the boys family members set out in search for the boy. It just might be the white bearded man still searching for his missing cub.
"Uncle North!" Jack called out again.
"Uncle North, I'm over here!"
Jack turned his head and looked at Elsa.
"Elsa, come on!" he said, before limping ahead into the jungle.
The wild girl first looked to her mother.
"Can we go?" Elsa asked curiously.
While it was an opportunity to reunite Jack with his family, Diata was in no fit for her or Elsa to come close to his uncle. Humans never took kindly to the presence of a lioness. Nor did she want for them to take Elsa away from her. But this wasn't the time for her own personal concern. Jack needed to be returned home. The white lioness began walking forward only to turn to her adopted daughter just before continuing on.
"I guess so." she said.
"But I want you to stay close to me, Elsa. Okay?"
The wild girl was left a bit confused. This was but her own kind and she wanted to meet with Jack's family. But this was what her mother asked from her. After crossing the river, she wasn't about to go against her mother. Not again.
"Yes, Mama." said the wild girl.
Diata smiled back to her and nuzzled the girl. After words she turned to look ahead, beginning to walk off into the jungle. Elsa followed her mother walking at her side, her left arm draped over Diata's back.
North and Mattias were scouring the jungle for his lost nephew. With the silver barrel of his gun, he pushed aside some lush vegetation. North then passed by, looking to his surroundings.
"Jack!" He called out.
"Where are you?"
As North continued pushing on, a dimmed echo was heard.
"Uncle North!"
North paused.
"Did you hear that?" North said, gazing in all directions.
Mattias squinted his eyes, curiously.
"Hear what?" he asked, curiously.
North raised his head to Mattias, listening out for what he thought would was his nephew. Though the moment of silence that followed brought doubt into his mind. He feared the heat was getting to him. Could that really have been Jack calling out for him now?
"Jack?!" He called out.
He then heard Jack's voice then called out to him again. North stood for a short while, feeling so astonished to have heard his voice.
"This way!" He said before he took off in direction of Jack's voice.
Jack limped on his one remaining foot through the jungle. Elsa and Diata walked from the front view. The wild girl turned back to Jack as he leaped up and landed back on the ground. Jack was left with mixed feelings of being thankful that his uncle was close by. But at the same time it was going to be hard to put up with him.
As Elsa stared back to him, she suddenly felt her mother stop in her tracks. Elsa turned to look at Diata. The white lioness stared ahead into the jungle. In the distance, a few lush plants shook or were pushed aside by something that passed through.
Diata crouched down a bit. She turned back to Elsa.
"Stay behind me." she said.
Elsa nodded her head yes.
Diata then began creeping ahead toward the lush plants. Elsa began kneeling down and stood on all fours.
"What is it?" Jack asked curiously.
Elsa turned to look at Jack. She brought her hand toward her, telling him to follow. Elsa turned back and continued crawling after her adopting mother. Jack looked forward and back again. The white haired boy began limping after the two.
Diata continued to stalk toward the bushes ahead, coming under their shadows. She peered out through a clear opening. Up ahead, the unknown predator moved through the lush vegetation and was coming close to the end.
Right at that moment, North came into view, appearing clear out from the tall lush plants. Diata remained silent, peering out toward the man. Elsa crawled steadily up to her mother's side.
She looked out forward through the gaps of the plants where she sees the tall, muscle his hands, he grips tight on his hunting rifle. From the tales of man, the sticks that shot out a bolt of lighting. The greatest fear to any creature of the jungle.
Elsa back away a bit, beginning to feel nervous.
"Mama?" She whispered.
Diata turned to Elsa. It was far too dangerous to approach the man with him armed with a gun.
"We must go." She said.
Jack came up from behind them. He then peered over the plants and saw his uncle, standing there , looking the other way.
"Uncle North!" He called out.
The white bearded man turned his head, his sight was met by the presence of his nephew.
"Jack, Oh thank god!" He said in relief.
Just before North drew closer he peered down toward the green bushes, where he was met by the white fur of Diata. The man widened his eyes in shock and fright.
"Jack, get away now!" He said, lauding his rifle.
"Uncle wait!" Jack said.
"Don't shoot!"
Diata and Elsa turned and saw the man preparing his gun.
"Elsa get on!" She said kneeling down to her daughter.
Elsa quickly climbed up on Diata's back just before North fired his hunting rifle. The bullet struck the ground where the lioness once stood. Diata dashed passed jack, fleeing with her daughter into the jungle North ran forward as he pulled back on the louder of the gun, exiling the used bullet.
"Uncle Stop!" Jack exclaimed, limping toward him.
As Diata raced into the lush jungle. North aimed his rifle and fired the second the bullet. On the back of Diata, Elsa flinched ducking down on her mother's white fur.
"Mama, I'm scared!" she cried.
"Just hold on!" Diata said as she kept pressing forward.
Elsa stood up a bit, trying desperately to hold on. Yet suddenly another bang echoed through the tropical forest. Along with it, a speeding bullet shot through Elsa's left shoulder. The wild girl erupted into a pained scream. Diata heard the cry of pain from her cub. She turned back to see her adopted daughter as she lurched forward and laid upon her back, holding a bloody wound through her shoulder.
"Elsa!" she yelped in shock, coming to a stop.
The lioness looks in such horror to her adopted daughter. Elsa laid there, suffering in such brutal pain from the gunshot. She felt so panicked, overwhelmed with her darkest fear
"Elsa...Elsa!," she said seeing her adopted child hurt in such a way.
"Oh no...No!"
Her daughter was facing a grave risk and needed to be helped. She needed to return to the pride and soon.
"Hold on, just hold on." she told he injured and shocked human daughter.
Diata quickly raced through the dense jungle to the separating river.
