Bagheera leaped along through the treetops from where he had seen Elsa. Having crossed the border into the pride's territory, the panther was on his way back to the spot where he told Timon and Pumbaa to meet with him,. expecting that they may have company waiting with him. Most notably, Mufassa and Diata. They would want to hear from Elsa; it was unwise to delay them any further than he had already.
As The panther leaped upon the branch of a tree nearby the eastern border of the pride's territory, he could see the clearing where he was told to meet and Timon and Pumbaa were there as expected. However, it was not Mufassa and Diata he came to see. Rather his son and his soon to be mate. The panther continued leaping from branch to branch before he came upon the clearing, where he leaped down upon the jungle floor below.
"Simba, Nala." he said, as he approached the three.
"Bagheera." he said, turning to the black panther with anticipation for what news he would bring.
"Timon and Pumbaa told us about Elsa. Did you find her?"
Bagheera nodded his head.
"Yes, I did." he said.
The panthers answer was much of a relief to hear to the three. Even more was it for Simba, who stepped forward to the panther.
"Where is she?" Simba asked, desperate to hear what was to be the answer.
"The last I saw she was settling down in a tree for the night." He insisted upon her current state.
"But she has gone far beyond Pride's territory."
Simba groaned and turned away from Bagheera, trying to gain a clear understanding of what he was told. He was very relieved to hear that she was safe for the moment, though he knew well that could change at any time. It was clear to the young prince that all he had come to fear, what it would all lead to would soon come to pass.
It was then that Nala turned back to Bagheera.
"Bagheera, how is she?" She said, curiously.
Bagheera then turned to Nala.
"Elsa's fine for now," He said.
"But when I saw her, she seemed upset."
The young lioness narrowed her head, knowing well of the reason behind the cause of her sister's pain.
"Nala, would this have something to do with the rumors?" Bagheera asked, suspecting they were the reason for all that had happened.
"I'm afraid it is, Bagheera." She answered.
"Ever since what happened at the council meeting, Elsa's convinced she's a danger to everyone. Many in the pride have been unfairly criticizing her for because of her feelings for Jack."
"Jack?" Timon asked, tilting his head curiously.
"Uh, who's Jack and what kind of a name is Jack?"
"Remember when we crossed the river when we were cubs?" Nala said.
"After Elsa got separated from us, she met this other man-cub named Jack. He's the reason why she's been this way, why she feels that she's alone."
Hearing Nala make that very statement about Elsa, Simba glanced back at Nala so dumbfounded. How could that be why Elsa would feel this way, how could one single other man-cub be the reason she would feel so alone? Though it was more of feeling like she was alone that caused so much confusion more than why she would have feelings for another whom she had only met once. He, Nala, Diata, and everyone else in the jungle were her family, they were always there for her no matter what had happened. How could she ever feel that way with all who came to love her as their own?
"I don't get how she could think she's alone." He said as he turned to Nala and Bagheera.
"The pride is her family just like everyone in the jungle, I can't understand how she feels like that."
"We may be her family, Simba." Bagheera was brought up.
"But you're forgetting she's still a human and she's the only one of her kind living here among us. You would understand how you feel if you were in that position."
Simba shook his head. Even if that was so, it was no excuse for her to abandon the pride.
"Regardless, we need to bring her home." Simba said, discerning that to be their top priority.
"Simba, there isn't anything I'd rather do." Bagheera insisted upon Simba's intentions.
"But perhaps this may not be the best time for us to bring her back."
"Not the best time?!" Simba asked.
"I mean no with everything that's been going on." Bagheera explained.
"I'm not sure if Elsa will want to come after what many have said about her. They've already damaged her heart enough."
"Bagheera, you're not suggesting that we just leave her out there." Nala said.
"Yeah, you can't be serious." Timon insisted upon Nala's statement.
"Oh course not." Bagheera reassured them.
"All I mean is that she needs time to herself. Bringing her back now will only complicate things far more. In the meantime, how many in the pride know about Elsa?"
"Just me and Simba." Nala said.
"Everyone else thinks that she's with you or Rafiki."
It wasn't what Bagheera expected to hear, though he couldn't exactly say he wasn't somewhat relieved to hear it. Had he known what the reason was for Elsa to go so far from the pride's territory, he wouldn't have ever sent Timon and Pumbaa to tell the pride.
"Well I'm afraid that's how it must remain." Bagheera said.
"We have to keep all this to ourselves, the pride mustn't know that Elsa has left. After everything that's happened, we owe it to Elsa to leave her be."
Simba and Nala looked at one another. Bgheera was indeed speaking true with his words, after everything that happened and what Simba himself had done, they knew Elsa needed to be alone.
"Though I suppose we should also tell Zazu." The panther then brought it up.
"Zazu?" Timon and Pumbaa asked, curiously.
"Yes, he may be able to help us." Bagheera insisted upon his defense of his choice.
"We still need to know if Elsa's safe and she will easily notice any of us. Zazu's the only one who would be able to watch over her unnoticed and report to us if something is wrong."
"I can ask him when we return to the pride." Simba offered.
"What about Diata?" Nala said.
The mention of her name caused Bagheera, Simba, Timon and Pumbaa to turn to Nala. It was a wise decision nonetheless, for Zazu was more capable than any of them to make sure that Elsa was safe. However, in the event of letting others know, it was then that Nala thought back about Diata and how saddened she was that Elsa was gone. The sympathy she had for the white lioness had all but convinced her that it was misguided to keep this from her
"I think that we should tell her about Elsa. She hasn't been taking well to her leaving, we shouldn't be keeping this from her."
"Nala's right." Simba said, agreeing with Nala.
"She should know about Elsa."
There was a good point that came with that suggestion, Bagheera knew it to be so. Diata was Elsa's mother after all and with her adopted daughter's sudden disappearance, she must be so concerned for her right now. It seemed only right that she would know if her daughter was safe or not.
"Very well." He said, accepting this one exception to their plan.
"I will stay here near the east and wait for Zazu's report. I'll come to find you all when I've heard from him."
Simba and Nala agreeingly nodded their heads to his plan.
The night had passed and another bright and early morning start of the day was now upon the jungle. Up in the tree where Elsa had settled for the night, the wild woman was still fast asleep upon the branch. Though not long would it remain to be, for it was soon that the wild woman returned from her deep slumber and to the reality that waited for her outside. Elsa groaned, her blue crystal eyes started to open like a flower that sprouted open from being touched by the sun.
She sat up upon the branch, stretching her arms out as she yawned. After she lowered them down, she rubbed her right eye to relieve the tiring feeling that consisted of it.
"To think, I would never be used to sleeping in a tree." She said to herself.
"I guess it really was as easy as Bagheera made it look."
It was for a second that she stood upon the stretching limb of the tree, gathering all the thoughts that were from the previous day. Though all had returned to her conscious mind, so too was the constant struggle of her desire for companionship and to return to her animal family. Like two male lions who battled for dominance over their pride, the two desires fought one another for control over the wild women. She wanted nothing more than to return home to her mother and the rest of the pride, but deep down she wanted to satisfy her need to have a mate.
Though Elsa shook away the feelings of her conflict, diverting her focus to another which erupted below. She felt her stomach grumbling, hunger was now a powerful force upon Elsa due to the lack of food she had since she had left home.
"So hungry." She said, feeling the burning sensation of the need for food in her stomach.
"I haven't eaten in a while now, I should probably go hunt."
Although now she was in someone else's hunting grounds without warning and the law of the jungle forbade all predators to hunt where you are not welcomed. Though as of now, she could not oblige when it was either that or survival which she had to choose.
Elsa came upon her feet in a crouching position as she made her way across the branch to the nearest vine. She took hold of the tree rope and leaped off the branch before she swung swiftly through the jungle. From one vine after another she proceeded further out through the trees in search of food. Though so far along her way she did not encounter any animal nor fruit that grew in the branches above.
Elsa glanced and looked rightward as she continued to sour through the trees.
"That's odd." She said, confused by the lack of animals to come into sight.
Elsa swung up onto the branch of a tree ahead, releasing the vine from the grip of her two hands as she became settled on the branch. She then looked about the jungle for even the slightest sight of a small bird, a chimp or even that of an anteater. True, she didn't know much of the unknown regions, though if it was anything like the part of the jungle she lived in there had to be animals around.
"Where is everyone?"
It was then that Elsa leaped off the tree and grasped a branch above where she then swung herself over to the next tree. It was there that she landed in the gap between two branches where she grabbed another vine and continued to swing through the jungle.
For sometime she journeyed on further into the jungle till she swung up to the branch ahead, where the hunger driven jungle women landed and saw there was a tree nearby that had bright yellow fruit which grew from it's branches.
Elsa smiled with anticipation.
"Finally!" she said, eager to taste the sweet juices of the mangoes.
She released the vine she held and took hold of another in front of her before she swung over to the mango tree. It was there that she climbed up to its highest branch and pulled a mongo from the group it grew within.
"This one looks like it's ripe enough." She said.
She climbed down and sat upon the branch below, where she then began eating the mango she picked. With several bits she could feel her burning hunger slowly start to evaporate by the sweetening taste of the mango's juices.
As she ate, Elsa glanced around at her surroundings for any sign of danger. As it was for any who would be prey, so too were there any rival predators. Much to her relief, there was none who would daree converge upon her in hopes of ambushing her. However as she came to gaze to her right, it was then that she saw smoke rising from afar.
"Smoke?" Elsa said, curiously.
Elsa was then again on her feet upon the sight of the rising black smoke in the near distance. It was then that her suspicions then arose. It looked not to be the danger of a fire, but rather something else. Something that's a more detrimental danger to this jungle and to its people.
"Man." she said, staring sternly at the now discovered presence of her own.
"What are they doing here?"
For whatever reason it was, Elsa could only see it to be of no good. The danger they may yet bring, it could all but be prominent.
"Whatever it is, I should go see for myself." She said.
"I got to make sure they won't harm anyone."
Elsa leaped from the tree and grasped a vine nearby as she made her way toward the rising smoke.
Jack laid awake in his sleeping bag, staring up at the ceiling above. Tadashi and Kristoff who were sharing the same tent were still fast asleep across from him, leaving him to be the only one awake at this time. He had been so since dawn had been on the horizon, he was unable to get comfortable again to be able to fall back to sleep. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts which had transpired the night before, the argument he had with his Uncle.
He sighed, narrowing his eyes. He felt that he had done what was right and had showed his uncle the error of his ways, though he also felt he had taken a step too far when he lashed out the way that he did. He had let his anger get the best of him and everything he was holding back was released like someone letting a raging tiger out from it's cage.
"What happened last night?" he asked himself within his thoughts.
"You lost control back there, Jack. I get your mad at Uncle North, but did you have to go off on him like that?"
He became so mixed with feelings about what had happened. On one hand he was glad his uncle had finally gotten the message he wanted to give him. Though on the other he wished that he hadn't been so harsh as he was.
"Maybe I was a bit hard on him." Jack admitted to himself.
"I don't know, I just... maybe I just... need some time."
Jack glanced over to his camera bag right at the right side of his camping bed. He had become so stressed out with his uncle, he needed time to just calm himself and take his mind off the whole ordeal. What better way could there be then to take a quick look around in the jungle and see if he could get some pictures.
"Well I'm already up." He told himself.
"Might as well go out and get some shots while everyone's still asleep."
Jack leaped up and turned himself to the right side of the bed, planting his feet upon the spot in front of where Jenna was sleeping. As he came to stand up, Jenna was quick to wake up and raise her head up from her front paws. She looked over at Jack, who then slipped on a pair of cargo shorts. After which he turned and pulled his camera bag over his right shoulder. As he turned and began walking over to the doorway of the tent, Jenna stood up and came up to him pouting. A common thing she would usually do whenever her master was to leave the house.
"Hey, don't worry, Jenna." He said, patting her on the head.
"I'm just stepping out for a bit. I'll be back in a few."
It was then he walked around the red husky and came over to the tent's entrance, where he slipped on his shoes before stepping outside.
Elsa continued to swing swiftly through the trees for a time before she came upon the clearing of the expedition's camp. She flew up and landed in the canopy of a tree, where she crept along to the other end of the tree to gaze upon the intruders of her jungle home. Like Bagheera as he stalked his prey from above, the wild women gazed down into the clearing as she was covered by the leaves and the shadows they gave. It was down below that she saw tents which were set up all throughout the clearing. There was a small fire pit that was set up by the tent in the very middle, where she saw the last remnants of the fire that was responsible for the smoke rising into the air.
She saw no sign of any of these human intruders within the campsite, so she guessed they must all be within their dens. As she turned and looked upon the tents leftward from her and by one of the tents she spotted a wolf-like dog lying near the entrance of the light brown tent. He laid motionless upon the ground, laying his head upon his front paws. As she continued to spy upon him, he was soon to make a form of movement as he then raised his head from his paws with his ears sticking high to the air, looking as if he was gazing right back at her.
Balto looked up at the tree across the way, noticing there was something hidden within the leaves and branches above. He came up on his paws and walked slowly over to the tree, squinting his eyes as he leaned his head forward to gain a better look as to what it was. As the husky hybrid approached the tree, he then noticed there was movement which erupted in the tree above which caused the leaves to shake. By then Balto saw that his suspicions proved to be so, there was something there and it may prove to be a predator who stumbled upon the camp.
He began growling and baring his fangs and began barking, ready form when the predator would make his next move.
Elsa backed away into the shadows, seeing the dog approaching the tree where she hid. She in turn began hissing back at him, showing her teeth the way any lion would when they were cornered by an anticipated threat. However Balto could hardly see her from where she was and couldn't take notice of the warnings she presented to him. However his constant barking to her wasn't to go any further before there was then an answer from someone in particular.
"Hey Balto!" A voice called from nearby.
Elsa looked rightward to the other tent upon hearing the voice. It was within an instant she fell silent, unable to make a sound nor any sort of movement. She was completely frozen in place, both of her blue eyes were wide open at the sight of him. It was there, coming out of the entrance of the tent, her sight and attention was captured by a young man who emerged from the entrance of the tent. He looked to be the same age as him, he was tall and looked a bit muscular. He wore a white t-shirt with a light brown vest over top and a pair of cargo shorts. Though the most grasping sight to her was that of his hair, which was as white as freshly fallen snow. He had the same hair as...
"Jack!" She said in a whispering tone.
Elsa could feel heart beating so rabidly in her chest and butterflies within his stomach. By now all of her worries and sadness were no longer able to get to her and deter her away. Her mind was filled with thoughts of anticipation of the young man she was seeing. Could it truly be him, was it really Jack down there? The wild women felt a rush of excitement and eagerness to know.
Jack walked up beside Balto and got down upon his knee beside him.
"Hey, easy boy." he said, trying to calm him.
"What is it, what's wrong?"
Balto didn't turn to look at him, but rather he kept barking over at the tree in hopes that Jack would look that way. As he expected of him, Jack turned and looked over at the tree the husky hybrid was barking at. He gazed up at the tree tops above, though unlike Balto, he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary or even Elsa for that matter. He sighed and shook his head as he turned back to the husky hybrid.
"It's alright boy." he reassured him.
"There's nothing there."
As Jack came up, it was then that Mattias came to emerge from his tent.
"Hey, what's going on out there?" He asked, groaning.
Jack turned over to him.
"It's alright." Jack said, raising his hand to him.
"It's nothing, Balto just saw a monkey pass by or something."
Mattias groaned tiredly before he turned and went back inside his tent. Afterwards, Jack adjusted his camera bag before he turned and began walking toward the jungle. Though after taking a few steps toward the lush tropical forest, Balto barked at him which made him stop where he came to stand. Jack then turned back to the wolf-like husky, who barked at him again.
"What?" Jack asked curiously.
Balto in turn barked at him again. By then Jack had caught on and suspected that he knew what he was doing and with his barking just a moment ago, he probably thought there was trouble nearby.
"Hey, hey, try not to wake up the whole camp, would you, Balto?" Jack said.
"I'm just going out for a bit, I'm coming right back."
It was then that he turned and continued on toward the Jungle. Balto just stood and watched him, looking sternly that he had ignored his warning. He looked back toward the tent he was in and saw Jenna poking out of the entrance. She looked back over at him, appearing concerned about her master's sudden departure. She looked over at him with her worried expression upon her face.
As she watched Jack depart from the campsite and enter into the jungle, Elsa could feel her desire for companionship take hold of her. After so long of being subjected to the fate of being the only one of her kind, now came a change. The one she longed had come to return to her, the one who could be able to be freed from the void that came to cause such a disruption in her life. She could hear a voice inside, urging her to follow him.
"There he is, Elsa!" Her thoughts proclaimed to her.
"It's Jack, the one you want! Go after him, Elsa!"
Like a slave she abiding to his or hers master's wishes, Elsa could not resist to oblige to her desires. The wild woman climbed across the tree, where she leaped across to the other tree and followed after the one she considered betrothed to.
It had been sometime since he left camp, Jack continued to trek along through the jungle. There were several points along his way that he stopped and took a photo of what the jungle had to offer him. A moment such as now, as the young white haired man stopped and gazed up to the top of the trees around him. He raised his camera to the same level as his gazing face and snapped a shot of the sight.
He lowered down his camera and looked upon the screen of the canon, where he saw the picture he took of the tree tops.
"Perfect." He said, smiling at the sight of it's quality.
"With some editing it's gonna look great on my blog."
It was then that he looked ahead and continued on his way, all the while he was dumbfounded that he was being followed. For it was high in the canopy of the tree behind him that the wild woman, Elsa, was watching Jack from above. It was the more she observed him, she came to see all which had come to change since the years that separated them. The white haired boy who was seven like her was cute to her she must admit, but now cute was an irrelevant word to describe her now.
Seeing the boy she had met long ago, now grown up and the same age as she, he was handsome and so attractive. The looks he gave, her heart came to skip one single beat. Seeing his muscular arms, she could imagine herself being held in his embrace, pressing her against him.
As he walked further from her, she was quick to follow soon after him. She grabbed hold of a vine beside her and swung over to the next tree. However, while swift, she had left a sound of brushing leaves behind her. One that didn't go unnoticed by Jack's hearing, which caused him to stop and turn to look back behind him. He saw the branch and leaves shaking as if something had been there, however Elsa had gone by too fast that by the time he looked she had disappeared from sight.
Seeing there was nothing there, he shrugged and shook his head.
"It must have been a bird or something." Jack theorized to himself.
"Damn, that would have been a great shot."
It was in the tree beside him that Elsa landed upon a branch just above him. She gazed down at Jack, coming down in a crouching position as she watched him walk out from under her. She continued to admire him, letting her desires create such imagined fantasy's within her mind. However, it was until she came to hear the sound of a movement from below. She glanced rightward to the vegetation down below, where she spotted something moving under their cover. It was a sight which had ceased her feelings of her desires and come to replace them with weariness and suspicion. The teaching of both Mufassa and Rafiki had come to mind, knowing that there was danger close by.
Jack as well came to hear the sound of movement close by. He stopped dead in his tracks, turning rightward to gaze about his surroundings.
"Hello?" He called out.
"Someone there?"
There was only a moment of silence to follow, not a single voice he recognized from those back at camp.
"Anna, Kristoff?" He said again.
Still there was not a word uttered back. He then heard a brushing sound close by in the vegetation close by. Jack was hardly frightened by this, but rather rolled his eyes knowing well his friends were just playing a joke on him.
"Very funny, guys." He then said,
"I know you're there. Come on out!."
Nothing came for his assumed suspects, there was just another short while of silence which was to follow. By then Jack was growing impatient, becoming so fed up with the running gag they were playing.
"Okay guys, really?" Jack asked.
"Come on, this isn't funny anymore."
As Elsa was watching from the branch she was hunched over in the tree, she stood at the ready with what was to follow. She reached her right hand down to her hunting knife and drew it from it's quiver. After what had been another while of waiting, Jack was then few up with waiting for his friends to give up their gag.
"Alright, guys I'm not playing around anymore so would you please just-"
It was then in a quick instant that a leopard leaped out of the vegetation, giving out a growling as he was quick to strike at Jack. The young white haired man gasped and jumped back from the leopard upon landing where he had stood.
"Wow!" Jack cried, falling to the ground.
"Oh God!"
As Jack scurried to his feet and tried to escape, he was pushed back from the black spotted predator who swiped his claws at him. Jack was knocked back, the leopard claws shredded through the strap of his camera bag. As for Jack, he fell back to the tree behind him. His head hit hard against the hardened surface of the trunk, knocking him unconscious.
As he slid downward against the trunk, coming down into a sitting position. The leopard in turn approached him, coming to claim the unconscious young man as his prey. However his chance to do so was thwarted, for it was then that Elsa leaped down from the tree tops and knocked the leopard to the side. The two rolled over top of one another for only a short while, before Elsa kicked the leopard off of her.
The wild woman came upon her feet, keeping in a crouching position as she held her knife at the ready. The leopard rolled away but was quick to return upon it's paws, turning to Elsa with raging eyes. The two circled one another, preparing for whoever was to make the first daring move. Elsa was very experienced when facing off against rival predators, for it was more than once that she had come to face off against many in the past. This was hardly the first time she had been in this particular position. She of course could handle herself in the heat of battle.
It was right then that the leopard leaped at her, swiping his clawing paws at her. Yet with quick reflexes, she was quick to fall back with every attempt he committed toward her. After one last attempt, the two then leaped at each other, colliding as they tried pushing one another back. For a time they struggled, the leopard snapping his jaws at the wild women who then threw him to the side. As landed on the ground and rolled upon his stomach, Elsa was quick to cease the opportunity and leaped upon his back.
The leopard squirmed in hopes to escape from his grasp, yet Elsa held on to him tight without any hopes of escape. It was then that Elsa raised her hunting dagger and plunged the sharp blade into its neck. With a pain stricken yelp, the leopard moments then ceased as he plunged to the ground, dead. Elsa then stood up off his lifeless body, standing above her defeated foe.
For a moment she stood, basking in her achievement of victory. She placed her foot atop the leopard's body and let out a victory cry that could be heard all throughout the jungle.
Elsa's victory call had echoed all the way to the campsite of the expedition, waking both Tadashi and Kristoff. The blond haired man burst away, falling over the side of his bed. Kristoff leaned up off the floor, rubbing the back of his head.
"What the hell was that?" He said, curiously.
It was after she had acclaimed her victory that Elsa stepped off the leopard's deceased body. She looked over toward Jack, who sat unconsciously against the tree. The wild women approached him, moving in a crouching formation toward the young white haired man. As she came before Jack, she kneeled down to him. She came up into his face, coming to sniff him as instinctually as the lions who raised her. Needless to say, his scent was very strange. She had never come to smell a man before, so it was very unfamiliar to what smells were accustomed to her.
"He smells kind of funny." Elsa said to herself.
"Is that how people like me smell?"
A small groan came to escape his lips, when his eyes opened so slightly. Elsa had retracted so slightly, watching as his blue eyes came to be revealed. The small amount of sight Jack was given, he noticed that there was someone looking back at him. To who it was and what little details he could make out, it looked like there was a girl, a woman no less with ice blond hair. However he didn't have so long to gain full consciousness before he fell back into the blackened abyss.
"He sure took a hit." Elsa commented on his state of being.
"I was lucky to have stopped the leopard before he did anymore damage."
It was then that Elsa turned back to the dead leopard behind him.
"He won't be the only one." She said to herself.
"We should find someplace safe."
Knowing that was to be so, she was willing to let another moment like this occur. Not to the one who would be her future mate. She turned back to Jack, putting his arm over her shoulder. She then raised him up upon his feet, before she turned and carried him along into the jungle.
