A/N: And this is where Hathi and his herd first appeared.
TheJungleBook
Chapter 3: Colonel Hathi's March
An early morning mist hung over the jungle and Bagherra, Mowgli, and Shanti were still asleep, when suddenly, the ground started shaking rythmically from the stomping nearby as a herd of elephants marched before Mowgli and Shanti both woke up with yawns.
Elephants:
Hup, two, three, four
Keep it up, two, three, four
Hup, two, three, four
Keep it up, two, three, four
Hup, two, three, four
"Is that...?", Shanti began.
"A parade!", Mowgli spoke in amazement.
"I don't know. It doesn't exactly look like a parade to me.", Shanti responded before Bagheera woke up.
"Oh, no! The Dawn Patrol again.", Bagherra groaned, covering his ears with his paws as Mowgli then got down on the ground to look closer.
"Mowgli, wait up!", Shanti urged whisperingly as she followed him closely from behind.
"Company... sound off!", Hathi shouted.
Elephants:
Oh, the aim of our patrol
Elephant #3:
Is a question rather droll
Elephants:
For to march and drill
Over field and hill
(they trumpet)
Hathi:
Is a military goal
All:
Is a military goal!
With a hup, two, three, four
Dress it up, two, three, four
By the ranks or single file
Over every jungle mile
Oh we stamp and crush
Through the underbrush
Then, a small elephant named Hathi Jr. gave a small trumpet.
Hathi Jr.:
In the militaly style!
Elephants:
In the military style
Then, Mowgli went over to Hathi Jr.
"Hello. What are you doing?", Mowgli asked loudly.
"Shh. Drilling.", Hathi Jr. responded.
"Can I do it, too?", Mowgli asked whisperingly.
"Sure. Just do what I do. But don't talk in rank. It's against regulations.", Hathi Jr. assured before Mowgli walked after Hathi Jr. in the rear of the file on all fours.
"To the rear... March!", Hathi shouted Hathi Jr. turned around only for him and Mowgli to collide.
"The other way. Turn around.", Hathi Jr. urged before Mowgli then turned around and continued as normal.
Hathi: Hup, two, three, four
Keep it up, two, three, four
"To the rear... Ho! Company... Halt!", Hathi shouted as Hathi Jr. turned around, although Mowgli was a bit late on the uptake and had to catch up quickly as Shanti caught up just in time to see Mowgli colliding with Hathi Jr. again before giggling a bit at the sight.
"That means 'stop'.", Hathi Jr. explained.
"Nice move, Mowgli.", Shanti giggled as she helped Mowgli up.
"Haha. Very funny.", Mowgli retorted.
"Company... Left face!", Hathi ordered before the elephants then faced to the left.
"'March, march, march'. My feet are killing me.", Winifred complained.
"I'm putting in for a transfer to another herd.", the 2nd elephant whispered.
"Silence in the ranks!", Hathi shouted before he walked around the rank until he went behind it.
"Dress up that line.", Hathi spoke before all but one elephant raised there rears before Hathi then smacked Winifred in the bottom with a small whack from his staff in the trunk.
"Pull it in, Winifred.", Hathi spoke before he then walked back to the front of the rank.
"Inspection... arms!", Hathi shouted before all the elephants stuck their trunks out with Mowgli and Shanti standing up straight.
"Stick your nose out.", Hathi Jr. whispered before Mowgli raised his face.
"Like this?", Mowgli asked.
"That's right.", Hathi Jr. nodded before Shanti then raised hers up, but not without a slight giggle as Hathi then checked the trunk of the second elephant.
"Tsk-tsk-tsk. A dusty muzzle. Soldier, remember in battle that trunk can save your life. Take good care of it, my man.", Hathi advised, tapping his staff on the elephant's trunk.
"Yes, Sir!", the second elephant responded.
"Very good, carry on.", Hathi responded before looking over to the 3rd elephant, who was chewing on some grass.
"Ahem. Hmm. Let's have a little more spit and polish on those bayonets.", the colonel responded, tapping his staff on one of his tusks.
"Yes, Sir!", the 3rd elephant responded.
"Esprit de Corps! That's the way I earned my commission in the Maharaja's pachyderm brigade. Back in '88 it was, eh..., or was it...?", Hathi began.
"Here it comes, the 'Victoria-cross' bit again.", Winifred sighed to the 2nd elephant nearby.
"It was then I received the Victoria Cross for bravery above and beyond the call of duty. Ha-ha! Those were the days! Discipline. Discipline was the thing. Builds character and all that sort of thing, you know.", Hathi spoke before a loud snap of the small bamboo stick sounded as Hathi leaned on it, interrupting his speech before standing back up and noticing the damage.
"Oh.. Where was I? Oh, yes. Inspection.", Hathi spoke before looking at Elephant #4.
"Well, very good.", Hathi spoke before then looking to the 5th elephant, who smiled.
"Wipe off that silly grin, soldier. This is the army.", Hathi spoke before the 5th elephant then frowned with Hathi then turning to the 6th elephant just as a fly was buzzing above said elephant's head before Hathi swatted it away with his broken stick.
"Ahem. Eyes front.", Hathi spoke before the 6th elephant then opened his eyes with Hathi now checking on the 7th elephant, whose hair on his head was longer than it needed to be.
"Tsk-tsk-tsk. Leutenant, that haircut is not regulation. Rather on the gaudy side, don't you think?", Hathi asked as he messed with the hair with his stick before cutting it short using his bamboo stick.
"There. That's better.", Hathi spoke before then looking forward to another direction.
"And as for you...", Hathi spoke before then he looked down to see his eager son.
"Oh, there you are. Heh-heh-heh. Let's keep those heels together, shell we, son?", Hathi advised as Hathi Jr. then looked down to see his heels before looking back up.
"Okay, Pop... Sir!", Hathi Jr. spoke as he did what was advised.
"That's better.", Hathi spoke before coming to Mowgli and Shanti.
"Well, new recruits, eh? They go well together. Ha-ha-ha... I say, what happened to your trunks?", Hathi asked as he pushed against Mowgli's face with his stick.
"Hey, stop that!", Mowgli shouted disrespectfully.
"Mowgli!", Shanti scolded before Hathi reeled back in shock and disbelief.
"What?! A man-cub! And a female along with him?! Oh, this is utterly preposterous! What are you doing in my jungle?!", Hathi sputtered as he grabbed Mowgli, shook him, and then set him back down.
"It's not your jungle.", Mowgli retorted before Bagheera quickly arrived near the area.
"Hold it, hold it! I can explain, Hathi!", Bagheera assured.
"Colonel Hathi, if you please, sir.", Hathi corrected.
"Oh, yes, yes. Colonel Hathi. The man-cubs are with me. I'm taking them back to the man-village.", Bagheera assured.
"To stay?", Hathi asked.
"You have the word of Bagheera.", Bagheera responded.
"Good. And remember, an elephant never forgets.", Hathi spoke before Mowgli glared as he crossed his arms with the colonel then turning to leave.
"Humph! I don't know what the army's coming to these days. These young wippersnappers, who do they think they are?", Hathi muttered.
By that point, all the elephants were dozing off by now, but woke up as soon as Hathi commanded.
"Ahem, let's get on with it. Right face! Forward... march!", Hathi ordered before the elephants turned to the right too closely and then marched forward.
"Dear, haven't you forgotten something?", Winifred asked.
"Nonsense, Winifred, old girl. An elephant never forgets.", Hathi responded.
"Well, you just forgot our son.", Winifred responded, making Hathi blanch as he turned back to notice Hathi Jr. playing with Mowgli and Shanti.
"Uh, s... Son?! Son! Oh yes, quite right.. To the rear... march!", Hathi shouted as he then turned around with the elephants then turning around the same way they did in the previous direction.
"When I grow up, I'm gonna be a colonel. Just like my...", Hathi Jr. spoke before his father rudely interrupted and picked him up with his trunk.
"If I told you once, I've told you a thousand times...!", Hathi began before Hathi Jr. noticed the other elephants marching right into Hathi's rear.
"Pop! Look out!", Hathi Jr. shouted before a spectacular crash of the elephants took place, pushing Hathi with his hooves skidding against the ground as the elephants crashed into him before the last elephant bumped her trunk on another elephant's rear, practically bending it, although one of the elephants was still chewing on the grass.
"Gee, Pop. You forgot to say 'halt'.", Hathi Jr. spoke before Mowgli laughed as Shanti tried to contain her own laughter, knowing a spectacular, somewhat hilarious crash like that could've been disastrous.
"He said an elephant never forgets.", Mowgli laughed before he turned to Bagheera, who was just as stern as last night.
"It's not funny. Now, let's get out of here quick before anything else happens.", Bagheera urged before he ran through the forest with Mowgli and Shanti following him.
"Where are we going, Bagheera?", Shanti asked.
"You're both going back to the man-village right now.", Bagheera urged.
"I'm not going.", Mowgli refused boldly.
"Oh, yes you are.", Bagheera retorted profusely as he turned around.
"Come on, Mowgli, be reasonable.", Shanti pleaded.
"I'm staying right here.", Mowgli spoke, holding onto a tree near him.
"There's no need for that.", Shanti responded as the panther marched toward the stubborn man-cub.
"You're going if I have to drag you every step away", Bagheera only spoke before trying to pry Mowgli off the tree by biting into his loincloth in order to drag him away.
"Let go, you...!", Bagherra spoke in muffled.
"You let go of me!", Mowgli retorted, still holding on as he was even pressing his feet against Bagheera's face before the panther pulled harder, only for the loincloth to slip from his fangs and back to Mowgli before the panther fell into the river and got back up, even spitting out the water from his mouth only to bump his head into a log from above.
"Oh, that does it! I've had it, man-cub. From now on, you're both on your own. Alone!", Bagheera spoke as he got out the river, shook the water off his paws and went away.
"Don't worry about me.", Mowgli retorted before taking off.
"Mowgli, wait!", Shanti urged as she followed Mowgli as he and Bagheera went their separate ways before the former eventually walked around aimlessly with Shanti nearby.
"Ah. Foolish man-cub.", Bagheera sighed, still walking away.
A/N: Well, nice to know we have a voice of reason in the form of Shanti in this story, huh? Well, I think a certain happy-go-lucky bear we all know will lighten things up in the next chapter soon. Until next time. :)
