Chapter 2

The morning began with the bright sun as lightens the green surface of the jungle. Inside Sahana's house, Mowgli's room was brightened up as he was still peacefully sleeping. He was beginning to wake, he stretched out his arms and legs out wide while yawning out loud. Mowgli got up slowly, walked out of his room and down the stairs, and saw that Sahana was already up. She was boiling three eggs in a small, black pot filled with water.

"Oh, good morning Mowgli" Sahana smiled, "Can you look after these eggs, while I get some peaches?"

Mowgli nodded as his answer then Sahana picked up a big bag made of straw and left. Mowgli picked a wooden spoon and used it to move around the eggs in the pot. Soon Mowgli was starting to think about today when he will meet Kitty again, he couldn't wait to see her. He missed her lovely smile, her adventurous spirit, her gracefulness to everyone, how Kitty tell him about the new tricks that man had created in the world and he will tell her his adventurous in the jungle. Unknowing to Mowgli as his head was up in the clouds, Rikki Tikki Tavi came up from jumping out from the window.

"Hey man-cub, how are those eggs coming because I am hunger" Rikki said then noticed that there was a lot of steam coming out from the pot, "Hey, Mowgli! The pot! You're boiling it up!"

Mowgli was soon realised that the pot was nearly overflowing by the water bubbies inside. Mowgli quickly use a kitchen cloth and moved the pot fast out of the way, then the pot slowly calms down.

"Let me check" Rikki looked inside the pot and said, "Oh thank the lord, the eggs are alright."

Mowgli made a dull face from Rikki sarcastic relieve for the eggs, then change to apologise, "Sorry Rikki, didn't mean to over boil your breakfast."

"No, don't worry, you were thinking of Kitty" Rikki said while sniffed the smell of the eggs in the steams.

Mowgli dreamily nodded as he agreed about Kitty the quickly shook his head, "No, no, I wasn't…"

"Yeah you were, you were talking about Kitty underneath your breathe" Rikki added which made Mowgli silently embarrass.

By the edge of the village, there was some men on horses riding up just arrive from their journey. One of the men that just jumped off of his horse was Sanjay, now pulling the reins to move the horse back in the stables. Another person jumped from her horse as she looks at the edge of the village and the jungle. She was wearing a shirt with light blue dots in diagonals and light grey strips, plus dark blue shorts up to the knees. Brought a tree brown colour bag, with the name on the label, "Kitty Brydon."

Kitty's face was bliss as she grew a smile as she whispered to herself, "Home sweet home."

Sanjay walked over to his house and there was Shanti running up to her father excitedly, "Papa!"

Shanti ran up and jump right at Sanjay and lifted her and spin her around, "Shanti!" Sanjay was blissed to see his little girl, "How are you?"

"I am good. You papa?"

"I am good thank you" Sanjay kissed on her checks and Shanti giggled as it tickles her, "Where your maji?"

"She's inside the house" Shanti answered.

At that second, Mowgli and Sahana walked outside of their house and came to welcome Sanjay back. Sanjay hugged Sahana and Mowgli and patted at his back, then Meshua walked out of her house and came up to hug her husband and kissed him.

Sanjay flicked up a beautiful red flower like a magic trick to Meshua as a gift to her from the journey, then they kissed on the lips. Shanti covered her eyes because she thought that it was disgusting, and Sahana giggled for Shanti's reaction. Mowgli looked at it normally at the scene as it's like a wolf just licked another, then Sanjay winked at Mowgli. Kitty pulled the reins on her horse gently to the stables, after she walked up and smiling wide as she saw Mowgli in the corner.

Shanti first saw Kitty walking towards them, she shouted, "Kitty!"

Shanti ran up to Kitty and hugged her tight, Kitty said, "How are you Shanti?"

"I'm good. Have you got anything for me?"

"What do you say first?" Kitty raised one of her eyebrows.

"Pleases…" Shanti made little begging eyes.

Kitty reached in her bags and took out two light pink ribbons with small pink flowers in the middle. Kitty gave them to Shanti and she spilt her in half to tie the ribbons on each side of the hairs.

Shanti face was all blissed and said, "Thank you Kitty."

Kitty walked up to Sahana and Meshua as they hugged each other, then she saw Mowgli in the corner and their eyes met. Mowgli felt blushed as Kitty was walking towards and hugged him, and Mowgli slowly did the same. Mowgli hasn't see Kitty in while, but he had never forgot the feelings he had for her. They sat down against some beautiful tree by the smooth, blue river, talking about their times after Kitty for school.

"Sura has cubs now? Ah, that's cute" Kitty said.

"Yep, Grey also gets to join in the hunting and Baloo is teaching the younger pups."

Kitty started, "So whenever Baloo gives them a task to do…"

Mowgli finished, "It will be his lovely nap time" they both laughed.

"Here, I got you something" Mowgli reached down in her brown bag and took out a small book. Mowgli looked at the book and it's one where all the pages are blank. "I thought you could write or draw anything you like, your new tricks that you made."

"Wow, thank you" Mowgli felt bad because he hasn't brought anything for Kitty. He spotted some bright yellow and organ flowers like honey attached on the leaves above in the tree, so Mowgli to decide to climb up the tree and pick one off for Kitty. "Give me a second."

"Mowgli, what are you doing?" Kitty asked as she watched he climbs up the tree.

Mowgli swing on strong branches and pulled himself higher into the leaves, he will pick the first one he sees. There was one on the each on a long branch. Mowgli grabbed a vein to hold himself if he falls, while slowly walk on the branch and reach out to get the flower. Suddenly as close as Mowgli was, there was loud, horrible sound shot right out of nowhere, just like at that second the flower just got shot. Mowgli and Kitty were in great shock, Kitty jumped away and Mowgli jumped too but then fall. Luckily, he grabbed the vein to hold himself, but he fallen down to the ground with the rest of the vein fallen nearly covered his whole body.

"Mowgli!" Kitty ran up to him, "Are you alright?"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm… vein" Mowgli joked.

A sound of shaking bushes where heard as something was coming through them towards the children. Kitty helped Mowgli to tried to get back up on his feet. Right in front was man in middle age wearing a dark grey top with a dark and red turban, he was holding a long black rifle in his hands.

"Well, well, what have we have?" he evilly grinned as he brought up a smoking pipe up to his mouth, "You don't see that every day."

Kitty angrily walked to the stranger and shouted, "You nearly kill him! What in God's name is wrong with you?!"

The stranger took in a deep breathe of smoke and released it out at Kitty, "Accidents happen sweetie, you just need to see more."

Mowgli didn't like that stranger being disrespectful towards Kitty, he jumped out quickly and walked fast and said, "Stopped it."

"Ah, so you're got high spirit, lad" the stranger tapped the back of his rifle on Mowgli's chest, in each tap is harder that before. Then Mowgli had enough so he gripped hold of the back of the rifle and pushed it forward hard at the stranger. He took some steps back and made a death stare at the boy as he did the same and groaned like an animal.

"So, you play hard, you little brat" the stranger's face suddenly went hard and tough.

"What happened?!" Sanjay shouted as he and his friends behind him, he saw the stranger, "Buldeo?"

"Sanjay, nice to see you again" Buldeo said.

"Mowgli, what happened?" Sanjay turned to Mowgli, "You looked a bit bruised."

"Buldeo nearly shoot me" Mowgli explained.

"I thought it was monkey in a distance away."

"Sure, you see monkeys in red diapers every day, yes that makes so much scene now" Kitty angrily sarcastic.

"What are you actually doing here, Buldeo?" Sanjay asked to get the reasons.

"Some friends of mine and I just decided to go off hunting in this jungle" Buldeo explained while suddenly four more men walked out of the shadowy bushes and shown themselves.

"You can't hunt here!" Mowgli shouted.

"And who's going to stop me, brat" Buldeo threated as unseemly he points his rifle at Mowgli.

"Buldeo!" Sahana shouted as she stares at Buldeo horrifying, she instructed, "Mowgli, Kitty, why don't you go inside in Sanjay's house for a while."

They children did as what Sahana told them, Mowgli caught Buldeo death stare right at him as he walks away. Kamya joined them behind, Mowgli asked him, "Who is that man, Kamya?"

"Buldeo was an old friend of Sanjay, he split away from here many years ago" Kamya explained.

While Mowgli, Kitty and Shanti were in Sanjay's house wondering around, while Buldeo had a meeting with Sahana's house. Mowgli was really curious about that stranger, Buldeo, he felt like he has seen him before but where? Mowgli secretly jumped out of the window and silently crawled behind Sahana's house and heard the conversation through the window.

"So, the kid is yours? Oh, I can see the resembles" Kamya said, "But I heard he was raised in the jungle, right?"

"Yes, he was, Buldeo, and I am taking care of him" Sahana said directly as she crosses her arms, "Now what do you now, you alright got everything, why are you here?"

"Just for a short hunt in the jungle" Buldeo answered, "Is he actually you child?

"No, we didn't have a DNA check because it doesn't matter to anyone. And you hunt in this jungle it's home for Mowgli, it matters to him, so it matters to me."

"Just a small hunt like monkeys, chitals, snakes, anything small."

Sahana paused for a second to think and said, "If it's okay for Mowgli then it's okay for me. Just in the areas that he wants you to" she pointed out.

"Fair enough" Buldeo replied.

Mowgli however didn't feel safe around him, or that Buldeo is even safe for anyone. Mowgli needed to think where Buldeo may hunt without tanking down some of his animal friends.

"I'll you tonight" Buldeo said to Sahana before he left the house to see his friends in the horse stables. Sahana took a breath in hoping that things won't be as bad again as before.

"So?" asked Sunil, one of Buldeo's friends wearing a dark blue top with a black turban.

"We can around anywhere where that brat like us to" Buldeo answered, they all were getting their rifles ready for when their short hunt begins. Buldeo walked over Riswan and asked, "Can you a favour?"

Buldeo whispered something in one of Riswan's ears and at the end Riswand nodded as he agreed to do the favour. Buldeo made an eerie smile on his face and he stare at his rifle then switch to stare at Mowgli.

Really sorry it took so long, been busy! But here when Kitty returns and Buldeo a new mysterious character. Hope you have enjoyed it.