Chapter 3
As the day continued from the morning, the jungle and all within it was silent and peaceful. Mowgli took Kitty out into the jungle to see his animal friends, Rikki decided to join in with them. Mowgli and Kitty walked up by Council Rock, where the young wolves normally hang out. Once they were there Kitty Sura's pups, Abhi and his two younger sisters were rushing down to see and lick their man-cub uncle and soon came to Kitty as began talking to Mowgli's wolf sibling. Bagheera came along to see how Kitty which grew a smile but soon faded a little when he saw Mowgli, and he knew at that moment that something was troubling him.
"That awful sound was form Buldeo?" Bagheera asked.
"Yeah, nearly shoot him at the head" Rikki said as he shaped on his right paw to a gun like and point it to the side of head.
Mowgli said, "And now he wants to do a short hunt, I mean it just happened so fast and to me."
"Why to you?" Bagheera made a curious look on his face.
"If some animal that I just met, and it felt like it's threating me, what should you do as my protector?" Mowgli asked.
Bagheera paused then answered, "You know that actually did happened before."
"Really, who?"
"Shere Khan" Bagheera said directly.
"Yeah, Buldeo is like that tiger" Rikki said, "Since he knows how to use the red flower and all of that stuff man barely used."
Mowgli agreed for he has tried to forget the terribles things that have happened before from Shere Khna. Mowgli cut back, "Anyway, but if it was a man?"
"Then don't get close to him, or more to be safe don't let him get close to you" Bagheera explained carefully, "If anything bad happens from him, then it's up to you to decided."
Baloo just arrived from finishing his last lessons of today, he walked up in a cheerful mode. "Hey, hey, nice to see you back Kitty Cat."
"Good to see you too, Baloo" Kitty stand up and hugged Baloo around his neck.
Baloo mentioned, "Hey, did anyone notice that are some hunters up in the north or are the birds just remember the old days?"
"Unfortunately, it's true" Bagheera answered, he turns to Mowgli, "Just for a few days, right?"
"Hopefully, there got nothing to hunt as long as they are in the north, they'll only catch a few monkeys, rabbits or birds" Mowgli explained.
"Well, the sun is out, the sky is bright, so let's go and see what's around" Baloo said Baloo again with a cheerful tone.
Sura's cubs stayed back with their moth back at Council Rock, while the others travelled around the jungle, they first played truth or dare, of course most of them chosen to dare just to get some fun from what actives they are dared to do. Baloo dared Mowgli to jump off a waterfall till Bagheera gave him a death stare which made the big bear changed his mind. However, Mowgli did swing from a vein and jumped off high into the fresh, jungle air and splashed through the crystal-clear river. Soon the wolves decided to jump in for fun, Kitty, Rikki stayed out, so they won't get wet, however created a huge splashed and wetted the whole of Bagheera's black fur which really did vexed him. Kitty was taking photos from her digital camera which then prints out the photos. They were play-fighting in the water, then Mowgli took a deep breath and dive down under the water. The wolves couldn't see Mowgli anywhere when suddenly there something that just popped out of the water and was swimming towards them. They started to swim away in panic, thinking that it could Jacala, the vicious crocodile that haunts around these rivers and can rib a part of a creature's body if it dares to go near the river. The wolves finally out of the river even the little, river fishs swam away from the vison of the vicious crocodile. The wolves turn around to look back at Jacala, but their eyes caught catch the face of the deadly crocodile. They took a step closer to see clearer till it popped out of the water again in loud, savage growl. The wolves leaped back in fear and scared in terroir, till they heard a huge laugher coming from it. The face of the deadly crocodile soon faded into an odd-looking log, Mowgli came from underneath it and was laughing his head off.
"You should have seen your faces!" Mowgli laughed loud.
The wolves started to growl at Mowgli and one jumped right at him, Mowgli quickly jumped out of the way. Now they are chasing him for that nasty, eerie trick he made to terrified them. The wolves nearly caught with the man-cub, but Mowgli soon gained the speed of a wolf over the few years.
"Hey Mowgli! Crocodile!" Kitty shouted as she pointed to the water.
"What!?" Mowgli asked loudly while still being chased.
Suddenly a huge muddy-looking thing raised up from the water infront of Mowgli. It roared out very loud which structed the fear right at Mowgli which made the man-cub fall back onto the water. Mowgli felt the pain from he did a back flop from getting away from the thing, soon he heard little giggles from the muddy thing. The fallen back down on it's four and washed the brown mud off of its face of big, soft bear laugher.
"Baloo?!" Mowgli shocked.
The wolves behind Mowgli were laughing out loud from that joke that Baloo did to Mowgli, Baloo was laughing as loud as them, then Kitty and Rikki were laughing as well, Bagheera giggled a little. Mowgli got back up on his feet and was ready annoyed, he tried to push Baloo into the water, but he was too heavy to be moved.
"That was a good distraction" Rikki whispered to Kitty while he continued laughing hard.
After they were all got dried by shaking the water off of their furs and their bodies. They began travelling around the jungle, the wolves had to go back to the council for they wanted to hunt for some rabbits or some brids to eat for lunch. Mowgli and Baloo were playing fight on green field filled with smooth grass, Kitty was taking photos of them while giggling. Rikki was watching them as he lay against the tree and Bagheera was laying on a tree branch.
"Do you have nine lives?" Rikki randomly asked Bagheera, "I mean I never heard the proofs, but do you?"
"I have never heard such a ridiculous question in my entire life" Bagheera answered.
Rikki nodded then quickly asked, "Can you land on your own two feet?"
Bagheera made a straight face and shook his head slowly side to side from listening those boloney questions Rikki is asking.
"Rikki, you do realise that's all just myth, right?" Kitty asked.
"I'm just asking. Life still held mysterious things" Rikki answered, he circled himself around and took a nap.
Bagheera stretched out and jumped down from the tree branch and laid beside Kitty, "How is your home now, Kitty?"
"Yeah, it's fine" Kitty answered but not with a positive tone.
"You don't sound so happy about it."
"Well, it's not like I don't I like it, it's just I prefer here than there. I was born in London, but I feel more home here."
"I think I understand" Bagheera replied from remembering his past.
"My mother was born, she lived close to the jungle and she loved it" Kitty explained as she remembers all those stories she was told about her mother.
Bagheera assume that she had lost her, he smiled and asked, "I am sorry for your lost."
"It's fine, she made it this far after getting shot before."
Bagheera paused for a second and asked to hear it again, "I sorry? She got shot?"
"Oh, yes, when she was a child, luckily she was saved."
Bagheera thought for a second as from what Kitty explained what has happened to in her mother's life. This reminded him of someone who was girl-cub he loved very much, she was shot many years ago, unknowing to Bagheera whether she was alive or not. Bagheera took a good look at Kitty's face and turned away quickly as he doubts the possibility.
While in the green fields, Mowgli and Baloo were still play fighting, Baloo shouted, "Now you better keep moving or I'll you knock you the tree tops off of you."
Baloo raised up on his two feet, and Mowgli went in for a strong punch in the big bear's stomach, "Right at the…"
Baloo was starting to bounce around in a few steps forward, Mowgli moved around then Baloo bounced backwards towards Mowgli, Till Baloo started to stop and fall forwards down to the ground. Mowgli decided to jump on Baloo's back which unknowing it actually tingles him a lot.
"No, no, no, stop it, that tingles!" Baloo shouted.
Mowgli got the idea, he started to do tingle Baloo more on his back and the sides. Baloo pushed himself by his feet as he slides through the green grass to tried to wiggle Mowgli off.
"Help!" Baloo laughed out loud.
"Yeah, Kitty helped me!" Mowgli shouted.
Kitty got up and walk fast towards them, she started to tingle Baloo on the side while laughing at Baloo dying of laugher.
"Do you give up?!" Mowgli shouted.
"Never" Baloo shouted.
"Good attitude, but we can keep it all day" Kitty advised him as she and Mowgli decided to tingled Baloo much harder.
"Alright I give up!" Baloo repeated it over and over till the kids stopped the tingling.
Once they soon stopped, Mowgli got off and Baloo slowly raised up and sat up breathing in and out deeply to catch some air from laughing hard.
"Ha, ha, tooth for a tooth" Baloo said as he finally caught up his breath.
Afterwards, the sun was starting to fall slowly, creating the sky into a bright organ and yet it seems to be quite dark. Mowgli, Kitty and Rikki decided to go back to the man-village, but Mowgli said he'll come back in the evening to stay. As they arrived back, they noticed something strange and could heard some loud laughing noises. They looked at each other then walk fast to see what is happening, they reached up to the middle of the village. There were a few children in their houses listening to some of the men's conversations. Mowgli and Kitty went inside Sahana's house and something about the conversation caught their ears and made them stay by the window and listen. There was Buldeo and his mates sitting in a circle by the main, huge tree in the middle of the village. Sanjay and his friends join in as it's a small men party for they just talk, Kamya was on the edge underneath the shadows of the tree, he had a nervous look.
"Kamya! Get me that bottle over there!" Buldeo shouted.
Kamya quickly got up and grabbed the bottle which was behind Budleo next to the tree. He gave it to Buldeo and he took a small drink from it, Buldeo's dark eyes made an eerie stare at Kamya.
Buldeo reached his hand out patted on the side of Kamya's face and said, "Go, now sat back down where you belong."
"Here, here, let me ask how many of you been in the heart of the jungle?" Buldeo said, he stands up and walk into the middle. "None of you, well let me tell what I have seen in that jungle. There I was in darkest night that no man has ever been in. Walking through the deadest things and the wildest attacks I have been through. Till I reached to an old temple, where the monkeys act a bit more like humans. They were making vines squeezing the juice out of fruits and building like little statues out of small stones. And, when I entered in they all came crawling down kneeing down before me, and brought me the finest fruits for me to eat and the delicious vine to drink."
Kitty heard some small giggling from Mowgli as he tried to cover his mouth from making any sounds. Kitty knew that Buldeo was lying about the monkeys but knew that it was wrong to laugh about it, however she did think it was a bit funny.
"Did I mentioned about that tiger we all want claim it as a reward for anyone who dares try to kill it?" Buldeo asked and the other men nodded.
"Reward?" Mowgli asked.
"It's when you get something special if you have done something like a task" Kitty tried to explain.
"Yeah, mostly this award is money" Rikki commented.
"We never truly understood why this tiger is doing this, why he only attacks this village and other men around this area? But I, Buldeo know the exact answer to that question. We all know that mystery man who steals without getting caught and kidnaps children at the night, he even chopped off a hand or a foot of an English man to blood-thirsty crocodile. Some say he's even from this area, and he somehow disappeared into the jungle and probably died. Well I heard from the from the moneys who servant me as their king, told me his spirit is in the tiger's body."
Everyone looked confused at each other wondering whether or not it is true, Buldeo continued, "There's proof that the man had burned his left eye and since the tiger has burned his left eye too. You are probably might know now that the tiger has a scar on that same eye?"
"Yeah, how did that happen?" asked Sunil, one of Buldeos mates.
Sanjay was about to answer that it was Mowgli then Buldeo quickly answered, "Well, you're looking right at that person who did it."
Buldeo sat down and looked at him in a surprising schock, "That tiger nearly attacked me a few months ago. There it was running fast coming right me, the monster jumped at the time as I pulled out my sword and scar its eye." Buldeo moved his right up and his finger ran down slowly over his left eye from top to bottom.
Buldeo's mates nodded for they believe that story Buldeo had told them, the others looked at each other in silence. Till the silence was broken by a great noise of laughter coming from Sahana's house, even the little children from their homes caught the sound of the huge laughing. It was Mowgli who was making that huge laughter, he holds his two hands on his belly breathing out and in very quickly.
"Mowgli, stop it!" Kitty said as she was giggling a little but noticed that everyone was staring at them.
"But it's funny!" Mowgli laughed, "Mr Buldeo knows nothing!"
"What?!" Buldeo raised up on his feet and his face was filled with range, "How dare you!"
Buldeo got up fast and walk towards the boy, Mowgli walked out but not far from the house and Kitty walked beside him. All of the children, and most of the adults got out from their houses and walked fast towards them thinking of that there will be a big fight.
"You're calling me a liar, are you?!" Buldeo asked loudly as he stares at Mowgli faces thinking that the boy start to shake in fear.
Mowgli stood in silence without any parts of his body shaking, then he answered clearly, "Yes."
Buldeo was surprised to see this young boy not trembling in fear. Mowgli explained clearly, "No monkey has ever been acted as man for they are lazy and vexing creatures of the jungle. They do not servant fruits or something to anyone as they give them something in return. You were never their king, they alright had one and he's no man."
"You know nothing, they gave everything special for me" Buldeo commented.
"Shere Khan is a lie too."
"Shere Khan?" Buldeo asked.
"The man-eating tiger, he was a lame-tiger who had to eat man for his crumbled leg. He is the murderous creature of all and he broke our laws of the jungle."
Buldeo started to laugh and it grew louder, "You hear that, animals actually have their own laws." His mates started to laugh with him, but Sanjay and his friends stood quiet while looking at Buldeo angrily. Rikki was on Kitty's shoulder, he growled with range at Buldeo.
"I speak the truth, there is law in jungle" Mowgli added, "If ye kill for itself, it's mate, and its cubs, but not pleasure. Shere Khan did so and for revenge on man."
"The reason why Khan has a burned eye because Sahana's husband, Ranjay burned it, no human spirit is living in the tiger."
"How would you know, you would have been a baby then?" Buldeo raised one of his eyebrows.
Mowgli was about to answer so simply however he knew it would be hard to explain it. It wasn't like a memory because he couldn't really remember that night, Mowgli only saw it as a version from where he and Kaa was first meet. Mowgli next added, "And it was I, who gave Shere Khan the scar on his left eye."
"That was true" Kitty said as to defended Mowgli for the truth, "He saved my life from that tiger."
"What do you know" Buldeo said directly to Kitty which leaves her mouth hanging down a bit.
Mowgli didn't like the way Buldeo look at people, and how he used that loud and dark tone at everyone, especially at Kitty like she's a worthless being to him. Mowgli added, "I have also killed him."
That is when Buldeo turned his head slowly to Mowgli, and their eyes meet as sharp as a knife. Buldeo was twisted and squeezing from the inside of his dark mind thinking of this jungle brat humiliating him as a liar.
"I believe you! You are lying through your teeth!" Buldeo was getting tired of hearing the truth knowing that it was actually true. "Everyone! What I say is true! Don't be manipulated by the jungle brat, and this girl!"
Mowgli shouted back, "All what I have heard form you are stories that aren't once or twice, but more that didn't give a word which is the truth. How can I believe such Gods, and ghosts, and spirits in the jungle which are lies like cob-webs! To talk from addicted hunter and a beast who looks like he never had the courage like the jackal to kill the mighty tiger. Because for that, it is all child's talk!"
Buldeo was about to reach his arm out for Mowgli till Sanajy grabbed his arm to stop him. Their eyes stay shape as Buldeo knew that Sanjay wouldn't let anyone get hurt. Duldeo swing his arm off from Sanjay and stare right back at Mowgli as the boy quietly growled at the cruel man.
"I will tell you what, prove that you have killed this "Shere Khan" Buldeo said, "To see how much you are worth telling the truth."
"I cannot" Mowgli answered quickly, "I don't show off like they are rewards or a prise, I may kill for food or for justice."
Buldeo growled his teeth behind his lips while he rolled his fingers up together, he sqeeze them tight and hard using all of that range and embarrassments he sees from the boy. "Alright, go head, run around, tell what you know, but if you dare insulted me, then you will be my prey." Buldeo walked closer, "Remember jungle brat, I will keep a sharp eye on you, watching your every move, and do any trickery that involves me and what I tell, and you will regret it deeply, and that is no lie."
Mowgli still stood up straight and strong in silence and his eyes never let the fear travel through. Buldoe stumbled away and his men followed him as they were far away at the edge of the village.
Sanjay turned to Mowgli and Kitty, "Are you alright?"
Mowgli nodded but Kitty was shaking a bit, Sanjay advice, "Why don't you stay inside?"
Soon everybody was leaving while commenting quietly about that argument, Mowgli and Kitty walked back to Sahana's house. Kitty was still shivering in fear from Buldeo, Mowgli kindly hold her around her back till his hand gently rubs her arm she returned in thankful smile. As Kitty walked inside firstKamya secretly walked up behinded.
"Mowgli" Kamya whispered as Mowgli then turned around and faced him, "Please follow this advice, don't go crossing by Duldeo, he's not what he may seems to be. Believe me."
Kamya walked off in silent leaving Mowgli really curious for what was meant from Kamya strange advice. He took look back at Kamya and saw that he was trembling in his walking while looking down to the still ground and faced away from the warm, yellow sun.
Mowgli walked back inside, and Kitty was sitting at the table while stroking Rikki. Mowgli sat down beside them, he asked slowly, "Are you okay Kitty?"
"I'm fine, scared but fine" Kitty was honest.
"He won't harm you, and if he did then he'll become the cowardly prey" Mowgli said.
Kitty giggled a little, she added, "Don't let him get into your head, he'll only man."
"A strange man" Mowgli whispered to himself as he looks outside form the window. Feeling all the twisted notes in his mind that he somehow can't untie, feeling something that lies a mystery behind that Buldeo is making Mowgli can't stop thinking about it.
Night began and the some of the stars in the sky are covered by some dark grey clouds, Sanjay asked Buldeo alone with Kamya beside Sanjay as he wanted to talk about just happened this early evening. Sanjay wanted to talk in private to walked across the bridge, above the noisey, fast currents in the river and there they were close to the edge between the bridge and the peacefully jungle.
"I didn't like what I saw back there" Sanjay started.
"What can I say, once part of the jungle must stay in the jungle" Buldeo replied.
"You near killed Mowgli this morning, and now you are threating him all of because he was just telling us he what he knows of the jungle."
"Well, he should have stay out of it."
"To be honest, your stories were…" Kamya commented but the Buldeo's death eyes made him twisted his truthful words, "Good, good stories just not for him."
"I don't want you going anywhere close to Mowgli, whether or not you were going to hurt him" Sanjay stated.
"Oh, don't mind me, I won't allow anyone close to me get hurt, or perhaps killed in a way" Buldeo said vexingly.
Sanjays's face went hard and rough, he walked up to Buldeo and gripped hard on his vest lifting it a bit higher, Sanjay angrily whispered, "I dare you to say that again!"
"I'm not the one taking the risk" Buldeo said.
"We always do risks, everything we do is a risk, whether it changes ours lives or others" Sanjay said breathing in and out hard, "And what do you mean by that?"
"Kamya!" Buldeo shouted but not too loud to Kamya, the kid walked towards him as Sanjay let Buldeo go slowly, "Tell me, what do you see when you look at that bridge?"
Kamya took a quick look at the long, still bridge and answered, "I see a way in, and a way out from the village."
"And if something, not human, not animal, finds its way into the village?" Buldeo asked.
"Then I am sure that we can protected it" Sanjay answered.
"I heard of these things before, you let one in you'll get the whole pack, you welcomed a demon into the village, it's not a human-being" Buldeo explained slowing at the end.
Sanjay paused for a second then answered, "What's the purpose to be a human-being? No one acts the same or does the same, what makes him any different?"
Buldeo stare hard then slowly turns around and wakes away back into the village. Kamya walked up beside Sanjay and watched as Duldeo nearly vanished into the dark shadows of the night while he enters back into the willage.
"He's not going to give" Kamya commented.
"What are we going do with him" Snajay asked as he crossed his arms.
"He would make a lovely meal for a python" Kamya tried to joke.
"Kamya!" Sanjay's face grew a little smile.
"I'm just saying" Kamya raised his hands up to show his innocents.
They decided to walk back to the village in silence but smiling from a little sarcastic joke. As the dark shadow crawled over the village and into the jungle, unknowing that a curious creature was listening into the still trees. The black panther, Bgheera with a serious look upon when Duldeo left the discussions. Bagheera stand up on the strong tree branch while he kept his eyes still on the village, as he turns around and walks back into the sleepily jungle. Before he took look back and next he disappeared into the misty leaves of the trees.
What's up guys, this got me really thinking of The Jungle Book Shonen Mowgli (The Japanese TV Show). When Mowgli and Buldeo first had their argument in the village. I tried to add some of the quotes written by Rudyard Kipling into what a modern argument would be like today.
And at the beginning was another idea from The Russian version of the jungle. I own none of these events.
While, if any of you readers are a Disney fan then I added a Disney Easter egg of a character from another movie; I'll give you a clue, it's from what Buldeo was talking about that mystery man.
Please continued reading this story for there will be twisted plots in the later chapters with some shocking events. See you soon!
