Chapter 9

The sky had heavy, light grey clouds nearly covering the whole light blue sky, giving dark shadows above the jungle tress, the sun was trying blow some of its light down on the surface of the jungle. The rain was lashing down lightly with small waterdrops pouring down on the long and large leaves then slowly slide down to fall again to the soggy ground. The wind blowing the long, green grass in many different directions, while hearing its low howling. In Council Rock, where the hard-rock floor is all slippery and covered with darken shadows by the heavy clouds covering the blue, shiny sky. On the edge of Council Rock, there was one large leave was head up above a boy's head to stop the little drops of water falling off from the high trees. Captured in the small, wet shadow, while staring out at the deep jungle from the edge. Feeling the cold raindrops falling tripping down on his backs and sliding down slowly, some fallen down on his hair and on the tip of his toes. Also holding the regretful, horrible feeling he had from earlier, he's stuck because unknowing what to do now.

"Mowgli?" a gentle voice appeared from behind him.

"Ami?" Mowgli asked, he turns his head around and saw a beautiful white wolf walking up towards him as the raindrops splashed down on her fur, but she didn't care at that moment.

"I heard what happen" Raksha started as she sat down infront of Mowgli.

"I know. I don't know what's got into me, I feel so stupid after" Mowgli said as he lowed his head and slammed his large left down to the ground, now lots of raindrops started to splash big in Mowgli's head.

Raksha paused for second as she looked up and sign a little, then said, "And so you should be."

Mowgli raised his head quickly with confusion, "What?"

"What you said was disgraceful" Raksha's voice was getting tough.

"But, why didn't tell me earlier? You, Baloo, and Bagheera had like all day to tell and yet you waited?" Mowgli asked through small range from the tone of his voice. Mowgli stood up and walked closer to Raksha as he shouted, "I felt like now everyone is lying to me because I'm a man-cub! I'm not stupid to understand that I've an uncle, and now people are keepings secrets from me like they're betraying me!"

At that moment, Raksha's range started to grow higher than Mowgli's, as she suddenly jumped with range right at Mowgli with her two front paws pushed on the top of Mowgli's chest, making him fall hard from behind. Could feel the small, wet grass touching his back as he fell and the small tree roots above the ground, but Mowgli tried to keep his head up facing the powerful wolf.

"Don't you dare say that! Don't you dare say that I'm the wrong one here! Or that we don't care about you or how this will go down!" Raksha growled at right Mowgli's terrified face, he knew her anger from all the punishments he and his siblings had when they were younger. Mowgli stares into her deep threating eyes and a terrified feeling inside started to shake parts of every bone in his body because he had never seen his mother this angry before. Mowgli could hear Rakshas' angrily growls as her breathes down upon his chest.

"I'm sorry" Mowgli whispered.

Raksha could see the innocents and the confusion in Mowgli's eyes and slowly Raksha started to calm down and her growling was beginning to stop. Raksha lifted her strong paws off from Mowgli's chest, while Mowgli could feel the cold, jungle air as it covers the marks. The pouring rains suddenly stops as the tapping, wet sounds of the jungle transformed into a deep, peaceful silence. Rising up to his bending knees, Mowgli was breathing calming although from an unexpected shock while Raksha sat up straight and stare directly at Mowgli's face.

"I may not understand how you are feeling about this?" Raksha calming said, "About that man is… your uncle, but I'm worried because from you and the others have told me, that he is as worst as Shere Khan. Although, it's hard for me to believe that."

"I even talked like him, didn't I" Mowgli added, he was when he was arguing with Kitty earlier then he had a down look on his face.

Raksha sign a little knowing that Mowgli had really self-pity on himself, knowing that Mowgli is sadly confused about everything. Raksha hated to see one of her cubs in this way, but for Mowgli it secretly tears her apart from the inside. "Well, not exactly I supposed, the way I see it is when the bad things happen then you sometimes bring out the worst that you remember, just to confront it, just to lose, but it is a part of all of us, so we must arise above it." From what Raksha just explained made Mowgli more calm and happy, he thought it through a little that he shouldn't be too hard on himself.

"I did have a long talk with Baloo and he talk that you wanted some advice from him" Raksha said which made Mowgli feel a bit worried, "First, I'm disappointed that you didn't came to me first. Second that advice wasn't meant for Kitty, it was meant for you."

Mowgli's face now looked more confused, Raksha got up slowly and walked towards him to sit beside him, noticing the small shaking Mowgli is making throughout his body. Once Raksha sat beside Mowgli on his right, but she only straight forward out to open, dry surface of the awaking jungle. Calmness soon raised up inside of Raksha as she breathes in the fresh air, her range quickly run out with the water from the raindrops down the green grounds. Mowgli looked down below at the surface of the jungle while taking him some air, he looks back once or twice at Raksha to see if she turns face to face with Mowgli but Raksha would let nothing to distract her.

Mowgli took a deep breath for feeling uncomfortable because deep underneath his wet skin, his overrunning heart keeping a question from his curiosity. However, now it was swimming up to the surface out from his mouth, and he asked, "Why did you adopted me?"

Raksha was still not distracted but the question lifted her head and made Raksha sitting up straighter while still gazing at the jungle. Mowgli continued, "You knew that I was going to bring trouble to you, the pack, and the jungle, so why?"

Raksha turn her head slowing towards Mowgli staring down upon him as he looks up to her half-way. Raksha made a straight face and answered, "It was the most hardest, stupidest decision of my life" Mowgli slowly lowed his head down, then Raksha added, "But it was also the best."

Mowgli raised his head up again half-way and Raksha placed her stare but at the surface of the jungle with a little smiled started to grow on her face. Raksha explained, "When you first came to us, everyone in the pack rushed in for a meeting during the night. Advising Akela that we should drop you somewhere else away for you will be dangerous. But when I first look upon you, you came to me unafraid. You just walked over to me and reached out and touched me, you weren't afraid of me. I realised that something about you made me feel like you were the messing lick in my life."

"Why?" Mowgli asked feeling really curious at that moment, he turn half-way facing his mother while desperately wanted to know what she really meant.

Raksha took a deep breath while still keep her eyes gazing at the jungle, "I never fit in much with the other wolves, even from another pack. I was more outgoing and talking risk, not like exactly what the wolves were looking for, till Akela saw me different, and that's how I met him. So, he fought for me and I switched to live with him and in his pack, and we had four cubs, but I still felt like I wasn't completed yet, till you."

That second Raksha turns her head towards Mowgli still holding that small smile on her face, she shorted her answer, "I adopted you because I needed you, I saw the innocent and love that you had in your eyes that I have never seen before."

Eyes were filled with unexpected feelings as Mowgli open his mouth slowly breathing in some air to think long about Raksha's answer. He couldn't say anything, at that second, he was still as the jungle trees while breathing peacefully. All this time, his only first thought of himself being alive right now is that Raksha saved his life because his was only a cub, but he never knew that there was much more than what he thought before.

"Mowgli, all I wanted for you to be happy, and I know it's hard to be part of two things, the jungle and the village" Raksha said, Mowgli response nodding up and down as he turns himself facing back to the surface of the jungle. "The most difficult challenge is to be in the middle of the two, and you have tried so hard to reached there. Sooner or later, you going to have to choose one."

Mowgli looked down feeling the rush of making such a hard decision, however deep down he know something like this and that was has been troubling him. Raksha could see it from his face expression of the troubling thoughts Mowgli was been keeping just so in case it might never happen.

"What you think that I should do?" Mowgli asked.

"It not what me happy, I've chosen my decisions before, and now it's yours to choose. For what has been, then there it must be."

Mowgli raised his knees up at the same level of his head, and leaned forward, he said depressingly, "I don't want to leave, you the pack, Baloo and Bagheera" his sad feelings made breathe hard taking his time to speak out.

Raksha smile trying to make Mowgli see the bright side of this situation, and to hide her crying side for her son. She walked "You will leave us, you're the son of a great leader who has chosen you to be part of his family, and Akela would have never have doubt his decisions."

Mowgli looked up fast and stared eye to eye with Raksha, her eyes were as calm as a flat river while Mowgli's eyes were filled with cold tears running out of his eyes. A tiny smile began to widen on Mowgli's face and his eyes started to blur a bit from the bitter water coming out. Small, shiny tears dropped from his eyes and slowly slide down on his checks, Mowgli felt relieved to release his feelings about this situation. Mowgli was leaning towards Raksha and then leaning on her, soon he hugged her with his arms around her head and Raksha's head lying on his shoulder. Feeling the warmth and gentleness between them as they hugged each other tight and closed their eyes to get the feeling of that moment will last forever.

Mowgli soon felt completed and like that he's not alone in this, understanding now is what makes him feel so happy that's all out of him. Although there is still one thing he needs to do to make himself feel better; he needs to apologise to Kitty from what he has said to her.

The heavy clouds were still above the quite jungle as it flouts towards the man-village pouring down some light rain. Everyone in the man-village were inside their little houses except for a few men out to check on parts of their fields. One part of the fields held many healthy, delicious vegetables and the other part were all of the buffalos; some were standing while sleeping, others are just chewing on the long, wet grass.

In Meshua's house, a quiet room filled with light shadows rest for young Shanti was sleeping on her dark purple hammock. Kitty was sitting by the window while gazing out seeing the view of the whole fields and the jungle ahead; her arms lying across with her head resting on them. The look on her face was all down in the dumps, she felt really about shouting at her Mowgli because he didn't quite understand what the letter really meant. However, she was still really angry at Mowgli from he was shouting at her and the way he was shouting.

Behind at the entrance of the room, Meshua pock her head out to check then walked inside slowly towards Kitty with a plate on the palm of her hands, "I got some naan bread, if you're hungry?"

Kitty turned arounds to face Meshua while she tried to grow a smile, "Thank you" she said in a calm tone as she takes the plate and bitten a piece of a naan bread.

Meshua laid back against the wall and saw that something was up, "You didn't look yourself when you came back."

Kitty answered after chewing on a second piece of a naan bread, "I'm fine, nothing happened. Where Sahana, I haven't seen her all day?" Kitty tried to change the subject.

"Some of the children slipped from the wet grounds out in the fields and got themselves hurt, Sahana is just plastering some of their cuts" Meshua answered then made a straight face and asked, "What happened Kitty?"

Kitty finished her first whole bread then placed the plate gently on the floor beside her. Kitty knew that Meshua won't let this go for Meshua is her guardian but she's more like an auntie to Kitty since her mother and Meshua have been friends for a long time. Kitty tried to explain, "Mowgli and I… had a, small argument, and it's something very serious, and I don't know how to decide it to him because he won't listen… or I'm not."

"Well, there's never a right or wrong answer, Mowgli hasn't got there yet to know more about society, he still needs time just to know more. How about you talk to him?" Meshua said.

Kitty took a second to think about it, and thought maybe it was a good idea, Meshua give the best advice to everyone. Kitty nodded up and down and hugged Meshua as a "thank you," before she walks out of the room Kitty took another delicious naan bread.

As soon as the rain stops, then the sooner Kitty can leave the house, walking faster on the path towards the edge of the jungle. The first welcome Kitty gets when enters into the jungle was the peaceful silence and whiling wind blowing through the long branches of the trees. Kitty was calm and steady as she walks down a path while thinking of what to say to Mowgli. Suddenly, getting the feeling that it was too quiet as the only sounds she could hear now can snapped tweaks and branches hitting together and the dripping sound of rain-drops. The sounds were somehow getting louder and closer to Kitty, she stopped for second and decided to move behind a tree and to hide just in case. Walk out from the green, wet bushes, a young grey wolf appeared.

"Oh, Grey" Kitty walked out from behind the tree, "I thought you were something else."

"No, I'm just to see how you're doing" Grey was worried about Kitty from what happened earlier when Mowgli was shouting at her.

"I'm fine, in fact I was on my way to talk to him" Kitty said.

"Well, let's go, I think he's up at Council…" Grey stopped as his ears picked up a sound close by, he sniffs out for an unusual sneck; a sneck of danger, and hunger.

"Grey?" Kitty asked, "What is it?"

"Shh" Grey whispered, "I can hear something."

Grey decided to crawl up closer towards where he heard the small sounds were coming from behind some big trees. Kitty watched Grey was crawling faster towards some the trees up ahead, she decided to slowly follow Grey, so she doesn't distract him. When Grey crawled through some bushes, suddenly a loud growling of angry ranged out from Grey like he was screaming for help. Hearing the awful crying shocked the life for Kitty as she rushed fast to see what has happened. The first thing she noticed was that Grey had a long wire tighten around Grey's mouth, but he was still growling angrily just to scare off the capturers. There were a few men surrendering the young wolf, one had a stick with the wire string circle which is around Grey's mouth.

"What are you doing?!" Kitty asked angrily.

"Miss Bryon?" a dark voice appeared beside with a black smoke pipe in his mouth, "I was unsure why you were with the jungle brat, but I'm surprised to see you with this beast."

"Buldeo?!" Kitty said loudly, "He's not a beast he's a young wolf cub, what has he ever done to you?!"

"You know Miss Bryon, if you keep being near these things you're going to get yourself hurt or killed, I think you stay at stables for a while" Buldeo said as he blows out some smoke out into air.

All of a sudden, two of the men grabbed hard on Kitty's arm, Kitty screamed "What are you doing? Let go of me! Get off!"

Ignoring the screaming from Kitty as one of the men had their hands covering Kitty's mouth. Buldeo picked up his rifle from leaning up by a tree, he loaded a tranquilizer into his rifle and walked towards Grey. He pointed his rifle at the Grey, Buldeo looked into the brave eyes of the young wolf and also saw the terror in his eyes as he stares back at the cruel man. Kitty tried to break free to help Grey, but the men were too strong to hold her back.

"You should have learnt to mind your own business" Buldeo eerily smiled, talking to Kitty but face to face, about the letter that she took without telling him.

"But now he's part of it" Buldeo whispered, unknowing who he was talking about, "And I got bigger plans for him."

At that depressing second, the dreadful sound from the rifle appeared loudly shocking all of the birds from the top of the trees flew off in fear. A tranquilizer was shot hard at the side of his body, Kitty closed her eyes as she could Grey's growling started to get low and soon transformed into deep, and dark silence. Grey could see a unusual small, thin thing pointed into him, it had a pink colour, spiky tale at the end feel. Grey could feel all of his muscles started to be weaken and his eyes become bury by the second, and soon he couldn't move any part of his body, Grey make a big fell and landed hard only breathless and scared from man might do to him.

Hey, so sorry it took so long. In this chapter, I wanted to explore more about Raksha; her past, her feelings. Raksha is strong, free-willed wolf, and a brave, caring mother, I want to how she felt when she first saw Mowgli as a baby. Aldo, her strong character whenever she's angry or upset, because Lupita Nyong'o is doing the voice-casting of Raksha, I think Lupita could make more powerful performance in The Jungle Book movies as she did in others.

Now Buldeo knows what has happened, he caught Grey and Kitty, and now it's all up to Mowgli in the next chapters. What do you think is going to happened? Leaves some comments and see you soon.