Chapter 10

Later in the day, the rain finally passed by to travel across the north-west side of the jungle. Some of the jungle birds started to fly high in the sky and fast away from the north towards the deep south of the jungle. Mowgli was walking from Council Rock to the man-village to see Kitty to apologise what he said to her. The day started to brighten up from the sun light behind the light clouds, making Mowgli feel more cheerful. He noticed that the birds in the sky were flying fast away, he wondered what they were flying away from? After, he heard a loud gunshot coming from the north, then more birds started to fly off away from the awful sound. Hearing the sound gives Mowgli a dark, bad feeling about what the shot was for, he began running as fast as the wind can take him. His legs couldn't get tired of running as Mowgli started to jump up and ran on the tree branches as it sometimes makes him go much faster. Feeling the large branches, he is running on lifting him up high and the wind making him run faster. They both come together whenever Mowgli jumps and swing on a strong vein till he lands back on another tree branch or on the ground. Soon, Mowgli's ears caught a sad howling sound of an injured animal, but from the howling he knew that it was a young wolf, boiling the rage inside of him.

Mowgli was getting closer, and closer to where the sound was coming from, however the sound started to get lower and quieter. Mowgli was starting to worried about what was happening, so he decided to climb up ahead in the tree branches so he could see a view down below and where no one might see him. At first, the silence of the jungle was the only greetings Mowgli first meets, till a sound shouting of orders and demands. Then two men were in his view carrying a sleeping, young wolf, and at that moment Mowgli soon recognised that the young wolf was Grey.

Suddenly, the whole angry started to rage through Mowgli and he decided to go for the attack now. He jumped off the form the big tree branch feeling the air passing by as he was falling fast down. Unknowing to the men, a large, hard thing dropped down and hit one of the men down to the ground. After knocking the first man down, then Mowgli quickly got up and pushed the other man down with a nasty growled from him. The men were still trying to get up and fight back, so Mowgli took his blade out and use the end of the it (non-metal part) to punch them at their head so they get down and won't get up for a while. After knocking them down, Mowgli looked down at Grey as the young wolf sleeping roughly. Mowgli bended down quickly and checking around to see what has happened to him.

"Grey? Grey, wake up!" Mowgli shouted and shaken the young wolf, however Grey only responded by mumbling in his sleep.

Mowgli didn't know what do to, so he quickly tried to pick him as strong as he could and gently pull him along to see Sahana. Suddenly an eerie click was heard from behind him as Mowgli know what the sound was and where it came from. Mowgli carefully lay Grey back down on the ground, the he abducted his hands away from his body, his blade, and slowly turned around to face the one who had a gun which made that click sound.

Buldeo had his eerie eyes on Mowgli, and said, "Well, well. Here, I caught a nice, big wolf, and now look what else I caught in my net."

Earlier…

Close by to Baloo's cave, Baloo and Bagheera rest but badly, their thoughts were on Mowgli from his argument earlier. Bagheera was on a tree branch with the sun light shiny on his head while his eyes were gazing down upon Baloo. Compare to Baloo, the big bear started to have a guilty, irresponsible feeling from the beginning because he keeps on thinking that he started the argument. Bagheera could see in Baloo's eyes the feeling that is twisting hard and bad inside of Baloo, because he used to have that feeling.

Bagheera jumped off from the branch and walk over towards to Baloo, "Cheer up, old friend. None of this is to be blamed on you."

"Oh, Baggy, how in the laws of the jungle can I be cheered up from this?" Baloo raised off from the ground as much as his voice was, "Like in my lessons there's always someone to get hurt or covered in food because I always have to be greedy and unfocused to look after them. Now I give out the worst advice that I have ever done, because I never usually give that many advices expect for the bare necessities." Then, Baloo sat down while looking down in depress, "I'm the worst teacher ever in the entire jungle. I might as well roll down in the deadliest bees."

Bagheera stare still at the down-looking bear, he walked slowly towards Baloo and sat down beside him. He said gently, "No one is the worst or the best of everything. But you are probably the best friend of Mowgli." Baloo lightly lifted his head staring eye to eye with the great, black panther, "You have done so much of greatest to yourself, but mostly others. Why do you think the young wolf pups love you so much? Because you make them laugh and do great teaching. And Mowgli needed someone so spiritual to help him through his life, while I help him with the laws of life." With Bagheeras' smile on his face was the brightest sight that Baloo has ever seen from the panther, Baloo smiled back.

Suddenly an awful sound was shot and echoed through out the jungle passing by, breaking the bright moment that Baloo and Bagheera were having. They noticed scared birds were flying away in terror, they both look straight ahead from where that sound was first shot. Knowing that the awful sound was made from man's tricks, "The Firing Stick," and the sound was coming close to the man-village. Getting a horrible feeling about this, Bagheera started the run off towards where the awful sound then Baloo started to follow Bagheera.

"He's my brother, Buldeo" Mowgli eyed at Buldeo with a straight face, "Just let him go."

Buldeo look at the sleepy wolf than back at Mowgli as he started laughing, "Your brother? What else, your papa is a bear?"

"Alright, alright I'll you what" Buldeo slowed down on his laugher, that what makes Mowgli feel more worried, "I let the creature go, if you can take to where the treasure of the Cold Lair is."

Knowing how desperate and greedy Buldeo is, Mowgli repeated his answer from before, "I told you, I can't take you there."

The tone of Buldeo's voice sounded a bit darker once Mowgli rejected him again, "I haven't got all day boy, unless you want me to use that creature as decoration on my wall."

Mowgli angrily growled at Buldeo and he slowly lowed his right hand close to his blade, however Buldeo quickly noticed and moved his aim to Grey, "Don't even think about it, or it will happen, I promise you that."

Mowgli lifted his hand away from his blade so Buldeo wouldn't hurt Grey while death staring at Buldeo so he knows that Mowgli isn't afraid of him, his rifle, or his threats. Then Buldeo caught a new threat in his twisted mind, "Unless no one else caught get hurt."

Mowgli first had a confused look on his face, by small foot steps were heard behind him the sounds echoed into his ears and made him look at the corner of his eyes. Slowly turning around and first saw two men but was more focus and worried that Kitty was held captured in the middle between of the two men. Mowgli could see the scared tears that Kitty is trying to hold as much as she is holding back on how terrified she is.

Mowgli turned back to face Buldeo but with an angry growling look on his face, "Let her go, she's done nothing to you!"

"Not until you shown me the way to the Cold Lay!" Buldeo shouted back from his greedily grin.

Slowly, Mowgli moved a step forward towards Buldeo, then another step, but Buldeo caught the boy's movement and Buldeo steadily pulled the trigger from his rifle and risky took the shot close to sleepy Greys. The loud, terrible sound shocked the life from everyone, Mowgli bended close to the ground in case Buldeo was aiming close to him. Kitty tried with all of her strength to get out from the two men, the men were much stronger to hold her straight. One of them were holding their hand on her neck, while the other one was covering her mouth. Making it very hard for Kitty to breath while chocking a little from the inside, however she can breathe from her nose to calm herself down, but it wasn't enough.

"Don't test me you, jungle brat!" Buldeo threatened as his finger was strongly ready to pull the trigger again.

Mowgli slowly rising up with his arms wide out away from his body, but basicity from his blade, he still keeps her eyes on Buldeo and focus on what else he will do. Back from the corner of Kitty's eyes, in a space between two large trees, behind in the gap she saw a big, black creature rushed through. Kitty was scanning around to see if that creature was still around but was it just her imagination. Then, looking down at the floor she saw a small shadow that was suddenly growing higher and bigger.

"Now I'm going to say this one more time" Buldeo's voice was becoming more darker and threatening, "Take me to where the Cold Lay is…"

Buldeo stopped all of a sudden when his eyes caught something else, something big, something unexpected. Buldeo was staring in the directly where Kitty and the two men were, but Buldeo was looking ahead of him. The two men looked confused, wondering why Buldeo was staring towards their way, till the sounds of deep breathing loud and growling. They both turn their heads around and first saw a huge creature rising up on two feet. They couldn't see what it looks like at the front from the bright sun behind it was blinding at the two men. When the creature reached at its tallest high, it revealed itself as a huge, brown, strong bear roaring loud. The two men dropped away from the bear as they let go of Kitty and her knees fallen down to the ground while she was chocking and breathing in and out for fresh air.

Buldeo saw the magnifies bear with its almighty roar, but he was going to look back at Mowgli, but he was unaware that a fast, black panther rushed up towards him and jumped right at him. Bagheera pushed Buldeo down hard to the ground, Buldeo fated but he could see a little. Buldeo could see the face of deadly panther showing his white, sharp teeth, hearing his growling breath, and feeling his heavy paws pushing against on the side of chest.

Baloo was roaring the fear to the two men, he swings his paw at one of the men and he fly far off and fell hard to the floor. Then Mowgli got up and ran up quick towards the other man and lunched out right at him, making the man fall back and hit himself on the back against a tree.

Mowgli got off and rushed to see how Kitty was when she was on the ground, "You okay?"

Kitty nodded up and down, but she was still chocking a bit and still breathing in for some air. Mowgli put her arm over her neck gently because her arms still hurt from the two men grabbing on her tight. After thinking that Buldeo is feeling too scared and too weak to get up, Bagheera jumped off and ran towards Grey and see what has happened to the young wolf.

"Is he dead?" Bagheera asked Mowgli because Grey was moving much.

"No, he's fine, he's just deeply asleep" Mowgli answered quickly.

Mowgli carefully carried Kitty to where Bagheera was, Kitty was able to stand up now while Mowgli trying to pull Grey up on Bagheera's back. Suddenly the other two men that Mowgli knocked down earlier were starting to get up and were taking out their large blades from their sides. Bagheera couldn't fight them because he had Grey on his back, then raged out from the side, Baloo ran up towards the men and roar out loud and scary making them move back.

"You go, I take care of them" Baloo ordered.

"Baloo?" worried Mowgli.

"Go! I'll be fine" Baloo repeated.

Mowgli was afraid for Baloo since man have some new tricks up in their sleeves; he ran with Bagheera slowly for Bagheera still has Grey sleeping on his back while Mowgli tried to help Kitty to keep moving because her arms still hurt. At the moment, Baloo rage rises for they have done to Mowgli, Kitty, and Grey, he looked back in anger at the two other men. First a warning growl came out from Baloo, but when the men's sharp blades were slithering closer then Baloo raged out a terrifying roar. The road shaken the life out from the men, making them unbalance to stand so they trembled down to the ground and quickly crawled away from the mighty bear. Unknowing, pointed from a rifle hiding behind a tree, a death eye was aiming directly at the big bear.

"Got you" eerily whispered Buldeo, his finger was ready on the trigger and decided to pull it now.

Mowgli and the others were hopefully away from the danger they were just in, but their hope suddenly stopped and fallen dark when another horrible sound from a rifle. The sound echoed through out the jungle again, a dark feeling crept over Mowgli as he hears the deathly silent after. Thinking of what that shot was for, till he realised the only strong animal that stayed behind. Mowgli turned his head around and there was sign of any great hope left for Baloo. An anxious and anger feeling was growing in Mowgli, he let Kitty lean on Bagheera and began rushing back to Mowgli.

"Mowgli! Wait!" Bagheera and Kitty shouted to stop Mowgli.

"Go! I'll be fine!" Mowgli shouted, he didn't turn around he just continued running.

Kitty felt her worriedness panicking throughout her mind; Buldeo and his mates have many weapons to kill an animal, and she couldn't help thinking of what they will to do Mowgli.

Then, Kitty had an idea of getting help, "I have to go back to the village and get help."

"No!" Bagheera replied, he jumped in the way to stop Kitty, "They might and get you again."

"They won't, I be careful, the villagers will help" Kitty walked pass Bagheera.

"Then I'll come with you" Bagheera suggested.

"No, you need to bring Grey" Kitty ordered in a kindly tone, "And if Buldeo see you, he'll shot you down."

"Please Bagheera, I need you to go, please" kitty begged, she doesn't want Bagheera risking his own life too.

Bagheera was going to refused again to leave Kitty unprotected so she can go back to the man-village, but he was stopped. The way Kitty spoke to him using her courage and compassion, reminds him back to when he was in a great palace as a pet, a young girl released him to let him to be free. Remembering his past of his first friend, the girl who order Bagheera to leave her to save his own skin, he still hidden that guilty, shame feeling for leaving her. Bagheera imagined her as Kitty from what Kitty is begging Bagheera to do, picturing their faces. Bagheera desperately didn't want to leave Kitty as the same thing he did when he was a cub.

He looked down for a second to think carefully, he looked back at Kitty and finally answered, "Alright, go."

Kitty nodded and then began running off to the man-village, as Bagheera first watched her disappeared into the jungle again then he began running to Council Rock but slow so Grey doesn't fall off from his back.

Down passing through the jungle, running as Mowgli's legs as go with the wind pushing its pressure so it felt like it's speeding him up. He didn't care whether he was getting hit hard by some tree branches on his body or in his face. He was staring straight ahead, waiting for Baloo to just come up and say something cheerful about the fact that he's fine, but there was nothing coming. His feet were starting to tremble a bit, but he was fully balance as he was lowing down his run. Mowgli finally stopped back at the place, he started hearing more of a depressing growling, but it sounded more louder and lower than a young wolf. Mowgli followed the growling, the closer he was coming to, the worst he was feeling about it. Tiptoeing as quiet as crawling up to a prey, he finally caught the glimpse of where the sound was coming from. Then a huge shock just attacked him, Mowgli first saw huge big, brown bear was lying down sleeping, but it almost looked like he was dying.

"Baloo?" Mowgli's voice was low and quiet for he was too sad, too hurt to shout out. Mowgli walked over fast and kneed beside Baloo, gently rubbing his hands around Baloo's neck, trying to feel his breathing but Baloo wasn't breathing much. Baloo felt so tired, so weak to get up, or to move any part of his body, or to say something, or even to open his eyes to see Mowgli and let Mowgli know that he's alive.

"Baloo, get up! Please get up! Please!" Mowgli didn't know what to do, this felt worst than what happened to Grey because Mowgli saw Grey moving in his sleep, so he knew that his young wolf brother was alive. Panicking in all over in his blood with his heart pumping faster than seconds, Mowgli was rubbing hard to wake up Baloo but no responses. Mowgli's sight was becoming a bit blurring and wet, and he felt the troubled, scared feeling of tears. Filling out cold from his eyes, Mowgli tried to hold them back, but he was told to let them fall for they were only tears; dropping down softly on Baloo's face.

Suddenly, a small sound of a snapping twig was heard behind him, Mowgli's eyes were widened and were now filled with deadly anger. He knew that Buldeo was the one behind, he could feel his dark present around him. Buldeo had nothing in his rifle to shot with, but he had other plans. Mowgli couldn't hold back his rage against, not here, not now. Mowgli swing out his blade from the side, jumped up and run up fast towards Buldeo with a face of deadly rage and anger, ready for an attack like a wide animal to its prey.

Unaware of someone else was also with him, a wire loop reached out and tighten around Mowgli's left wrist and roughly pulled him back. Then another one did the same to Mowgli's right wrist which made him drop his blade once the wire was tighten hard around his wrist. Mowgli growled loudly through his raging teeth, while he was trying to scare the men away by biting his teeth hard against each other. The men were pulling Mowgli's arms out wide, so they could keep him moving around without him making any attacks, by the wire loops which are attached to their sticks were tighten around Mowgli's wrists. Mowgli was trying to get his balance straight, until he saw a face he wasn't expected to see, it wasn't a man, but a young one older than Mowgli.

"Kamya?" Mowgli asked, noticing that Kamya was the one who was holding the stick and was the first to attach his wrist in the wire loop.

Then, they started pulling him away, with every strength Mowgli uses in his body to pull himself out from this was useless by the second. Hidden away behind the still trees, a truck was stood waiting, Buldeo was up ahead opening one of the cages at the back of the truck.

"Lock him up!" Buldeo ordered.

The men tried to push Mowgli in every hard way, Mowgli tried to push himself away but the wires around his wrists were strongly tightening him every time he tries to push away like a snake squeezing him to death. Two men behind slandered Mowgli into a cold wooden cage and they quickly slammed the cage door and locked it up fast. Mowgli quickly got back up on his feet and ran right at the door of bars, his hard hands were shaking the bars making a rattling sound mixed his raging growling.

Buldeo walked over at the front of the cage, bended his knees and placed his hands on them like he was looking down at an animal, he was at eye-level when talking to Mowgli. "You can keep doing this all day and all night, these bars are unbreakable" Buldeo advised but Mowgli didn't answer back he just continued shaking the bars. "Now, how would you like your friend hanged on a wall?"

Mowgli suddenly stopped and was looking down knowing that Buldeo was talking about Baloo, he could just picture the image of Baloo being in a cage like he is or in fact hanging on a wall with only his skin. Then, Mowgli eyed at Buldeo in deep silence, he was trying hold his anger back because he doesn't want to show that he's a bit weak from the men pulling him hard around, stretching his arms too wide and too long. Unexpected to see on Mowgli's face was a small grin, copied from the way Buldeo does it, Mowgli replied, "And, how would you like a herd of great, huge elephants running down right at you?" Mowgli remembered Buldeo saying something before that he hated elephants, he doesn't know why but it somehow spooks him out. Mowgli continued as Buldeo's face was getting cold and low, "Unknowing where you will hide or where you will go, because you know that there's no where to go. And maybe they could come right at you, and you could be right under their footsteps. That explains it, no wonder why your voice is so loud."

Buldeo slowly stood up straight while having an eerie look down upon Mowgli, his hand was reaching out a little towards his rifle but his friend, Riswan by his side hold Buldeo's arm back away and shaking his head meaning, "Not yet." Buldeo looked back at the boy, scratching his vicious feeling for the boy back away. While using his mind for else he could use to torture the boy, first he used the young wolf, then the girl, and now the bear, but what else? Then he just realised what else he can use, in fact it can be in twos.

Buldeo looked back at Mowgli and bended down again with his hands on them, "Well, if you won't talk for sure. Then prepare your family will."

"You don't know anything about where I came from in the jungle" Mowgli replied back.

"Not from the jungle, but maybe the ones who actually are from man society" Buldeo said with a creepy tone.

At first Mowgli didn't quit understood what Buldeo meant, till when he said "man society" Buldoe was talking about his man family from the man-village. He was beginning to picture on what will Buldeo do, from the way Buldoe look so certain that he's actually going to threaten them.

"And if that doesn't work, then maybe the animals in this filthy jungle can get some shots once in a while" Buldeo eerily grinned at Mowgli.

Buldeo turned around and took his rifle up and gripped it tight in his hands, then his mates started to follow him. Mowgli was beginning to angrily panic about this, he started to shake the bars again viciously. Mowgli roared, "Buldeo! No!" Buldeo ignored him, so Mowgli shouted again to get his attention, "Uncle!"

Buldeo stopped for a second, he turned around and faced the boy again, "You let me tell you something" he poked the top of his rifle at Mowgli's chest hard, he finished, "Tell anymore then you'll be in a cage forever, or so will others. But very soon, now you know you won't be my nephew anymore."

"Kamya!" shouted Buldoe, he ordered, "Tie the ropes around, he'll be either on a trip to the circus or death."

Kamya nodded up and down sadly and he got right to it, Buldeo turned around and started to walk fast towards where Baloo was lying with his mates beside him, while Buldeo loaded his rifle.

Kamya was in deep silent as he was tying the ropes around the cage ignoring Mowgli as he was staring at him shamefully. Mowgli asked, "Why Kamya?"

"I did tell you to stay away from him" Kamya answered.

Mowgli won't take that as his answer, he repeated his question, "Why?!"

"He told me in a long time ago, I own him" Kamya shortly answered.

Mowgli noticed something about Kamya's hands, there was a dark red colour on the palm of his hands. He remembered when the baby elephant escaped from the stables and there was some blood on its back, but it didn't have any cuts or scars on its back. He eyed at Kamya and asked softly, "You released the baby elephant, didn't you?"

At that second, Kmaya stopped from tying the ropes together around the cage, he looked down upon the palms of his hands then squeeze his finger inside tight, like he was trying to push the pain back and hidden it.

"You did it, because it remind you of Buldeo treating you like an animal in a cage" Mowgli corrected.

Then, Kamya continued as he shook his head trying to ignore the fact that Mowgli was right. Once he finished, Kamya started to walk away towards the man-village, Mowgli shouted, "Don't let them get hurt because of me!" Kamay closed his eyes and breath slowly for some fresh air while walking continuously.

Mowgli could believe of what has been happening, all of this, he keeps think that all of this was his fault, and now he couldn't get out from his head. Now his mind is mixing up of all the things that Buldeo said that he would: he could could hurt his family from the man-village; Sahana, Meshua, Sanjay, and Shanti, or the wolf pack, Baloo, Bagheera, and Kitty. All of those thoughts were spinning around in his head as he could feel his heart pumping hard and his hot blood in his veins were rushing fast around in his body. Lifting his right hand up using it as a fist and starting to band it hard against the bars, after two or three bangs he began breathing fast in and out. His growling steamed up his anger inside, as Mowgli kept his eyes out through the bars waiting for a hopeful miracle, but his eyes were tired and hurt so they failed. Mowgli soon stop banging his fist on the bars and lowed his head down as his eyes were beginning to be filling out with water again. More tears started to slide down on his checks and dropped down silently upon the cold wooded floor. The self-pity started to scratch right back at him, Mowgli felt cold, alone, helpless for what he has dose to his family and now he's going to cause more damage.

Hey, so what did you guys think? Poor Baloo, it reminds me from The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli and Baloo (1997). I am trying to link some characters togethers, the first one you will have noticed at the end was Buldeo and Kamya, now I haven't heard much about Kamya so I made up a small background between him and Buldeo. I am also trying to link to other characters as an Easter egg, something that's link to someone's past, can you guess it and understand the meaning behind it?

So, what will happen to Mowgli? Will he save Baloo, his family, and the jungle? Or will Buldeo win it all?