One morning, deep in the African jungle, a gorilla named Yoongi was walking toward the feeding grounds. Yoongi had just lost his baby. He felt sad and all alone. Then suddenly…

"Waaah!"

He heard a noise. A baby noise! Yoongi followed it to a tree house.

"Waaah!"

The crying came from inside. Curious, Yoongi entered.

There, he found a human baby. Yoongi had never seen one before. It looked funny. Yoongi sniffed. It smelled funny. It didn't even have fur! But it was sad and all alone.

Yoongi gently picked the baby boy up. He stopped crying. He cradled him in his arms, and he smiled. Yoongi's heart filled with love.

ROAR!

It was Sabor he leopard! Yoongi clutched the helpless babe and ran out.

He had to escape! But how? Yoongi saw a boat attached to a rope. Desperate, he jumped in.

Whump! The boat fell safely to the ground below. Sabor tried to follow but got tangled in the cord.

Yoongi brought the baby to his family.

"It's freaky-looking!" laughed a young gorilla named Hoseok, "but it's kind of cute!"

But Jungkook did not agree. Jungkook was Yoongi's mate and leader of the gorillas.

"Take him back," Jungkook said flatly. "He's not one of us. He could place us all in danger."

Yoongi refused. The baby needed him, and he needed the baby.

"You will be my son," he said to the smiling child, "and your name will be Namjoon."

Five years passed. Namjoon grew strong and active. A little too active!

Sometimes his high spirits got him into trouble.

One day Namjoon got into serious trouble. He accidentally caused an elephant stampede. Jungkook was furious!

"You almost hurt someone!" Jungkook scolded.

"He's only a child," Yoongi defended him. "He will learn."

"He will never learn to be one of us!" Jungkook replied angrily.

Jungkook's words hurt Namjoon.

"Why am I different?" Namjoon asked sadly.

"You're not different," Yoongi replied.

He put Namjoon's hand to his heart, and his ear to his chest.

Namjoon felt their hearts beat together.

"See?" Yoongi said, smiling. "Exactly the same. Jungkook just can't see that."

"I'll make him!" Namjoon cried. "I'll be the best ape ever!"

Years went by. Namjoon became a strong, young adult. One day he was wrestling with Hoseok.

"Okay! Okay! You win!" Hoseok cried. "Let go!"

The friends were having fun. They heard a ROAR!

It was Sabor! The leopard chased them back to the feeding grounds.

Jungkook fought to protect his family but was badly wounded.

Namjoon leaped to the rescue! He defeated Sabor with his trusty spear. Then the ape man let out a mighty victory cry!

"AH-EE-AH-EE-AH!"

Namjoon had saved the family.

Namjoon placed Sabor's body at Jungkook's feet. He bowed in respect.

BANG!

A loud noise thundered through the jungle. The apes ran off. But Namjoon was curious and went toward the sound. He found something amazing. Creatures just like him.

"Clayton, don't shoot!" Jin scolded. "My brother and I are here to see gorillas. You'll scare them."

"Gorillas are wild beasts," Clayton replied coldly.

Namjoon could not take his eyes off them, especially Jin. He watched as he sketched a young baboon.

"My, you are a sweet little one," Jin said.

The baboon stole his sketchbook then ripped out the pages!

"Hey, you little art thief!" Jin cried. "Give me that!"

Jin angrily yanked the drawing back. The young baboon started crying. Suddenly, Jin was surrounded! It was the baboon's family. And they were angry!

Namjoon swing into action! He carried Jin to safety

"Oh, my goodness!" he cried. "I'm flying!"

Namjoon and Jin talked but spoke different languages.

"Namjoon!" he said, pointing to himself. He was telling him his name.

"Oh. I see!" he answered.

"Oh-I-see," Namjoon repeated, pointing to Jin.

"No, no, no. I'm Jin," he corrected.

"No-no-no-Jin," Namjoon replied, still pointing.

Eventually, they worked it out and became friends.

Namjoon took Jin back to his campsite. What a mess! While the humans were out exploring, the apes were having fun.

"Hey, Namjoon!" Hoseok cried. "Look what we found!"

Jin could not believe his eyes.

"Gorillas!" he gasped. "And he's one of them!"

Jungkook arrived. He saw Jin. To him, he was a stranger, a danger to the family. He pounded his chest to scare him.

"Oh, my!" Jin screamed in terror.

Jungkook ordered the family to leave. Sadly, Namjoon followed them, leaving his new friend behind.

"Protect the family," Jungkook ordered Namjoon. "Stay away from the strangers!"

But Namjoon couldn't. He had to see Jin again. He returned to the human camp. There, he met Clayton and Jin's younger brother, Taehyung.

Jin decided to become Namjoon's teacher.

The days passed. Jin showed Namjoon books, music, and science. Namjoon learned to speak English and thrilled to the wonders of Jin's world.

And Namjoon shared his world with Jin. He took him up into the trees. Jin saw the birds, the animals, and the vast beauty of the wild. He felt close to the jungle and even closer to the jungle man.

Then something terrible happened. Namjoon learned that his human friends would soon leave, and never come back.

"Not come back?" Namjoon asked sadly.

"If only we saw some gorillas," Clayton said. "That is why we came."

Namjoon did not want Jin to leave. Ever. So he led the humans to the ape nesting area.

The gorillas were afraid but soon relaxed. Some baby apes danced for Jin.

"Nice to meet you!" he said, laughing.

Taehyung also made friends with the apes.

"Hello! Taehyung V. Kim at your service." He said. "Uh, quite a grip you've got there."

Even Clayton was pleased.

"My dream has come true," he said slyly.

Suddenly Jungkook arrived! Clayton reached for his gun. Jungkook moved toward the humans.

"No!" Namjoon shouted. He leaped on Jungkook and held him tightly as the humans escaped.

"You betrayed our family," Jungkook growled at Namjoon. "I knew you'd never be one of us."

Namjoon felt awful. He had actually defied Jungkook!

"I'm so confused," he sighed to Yoongi.

"Come with me," Yoongi said. "There's something you must see."

Yoongi took Namjoon to the tree house where he had found him as a baby. There, Namjoon saw pictures of his human family.

Namjoon decided that his real home was with humans. Namjoon dressed in his father's clothes and hugged Yoongi goodbye.

"You will always be my Papa," he told him.

"And you will always be in my heart," he replied.

The next morning, Jin and the others prepared to leave.

"Oh, Namjoon!" Jin cried, seeing him. "I'm so glad you're coming!"

"Yes," Taehyung added. "Jin would not let us leave without you."

As they boarded the ship, Namjoon took one last look at his home.

But it was a trap! Once on board, Namjoon, Jin, and Taehyung were captured by Clayton and his men. Clayton tied them up.

"Why?" Namjoon asked in shock.

"For money!" the evil hunter replied.

Clayton planned to capture the gorillas and sell them.

"I couldn't have done it without you," he laughed.

Namjoon cried out in despair.

Meanwhile on shore, Hoseok and Jimin the Elephant heard their friend's anguished cry.

"That sounded like Namjoon!" Jimin cried. "He's in trouble!"

Jimin and Hoseok raced to help their friend.

Back on board the ship, Namjoon and the others were locked up below deck when…

CRASH!

Hoseok and Jimin burst through the ship's hull!

"Thanks guys!" Namjoon shouted.

Namjoon ran to the hole in the ship.

"Where are you going?" Jin asked.

"To save my family!" Namjoon replied.

Then he dived into the water and swam for shore.

Clayton and his thugs were at the nesting area. One by one they rounded up the gorillas. Clayton spotted Jungkook and reached for his gun.

"I think this one will be better off stuffed!" he sneered.

"AH-EE-AH-EE-AH!"

Namjoon arrived to free the apes.

"You came back," Jungkook said.

"No, I came home," Namjoon replied.

Just as Jin was freeing Yoongi…

BANG!

Clayton fired at Namjoon! Jungkook bravely rushed to protect Namjoon.

BANG!

Jungkook was shot by Clayton.

Clayton chased Namjoon high into the trees. There they fought. Namjoon took the rifle.

"Go ahead. Shoot me," Clayton teased. "Be a man."

Namjoon smashed the gun.

"Not a man like you," he answered.

Clayton got tangled in the vines, and he fell to the ground far below.

Meanwhile, Jungkook was fading fast. Namjoon held the great ape in his arms.

"Forgive me," Namjoon said.

"No, forgive me," Jungkook gasped. "You have always been one of us. Take good care of our family, my son…"

The next morning Jin and Taehyung prepared to leave for England.

"Good-bye, Jin," Namjoon said sadly. "I will miss you."

As the boat pulled away, Jin gazed longingly at Namjoon.

"Jin, I think you should stay." Taehyung said. "Go on. You love him."

Jin knew he was right. He jumped out of the boat and into Namjoon's arms.

Taehyung also stayed. He was happy to spend his life studying gorillas. Jin was happy to be with the man he loved.

Namjoon was the happiest of all. He found his true home and family. Here in the jungle, he and Jin would live very happily ever after.

THE END