Author's Note: I love Jungle Book, this takes place one year after Jungle Book 2, Shanti=10 years, Mowgli=10 years, Ranjan=5 years...Somewhat going along with the cartoon Jungle Cubs how Khan used to be friends with everyone...Don't forget to Review!

Summary: A virus has infected the jungle animals, and the JB crew has limited time to cure the wildlife, but the cure lies in Shere Khan's past and betrayal...

Disclaimer: Sadly...but no...

Hey, if you reviewers notice major spelling or word mistakes please let me know...I reread chapter two and saw that when Mowgli was sining he said "and the rhinos rub their hair..." that was stupid and I feel terrible...please let me know so I can correct these errors! Thank you!

Chapter Five

Those Birds

xxx After 2x08 Sleepless in the Jungle

She sniffled a little as the vines bumped into her again, the same vines she swore hadn't been there a second ago.

But then again, all vines looked the same to one lost in the jungle.

A faint noise made her stop, and she turned a little too fast, whimpering as her hair was tangled into a branch.

She gave a soft cry as she ripped her hair from its trap and nearly fell through the brush to reach a stone wall, luckily with a few holes at her height so she could see...

...

"Aw...come on guys! The CubHouse is a mess! Don't you think we need to clean up around here? Our fortifications are looking shabby!"

An elephant was talking.

"Ah come on Hathi, just go with the flow...be cool and just be chillin'..."

She smirked a little as the bear who had spoke up lounged quite comfortably against a pillar beneath a swinging orangutan who was teasing a python wrapped around a support beam of the broken up ruins.

The three watched the elephant sweep up the scattered nutshells and berry stems with a palm frond, making the girl frown, why weren't they helping?

"And who are you little pest?"

She screamed, scrambling over the wall and dropping to the ground, rolling back to her feet like she'd seen jungle cats do...

Only a jungle cat is exactly what followed her over the wall with a leap.

A tiger...

A small one yes, but the cub still had teeth as long as her fingers and claws sharp enough to scratch the stone as he growled at her.

She could only suck in air with a little whimper, unable to scream again as she backed up slowly and then into the pillar opposite the lounging bear cub.

A black blur leaped in front of her and her hands flew to her mouth as the panther cub slid in front of her with wild elegance.

"Come on Khan, leave the human alone...remember Winifred? She was alright."

"But she wass sstill a girl Bagheera."

She whimpered a little loud to her ears as the python's head lowered to her level.

"Yeah...just a girl...can't have those in our CubHouse."

Then her big mouth had to get the better of her in the middle of all of the males.

"Hey! What's wrong with girls!"

She gasped as they turned to her, even the distracted elephant calf stopped his cleaning.

"Well for one thing...you're just a girl...and another, you're a human...you don't belong here..."

The panther took a step back as the tiger menaced the girl, but she just 'humphed' softly and crossed her scratched arms over her chest that was covered in mud.

"Well...you're just a self-ish, stuck-up, prickly little tiger cub that should learn to respect a lady!"

The others smirked as the tiger's ears flattened, a round of chuckles bubbling through them, if the tiger could blush, he'd be a red as a berry...

"Come on Khannie...just leave the man-cub alone...but first she needs a bath..."

The girl looked down at her mud stained clothes, the once black leggings were an ugly brown-gray, her knee length tunic dress had been blue...

And she was glad she couldn't see her hair pulled back in its bun.

xxx

At the small, shallow pool the bear cub lead her to, she yanked the hand-carved wood pins from her hair, letting it tumble down her back as she yanked her sandals off.

"You know...it wouldn't make much of a difference if you just jumped in now..."

She turned to flash a gentle smile to the bear, receiving a toothy one in return.

Then she froze.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Uh...why don't you go back to the...uh..."

"CubHouse...and why?"

"I'm a girl and have tog et these filthy clothes off so I can get clean...you can't watch"

"Oh...you know the way back?"

"Yep."

"Oh-kay then..."

xxx

She smiled gratefully as she slipped the sun-dried clothes back on, using the sash of her dress to tie it up higher.

She took her time getting back to the CubHouse, and as she arrived the tiger was luckily no where to be seen.

"Sso man-cub..."

She turned to see the python's head lowering from another pillar and she smiled...

"Was wonderin' how long it would take you get clean...hey you're kinda not bad lookin'!"

She laughed at the bear's observation, then twirled like a stupid ballerina, making the two and the swinging orangutan laugh.

"The snake's Kaa, this fella's Louie, the panther's Bagheera, Hathi is the elephant who'll be back later and the tiger's Shere Khan, but we call him Khannie...even if he gets mad sometimes."

She smirked, "And you are?"

"I'm Baloo."

"I'm Eleanor."

He jerked awake with a groan, gasping for air as the tears ran down his face, he glanced around the dim warehouse, everyone else asleep.

He looked down to his forepaws, one wrapped in bandages the other uncovered, he could still see the blood staining his paws...

Tada! Whatcha think?