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 singing 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 Six
Tappin' the Tree Trunks
xxx Five Years after 2x08 Sleepless in the Jungle
(AN: Eleanor is about...fourteen/fifteen now)
The animals of Seeonenee grew up fast, within the first two years of Eleanor's appearance, most were nearly three times their original size, but the cubs or know juveniles remained close.
Eleanor of course grew up the slowest, but she grew up as one of the jungle.
...
Louie swung leisurely back and forth from a branch that hung low over a pond, twirling his finger in the water, he was mostly dozing, but soft humming broke through his even breathing.
"HIYA!"
splash!
Louie shouted then choked on water, going under before a set of forelimbs grabbed him under his own and pushed them to the surface.
He clambered back onto dry land, grumbling, "Of course, just when a fella's takin' a nap...someone goes and wakes 'im up and dumps in the water...Baloo I'm gettin' a little tired a'your...Baloo?"
The shadow that had ducked back under the water quivered the calm surface, then instead of jerking up like Baloo would, it slid back then slowly eased above the water level, a lot like Kaa without all that was attached to him.
"Eleanor! Thought you were hangin' with Kaa taday!"
"Naa...he ate this morning and was too busy dozing to be bothered to do anything, he's really getting the hang of eatin and sleeping."
Louie chuckled as he climbed up a different tree to snooze, the girl following a bit slower but just as skillfully.
"Ya know, you've really shaped up to be true Jungle Cub Elle."
She smiled, then lounged along one flatter branch like Bagheera had taught her.
Louie looked her over while she daydreamed and stared out at the dense jungle beneath them.
She'd grown a lot, yellow-gold hair that was under-toned with deep brown fell to her waist if she undid it from her messy "up-do" as she called it, deeply tanned skin, but not as deep as the other Man the animals had seen usually, and that was after years in the jungle, she was always pale compared to the other Man.
Her feet were now constantly bare, she'd outgrown her "sandals" almost right away, and her clothes with the help of Shere Khan and Bagheera, had been torn and altered constantly, leaving her with her stretched out leggings now only making to the middle of her thighs, and her dress only covered the upper half of her chest with strips that went over her shoulders.
Louie looked at her harder, her violet eyes that were fastened to a pair of birds flitting on the jungle floor were keen and always alert, no where near as good as anyone's, even Hathi's, but still sharp, her hands were rough and scarred, unable to remain perfectly tough enough for their jungle way of life. Her feet were the same, only they were able to maintain the necessary callouses to live and run in the jungle. Her body however...
Lungs like a cheetah, she could run...
Her legs solid muscle, long and strong.
Her arms the same, just as powerful.
But it was her voice that let anyone know she wasn't truly from the jungle, though she was much like a parrot or Macaw, she could mimic a wide range of tongues and sounds, but mainly she could sing...
And quite beautifully, too Louie thought, watching the girl laze away the day without the slightest of cares.
Yeah, she maybe different, and a bit slower/younger than them, but she was their jungle cub.
xxx
xx
xxx
Hathi grimaced as he rammed his head into yet another tree, he hated growth spurts
The elephant was close to two thirds his full size, towering over his friends, but that didn't stop him.
A giggle from high above his head made him sigh in faked annoyance, then chuckle as the light weigh of his closest 'girl-friend' dropped onto his back and settled to sit behind his big head.
"Afternoon Elle! How's the jungle in your area of patrol?"
"Tip-top conditions Colonel Hathi! Or at least as close as they can get with Kaa snoozing all day on the sun-rocks, can't anyone find a way to move him? That's the perfect place for an afternoon snooze!"
This time it was the elephant that added the necessary reminder to the all too familiar conversation, "That's why Kaa's always sleeping there."
"Yep-yep-yep!"
The elephant trumpeted loudly in agreement then jerked to a halt and maneuvering around a tree to avoid hurting his passenger. Had to watch out for his fellow troops of course.
"Nice stop Hathi."
"Thanks Elle."
She must've smiled, the elephant could feel it as she leaned forward to rest her crossed arms on his head and her shin on her forearms, surveying the land ahead of them, Hathi moved out from the dense trees and on a well used path, wide enough to avoid collisions with branches.
Yes, this is life he thought silently as Elle glanced around them for sights he didn't catch, which was about half an half for the pair. Eleanor twittered high in her throat, calling a songbird to her hand then chuckling as it rubbed it's tiny head against her chin and under her jaw, fleeing as the wind caught its fancy.
Hathi carried Eleanor until they reached the wide river where she dove off his back to head down stream while he turned to follow it upstream, their arrangement was almost never spoken out loud, just a mutual agreement that ever failed, and friendship that was never broken.
xxx
xx
xxx
Bagheera crunched through a tougher bit of meat from the fresh kill he had Shere Khan had won off the wolf pack, they had a slight bargain with the canines, the wolves helped the still learning felines to eat, and the cats explored farther than the territory borders for rogue wolves and competing packs, having already helped stop several attempts on territory claims.
He was too hungry to pay attention to the lighter than nearly everything footsteps coming up behind him, but he did hear the foliage part almost breathlessly.
"Good evening Eleanor."
The girl only dropped down from her tree branch highway to land balanced on the balls of her heels with little disturbance of the grass beneath her feet.
Bagheera continued eating as she moved to a berry bush, grabbing a handful then sitting against his black-furred side.
The two ate in silence then just shared companionship in quiet until the sun was touching the distant horizon.
Before even the grass beneath them could realize the new occurrence, the long sleek black form streaked into the underbrush just as the tan and black body swung up into the tree tops and leaped off.
The pair weren't really racing, just stretching over-due muscles that had sat still for the better part of an hour, which for the agile two, it was too long.
The exercise remained friendly until one leap to a vine from Elle gave a glimpse of the familiar site.
Bagheera's tail flicking differently was the only sign of acknowledgment as Eleanor called from the trees, "Race to CubHouse!"
...
Eleanor was quite fast in the tree tops, practically flying along with the swaying vines and dancing over tree branches. She would be outdistanced too easily on the ground, but she was even faster than Louie when it came to the half-way aerial mode of movement, Bagheera actually had to put hard effort forth to keep up.
Of course when it came down to it, he always let her win, She was too special to do otherwise.
He dropped onto the cool stones, panting moderately as she swung down from the trees at the same time, equally as spent, they smiled and rested, their daily doings, all too familiar, but never growing old.
xxx
xx
xxx
(AN: The song line below is to the tune of Jungle Rhythm.)
"I'm a-Tap-tap-tappin' the Tree trunks, buzzing like a bumblebee...when I beco-ome...a Jungle One..."
Shere Khan would normally roll his eyes as his disturber walked sedately, or more like 'squiggly' beneath him; but the singer made him just smile and let his chin drop back onto his crossed forelegs as he lounged regally on the tree shaded boulder.
Eleanor sang and spun a little in her own dance as she traveled, making the tiger chuckle as he watched her.
"I can hear the cries of the wild cats...the howls of the wolf-hunt moon; bubbling of the low-tide riv-ver...an' calling of the crazy loon...but I know I just won't be right, until...ye-ah-yeah...'til I beco-ome...a Jungle One..."
Another chuckle, this time deeper, his voice was still changing too much for his liking though.
"I can't try ta change my ways, 'cause just won't leave my heart..."
"But if you'd stop singin' like a canary, that would be a start..."
She spun out of her twirling at his half-way deep voice, yet again it had shifted octaves.
"Why would I try to, leave this jungle life...when I can feel it in my heart, I know it's just right...my life wouldn't be complete, unless I was running free..."
"Yet you'll look one day in the water, and wonder who you're gonna be..."
"I'll be right here in the jungle, as I've always wanted t'do..."
"I'd wait and think on it, that's what I would do..."
"But I wiilll..."
"Are you suurrree..."
"I'll Becooommme..."
"You'll Becooommme..."
"A Jungle One!"
Eleanor smiled, rarely was Khan in a decent enough mood to actually join her or even listen.
"Thank you for that Khan."
The tiger chuckled, stepping forward and rubbing against his friend, she scratched his shoulders and neck in turn.
Before they could talk more, Kaa's calling voice peeked through the jungle sounds and made it to their ears. Eleanor went with him, lazily weaving in and out of his twisting coils as she walked.
"Don't worry Khan, I'm relieving you of your little annoyansssss..."
Yes, she may be a little annoying, but all friends were.
xxx
xx
xxx
He didn't know why he couldn't sleep, but just that no matter how he tried, he just wouldn't doze off.
He rolled to one side with a heavy, tired sigh; he really needed sleep...
A low grumbled came from his throat, and he rubbed the back of his neck with a paw, sighing even harder as he flopped back against the foliage beneath the tree he favored, he'd grown too big for sleeping up above over a year ago.
"Thought you'd be asleep by now." Came a soft, gently voice above him.
He turned, then smiled, exhaustion almost tangible in the air.
Eleanor stepped down from the high arching tree root she;d been perched on; coming to sit and lean on him.
He sighed again as his lazily ran her long, undone hair through his claws, careful not to catch any on the sharp digits.
She shuddered a little; the rainy season was approaching and the air at night cooled rapidly.
"Com'ere you."
Eleanor had always fit in his forelimbs, even as she had grown, and she loved warm fur.
"This is the life." She murmured into his chest as her eyes closed and she snuggled closer.
He smiled again, this time yawning and settling comfortably in the bed of leaves and moss at the base of the sheltering tree.
Then he realized why he couldn't fall asleep moments before.
Baloo's arms hadn't been holding one of his closest friends to protect her no matter what...
Now what do you think about that?
I hope you liked the chapter and my attempt at song writing!