Tantor trumpeted in fear and let go of the vine he had been playing tug of war with, sending the three gorillas at the other end flying backwards. Jane stepped toward the gorillas, Flynt, Mungo, and Terk, and they all cried out before scurrying over each other to climb a tree.
"Make it go away!" Flynt cried, waving his hand down at Jane while clinging to a branch.
"Tell me it's a bad dream!" Mungo whined.
"Get that thing away from here," Terk demanded as she joined her friends on the high branch.
"What's all the hullabaloo about?" Jane asked as she cuddled the little leopard cub in her arms. "It's just a baby kitten."
"What is all the commotion out here?" Kala asked as she walked over to where she heard all the screaming.
"I found this cub in the jungle," Jane said, showing Kala the baby leopard.
Kala gasped, then glanced behind her before gesturing Jane further away from the gorilla nesting grounds.
"Jane, that is a leopard," she reminded her daughter-in-law gently. "Leopards hunt gorillas. They're dangerous."
"Grown leopards are dangerous," Jane insisted, though she did walk alongside Kala. "But this one is harmless."
Jane set the cub down and the baby began chasing his tail.
"I didn't know what to do, I couldn't just leave him—he was all alone."
"I understand the feeling," Kala said as she watched the cub with a small smile. "I once found someone who was all alone. However, you cannot bring him around here. Kerchak will not be so easily persuaded that this little cub is harmless."
"What about Tarzan?" Tantor questioned. "You know how he feels about leopards."
"Not his favorites," Terk said as she climbed down the tree and got a closer look of the cub, Flynt and Mungo following her lead.
"Hmm," Kala hummed in thought. "Father like son. I'm afraid you'll have to convince Tarzan if you really want the cub to stay with you."
"I'll just have to soften him up," Jane said as she picked up the cub once more. "Terk, hold the little tyke for a moment, would you?"
Terk accepted the cub, then quickly hid it behind her back with a nervous smile as she saw Tarzan stumble into the clearing, and Jane gasped at the sight of the scratches on Tarzan's chest.
"Tarzan, what happened?" Jane asked as she rushed over to him.
"Leopard," Tarzan grunted, and he groaned in pain.
"Jane, you take care of Tarzan," Kala said. "We'll take care of things here."
"Good idea," Jane said as she assisted Tarzan to their treehouse.
"Keep the cub away from the family grounds," Kala told Terk, who nodded as she set the cub down, who was quickly distracted by Tantor using his trunk to tickle it. Kala looked back at the family nesting site. "I'll try to keep Kerchak busy while we wait for Jane to pick up her new baby."
While Kala walked back to the family, Terk glanced down and nearly had a heart attack as the cub ran after Jane and Tarzan.
"Hey!" she called out, running after it.
Jane tried her best to set up the idea of having friends outside of the species they usually had friends in—gorillas, elephants, hippos, even the baboons, however, Tarzan laughed at the idea of a leopard friend. Unfortunately, the small cub decided then was a great time to jump into the treehouse, escaping Terk's grasp. The cub curled up next to Jane and Tarzan glared at his wife as she explained how she had come across the cub.
So, they had an impromptu meeting at the Professor's makeshift science campground to discuss what to do with the leopard, and Kala, Terk, and Tantor attended.
"So what should we do?" Jane asked.
"Leave him in the jungle," Tarzan said.
"He wouldn't last a day on his own," Kala interjected. "You know that."
"Well, can't we take him to other leopards?" Jane asked.
"That's too dangerous," Tarzan said. "They'd kill us."
"Tarzan is quite right," Professor Porter said. "Everyone knows a leopard can't change its spots. It's genetics. This cub will inevitably grow into a vicious . . . err, shoo you . . . oh dear, where was I . . ."
Professor Porter scratched his head as he kept kicking his foot to shake off the cub attacking his shoelaces, but the cub began rubbing against his legs and purring, and the professor fell for the little beast and picked up the baby and cuddled him.
"Oh, what the heck," Professor Porter said as he rubbed noses with the cub. "Let's keep the little blighter."
"Tarzan, you of all people should understand the cub's predicament," Jane said, following her husband when he moved away from the table everyone was gathered around. "Don't forget about what Kala did for you. She took a chance on you when she found you lost and alone. She didn't know what you were or if you would even survive to adulthood but she gave you a chance. Now look at you."
Jane picked up the cub when he walked over to her and held him up to Tarzan.
"Please, Tarzan?"
Tarzan caved at Jane's pleading face, then agreed that the cub could stay.
"We'll give him a chance," Tarzan said. "But no one tell Dad about this. He's going to need time to . . . warm up to the idea. A lot of time."
Unfortunately, there was not a single moment that Tarzan felt appropriate to inform his father of Jane's latest addition to the treehouse. And perhaps some of the reason came from his own dislike of the vicious cub that was constantly trying to eat every small critter that moved and then made an absolute mess of everywhere it went. It was constantly hungry despite all the fish Jane and the professor caught for it, and gnawed on furniture and loincloths, much to Tarzan's annoyance. The cub also enjoyed biting hard when playing, and had bitten Tantor's tail, the Professor's shoes, and even Jane's hand on one incident, which Jane insisted was a small nick, just like having a puppy, she defended, though Tarzan was unsure what she had meant. If puppies bit hands when they played, then clearly they were too dangerous to keep around, just like this leopard cub.
His patience was wearing thin with the cub, but he really wanted to make sure he gave the cub a fair chance at establishing into the family, so he bit his tongue and waited. Maybe when the cub was a bit older, he'd learn to find his place among the family. Today, Jane wanted to plan a relaxing getaway into the jungle and take a break from cub sitting, which sounded like a marvelous idea to Tarzan.
The cub was being entrusted into Terk and Tantor's watchful care, but as Tarzan's two best friends made promises of keeping the best eye on the little unnamed leopard, the cub vanished into the trees.
"So have no fear, Mrs. Tarzan," Tantor said, "but we will make sure no harm comes to little Bobo."
"That's a stupid name," Terk said, swiveling her head around. "Uh, you guys did bring the cub to us, right? Where'd he go?"
"Little cub?" Jane called out, looking around the shrubs. "Come here, little one. Now is not the time for hide and seek."
Tarzan scanned the ground and trees, sniffing the air as he jumped up to a branch and peered through the greenery. He could see subtle movement of grass swaying way ahead, and based on the path that was being made, the cub was headed right for the gorilla nesting grounds.
"Oh no," Tarzan muttered, then leaped off the branch and swung through the trees.
The cub chased a butterfly through thick grass, leaping up and down for it as it fluttered inches above its head.
The butterfly landed on the edge of a nest, slowly moving its wings as it growled along the twigs and leaves.
The cub stalked it, keeping low to the ground as it purred, its tail flicking behind it.
It leaped for the butterfly, landing on the nest and letting out a small snarl. It checked under its paws, but the butterfly was long gone. Instead, the occupant of the next, a mother with a small child, stared at the cub in surprise, then shrieked in alarm as it lifted its baby and bolted out of the nest.
The alarm call caused panic in the family as other apes bolted on instinct, reacting to a threat of danger many had not even seen. Infants were snatched up and everyone stampeded around the cub, nearly trampling the baby as they scrambled for a tree to climb.
The cub stumbled a bit as he avoided being stepped on, keeping low once more as he searched for an escape, his hackles raised and his eyes wide. He spotted the grass he had followed that led him here and smiled at it. However, before he could bolt for the safety the grass would have offered him, a large hand pinned him to the ground, and he mewled out pitifully as he was effectively pinned down by the silverback.
"Dad!" Tarzan shouted as he ran up to his father, who had the cub pinned down. He stood up and hesitated, holding his hands out placatingly. "Wait, don't kill it."
Jane caught up to Tarzan and gasped, her hands flying to her mouth at the sight of the trapped kitten who began crying out at the sight of Jane, squirming under Kerchak's grasp. Terk and Tantor paused a few feet behind Tarzan and Jane.
"Kerchak, please," Jane said, taking a step forward, only pausing when Tarzan held an arm out to stop her from advancing further. "He's just a baby; he means no harm."
"Are you seriously trying to tell me that this leopard means no harm to us?" Kerchak asked, sending a bewildered look to his son. "A leopard?"
"I know what you're thinking," Tarzan said, shuffling closer. "I thought the same way, but Jane reminded me of giving a chance to those in need, and he's a baby who was alone and—"
"Hold on a moment," Kerchak said, baring his teeth at his son. "This isn't some stray cub you were chasing just now? You were keeping this?"
"He was skin and bones when I found him," Jane said. "He would have died if we hadn't taken him in."
"And now he'll grow to be a gorilla killer," Kerchak said.
"No, not if we continue to raise him," Jane said, taking a few steps closer.
"Raise him? He's not your kind, what would you know about raising a leopard."
"You raised me," Tarzan quickly said.
"That was different. You were not a predator. I at least knew you wouldn't grow up to eat any of us as soon as you could."
"But the compassion is the same." Tarzan moved closer to his father until he was directly in front of him. "Dad, please, you and I both know the cub is not a threat to us right now."
Kerchak narrowed his eyes at his son as they had a silent stare down. Kala slowly approached her mate and son, throwing a concerned look Jane's way before standing just behind Kerchak.
"It's just a cub, Kerchak," Kala said.
"You knew about this?" Kerchak asked over his shoulder.
Kala lowered her head submissively, and Kerchak grunted angrily, startling the cub still struggling to free itself.
"You really want me to let this cub go?" Kerchak growled softly at his son. "Then take it from me."
Tarzan hesitated, meeting his father's challenging eyes before he looked down at the cub. Kerchak had its neck pinned down between two fingers, keeping the small cub from turning its head to bite while using his palm to hold the rest of the cub in place. The big yellow eyes of the cub stared up at Tarzan before the baby's nerves got the better of him, and he snarled at Tarzan's indecisive look. For a moment, all Tarzan saw was Sabor, and he remembered all the pain she had put his family through—both sides of it. Leopards could not change their spots. They would always be killers, and one day, this one would join the ranks.
Tarzan looked up at his father once more, then slowly backed away, keeping his head low, ignoring Kala's disappointed sigh while Jane's jaw dropped.
"What are you doing?" Jane asked Tarzan.
"A leopard can't change its spots," Tarzan said, refusing to look at Jane. "This is for the best."
"What is?" Jane swung her head to see what Kerchak was doing, and she watched as the cub struggled more as Kerchak applied more downward pressure. "No! Tarzan, no, do something. This isn't fair."
"We can't raise it," Tarzan said. "It's been too much trouble and it's going to hurt someone one day—"
"There has to be another way!" Jane said. She winced when the cub let out a painful cry.
"Stop!" she shouted as she ran forward and shoved Kerchak's arm with as much force as she could, which would not have done much if Kerchak had not been so surprised by the action. While he loosened up on his grip of the cub, Kerchak responded with the first instinct he had at a perceived threat and let out a loud roar, making Jane wince at the volume and she covered her ears, but did not move away.
When Kerchak was simply glaring at her, Jane lowered her hands and glared back, hoping to look more angry that afraid despite her knees shaking beneath her.
"Jane," Tarzan whispered, a look of shock on his face.
Tension filled the air around them. The gorillas stared down at Jane and Kerchak with a mix of apprehension and surprise. Kala had taken a few steps back and was staring between Kerchak and Jane as if deciding whether or not she should step between them.
"I won't let you kill that baby," Jane said after a moment of enduring the silverback's glare. "I don't care what you think of it, but who are you to decide that this cub has no right to live in the jungle."
"Jane, enough," Tarzan said, stepping forward and reaching for Jane, but she pulled away from Tarzan.
"He deserves a chance as much as the next animal, as much of a chance as you would give another gorilla. And maybe your mercy on his life will do him some good and he'll remember that and never harm your kind again, but if you do this, you'll anger the leopards for sure. And it'll be Sabor against your family all over again!"
Tarzan was surprised by Jane's logic. It certainly made sense in his mind. Sabor had seemed hellbent on killing members of Kerchak's family specifically for so many years, but Tarzan figured that his family happened to live within Sabor's territory as well. To Tarzan's surprise, Kerchak closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.
"You're right," Kerchak said. He looked down at the cub in his grasp, meeting the fearful eyes. "Killing this cub would no doubt start another lifelong feud between my family and a leopard. My father killed Sabor's mother when she herself had been a small cub."
Tarzan sucked in a breath at this news, as did some members of the family. Kerchak had never revealed this story before.
"It was shortly before I took over as head of the family. He had passed from the injuries of that fight. And when Sabor was old enough to hunt on her own, she . . ." Kerchak let out a heavy breath and closed his eyes once more. "I thought her killing my son would have satisfied her need for revenge, but it didn't seem to be enough. She stalked us for years until Tarzan was able to put an end to her reign of terror."
Kerchak looked down at the cub, who appeared to have been listening to Kerchak's story curiously. He raised his hand, letting the cub go, and the cub hesitated for a moment, staring up at Kerchak sadly before running to Jane, who breathed a sigh of relief as she picked up the baby and hugged him close.
"I will not be the reason for another war between gorilla and leopard," he said firmly.
Everyone in the family cheered loudly in the trees, then climbed down to get a closer look at the cub, circling Jane and Tarzan. Kala smiled softly at her mate as she walked up to Jane and ran a few fingers down the cub's back, earning loud purrs. Tarzan grinned widely as he lifted Jane and spun her around, making his wife laugh and the cub squeal.
"I can't believe you stood up to Dad like that," Tarzan said. "No one ever has the gall to do something like that. Except me, of course. I got on Dad's nerve a lot. Kind of scary watching it happen with someone else."
"Now you know how I always felt," Kala told her son, giving him a pointed look.
"I'm still shaking like a leaf," Jane admitted. She lifted the cub into the air. "But I would do it again for you."
Tarzan ruffled the cub's head, earning a few licks on his hand.
"Does this mean he can stay in the family?" Terk asked excitedly as she joined the gorillas celebrating the cub.
"It does not," Kerchak said firmly. He gave Jane and Tarzan a small glare as he said, "It still does not belong here in our family or in a treehouse."
"I suppose it is time we try to bring him back to leopard territory," Jane said, and Tarzan nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, a loud snarl sounded from behind them, and Tarzan spun around and stood in front of Jane protectively while the other gorillas backed away.
A large leopard leaped from branch to branch as she descended from the trees, landing gracefully on the ground below. She snarled again as she circled the family, her ears flattening at Kerchak, who walked up to stand next to Tarzan, placing himself between the leopard and the family. The leopard paced a few times in front of them before she sat down, curling her tail around herself. She bared her teeth at Tarzan and Kerchak.
"Mreow!" the cub in Jane's hand cooed, then he smiled and flicked his tail eagerly as he wriggled around in Jane's hold.
Jane set the cub down and he weaved his way between Kerchak and Tarzan and ran across the field to the leopard waiting just at the tree line. The cub and leopard nuzzled each other, emitting loud purrs to each other before exchanging a few licks.
"I think we found the mother," Jane said in awe.
"Or the mother found us," Tarzan said.
The mother leopard looked at Kerchak and dipped her head in a deep bow, closing her eyes. Kerchak dipped his own head in return, closing his eyes in a display of trust and acknowledgement before opening them once more. The mother leopard stood up and motioned for her cub to follow her.
The cub hesitated, then turned around and ran back to the family, leaping into Jane's arms and licking her face repeatedly. Jane laughed.
"You are most welcome," she told the cub. "I will miss you, little one. Be good for your mother."
The cub hopped down then climbed up Tarzan to give his face a few licks, which Tarzan chuckled at and allowed.
"Goodbye, little friend," he said.
Hopping down, the cub hesitantly walked past Kerchak, then bravely rubbed up against Kerchak's hand with a loud purr for bolting for his mother, and he followed her into the thick jungle, leaving small pawprints next to much larger ones.
"I'm going to miss that little Doodles," Terk said, wiping away a small tear.
"Are you crying, Terk?" Tantor teased.
"What? No, there was fur in my eyes. That little fluffball was shedding."
Kerchak began walking away from the group, most likely to perform a perimeter check, and Tarzan leaped after him, catching up to him before he could disappear into the foliage.
"I'm sorry about how you found out about the cub," Tarzan said when Kerchak turned his attention to him. "And thanks for not, you know, getting too angry at Jane."
Kerchak snorted.
"She's an awful lot like you—defiant and stubborn." Kerchak smiled at his son. "But goodhearted. She made the right call and talked me out of a terrible decision. I owe her for that. You've got a good mate, there, son. Don't do anything to jeopardize that."
"Never."