He knew he was not supposed to be so close to the river without the rest of the family, especially without Kerchak's presence, but Tarzan was feeling very thirsty, and unfortunately, the latest new location Kerchak had selected was not near any kind of creek or waterhole, so that left wandering down to the river. Generally, drinking from the river involved the entire family moving down to it as there was safety in numbers, yet the gorillas could go a few days before they felt the need to do so, while Tarzan felt like he needed to find a water source at least once a day.
While Kerchak would not approve, Tarzan was usually capable of sneaking in a quick drink and running back to the family before anyone even noticed he had left, though Terk occasionally followed him down with Tantor and started a few games. Having his friends around gave the perfect excuse of why they were not within the immediate family grounds, but today, Tarzan was alone as Terk was enjoying a sunbath nap. So, he would just have to make the trip quick.
Tarzan checked the entire surroundings for any signs of predators, watching the water surface intently for any small water break or bubbles. When nothing happened for several minutes, Tarzan walked the rest of the way down to the river and used his hand to take a drink, requiring several handfuls before he felt satisfied. As he slurped up water, his eyes caught sight of a small fig tree standing close to the edge, several figs ripe for the picking.
Tarzan smiled and walked along the bank to the tree, hoping to collect some of the fruit.
He was so focused on the tree and spotting a fruit that he missed the movement in the water following him until a large hippo emerged and lunged for him with an open mouth.
Tarzan darted away as fast as he could, running away from the riverbank and up a nearby tree. The hippo grunted aggressively as he turned away from the tree and headed for the bank, picking up a fallen fig fruit on his way into the water, chewing it as he submerged.
"Psst," a voice called to him.
Tarzan glanced in the direction he heard the voice.
Another gorilla was sitting on a branch a few trees away from the one Tarzan was in. It was a larger teen gorilla, dark-furred and with just a bit of a tuft that hung forward a bit in a sort of side-swept fringe look. He gestured to the fig tree.
"Want some?" he whispered.
Tarzan glanced back at the fig tree, then to the river where he could see the water move, the hippo patrolling just beneath the surface. He really should get back to the family, but a fig did sound really good right now. He looked back at the new ape and smiled while nodding his head.
"You," the gorilla said softly, pointing at Tarzan before pointing at the hippo in the water, "distract him. I'll grab figs. Meet back here."
"Okay," Tarzan agreed, smirking softly.
He glanced down at the fig tree, then searched for the swimming hippo. Carefully, he moved down the tree he was in, returning to land. He kept his eyes on the water as he inched his way back to the fig tree, moving as slowly as possible, his body tense and ready to bolt at a second's notice.
There was a slight break in the water, then stillness.
Tarzan hesitated, but when nothing happened, he moved closer to the fig tree, finally close enough to touch the trunk of it. He glanced up at the fruit, then back at the water. He stood up as if he might try to reach for a fig.
The hippo came charging out of the water in a fury of splashing and grunting, and Tarzan bolted down the riverbank, leading the hippo away. He wanted to give the other gorilla enough time to collect some fruit, so Tarzan daringly jumped into the water, leading the hippo back into the river.
While he was a good swimmer, he was nothing like the hippo that dived into the water, swimming under Tarzan and rising quickly, mouth agape to expose massive tusks. Tarzan quickly backstroked away to avoid the hippo's chomp as it snapped at empty air.
Turning sharply, the hippo opened its mouth once more and charged, chasing Tarzan back out of the water.
Tarzan nimbly leaped for a small tree on the edge of the riverbank, then jumped for another larger tree a few feet away, climbing along the branches while the hippo grunted at him below, following on land for a bit before it seemed to grow bored. It turned and headed back for the river, disappearing under the water.
With a smile, Tarzan swung back over to the original tree he had been sitting in. He looked around for the other gorilla, spotting him lounging on a branch while smacking his lips. Tarzan frowned as he jumped across a few more branches, stopping in a tree adjacent to the gorilla. Up close, he could tell that this ape, though maybe only a few years older than him, was half the size Kerchak was.
"Good job, hairless ape," the gorilla said. "I thought for a minute that the hippo was gonna eat ya, but you showed him."
"Did you get any fruit?" Tarzan asked.
"Oh, about that." The gorilla picked up a fig fruit and held it above his mouth. "I was only able to grab enough for me."
A spark of anger flickered in Tarzan's eyes at being tricked, and he quickly swung forward and kicked the fig from the gorilla's hold, and the fruit bounced off branches as it fell to the jungle floor.
"Hey!" the gorilla snapped. He spared Tarzan one glare before he jumped off the branch, hopping down it quickly in chase of the fig fruit.
Tarzan slid down a branch himself, tree surfing a bit as he tried to beat the other gorilla to the fig fruit, and he managed to slide across the grass and snatch the fruit before the other gorilla could grab it.
He didn't get far though since the gorilla snatched his arm and smacked the fig out of his hand, and it rolled away from them. Tarzan scrambled after it, shoving against the larger ape who was also running after it.
Unfortunately, the ape's longer arms meant he was able to snatch the fig fruit and lift himself up to a branch in a tree at the same time, leaving Tarzan to slide to a halt before he collided into the trunk of the tree the gorilla was now in. He glared at the ape as he watched him eat the fig.
"Nice try," the gorilla said with a smirk as he happily licked his lips. "But you're just too slow."
"You tricked me!" Tarzan accused.
"At least you learned something, right?" The gorilla winked. "Consider it a valuable life lesson in survival of the fittest. Free of charge."
"I'll get you back for this," Tarzan threatened, preparing himself to jump up the tree after the gorilla.
"Oh, uh, heads up, your hippo friend is back."
Tarzan spun around, then gasped and leaped out of the way just in time to avoid the stampeding hippo, rolling in the dirt a bit. He scrambled away as the hippo turned on him, grunting and moaning as it followed Tarzan, who struggled to get his feet under him to make a retreat.
The hippo charged once more, and at the last second Tarzan pushed off the ground and grabbed a hold of a higher branch, slipping a bit before he found his footing and managed to get on top of the branch. The hippo struck the tree, causing it to shake violently, then it walked back into the river.
Tarzan panted as he looked himself over, seeing that he was all scratched up from dodging the hippo, and he hissed slightly as he brushed dirt away from a few of the scratches. He looked over in the trees in time to see the gorilla leaving the riverbank, most likely returning to his own family.
"See ya later, hairless wonder!" the gorilla called out.
Tarzan grumbled and pouted the entire way back to his own family grounds, annoyed at the loss of opportunity to eat a fig and because he had been tricked by that annoying gorilla. He should have known better than to trust that miscreant. Tarzan arrived at his family grounds where everyone was chatting away or grooming each other in their own social groups. He was barely halfway through the grounds when Kerchak intercepted him.
"There you are, I've been—what happened to you?" Kerchak asked, frowning at all he cuts on his son's skin.
"Nothing, I just fell," Tarzan answered, wincing when Kerchak licked at a cut on his back. His father hesitated as he sniffed his son.
"Were you down by the river?" Kerchak asked with a bit of growl in his voice.
"Just for a minute."
"I told you not to go without—" Kerchak cut himself off with an exasperated huff as he shook his head. "Never mind. Do not go alone again. There is someone here I want you to meet."
"Really?" Tarzan made a face as he tried to think of a gorilla Kerchak would allow to trespass into his territory. He followed his father through the family. "Who?"
"My sister, Teeka," Kerchak said. "Your aunt."
"Really?" Tarzan asked again with more enthusiasm. "I didn't know you had a sister."
"She is older, left the family to seek a new one for herself before I had even taken over as head silverback. Oftentimes siblings may never encounter one another again if they leave to new families, but her mate Zutho is neighboring my territory this season."
"Cool. Does that mean she'll visit a lot?"
"Possibly. It would certainly be nice to catch up with her."
Tarzan looked ahead and spotted his sister and Kala sitting next to a female ape that was about Kala's size but looked a lot like a feminine version of Kerchak with her darker fur and facial structure. She was smiling at something Kaphi was telling her, the little ape throwing her hands all over as she told some elaborate story. Kaphi saw Tarzan and Kerchak approaching out of the corner of her eyes, and she stopped mid-story, grinning widely at her brother.
"Tarzan! Meet our Aunt Teeka!" Kaphi said.
Teeka turned her eyes to Tarzan, and at first, Tarzan expected surprise or dislike for his obvious different appearance, as most new gorillas were prone to doing, but he was surprised when all Teeka did was smile warmly.
"A pleasure to finally meet you, Tarzan," Teeka said. "I've heard a lot about you."
"You have?" Tarzan asked.
"Many in the jungle have heard of how you chased out those strange creatures with explosive sticks," Teeka said. "You saved the jungle from their cruel treatment, especially considering they had killed one of our own."
Tarzan smiled as he recalled the events of the Truce, where Kerchak had allowed two other gorilla families to share his territory in a rare display of compassion when faced with adversity and life-threatening matters. Tarzan had managed to scare off the poachers that were threatening their families with the help of the silverbacks and a feline friend of his, and ever since, he was slowly becoming more and more aware of how many jungle animals knew of that event. Word traveled fast through the jungle.
"It was nothing," Tarzan said, blushing slightly. "I was just protecting my family."
"So much like you, Kerchak," Teeka said, looking at her brother. "You are raising him well. Though I still am trying to wrap my head around you adopting him in the first place."
"You can thank my mate for that," Kerchak said, smirking at Kala, who gave him an amused look. "She made the right choice though. I do not regret it."
Tarzan couldn't help blushing even more at the proud look his father gave him, especially when Teeka awed over him. He sat down next to Kaphi to listen to Teeka explain her family's return to the southern side of the Jungle, from which they had finished traveling a week over mountains and finding their way down to a spot near the river. They would be staying in that spot for the season while the food is bountiful and the river is calm, as this new place offered a new variety of food and easy access to water for the season. Kerchak agreed with Teeka that this area of the jungle was usually a popular spot, and that her family was lucky to have secured a space for themselves and so close to his own. He told Teeka that she was welcomed to visit as often as she pleased while she was around, and Tarzan hoped that she did come around again as he was really enjoying her presence.
"And you can come visit my family any time," Teeka said. "Zutho will have no problem with it when I explain to him who you are."
"I'll pass," Kerchak said. "We can acknowledge each other from a distance."
"Well, the little ones are more than welcome to visit," Teeka said. "Especially to play with your cousin."
"Cousin?" Kaphi asked excitedly.
"Yeah," a voice behind Teeka announced loudly. "Cousin."
Kaphi and Tarzan curiously looked around Teeka, and Tarzan's eyes widened as he recognized the ape from earlier strutting his way through the family towards Teeka, a bold smile on his face as paused for a second in front of a few young females to flick his fringe out of his eyes briefly, earning a few swoons, before he continued on his way. The young male walked up to Teeka and sat next to her, which really displayed his size as he was as large as his mother was. The gorilla met Tarzan's eyes and winked at him.
"Hi, baby cousins," he said.
"Hi," Kaphi greeted excitedly while Tarzan merely glowered.
"You remember Akut, don't you, Kerchak?" Teeka asked her brother.
"Last time I saw you," Kerchak said, "you were still clinging to your mother's back. How you've grown."
"Thanks, Uncle Kerchak," Akut said, holding his head up proudly. "A few more years, and I'll be as big as you are."
"I guarantee it," Kerchak agreed.
"Large silverbacks run in the family," Teeka said fondly. "He might grow to be as large as Dad was. He'll make a fine successor for Zutho one day."
"You are so cool," Kaphi said, stepping closer to her newfound cousin. "You want to play with Tarzan and me? We were going to wrestle, weren't we?"
"Actually, I'm not really feeling up to wrestling," Tarzan said, still glaring at Akut.
"That's okay," Akut said, lowering himself to Tarzan's height and smiling kindly, though Tarzan could see the glint in the older ape's eyes. "We could . . . play tag." In a softer voice, Akut added: "With a hippo."
Feeling the anger from earlier return full force, Tarzan lunged forward. He wasn't entirely sure what he had been planning to do, maybe tackle or even bite the annoying gorilla, but Akut seemed to have expected his reaction, and he used one hand to hold Tarzan in place.
"Easy, bud," Akut said, throwing a smile at the adult gorillas. "It was just an offer."
"Tarzan," Kerchak scolded, lifting his son and setting him back down a few paces away from Akut. "That is no way to treat our guests. Akut made a kind offer to play with you and your sister."
"Oh, how nice of him," Tarzan spat angrily.
"Tarzan," Kerchak scolded once again, a bit of disbelief in his tone. He gave Teeka and Akut an apologetic smile. "My apologies, he's not usually this hostile."
Kerchak glared at his son, and Tarzan shrank back a bit, but when he saw Akut's smirk, his glare only deepened, and he bared his teeth at him, wishing he could wipe that smirk right off his infuriating face.
"That's alright," Teeka said. "Boys will be boys. He's got the territorial traits of a good silverback. A sign of a good leader. I'm sure he just needs time to warm up to the idea of newcomers hanging around the family."
"Right," Kerchak said in a disbelieving voice. Tarzan was sure Kerchak did not think he was being territorial, but whatever he did think, it was enough for Kerchak to decide to send him away from this small family gathering. "Tarzan, go to our nest."
"But Dad, he—" Tarzan started to say.
"Now."
Tarzan sighed, sending one last look at Akut before he walked away, fuming all the way to his shared nest. It would be his luck that that trickster would be his cousin, and of course, Kerchak would expect Tarzan to get along with any extended family. He slumped his shoulders as he arrived at the nest, collapsing into a small corner of it. The nest was fairly large, as it had to be to accommodate Kerchak, Kala, Kaphi and himself, so he was able to find a small corner that he could lounge in while he waited for Kerchak to finish his discussion with his sister and nephew before he surely made his way over to the nest to scold him some more. Tarzan sighed miserably.
Thankfully, that was the last that Tarzan saw of Akut, though when Kaphi joined him at the nest, she told Tarzan that he missed out on a great game of tag with Akut. Kerchak was a bit less than pleased when he arrived at the nest, though he only told Tarzan to try giving Akut a chance, as the young ape might visit often while he was living next door to them. Tarzan didn't bother telling Kerchak of his first encounter with Akut, especially since it would mean bringing up his illegal trip down to the river.
However, the next day, Tarzan was feeling like he could use another trip to the river. No matter how much fruit he ate, it just didn't quench his thirst as a trip to the river did. However, Kerchak was not around the nest when Tarzan checked for him, so he figured his father was most likely patrolling.
He laid down in the nest to wait, hopeful that Kerchak would be interested in walking down to the river today.
"Aww, do you still share a nest with Daddy, baby cuz?" Akut asked as he walked up to the large nest.
"What are you doing here?" Tarzan snapped as he sat up, baring his teeth at Akut.
"Relax," Akut said as he walked around the nest. "I'm not here to start anything. Told Uncle Kerchak that I'd smooth things over with ya."
"Oh yeah," Tarzan challenged. "What makes you think I'm interested."
"Everybody likes the Alpha's son," Akut said with a smile.
"Well, I don't," Tarzan said, turning away from the smug gorilla.
"You could try to. I'm your cousin."
"I already have a cousin, and Terk is way better than you."
"Really?"
His words seemed to only encourage Akut more, and the gorilla smirked as he walked around the nest.
"You know, I heard all about your great heroism from Mom and Dad," Akut said. "How you saved the jungle from poachers hunting gorillas. That's pretty cool for a child."
"I'm not a child. I'm thirteen."
"And I'm fifteen." Akut sat down in front of the nest. "That means I'm your senior and you've got to listen to me."
"That's not how it works. You're not even apart of this family."
"Tarzan!" Kerchak snapped, startling Tarzan, who spun around to see his father approaching the nest. His father glared sternly at him. "Akut is your cousin and very much apart of this family, even if he doesn't live here. And you will respect him as your guest."
"Sorry," Tarzan mumbled, though not really to Kerchak or Akut. His father could not have worse timing.
"It's fine," Akut said. "I understand all too well, Uncle. New faces can be a bit overwhelming."
"I'm not overwhelmed," Tarzan said to Akut before looking up at Kerchak. He wondered if he could appease his father a bit in order to get him to walk down to the river. "Actually, I'm kind of thirsty, so maybe that's making me a bit moody. Do you think we could go down to the river?"
"Not now," Kerchak said. "I have to check in on a few of the mothers, a couple of the infants seem sickly, so I am needed here at the moment."
"I can go alone," Tarzan pushed. "I'll be quick."
Kerchak gave his son a stern look, but before he could say anything, Akut stepped forward.
"I could walk him down to the river for you, Uncle," Akut said. "Mom and Dad trust me to go down there all the time. I mean, look at me. Who's going to mess with me?"
Akut put on his best smile, and Kerchak seemed to consider his words before nodding in acceptance.
"Very well, thank you, Akut."
"I'm not going to the river with him!" Tarzan said.
"No? Then I guess you do not go down to the river at all. Akut made a kind offer, you can either accept it and have him escort you to the river, or you can stay here and wait until I'm ready to do so. And that may not be today, Tarzan."
"Come on, Tarzan," Akut said. "We could really spend some bonding time together."
With a grumble, Tarzan reluctantly agreed to go with Akut, and he held his tongue as Akut walked alongside him down to the river. He half expected the other gorilla to throw him into the water when they arrived, and he was prepared to act in self defense should Akut do anything stupid. How did he get stuck putting up with some irritating gorilla?
"So," Akut said, "you're kind of small for thirteen, don't you think?"
"No. I stand as tall as the rest of my peers. On two feet anyway."
"That doesn't count. On all fours, you've got no bulk, no size to ya. Compared to most thirteen-year-old apes I know, you're tiny."
"That didn't stop me from being a hero, as you put it. What about you? You're awfully large for fifteen."
"Any descendant with Kerchak's bloodline is bound to be large," Akut said proudly. "If only you had been born an ape."
"Hey!" Tarzan spun on Akut, pushing on his knuckles in a very confrontational pose.
"I mean nothing by it. Just that you would have also been a fairly large ape. I see how Kerchak looks at ya. Ape or not, you're his son, all right."
Tarzan grunted at Akut before turning away, walking the rest of the way to the river with Akut following. The riverbank came into view, the familiar rush of the water a welcome sound. Tarzan kept a wary eye on Akut, still unsure of the other gorilla's motives.
"So," Akut said, once they reached the riverbank, "you're thirsty, right?"
Tarzan nodded, dipping his hand into the cool water and taking a long drink. He drank deeply, the water refreshing his parched throat. When he straightened up, he noticed Akut hadn't touched the water.
"Aren't you thirsty?" Tarzan asked.
Akut shrugged. "Not really. Those figs I ate yesterday really quenched any thirst."
"You're such a jerk," Tarzan said, returning to the riverbank.
"I was being honest. You've got to let the fig thing go. We are so past that. You and I, we're a lot alike. Both kids of the alphas. Both carrying high expectations. We could totally hang."
"Over my dead body," Tarzan told Akut firmly.
"Ya sure bout that?" Akut said with a smirk, his eyes flicking up at something.
Before Tarzan could ask what he meant by that, he heard the water slosh behind him, and felt rather than saw a large presence looming over him. His eyes widened as he slowly glanced over his shoulder, recalling the hippo from yesterday. Clearly, he had not moved on from this spot. It was standing in the water glaring at Tarzan.
The hippo, a churning mountain of muscle and rage, erupted from the river with a bellow that vibrated through Tarzan's bones. Its small eyes, usually placid, were now black pits of fury. Tarzan didn't wait to assess the danger; instinct took over. He spun, his bare feet pounding against the earth as he sprinted away from the charging behemoth. Akut vanished quickly, leaving Tarzan to face the raging beast alone.
The ground trembled beneath the hippo's massive weight. Each thundering footfall sent vibrations through Tarzan's legs, urging him to run faster, faster. He risked a glance over his shoulder. The hippo was gaining, its gaping maw a horrifying vision of tusks and pink flesh. A spray of muddy water kicked up by its powerful legs splattered against Tarzan's back.
He veered sharply to the right, hoping to use the dense jungle growth to his advantage. Vines whipped across his face, thorny bushes snagged at his skin, but he dared not slow down. The hippo, surprisingly agile for its size, mirrored his turn, its bellowing echoing through the trees like a death knell.
Tarzan's breath hitched. He could feel the hot, fetid breath of the hippo on his heels. He stumbled, his foot catching on a root. For a heart-stopping moment, he thought he was going down. He flailed wildly, managing to regain his balance, but the near fall had cost him precious seconds.
He wasn't sure why the hippo was bothering to chase him further away from the river this time. Perhaps it recognized him and thought Tarzan did not get the message of staying away. He really shouldn't have helped Akut antagonize it to get fruit, of which he got none. The hippo was almost upon him. Tarzan could smell its musky scent, a mix of mud and damp earth. He could hear the rasping of its breath, feel the rush of air as it closed the distance. He braced for the impact, a wave of despair washing over him. He was going to be trampled.
Suddenly, a blur of dark fur launched itself from the trees, a strong arm wrapping around Tarzan's chest, yanking him upwards. He could barely catch his breath as he was swung over a shoulder, and he naturally clung to Akut's back as the larger ape climbed higher up into the tree.
Below, the hippo, its charge thwarted, skidded to a halt, its grunts of frustration shaking the ground while he rammed his jaws into the tree, shaking a few leaves down. It glared up at the tree, its rage momentarily redirected. After a few seconds, it turned away and walked back to the river.
Tarzan, his heart still hammering against his ribs, adjusted his hold on Akut as the ape swung from branch to branch back toward the family, and when they were just outside of Kerchak's borders, Akut dropped down from the tree and pulled Tarzan off his back. Tarzan took a moment to finish catching his breath before he looked up at Akut.
"You okay?" Akut asked.
"I'm fine," Tarzan said. "Uh, thanks . . . for saving me."
Akut grinned, a look of pride in his eyes, a look Tarzan immediately wanted to wipe off the cocky ape's face, but he kept quiet, wanting his apology to be sincere.
"Sure thing, baby cuz," Akut said. "And tomorrow, you can pay me back for my heroism."
"Why do I have to pay you back?"
"You owe me."
"You mean you owed me for tricking me."
"Relax, I ain't gonna ask for your heart and soul." Akut sat in front of Tarzan and tilted his head at him, an amused look taking over his face. "You're gonna come to my family and hang with me and some friends."
Tarzan was too shocked by the idea that he didn't get a chance to say anything before Akut promised to return the next day.