The Jungle Book: Chapter 14
By: jungleboy69
Chapter 14: Mowgli's Dancing Lesson
At lunch, Mowgli stared at the beef steak on his plate. He had never eaten cooked meat before and never understood why men would burn good meat. He had seen the human parents preparing meals over a strange red light that looked like a flower and gave off an intense heat like the sun.
"Aren't you going to eat Mowgli?" Alex asked as he and everyone else were tucking into their meals. Mowgli sniffed the steak, it smelt good but he wasn't sure if it tasted right. "Why...burn...meat?" He asked
Lindy smiled patiently at him. "Well, we can't eat raw meat like you." She explained. "It will make us sick." Mowgli couldn't understand but decided not to question further. Picking up the fork and the knife, he tried to imitate cutting like how Sean showed him.
Surprisingly, it was quite easy. After cutting off a slice of beef, he bit into it. His eyes widened with delight; he had never tasted anything so delicious before. Still, he remember to show good 'etiquette' and ate quietly.
"Psst...Mo...!" A voice whispered and Mowgli noticed Rikki looking at him or rather his beef steak. "Mind if I... snag a bite?" The Man-Cub smiled and cut off a tiny piece of steak and pushed it close to the Mongoose. "Thanks, pal!" Rikki chittered as he took the piece of meat in his paws and nibbled at it.
Mowgli smiled. Ever since Rikki found out that the latter could understand him, he was eager to have someone to talk to. Any chance he got, the Mongoose would strike up a conversation with him and Mowgli would tell him off his life in the jungle.
For the Man-Cub, he was glad of the Mongoose's company. He was funny, witty and in spite of his small size, he was very brave. Rikki told him stories of his snake-fighting skills and his home at the Man-Village.
"So...how them human lessons coming along...?" Rikki asked. Mowgli shrugged as he ate. "Strange..." He replied. "Human customs are...different...from the Jungle..." Rikki chittered a bit. "You'll get used it." He replied. "I've been living with them for 2 years now, and I still don't understand how they work..."
Mowgli grew thoughtful. "Tell me...what's it like...living among humans...?" He asked. Rikki thought for a bit. "Well, it's alright." He replied. "I can explore the village and check the shops out." "There are all kinds of tasty tibits around..." He licked his lips
"Plus, Saavni is a good friend." He explained. "She takes care of me and I protect her from danger." "We are...kinda like sibling..." He added with a toothy smile. Mowgli nodded, it was just like how he lived with his wolf family.
"Mowgli, how would you to see me dance?" Shanti asked. "D-Dance...?" Mowgli repeated in confusion. "Yeah...Shanti is the best dancer out of all of us!" Saavni added in excitement. "We can teach you how to dance!"
Mowgli was growing interested. He wondered what this 'dance' was. "What...is...dance?" The response were too mischievous smiles on the two Hindu girls faces, which made him a little wary on they were planning.
(Later...)
"This is where we practice." Shanti explained as she and Saavni took Mowgli to an open space in the campsite. The other kids went along with them, eager to see what would happen. "What...is...dance?" Mowgli asked again.
"It's hard to explain." Shanti replied. "Dance is...a form of art." "Dance is used to express emotions, tell a story or...just for fun." She added. "I taught Cassie and Lindy some of my dance moves."
"It's true!" Cassie added, with a grin. "She is a great teacher." Mowgli smiled. "T-Teach me?" He asked. "Sure, we can!" Saavni replied excitedly. "First, we can show how we dance." She pointed out. "Lindy, music please."
The British girl nodded and took out a strange object that had a shiny surface. "What...that?" Mowgli asked curiously. "It's a phone." Lindy explained. "It's a very useful tool." "P-Phone?" The Man-Cub repeated.
Lindy nodded and pressed a button on the side of her phone. To Mowgli's surprise, the screen glowed and strange images appeared in it. The Man-Cub approached closer and sniffed it, he had never seen such a fascinating device. "My phone does all sorts of things, like take pictures, watch videos...and even play music" Lindy added
"M-Music...?" Mowgli asked. Lindy pressed on an image with a musical note on it and she began to scroll down before clicking something. Soon, soft gentle music began to play from it much to Mowgli's surprise and delight.
"You see..." Lindy replied. "Now, it's time for Shanti and Saavni's performance." Mowgli nodded before he turned to the two Hindu girls. Lindy pressed another button and some Hindu music began to play.
Shanti and Saavni smiled as they positioned themselves side by side and they began to dance. Their movements were graceful and energetic; their arms moved to the beat while their legs kicked with rhythm.
Mowgli was entranced by the girls' dancing, particularly Shanti. She moved with such grace and elegance that it reminded Mowgli of a flower blowing in the breeze. Lindy and Cassie clapped along to the beat as Shanti and Saavni danced.
When the music was over, the two Hindu girls bowed while the others clapped. "That was amazing!" Cassie cheered. "You two always were the best dancers!" Lindy added. Saavni giggled. "We make a great dancing team!" She boasted.
Shanti smiled as she turned to Mowgli. "Well, Mowgli, how do you like our dance" She asked with an encouraging smile. The Man-Cub nodded "Shanti...dances nice..." He replied. Shanti grows surprised and blushed. "T-Thank you..." She replied
She smiled again as she approached Mowgli and took his hands. "Now, it's your turn." She added. "Ready?" The Man-Cub didn't even resist as he felt Shanti pull him to his feet and took him forward while Cassie, Lindy, Davy and Saavni watched in amusement.
(Half an hour passed...)
Mowgli didn't know how long he practiced with Shanti. He did his best to imitate her movements and follow along to the music. He could hear the girls giggling as he practiced but he had know idea what hard work dancing can be.
Soon, the Man-Cub was sitting on the ground, exhausted from the dance practice. "You did well, for your first practice." Shanti assured him. "Just take it one step at a time." "One...step..." Mowgli panted, sweating.
The other kids sat with them, as Cassie handed Mowgli some water in her flash which he lapped up. "Mowgli..." Saavni asked. "Can you really talk to animals?" The other kids looked at her, particularly the former.
"I saw you chatting with Rikki." Saavni added. "It seemed he could understand you." "Yeah, how do you know what Rikki was saying?" Davy asked. Mowgli blushed a bit. "Jungle...Speak...not...hard..." He replied. "I...just...say...Master...Words..."
This got the other kids' attention. "Master Words?" Lindy asked in surprise. "What are they?" Mowgli smiled. "Special...Calls..." He replied. "Help...me...speak...to...all creatures...of the Jungle..."
He grinned. "I...teach...you...if you...want..." He added. The kids grew taken aback. "You want to teach us?" Cassie asked in surprise. Mowgli nodded. "You...taught...me...ways of...Men..." He replied. "Now I... teach...you...Laws...of...the Jungle..."
The kids were excited. "I wanna learn!" Davy exclaimed. "I wanna speak to animals!" "Me too!" Saavni squealed as well. "Can you really teach us?" Lindy asked, trying her best to contain her excitement.
Mowgli just smiled. "Yes..." He replied. The girls squealed, eager to learn. None of the kids would know just how much they would change from this expierence.