"Tarzan! Jane!" Tantor's panicked voice cut through the peaceful morning calm of the jungle. Tantor burst into the clearing near Tarzan and Jane's treehouse, his usual playful banter replaced with frantic urgency.
"Professor Porter . . . gone!" Tantor wailed, his trunk waving in distress. "Snatched right out from under my nose!"
Tarzan and Jane exchanged a worried glance. The professor, with his insatiable curiosity and tendency to wander off, was always a cause for concern, but this was different. There was a palpable fear in Tantor's eyes, a sense of dread that chilled Tarzan to the bone.
"What happened?" Jane asked, her voice steady despite the tremor of fear running through her.
Still breathless from the frantic rush to find Tarzan, Tantor did his best to explain how the Professor had been studying some strange plant deep within the jungle.
"He was writing notes in his journal," he said, "Then, a mosquito was bothering him and he tried to swat it, but he accidentally hit a rhino instead, and he ran off. I tried to follow after him but then . . . whoosh! He was gone!"
"We must find him," Tarzan said, already leaping down from the treehouse, Jane a step behind him.
Jane nodded, her expression mirroring his resolve.
"Of course," she said. "Where did this happen, Tantor?"
Tantor led them to the scene, and Tarzan racked his brain for any kind of predator that would be out and about this early in the day. Kerchak had relocated the family to a new seasonal ground, which meant Professor Porter had to find something else to study for a while until the gorillas were closer once more.
While Tarzan had been a bit anxious about his family moving to new grounds without him, it had not been nearly as upsetting as he thought it would be when it happened. It did not take him long to locate them either, though the trip took him half the day, and he was exhausted by the time he arrived. So, he only visited every so often and spent most days learning of human culture and civilization with Jane and Professor Porter. And of course, defending the jungle from any man invasion or threat.
Finally, they arrived to a small clearing bathed in the dappled sunlight filtering through the dense canopy. The air was thick with a musky odor, a scent that made Tarzan's nostrils flare with unease. It was the smell of predators, of something wild and dangerous. Jane knelt, her fingers tracing the disturbed earth.
"There are tracks here," she said, her voice hushed. "Large paws . . . but not like any cat I've ever seen."
Tarzan recognized the prints as leopard, yet they were subtly different. Larger, heavier, with an almost humanoid quality to the way the weight was distributed. He had seen those tracks before, long ago, in a dark and forgotten corner of his memory. He couldn't quite recall from where, however, and he followed the tracks, Tantor and Jane following him.
It only took an hour of walking and a climb up a mountain, which Tarzan had to assist Jane with, before they arrived at the top where a city emerged, a city of gold and stone, abandoned yet somehow preserved by the jungle. Tarzan frowned and cautiously entered the city, sniffing the air and listening for any sounds of the Professor. He heard noises coming from inside one of the stone structures, and Jane and Tantor followed Tarzan down a long hallway.
The flickering torchlight cast long, dancing shadows across the cavernous chamber, illuminating the grotesque scene before them. Professor Porter, bound and gagged, lay upon a crude altar, his eyes wide with terror. A circle of hulking leopard-men surrounded him, their bestial faces contorted in a frenzy of anticipation.
"Daddy!" Jane gasped.
The leopard men turned and eyed the intruders, their eyes filled with a predatory gleam.
Tarzan launched himself at the nearest leopard man. He grappled with the creature, their bodies locked in a fierce struggle. The leopard man's claws raked across Tarzan's chest, but he barely registered the pain.
With a mighty heave, Tarzan threw the leopard man to the ground, but he was quickly charged by two others, and he dodged their attacks and kicked them into each other, and they stumbled and fell to the ground while three more charged Tarzan.
Tantor charged forward and swung his trunk, sending the three leopard men charging for Tarzan flying across the room.
Jane ran over to her father and worked on freeing his binds. She found a stone and cut at the binds to break her father free. Finally, the ropes broke and Professor Porter slid off the altar to the ground.
"Are you alright, Daddy?" Jane asked.
"Yes, yes," Professor Porter said, "I believe so, thank you, dear."
Within moments, the leopard-men lay scattered across the floor, groaning and whimpering. Tarzan, his chest heaving, turned towards the altar. Tantor glanced around to be sure there were no leopard men left and nodded his head victoriously, following Tarzan over to Jane and the Professor.
"Well, well, well," a voice cut through the echoing cave, "Look what the cats dragged in."
Tarzan froze, his blood turning to ice. He knew that voice. He turned slowly, his eyes searching the shadows.
A figure emerged from the darkness, her form illuminated by the torchlight. Her skin was tanned, her eyes a piercing cyan with slit pupils. She wore the crown of Opar upon her head, a golden headpiece with a small golden leopard skull and ruby eyes. Her platinum blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing a face that was both beautiful and cruel. She leaned on a staff topped with a glowing crystal.
"La," Tarzan growled, his voice filled with a mixture of anger and disgust.
"And it speaks now," the woman said, raising her brows.
"I see you found your city, La," Tarzan said.
"It's Queen La to you," she corrected, her lips curving into a mocking smile. "But I suppose old habits die hard."
Jane, her eyes wide with surprise, looked from Tarzan to La and back again.
"You know her?" she asked.
La laughed, a sharp, brittle sound that echoed through the chamber.
"Oh, Tarzan and I had a bit of a fling, dear," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Didn't we, darling?"
"It was nothing like a fling," Tarzan spat.
Tarzan, eighteen-years-old, had been scavenging the jungle just outside the family grounds for different fruits to snack on, growing a bit tired of the same foods he'd eaten the last few days. The humid air was thick with the scent of blooming flowers, which meant certain fruits were also ripe for the picking, and Tarzan moved through the dense canopy in search of these treats. He climbed higher up a large fig tree, sniffing the fruits as he passed them in search of the right one.
Finally, he found the right fruit, and he snatched the treat and gave it a sniff before he bit into it, the fig's jam-like taste filling his mouth. He sat on a branch and ate his fruit, observing the jungle below him.
Something moved through the trees, catching Tarzan's attention. He continued to eat the fig as he watched whatever creature was working its way through the thick shrubs. When the creature emerged, Tarzan's jaw dropped, and the fig fell from his hand.
Standing before a colossal strangler fig tree, its roots forming a natural archway behind her, was a human. She was a tall human with a slender build yet muscular physique, with dark tan skin and cyan eyes that had slit pupils like a cat. Her hair was platinum blonde and messy, possibly bleached from spending too much time in the sun. She wore a small leopard print bikini and in one hand she carried a staff made of ebony, topped with a glowing crystal. She wiped a hand over her brows and glanced up at the sun in the sky as if to judge the time of day, shielding her eyes with a single hand.
Tarzan's eyes widened at her. He had seen plenty of man, but not one like this human. Where had she come from? What was she doing in the jungle? All Tarzan could think of was poachers and death when he thought of man, and he cautiously moved his way down the tree, sure that this human was no different. All man was the same, interested in only harming the jungle. His muscled tensed as he reached the trunk of the tree he was in, ready to react in case this human used her staff like he would use his spear—as a weapon.
The human seemed to have anticipated an attack, and she swung her staff in Tarzan's direction, standing in a defensive pose as she glared at the tree Tarzan was hiding behind.
"Nali mejifich hap?" the woman said in a demanding tone.
Tarzan had no clue what she was saying, but he figured she knew he was there and would not move until he revealed himself. Cautiously, he moved around the tree, keeping on all fours in case he needed to attack or run. He glared at the human, daring her to strike first with her stick.
Her eyes widened and she gasped softly at the sight of Tarzan. For a moment, neither moved or said anything, they simply stared at each other. When the human realized Tarzan was not going to attack her, at least at the moment, she lowered her staff and smiled softly, batting her eyes a few times.
"Na ni we?" she asked, her voice a soft whisper.
Tarzan stared back, tilting his head at her and furrowing his brows. He moved his mouth in a similar manner, mimicking the sounds she had created, but showing no understanding of their meaning. The human frowned once more before she seemed to realize the communication barrier, and she gave a gentle wave of her staff, and the glowing crystal pulsed with a soft light, and warm energy washed over Tarzan, and he jumped back at the sensation before shaking himself off. He frowned at the strange human again, wondering if this had been some kind of attack when he suddenly understood her words as if they had been spoken in the familiar clicks and grunts of the ape tongue.
"Do you understand me?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"I do," Tarzan said slowly, still frowning in his own intrigue as he stepped a bit closer. "How did you . . ."
"I was gifted with magic at a very young age," the human said, leaning into her staff and batting her eyes at Tarzan once more. "I am La."
"La," Tarzan repeated, blinking back at La, something fuzzy and unknown growing in the pit of his stomach before he shook away the feeling and glared at La. She was still an intruder in his jungle, and it needed his protection if she meant harm. "What are you doing here in the jungle, La?"
"I am . . . lost," La said, looking down sadly. "My tribe, they were taken by a great storm, scattered like leaves in a gale. I seek a new home." Her eyes flickered with a strange intensity as she met Tarzan's eyes. "There are whispers of a lost city, deep within these jungles, called Opar. A city of treasures and ancient power. I believe it is my destiny to find it . . . and perhaps, yours as well."
"Opar?" Tarzan repeated. "I have never heard of it."
"Perhaps you can help me find it?" La asked, adjusting her stance against her staff in a way that emphasized the curves of her body. She flicked her bangs out of her face as she kept her eyes locked on Tarzan's. "You must be very familiar with the jungle. Your knowledge could guide me."
Tarzan, intrigued by her tale, stepped closer, sniffing the air around them. The scent of her was different, not the musk of the apes, nor the earthy tang of the jungle, but something sweet and sharp, like the rare blossoms that bloomed only at night. It made his head spin. He watched the way her muscles moved beneath her skin, the subtle shifts and flexes that spoke of power and grace. It was a different kind of strength than the apes, more fluid, more . . . enticing. She didn't move as he stepped closer, then, he stood up on two in a similar manner to her.
"I will . . . help you," Tarzan decided after staring at La for a moment. "What does this city look like?"
"It is said to be built of gold and stone, and it is hidden behind waterfalls, guarded by ancient spirits. A place of untold riches and forgotten magic. A perfect place for me to rule, I would think." La reached out a hand, hesitating for only a second before she rested a hand on Tarzan's arm. "A perfect place for us to rule, even."
A strange tingling sensation spread from the point of contact, radiating through his arm and into his chest. It was an unfamiliar warmth, a pleasant ache that made him want to lean closer yet flee at the same time. It was like the feeling he got when he saw a particularly ripe fruit, but amplified, twisted into something more complex. The way she looked at him, with those wide, cat-like eyes, made him feel . . . seen, in a way he never had before. It was as if she could see into his soul, and what she saw pleased her.
"I . . ." Tarzan started to say, taking a step back from her touch. "I will help you look."
"Thank you," La said. "You know, I've introduced myself, but I don't believe you've given me your name."
"Tarzan," he answered.
"Tarzan," La purred, batting her eyes as she stepped closer and leaned towards him. "A strong and noble name."
When she said 'Tarzan,' it wasn't just a sound. It was like she was pulling a hidden part of him into the light, a part he didn't know existed. It made his chest tighten, a strange mix of pride and a feeling he couldn't name. He awkwardly leaned away from her, swallowing dryly before stepping away and dropping down to all fours, climbing up a nearby tree and glancing around.
"So, uh, where have you looked?" he asked.
"I was going to continue north through the jungle," La said, walking to stand at the trunk of the tree. "If it is hidden by waterfalls, it will be somewhere high."
"Then we should look high," Tarzan said, grabbing a vine and swinging over to the branch of another tree. He smirked at La who was watching him from below. "I mean, if you can keep up."
"Is that a challenge?" La asked, and she climbed up the tree he was in and grabbed a vine. With a wink, she swung forward, leaping for another vine with a grace that spoke of years of experience in this area. Tarzan grinned as he watched her, then leapt after her, swinging from vine to vine.
With each swing, La began to anticipate his movements, leaning into Tarzan, her body aligning with his. He felt her warmth, the soft press of her against him, and his heart pounded. He had never been this close to another human, and the sensation was both exhilarating and unnerving. La would sometimes "accidentally" brush her hand against his chest, or her leg against his as they swung, each small touch making Tarzan more and more flustered that he nearly missed a vine he leaped for, but he caught it at the last second.
La laughed at his clumsiness, making Tarzan chuckle as well as he caught back up to her, swinging around her playfully before taking the lead again, heading for the nearest mountains.
After swinging through the vines for a while, it came time to climb up a mountain, and they both easily climbed up the rocky hill side.
"How did a storm take your tribe?" Tarzan asked curiously, as he pulled himself up a protrusion, pausing to glance back at La. "A flood?"
"Yes," La agreed quickly. "A flood. Oh, it was so devastating. Even my magic could not save everyone."
"Do you miss your tribe?" Tarzan offered a hand to pull La up over a difficult part of the climb, seeing that La had a bit more of a challenge as she continued to carry that staff around. La accepted his hand and she was pulled up to sit on the same protrusion Tarzan was on.
"Every day," she replied, a tinge of sadness in her voice. "They were my family, my heart. But I believe they would want me to find Opar, to reclaim our heritage. You know, all this talk about me, and yet, I still know nothing about you. What are you doing out here in the middle of the jungle. Have you lost your tribe as well?"
"No," Tarzan said. "I was raised in the jungle. My birth parents were killed by Sabor, a leopard. I was raised by a family of gorillas."
Tarzan hesitated on giving his family's name away, as he still wasn't entirely sure of he could trust this stranger with such sensitive information. She left him feeling all kinds of ways, but there was still a sense of danger that kept him from revealing too much in case she did mean harm.
"That is so fascinating," La said. "You and I, we're really not so different. We both love the jungle, we call it our home, we were made for each other."
Tarzan frowned at the wording she used.
"Like . . . mates?" Tarzan asked. It was the only thing he could compare what she had just said to.
La batted her eyes at him once more, leaning close, puckering her lips slightly.
"Exactly like mates," she said.
His breath hitched, and his throat felt tight. He had to swallow hard, his Adam's apple bobbing awkwardly. Tarzan leaned back once more, giving her a forced smile as he reached up the mountain to climb a bit higher and out of her reach. La merely climbed after him.
Tarzan reached the top of the mountain and stood up, glancing around, but he did not see a city of gold and stone anywhere. He wondered if this city even existed, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to question La's belief in it. Besides, he was still feeling a bit flushed from the prospect of 'mates.' He never imagined that he might find a creature like himself that he might be able to even consider as a mate, especially since most man was interested in harming his jungle. So far, La seemed to love the jungle as much as he did. Could he have potentially found a mate for himself? What would Kerchak think of her? Of course, he had no desire to rule over a city. He'd rather stay with his own family, but he wasn't sure if La would consider giving up her quest to live among his adopted family.
Besides, they had only just met. Perhaps he should explore this possible relationship a bit more before he jumped so far ahead in the future.
Tarzan and La walked atop the mountain for a while, searching for any sign of a city, but they ended up coming up to a waterfall with no sign of a city anywhere. La huffed as she folded her arms and looked over the jungle, smiling softly at the view.
"Look at this beautiful world," La said. "And it's all ours."
"Why rule over it?" Tarzan said. "Why not just protect it?"
"Someone must rule over the land," La said. "All land needs a queen, or king, to make sure it runs the way it is supposed to."
"My father told me that the jungle rules itself," Tarzan said. "That the creatures within it may have their own laws but no one creature is above the other in the eyes of the jungle. The jungle has been here before us all and will be here when we are gone. We exist because of it, and therefore, we should protect it, not rule it."
"Such sentimental words," La said, stepping closer to Tarzan, running a hand down his chest. "With your wisdom, you would make a fine king, Tarzan."
He shifted uncomfortably, the close proximity making his skin prickle. While this human had completely captivated Tarzan, and he had for a moment considered the possibility of a mate, they had very different opinions on the ways of the Jungle and its laws. He wanted to embrace her touch, but he also wanted to recoil from it and defend his point on respecting the jungle.
Before Tarzan could respond, a low growl echoed through the trees. A pair of glowing eyes appeared in the bushes, and a massive leopard sprang from the shadows, landing with a thud on the branch of a tree near La.
Tarzan reacted instantly, leaping between La and the predator. La gasped and stood behind Tarzan, her hands on his back. He grunted and pounded his chest, and the leopard snarled in response.
The leopard leaped for Tarzan, and he dodged its attack and leaped off to the side, snarling like the leopard to get it to follow him. The leopard swatted at him, and Tarzan just avoided its claws by jumping up to a tree and weaving through the branches. When he was against the main trunk of the tree, a few branches between him and the leopard, he leaned back against the tree and kicked with as much power as possible, sending the leopard reeling back.
Not wanting the leopard to change targets and go after La, Tarzan jumped down after it. The leopard landed on the ground gracefully, shaking itself off for a moment before it hissed at Tarzan.
The leopard lunged, its claws raking across Tarzan's chest. He stumbled, his breath catching in his throat, his back hitting the trunk of the tree he had just been in. Blood dripped from the three scratches across his chest.
Suddenly, he was pinned to the tree with two paws, the leopard's teeth bared, its hot breath on his face. Tarzan struggled, his muscles straining against the beast's weight, but the leopard pushed down with all its strength, and it opened its mouth to deliver a killing blow.
A flash of light erupted from La's staff. The glowing crystal pulsed, and a wave of energy washed over the leopard.
The beast's growl turned into a guttural scream, a sound of unimaginable pain and terror. Its body contorted, its fur shifting and changing. Bones snapped and reformed, and the leopard's features twisted into something grotesque and inhuman. Its paws remained on Tarzan, however, forcing the young ape-man to watch the scene in horror.
When the transformation was complete, a hulking figure stood in the leopard's place, a creature with the body of a man and the head of a leopard. Its eyes, now filled with strange, unsettling intelligence, fixed on Tarzan. It tilted its head and let out a small guttural rumble.
Tarzan had seen many things in the jungle, but nothing like this. He pushed the transformed creature off him and jumped away, landing on all fours, only pausing to stare at the creature. It walked towards La, leaving strange pawprints in its wake.
"What have you done?" he gasped, his voice filled with disgust.
La smiled, her eyes gleaming with triumph.
"I have given it a new form, Tarzan. A more suitable form." She stepped forward, her hand resting on the leopard-man's shoulder. "Now, he will serve us. He will be our guardian."
Tarzan recoiled; his gaze fixed on the creature's distorted features. He felt a wave of revulsion, a deep-seated disgust that chilled him to the bone. This was not the jungle he knew, not the balance he understood. La's magic, her power, was a violation, a corruption.
He looked at La, her smile now seeming cruel and alien. The warmth he had felt for her vanished, replaced by a cold dread. He knew, with a certainty that settled deep in his gut, that he had made a terrible mistake.
"This is . . . wrong," Tarzan managed to say. "Change him back!"
"Change him back?" La echoed, her voice laced with amusement. She ran a hand along the leopard-man's coarse fur, her touch possessive. "Why would I do that, Tarzan? He is far more useful this way."
"He is a creature of the jungle!" Tarzan protested, his voice rising. "You twisted him! You made him . . . this!" He gestured towards the hulking figure, his expression a mixture of horror and anger.
La shrugged, her expression dismissive.
"The jungle is a place of survival, as you know. Only the strong endure. He was weak, and now he is strong. I have merely improved him."
"Improved him?" Tarzan repeated. "He was fine the way he was before. This is unnatural. This isn't what the jungle wants. Change him back!"
"The jungle is chaos, a constant struggle for power. I have simply learned to control that chaos. He is a tool, now, a powerful tool. And you, my dear Tarzan, will learn to appreciate his utility. Even if I must force it upon you, my king."
La pointed her staff at Tarzan.
"Capture him," she commanded.
The leopard-man, its eyes devoid of any spark of its former self, lunged. Its movements were a grotesque parody of the sleek, powerful creature it once was. Tarzan, his heart pounding, braced himself for the attack.
Its claws raked through the air, narrowly missing Tarzan's face. He dodged, his body twisting and contorting to avoid the creature's powerful blows. He used the tree branches as leverage, swinging and leaping, trying to keep his distance.
"You cannot escape, Tarzan," La taunted. "He is stronger, faster. He will bring you to heel."
As the leopard-man crawled through the trees after him, Tarzan changed his direction toward a tree hanging over the mountain, where the waterfall cascaded down. He climbed along a branch, the leopard-man right behind him. When he turned to face the beast, the creature lowered itself slightly, snarling as it prepared to pounce.
"Tarzan!" La called him, as if trying to distract him. He only spared her a small glance, trying to keep his focus on the creature. "Don't you dare!"
"You have no right to control the jungle, La," he growled. "You have no right to twist and corrupt its creatures."
The leopard-man pounced, and Tarzan jumped up, avoiding the attack. Just as quickly, he spun and kicked the leopard-man, sending him flying out of the tree and over the cliff. It yowled as it fell into the raging waters below, disappearing in the mist created by the waterfall.
"No!" La cried. "What have you done?"
Tarzan landed in the branch, holding on tightly with hands and feet so he didn't accidentally send himself over the cliff. He glared at La.
"I should have known better," he said. "You are just like all Man. You are all the same, poachers in your own way."
"I don't know what you speak of," La snapped. "But I always get what I want!"
La raised her staff and pointed it at Tarzan, but he quickly swung down from the branch and kicked La over the cliff as well, sending her falling into the mist, her screams being the last thing he heard. He looked over the cliff, making sure she was gone for good. One less poacher in his jungle. He sighed softly as he turned away. Why did his species have to be such cruel monsters? Sometimes, he wished that he really had been born a gorilla so he would have no relation to those horrid poachers that kept trying to invade his home.
Speaking of home, the sun was starting to set, and Tarzan knew he had to return back to the family quickly, and he took to the vines to swing his way through the trees. He knew Kerchak wouldn't be happy with his long absence, but he would explain it away as a poacher had found themselves way too close to Kerchak's territory, and he had only been getting rid of it.
"Hmm, I guess not," La said teasingly, leaning against her staff with a smirk.
Tarzan stood in the temple; his eyes fixed on La. The memories were vivid. He had been a fool, blinded by her beauty and her charm. He had allowed himself to be manipulated and used.
He would not make the same mistake again.
He snarled as he stepped forward, prepared to attack La and finish her once and for all.
"Not so fast, my dear." La said.
Before Tarzan could react, a fresh wave of leopard-men emerged from the shadows, their eyes burning with a savage intensity. They surrounded Tarzan, Jane, and Professor Porter, their claws glinting menacingly in the torchlight.
Tantor, trumpeting in alarm as several leopard men advanced on him, and he was quickly forced into a corner, his escape blocked by the hulking figures.
Tarzan tried to attack, but three of the leopard men pounced on him, pinning him to the ground.
Professor Porter and Jane were surrounded, and they huddled close.
La walked over to the group, then gestured towards Jane.
"Seize her," she commanded.
Two leopard-men lunged, their claws reaching for Jane. Tarzan cried out, struggling against the hold, but he was unable to throw off the creatures. Jane, yelling and kicking, was dragged away from Tarzan and the Professor.
"Jane!" Tarzan yelled.
La, her lips curving into a sadistic smile, approached Tarzan.
"Now, now, Tarzan," she chided, "let's not be hasty. I haven't forgotten your discourtesy from our last encounter."
She gestured towards the altar. The leopard-men, with surprising gentleness, lifted Tarzan and placed him upon the cold stone. La waved her staff, and new ropes appeared, binding him securely. Tarzan struggled against the ropes, but it was no use. La clicked her tongue at Tarzan and shook her head.
"This doesn't have to end badly, Tarzan," La purred. "Join me. Be my king. Rule this jungle with me. We can be powerful together."
Tarzan spat at her feet.
"I would rather die," he said.
"For what?" La asked, frowning. "Jane? I had her thrown over the cliff."
"You didn't!" Tarzan demanded to know, struggling against the ropes once more. He closed his eyes, tears threatening to stream down his face. He had failed Jane. He had failed everyone.
"Sound familiar?" La asked, glaring at him. "That's exactly what you did to me. I only survived because the leopard man you kicked over the edge had also managed to survive, and he dragged me out of the rapids. Like I told you before, the jungle is about survival of the fittest. Only the strong endure. You have no one left. No family, no friends. Join me, and you will survive."
Tarzan opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on La. He recalled what his father had once told him.
"If you are kind to the jungle," he said, "the jungle will be kind to you. It has a way of knowing who belongs and who does not. And you do not belong."
La laughed, a harsh, grating sound.
"Such idealism. You'll learn, Tarzan. You'll learn. The jungle has no conscience, no morals. It is not kind to anyone."
"It was pretty kind to me," Jane's voice said from directly behind La.
La spun around, and Jane swung the stick she was holding simultaneously, knocking La off her feet and unconscious. Jane grabbed the staff and swung it around as the leopard men charged her, and they all froze and backed off, their eyes widening at the staff she held. Jane's clothes were torn and her face scratched but she was otherwise unharmed.
"Jane!" Tarzan exclaimed, a grin on his face. "How did you . . .?"
"I've learned a thing or two living in the jungle with you," Jane said. She used the staff to vanish the ropes holding Tarzan down, and he jumped up and hugged his wife. Jane used the staff to keep the leopard men back as she walked over to her father and Tantor, getting close to everyone.
"It was nice meeting everyone," Jane said, then she raised the staff before bringing it down quickly, and everyone vanished in green smoke, the staff falling to the ground, leaving behind confused leopard men who waited for their queen to come to.
Meanwhile, Tarzan held Jane close as they rode Tantor back to their treehouse, Professor Porter sitting closer to Tantor's neck while Tarzan and Jane sat on his back.
"So," Jane said, her voice teasing as she looked back at Tarzan, "that was your fling, hmm?"
Tarzan blushed slightly, avoiding her gaze.
"No, really, it was never a fling," he argued, his voice soft. He hugged her closer to him. "No one has ever caught my attention like you have, Jane. You are perfect, and I wouldn't want anyone else."
Jane's heart fluttered at his confession. She had always admired Tarzan's strength and his deep connection with the jungle, but she had never expected to hear him say such things.
"I feel the same way, Tarzan," she said, leaning back into her husband.
Tarzan smiled at her, his eyes filled with love and hope. He had faced his past, confronted his demons, and emerged stronger, more determined than ever to protect the jungle and the ones he loved. And now, as he looked into Jane's eyes, he knew that their future together was brighter than ever before.
Made up words inspired by Swahili language for the Waziri Tribe
Nali mejifich hap?: Who's hiding there?
Na ni we?: Who are you?