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Chapter Text

Two Brothers Under the Sun

Chapter – XXIII

The Earthen Drum

Outer Stems, Wakalu, northeastern Bukuuvu

The roots of the Ugani go deep like those of the Green Mother and they can feel this stretch of land they called home in the blood pounding inside their veins. The Great Troop roamed along numerous trails within a territory extending, roughly, twenty-five miles along the Eastern Bank of the Dirisha and some fifty miles across the jungle's northeastern hinterlands surrounding the Wakalu. This trek was traversed almost continually, although occasionally the gorillas would settle in one locality for many nights. Their stay dependent upon the local availability of food, climatic conditions, the prevalence of competitors from other species, and the occasional unforeseen danger.

At night they slept where darkness overtook them, lying on the ground, and sometimes covering their heads, and more seldom their bodies, with the great leaves of the elephant's ear. Everybody knew everybody else in the Troop as family, friends, or acquaintances at the very least, so the apes had few qualms when they had to huddle up together before sleeping. Two or three might lie cuddled in each other's arms for additional warmth if the night were chill, and thus even Tarzan, by now an adult by both man and ape standards, still comfortably slept next to his mother and cousin whenever he decided to spend the night in the vicinity of the Green Mother over staying with the rest of his family in the lowlands.

However, this was all about to change.

The group had grown larger since Tarzan had come among them, for under the leadership of Kerchak they had plenty to eat and little or no loss from predatory incursions of neighbors. Hence the younger males as they became adults found it easier to set themselves up as the new protectors of the Troop. Occasionally, some Black Backs from a new batch would fight with their seniors to test themselves, but none had come yet who could wrest the palm of victory from the mighty Silverback leaders.

Tarzan's position in the Troop was a peculiar one. They seemed to consider him one of them and yet in some way different. Either way, they could tell Kala's little Man-Cub was gone like their younglings from the same age range.

On the day he and the other youngsters established their right to respect, the Troop was gathered about a small natural amphitheater that the Green Mother had left free from its entangling vines and creepers in a hollow among some low hills. The open space was almost circular in shape. Upon every side rose the mighty giants of the untouched forest, with the matted undergrowth banked so closely between the huge trunks that the only opening into the little, level arena was through the upper branches of the trees. Here, safe from interruption, the Troop often gathered. In the center of the amphitheater was one of those strange earthen drums that the Ugani cleared up for rites such as these.

An occasional passerby would have seen the drums of the great apes, and many more have heard the sounds of their beating and the noise of the wild, unique revelry of these beasts of the jungle, but Tarzan is, doubtless, the only human being who ever joined in the fierce, mad, intoxicating revel of the Dum-Dum. Since their arrival from the Theluji, the gorillas danced out their rites to the sound of their earthen drums, beneath the bright light of the moon passing through the thick canopy of the Wakalu. The Dum-Dum marked important events in the life of the gorilla troops-a victory, the death or ascension of a king... and the rise of a fresh batch of Black Backs.

On the night Tarzan won his emancipation, the great apes trooped silently through the lower terrace of the jungle trees and dropped noiselessly upon the floor of the amphitheater. The mighty bulls entered the arena, squatting before the earthen drum beside it as guards, while the other members of the community curled themselves in grassy nooks to make themselves comfortable until the rising moon should give the signal for the commencement of the bout. Duels and mock battles were a common sight in the vicinity, but this wasn't to be a game. While everyone made ready for the ceremony, Tarzan was receiving a few pointers before he could take his place in the drum.

"Alright, remember, these guys are soft bucks," Baloo stated as he stood behind his hairless godson, rubbing Tarzan's shoulders while Pumbaa fanned him with a big frond. "Come on, you can run circles around them."

"Keep the blows low and inside, most of them are not that intelligent either." Terk coached her cousin/favorite wrestling partner.

Kala put a comforting hand on her son's shoulder. "Are you nervous?"

"Phew. Excited." Tarzan kept his eyes open, feasting his gaze upon the place where he was to take his next step as a member of the Great Troop. The first time he came there, he was a man-cub. His mother had to carry him up the treetop trail on her shoulders. He wanted to climb on the drum, but his hands were too small to climb the rocky formation. The Mangani of generations past were among the first of the great apes to lay eyes on these drums. Their descendants have crossed these woods since then. This land was in their blood. And now it was up to Tarzan to show he was no different from them in that respect.

"Ooh, you should be." She giggled. This was to be the most important moment in her son's young life so far; for a mother of the Great Troop of Bukuvu, few joys could compare to hers at the moment. "It's your big day."

Two pairs of eyes watched from afar on top of the trees. Per custom, fathers and teachers brought their sons/proteges here, just like theirs had done to them in the past, so they could prove themselves through the Troop's rite of passage. Tarzan came in with Bagheera and Simba until the pair had to move aside from the apes' line. They now stood as far as they could go while still getting a good view of the amphitheater. After all these years, that was the full extent of the courtesies Kerchak was willing to offer the two big cats.

"They sure are taking their time, uh?" Simba remarked while stretching himself. For quite a while they had been sitting there, the nightly silence around them only broken by the discordant notes of brilliantly feathered birds, or the screeching and twittering of the thousand jungle bats flitting ceaselessly amongst the vivid orchids and colorful blossoms that festooned the myriad, moss-covered branches of the Ugani.

"The ceremony starts only at the light of the full moon." Bagheera shifted his attention between the night sky, where the clouds obscured the moon from view, and his disciple near the arena's vicinity. The panther had long awaited the coming of this day. "Be patient. Today is about Tarzan's future. To be one of the Troop, he has to prove he can fight with the Troop."

"Yeah, the gorillas' great Coming of Age Ceremony." Simba sighed a little bit testy, he was happy for his brother but they had been talking about the occasion all week and the young lion was starting to get tired of hearing the same things over and over again. "What do they call it?" He asked, feigning ignorance. "A Dum-Dum?"

Bagheera, catching on, was about to retort when something in the air stood still. At length, as darkness settled upon the jungle the apes commenced to bestir themselves, and soon they formed a great circle about the earthen drum. The females and young squatted in a thin line at the outer periphery of the circle, while just in front of them ranged the adult males.

"That's our cue, folks." Baloo addressed the others in the group, minus Tarzan. "Let's make it like the wind and blow."

"Good luck, T." Timon offered his best wishes to his godson as he and the others prepared to leave.

"We will be rooting for you!" Pumbaa proudly declared.

After receiving one last pat on the back plus a supportive smile from his mother, the White Ape looked far across the treeline in the direction of his teacher and brother to see them giving him their approving nods, with the young lion even throwing in a 'claws up.'

Now, more than ever, the young man felt ready.

Before the drum sat three old females, each armed with a knotted branch fifteen or eighteen inches in length. Slowly and softly they began tapping upon the resounding surface of the drum as the first faint rays of the ascending moon silvered the encircling tree tops. As the light in the amphitheater increased the females augmented the frequency and force of their blows until presently a rhythmic din pervaded the great jungle for miles in every direction. Those with up-pricked ears and raised heads stopped to listen to the dull booming that betokened the Dum-Dum of the apes.

As the din of the drum rose to almost deafening volume Kerchak sprang into the open space between the squatting males and the drummers. Standing erect he threw his head far back and looking full into the eye of the rising moon he beat upon his breast with his great hairy paws and emitted his fearful roaring shriek. One-twice-thrice that terrifying cry rang out across the teeming solitude of the Outer Stems. By the time he had finished, the noise of the drums ceased, the female drummers scampering through the line of males toward the outer rim of squatting spectators. Then, crouching, Kerchak slunk noiselessly around the open circle, veering the new recruits lying before the altar drum, but, as he passed, kept his little, fierce, intimidating, yellow eyes upon them.

This day meant a lot for him too. Tonight, the Troop celebrated its greatness, its strength, and the most promising of those who would join their battle ranks. After sparing a glance at them all, and giving the White Ape a particularly lingering one, he made his way to the treetops surrounding the clearing, where all Silverbacks would watch the rite.

The Chief sat down and the youths started climbing. When all the juvenile males had joined in a thin circle at the summit of the drum, the attack commenced.

One of the males sprang into the arena, repeating the horrid cries of his Chief Silverback, and followed stealthily by others in his wake. Another and another joined in quick succession until the jungle reverberated with the now almost ceaseless notes of their blood-curdling screams. Some seized a weapon from the pile of clubs which lay at hand for the purpose, and rushed furiously upon their chosen adversaries, exchanging terrific blows, at the same time emitting the growls and snarls of combat. The din of the drum returned with a vengeance, aided by the stomps of each of the soon-to-be Black Backs moving across the arena, the bodies slamming down upon the ground, and numerous bludgeon blows that missed their mark and fell upon the empty space. While they increased the frequency of their attacks, the young bulls started a mad whirl akin to some kind of War Dance, reenacting the thrill of battle.

Tarzan was in the middle of the leaping horde. His brown, sweat-streaked, muscular body, glistening in the moonlight, shone supple and contrastingly among his hairy troopmates around him. From their seats in the audience, his family was tracking him clearly

"Look out for the-" Timon looked away for a total of two seconds before turning back to watch, causing him to breathe out in an equal amount of surprise and relief. "Oh, that was a nice one!"

"He is up! No, wait, he is down! No, he is up! No, he is down!" According to the young man's performance, Baloo's tone changed between cheerful and anxious.

"Whoa, that's gotta hurt." Pumbaa cringed momentarily then adverted: "Look out!"

Baloo's words were on point. Tarzan raced swiftly through the arena, dodging and grappling anyone that took a swing at him; moving up and then down. One time, he skidded beneath one of the fighters and passed harmlessly under him, much to the giant's surprise. Tarzan was fast on his feet, fast enough to disorient the others with his evasive maneuvers. Whenever he could, he moved away from the action to catch his breath before diving right in again. Crowds cheered on the sidelines while the fights carried on. His family snapped their heads at any glimpse of brown among the great ape horde. Thanks to his size, it wasn't hard for someone like him to vanish in the free-for-all without a trace. Meanwhile, the gorillas collided against each other, headbutted each other, and puffed up their chests while standing tall to make themselves more impressive to their adversaries and the spectators. Some got creative and propelled themselves to deliver some incredibly powerful flying kicks. Tarzan couldn't resist trying some of those himself. Some of the onlookers stared on in awe, speechless. A sudden blow brought the white ape down. The crowd got a bit agitated, especially in the corner from where his family was watching. Tarzan quickly shook his head to regain his bearings, just in time to escape Moyo's grasping hands.

Simba yelped at the beast that towered above his brother, then switched to look at his teacher. "Do you know that one?"

"A Bolgani," Bagheera told him. "Hard to forget them after fighting one of theirs at a river crossing."

Tarzan stared at Moyo, sizing up the Bolgani warrior. No match-up in the arena was more unbalanced at first glance.

Tarzan knew that, in many ways, he differed from his troopmates; his cunning was superior for one, but in strength and size he was deficient. Some adults stood over six feet in height, while Tarzan was still half their size. Still too small to win a test of strength against a gorilla. However, none in the drum was more stealthy in his movements than him, none swifter against the ferocity of the attackers, and none leaped so high into the air like a lake frog. All the lessons he had learned were about to be put to the test. Moyo was bigger than him, but he was small compared to the horde of fighters around them. So, little Tarzan fell back and giant Moyo pursued.

The White Ape's agile body wormed its way far into the mass of struggling, rending apes to lure his enemy into following him and display his strength before the Troop. At his side hung the wooden fang in a sheath self-fashioned in a grassy copy of the skin layer he always had covering the lower part of his abdomen. He fooled Moyo into thinking he was going left but he took the right path, putting a barrier of gorillas between him and the Bolgani. Moyo's head swiveled as he kept track of the hairless ape, spying on Tarzan as the boy emerged from the clawing, pushing throng with that makeshift pouch attached firmly to his body. But his target saw him quicker and, divining what the great beast would do, he leaped nimbly into the brawling mass, hoping to hide himself among them. Moyo, however, was close upon his heels, so that he had no opportunity to seek a place of concealment.

Swiftly, Tarzan sped toward the middle of the melee, each bound putting greater distance between him and Moyo. The other fighters paid little mind to him, those who did quickly switched their attention back to more impressive opponents. Moyo roared as he grabbed a boulder and lifted it over his head; a clear display of intimidation to any who came forth to stand in his way. Perched on the pinnacle of the forest's lofty monarchs, the Silverbacks were also on the alert for the strongest, fiercest, and toughest Black Backs in this year's batch. Moyo's horrifying screams and roars showed he intended to outdo all others. So, he rushed into the thick of battle. The great bulls in the center of the arena felt the mighty fists of their mighty fellow and, in a couple of minutes, they found themselves melting into the black shadows of the overhanging forest where Moyo tossed them.

As Tarzan wriggled out from beneath the shrinking mass, he clutched his weapon close to his chest. This one he had fashioned himself, its end blunt like the clubs of the Ugani, but more compact in its size. It wouldn't last in a clash against its peers but the youth knew how to use it in a fight.

Right on cue, he saw the Bolgani was gaining on him.

By instinct, he leaped into the air to grasp a low-hanging branch almost over the head of Moyo, so nearly had he distanced him. As Tarzan expected, there soon was a rending, tearing sound, the thin branch broke and he dropped upon the gorilla's head with the rapidity of a falling stone, knocking him to the ground. Having never worn shoes, Tarzan's feet were almost as hard as horns. Both apes were up in an instant but. as quick as they had been, Tarzan had been quicker so that the infuriated bull found himself facing the man's club which stood between him and total victory.

There was no one left in the amphitheater but the two males.

"Oh boy." Timon gulped in worry for his godson.

"Keep down, Timon," Kala, doing a better job hiding her own concern, spoke from beside him and Pumbaa. "Kerchak's going to announce the last fight."

"We follow the rules of our ancestors." Rising his voice, the Chief Silverback pointed at the great monarch opposing the one he and his fellow Silverbacks were currently on. "The combatants will climb into the tree; the first one out of combat, to touch the ground, or tap out loses, and the one remaining in the tree is the Champion." He looked between the two apes left standing. "Tarzan. Moyo. Take your positions."

Moyo made his way up the trunk while Tarzan opted to use the tree's vines to reach its crown.

"May the best ape win... that's Tarzan by the way," Terk called out in the crowd.

The bulls had proved themselves. They all had made it past the rite... but there could only be one winner.

Once they had positioned themselves in the branches across from one another, both fighters met face-to-face without wavering under the other's gaze. Had Tarzan been a full-grown bull ape of the species of his Troop he would have been more than a match for the Bolgani, but being only a young man, though well in shape for such, he stood no chance against his opponent. His muscles, though, were the final product of years of training alongside some of the fiercest warriors of the jungle. He knew no fear, not since his battles against the red dogs in his youth. But his heart beat faster from the excitement and exhilaration of adventure. When the opportunity presented itself he evaded his adversaries, but solely because his judgment told him he was no match for the great apes which confronted him. And since reason showed him that a successful flight was impossible at the moment, he met the gorilla squarely and bravely without a tremor of a single muscle or any sign of panic.

'ROAR"

Kerchak's thunderous roar cued Tarzan and Moyo into a headlong rush.

The White Ape met the Great Ape midway in its charge, striking its huge body with his closed fists as futilely as if he were a fly attacking an elephant. Moyo, striking and biting, closed upon him. The gorilla, fighting after the manner of its kind, sent terrific blows with its clenched hand, and snapped his mighty tusks at Tarzan of the Mangani. For a moment, they rolled upon the branches in the fierce frenzy of combat before separating and engaging each other in an almost blurry exchange of fists. The man was no match to a wrestling gorilla, that couldn't be helped. But this jungle man knew how to weave.

"Give it to him, kid!" Baloo stood on his feet, hoping to get Tarzan to hear him. "Jab with your left! Then swing with your right, and then-"

"Ha-ha!" Moyo cackled at the ursine. "Yes, keep shouting what he's gonna do next!"

Baloo promptly shut himself up.

Moyo roared in Tarzan's face. Pumbaa and Timon covered their eyes as Kerchak maintained his gaze upon the two mismatched primates.

Then, with a single bound, Moyo dived straight toward the white-skinned ape. Nothing could have suited the skinny beast better. Tarzan's legs suddenly sprung, allowing him to leap right over the Bolgani's head. Although the latter's fangs came pretty close to the former's nut-brown flesh. Moyo swiveled his body and went for the white ape, Tarzan faced him head-on once again. A near-hairless, muscular hand shot out and grasped a hairy forearm, and another clasped the gorilla's hand just before two broad chests slammed together like the battle crowns of two great bucks. Supporting himself on the ape's grasp, Tarzan rotated his body to deliver a powerful kick to Moyo's face, blindsiding the gorilla before knocking him off his feet with a round kick from down below. The Bolgani fell a few levels but regained his grip on the tree before he could fall to the amphitheater. Seeing him returning to the higher branches, Tarzan moved to intercept his opponent. But Moyo was quick to crush the bough he was standing on with a single blow.

Down below with the crowd and further into the surrounding grove, the young man's family gasped.

Thinking fast, Tarzan wrapped himself around the falling branch and aimed it toward the ground. When the oversized stick hit the drum, the pointy end impaled itself into a hole in the earthen ground.

"Can he do that?" One of the Silverbacks quirked an eyebrow.

"Somebody better check the rules," Sokwe remarked in his usual good humor as he saw Tarzan immediately jump back to the trunk, ready to continue his fight.

"Come on, Hairless Wonder!" cheered Timon. "You can do it, beat him up good!"

"Tarzan! Tarzan! He's our Man! He can do it. Yes, he can!" Pumbaa chanted.

Tarzan bared his fang and, soon, he and Moyo were at it again. Each and every branch the white ape sprung to evade the Bolgani's strikes was broken apart by the latter's powerful punches. Like lightning, Moyo's blows fell and didn't cease even as he felt the wood crumple beneath him. Tarzan was running circles around his opponent, attacking when he least expected before nimbly gliding through the spaces between the branches to elude the giant. Moyo saw what he was doing. He couldn't do what he was doing, but he could make sure he would run out of escape routes sooner or later.

"Sure looks like there's a gorilla inside of him," Simba smirked as he watched his brother dominate the fight. Even if the young man was visibly on the defensive, the lion knew better from all the lessons they had together. His brother was waiting for an opening. "Tarzan is the treetop tag master."

After a few more moments playing a quite intense game of tag, Tarzan took a moment to ask: "Had enough?"

Moyo certainly had enough. His fists grew tired from crushing wood while he panted heavily to catch his breath. He was leaning on the trunk to support himself by now. Nevertheless, he managed one last pounce.

Tarzan pulled back a heavy bough and let it go once Moyo got right on his face, the branch recoiled into position and hit the gorilla full-force. Recovering surprisingly fast, Moyo also broke that wooden limb with a punch, to which Tarzan responded by propelling over the gorilla's stretched arm and sending the heavy end of his club straight to the Bolgani's noggin. As Moyo's now limp body rolled to the tree's section where its trunk spread into branches, Tarzan placed his foot upon the back of his downed opponent and, raising his eyes to the full moon as he beat his chest, threw his head up and voiced the wild and terrible cry of his own creation.

"YAAH! YAAH! YAAH!"

It took all of his family's combined willpower not to deadpan or roll their eyes at that.

Yeah, he still had a lot to learn.

One by one the just emancipated juveniles emerged from around the drum and climbed back into the flat rocky formation in a great assembly. Once the latter had snapped out of his slumber, Tarzan and Moyo swung down from their arboreal fighting ring and found their seats directly in the front ranks. All in the crowd had their attention on Tarzan and the newly-marked Black Backs. When they had all come, the youths turned toward the Silverbacks.

Kerchak stood tall above them.

"Look well, Ugani." He commanded. "You are about to embark on a great journey. Starting today, you are all warriors of the Troop. You have come a long way. It is now time for you to make your own path and take responsibility for yourselves. When each of you has come of age, your backs will reveal our mark. They are a proud sign of your growth. But to truly deserve it, you must never forget the Law of the Green Mother... as old and as true as the sky. The one that keeps it may prosper... but the one that breaks it will die. It's one of the Laws of the Jungle; many and mighty are they: but the head and the hoof of the Law and the haunch and the hump is - Obey. For like the creeper that girdles the tree trunk... the Law runneth over and back."

He swooped down to address his new brothers-in-arms. Moving and circling them, sometimes bounding on his next step as he hollered; he wanted their attention and he had it.

"Let me hear the Law!" Kerchak commanded in front of the gathered group as he rose to his feet, standing so huge that he towered over the entire batch of new Black Backs.

Looking full into the sharp, yellow eyes of the Chief Silverback, a young man stood tall, puffed up his chest, clenched his fists, banged them against his upper half, and unleashed the cry of the bull ape. His peers did the same. Tarzan found himself trying his best so his shrill yet triumphant cry could be heard.

"APES ALONE WEAK. APES TOGETHER STRONG!" The Black Backs recited in high energy and the rest of their troopmates followed suit. From the Silverbacks to the senior Black Backs, from the mothers to the children sitting on their laps, all lent their voices to the chant. Cries of joy and reverence echoed across the amphitheater as Tarzan raised his chin.

Against the odds, the man-cub prevailed. In his place, emerges a Black Back ape.

"Let the protection of our home guide you through your lives."

Done that, the return of the drumbeats announced the beginning of the Ugani's celebration. As the noise and rapidity of the rumbling increase, the dancers are swept up in the excitement of their frenzied rhythm and hollering chants. Their leaps and bounds increased and their fangs proudly bared. Occasionally, the Golden Lion would raise his thunderous roar in answer to a challenge in the din of the great apes, but neither he nor Bagheera (who held an aversion towards loud cacophonies such as these) came near to interrupt, for they had a deep respect for their jungle neighbors and just the sight of their victorious, hairless friend amongst the dancers filled their chests with joy. Tarzan, for his part, danced with a puffed chest and so considerable swagger that he quite impressed most of his Black Backs peers, while his family danced for joy and pride. In a short time, he went to join them so they all could dance together. There was food too. Cabbage palm and gray plum, pisang, and scitamineae which was found in abundance in these parts, with wild pineapple, and plenty of insects gathered from the hives and nests scattered along the gorillas' territory. The nuts they cracked between their powerful jaws, or, if too hard, broke by pounding between stones. A banquet fit for the finale of their revel.

Tarzan of the Great Troop lived his days after the ceremony with little change, only that he grew stronger and wiser as he learned more and more about the matted forest he called home. Even so, life was never monotonous or stale. Although he usually followed what few rules his guardians set for him and Simba, the young man became a bit of a rebel after he reached what men would call adolescence. Keeping up with his old youngling routine, he would wake up early so he could sneak away from the watchful eyes of his guardians. The Great Apes were astir in the morning; moving through the Wakalu's surroundings in search of food, they scattered by ones, twos, and threes in all directions, but ever within earshot of a signal of alarm. Be it up or downriver, few intruders dared to trespass into the jungles where Tarzan's family roamed, and fewer stayed after proving themselves to be ill-intentioned. Thus, much of the local area was free for the pinkish ape to walk by in solitude if he so wished.

But, more often than not, he preferred to make something of his free time.

Leaping from one tree to the other, Tarzan wandered far into the dense, forested mazes to the west. Stopping momentarily, he surveyed the trees in the area until he found just the one he was looking for. That one with a slender branch was just what he needed. He lurched himself to the side and grabbed the tree's appendage right on the perfect section to break it off. This was a tough branch, he soon realized, it barely bulged even as he used all his body weight to pull the thing down. In hopes of applying more force, he fully wrapped his limbs around the branch and started shaking vigorously.

'CREAK'

His plan worked, the branch came down... with him latched to it.

A fraction of a second was just what he needed to push the limb away, get ahold of a nearby vine, and swing across the verdant grove. The rushing feeling of the wind on his face coupled with the soaring view he was getting from this tiny portion of his jungle home rendered the white ape so mesmerized he didn't even notice where he was going.

"Watch out for that tree!"

Simba's surprise warning was too late.

'THUMP' "OW!" 'THUMP'

After crashing face-first into another tree's trunk, he lands on a bush. Getting back to his feet, Tarzan massages his bruised back.

"My back... my back!"

Right next to him, the Golden Lion was wearing a pouch made of grass around his neck, carrying some coconuts. "Can we offer a drink for the dashing Black Back?" Simba smirked at his blood brother. "Enough playing on the branches, come and enjoy a nice juicy coconut instead."

Tarzan ignored his teasing tone as he came to join the big cat. "How did you know I was here?"

"That bare skin of yours reveals you every time," Simba replied, bopping his head so his neck was free from the pouch and its contents were now on the floor. "No wonder they call you 'Tarzan': the great and hairless pale-skinned ape."

"Maybe I'd hide better if I took your mane and wore it for myself, brother," Tarzan remarked with a smirk of his own while the lion curled himself by a tree's shade.

"It would be too big for you, little man." Simba yawned widely and gestured at the assortment of coconuts. "Pass me one from the pile, please. They are so far away."

The Black Back did a headshake at his antics. "I swear, if you get any lazier, the jungle will turn you into grass by mistake."

"But my privilege has its cost, brother." The maned feline elaborated once he took the coconut offered to him: "I have to think for many, for the Great Circle binds us all."

"And I'm sure having Bagheera and Baloo around certainly helps with that." Tarzan rolled his eyes in a manner not too different from said panther's before drinking from his fruit.

"Speaking of, don't you think our teacher will have something to say when he sees you're up to your tricks again?" Simba asked, taking notice of the sharp stone fang his brother dropped on the brush during the fall, the same one he always brought along to make his stuff. "Seriously, you're gonna carve another fang already?"

The now-emancipated juvenile raised a finger for the lion to wait since his mouth was full. After swallowing the coconut's juicy contents, he spoke out: "This time, I wanna make a nest all of my own. One I can always have just for myself. Now that I am a full-fledged Black Back, it's time for me to strike out into the world."

"By making an Ape Den?" Simba uttered gobsmacked, coming up with the term on the spot. "You men really have a talent for making things more complicated than they have to be." He stretched his limbs in place, still lying on his back. "You don't need a fancy place to sleep; just get yourself comfortable and close your eyes. It's not like we have anything to hide inside from, anyway."

"Yeah, but is so much better in a place protected from the wind and storms, and even from tigers," Tarzan responded.

"Like the ones we already have?"

"Well, I still want to make my lair." Having made up his mind, the young man put down his drink and prepared to go back to his work.

Simba couldn't resist rolling his eyes. "Whatever you say, T."

Being a beast that had little to think of except things to eat and search for the bare necessities of life in the jungle, Simba had difficulty understanding his brother's apparently innate creative drive. Throughout the years, Tarzan had found he could do a whole lot of things with his hands, his mind, and whatever he could find around their home. What kind of things? Bagheera would never let them find out if it was up to him, but certainly more than sleeping and eating like his lion brother. But although he would rather do something less tiring, Simba would often find himself lending assistance to the naked ape, whose tricks he made with such care it was hard to not feel at least some curiosity. Even if he sometimes looked ready to play with his sticks all day long.

So, they started taking apart boughs and shrubs alike. The juvenile would carefully choose from where they would get the pieces of wood and then they would transport it to the grainy side of the local terrace, where the real work would start. While Tarzan's grasp was still better than Simba's thanks to those thumbs he had, the lion's claws and bigger muscles gave him a stronger grip overall, especially useful when they began to reassemble the larger logs. As soon as the brothers were done cutting off vines with their claws and fangs, Tarzan interlaced and twisted them together to make strong ropes to hold up the den. First, they dug the ground to erect the biggest logs, which would become the support beams for the hut. More pieces were tied to the main ones to increase durability. And, for the finishing touches, the entire thing was covered with grass and brush.

"All finished," The White Ape declared proudly whilst dusting off his hands.

"Whew, finally." Simba yawned in relief, then he turned to get a good look at their work. This 'Ape Den' far more resembled a giant bush growing on the hillside than an actual lair. Not particularly impressive in size either, if one didn't know it was built from the ground up to be the nest for an ape. "Looks solid enough." He admitted only to then tilt his head when he realized something: "I think I saw something like this before in the city of the Bandar-log. I think they call it a house."

"This is something I had in mind for a while," Tarzan said, wiping off some sweat as he brought along some coconuts so they could refresh themselves. "I remembered the logs hoisted up the walls of their dens. Pretty sturdy."

Simba chuckled. "The guys gotta see this."

Later...

Timon and Pumbaa are peeking inside the makeshift shelter. The meerkat shifts his head to address his hairless godson behind them.

"Mind if I take a look inside?" Timon strides into the lair at Tarzan's nod, checking this strange cave built by his wards. At the far end, he spotted a litter of dry grasses put there to serve as beds and bedding for the jungle man. "Seems cozy. Mind if I crash in here from time to time, Hairless Wonder?"

"Oh no, Timon! You will hog the best spot for yourself." Pumbaa protested, following after the mongoose. "Besides, Tarzan is a grown ape. He needs his privacy."

"Boy, Baggy's gonna flip out when he sees this." Baloo crouched down in order to enter. The den's interior seemed to get quite the impression from him as well. "Whoa, and the look on Louie's face would be hysterical." His attention turned to his roommates' bickering by the bedside. "That looks like a pretty good bed too, mind if I give it a try?"

Baloo stood upright on his rear legs and hit his head on the 'ceiling' as a result. The lair provided the guests with very little room to move around, it wasn't long until Pumbaa hit the sidewall by accident, causing the entire structure to shake like a tree branch on a windy day.

"Guys, be careful," Simba warned from outside. "This lair took us a long time to build."

"Don't worry, Sonny Boy." Answered Timon. "We're only warming it up for-"

That was when the whole thing came down on top of them.

The morning sky was as deep and blue as ever; filled with plump clouds ready to form into imaginary shapes by a child's discerning eye.

A craggy-looking fellow drifts ahead of his flock; their homeliness belies their grace in flight as they hang motionless on an updraft before swooping back and forth in midair.

Peering down at the vast plains stretching out, spotted like a painted dog's hide from the shadows of the clouds above, they saw the scattered clumps of jungle trees along the pounded pastures. The fields were crisscrossed with tracks formed by the hooves of the countless herds that visited the Bukuvu, leading away to the delta of the River of Patience.

The leader directs the rest of the flock over to the lazy coils of the Waingunga River, where the rapids flashed silver and the trees growing around the banks gave way to marshy headwaters. They dive down, folding their wings and gaining speed until the canopy below is a green blur, their eyes watering from the whirring wind. They level off and zoom over a dark marsh. Slowing to a halt, the vultures came before their Khan on a hidden bough.

"We are safe, my lord. They don't even know we are here." Mzingo briefed.

Shere Khan's stern visage changes into a sinister grin. "Perfect."

It was time to hunt.

A/N: It is time.

Chapter Text

Two Brothers Under the Sun

Chapter – XXIV

The Mighty Hunters

Hakuna Matata Falls, northern Bukuvu

Despite their intimidating appearance, the Ugani aren't a quarrelsome bunch. And in the lush, verdant jungles of the Bukuvu neighbors had little to wage war over one another. But even so, unwelcome visitors would pop up from time to time. Small gangs of troublemakers, most often made up of carnivorous poachers, crept out in raiding parties across the borderlands with a penchant for causing trouble, thus evoking retribution from the likes of the Great Troop. Whenever Kerchak or another Silverback would rally some of the Black Backs to defend their territory from raiders, Tarzan would gladly take his place amongst the volunteers.

Usually, one clash with the powerful primates would suffice to send the enemy running back to where they came from. Brute force alone carried the gorillas through many battles. Although Mashindanos weren't prevalent, mock duels were quite frequent in the domain of the Great Apes, allowing them to retain their peak physical prowess even in the most peaceful of times. These sporadic skirmishes also worked well to keep the brothers alert and hone their skills. But while they had acquired a fair share of experience from fighting off ragtag groups of marauders, it had been years since they had to deal with a large warband such as the Dhole Clan.

Yet, deep down, their mentors knew this peace was but a flitter of a pause to the war against the tigers.

The Dirisha has long stood as a barrier between the northern lands and Shere Khan's realm. Even so, the Khanate could not be kept in check by a mere river; thus Colonel Hathi and his allies were always looking out for incursions from the south. A vast network of rotational patrols was always present to scout for any hostile activity past the northern banks.

Today was the Troop's turn to provide the scouts for the frontier. About a dozen able-bodied apes should do. So Kerchak assembled the Black Backs to pick out the best for the job. Besides the Colonel, it was likely that no one else was more concerned with the defense of the borders than him.

Naturally, Tarzan stepped forth. He grew up on these lands and knew everything there was to know about them, from their trails to landmarks to forested patches. Soon, he joined up with Bagheera to find the last member of their little patrol.

'SNORE'

Lying around on top of a flat rock, Simba was sound asleep. A majestic and powerful beast of the jungle enjoying the morning sun. Rugged. Strong. Daring. His dauntless fortitude made him one of the most feared and respected creatures on this side of the river.

Tarzan tugged his eyelid.

'SNAP'

"Hey!" protested the sleepy cat while blinking awake.

"Rub that sleep out of your eyes." Bagheera adverted from beside the hairless ape. "We have got a long walk ahead of us."

Simba yawned lazily, his morning face lingering until two tiny pebbles fell off his ears. "Sorry, what was that?"

The panther lowered his head to get a better look at the minuscule things apparently responsible for keeping his godson from hearing their previous wake-up calls. "What is this?"

"I use those to plug my ears whenever I am relaxing," Simba said, raising his head. "You know how loud it gets out here. It's like a jungle."

Bagheera did a facepalm of epic proportions. Meanwhile, the brothers opted to start the morning with their secret handshake... which they got from Baloo.

They bumped shoulders. "Shoulder Bump!"

Collided hips. "Rump Thump!"

Tarzan slammed his hands on Simba's extended paws. "Arm Slam!"

They swapped hips and bumped them again. "Hip Bam!"

Finally, the Simba put his brother in a headlock and rubbed his knuckle on his head. "Noogie, noogie, noogie." chortled the lion whilst Tarzan snickered before grabbing hold of his neck and pulling him over his shoulder, rolling them both into a wrestling ball. Bagheera casually stepped out of their way.

After a hefty meal, they set out. The group of two novices and one seasoned veteran set off through the wooded trails toward the river shore. Once at a strategic point along the frontier, they spread out to cover the immediate area. Their watchful eyes never drifted too far from the north lands, ever vigilant for any signs of danger; often indicated by clouds of birds taking flight across the tree line or a sudden agitation in the perpetual rustling of the leaves.

As they checked the elephant paths and the nearby fords, the brothers' boredom was their greatest enemy more than anything else. Their favorite outlet was taking strolls around the jungle, enjoying the sights, coming across friendly neighbors and some new faces to talk to, and sometimes foraging for a good snack before mealtime. Occasionally, they would help deter some ill-meaning trespassers and lawbreakers. Much better than simply watching the grass grow.

Any major issues would be reported to the nearest detachment of the Jungle Patrol... like that was ever gonna happen. Long gone were the days when Shere Khan could freely send his hunting parties across the River of Patience.

Bagheeras was directly responsible for one sector of the border and had received some reports of unrest in the western region from the Colonel's bird scouts he wanted to verify. Having hunted in those lands for many Seasons, the trio knew these parts rather well. They also knew which jungle folk they were likely to find and the landmarks scattered across the territory. This knowledge guided the panther as he planned their route. Even so, this region has seen quite an increase in hostile activity over the last few years, for many coveted the green pastures of the Bukuvu. Caution was always required when walking through the jungle, but doubly so around here.

They scout the nearby land bridges; specifically, they are to sniff out potential trespassers who managed to sneak in by the flooded Waingunga. What fords hadn't been washed away by the last rains had changed position entirely. Still, Bagheera made sure to check the last fording points that had been there previously. As always, he wanted to make sure nothing was amiss. Pressing on, the group kept their eyes and ears open for any signs of danger. Climbing up trees, they got a clear view of their surroundings while also allowing them to scour the opposing shores for signs of an enemy presence.

Bagheera had hunted in those woods for many years and had shared his wisdom with the brothers since they were cubs. It was hard to imagine there was a creature who knew their way on the treetops better than them. Simba in particular loved better than anything else to go with Bagheera into the dark warm heart of the eastern forest, sleep all through the drowsy day, and join the panther during his hunts at night. Bagheera killed right and left as he felt hungry, and so did Simba—with one exception: pork.

"All my ranges are your ranges," said Bagheera the day the lion had grown big enough to finally hunt all by himself, "and you can eat everything that you are strong enough to kill, but for the sake of the hog that reared ya, you must never kill or eat any swine young or old. As your godfather, Pumbaa deserves such courtesy." Simba obeyed faithfully out of love for his friend as well as a general lack of interest in hunting pigs.

As the brothers searched the area, tracks were found... big feline tracks.

"Looks familiar?" Tarzan asked after gesturing at the shapes printed on the wet mud.

"Nah, there was two of them," Simba responded. "And I know I haven't been here with Baggy lately."

Yet the footprints along the underbrush appeared to have been left by a large cat. Fresh signs too. Simba approached, eyes flickering as he looked around the bushes for more clues, the young man tailing after him while doing the same. Their investigation proceeded with caution. An inspection of the nearby grounds reveals a path headed northwards. More tracks along the way confirmed the presence of a pair of mysterious cats who had entered the grazing plains; nothing they couldn't handle. Even so, the duo makes haste. Tarzan straddled on the lion's back once they ventured into the grassland.

Once they crossed Makuu's path, the croc sent them scurrying to the further edges of the pond, for if he respected their ferocity and their sharp fangs, they on their part held his float's numbers and mighty jaws in equal esteem.

The brothers hear thumping hooves, faint against the rustling of the leaves. They turn and hear another sound, one that fills their eyes with fury.

"The Silent Sisters," Simba growled, almost snarling.

"Nuru and Sheeta." Tarzan bit his lip.

Strong and fast across the grass, the lion carried his sworn brother on the back toward the source of the sound: two deadly and dangerous panthers with a taste for men's flash. The day the brothers met them they didn't get a wink of sleep thanks to the sisters's harrowing snarls echoing inside their heads that night. The same ones that were currently coming from the pond in the woods where the antelope sup.

The kongoni belled once, twice, and again. His does leap up as they bayed on his track, their light feet barely leaving a mark on the jungle ground. The panther gains on the buck, closer, chasing him and his herd by the crest of a low ridge. Backed into a dead end, the male turns only to be set upon by the pursuers.

'ROAR'

A powerful roar shattered the air. The sisters ceased their onslaught to look up.

Atop the plateau by the river's shore stood two maned brothers. One was a predator while the other could turn into one if he so wished. The golden lion's roar echoed alongside the bull ape's cry across the canyon. They both dived from the drop-off.

As the big cat descended from the slope by clawing into the rugged rock wall, the hairless Black Back shuffled swiftly atop the vines bridging both sides of the ravine. Tarzan came upon Nuru's back, wrapping the pole of his spear around her neck and pulling to make her choke. Flailing her claws wildly, the female tried to force herself out of the man's grip, only for the latter to throw her over his shoulders and into the nearby stream. Simba stirred some loose stones on his way down the cleft; Sheeta was soon buried under the rockslide. At that moment, the antelopes were broken out of their frightened spell, though they still watched everything in breathless fear. Then, the brothers turned to come face to face with them.

"Head for the Falls, hurry!" Tarzan yelled.

The kongoni didn't have to be told twice; bolting en mass, they left the duo. They had a herd to put back together.

Tarzan's eyes catch movement on the edge of his field of vision. He skillfully ducks down to avoid the leaping leopardess. Turning around to face him, Nuru snarled and fully opened her gaping mouth full of teeth. Tarzan raises his spear while pointing the sharpened rock tip directly at her. Simba was about to assist him but was blindsided when Sheeta suddenly surged out of the stone pile and tackled him from behind, initiating a wrestling roll with the lion. The panther's fangs snapped at the neck of the ex-prince, despite the huge amount of auburn hair protectively enveloped around it. Simba, who was no stranger to this type of hold, was able to shift his body in order to apply pressure on the lawbreaker's arms, keeping them at bay while also tempting her to let go of him. Seeing her sister and the pinkish ape had inadvertently moved their duel closer to them, Sheeta attempted to make a mad dash to attack a distracted Tarzan. However, she hadn't considered the lion's powerful legs. The Golden Brother sprung at the panther and swiped her to the side. In a flash, Sheeta got back on her feet to growl murderously at Simba, who was all too happy to respond in kind. Nuru bounded towards Tarzan. Spinning his weapon, the naked Mangani deflected her attacks and then made his opponent give ground once he started his counterattack.

The two sisters disengage and rout, with Simba roaring after them. Tarzan yells in solidarity.

The White Ape came over to the downed buck. "It's okay, they are gone now..."

His voice failed once his eyes fell upon the poor buck, who just wanted to stand up a tree even though he looked already half dead from the injuries the panthers had given him. His voice came out in a wheezing of pain, but Tarzan could still make out what he was trying to say: "I don't want to go." The fighter was scared for he knew he was about to die. All Tarzan could do was look back into his sad eyes as his sobbing grew weaker and weaker... until he stopped and tumbled to the ground. Just like that, the eyes staring at the Black Back turned dull and lifeless.

Not once the youth glanced away, for he wanted to make sure his mind would never forget this moment.

"I'm sorry." Said Tarzan, moving around the body before crouching down to gently hold the kongoni's head. "This is our war and you were caught in the middle of it. We couldn't save you. We can only bring worth to your sacrifice and stop those two before they kill anyone else."

Simba, solemnly, rested a paw on the deceased antelope and bowed in respect. "I thank the antelope for their sacrifice. I shall return the gift once my body returns to the earth."

Concluding his speech, the lion gobbled down a great quantity of the carcass, burying the rest next to the trail where the buck had fallen so he could find it upon his return. Tarzan of the Great Troop couldn't bear staring at his brother while the latter was feasting.

The White Ape felt a hollow emptiness inside whenever he saw the spoils of his godfather and brother's hunts. The ethics of all the beasts in the jungle meted a quick and merciful death to their victims. Even so, a living creature was gone. Nothing more than a meal for those who slay it. Many moons ago, when he asked why things had to be this way, his brother merely stated:

"Well, nature didn't leave us much of a choice."

But it was Bagheera's answer that still echoed inside Tarzan's mind and always overtook his thoughts when he saw the hard and unyielding look on the panther's face after every hunt:

"That's the Way of the Great Circle."

The pinkish primate had difficulty accepting this reasoning.

This kongoni was innocent and, like all the others in his herd, part of the jungle and thus connected to all others in the Great Circle of Life. Their deaths were tragedies, not triumphs.

"You should cool yourself off, Bagheera, instead of lazing around all day," Simba remarked as he swam in the lake, relaxing in the calm watery flow while his godfather and brother stayed on land.

"Lazing is how I replenish my strength after a long hunt, or haven't you learned that after all these years?" The panther responded without finding the need to leave the cooling shroud of the trees he was standing under to protect himself from the blistering sun. Pausing for a moment to enjoy the west wind on his fur, the ebony cat couldn't help but chortle when he saw his protegé had quickly changed his tune and decided to join him in the shade. "There now, isn't that better?"

Simba inhaled blissfully. "Ah, perfect."

'SWOOSH'

Something small cut the air. Simba paid no mind to the noise but Bagheera did. Gazing toward his oldest student, the black pelt leopard took notice of his godson's new plaything.

Tarzan, who had kept to himself since the altercation with the assassins, was now occupying himself by throwing a flat, wooden stick with a curved shape far across the thinly forested clearing. Once it had landed, he would go over to catch the flying club only to throw it again.

Bagheera, who had eyes and ears everywhere, knew something of this.

"Another club?" He asked, moving to sit by his side.

"Well, not really." His protegé admitted offhandedly. "I had some wood left from the last one so I decided to do something with it."

Bagheera critically eyed the small tool in Tarzan's hand. "Not sure it will be very useful in a fight."

Tarzan shrugged. "Yeah, it's not very heavy or sharp. And very easy to lose in the forest."

"I can imagine." The teacher nodded before dropping: "I have found many of those lying around the Wakalu's border."

Tarzan blinked, then stiffened.

Bagheera shoots an exasperated frown at him. "How many times have I told you to stop with those tricks of yours?"

"...As many times as there are nuts on that palm," pointed a now sheepish Tarzan, who, indeed, could not count all of them.

"Of all the nonsense..." muttered Bagheera under his breath; and then aloud: "Tarzan, you are now a grown ape, you can't play with sticks like a Man-Cub any longer. And you mustn't break the first Law of the Jungle: all must live as the Circle of Life intended them to. The only fangs that fly are those of the bats."

"But what if there is more to it than that?" The pupil went on. "A purpose to life besides sleeping and eating."

"Our purpose is to follow and uphold the Will of the Great Circle. Nothing is more important than that." An unease breath finished the feline's sentence. Those crazy ideas his disciple was having scared him.

But the young man was undeterred, for that pang in his heart was still there. "Well, I think the Law of the Great Circle is a very sad Law. I mean, animals like Timon and Pumbaa were born just to be chased down by predators."

"That's how life is." The predator bluntly stated. "Survival of the fittest; only the clever and strong will carry on while those who can't keep up will inevitably perish. That's how it's always been, Tarzan, we can't change it."

"But that's not fair. Living like that, in fear... sounds pretty sad." Tarzan'gaze shifted between the ground and the horizon.

"Maybe so." His teacher couldn't help but agree, even while trying to dissuade his godson's thoughts. "But that's how we animals have lived since the sun first rose in the sky."

"Well, why can't it be like our family?" pondered the ape, turning to his mentor. "The weak and the strong living together in peace?"

"Our case is an exception. You would be surprised at the number of neighbors you would have if Simba and I were to stop eating meat." Bagheera spoke plainly and with a withering look on his face: "Everyone and everything exists in nature's delicate balance. No one can truly change how things are in the Great Circle of Life; I can't live as a vegetarian anymore than you can sprout horns." He glanced momentarily at the lion still stuck in a state of relaxation, "Simba and I are guardians of the hunt, we cannot show favoritism all the time. And you are a Black Back, as such you must obey the law that all apes obey: The Law of the Jungle."

Without ever raising his tone, the panther's voice still rumbled like thunder on a hot night.

Tarzan said nothing in rebuttal, merely nodding in silence after a moment or two. "Yes, Bagheera."

"That boy..." The panther shook his head as the youth left to fetch his curved stick one last time. "Must he and I go through this one thousand more times?"

"I thought you said he wasn't a cub anymore." observed the maned cat, who was now sunning his belly as he laid on his back. "If you don't wanna repeat this, just don't."

"He is better off being scolded by me than harming himself through his ignorance,"

"Don't ya think you're being a bit of a worrywart, Baggy?" Simba rolled over so they could talk face-to-face. "I am confident Tarzan will be fine with those stick tools of his."

"...Stick tools?"

Simba's mouth faltered involuntarily into a tight pucker. Too little too late; his teacher's pointed eyes were bearing down upon him.

"Where were you this morning, Simba?" demanded Bagheera.

One embarrassed gulp later, the golden brother answered. "Well, you know... just having a little fun. I mean, you should try it. It starts with a smile, then slowly builds and-"

"You have been hanging with the Bandar-log," deduced the old feline in a flat tone.

"Well, I-"

"No, I don't wanna know..." Bagheera snapped his head away, only to shift an expectantly gaze back at him. "...was it the Bandar-log?"

"Here's-"

"No, don't! I don't wanna know." This time, he stood his ground. "I thought I warned you about associating with those rascals."

"You did, Baggy." Simba sighed, eyes rolling. "I was passing through, then the gray apes came down from the trees and gave me fruits and juices to drink, one thing led to another and... well..."

The older cat maintained his long face.

The maned one responded with clear chagrin. "Okay, if you're trying to groom me to be the all-proper top cat of the north, just give it up. It's not me, Baggy."

"And your shift tonight?"

"I'll be there, Hakuna Matata." Simba clicked his tongue. Do this, do that, don't do this, don't do that. When his mentor started, Simba knew it was only a matter of time before his head started spinning around. Thus, he took the chance to get up and leave to join his brother further ahead.

"Simba, you're gonna have to grow up one day," Bagheera stated with utmost seriousness. "You'll never be happy if you spend all your time goofing off."

"No? Just watch me." With that, the free-spirited youth took to his feet and bounded off. Leaving his godfather to wonder when he was ever going to act his age.

Bagheera guided their hunt for the man-eaters. Nuru and Sheeta knew to keep themselves undetected on this side of the river. Feces were buried in wide holes to conceal their scent, urine dispersed into the river current, bloody mouths and claws washed after hunting, switching from one trail to another or going through another path entirely so they would not be seen... those two could be incredibly furtive. Worse yet, it seemed Hista had covered them with a strong essence of mashed flowers, concealing their natural smell as well. Knowing they were being followed had only managed to make them warier and tougher to track.

Following the panthers' elusive trail at a steady pace, the trio confirmed the trespassers were going into the marshy lands of the Sarus Swamp—the most likely place for scoundrels to hide; where the stagnant streams wash away one's trail and whatever scent marks the panthers had left would be of no help thanks to the thick and bitter odor of the wetland.

"Come on. Let's finish this while the sun is out." Bagheera told them.

Tarzan stared forward: few trails and gnarled vines, branches, and plants everywhere. "Do we really have to go through the marsh?"

"We must." His mentor declared with pronounced resolve. "It is probably a small group, otherwise they wouldn't manage to keep themselves undetected until now. But anyone who dwells in this range and others for miles around will be endangered, and those two will not hesitate to silence any unfortunate fellow who crosses their way. It is up to us to stop them."

"Don't worry, this place isn't so bad." Simba, carrying a snail by its shell, assured his Bare Brother. "The snails are great."

'SLURP'

Bagheera averted his eyes before he got to see him swallow his slimy treat.

"At least we won't be hungry like them."

Entering through footpaths left to the storms and overgrown by fast-growing bush, they marched across the swamp.

Treading downwind along the shadows in the marsh, they found nothing until Tarzan picked up a broken horn he had stepped on unawares, cluing Simba into finding a dead duiker buried in the mud, likely abandoned by the panthers when they realized they couldn't finish their meal before the group caught up to them. Bagheera could tell it was a fresh kill despite the fact the antelope was covered in mud; which meant the sisters were probably still recovering their strength, assuming they had to chase after the swift and easily-startled bucks of the marshlands. That is to say, not only were they likely still tired but also wouldn't be able to renourish themselves with a good meal.

Bagheera, Tarzan, and Simba take their place on the highest points in the canopy to observe as much as possible of the surrounding area and avoid any potential ambushes from above. After a hunt, the leopard lopes to the tall branches with its prey to eat in peace without being disturbed and where he will not leave a trail. But, with the thousand monkey tribes of the Bandar-log merely a few miles away, the panthers will opt to feast in a rocky ravine instead. Fewer chances of them attracting unwanted attention that way. And Bagheera knew of a cave in the area used occasionally by the younger crocs to sleep through the Dry Season. If they were lucky, the Sisters would have picked the same place. Thus, the trio proceeded to the deepest parts of the swamp: a labyrinth of treacherous gullies and hidden caverns. Bagheera, to this day, always spared a glance back at his godsons to see where they were whenever they went into a dangerous place.

There truly was no better place to hide than the swamp.

"We are getting closer." He could tell, for his sixth sense was sharp after years of patrol. "Stick together so we can cover each other's blind spots. One can never be too careful."

After that, he slunk into the shadows, vanishing under the cover of darkness to look out for any danger. In turn, Tarzan and Simba tuned out the sounds around them so they could pick up any disturbance in the harmony of the marsh.

Mangrove obscured their sight and any spoor was concealed by marshy air, meaning they only could rely on sound to locate their enemies. Then they realized... something was sneaking up on them.

"We are being watched," whispered Tarzan.

"I can see that," Simba replied, just as quietly. "Should we head back?"

"No, they are here. I can feel them watching us and waiting... waiting until we make a move... then they will attack."

With that, the brothers stood perfectly still, like the rocks all around them. The Khan's subjects are near... and their eyes are boring straight into the back of their heads.

Controlling every muscle, the pair fight the instinct to spring out of there. Both of them knew they had to move slowly to face the enemy. Any sudden movement and they would get pounced upon without even getting a chance to deliver a blow against their attackers; Sheeta and Nuru were formidable sprinters. Tarzan grabbed his fang but didn't pull it out of its sheath. The enemy knows that weapon and will not hesitate to pounce when they see the head of the spear. Blood running cold, the brothers finally glanced at the Sisters.

'SNARL'

There it was... that accursed sound coming from the panthers' throats.

Out of nowhere, the huntresses leap off the ridge of the cliff right on top of the two males, fangs baring toward their throats at incredible speed. The brothers, who have had their fair share of close calls with death, steady themselves out of their initial fright. Inch by inch... every muscle and nerve tensing... with their lives on the line... they finally turned.

The sisters smash into them, sending them reeling.

Nuru's heavy body falls down upon the bull ape as her last roar still rings in his ears. As this happens, Sheeta stalks the Golden Brother. Even with the momentum caused by her plunge, Simba managed to parry her attack before tossing his opponent away. Tarzan freed himself from Nuru's grip and engaged the trespasser in a race as she chased after him while he bounced around the rock formations, luring her toward an unstable, pillar-shaped pile of stones that quickly gave in when she suddenly landed on top of it.

Tarzan, who had reached for a vine to escape, didn't count that the huntress would jump on his back to escape her fall, making him lose his grip.

With a sudden cold overtaking his blood, Simba watched as his sworn brother rolled down the barren base of the promontory, seething maneater in tow. Unrelenting, he pounces from above.

Tarzan, legs bending, holds the spear shaft between him and the already recovered Nuru, fighting with all his might so the leopardess won't force him to the floor where she was likely to maul him to pieces. A biting pain and a sudden pull prompt the panther to cease her onslaught. Simba's fangs found their mark on Nuru's tail, causing the huntress to shriek in pain. The bigger cat, as if playing a simple game of tug of war, yanked the poacher away from his brother and spun in circles before hurling her so she would collide with an upcoming Sheeta. Once more, the Silent Sisters rose to charge at the Blood Brothers. In turn, the mismatched pair rolls out, whips around, and downs both of their enemies with a ferocity matched only by a forest fire.

Both sides back off for the briefest of moments. Tarzan pointed upwards to the towering outcrop above them in a discreet manner. Catching on with the plan, Simba followed fast when the Mangani promptly bolted his way up the rocky formation. Sheeta and Nuru pushed forward in pursuit; once they had reached the high ground, they found Simba standing in their way. Smiling, the lion gestured for them to look to the side. Doing that, they immediately spotted Tarzan pressed against a burly tree as he pushed a giant boulder with his uncurling legs. The rock fell upon the ledge, bringing it down along with the panthers to the waters below.

Victorious, Tarzan & Simba gauged their wounds. They will live, with only some cuts to show as mementos from this fight.

"That was good." Tarzan conceded, laughing as if he had just raced a gorilla bird.

"Very good, I would salute you with a curtsy." Simba winked as they started to walk away to meet up with Bagheera, pleased but also tired and eager to go home.

"Your skills are impressive."

They ceased their walk, flinching it to a halt. Someone else was there... whose tone was dark and cold as the Theluji winds. Turning their heads toward the canyon's rim, Tarzan and Simba took notice of a figure looming directly above them. Its body was noticeably that of a feline, although its bulk and muscles could pass for that of a gorilla if not for his bright orange fur covered in stripes. Fangs and claws so sharp as to put Tarzan's work to shame. A wicked and thoroughly menacing look on his face. Chills crawled up the brothers' spines the moment they laid eyes on him. The tiger bounded from the high ground and landed with a loud 'BANG' in front of the duo.

"But they will not save you..."

This beast... they had never seen him, or any tiger for that matter since they never tried their luck across the river... but this one they knew. From tales and warnings they heard throughout most of their lives... yes, they knew him all too well.

"Shere Khan..."

Chapter Text

Two Brothers Under the Sun

Chapter – XXV

Fear the Dreaded One

"My, my, how you've grown. And how much trouble I had to get to you." Shere Khan smiled wickedly at Tarzan, stalking closer before stopping and giving a critical look to the lion beside him. "So the folk tales are true. There is another cat king in the jungle."

To his credit, Simba did a good job at making himself look less terrified than he most certainly was. His voice was still firm but noticeably more soft-spoken: "So you are the Big One, huh?"

"In my life, I have been called many names." Shere Khan declared, a little too similar to the way Bagheera did when lecturing about the facts of jungle life. "Cattle Butcher, The Big One, The Dreaded... but my favorite will always be simply... Khan."

Calm, eloquent, and straightforward. Yeah, just like Bagheera.

"We cast kindred shadows, young lion." He mentioned, from one cat to another. "Don't you see whose side you should be on?"

"I am nothing like you."

"You have no concept of the harm I am capable of, if only because I really hate to waste a life when it can serve me." He shook his head in what seemed to be genuine pity. "It's a shame for us to meet under these circumstances. I would have gladly taken you as a guest in my Khanate." When the tiger hardened his ember eyes, he almost fooled Simba into thinking he was staring straight at his soul. "But, perhaps, we can still help each other. Swear fealty to me and we can protect the jungle together."

The Khan's gaze flickered momentarily to the side.

"You just have to do one thing... kill the Man-Cub."

Simba breathed a snarl of fury. "Back off! You won't take my brother!"

Shere Khan blinked, bent back into a relaxed stance, then snickered sardonically. "Hah-Hah-Hah! A king playing the part of the pet." He stifled, eyes gazing up toward the heavens in disbelief. "It's so funny it is pitiful."

Tarzan showed his gritted teeth, and Simba parroted.

Shere Khan returned to prowling, taking a few steps towards the two. He looked a lot creepier up close, but they didn't cower under his gaze. "There is undoubtedly a fascinating story behind such a sick joke." The brothers grew irritated at those words. "Perhaps I shall let one of you live long enough to tell it."

Tarzan and Simba responded by revealing their fangs.

"Look at you, using man's tool to do your killing." Shere Khan continued with his scorn before realizing the boys still shared a look of determination. "Ah, you two have the guts of youth, I see."

"We are not afraid of you," confirmed Tarzan, refusing to back down as he held his spear close.

"Indeed, I suppose such spirit is deserving of a sporting chance." He sat down before them. "Now, I am going to let you attack first. It makes the fight more interesting if both sides seem to have a chance to win after all." Despite the aloof and well-humored manner in which he spoke, the mocking tongue was visibly there for all to hear.

Nevertheless, the brothers accept his challenge.

Tarzan charged up at him first, thrusting his wooden spike towards the tiger, who swung his claws at the same time, swatting aside each of the hairless ape's stabs. Tarzan spun both ends of his spear in hopes of delivering a lucky strike. Shere Khan crossed his paws around the head of the spear, halting the youth's offensive. The tiger then stood up in two, pulled his opponent closer, and kicked his hind claws at him, causing Tarzan to lose balance when he tried to avoid the attack, thus allowing the Khan to body-slam him with such force he flew back-first into a tree trunk. Simba immediately lunged in front of the bigger cat, looking as though he was about to thrash the tiger into the ground. But Shere Khan was faster. He swiped his claws at the young lion, who jumped out of the way in a split second. But he wasn't fast enough to miss the Khan's next jab aimed at the side of his face. A now blindsided Simba strumbled back before the striped feline bit him on the mane and, relying entirely on the strength of his jaws, tossed him away. Tarzan ran to him, kneeling by his sworn brother as he offered a hand to help him stand up. They glare at the Khan. Both shot forward and closed in on the tiger, who jumped up to avoid them. Tarzan tried to jab the blunt end of his fang at Shere Khan's face, but the latter merely grabbed the bludgeon and snapped at Simba's arm when the maned cat snuck from behind, keeping the pair from ganging up on him long enough so he could force them down to the ground with a powerful assault.

Growling slightly as they readied themselves for another round, the mismatched brothers ran forward. Tarzan was a foot away from the Khan when he jumped up and somersaulted over him. The unlikely Black Back landed behind the tiger and spun around, aiming for his head. But Shere Khan turned and blocked him with his left paw. He quickly crouched under a claw swipe from Simba and swept at his thorax, knocking the lion over. Tarzan kicked up to his head repeatedly. Shere Khan spun around and would have crushed his chest if the juvenile hadn't disengaged at the last possible moment. In a beat, the brothers were on their feet again, blood boiling inside their veins. Simba popped and recoiled his claws on the ground, dragging their sharpness along the rocky floor, and pounced upon Shere Khan, who turned his head in time to miss the incoming razors. Tarzan ran up too and was even able to smack their enemy with his pole.

His attack barely made the tiger budge.

Shere Khan easily leaned out of the path of his next blows. With a feral roar, Simba leaped into the fray, ready to tear their foe to pieces. Shere Khan reacted instantly and darted to the side, causing the lion to sail past him before instantly rolling on his feet at the sight of Tarzan's incoming charge, the Mangani piercing at him wildly only for the Khan to side-step his attacks with little effort.

'ROAR'

Simba unleashed his throat. Shere Khan whipped his head around and was body-tackled by the lion. He grunted on the ground, pinned but not down yet. Simba brought his fangs upon his head but the stripped feline ducked and was able to free his arms to hit his opponent on the sides, forcing the lion away. Tarzan rushed next to thrust his stone blade up at him, but that was easily blocked by the very fangs of the Khan. Backing away with a push-and-pull, the White Ape spun around in a broad, sweeping arc and swung a whack at his noggin. His opponent ducked under in response and aimed a swipe at him. Tarzan's fang had great reach, but it left him wide open. He was barely able to block the huge foreclaw with his spear shaft. In turn, he tried to swing his elbow at the tiger's eyes, but Shere Khan shifted his head so his short yet thick neck could absorb the brunt of the attack. Afterward, his massive arm came into contact with the youth's face, slugging the latter back to his brother's side.

From afar, the tired siblings stared in astonishment as their adversary looked as unfazed by the scruffle as he had been prior to their first assault.

"How's he so fast?"

"I don't know. I was barely able to touch him." Tarzan, trained in the nimble ways of the leopard, had difficulty understanding how such a big beast could move like that.

The brothers were unable to land a single solid hit on the Khan, who had been clearly toying with them all this time. The casual manner in which he dodged their moves made it rather obvious.

Shere Khan chuckled once again, almost like he could hear their thoughts. "Much bark but next to no bite. As foolish as newborn cubs." He returned to addressing the maned youth. "Don't move, young lion. Just watch, and you will see how truly nonsensical all of this is."

Narrowing his eyes, Simba asserted: "We are of one blood, he and I."

This time, his words earned a greater reaction from the tiger... his grin uncurled.

The brothers suddenly started sweating cold. Shere Khan's features changed all of a sudden into an utterly unamused scowl combined with a deep frown. Tranquil fury adorned his facial features, especially that unsettling glare he now had in his eyes. To the pair, it was as if they had suddenly fallen into a pit filled to the brim by a horde of hissing snakes.

"So be it then... you just lost your chance."

'ROAR'

He roars at their defiance, and SPRINTS.

Suppressing a collective gulp, Tarzan and Simba looked up. The Khan brought his arms down, shooting out his claws from each of his huge paws. He dived forward, straight at the pair. In the blink of an eye, he appeared on Simba's face, who saw his teeth gritted in utter rage; a harrowing, haunting vision. Roaring both to answer his enemy and to get his head back in the fight, Simba swung at the tiger with all his strength… but Shere Khan shrugged off his claws with ease as if he were no more than an ill-tempered serval. The lion took a moment too long to attack again, and his adversary didn't give him a chance: Shere Khan barged into his guard before biting and pulling him by the hair, flipping the entire body over his broad shoulders. Tarzan turned to them in time to see him throw Simba to the bottom of a ravine; the lion's body slid and vanished down the slope.

"NO!" Tarzan's heart goes cold at the sight; a cold heart turns to flame which he aims at the tiger. "KHAAANNN!"

His opponent is unimpressed, he evades a slash, a swat, and a thrust. Finally, his intersected arms take hold of the stone tooth. Tarzan fumbled while Shere Khan snickered. The former breaks away; both beasts display their fangs for the other to see. Jabs are exchanged and Shere Khan overpowers the White Ape with ease as he makes the latter fall back.

Again, their fangs collided.

'CRACK'

With one blow, Tarzan's defense was gone. He fell on his knees after losing the clash against the tiger. To the side, the Mangani spots his weapon lying a few feet away, with the top half broken off. His eyes dilatated.

"My fang..."

He was unarmed; couldn't fight any longer.

All at once, the fearless youth loses his bravado, and an invisible chill causes what little he has for body hair to stand on end. The Khan stood over him, raising a paw. Tarzan gulped in terror, crawling back and feeling disoriented all of a sudden.

'THUMP' 'THUMP'

He sees flashing visions of times past: a figure staring down warmly at him,

'THUMP' 'THUMP'

His mother singing their lullaby,

'THUMP' 'THUMP'

He and Bagheera strolling around the jungle,

'THUMP' 'THUMP'

He and Simba striding across a log.

'THUMP' 'THUMP'

Running in the plains with his family,

'THUMP' 'THUMP' 'THUMP' 'THUMP'

The pounding of his accelerating heartbeats echoes from inside his chest as the horrifying realization sinks in: he is defenseless.

And Shere Khan was all too glad to remind him that he still was in danger.

"Little man, you are going to learn a hard lesson today." Said the predator as he smacked his lips, showing off his tongue which is so rough it can scrape flesh.

The White Ape never looked so pale.

'GROWL'

This was not a warning. It was voiced to freeze the Khan's poor victims in a paralysis of terror for a tiny fraction of an instant which would suffice for his mighty claws to sink into their soft flesh and hold them beyond hope of escape.

So far as the ape was concerned, Shere Khan reasoned correctly. The little fellow crouched trembling just an instant, but that instant wasn't quite long enough to prove his undoing, for life amidst the dangers of the jungle had taught Tarzan to meet emergencies with self-confidence and quick action.

Thus, the growling of the tiger galvanized the petrified brain and muscles of young Tarzan into instant overdrive. Abandoning his broken weapon, the Black Back fled from a fight for the first time since he was a man-cub without fangs to show. Running in the very same rush he had as a child when running from Sabor. All his inhibitions shut down.

"Oh, you're going to try and outrun me. How droll."

Cautiously, the tiger moved a great padded paw forward, noiselessly placing it before he lifted the next. Like that, the Khan advanced; belly low, almost touching the surface of the ground-a great cat preparing to pounce upon its prey. He drew his hind feet well up beneath his body, the great muscles rolling under his bulk. So low he was crouching that he seemed flattened to the earth except for the upward bend of his glossy back as it gathered for the leap.

No longer Shere Khan's tail lashed-quiet and straight behind him it lay.

For an instant he paused, as though turned to stone, and then, with an awful scream, he sprang.

~Do you know who you are facing? Do you know just who I am?~

While Tarzan squeezed through the clumps of mossy green wood, The Khan merely cut everything in his path.

~Prepare to meet your last defeat  i n the paws of Shere Khan~

The marshes were dark, but Tarzan was stricken by fear and despair and couldn't stop himself. That monstrosity made it look easy to best someone who won the Ugani's Coming of Age battle royale. Surely he would be bodied if he were to face the tiger without his fang.

~I may let you run...~

Shere Khan took to stalking and prowling after him, relishing at the sight of his enemy scampering in fear, along with the torment he was noticeably causing him. He shouldn't hunt for pleasure, yet Men weren't worth his courtesies.

~And I may let you hide...~

Catching his breath, Tarzan felt a shadow of terror loom over him. Shere Khan was there, taunting him around every turn. Out of nowhere came the Big One. Quiet and sinister, he frightens the youth into another panicked rush.

~But there's no way you'd escape your fate even  if you tried~

These parts of the swamp were closed from the others. The sunken jungle is dark, ominous, and uncomfortable to most. That chilling voice of the tiger who had easily bested him and his brother didn't calm Tarzan's nerves. He felt his foe's presence all over the place. It was like the Khan was lurking inside his very mind. There was no way to know from where he would come, or what his next attack was going to be.

~Enjoy the moment, Man-Cub...~

Tarzan ducks so he won't hit the branch, while the Khan simply crushes and knocks it aside. Shere Khan carried a cold yet powerful demeanor, full of malice and contempt for men. And he was determined to kill this one.

~You won't live to be a man~

The shadows are alive, reaching out for Tarzan from all sides. He heard a sound, was it the tiger? Was he there? He kept running and never stopped moving, not even bothering to do so silently. The only thought on his mind was don't stop. Never.

~Run~

Mind reeling, the helpless ape tried to make heads-and-tails of this nightmare. Bagheera disappeared, Simba had fallen, this couldn't be! Oh, but it is. He was all by himself.

~RUN!~

What was that silhouette watching him from afar? One of the Colonel's bird scouts?

~WHILE YOU HAVE A CHANCE!~

Still in a state of shock, the juvenile paid little mind to it and went back to his blind run.

~RUN, FRIEND, RUN!~

His nerves, tensed to their limit, propelled him to jump over a bough gnarled by a creeper before the dead wood gave in to the added weight.

~This is your last dance~

The cruel Khan, watching from somewhere in the bushes, savored in his fear.

~You humans are all the same: on the world, you think you reign~

During the annual trips to the Theluji, Tarzan endured many freezy chills but none like this one. Quite ironic considering this was like any other hot day in the Bukuvu and he was currently sweating a ton.

~But now, the hunter is the hunted as  you've become my game~

Shere Khan was relentless, unstoppable. Energized by malice and hatred, hellbent on making this creature suffer before killing him.

~This is your last race ,  I'll put you in your place~

There was no safe place to hide in the eerie swamp.

~You've come to meet your destiny  n ow it's I you must face~

Tarzan was no match for this beast. He was going to die here.

~Take a deep breath, my friend...~

It didn't matter where he went, goosebumps continued to crawl all over his body.

~As you are near the end...~

His life still flashed before his eyes, getting him even more lost than he was before.

~Now run.~

The Black Back held on to his beating chest while breathing so heavily as if his lungs would burst any moment due to his ever-increasing heartbeats.

~RUN!~

All he could do was run. Run. And run. Where to go? He didn't know. Was there a place where he would be safe? His horrors follow him on. There is no light to guide him. Around every bend was the tiger.

~While you have a chance!~

He stuck to the path ahead without seeing anything, hearing everything yet nothing at all; long gone was his sense of direction. This brave young man, head soaking with the blood in his hair, didn't even think anymore.

~RUN, FRIEND, RUN!~

His legs couldn't bear it any longer. He couldn't go on. His awareness slowed down to minuscule seconds. For a second which felt like several minutes, his eyes stared petrified as the blurry form of Shere Khan's claw plunged towards him.

~This is your last dance!~

Then... he fell.

'SPLASH'

Tarzan was never one to miss the chance to take a daily plunge in a lake or stream when it was possible to do so. When he sank into the chill waters, however, he felt something akin to the discomfort of the torrential rains, feared by all apes for the thunder and lightning and wind that accompanied them.

Rapidly he moved his hands and feet in an attempt to scramble upward, and, possibly more by chance than design, he fell into the stroke that a dog uses when swimming, so that within a few seconds his nose was above water and he managed to keep it there by continuing his strokes, which also allowed him to progress through the pond.

He was now swimming parallel to the bank and there, in the form of a haunted echo, he heard the cruel beast that would gladly have him for dinner:

"No matter how fast you run, no matter where you hide, I will catch you."

Tarzan had a choice to make. Beneath him lay the murky waters of the little lake, above him certain death; a cruel demise beneath tearing claws and rending fangs. His startled instincts decided for him. Before the great tiger had covered half his leap, Tarzan felt the chill waters close above his head.

Shere Khan whiffed his nostrils around to find Tarzan's scent. The thrill of the chase heightens his hunter senses, aware of any disturbance in the environment. To his hearing, the sudden scraping of one blade of grass across another was as effectual a warning as the loudest cry, and the monarch knew that youth couldn't perform his escape without a little noise.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." His tone was unsettling as ever.

He surveyed the area until his eyes fell upon the stillness of the small waterhole. He approaches to drink.

Frightened, Tarzan latches his foot under a tree root and tries to hold his breath, attempting not to be noticed by the tiger. As Shere Khan licks at the surface, the blood he had drawn during the battle washes off his face and coats the water between them red. After a tense few moments, Tarzan couldn't hold his breath for longer and gasped for air. The bubbles rise, plopping to the top and towards the Khan. The tiger looks into the water, gazing deeply in. When the red blood fades he sees Tarzan at last, and then he slowly... very slowly, gives a smile.

'SPLASH'

The usual sounds of the swamp are drowned out by pained cries for help and a furious paw lashing out in the water.

Now with a sprained leg, Tarzan blindly swam through a gunky pile of leaf litter and quicksand. There wasn't much he could do now. His breathing became too erratic for him to exhale. He couldn't stop, he couldn't think, but the worst was that he couldn't go on. He slumped in fatigue.

A trail of red liquid trickles down his chest. Tarzan wipes it off his thorax and stares to find out it's, in fact, his own blood and he was a millimeter from having his ribs torn apart. The realization renders the pinkish ape frozen in shock.

He had never been touched by a claw like this before.

Not even a second later, the dark and imposing form of the Khan started emerging out of the lake.

An injured Tarzan struggled to get up, rubbing his now bleeding arm and leg. "Damn it!" he cursed while limping off.

Out of nowhere, he was forced down when a powerful form forced him to the mud before something sharp and heavy pressed against his injured chest, nearly crushing his ribs while further threatening his breathing. Tarzan felt as if he had blacked out for a second and, the next thing he knew, Shere Khan was towering over his body. In an attempt to force the great beast off of him, the Hairless Ape tried to grab his leg with his uninjured hand but was stopped when the Khan placed his other paw on his arm, causing even more pain to the young man, who was already feeling utterly weak and exhausted.

More than that, he felt fear, true fear.

"You disappoint me, Man-Cub. Bagheera held you in such high esteem." Tarzan tried and failed to raise his voice in the call of distress common to his Troop; the tiger's fangs leering toward his face. "But don't be hard on yourself. You were never my equal. If you were an ape of the jungle as you pretend to be, you would do as all warriors do when cornered: stand your ground against your opponent and match their strength in a battle for your life. All you have done so far was evade me while looking over your shoulder." His enemy ranted on as his rage reached its apex. "That's the Way of the Prey. Why did you even bother with this chase if you have already accepted your fate? Now you have tried my patience, insolent frog." Shere Khan sneered at the man for a moment. A second later, his other paw drew out its claws. "I cleansed the jungle of your kind, tearing them apart down to the last one. Just one swipe and I will have done it again."

He reached forward, prepared to stab his longtime prey in the head. Tarzan managed a gasp.

"This is it, he's gonna kill me!" he thought. "No, I can't die now… not like this!" The White Ape screamed internally as he tried to think of a way to free himself, to no avail.

Defenseless, he lay there, waiting for the Khan's judgment, probably a handful of claws shoved directly into his throat. His eyelids clenched shut (even though he could barely see by that point) as he silently prayed.

A bright light answers by illuminating the vicinity.

Suspended over the driftwood, Simba's unconscious body floated in the river till it beached on the sandy shores of a confluence by the territory of the Bandar-log, head down but thankfully without his face plunging into the water. The lion is dragged to not dry but land all the same. A shadow passes over him as he recovers his senses. He looks up a hill where his fluttering eyes see a lumpy, big-hearted, perceptive but slow-witted Mr. Pig, his trusty, meerkat hyper pal riding on his back, and, beside them, their other bestest best pal, an always hungry, gruff on the outside but sweet as honey on the inside, aspiring Papa Bear.

"Simba? Simba!"

Without rest, the trio rushed to him. Simba pauses and looks up wearily at their arrival before grunting in pain.

"Simba..." Baloo gently rubs his godson, then pulls away to watch him in concern. The lion was inhaling heavily between rapid and shallow breaths. Pumbaa skids to a halt in front of him with Timon in his mane.

"Simba, talk to me!" The meerkat jumps to stand directly before his ward. "What happened?"

"Shere Khan... he is after Tarzan..." The lion moaned and then collapsed on his side.

"Shere Khan?!" shouted Baloo, agape. Next, his eyes narrow before he turns to his companions. "Take him to Louie's, I gotta go help T!"

The warthog picks Simba's head to pull up his heavy form while Timon lifts his tail.

"It's all right, buddy. We're here for you."

Together, Timon and Pumbaa drag Simba ashore as they carry him towards Monkey City, while Baloo hurries off in the river's direction.

OMAKE: Return of the Mjuzi

Shere Khan reached forward, prepared to stab his longtime prey in the head. Tarzan managed a gasp.

"This is it, he's gonna kill me!" he thought. "No, I can't die now… not like this!" The White Ape screamed internally as he tried to think of a way to free himself, to no avail.

Defenseless, he sat there, waiting for the Khan's judgment, probably a handful of claws shoved directly into his throat. His eyelids clenched shut (even though he could barely see by that point) as he silently prayed.

Just as the predator was about to deliver the coup de grace, a newcomer made himself known.

The Khan steps away from Tarzan once he feels a familiar presence and turns in its direction. Walking into the scene, a savior comes to answer the Black Back's plight: an old monkey, a baboon of some sort with a wild mandrill mane of white hair surrounding his multicolored face and expressive black-on-yellow eyes. He walked with a staff made from an old bent stick with a few fruits tied to one of its ends.

"Rafiki..." Formal but with a hidden edge in his words, the monarch saluted the primate.

"Shere Khan."

"Came to interfere in my affairs one last time?"

"Rafiki goes where he is needed, and Rafiki is needed in many places." The baboon/mandrill mused as he held up a finger before fully appraising the big cat. "Powerful you have become, Shere Khan. The star's power I sense in you."

"I have outgrown it; I am now more powerful than any primate, even you."

The Khan shifted to a prowling stance. Rafiki hefts his staff over his head, pointing towards the tiger. Suddenly, the dreaded feline charges across the way at the Mjuzi, after which he proceeds to rain down blows upon the tiny figure. Rafiki doesn't budge an inch. For the first part of the contest, he parries every cut and bite from the great predator with a combination of kicks and swings from his staff. Nothing the mighty hunter tries gets through. His energy drains. His strokes become feeble, slower. Rafiki attacks! He flies forward, cartwheeling. Shere Khan presses on but retreats at the baboon's onslaught. Words are insufficient to describe the range and skill of Rafiki's speed and his weapon. His staff is a blur of brown swarming at the tiger's head.

'THWACK'

The monkey's weapon hits its mark. Finally, they disengage and their hearts slow down.

"Huh, I don't know. Seems to me you still have a lot to learn." Rafiki remarked, chuckling while whirling into a new stance.

To that, Shere Khan fumed. "Perhaps it's time I taught you a lesson."

He rushed at his opponent, ember eyes burning bright.

Chapter Text

Two Brothers Under the Sun

Chapter – XXV

The Witch Doctor

The brook's current was so calm everything carried by it had only a gentle, undulating motion, which was nothing to the swimmer who had spent who knows how much time floating on his back... if he hadn't been pushed to near exhaustion during his altercation with a giant tiger.

Tarzan curled and uncurled himself as his still-sleepy body rose and fell in its watery surroundings. The heat of the sun awoke him early in the forenoon. His first conscious sensation was of thirst, growing almost to the proportions of suffering with full returning consciousness. Still, a moment later it was forgotten in the joy of two almost simultaneous discoveries. The first was when he adjusted his head and swallowed a wave of fresh water, slaking part of his yearning; the other was the sight of an approaching shore he instantly recognized as one of the sections of the border under the hippos' jurisdiction. Could it be possible that fate not only saved him from certain death but also threw him up at the very threshold of his beloved second home? The last shred of doubt was cleared away once he confirmed that yes, he was safe and in friendly territory.

Tarzan took a deep breath. Several actually, just happy his lungs weren't being crushed anymore. After taking a moment to enjoy the basic act of breathing, the Naked Ape dove into the water and swam around so his body could move without feeling the burden of its own weight. The Waingunga fully refreshed him, thus allowing the young man to make good headway toward the shore with renewed vigor. His strokes are long and easy, cutting through the gentle river as he swam unencumbered toward the land. With a pounding heart, the White Ape clambers then leaps to the beach. As he stands up on the sandy shore, a profound feeling of relief pervades his being.

Tarzan of the Great Troop lives, and so that all might know it he threw back his young head and gave voice to the Safe Word of his godfathers' Commune. For a moment, silence reigned upon the jungle, and then, low and weird, came an answer:

"TARZAN!"

From the eastern plains in the distance, faintly, he spotted a figure racing down the dim crest of a neighboring hillock. Two to be exact; for the tawny mongoose was riding on top of the speeding hog's head. They swept Tarzan into a hug, crying their eyes out. Pumbaa choked out a sob while Timon held on tight to the youth's shoulder. Both of them were overjoyed to see their godson safe and sound.

"I'm okay..." he soothingly spoke, an arm around each of them. "I'm okay..."

After separating, Tarzan was crowded by the two as they fretted over him.

Mortified gasps broke out when they saw it.

There were no wounds. Whatever fractures and lacerations he got were gone. His body was clear, at least for the most part. Of course, in playing together, Simba and Terk had often nipped him harder than intended, and there were white scars all over his arms and legs. But Tarzan would have been the last person in the world to call these bites, for he knew what real biting meant.

But something was different... very different.

Shere Khan's mark had scarred. The Khan had given him three gashes over his right breast when he pinned him down during their fight.

"That's a nasty mark." Timon blanched.

"What happened?" Pumbaa asked, brimming with concern.

"Shere Khan happened," Tarzan replied, simply. "And... I got a bit too close."

Timon and Pumbaa couldn't help but stare before glancing upwards, checking for their godson's reaction.

Slowly, he brought his hand up to touch the wound inflicted on him by the tiger, the ghost of that stinging sensation from when those claws cut into his flesh returned as he realized the injury would stay there. He took a somber moment to realize that this was his reality and not some dream, and another to tangle with the fact that this wasn't going away. This is something he'd have to deal with for the rest of his life. A thoughtful look crossed the ape's face as he remembered his encounter with the monarch.

"Why am I still alive?" Didn't Shere Khan intend to kill them?

Then, his eyes shot open.

"SIMBA!"

Tarzan shook his head, determination overwhelming his tired features by the time he snapped at his godfathers. "GUYS, SHERE KHAN IS HERE, HE CAUGHT US AT THE SWAMP AND HAULED SIMBA OFF A CLIFF!"

Timon rubbed the back of his head, a bit off-put by the youth's intense, shaky response. "So that's what happened."

Tarzan raised his eyebrows.

"T, it's alright. We saved him!" Pumbaa informed.

At those words, the naked brother could breathe again. "Really?" He asked, more shakily than intended. "Where? Where is he?"

"Basi said something about taking him to a Witch Doctor in the west forest," Timon replied.

"Where's Baloo?"

The swine responded: "He went to the swamps looking for you."

"We spoke with Ono, he sent a tick bird to tell the Colonel." Timon pointed his thumb over his shoulder in the marshlands' direction. "You just missed him and the Jungle Patrol."

Tarzan sighed easier now that he had one less thing to worry about. Done that, he started his march; pacing across his path with heavy steps.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked Timon.

"I must go see him."

"Who?"

"The Witch Doctor."

Timon took a moment to catch up to Black Back. "You know, Hairless Wonder, the guy didn't sound like a friendly type from what Louie told us about him."

"If my brother is there, that's where I am going." Briefly pausing, he turned to the pair he and Simba had come to love as family. "What about you?"

"...Darn right we are!"

Close to the bank the jungle commenced, and into it, they plunged, stern and determined-a mismatched trio of bug-eaters searching for their golden lion.

Little by little their distance from the river grew in length as they wandered farther away from it, until finally, the trio found themselves deeper into western jungles than they had ever ventured beforehand. Wary and noiseless, they trekked, discovering no spoor indicative of their friend. There was no sign of life around them besides plants in fact, yet they felt that uncanny sensation of unseen eyes regarding them in silence.

More than once they shuddered.

"Hello? Hello?" Tarzan steeled himself. "Anybody there?"

"Well, this place looks deserted," Timon remarked while still bracing himself.

"The path is too dense," Pumbaa complained, struggling to see and move past the deep undergrowth. "How are we gonna find that wise guy in here?"

"Guess we'll just have to keep looking." Tarzan trotted in front of them, as rapidly through the winding maze as if he were traversing the familiar trails of the Wakalu by daylight. He and his family knew how to find their way across the jungle even though they seldom journeyed around these parts. "Did King Louie say anything else?"

"Other than telling us to beware of him? Not much. And that, in exchange for a good meal, Kaa will share his wisdom with whoever asks." Timon winced during the last part, obviously hoping the doctor wouldn't barter their lives for Simba's.

"What kind of wisdom does he share?" questioned Tarzan. "And what exactly does he eat?"

"Monkeys."

He guessed as much—no wonder they were scared of him.

"As for his wisdom, I never met the guy so I have no idea."

"Do we at least know where his lair is?"

"Nope. I know he lives on our side of the river and the forest is his turf, and that's about it. But the baboons said they saw him in this corner of the woods."

Tarzan was a good student, his teacher was proud to say so. Young as he may be, the Mangani had seen and learned many strange things in his life. That said, even the largest of animals looked small compared to the immensity of their home. Many things in the Bukuvu were a mystery even for those who've spent their entire lives dwelling in the dense, shadowy, and impenetrable forests of the jungle. Bagheera, himself as wise as they come, had stressed numerous times that those who knew the most about the wilderness and its secret were the ones called Mjuzi, the Witch Doctors.

This brought a question to the forefront of Tarzan's mind... how come he never met this oh so wise Kaa?

At last, they came across a grove with more room to maneuver, so the three took the chance to give each other some more space now that they were out of the claustrophobic jungle patches. In the center was a spring of water that rose in a small rocky canyon between two hills, the easternmost stood out because of the huge granite boulder resting upon its summit. The westerly hill was lower than its companion and was quite bare of vegetation except for a single mimosa tree which grew just a little below its summit.

Timon heard rustling from the left side of the canopy. When he cocked his head towards it, the sound stopped. The meerkat shrugged.

Another sound fizzled in; a hissing noise.

"Rustling. Hmmmm," Timon mused. "And hissing. At the same time." He forced down a gulp. "Not a good sign."

All was quiet again, and soon a creeping feeling set in. Timon lifted a log in the path to shoot his hand under it, figuring a good grub would ease his nerves while they searched for the mysterious Mjuzi. Perhaps Simba would like a treat too, wherever he was in this forest.

"Ah-hah! Gotcha!" He snatched up a bug and popped it in his mouth. "Oooh, goody. One of the minty ones!" This time, he lifted another end of the log and grabbed a fat beetle sure to bring a smile to his injured godson.

The rustling started again.

Timon snapped his head around.

Slithering from the terrace above was one of the biggest snakes he had ever seen. One that evoked memories of the giants that attacked Monkey City countless moons ago. The python's tongue was flicking in and out of his mouth as he smiled.

Timon had seen many predatory smiles in his life, but this one was a contender for the nastiest.

The legless reptile stared down at the meerkat, still smirking, to the latter's discomfort. "A bit on the skinny side of scrawny but... tsk tsk tsk, you will do."

"Who-ee!" Timon dropped the beetle and prepared to make a run for it. "I'm outta here!"

"Not so fast." The snake spoke in its kind's natural sibilance. "Let's talk about what is for lunch. I have not eaten in a fortnight and could use a little snack while I'm here."

Timon couldn't move. He wanted to move, to scream, but all he could do was stare back at the python, suddenly unable to avert his gaze away from the predator's eyes. A psychedelic visage overtakes him, beautiful if not baffling like the reflection of a rainbow dissolving into ripples on the lake as the snake's eyes slowly cycle through different colors: first natural yellow, then filling with concentric circles of blue, bright yellow, and purple.

"Yes... look into my eyes, little mongoose."

The python had him hypnotized. No matter how hard he tried, how much he shouted inside his head to spur his brain into action, his body simply wouldn't budge. Except for the teeth which chattered with fright, he was immobile. Those serpentine eyes had lulled little Timon into a sleep-like trance.

"So small, so scrumptious."

The python lifted its head, eyes so close to the meerkat's face they looked as big as his whole body. Coils wrapped silently around Timon, not crushing him but cutting off any of his escape routes by several pounds of reptile. Dry and smooth skin almost obscured him from view, except for an opening meant for the python's head, which was closing in with its mouth wide open.

"TARZAN BUNDOLO!"

A mad shout was heard. Tarzan came flying from behind the log, his kick colliding with the bald, flat head of the scaly beast. The loose is loosened and Timon falls out of the predator's spell. Pumbaa came hurling the coils out of his path so he could hoist up his friend in his snout. While the pair moved out of the way, Tarzan faced the snake.

Twined in a great tree was the gigantic python—huge, ponderous, scaly—who grew larger and larger as it recoiled the folds it had used to catch the meerkat in a deadly embrace until his head was an inch away from the boughs above. His scales were golden, with a lighter underbelly and dark brown spots patterned across his back. The head and neck were small in comparison to his large body, although his mouth was large enough to take up most of his head.

Nothing in the jungle had inspired within the breast of Tarzan such fear as did the Great Khan himself, but the massive reptile in front of him immediately got to second place.

"Stay back!" snarled the Mangani, swallowing his own dread and cursing for not bringing a weapon just in case.

"Well, look who is here." The snake spoke out, voice courteous even as he sounded on the verge of chuckling in excitement. "What a succulent surprise: the little frog who has grown bigger than a goat." Hungry eyes belonging to a terrifying and ancient reptile now hungrily eyed the sinewy primate. "So sweet to finally meet you. I have dreamt often of having your kind for dinner."

He attacks head-first to swallow the prey.

The Pinkish Ape leaped upon the glistening, writhing body of the python. Never had he touched a snake bigger than a branch. Thus beset, the serpent whipped and twisted. Still clinging to the tree, the mighty coils held the youth as though he had been without weight. Tarzan curled his fists and this he now took to slamming rapidly into the head of his enemy, but the beast endured his punishment. Yet on he fought, not once did he seek to escape the horrid death that confronted him—his sole aim was to slay the python who threatened the lives of his family. The great, wide-gaping jaws of the snake turned and hovered above him. The elastic maw, which could accommodate a rabbit or a horned buck with equal facility, yawned for the young man; but, in turning his attention upon the White Ape, the constrictor brought his head within reach of Tarzan's jabs. Instantly a brown fist leaped forth and decked the mouth shut. All about them grew the giant trees of the tropical jungle, festooned with hanging vines and mosses; Tarzan seized upon the nearest and started to clamber, apelike, to the branches above. As he did so, the giant suddenly rushed his great body behind him and rammed his head into the very creepers to which clung the light-skinned primate—but missed by a small margin. Tarzan drew himself to safety among the leafy branches.

"Do you want him for yourself, Man-Cub?" inquired the old serpent whose humongous shadow blocks out the midday sunrays casting through the canopy. "Finders, keepers, losers, weepers."

The bull ape bellowed: "Leave this jungle!"

"You are the one who came here uninvited with no warning," the rock python, in turn, retorted. His calm lisp turned more menacing. "I don't get many visitors. Only the damned and the desperate enter my domains; which are you?"

When he felt at a distance safe from the constrictor's hypnotic gaze, the juvenile answered: "Neither. I am Tarzan of the Great Troop, and I've come for my brother."

Strangely enough... the giant recoiled at this.

"Well, why didn't you simply say so?" At once, he smiles all affable and retreats back into the trees... leaving behind a very confused young man.

Down on the ground, Timon's eyes rolled up and he fell over in a dead faint.

"Are you okay, Timon?" Pumbaa asked, pushing the meerkat's feet with his nose. "Timon, ol' buddy, speak to me! Speak to me! Don't die!"

Timon blinked, then sat up and started patting himself all over. "I am alive, right?" he asked cross-eyed. "I am not dead or anything like that, am I?"

"No, you are right here with us." Tarzan, having freed himself from his baffled state, joined them. "You had a close call. That snake almost had you for lunch."

"Over here, my children," said python's voice called from somewhere in the jungle around them.

Timon and Pumbaa braced together while Tarzan gritted his teeth.

"Come on." The latter stated, starting to move towards the rock formation.

Pumbaa asked as they followed anyway. "Say, Tarzan, where is your fang?"

Tarzan pointed to his teeth, showing no fear. It was still there, he was just getting better at hiding it.

As they set forth, they observed their surroundings extra carefully for any signs of the tree-top hypnotist. Seeking shelter in the canyon, they were covered by an arc of rock and stone stretching ever upwards until joining at the topmost point, forming a cavern; its most obvious feature being the many, many flowering plants growing out of the walls, sprouting long shoots of beautiful purple blossoms. The garden awed the trio well enough that they didn't have a strong urge to jump when, out of nowhere, the stranger's voice returned.

"Where are you? Can't you come a little bit closer?"

Still, they winced. Ultimately, it was Tarzan who took the leap of faith... he stepped out to the other side of the cave.

"Perfect."

The Black Back' head turned just slow enough to not snap.

"Dive!"

Timon and Pumbaa swiveled, flinched, and scurried outta there. The reptile's scales were shining gold in the sunlight as he slithered close to the canyon's entrance, his lower body hidden amongst the jungle's tangled limbs. He retained his face-wide happy smile despite the ape growling at him while standing between the predator and his friends. Remembering those yellow eyes snared prey into the python's clutches, Tarzan kept his gaze away but without fully letting the serpent out of his sight... until he saw it.

Another great beast was there.

Leaning on a tree to support himself, a big cat did a quick head count of the group assembled near the flower patch and smiled at all faces present, not showing even an iota of hostility toward the snake.

Simba the Golden Lion looked as vibrant as ever.

The rush of emotion Tarzan experienced was indescribable. Without thinking, he sprinted to his brother. The sound of his hasty footsteps went unheard. Simba only had a split second to look-

'THUD'

Before he was tackled into a hug.

The embrace was firm, but also soft in a way. Tarzan buried his face into his brother's mane as the latter stood there, stunned into silence until he hugged back. Furry brother and furless brother rubbed their foreheads together. It wasn't long until their godfathers joined in; just glad they were all okay.

"Oh! Our baby's alright!" Timon bawled with no restraint of any kind.

"Oh, I always knew he would be!" Pumbaa declared in tears as well.

After a moment or two, they pulled away.

"You are okay... but how?" Tarzan asked in disbelief.

"Basi and his hippos found me, they brought me here so I could be treated by Kaa." His brother explained.

"The Witch Doctor?" At Simba's nod, the White Ape further inquired: "Where is he? I want to meet him."

"You were looking for him, yes?"

The three arrivals jolted again, they had forgotten about the snake. The smaller pair bolted behind the Mangani who now flashed a fierce, angry look at the serpentine giant. The rock python, living up to its kind's name, was perched comfortably on the boulder atop the eastern hill as he watched the little reunion taking place right below.

"Guys!" Simba was quick to interject. "It's okay, he is a friend!"

"Wait, what?" Tarzan stopped uncertainly, the anger in his frown changing to confusion. He slightly lowered his arms, staring aside at his brother.

Timon's jaw dropped to the point one would think it would fall off. "Am I missing something?" He asked appalled. "A python for a friend?! Why not hyenas, tigers, or even some crocodiles?" The meerkat laughed mad, likely developing an aneurysm. Out loud, he played the scenario concocted in his coping mind: "Well, hello, Makuu. Gee, you look kind of hungry. How would like some ham with a side of meerkat?!"

"Now, Simba, I know we taught you to be accepting of our jungle neighbors..." Pumbaa stated, also aghast yet more subdued. "But buddies don't eat your other buddies."

"Relax, it was just a misunderstanding." Simba defended. "He's been helping us a lot."

"Help from a python?" Tarzan scrunched a frown, having difficulty believing such a thing. "Pythons are the Khan's servants." He reminded Simba while giving the serpent a stinkeye. "Why would they help us?"

"Why would a leopard raise a man's cub?" The snake decided to finally speak his defense. "I will have you know I've left the Khanate. I hunt for myself alone. If I wanted you for dinner you would be in my stomach by now. And had you found your way here without Bagheera's good word, I would have snatched you sooner."

...Somehow, that didn't inspire much confidence from the newly arrived.

Also, Tarzan particularly wondered, Bagheera knew there was a python on their side of the river, and neither he nor anybody else bothered to do anything about it... why?

"Come on, guys." Simba pressed on. "Kaa ain't that bad after you give him a chance."

"Good to know you appreciate what I have done for you, Simba." 'Kaa' snarked.

Tarzan and the others paid them no mind, for, as if they weren't already having a hard time accepting that their lion had struck a friendship with a mortal enemy, they were now too busy taking in another sudden revelation.

"...What?" The White Ape half-whispered as his eyes grew bigger and bigger before he turned to the python. "You are the Witch Doctor?!"

"In the flesh," Kaa confirmed, doing his kind's equivalent of slumping shoulders.

"A snake is treating our lion cub?!" Timon looked ready to faint, and Pumbaa wasn't far behind.

"I am not a cub anymore," Simba uttered.

"I don't get it." Tarzan, meanwhile, was more confused than shocked by then. "It doesn't make any sense at all!" Many questions popped up; from a whole myriad, he blurted out: "How come we never heard of you?" He addressed his brother's (supposed) doctor. "Why would Bagheera keep that from us?"

"Because I told him not to." Creepy as he thought the serpent to be, Tarzan's mind still functioned to pick the respectful and strangely soft-spoken manner in which the snake talked about his teacher. "He is a dear comrade."

Tarzan didn't know how to respond to that, so Timon took the chance.

"I think we need to have a word with Bagheera next time we see him."

A wince visibly traveled along Kaa's long body... same with Simba.

Tarzan did not like that.

"What's the matter?" He questioned, despite the chill building up in his gut.

The rock snake responded for both himself and the lion, and Tarzan didn't remember what happened between that and him running up the smaller hill towards the mimosa tree at full speed. Kaa, Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa silently brought up the rear. Spotting a shape under a pile of ferns at the tree's base, Tarzan made a short pause before walking toward it. When he was close to pulling back a frond, Kaa stuck his head out in front of him, almost making the ape fall on his back.

"So long as you stay back and don't touch… alright." Mutely, the snake undid his wrapping so they could see it, and Tarzan got the first look at Bagheera. He gasped.

That… broken and bruised form was his godfather? Tears started to well up in his eyes as he looked him over for signs of life even as the rest of his family slipped to his side, their eyes also developing a red rue.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing towards multiple tiny holes and scratches that now scarred Bagheera's body.

"He fell on a prickle bush," Kaa said. "A branch got stuck on his side. I broke off most of it as carefully as I could, but left the rest of the shaft in his body for now."

Tarzan's eyes went wide. "Why haven't you taken it out yet!?"

"Because then he might bleed to death," he said flatly. "For now, it's holding his blood in, where it belongs. Thank goodness the hippos didn't try plucking it. My coils are splinting his broken bones with tree bark while the tuliza is soothing his pain. But right now, we cannot remove it without putting his life at risk." Simba's own eyes darted towards his downed godfather's face, where a mixture of herbs and flowers stained with blood sat over both eyes, which resembled swollen, overripe peaches. "Right now, I'm helping him heal as best I can. But his body has taken a lot, and it might just easily decide to give up," Kaa looked downward. "Pulling the branch out when it doesn't seem that the wound is in danger of going rotten… that might be the last straw."

"Will he live?"

Kaa swallowed. "I cannot say. All I can tell you is that if he was not here, he would not. But I can give him the best chances possible. His fur is soaked in tuliza to ward off infection. I've given him every healing plant I got in my garden. But now… it's up to him. And I will be staying by his side all the time to do what is possible."

Tarzan swallowed. "Thank you." His sudden disposition in front of the python of all creatures showed how numb he truly felt. He turned and was pulled into a hug by Simba, and then Timon and Pumbaa hugged them both, joining the huddle. After a moment, though, despite the welcome support of their embrace, he pushed free.

The four of them followed Kaa into the garden, which stank of those curious purple flowers.

"My medicine is very strong," Kaa emphasized. "However, I won't be able to hunt while my coils are occupied." He spared a glance at the brothers in particular. "But my dinner can wait. Right now, I am going to need your help to take care of Bagheera."

"Can we help him somehow?" asked Tarzan, still despondent but free of his unshed tears.

"There is a red clay that heals wounds like his."

Pumbaa mused uneasily. "Geez, the only red clay I know is in a place you don't wanna go."

Tarzan turned to him. "Where?"

"In the savannah's dried rivers, at the border."

Simba stepped forth. "I'll go with you."

Tarzan, remembering well of the trouncing he received from the tiger, interjected. "Perhaps you better stay here."

"Oh, nonsense. I feel better already." Simba declared, but he couldn't sway anybody present.

"You are not going anywhere for the time being, doctor's orders." Kaa stood alongside the young man.

"But I want to help." stated the Golden Lion.

"You can help by getting some rest, Sonny Boy." Timon rebuked whistl he waved a finger at him.

The patient wasn't pleased with this. "But there has to be more I can do."

"I am sorry, Simba." Kaa merely shook his head. "We all must learn to accept what the Great Circle of Life hands us. Now try not to worry."

The feline puffed but sagged to the ground nonetheless, seeing no point in arguing.

With that, Tarzan addressed their swine godfather. "Can you take us there, Pumbaa?"

Pumbaa nodded. "Sure, just follow me."

The tip of Kaa's tail came down wrapped around a calabash; surprising the newcomers not for the first time with his humongous size.

"Put the clay in this gourd for safety." He said, passing his burden to Tarzan.

"Go it." The White Ape answered firmly and then regarded the meerkat-warthog duo. "Let's go!"

Tarzan swung off through the middle terrace of the forest toward the border with Timon and Pumbaa after him; they traveled swiftly through the forest. Simba and Kaa gave them a parting glance. Hopefully, the Witch Doctor thought, this wouldn't be the last time he would be seeing them.

###

Bukuvu's northern borders

The Borderlands. The forest was much thinner there, and in the far distance through the trees, Tarzan, Timon, and Pumbaa could see the wide plains where countless antelope and vast herds of zebra congregated throughout each year.

This was not one of those days

The deserted plain seemed utterly empty and quiet. A drought lay upon the earth, which had turned to dust; the sun was beating harshly on the ground, causing Tarzan and Timon to shield their eyes as they looked over the savannah. As the trio stamped off through the yellow grass, a cackling noise was heard from above. Looking up, they caught sight of some vultures circling in the air currents.

"Eeek!" Timon shrieked and scampered for cover inside Pumbaa's hair tuft faster than one could say 'bug soup'. "This place is downright nasty."

"They don't call it the Wasteland for nothing." Tarzan agreed. "Keep a stiff upper lip, guys. What we do here today, we do for Bagheera." He declared proudly, beating his chest crossly.

'BONK'

"OW!"

Pumbaa stepped on the cumbersome end of a large bone, causing the other half to rise from the ground rapidly and strike him in the face.

"He meant stiff, not swollen," Timon remarked, stroking his friend's forehead where he took the hit.

Recovered, the warthog leads them on. There, further ahead, was just the thing for which they sought: a dried waterhole. Bare bones and rocks adorned the dusty, crackled surface of the parched river bed and from its depths issued an uncanny sound, a weird noise that was akin to mirthless laughter.

"Something smells fishy here." Timon suppressed a shiver upon hearing it.

"Not me, I haven't been to Hippo Springs for days," affirmed Pumbaa.

Tarzan narrowed a frown. That hideous laughter was no laughter. This time they recognized it for what it was, the strange cry of a hyena. The dry track stopped at the bank of the river; looking down, they spotted a group of those scavengers surrounding a carcass in the middle of the empty stream, lounging and chewing on bones. The group lays to the ground for cover.

"Hyenas. I hate hyenas." Timon whimpered, already imagining them chewing on his carcass once they had finished with that one.

"Their giggles send spines down my chill," Pumbaa admitted.

"Chills down the spine." This time, it was Tarzan who corrected him.

The wind changes its direction. Soon, an unfamiliar spoor assails the hyenas' nostrils and clues them to the presence of the three watching from above, prompting all of the clan to prowl, grow, snarl, snap their fangs, or, worst of all, laugh in their direction. Seeing this, Tarzan trusted the calabash to Timon to safeguard it while he faced the carrion-eaters.

The White Ape rises and steps up, blocking their path. A hyena was grinning and drooling hungrily only a couple of feet from him.

Tarzan poked at them with his spear, newly retrieved from his new den, and the sullen brute drew back with an angry growl. The other beasts slunk toward them, baring sharp fangs. They were hungry. Toward Pumbaa, they came, and one snapped at Timon on his head. The warthog brought forth his tusks and struck a vicious blow at the hyena, at the same time shouting a volley of execrations. The clanmates dodged and ran to the side of the group, where they stood growling. Tarzan took a step back toward his godfathers so they could guard each other's backs, the creatures bristled with rage at his actions.

Seeing that he was unnoticed, a second beast made a short, quick rush for Timon. The mongoose screamed and darted after his hairless godson, who now turned his attention to the second hyena. This one he reached with his heavy stick, striking repeatedly and driving them back to the pile of bones. Soon the rest of the clan commenced to circle the trio. Thus, the Black Back, now joined by the swine in a perfect frenzy, ran to and fro in an effort to intercept them, striking out with his cudgel and lashing them with his tongue, ripping out warcries as his rage reached its boiling point.

Several times one or the other of the beasts would turn to make a stand against the Mangani, and then Timon would hold his breath; but always fear overcame the rage of the barking beasts, so that they resumed their flight, snarling and bare-fanged, when just a moment ago they looked ready to spring at Tarzan's throat. At last, the Naked Ape tired of the futile chase. With a snarl quite as bestial as those of his Troop, he returned toward his family. At last, they could search the dry riverbed for that medicinal red clay.

At least, Tarzan thought they could... but a pointed gasp from Timon and Pumbaa instantly made him rethink that.

He turned to see the hyenas had come back and were glaring fangs at him.

They came in force, growling and slinking, their tails between their legs. He could see their snarling heads and grinning jaws getting closer, snapping and gaping. Tarzan's eyes blazed when they reared up on their hind feet and he swung his fang at them. For a moment the hyenas paused, caution holding them from their prey. They stood thus glaring at the lad, then slowly, stealthily, crouching, they crept toward him. It was then that Tarzan came swiftly upon them. With angry growls, which they now had focused squarely on the young man, they advanced as, with a smile upon his lips, Tarzan ran to meet them in turn. For an instant one of the animals stood its ground against the huge fang of wood and stone, but the ape-man did not deign even to draw his battle club against one who threatened him and his family. Rushing at the brute he grasped them by the scruff of the neck, just as they attempted to dodge past him, and hurled them across the area after their fellows which already were slinking in the opposite direction, bent upon escape. Fear and hatred still glimmered from their eyes, but, fortunately for their own sake, fear predominated.

Down on the hole, Timon picked and put red clay inside Kaa's gourd. When the group climbed out of the dried mouth, the Pinkish Ape went first to survey their surroundings; the hyenas were nowhere in sight.

"They are gone." He told his godfathers.

Timon gasped, rubbing his head. "Phew! That was close, real close."

After permitting themselves to quench their thirst in the spring that rose nearby, the trio set off toward the jungle at a rapid trot, determined to free Bagheera of his pain as quickly as possible.

###

Kaa's Grove, northern Bukuvu

The gorgeous tropical blooms upon the festooned creepers fall in great loops from the giant trees. An old and rickety but very dignified monkey with a long, white beard sits on the end of a branch and reaches out to pick lily blossoms, holding them delicately as the python would when treating his panther patient, before placing each one just so into his mouth. The maned primate was resting securely wedged into the crotch of the great mimosa, swaying several feet above the ground as he entertained the python's other patient.

"And that, young Simba, is how the leopard got his spots."

The Golden Lion nodded and smiled back, having found a good distraction from his frustrations in the baboon's story. "Nice tall tale."

"Tall tale?" The old simian quirked a brow and chuckled. "You think my stories are for bedtime younglings?"

"Come now, Rafiki. A pride of yellow lionesses scratched themselves in a bramble so they could hunt in the jungle?" Simba snorted at the notion. "Believe me, I have dealt with enough thorny bushes to know that doesn't work."

"Sounds like you have stories of your own, my young friend," Rafiki observed as he took a good look at the former Pride Lander. "Although I'm sure they are not as many as mine." Gazing skyward, his jovial smile changed into a nostalgic one. "My time has been long and I have many stories to share, going back to the beginning of time-I remember them all."

"How about another story then?"

The elder kept his grin even though he shook his head. "Would love to, but I am afraid I still haven't finished settling down for the evening and looks like your brother's on his way here."

Following his gaze, the feline could see the mismatched group making its way through the tangled jungles ahead; led from the front by a white ape who would shift between walking on all fours and two legs. A bright smile crosses Simba's face before he turns back to Rafiki.

"Bye." With a final salute, the old fellow vanished in the branches; the mimosa would be his abode for the days to come.

Sweet guy, was Simba's impression of him. Weird, but cool.

The lion went to greet his family alongside Kaa but, before they could say anything, a cry echoed through the clearing.

"Kaa!"

Heavy steps were heard, growing louder and mixing with the distinct sound of a tired creature deeply puffing his lungs. Everyone present in the vicinity, minus the unconscious panther, could recognize the noise so all in the group glanced in its general direction. Sure enough, it wasn't long until the bear came barging in.

"Don't eat them!" Baloo shouted as he frantically searched for the voracious reptile. "It's me, Baloo and-Tarzan!?"

The Hairless Ape was swooped into a bear hug by his ursine godfather. One Tarzan was all too happy to return.

"You're alive?" Baloo held on to him even after they separated. "And in one piece?!" He breathed deeply in relief, quenching the fatigue. "I thought you were a long-gone goner!"

"Well... not exactly." His godson answered in a kind of sullen mood, casting a downward glance at his chest. Baloo did the same and gave out a light gasp.

"That is a wicked battle scar, little britches."

While the others brought the sloth bear up to speed, the Mjuzi didn't waste time getting to work on his patient. Timon and Pumbaa, never ones to stand the sight of blood or death of any kind, descended the hilltop to the spring, their maned godson and heavyweight best friend by their side as they explained everything to Baloo. Tarzan, with or without his brother's reassurance, could not bring himself to leave his downed mentor alone in the coils of a python. Hence he refused to balk even when Kaa wrapped around Bagheera's body, gently coating the panther in his medicine. In the golden scales was the mashed mixture of herbs and clay the snake had squeezed to cover himself in the same manner a warthog would with mud from his favorite wallow. A most baffling sight for the Mangani. His work done, Kaa untangled the panther from his coils.

"This should do," stated one lamenting Witch Doctor, for he knew there was nothing more to be done for his friend for the time being. "Hang on there, Bagheera."

Some paces away, a pensive expression overtook a young man's facial features as he contemplated a new thought.

"Kaa..."

The hermit turned to Tarzan.

"...back in the swamp, was it you who saved me from the Khan?"

"...No."

His response brought forward a pile of questions to the mind of young Tarzan: who had saved him from the tiger? Whatever happened to the Khan? How did his wounds heal and become scars so quickly? How did he end up on the river?

What was that blue blur of light?

Tarzan's head was still on the clouds by the time Simba began to put his fur in order so they could go home.

"Thank you, for everything." Simba courteously addressed the Witch Doctor. "My kill shall be thy kill if ever thou art hungry, O Kaa."

"All thanks, young Golden Lion. But it's been a long day, let's save that for another time," said Kaa, though his eyes twinkled. "When you come to check on Bagheera, perhaps?"

The big cat nodded and shook his paw with the serpent's tail, sealing their agreement with an understanding glance; the type of thing Simba never thought he would do with a python until today. Following his grateful example, his family respectfully bided good hunting to the snake and the Mjuzi responded in kind as they left, slipping off through a gap to the lush jungles of the east.

Rafiki, who had watched everything, smiles. Eyes glowing with the last rays of light as the five march away, growing distant as dusk weaves the forest's branches into darkness.

"So, what do you think?"

Head lowering, the old baboon saw the great serpent's head swaying a foot below his branch.

"I still wish to see more of Bagheera's manling. As for his brother..." Rafiki, who had traveled far, scratched his chin as old memories flashed on his grinning eyes. "I had a hunch whose pride he belonged to when I first saw him." He told Kaa: "Remarkable likeness really. Full of pluck, just like his father." Shifting his gaze to watch after the path of the departed group, he laughed delightedly. "Hello again, little prince."

"This reminds me, you haven't had the chance to tell the full story."

"It was a glorious sight." Declared the jubilant monkey as he and the python took to sharing tales. "Old Rafiki could hardly believe his eyes: all the animals on the move, coming together from the four winds. Who could forget a day like that? Everybody came to celebrate the birth of Mufasa's boy... Simba."

Chapter Text

Two Brothers Under the Sun

Chapter – XXVI

Return to Monkey City

He tried not to let it get to him. He said it wasn't bothering him. He promised he'd carry on even with the reminder of that day forever marked across his chest. But it was easier said than done.

Some days had passed and Tarzan of the Great Troop hadn't been the same since then. The memory was still fresh in his mind to the point he could almost recall it in vivid detail. Ironically enough, how he didn't end up dead was still a mystery to him and all with whom he had shared his story. The only proof of his altercation with the tiger was the wound that would remain with the boy for the rest of his life. It was a large one too: three prominent scratches, a bit darker than his skin, forming a triple streak on his breast. And he couldn't ignore the little changes that came with it.

Nothing major, the pain was long gone somehow. But there were still things he had to be aware of. He couldn't leave it exposed to the hot sun for extended periods of time, intense sunlight tended to agitate the wound. It wasn't uncommon to see the youth give a slight wince whenever something pressed hard against his upper body either. Not to mention the scar got really itchy sometimes.

Neither Kaa nor the mud pits of the jungle could rid him of it.

Shere Khan had marked him forever.

It hasn't been easy for him... but he had help.

###

Some days earlier

Outer Stems,  Wakalu, northeastern Bukuvu

Tarzan sighed, he didn't know how long he had been staring at the lake, was it an hour or more than that? Allowing his internal thoughts to drift away, he gives out another sigh as his feet kick the water around. For the first time since he was a youngling, he was the topic of pity; as if everything he had done to prove his strength to the jungle had been in vain. Once again, there was reason for people to look upon him with sadness in their eyes. But whenever these swirling, whirling, deep dark thoughts threatened to take hold of him, Tarzan tried to remember a few things. That he's even alive at all is a blessing; considering he'd gotten face-to-face with death quite a few times that day, certainly more than he had in quite a while. Or how, as time went on, his scars hurt less and less; hopefully one day they wouldn't hurt at all. Or when his mother reassures him that he's been handling this situation amazingly well and that the side effects could've been far worse. Or how Simba or Terk tried to remind him that he's a "Goddamn hero!" whenever possible. The golden lion even remarked that he and Tarzan now looked like his father and uncle more than ever thanks to the scar on the latter's side.

...Yet, as long as he stared at those scratches, there was no escaping his fear of Shere Khan.

A large shadow casts over him, causing the Mangani to look over his shoulder to see an unusual sight, a frowning Baloo.

"Baloo?" Tarzan blinked and hishairy godfather sighed before sitting down next to him, actually tipping over the log with his weight. They both just stared at the lake in silence.

Finally, the ursine glances at the mopping ape. "Little Britches... listen, I'm not good at this like Baggy but I want you to know something." He finally spoke before glancing at the juvenile to make sure he was listening, "I understand what is like to be afraid of your own scars..."

Tarzan blinked before looking at him as Baloo rubbed his neck.

"...I know that every time when you see it, you start thinking of the bad stuff that's happened..."

"Yeah..."

"...Look," Baloo shifted, pulling his fur to reveal a faint teeth mark before revealing more scars: bites and cuts alike almost vanishing in his body, forcing Tarzan to squint his eyes to actually see them. "I got these back in the day. They ambushed me, dozens of them... I barely survived it."

Tarzan's eyes widened a bit, not surprised but concerned out of empathy.

"I still think of that day when I look at them, you know?"

The primate with mud-braided hair nodded slowly.

"It wasn't until a wise guy gave me a piece of advice that I got over it... when you look at your scars, forget how you got them, just take a good look on the lake and say to yourself... it's just a mark..."

"Just a mark?" Tarzan muttered, rubbing his chest.

"Yeah... just a mark." Baloo nodded before placing his hand on his godson's shoulder, "Something to show that you survived to live another day, that you went through some sticky situations and still walked out of it alive." His hand tightened before he grunted. "So don't be ashamed of your scar, just remember that it is a mark of your survival."

"I think I kind of get it..." Tarzan chuckled, weak but genuine. "Thanks, Baloo..."

The bear gave a smile of his own before they both got up on their feet.

###

Present time

Outer Stems,  Wakalu, northeastern Bukuvu

From that day forth, he put it on display, never hiding it for even a moment, and willfully talking about it with anyone who asked. Treating it like a reminder of a great deed. The only times his scar was concealed from view was when it was quite sunny in the jungle, and that was just for his health. In any other instance, it was there for the whole Bukuvu to see. And slowly but surely, he felt a bit more confident about it. It was proof. Proof that he'd survived impossible odds. So Tarzan wore it proudly.

...

...

...

...But he still looked blue.

Sure he missed Bagheera and worried about his health. Right now he was sitting in the dingy, dark shadow of his teacher's favorite spot. This had become a common occurrence for the young man ever since that fateful day; he would come to the panther's mohwa tree every morning and evening so he could be alone for a while and think about past events, for it made him feel connected to his godfather in a way, despite the latter being in a coma.

The Khan had escaped... vanished from the swamp before Basi and Colonel Hathi arrived to drive him off. His surprise raid had surprised everyone in the northern jungle. The parrots, never ones to keep their beaks closed, spread the message to everyone until it eventually reached Tarzan's ears. The youth's fury was only subsided by the news that Simba was healing well. According to Kaa, his brother would be back to roaming the panther's ranges in a few days or so.

If only Kerchak had shown as much emotion once he was told of Bagheera's condition compared to when he learned that the tiger had crossed to their side of the river.

Overall, nothing had changed... except for the Bukuvu's hairless endling.

Even though his body had miraculously recovered from the battle, Tarzan felt an itch whenever he got too absorbed in his thoughts and something was definitely wrong with his mind, specifically his confidence. Every time he had any of his fangs in hand, he felt his grip shaking and found himself hesitating and doubting his own capacities when he sparred with Simba, Terk, or Baloo, something that he had never done before even when he was a tiny cub. After the Dum-Dum, many had commented on how strong he was and he began to believe that was true. That he could protect his family and friends from their enemies... but after his fight with Shere Khan, Tarzan feared that wasn't true at all.

"Damnit, what's wrong with me?!" He inwardly shouted to himself. As the youth thought more on the matter, he was suddenly waked from his musing by a familiar voice.

"You know, there is a saying in the jungle: if you scratch your scars, they won't ever heal."

Turning around, Tarzan saw that someone had joined him on the tree, it was Kala. "Mother, I... I didn't hear you come up, you surprised me." His sigh sounded tired. "I wasn't scratching my scar, I was just getting a better look at it in the water to see how it was healing... that's all." He aimed his gaze back at the puddle below.

Although he tried to put up a front, Kala knew by his breathing that something was troubling her frog. One look was all it took for her to spot that unmistakable glint of sorrow and regret. "Come now, Tarzan. You know I wasn't talking about the scar on your chest. I was talking about the one in your heart." She sat across from him. "The same one you have been scratching every day since it happened."

The boy hung his head at that. "I am sorry, mother. I wasn't doing it on purpose. It's just... every time I close my eyes... I can't help but relive what happened." He said, eyes wandering aimlessly around the scenery before them. "That horrible memory just doesn't go away... and I don't think it is gonna get any easier."

"My dear cub. It won't get easier because you never let it go." Kala spoke softly. "I know that it hurts you, young one. But the wound on your heart is no different than the one on your chest, it will heal in time if you give it a chance."

Tarzan closed his eyes with another sigh. "I wish it was that simple. I try to look past the visions and not let them affect me... but no matter how hard I try, when I see my reflection, I don't see myself anymore."

The puddle proved his words true: gone was the lively juvenile, brimming with confidence and determination, he had now been replaced by a hesitant young cub who seemed unsure of himself.

His mother saw it too.

"Now, Tarzan, Baloo told you that scars are not marks of shame. They are merely symbols and reminders of the battles fought. The one in your heart is not different."

"But how do you overcome something like that?" Tarzan asked, his voice half-broken. "How do you keep the pain inside from growing so much that it aches worse than any cut?" Tears threatening to spill, he turned to her. "How can you be so strong, mother? I don't understand!"

Kala lowered her head at that. "I am not as strong as you think I am, dear. I feel the same sadness and experience the same tears you do more often than I like to admit." Her tone grew quieter and serene like leaves carried down by the wind. "And there are some nights that I can't even sleep... but what helps me during those times is remembering that everything happens for a reason... including this."

Tarzan sighed, his mother's words stroke a chord and reminded him of Bagheera's maxims about the Great Circle of Life.

"And I still have you, the Troop, and the others here with me at all times. Yes, my first son is gone... but, in a way, he is still alive." The second son paid attention in respectful silence. "I may no longer see him, but those you love will be in your heart forever. No matter what happens, the good memories will stay with us, and for me... that's enough to smile."

"...I guess you're right." He let out a deep breath. "I shouldn't be surprised, Bagheera would always go on and on about how we should strive to be the best we could be... he wouldn't want our family to become weak and wilt in his absence."

Kala offered him a kind smile. "You have his fighting spirit, he's always been proud of you. As long as you stay strong, that scar in your heart will heal in no time."

Slowly but surely, Tarzan returned her smile with a nod. Though his was smaller.

"I think you have spent enough time here, my son. Go with Simba and the others and have a bit of fun. Spending some time with them will be good for you. It should get your head out of your troubles for a while."

Tarzan landed on the floor and started walking, but not before sparing his mother a parting glance for confirmation. One nod from her was all it took for him to get going.

"Guys, wait up!" The group was far ahead by the time Tarzan caught up with them.

"Little Britches!" Baloo beamed upon seeing the hairless ape running towards them.

"Took you long enough," Timon remarked, putting his arms on his sides. "What made you change your mind?"

Simba cut in. "Let me guess: Auntie Kala got through to you?"

"Yeah... I guess she did." Tarzan responded simply.

Pumbaa stared up at him. "So... you're feeling better?

"I-I think so."

"You haven't really been yourself lately, bro." Simba pointed out in concern. His brother hardly smiled now and it doesn't even look like he wants to have fun anymore.

"Come on, T, cheer up, Baggy will be fine. It's no use worrying about it." The meerkat then came to his godson. "You gotta take your life one day at a time, you know? Don't think about the past or the future. Purge your mind! Blank it out!" he whispered to him the next part: "It's easy, Pumbaa does it all the time."

"What?" asked the warthog in question.

"See?" Timon grinned.

"What?"

"See?"

"What?!"

"See?"

Pumbaa blew up: "WHAT?!"

Tarzan laughed for the first time in quite a while, joined by the others.

Leave it to his pals to cheer him up.

Baloo came into the huddle. "And if you gotta think about something, think about us. Better yet, you should think about the bare necessities." He told the Mangani. "The simple bare necessities."

Simba wrapped an arm around Tarzan's shoulder. "Forget about your worries."

Pumbaa beamed: "And your strife."

Tarzan, smiling brighter, clapped his palms together. "You mean the bare necessities. Old Mother Nature's recipes that bring the bare necessities of life." He got with the beat and started dancing. "Wherever I wander, wherever I roam, I couldn't be fonder of my jungle home."

Simba bounced on all fours. "Don't spend your time filled with doubt over things you can do nothing about."

"Yeah, that's it boys, come on, shout it!" urged Timon.

Tarzan and Simba, shoulder-to-shoulder: "Let's go along not thinkin' about it! Bare necessities. The simple bare necessities."

Baloo, Timon, and Pumbaa sang in unison: "Forget about your worries and your strife."

"Oh, yeah. I mean the bare necessities." The bear leaned on a tree to scratch himself. "That's why a bear can rest at ease."

"With just the bare necessities of life." Pumbaa swayed from side to side.

"Now if you pick a pawpaw, or a prickly pear, and you prick a raw paw, next time beware." Baloo demonstrated, plucking the figs from the cacti with his claw. "Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw, when you pick a pear try to use the claw." Following his example, Tarzan used a stick to get himself a lunch. "But you don't need to use the claw when you pick a pear of the big pawpaw." Pausing, the bear turned to his sinewy student. "Have I given you a clue?"

Tarzan took one to his mouth, savored the taste, then smiled and gave the bear a thumbs up.

"The bare necessities of life will come to you." Simba strolled.

"Let it come to you." Pumbaa pranced around.

"They'll come to you!" Timon howled.

Finally, they all sang together: "No matter where we go, we'll find the bare necessities of life!"

With their song over, the group in fervor exchanged hugs, pats, handshakes, and noogies.

"You guys are the best." Tarzan chortled/stated.

Pumbaa blushed. "Ah, shucks."

"We are glad to help." Said Timon. "Now, tell you what: we're entrusting you to make a plan for us today."

"This is important." added the sloth bear. "Think about all you've been taught."

"What do you wanna do?" asked the swine.

"...Absolutely nothing!"

"Now that's more like it!" Simba glowed.

The mongoose cheered: "Our Hairless Wonder is back!"

Hearing this, Tarzan was easily able to hide his sad smile from them, knowing his family was well aware that he was hurting and were trying their best to comfort him. They just wanted to have fun with their manling... and he too wanted to have fun with them again.

Life flows lazily around Hakuna Matata Falls. Water, air, love, house with a roof above, wisdom, food, sleep, all of the bare necessities of life for a family of five to keep their good health... although Simba complained that he wanted to gauge on wild hares even as he messed around in the waterhole with Baloo and Pumbaa. Still, his brother decided that a trip to the mystery hot spring was in order. Thus here they were, the bear with his head underwater and blowing several bubbles in a tune loud enough so his companions could make out what it was. From their natural hot tub, the trio also watched as Tarzan and Timon played their new game.

"So this is how it goes: I throw the fruit and you strike at it." The meerkat found a stout stick and a round, sun-dried fruit. Then he stood on a flat rock, tossed the makeshift ball into the air, and whacked it with the stick in a swiping blow.

The fruit rocketed off even better than he had dared to hope.

"Now I'm cooking! How's that for a swing?" cried the happy mongoose before he looked over at his curious, tawny godson. "If you are game, Simba, I will show you how to play later."

"Simba is big game!" laughed Pumbaa. "Get it?"

Tarzan was ready for his turn, eager to work up the sweat before he too took a dip at the bubbling lagoon. However, the game between them was soon broken as a strange rustling in the nearby tree line caught the boy's attention. "Timon, did you hear that?" he asked, his tone suddenly tense.

Timon poised an ear towards the forest and listened intently for a moment or two before a startled shout abruptly cut through the wind,

"Hey, wait! Where are you going?!" a known, yet worried voice called out from the woods close by.

But, before any of them could react, Tarzan and Timon were both taken by complete surprise when a large feathery blur emerged from the thicket. And even more surprising was that, between the brief millisecond in which it was rushing straight into the clearing, Tarzan saw this blur was, beyond all explanation, a giant vulture with the legs of an adult stork. The next thing he saw was the figure mounted upon its back, holding on for dear life as their ride trailed off their original course. Regardless, the beast was undeterred as it bounded up and down, viewing his passenger as little more than an attacker who failed miserably at pinning him to the jungle floor. Tarzan's reflexes were sharp enough to leap well out of the bird's path before it ran him over. The orangutan, meanwhile, was trashed to the ground, knocked down with little effort. Now free, the gorilla bird squawked and barred its huge beak as it glared at Louie.

A miraculous intervention prevented things from escalating: Tarzan leaped into action. Standing in front of the ungainly fowl whose gender eluded him, he got a good look at the creature's scraggly feathers as well as their bushy eyebrows and the patch of ruffled plumage on top of their head. They had a strong, flexible neck and sharp beak as well. Long legs ending in blunt toes which Tarzan, squinting his eyes, figured out they used for digging but also as weapons during a fight.

Nevertheless, he raises his body and voice to challenge the feathery giant. That was, thankfully, enough to make the bird back off and go on his way.

Once the danger was gone, the pals approached Louie.

"Are you alright, Lou?" asked Baloo.

The King of the Bandar-log shook his head till he stopped seeing circles of vulture storks flying in front of him. "Yeah... I guess so. I was on my way to see you, wanted to introduce you to my new steed... but looks like he ain't fond of parties."

His mount was long gone. Yet, Louie looked jolly as always... especially when he saw his savior.

"Well, I will be a monkey's uncle, except I already am." Grasping his temples, the monarch smiled at the Black Back. "Tarzan? Is that you, cousin?!"

Tarzan responded in kind, happy to see the orangutan after so long.

Suddenly, Louie's expression diminished. "I am sorry about Bagheera. How are you holding up?"

The young man stared despondently at the ground again. "I'm okay... though sleeping's been hard."

"If you can't sleep, why don't you get that old Witch Doctor Kaa to hypnotize you and put ya to sleep?"

Tarzan's face scrunched at that. "Everything a snake puts to sleep, they eat." He remarked, not trusting that creepy-eyed serpent to not gobble him down. Even if he was doing his best for Bagheera.

"Eh, that's fair." replied the primate. "Well, I know a place that can help you with that."

The pinkish ape meets the red ape's gaze once more, "Real quiet, huh?"

"Quiet?" Louie, self-proclaimed men expert, scoffed. "If you want quiet, go back to The Chief's turf. This place is happening. When we're done you'll sleep like a puppy."

"Did I hear you say 'party'?" Timon perked up.

"Yes, party!" Louie addressed him and the others. "You are all invited!"

"Can we go, Timon?" Pumbaa asked/begged.

"Pfft! Of course. As if we would miss it!" declared the meerkat.

Baloo, who normally would never say no to such an invitation, grunted unsurely: "Gee, Bagheera won't like this."

Undeterred, Louie came to his side. "Come now, Baloo. You wouldn't deny Simba a chance to enjoy himself after his run-in with the tiger, would you?"

"Hey, did you guys forget? Tarzan is the one leading us today." The feline pointed out, then turned to his brother. "We are with you, T, whatever you decide."

The naked ape thought it over for a moment. Conflicting emotions battled it out inside his head: Baloo's right, Bagheera wouldn't want him to go... but he was not here, his pals were, however, and they definitely wanted to. Besides...

"It does sound like fun." Very much so. In fact, it was taking much of Tarzan's willpower to keep him from glowing like the others; he had long dreamed of a chance to visit the monkey's city again.

"That's because it is." Louie strutted to his side.

"...Alright then." nodding his head, the youth answered.

"Great, we're off then." triumphant, Louie clasped his hands together. "Monkey City, here we come!"

Monkey City. The finest home in the jungle, at least King Louie was tremendously proud to boast so. On the far side of the group's path was the mighty den, its great walls, its lofty spires, its turrets, minarets, and domes showing red and yellow in the green jungle. It made Tarzan's place look like a hole in the ground. Did his kind truly make all of this? The curious juvenile didn't pay much mind to the marks of ruin-to him, it appeared a wonderful place of magnificent beauty with broad avenues and huge temples occupied by a throng of happy, active people.

Recognizing their guests, especially Tarzan's brother and godfathers, the monkeys welcomed the group with shouts and laughter. Not much had changed in Monkey City since the pythons' siege, Tarzan could tell despite how long it had been since he dwelled in those ancient ruins. There was always music in Louie's domain. Somebody, or several somebodies, would feel inclined to pick up a makeshift instrument and start playing. It made their forest feel as if it had a language of its very own, at times. And while a bit jarring at first, Tarzan had come to appreciate it.

They entered the broad avenue where Louie's throne was located, on the opposite side of which crumbling hills of hollow granite loomed high around them. Trees had grown upon the crumbling debris along the face of the colossal hives, and vines wound in and out of the hollow, staring windows; but the building directly opposite to them seemed less overgrown than the others, and in a much better state of preservation. It was a massive pile, surmounted by an enormous dome. At either side of its great entrance stood rows of tall pillars, each capped by strange rock formations in the shape of numerous images along the monoliths.

"Like I told ya: turn the thinker off a minute and just dive in," Baloo told his mannish godson as they made their way to the dance floor. "Step aside, and I'll show you what a real rug cutter can do."

Tempted as he was to see that, Tarzan couldn't resist first climbing to the top of the tower just to behold the view from up there.

"Watch your step, cus."

Louie's voice prompted him to halt upon a high ledge. He turned around and, sure enough, the king of the monkeys was in his natural habitat: surrounded by his favorite fruit.

"You almost bruised a choice, fat banana."

Confirming the older ape's alert, Tarzan moved his foot away from the delights on the floor. "Oh, sorry."

"Cool it, cus. You just arrived in time for the banana season." The monarch grabbed the treat and extended it to him. "Here, have it. It will quiet your nerves."

Tarzan accepted the snack, he hadn't eaten yet and could use some good fruit.

"Take it easy, slow it down. Relax, get yourself unwound. And I will show you the world." The Bandar-log King asserted before happily stuffing himself with his bananas.

They were both apes, yet Tarzan could hardly think of someone more unlike Kerchak than King Louie.

After their last proper meeting so long ago, the Black Back had grown very curious by the prospect of finally seeing the long-armed primate again. He had only heard a thing or two about him from the boys over the seasons, including how the monarch tended to overdo things when he got carried away with his 'manias'. The newest of which was, apparently, rampaging about the jungle mounted on a... gorilla bird.

Yeah, Tarzan still wasn't sure how he felt about that name.

Either way, Baloo insisted Louie's heart was in the right place and that he was his friend, the best one outside their little family. On his end, Tarzan couldn't understand Bagheera or Kerchak's views on the 'chattering monkeys'. They liked their trees and music, just like the Ugani. And they looked a little like him too, being skinny and all, except smaller in size and better at swinging in the vines. But they like to have fun all the same.

"What's in your mind, cus?" Louie spoke with his mouth full of bananas, snapping the manling out of his thoughts. "Are you well?"

Tarzan hesitated, caught without words to answer him.

"Come on now... you can tell your friend Lou what all the fuzz is about."

"...We are friends?" The naked ape contemplated in doubt. Appreciative as he was of the hospitality, he was equally skeptical thanks to all those times Bagheera stressed for him to not have anything to do with the Bandar-log.

"Course we are, and just to prove it to you, I'm gonna let you come visit my kingdom whenever you feel like it. As an honorary Bandar-log."

Following that proclamation from the top banana, Tarzan smiled too, although his was brief. "Thanks, but I really shouldn't be here."

"I told you before, back when I saved ya from those dholes, didn't I?" Louie retorted, tossing the eaten fruit's peel on a hollowed-out tree stump down below, adding it to the stack inside, which was now so high one or two elephants could slip on it. "Every primate belongs in Monkey City." He peered to the party downstairs, where the others danced to their hearts' content. "Besides, any friend of those four is a friend of mine as well."

"We are family, actually." Tarzan corrected.

"And we aren't?"

The juvenile honestly didn't know what to say.

Louie's smirk persisted anyhow. "Pull one of my thrones and kick back. Don't ya think you've been working too hard lately?"

Tarzan shook his head at that. "I swore to Kerchak I would become a great ape."

"You already look like one to me." retorted the king, long gone were the days when his monkeys could carry the boy through the treetops.

The youth stared away. "Doesn't feel like I am."

"Probably 'cause you are missing something important: you are a man."

"You don't say..." He muttered dryly, Shere Khan was the last person to remind him of that.

"I mean you're trying too hard to be like the Chief." Coming to him, the orangutan put a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you try being the best of your kind as you can be?"

After processing his words, Tarzan ultimately shot down the idea. "No, I can't do that. Fire is dangerous."

"Then how did you escape the Khan?"

...

Tarzan is silent, pensive as he searches for a specific memory, then:

"There was a light... so bright my eyes burned before I passed out. Shining blue like the sun." He stops, realizing what he's said. "I'm sorry, that's crazy." After scoffing, the Mangani puts on a softer expression, trying to recover. "A blue sun..."

He trailed off once he noticed that Louie wasn't paying attention anymore.

At least, it didn't look like he was: his unblinking eyes stared off at nothing, the strangest of twinkles flashed across them whilst a wide smile threatened to take over his face.

"Oh believe me... it is cu-ray-ze." Suspending himself in his arms, he leaned to look directly into the eyes of his 'cousin'. "But what if you really did see something extraordinary? More than that: miraculous?"

Tarzan's eyebrow cocked. "Impossible."

King Louie's smile morphed into a mischievous grin. "Really?" He asked. "Have you seen all there is to see? Are there no mysteries left for you?"

"Well... well, uh, um, no."

"Don't you ever wonder what's out there? Beyond the horizons, out past the smallest light that's twinkling? Where you cannot even have an inkling of what is going on?" Hand latching onto Tarzan's noggin, the orangutan guided the youth's gaze towards the endless distance. "There's so much more to everything than anyone thinks. Imagine what we could find out there. Oh, how I wish you could have seen it: travel, change, excitement, and all the stuff I could show you! Like this flower that shined like the sun itself, only blue, and it made a crackling sound like fire in the trees."

Tarzan felt his throat seize up. "A Blue Flower?"

Louie nodded, letting go of him. "If stars can fall and mountains bleed fire, red flowers can be blue." He went on to elaborate: "These can shine light without heat. I have seen men use it in the craziest of ways: to heal the sick and other miracles. It doesn't make much sense, but I saw what I saw... and, by the looks of it, so did you."

Was that how his wounds healed? Could his kind truly make such incredible things, like how they raised these cavernous mountains? Tarzan, taken aback, stopped and gathered his knowledge from the jungle, trying to make sense of such things. He had seen blue in the skies, the rivers, in some blossoms, in that light burst... and in the Bright Creeper spreading through the storm clouds before coming down to plant the Red Flower.

Was there a relation between them, perhaps? Could his kind create and control lightning as well?!

While he still found it baffling, Tarzan couldn't deny the eccentric ape's curiosity was very contagious... and so was his enthusiasm.

"Party time!" Timon cheered as he led several monkeys in a procession, all blowing on their hands clasped around the nose as if they were pretending to have rhinoceros horns.

"Come and get it, I'll just whip up a little something." 'Chef Pumbaa' was making a shish kebab out of grubs, much to the anticipation of the Bandar-log sitting around the ruins.

"Oh yeah. This old bed of soft ferns feels might good." Baloo rested on top of the leafy pile. To him, ants are quite a tasty dish. He ate as many as he wished, loving the way they tickled inside. "Come on, Simba. Simmer down or you will singe your whiskers."

Coming from the roof, Tarzan and Louie spotted the golden lion reclined on a rock table to sun himself, the roof above him allowing the sunlight in through a wide hole.

There was feasting all around them, for the hunters and foragers had brought many trophies of their skill, and lots of gourds filled with all types of juice were consumed. Fruits, berries, seeds, nuts, leaves, stalks, herbs, bugs, honey, and other things besides. Truly the arms of the Bandar-log are long and many, there's hardly anything Louie can't abide. Tarzan found the beetles selectable. In fact, they are delectable.

No cares, no strife, no wonder why they liked this place so much.

"Tarzan, there you are!" The bear eventually took notice of his godson and best friend. "We were wondering where you wandered off to!"

Louie stepped in. "Sorry I kept him for so long, Baloo. But I really wanted to show my home to my new guest."

"Don't sweat it, Lou." The ursine waved it nonchalantly before regarding the naked ape. "T, you're just in time to learn my secret for relaxation."

"Oh, and what is that, Papa Bear?" Tarzan asked though he could already guess.

"Don't trouble yourself with troubles." Not surprised whatsoever, Tarzan simply laughed and joined Baloo on the rock table when the latter gestured for him to do so. "Also, we thought you might like one of Pumbaa's famous recipes."

Tarzan's eyes grew bigger along with his smile as soon as he saw what grub the swine was shaking up for the salad. "That is..."

"Utamu, the most de-bob-i-licious grub you ever tasted? Yes."

The caterpillar-like bugs were violet in color, with paler violet stripes and lavender undersides. Their eyes a vibrant pink and their legs fourteen in total.

"I thought you only could find them in the Pride Lands during the rainy season."

"You want the rarest, most delicious grubs that ever crawled on a rotten branch?" The Bandar-log King cut in with a laugh. "Just say it and old King Louie, that's me, will fix a banquet for you!"

Admittedly, Tarzan thought that sounded very nice.

Pumbaa presented the grubs in front of him.

"Yum!" He admires and drools at it. Tarzan devours the bugs in glee, cleaning up the table in seconds. Done, he blurts out a loud, satisfied bug belch.

'BURP'

"Guys, that hit the spot." The young Black Back, slurring rather blissfully, pats his brother on the back. "I'm feeling better already."

"Only the best for our boy," Baloo stated.

Timon shouted. "Hey, Pumbaa, we need another round over here!"

Soon came the warthog, holding a leaf full of appetizers which he placed in front of his pals. "There you go!"

They attack the meal as one, grub going right down their throats like squishy goo.

"Oi, Pumbaa, a few more, please.!" Baloo banged a fist on the 'table'.

Along came the next course—this one with a rich and bold taste.

"Oh, Mr. Pig! Two more, please!" It was Simba's turn to make the order.

Pumbaa sets down another bowl of bugs.

Tarzan: "Pumbaa."

Pumbaa sets down a coconut filled with grub mush.

Balo, singsong, without even bothering to wait for the others to finish: "Oh, Pumbaa."

Pumbaa sets down a leaf bowl filled with worms.

Timon, slurring and supporting himself against Tarzan's side. "Pum-baa!"

Pumbaa sets down a snail shell filled with grub salad. The warthog scats as he works.

"Take some refreshment too!" Louie brought a bunch of slushies. "Enjoy some of our treasures."

"You are so kind!" "Lou, you're the best!" "Come and Join us, Pumbaa!" "You heard Tarzan, boys, give the hog some space!"

All of a sudden, the orangutan eagerly put two identical gourds in front of Bagheera's boys. "Here, try it."

Daring as he had been so far, Tarzan hesitated until he looked over and saw Simba drink half of his gourd in one gulp so he assumed it was safe and took a sip himself, just missing Baloo moaning something along the lines of "Oh boy, I am never gonna hear the end of this". The drink went down like water. It burned the back of his throat but in a good way, and it left a honey aftertaste in his mouth. A nice blend of bitter and sweet.

Tarzan didn't know when he climbed the ledge, how long their food binge had been going on, who took the last piece of that pudding of berries and fruit, nor why the monkeys called it by such a strange name. All he knew was that his 'cousin' knew how to bring out the party of anyone and that his mouth was amazed by a myriad of tastes that it most certainly won't forget for the rest of its days!

"Alright folks, this one goes out to my bestest friends in the whole world!" Tarzan hooted at his audience, the others, Louie included, were on the impromptu stage too, equally wasted. "My family, and especially my big red cousin!" He waves his arm at the monarch. "It's a little diddy called..."

All six of them: "PUUUUUUMMMMMBBBAAAAA!"

Then they fell over.

Chapter Text

Two Brothers Under the Sun

Chapter – XXVII

Simba's Pride

A/N: Feel free to contribute to the pages on Tropedia and Official Tropes Wiki

The sun hung like a great, golden circle in the shimmering sky. It scorched the air so many animals were tempted to stay in the shade till evening arrived. Lifting their snouts from the plains, the sable sentries swing their heads around in search of movement in the shadowy bushes. Opposite to them, right beyond the reach of the grove, a hunter eyes the antelopes with keen interest, his tail irritably swishing to and fro amidst the vegetation as he padded slowly along the area.

Pouncing out of his hiding spot, a big cat erupts from a clump of tall grass. The herd bounds away in sweeping arcs as the lion zips towards them. Simba flies with the quickness of thought and lodges his jaws in the bristling back of a doe. His prey tried to fight out of his grip but the lion had come upon her so quickly that she had no time to intercept him with her horns. With a bound, the feline leaped entirely over the antelope's hindquarters and, moving with incredible swiftness, planted his canines on the sable's spine. A snap-crackling sound is heard before the female keels over.

Simba would dine well today; after showing the proper gratitude, he took a morsel from the loins. The Golden Lion wasn't in a good mood, more than a bit put out by the slithering, slimy insects that the monkeys promised would taste better than they looked. Only they hadn't! Now, they rumbled about in his stomach. Or was it hunger? Could be, the feline sworn he felt that bothersome sensation alleviate once the meal went down his gullet.

Then again, this was his grand debut so he couldn't be blamed for fidgeting a little.

After cracking a bone to savor its marrow, Simba stared out at the wide grassy plain. From the spot where he feasted, his ranges lay spread before him. He saw miles of grasslands sprawled across lush, green forests and dotted by clusters of grazing animals. Brief as his absence had been, the big cat couldn't help but stop just to sit down and soak in the view of his fields. After days of curling up and howling like a porcupine in Kaa's grove, it was good to snooze by his beloved waterfall again.

But today, this sleek and tawny jungle hunter is eating all alone.

His teacher oversaw this territory; with him down, somebody must watch over it in his stead. Knowing this, Simba made sure to get himself a fine breakfast that would carry him well through what he knew was to be a busy day. As he nourished himself, he had time to realize the irony of his situation, and it wasn't just because of his last talk with his godfather. After leaving home and trying his best to forget about the past, the Golden Lion didn't expect to find himself taking over Bagheera's (sorta) kingly duties. Sure the panther wanted him to watch over the ranges someday, to become the next Alpha Predator of the northern basin as befits a lion. Simba was aware of that; his teacher wouldn't live forever, thank goodness he wasn't down for good yet, but the maned youth never gave it too much thought until now.

As a royal cub in the Pride Lands, he was impatient for the day he would become king; a mighty monarch striking fear into the hearts of his enemies, the main event like no king was before, brushing up on looking down and working on his roar. During his first royal tour of the kingdom, he and his father were greeted by committees of trumpeting elephants full of Pomp and Circumstance. Dad had stressed that he didn't want fanfare, Simba, on the other hand, loved it to this day. Oh, how long he had waited for his emancipation as well, to be free to run around all day long and get his way all the time. But then his father said that being king was a huge obligation, very daunting too, not just an excuse for fun. Time has proven him wise as Simba grew pondering this lesson and watching Bagheera tending to his responsibilities, which were now for his apprentice to uphold.

Hakuna Matata will be there once this is all said and done, then Simba will go home.

Though he knew he could never measure up to the king his father was, it's his duty to do what's right for the Bukuvu as an honorable Alpha. While he didn't feel he was qualified to rule, he accepted the responsibility with the confidence of the mighty pachyderms.

And thus came the reluctant lion into the 'kingship' of the plains.

The shadow of a circle flits over him. Simba looks up and smiles at the sight of four shabby faces he hasn't seen in several Seasons.

Dizzy, formerly Chil, addressed his companions in the updraft. "Say, fellas, look who's down there."

"That's Bagheera's lion," Ziggy spoke as he drifted behind him.

"What're we gonna do?" pondered Flaps.

"Don't start that again." Buzzy shook his head.

"My, he's gotten so big." observed the brown-topped vulture, Simba had grown considerably since the last time they saw him.

"The little bloke ain't little no more." nodded Dizzy.

Buzzy called out to the lion. "Hey, big bloke, wait a minute, hey!"

They squawk and swoop down. Simba watches as they stall out and settle on a tall shrub near him, folding in their wings as they land.

"Buzzie, Dizzy, Flaps, and Ziggy." The cat smiled as he greeted them. "What are you doing here?"

Ziggy perked up with a smile. "Hey, he remembered us!"

"You see, we're a little, kinda jobless right now," said Buzzy looking down. "We don't know what to do."

"Also, there is our old boss who is onto us, and we were thinking..." The brunette vulture trailed off.

"If maybe we could hunt with you." His hidden-eyed friend finished.

"Yeah, you could be our leader," Flaps joined his flockmates.

"It'd be fun, you know?" Ziggy regained his composure. "And if that meanie catches up then you eat him."

"Yeah, that's what we were thinking," added the blond.

Simba paused, one brow raised. "You want me to lead your flock?"

"That we do." Buzzie beamed and smiled. "You are the boss!"

"But I am not even a vulture."

"That's fine. We never met an animal we didn't like."

"Also, we heard you were doin' alright," Ziggy added.

"Did you whup the Khan?" questioned an intrigued Dizzy.

Simba contained a tingling grimace. "More like he whupped me."

Buzzie took a quizzical look at him, visibly curious. "Say... you are looking pretty good for a fella the tiger got his claws on."

The lion shrugged. "I have a good doctor."

"Looks like you got yourself a sweet promotion too." Ziggy pointed out. "How's it been?"

...Yeah, Simba supposed some could call it that despite the circumstances. "Let's just say I am up to my neck in work, guys."

"It's a good thing you are not a giraffe then."

The predator chortled, a faint trace of a snicker escaping his lips.

"And, you know, no king of the jungle's complete without his very own bird scouts," Buzzy said before he and the others swooped to the ground to bow before the former prince. "We will be happy to help ya."

Suddenly, the youth was reminded of a certain majordomo always by his father's side. A pang of sadness accompanied the memory.

Great, he had to face the truth... he actually missed Zazu.

Along with that realization, another memory revealed itself from the depths of his mind:

"While others search for what they can take, a true king searches for what he can give."

After a moment scratching his chin in thought, Simba replied: "I guess I could use your services. Wanna come along?"

The quartet smiled and exchanged joyful high-fives.

"Working for a prince, this is def!" declared Ziggy.

Finding their enthusiasm contagious, the tawny hunter chuckled a little. Not only was the help welcome, but he would like them to consider this as thanks for their support on his first game of Kasaba Ball.

"That's quite the meal you got there." Dizzy took notice of the doe's carcass.

"They don't call me 'King of Beasts' for nothing." Simba boasted a self-indulgent smile filled with pride.

"Should we call you 'your majesty' then?" asked Flaps.

Thinking a bit, the feline ultimately shook his head. "Nah, just 'boss' is fine."

He allows them to share in his bounty as he helps himself to a nice cantaloupe, a rather light repast but satisfying nonetheless. Once they cleared out his scraps, they followed his lead.

The duties of kingship in the jungle are many and arduous. To face them, Simba sought to emulate the best: his father and godfather while keeping true to his promise to Colonel Hathi that he would champion the Law of the Jungle. Thus the prince knew that he and his new entourage had many places to go and much work to do.

~It's an honor and a privilege, a duty to perform, with a due sense of decorum and with pride~

No poachers this time, but there was lots of talking throughout the day. When he wasn't one of the parties involved in the agreement, he was counseling a fellow leader on theirs or helping on some debacle around the jungle.

~With deference and great respect very much the norm. Plus a hint of sycophancy on the side~

All day long he came across animals who needed answers to their questions and solutions to their problems. The servals wanted permission to climb his trees; one of the Commune's babies accidentally swallowed a burr while their parents were busy; a zebra opened a termite nest with a kick...

~To lay before a ruler all the facts about his realm, to fill them in on all the beastly news... in order that their majesty stands sturdy at the top, aware of all the fauna's latest views~

The flamingos are taking a stand in the creek. Two giraffes were caught necking, much to the group's embarrassment. The birds began tweeting quite early in the morning. Dizzy was like, "Birds, we get it." Two cheetahs stole the baboons' dinner and now the latter are going ape. Those cats were supercilious but, of course, as they say, cheetahs never prosper. Especially because the lion just happened to know the baboons involved and was all too happy to help by having a little talk with the cheetahs.

~Monkeys are going ape, giraffes remain above it all. Elephants remember, though just what none can recall. Crocodiles are snapping up fresh offers from the banks. Showed interest in nest eggs but the parents said "No thanks!" Simba paid the parrots and the vultures soon got a hunch: not everyone invited will be coming back from lunch~

He gave every subject a shot, even stepping in to cut in two a worm a pair of egrets were fighting over. During patrol time, they even assisted some smaller predators with their own hunts. The quartet was pretty useful with that since they could fly up high and see stuff others could not see.

~This is the morning report. Gives you the long and the short. Every grunt, roar, and snort. Not a tale is distorted... on the morning report~

Scratching his claws and back on the trees, Simba made sure all who came by would recognize his smell and markings. The perks make up for a lot; he soon noticed the food always standing at the foot of the trees that marked his territory's boundaries, and from time to time, he and the band would snack on whatever tributes were left there.

~The buffalo have got a beef about this season's grass. River hogs have been thwarted in attempts to save their gas. Flamingoes in the pink chasing secretary birds. Saffron is this season's color seen in all the herds. Moving down the rank and file to near the bottom rung. Far too many beetles are, quite frankly, in the dung~

Simba hoped to preserve the lands for Bagheera's eventual return, hence why he tried to imitate his teacher as much as possible. The only difference was that he had to work extra hard to keep the herds in check if he hoped to protect nature's balance in his home as well as the Great Circle of Life.

~This is the morning report. Gives you the long and the short. Every grunt, roar, and snort. Not a tale is distorted... on the morning report~

He and the boys set out by midday to the westward fields, and there they ate only what was required for sustenance and helped keep the animals on the pastures in order, nor ever did the lion destroy what he could not eat. So, while the herds were wroth at the continued roars and pilfering of their numbers, they were not discouraged in their efforts to return to the land.

~This is the morning report. Gives you the long and the short. Every grunt, roar, and snort. Not a tale is distorted... on the morning report~

Presently Simba began to strike farther and farther west into the heart of the plains as he and the vultures carried out their inspection, the youth was set on defending the Great Circle as far as his home ended, only stopping when he got clear sight of the Bandar-log's domain.

...But the young feline tired of it, as he found that kingship meant the curtailment of his liberty. He soon longed for the dwelling on the cliffside and the sun-kissed waterfall-for the cool interior of Baloo's den, and the never-ending quest for the bare necessities of life. Last night's reverie would be his last for quite a while; this realization only served to peeve him more. By late noon, his scars from the fight with the Khan were the only thing stopping him from outright declaring he missed his days of dealing with poachers, when his routine was laxer, it was easier for him to get his point across, and things were a lot more straightforward.

The bemoaning lion king stretched himself atop a rock, unbothered by the late noonday sun for he was far too happy with this impromptu break while his scouts surveyed ahead. These chores are a total bore.

It wasn't long until the first one of them returned, however, tiptoeing towards him. Simba looked up wearily before resigning himself and sighing: "Buzzie, report."

"Everything is clear," Buzzie stated, coming to a stop. "Looks like everyone is fine except for you."

"Tell me about it," His new leader yawned as he rolled about on his back. "What a long day, we haven't even finished yet."

"Yo, boss." Flaps was back that very instant, Ziggy not far behind. "Cool your whiskers."

Simba groaned: "Easier said than done."

"Say, where's your band?" Buzzie saw the chance to ask, figuring it might get his mind out of the work. "The Tall Bag of Bones? the Dancing Bear?"

Simbe grumbled at first, then answered: "Meh, Tarzan went to Monkey City, Louie wanted to show something to him there and Baloo followed along." And knowing Timon and Pumbaa, they will probably show up there later. The lion too was planning to drop by to get himself a slushie once this patrol was done.

He didn't notice the birds exchanging eye contact, much less the slightly unnerved expressions when they heard of the jungle man's whereabouts. Snapping out of it before the others, Buzzie quickly came up with something else to change the subject.

"I got it, we'll sing for you! That will put a smile on your face." The bald vulture, now positively glowing, turned to his colleagues. "Fellas!"

They all move into position. Now interested, Simba shifted so he could properly focus on the flock. Seeing they had his attention, the scavengers began:

"For a slowpoke, he's doin' alright." On cue, Buzzie opened their number. "We might make somethin' out of him tonight."

"Things ain't going like he planned, but we can lend a helping hand." Flaps rubbed his wings together.

"In all our roaming and all our flights, we never met an animal we didn't like." Ziggy put each of his wings around his friends.

By the power of music, or mere coincidence, Dizzy surged from nowhere and joined his flock's formation. "We're a tight-knit set of birds, and we've only got one word:"

Four scavengers formed a chorus:

"We are the vultures!"

"That's four words," Simba murmured beneath his smile, his grumpy face wiped off.

They joined wings and began dancing in a circle atop a tree.

"Birds of a feather. We are the vultures... always stick together, together, together!"

The quartet perched on a branch, saluting with a swing of their wings. At the end, the prince was humming to their little recital. "Not bad."

"We are birds, singing is our language." Dizzy told him.

"Besides, we are culture vultures," Ziggy stated, happy as a jaybird.

"I can see that." commented the Golden Lion.

"Say, Maned Boss, since you are our tour guide, where's the elephants' secret boneyard?"

"Sorry, guys, but that's classified. Ancient pachyderm secret and all of that." Very much so. Colonel Hathi had the lion promise secrecy after showing it to him and Simba was a feline of his word.

...Come to think of it, what is a 'grave' anyway?

"Did you guys see anything else?" He asked for the sake of confirmation.

Everyone shook their heads except for Dizzy, who deadpanned: "Nope, the coast is clear."

"There, a job well done." The 'boss' stretched some more to alleviate his stress. "How about a small break?"

"No, I mean the fields are clear." The one-with-bangs elaborated. "There's nobody there."

"!"

In haste, the lion was on his feet peering directly toward the direction the tall bird had come from. A furrow marred his features as the quartet hopped to attention on his mane, the five of them peer out onto the plains in deep concentration, the vultures using their wings like visors. Simba finishes the ritual with a roar of warning... complete silence reigned.

"Do you hear that?" Simba asked, a tidbit alarmed.

Of the now uneasy four, Buzzie was the first answer. "No."

"Exactly." The prince's voice conveyed a mounting of dread. "There is nothing, no sound." He switches his attention to them. "The jungle is never this quiet. Spread out."

The vultures do so, allowing the cat to stalk silently over a nearby gully on his own. He wiggles his haunches and races up the small elevation. Leaping out and landing at the base of the slope, he startles a lonely gazelle.

"Wait!"

The buck recovers from his panic and slows down to see who scared him. "Oh, Simba, it's you." The juvenile sighs relieved, stopping. "I thought it was a predator." He abruptly stammers, realizing his choice of words. "You know, the other kind of predator."

Simba tilts his head at the agitated fellow.

"You know, like Makuu... a real beast? I mean, not that you're not a real beast. But, you know, the kind that eats... never mind." Too young to have grown accustomed to the general presence of a big meat-eater in his vicinity, he prepares to leave.

"Hey!"

Once again, the lion's voice renders the gazelle frozen in place.

"Watch it," The predator adverted. "Somebody made quite a mess over there."

The buck blinks, looks at his hooves, and sees them dangerously close to an improperly buried waste hole. "Yuck. Thanks."

Like that he slinked away, leaving Simba to his thoughts, specifically the name he mentioned. On cue, he saw the band already returning from their reconnaissance mission.

"What is it, guys?" Simba asked his new scouts.

"The buffalos are on the move." Dizzy informed.

"And the antelopes are hopping mad." Flaps added.

Simba frowned. Bagheera had made an agreement with the buffalos last moon, why would they break it like this?

"Boss, crocs coming from the Delta! They're on the hunt!"

His answer came in the form of an alarmed, bald vulture.

"Makuu."

###

Hippo Lanes, Delta Float territory, West Bukuvu

The broad Dirisha Delta, which looked more like an expanse of interconnected little lakes than an actual stream, was as smooth of surface as the stones making up the lairs of the Bandar-log; reflecting the blue sky in mid-channel but splashed with patches of green and cloudy white near and under the low banks. Little creeks ran into the delta in the wet season, but now their dry mouths hung clear above the water line. Most of them didn't even exist prior to that fateful day at the caves.

In the span of a single night, the delta marshes almost doubled in size. At dawn, Basi came in with his pod to make the Hippo Lanes, a tradition as old as the Water Truce itself, always done after a big rainstorm remodeled the jungle wetlands. The hippopotamuses had quite the system to keep the floods controlled, comprised of embankments made of logs and grouped in parallel rows with the end of each row projecting further than the one in front to help ease the river flow and protect the inland basin. They also made channels in the flooded fields for others to use after the rainstorm. These paths guide the animals from one part of the plains to another without the risk of them getting tangled or lost in the tall grass walls. Straight and true, these 'lanes' are might useful to anyone who must cross them. Plowing through the submerged lands, the hippos also helped the water flow around while creating habitats and gateways for many creatures in the jungle.

In these labyrinthine crossroads, even Simba could get lost or, worse, stuck in all these reeds and grasses. Thus the young lion is cautious with his step, feeling and checking the good mud with his bare paws. The plants overgrew in the Bukuvian sun except for the ones flattened by those who stomped through this path before him.

Overall, the lanes are the safest way to roam through the wetlands... still...

Some animals had to leave their homes after the rains left, while others came and made themselves comfortable in the new marshes: storks, fishes, bog-dwelling antelopes, and gorilla birds among them. Makuu came in with his crocodiles afterward and never left, this became their new hunting ranges, although they tended to venture out of the wetlands to the verdant plains, sometimes testing Bagheera's patience. More often were the grasslands disturbed by these wandering beasts, but today even the quiet, fierce solitude of the distant fields was broken by multiple cries of fleeing creatures. No longer was there safety for bird or beast. Crocodiles were mucking about freely; driving more and more animals deeper inland. The herd leaders started seeking a site farther on in the Bukuvu, striking further and further east into the heart of the plains as they searched for a safe location where their herds to graze in peace.

Simba cursed to himself. When the crocs pushed out the antelopes, not only they messed up the herds' schedule but ended up making everyone else move too.

Far away in the blue sky, the vultures rose upward till their flock looked no bigger than a speck of dust, and there they hung, watching with keen eyes where the crocodiles congregated. They had never seen Makuu before, though they sure had heard of him. The leader to all reptiles of the delta dwelled in the cleanest waters to be found in the jungle; one could see all the way down the submerged abysses where deposits of diluted limestone help keep the waters clean. Hard to believe such scenery was just across from the gloominess of Sarus Swamp. Simba had been all too happy to be amongst the first to dive in there after Basi and co. had finished their work. There he discovered the best snails in the Bukuvu as well as beautiful and lush underwater jungles inhabited by all types of fish (though seafood never left a mark on him like grubs did). A cold drink would be good, but Simba wasn't interested in running into one of Makuu's lackeys that way.

Dizzy was the first to spot the float. "Yes, they do look very nice, don't they?"

Ziggy and he eyed the many duels taking place near the transparent ponds. "...Yes, they do."

Two growling giants circled each other on a small island of solid ground. One swatts his tail at his opponent, knocking him to the side.

"Now, while he's down! Jaw vise!" Their leader barks from the green shores.

The first one lunges forward to immobilize his adversary.

"Tail whip, now!"

The second croc sneaks his tail to hit the other on the head, freeing himself and locking his arms around to try and overpower the first crocodile, only for the latter to clasp his own claws on him and push back, both struggling to force each other to the floor.

"It's a crocodile smackdown," Dizzy remarked, his wings fluttering in the prevailing winds.

"Who do you think's gonna win?" asked a curious Buzzy.

"Think there will be something left for us?" Flaps wondered.

"This is just practicing." The lion informed them from the river below. "They spar with one another to work on their technique."

Surveying from atop a low bluff, Simba cocked up his ears and tail before he scuttered across the shallows to the right to meet the reptiles. His new scouts on his tail once they landed; all four of them crossing the lane single file in this sequence: Buzzy, Dizzy, Flaps (walking off-step from the others and holding a fibrous reed with a frayed end to brush the inside of his beak), and Ziggy. Makuu peeked over a small hill to see the new arrivals.

Before anything else, he snaps at his subordinates. "Crocodiles! Did I say you could stop?"

Whilst his peers focus back on their matches, Makuu rests in the water alongside a pair of his best guards. Simba approaches and stands on a boulder on the shore, a large fragment that once sat atop Pinnacle Rock, flanked by the vultures. Both of them face one another in tense silence as they size each other up. The prince does a fair impression of his father, face calm, eyes steady.

Hodari, Makuu's servant, burst into speech right away, shaking himself dolefully as he stood between them: "Our excellent master, the Pride of the Ghaut and the Envy of the Dirisha..."

Simba casually tuned him off. Flattery was a good way of getting on Makuu's good side, and the crocodile knew that the plover spoke for this end, and Hodari knew that Makuu knew, and the croc knew that the bird knew that he knew, and so they were all very contented together. After the plover finished, he left both predators to themselves.

"Good hunting, Makuu."

The float leader offered him a bored look. "Make it quick. I'm busy."

Some words came to the feline, but he decided to keep them to himself for the sake of not stirring things up. "We have a problem. I need you and the crocs to leave."

To that, the crocodile chuckles and props himself up on a rock in the water. Simba hops across several rocks to meet him. "Why should we leave? The waterbucks taste great." He snaps a piece of meat from a male too stubborn to move who had challenged him earlier in knee-deep water.

"You are infringing on my territory," stated Simba.

"We heard you were injured." Makuu retorted. "I figured somebody should take care of things around here while you were down for the count."

The lion now sported a flat look, not particularly convinced the reptile had acted entirely out of the kindness of his heart. "Yeah, thanks for that, but I am feeling a lot better now."

"Perhaps you are, but what about Bagheera?

A hitch came and went inside the bug cat's throat. "He's still recovering. But that's not the point." Regaining his stern gaze, he carried on. "A lot of animals depend on those pastures and you are messing up their grazing schedule."

"Not the point?" Makuu approached, that wicked smile of his proudly on display. "That's funny because, to me, looks like you are now outnumbered." Then he settled down, the spitting image of a log adrift on the bar. He and his float had come ashore for practice, but a crocodile is never quite full, and if the lion had been deceived by the likeness he would not have lived to philosophize over it. "We will be working on this corner of the plains. The herds will spread the message and when they come back, we can start from scratch." He levels his sharp gaze at the upstarter. "That was just us getting the point across: me and my float are here to stay."

Simba matched his stare with a skeptical glance. "You wanna protect these fields?"

"That's right." The scaly beast merely said.

"Like you did when the Khan invaded?"

Makuu huffed dismissively at the accusatory tone in which the lion addressed him. "He went around the coastline and snuck into the swamps, not much we could have done about it."

"And when were gonna tell me about this? Or the Colonel?" Simba pressed.

"Right now we happen to think the security of the plains is more important than anything else." He turned to him again. "Or would you rather do everything on your own?"

"And what are we, meatless bones?

Makuu took a moment to regard the youth's servants.

"Could have fooled me." He goes back to talking to Simba. "I don't think your cleanup crew will be much help with that." The 'Pride of the Ghaut' sags nonchalantly in an embankment. "Who are you gonna call then? Baloo? Do you think he will leave those two stooges in charge of the Falls again?"

The silent tawny cat refused to look into the crocodile's eyes. As much as he loved them, he wasn't blind to his family's faults.

"I believe this is your job now, Lion King." More and more Simba had the urge to swipe off the croc's taunting smile. "And you are on your own."

"Well, you ain't making it any easier."

"Everybody is a critic," uttered Makuu. "It's good enough, I would like to see you try."

"I am the King," Simba stated, the sharp edge barely hidden within his voice.

"Oh, I am sure we all feel a lot safer knowing that. All hail Simba, the Jungle King."

Simba clicked his tongue, but one cannot resent an insult from a beast whose jaws are big enough to fit your head inside.

"Come on, Boss." Buzzie scooted a little closer to his young liege. "You can take this guy."

Makuu's fang-filled smirk widened even more. "You decide, your majesty. What's it gonna be?"

The maned beast matches his gaze evenly. "Since you are so eager for a fight, how about we settle this down 'the crocodile way'?"

The float leader glowed at the sound of that. "Look well, you all. The birth of a new boss." Curious, his warriors pause to watch the argument. "Tough talk, Simba. Can you back it up with action?"

"You better believe it."

Makuu's crocodiles moved to stand close behind him. "Think about it. There's plenty of us and only one of you."

Simba, chest puffed, fully locked his scalding eyes with the older leader and his mouth quirked into a cheeky grin. "What's the matter, Makuu, afraid of facing me on your own?"

A dangerous glint appeared in the crocodile's gaze. Both beasts suddenly stopped smirking and glared as if gauging the other both physically and mentally. All the time the reptile's little eyes burned like coals under the horned eyelids on the top of his triangular head. But the massive cat was no fledgling and could kill more than antelopes; he wasn't afraid to stand up to the crocodile nor afraid to show it. A leader of their caliber has to be tough, ferocious, and fearsome, and the lion was determined to do his very best.

Everyone watching was kind of worried, at least the vultures were while Makuu's group seemed far more entertained than anything else. The quartet felt uneasy at all of this, just seeing the two staring at one another with glares in utter silence made them feel anxious about what was to come. This stand-off between two powerful predators caused their feathers to stand straight up.

"Um," Ultimately, it was Makuu who decided to finish their little stand-off. "Perhaps it's time we moved on. This place is running out of game anyway." They canceled eye contact at the same time, that way none could tell who won the discussion.

Neither of them dared to show their backs to each other even as the crocodiles proceeded in the direction of Hippo Springs, likely to reach out to the Viceroy of the Springs, so they both moved along their respective banks with their followers in toll till they finally turned away,

"Watch it, your majesty." Makuu couldn't resist giving a few parting words. "Bagheera is not here to help you anymore."

In the end, the squabble was only half settled.

The vultures could finally sigh in relief, somehow they had managed to hold their breaths this entire time.

"'It's good enough' he says. Puh!" Simba grunted, still pissed.

Flaps and the others motion to him, suggesting they leave as well. "Hey, Boss, let's find something to do somewhere else."

"Yes, we still gotta work on our oath." Dizzy reminded their liege.

Recognizing their point despite his emotional state, the Golden Lion walks off, leading them on the trek back to his lands.

###

Northwestern Bukuvu plains, Simba's territory

The first thing Simba did was find a spot so he could relax and get his mind away from the 'Envy of the Dirisha'. The great feline darted up a tree like a shot, quickly reaching the mid-boughs before ostentatiously setting about grooming his tail.

Buzzy asked his compatriots on the higher branches. "What do you think?"

Dizzy commented: "I think he needs a rehearsal."

"Somebody should teach a lesson to that outsized river snapper," Ziggy affirmed.

"And our boss is the one to do it." The bald bird agreed.

"And that's the tooth." Flaps quipped.

The incensed lion, in too deep within his own thoughts until now, spoke out his epiphany: "Much as I would like to throw him into a mudhole, perhaps it's not a good idea to start a fight on my first day."

"A sensible choice."

Their heads swivel to the side where they see a certain stick-wielding, elderly baboon... or was he a mandril?

"Hey, it's Rafiki!" Dizzy squawked.

"Oh, I just love saying his name!" Ziggy piped jolly. "Rafiki-rafiki-rafikiiii!"

Simba turned to his scouts. "You know him?"

"Who doesn't?" questioned Flats.

The lion regarded the primate, whom he hadn't seen since he left Kaa's lair. "Good morning, Rafiki."

"Good morning, Simba." The monkey greeted whim with a bright smile.

"What brings you here?"

"Rafiki goes where he is needed, and Rafiki is needed in many places." He replied with an enigmatic chuckle.

Simba's ears perked up. "Think you can help us deal with the crocodiles?"

"A better question is: how are you gonna deal with them?"

Simba adopted a thoughtful look. "Good question, still working on it."

The vultures folded their wings and rested their chins on them, equally contemplative.

"When we don't know what to do in our— I mean, old parliament, we do a run-off election." Buzzie mused out loud. "The top seven candidates would be narrowed to three. And the eventual winner requires a majority of no less than 72%..."

Simba watched the scavengers lose themselves in a speech full of overly eloquent legalese that made his eyelids heavy and his mind recall Zazu again. Without much else for him to do, the great feline bounded for the ground and paced around in a circle; not getting anywhere just like his musing.

"Well, so much for my first day on the job." He snorted, dull and sarcastic.

Rafiki dangled from his branch to speak to him. "Now, now. Remember: even the best musician fails until he learns to play the scales."

"Wow, wise words." Dizzy acknowledged with a whistle.

"Yeah." Buzzie gave out a whisper of reverence.

"Both you and Makuu have a big responsibility." The wise elder started, joining the youth on the jungle floor. "But I fear his ego is stronger than his sense of duty and that will make him take more than give back to the Great Circle of Life." He casts a concerned look in the direction of western fields. "If we don't do it right for our part, bigger jobs can get messed up."

"I know, and now I have to help sort this out." Simba moaned lamely. "I tried getting through to him, explaining why he should stop but he is just impossible." And he knew something about that, Makuu was proud and full of himself just like the prince when he was young... with this realization, the Golden Brother suddenly felt like he had swallowed those nasty grubs again.

"I am afraid good advice often falls on deaf ears." warned the simian. "But we must make it with what the Great Circle provides us, even bigheaded allies."

"I'm not sure if we accomplished much on that part either." Simba lamented. "Wouldn't say me and Makuu parted on the best of terms."

"Maybe. But allies come in many different shapes and sizes," Rafiki replied, "What is important is you have a common cause."

"Shere Khan," Simba uttered with a venomous tone, "Makuu is against him, that much I am sure. We can use that."

"Indeed," Rafiki agreed, nodding his head. "You must be careful in how you do that though."

With that out of the way, at least for the time being, the quartet saw a chance to show their boss their new musical number, hoping to break the overly serious mood.

Side by side, wings folded across each other's shoulders, they recited:

"It's a great big jungle someone's got to rule. The animals picked Simba 'cause he's no fool; he's as wise as an owl, quick as a fox, as fast as an antelope, strong as an ox. With those that are weak, he's as gentle as a lamb. With those that are wicked, he's a battering ram. He's a monarch, he's the master, he's the leader of the pack. The maelstrom, the model, he's a leader with a knack. The commander-in-chief, the boss of everything. All hail Simba, he's the jungle king!"

Self-pride permeated the prince's form, his mighty frame raising and his chin pointed upwards to the heavens. His smile was not very modest as he relished under the band's anthem.

'THWACK'

"OW!"

"What did I just tell you about egos?" Rafiki reprimanded him, one arm around his staff and waving a finger from the other.

OMAKE

Kakarot Gordon Sneak Peek

Meanwhile, Usagi and Dr. Briefs are being escorted through the hallways of the Martial Arts Temple by a group of Mr. Satan's disciples. Their destination: a mystery to the two prisoners.

"I wonder where we will be taken now." Pondered the Sailor Guardian until she noticed the doctor was more focused on his hand device.

"I am calculating." He told her.

"What?" She questioned.

"The time remaining before the moon crashes on Earth." He replied as the martial artists led them to the main arena. "I would say, very roughly, fourteen hours, nine minutes, and twenty seconds."

Sailor Moon looked distraught. "Oh, god. We haven't even found- GOKU!"

Usagi ran off across the Stadium the moment she spotted the orange-wearing Saiyan. The human-like alien broke off to meet her at the same time. They met in the center and he hauled her up, spinning in place as they embraced in a steamy kiss. Mr. Satan guffawed at the scene.

"That's so crazy!" Usagi declared once they ceased mouth contact, still tightly holding on to each other. "The last time I saw you, I prayed it was a dream. This time I am praying it's not." She smiled like a child as she took a good look at the man in her arms. "Are you okay?"

"I am now." He replied with a smile of his own.

"Me too. I've got some really crazy stories to tell you."

"Save it for our kids."

Somehow, Usagi beamed even more. "Oh, I accept!"

"Enough!" barked Hercule, signaling for his men to seize the clinging couple.

"Would you leave us alone?!" Shouted the indignant reincarnation of Princess Serenity when the guards separated her from Goku. "I just got engaged!"

Cast:

Son Goku/Kakarot as Flash Gordon

Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon as Dale Arden

Dr. Briefs as Hans Zarkov

Mr. Satan as Prince Vultan (Goku's alive?)

(In loving memory of Akira Toriyama)

Chapter Text

Two Brothers Under the Sun

Chapter – XXVIII

The Queen's Ankus

The Great Circle of Life keeps on turning.

The elephants patrol, the hippos roam the riverbed, gorillas circle the Green Mother, animals laisure by Hakuna Matata Falls, the lion overlooks his ranges (Simba was working, how strange was that?), the crocodiles crawl the swamps... and each day brought back some of the Hairless Ape's confidence.

Tarzan, who never forgot that he owed Louie for bringing his brother to Kaa, went to the orangutan's domain more often when he once never crossed the plains edged between it and the westernmost of the panther's hunting grounds. The Bandar-log accepted him, as they did to most who visited their demolished homes, and brought him all the new flavors of drinks he had yet to taste.

Their tribes, however, were raiding in the Jungle that afternoon, and so Monkey City stood oddly empty and silent as the sun lowered towards the horizon.

As for the youthful Black Back, he currently sat on the highest tower's stone ledge. Louie had called it an 'observatory', Tarzan believed, where the Blue Flower once bloomed in the moonlight. Stretching and twisting against the rocky peak, this healthy young man seemed finally at peace with his godfather's condition.

"You're dexterous and clever, cus, I'll give you that," Louie remarked, his feet perched on the tower's ornamented top. "But it's still not enough."

"I am strong," said Tarzan, under his breath, before finishing his acrobatics.

"You got nice wooden claws and teeth." The monarch then stated: "But, for Shere Khan, you will need more."

"Please, Lou, tell me you are not talking about the Red Flower." Baloo, who followed them for he knew all too well that an excited Louie might lead to trouble somehow, voiced his apprehension from the lower, wider ledges.

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of... an Iron Tooth," said Red Ape, as though he had suddenly remembered something wondrous.

Tarzan, questioning, turned quickly to his side. "An Iron Tooth?"

"Yes. They are very rare, but I think you can find one somewhere in my treasure."

"Treasure?" parroted the Naked Ape, these words sounded most peculiar even for one who knows most of the tongues in the Bukuvu. "What is that?

"Oh, treasure is riches." The king immediately perked up at the chance to talk about one of his favorite things in the world: man things. "It is simply anything and everything you ever wanted!"

"Anything and everything I ever wanted?" Baloo grinned after blinking momentarily. "Like a lifetime of the most delicious food and drinks without having even to catch them?"

"Even more special: two lifetimes!"

"I like the sound of that!" The half-slobbering big fella jolted to his feet, yet his head was on the clouds.

"Or all of man's secret knowledge." Louie addressed the youth once more. "Treasure, cus, that's what you need!"

"I don't know, sounds farfetched." Tarzan opined. This treasure thing was eluding the young man's grasp.

"I am with Tarzan on this one, Lou," Baloo said now that his head was back down to Earth. "I get that's a good story and all, but what is the deal with all this man stuff anyway?"

"Oh, skeptics, ay? Here's an idea, I will show it to you." Louie leaped down from the ledge and looked up at his 'cousin'. "Take it from your personal, 'man expert'. Everything you are looking for is downstairs, cus."

As the orangutan made his way down from the roof, the godson and godfather duo watched him go. They exchanged a look until, ultimately, the boy nodded.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go hunt this treasure thing!" Baloo declared, he and Tarzan running to join the jazzy primate.

"Next stop, the Underlair!"

Monkey City. The enchanting kingdom of a dead and forgotten past. The city of the hairy and hairless beasts. City of stone and mortar with as much history as the surrounding jungles.

City that reaches both for the heavens and the depths.

Thankfully, contrasting with the Theluji caves, finding one's way through its tunnels was much easier.

"These caves hide men's treasures. Come on, just follow me."

Louie had led them up to the ruins of the 'pavilion' that stood on the terrace, swung over the rubbish, and dived down the half-choked staircase that went underground from the center of the pavilion. Tarzan and Baloo followed, the latter on his hands and knees so as to not hit the ceiling. They crawled a long distance down a sloping passage that turned and twisted several times, and at last came to where the root of some great tree, growing thirty feet overhead, had forced out a solid stone in the wall. They crept through the gap and found themselves in a large vault, whose domed roof had also been broken away by tree roots so that a few streaks of light dropped into the darkness.

Where once was a battlefield had been cleaned of all the lifeless bodies left in the wake of the pythons' attack. Once again, these caves where men dwelled, played, and did their business were as much the domain of the monkeys as the trees in the vicinity.

The men were long gone, but their treasures remained.

The floor of the vault was buried some five or six feet deep in golden and silver peebles, all of which were flattened into circular shapes with no imperfections to be found whatsoever. Shiny and smooth of surface like the scales of a shedding python.

Louie said Hista's kind slithered within these tunnels many Seasons ago, could all of this have come from his gigantic nest?

On it and in it and rising out of it, as pigs lift through the mud, were statues of darker stone than those on the surface and with noticeable joints for complete articulation. There were those headpieces of rock and wood in the image of monstrous beasts the monkeys liked to cover their faces with to prank others and each other. Moveable dens apparently for carrying queens. Thin and soft pieces of colorful coats like the one that covered the pinkish ape's loins. Shells bigger than those of any turtle. Beautiful rocks of all types of color. Shiny pots men wore on their heads, at least according to Louie. Some golden tools that were unlike anything the youth had back in his lair, of all shapes and sizes too; many of which the monarch claimed men kept on their person. Water with terrible taste but enjoyable smell, both of equal strength. Tarzan inhaled strange powders the monkeys had freed from the pots during their first explorations, causing him to sneeze. A few objects he recognized as made of wood, though far cleaner and more polished than what one could find in the jungle even in the many trees of the Wakalu.

He had heard the monkeys call those rocks and playthings 'sparklies' and only now understood why. They were deep underground but the sunlight seeped through the cracks in the ceiling and reflected upon the golden piles, causing them to sparkle like a thousand stars hiding in a sandy dune.

But Tarzan could not understand what these trinkets meant. The tools interested him a little, but they did not balance as well as his own, and so he dropped them.

"Nice lair," Tarzan recognized nonetheless, rising to his firm feet. "They are beautiful."

"Men's stuff." Louie began. "These caves came with the city. I just made my kingdom on top of them." He shows them around the basement. "There are so many chambers and lots of things here that even I don't know about."

"Well, now, lookee here." Baloo went and grabbed something. Whatever it was, it was thinner than a twig and as long as the bear's arm. One end had a tip that stung like a pesky hornet while the other fit perfectly in the ursine's grip.

Chuckling, Louie searched another pile and got himself a—what was it called again? Oh yeah—hat to put on. "Dig these cu-ray-ze threads."

"Louie, it's youie." Baloo laughed and started imitating Tarzan's movements with that innocuous fang. Though his godson wasn't sure that little thing could be called one.

"Swab the poop deck." Louie skipped his step.

"Scuttle that scuttlebutt!" his friend quipped next.

"Whose words are those?" asked the curious youth.

"Man's Words. At least from the ones in the floating dens." said the orangutan, reminding Tarzan to ask him later about those. The young man took a look around as well.

"So many... what's all this for?" He mused while playing with a thin, hollow circle of gold by twirling it around his arm.

So this is man's treasure. What are the secrets of these mounds? Which of them hides this Iron Tooth?

He stared with puckered-up eyes around the vault and then lifted from the floor a handful of little thingies that glittered.

"Oho!" howled Louie, getting his attention, "This is like the stuff our little ones play with, only this is yellow and theirs are brown."

Squatting, Tarzan puts one in his mouth and confirms: just as stale too. Baloo sniffed the air and found the smell of the room to be equally bland. The bear scratches his back on a slanted column.

"I have searched here many times. Let's try this way."

He showed them a secret passage: less of a cave system and more like a single, albeit pretty wide tunnel. Not for the first time, Tarzan couldn't help but wonder how long the men of these lairs spent scraping the ground to make these caves.

"Check this out. It's my bet we are gonna find something good down there."

Tarzan let out a "Wow."

Baloo whistled, also impressed: "It sure is a long way down."

"Yeah, glad to have you with us, Baloo." The king said, moving behind the ursine and pushing him forward towards the obscured stairway. "The more the merrier, after all."

"Why do I suddenly feel like you just invited me for some extra muscle?" There was little excitement in the bear's voice when he said that.

Deeper into the hole, they went either way. A riggling sound accompanies every step.

Aside from the steep stairs and all the gathered dust, the interior wasn't that different from the city itself; with walls and ground made of smooth, flat rocks lined and stacked on top of each other. Its passages even of appearance, akin to burrows in the soil rather than the rough caves within the Theluji slopes.

Touring the hidden ruins, the ursine stayed strangely silent as he moved in front of the group, giving room for his companions to have a private conversation in the deep, pitch caves.

"You know what the Chief's problem is? He always plays by the rules." Louie replied once his cousin mentioned the Mangani's name. "And, sometimes rules are meant to be... well, not necessarily broken, but certainly bent. And definitely reinterpreted." He quirks a curious eyebrow at his fellow ape. "Don't you think?"

"...I am not really sure." Tarzan, who was raised under the guidance of the most dutiful of the animals in the Bukuvu and taught in the ways of Hakuna Matata, admitted. Opting to change the subject, he asks: "Do you think I came from a place like this?"

"Could be." Louie rubs his chin in thought. "I don't know, cus. Does anything here look familiar?"

"Not really." The Naked Ape shakes his head. "All I remember is living with the Troop. They are my people."

"Yeah, I suppose... but can I tell ya just one thing?" Getting his focus, the red primate started: "What I saw your kind do back in the day, I've never seen anything like it since. Neither from the gorillas nor the pachyderms."

"Because they used their tricks."

"What tricks?"

"You know... making stuff like my fangs and this place." Tarzan paused lest he found himself delving too deep into such thoughts. "It's not the gorilla way."

"Who cares?" Louie bluntly asked. "'The gorilla way.' That's the Tarzan way. That's the Louie way." He looks at the youth right in the eye. "That's our way, the Ape-Man Way."

"...The Ape-Man Way?"

"Yeah, that's how we get things done." The king nods in genuine fervor. "I can't even imagine what kind of potential you'd have if you had somebody like me helping you out."

Tarzan stared, just stared back at him. A faint bit of incredulity colored his eyes before he turned away and stared off around the cave.

"So what if the men are gone? I say you can be a man right here. But I would personally appreciate it as a personal favor to me, personally... if we just worked together, tricks and all. I think it would be interesting to see what we could do together. Whatever I could do to make your trickiness happen I will do... for a price."

Tarzan regarded him again. "What price?"

"Think about it, cousin. I got everything. I have plentiful food, endless treasure, and command vast legions. But there's one thing I don't have... and that's the one thing you can give me."

'The Red Flower.' The Mangani's features pinched up. "I don't have that. I was told to not go near it."

"Again, with the listening to Bagheera." Louie rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

"Hey, he's my friend, okay?" Tarzan chided, slightly raising his guard.

"Do you know why he and the folks in the jungle tell you that? Because once you have it, you rise to the top of the food chain. Shere Khan is more powerful than you think. But together we'd be unstoppable." He declared before putting a hand on Tarzan's shoulder. "You've been thinking too much about how, but ever thought about why you survived?"

The jungle man had no answer to give.

"Because there's something great within you. But you are a man-cub no longer. You are a man, you gotta choose your own path."

The King of the Monkeys extended his hand to him.

"We just need one thing to reach our full potential. I got desire, you got the fire, but the dream I dream takes two."

...

"Come on, cus... all the Jungle's treasures would be ours."

Tarzan twitched, tilting his head enough to pay attention entirely to the extended hand as if it were a scorpion that was preparing to sting. Of all the things the Black Back thought could happen today when he woke up... this proposition was something he expected... but had yet to figure out a definitive answer.

Without even thinking about it, Tarzan stretched out his hand to meet Louie's own, tempted by the latter's words.

But then... as if he just touched something foul, the young man immediately retracted his hand after certain memories crossed through his trance.

Memories of a panther's teachings.

"I can't."

"You can't or you won't?"

"I can't." He repeated, shaking his head warily.

A coldness grows across the monarch's face, turning his mirth bitter-sounding. "Bagheera's fall left a big hole where your heart drummed, huh?" He then gazed solemnly at his 'cousin'. "You will, eventually. You're a man, that's what makes you a one. You can summon the Red Flower... and control it."

Tarzan said nothing, simply contemplating the cave floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. But his mind wasn't truly focused on the sparklies shining like the sunset over the Hippo Lanes.

"Trust your instincts, cus. Gotta go just a little deeper to find your roots." The red ape speeds up his pace. "Let's see if anything here helps."

He carried on, leaving the boy lagging behind to consider his proposition.

The 'Ape-Man' paced slowly as a cloud of doubt hung over his head... until he stumbled into a hairy, broad back.

Snapping from his stupor, Tarzan saw he had caught up to his beary godfather and accidentally came face-first onto him.

He waited for a response and received none... but that wasn't what shocked him next.

It was the mournful expression that overtook the ursine's usually positive disposition that stopped him short, as well as the empty eyes that accompanied it. The far-off look on his face also helped the godson realize that his old guardian was remembering something... something that brought him pain.

"Baloo?"

On command, the bear blinked and spun his head frantically.

Done that, he looked at Tarzan, who, in turn, was looking at him concerningly.

"It's nothing, Little Britches." He insisted. Tarzan caught the insincerity even in the darkness. "Let's get going."

They silently catch on to the monarch.

"Shame the others had to miss this," Louie remarked.

"Nah, Timon hates tunnels. You better believe it." Baloo sniffles a little bit, inquisitively. "Where are we, Lou?"

"The bottom of the well, for real."

They searched around only to find nothing.

"It's empty... there is nothing to eat here." Turning to his friend, the ursine frowned. "Lou, what gives? There is no treasure."

"You are standing on it."

Tarzan also looked down. All around them, spread out on the floor, are even more sparklies.

"What do you take us for, Lou?" Baloo picked and inspected one. "Look, this gourd even has a hole in it." He looks through the orifice, then tosses the trinket aside. "I thought treasure was everything and anything you ever wanted."

"A treasure worth the whole jungle to one might be utterly worthless to another," Louie replied, putting on his best wise elder accent.

"More shiny stones? What a cop-out!"

Tarzan wasn't listening to them... for he heard a whisper of movement.

Next, he saw something white move in the middle of the cellar. Its form but a shade in the dark room. Little by little, there stood up a cobra, the sneakiest of Kaa's cousins, a very big one—nearly eight feet long, and bleached by being in darkness to an old ivory-white. Even the spectacle-marks of the spread hood had faded to faint yellow. Their eyes were as red as rubies, and altogether this creature was strangely elegant.

Of course it had to be snakes. Maybe they should have brought Kaa.

"Who disturbs my slumber?" The serpent's mouth curled into a snarl.

"Tarzan, quick, say something!" urged Baloo.

"I don't speak Cobra!" His godson exclaimed as he stared off self-consciously at the snake.

Even so, he would try his best.

"Good hunting!" Tarzan said, as he carried his manners with his fang and never left either of them on a regular day. "I am Tarzan of the Great Troop, and this is my family." His speech sounded more like a hiss.

"Intruders." The Cobra ignored his greeting and, instead, chose to stalk around him—leering and even sniffing his tongue at the young man, looking about ready to strike. "You don't look like a child of Opar. Where are you from?"

"...The Wakalu." Tarzan quirked a brow. "What is Opar?"

"What is Opar?" said the White Cobra in disbelief. "What is the great, walled city—the city of a hundred elephants and twenty thousand zebras, and cattle past counting—the city of the Queen of Twenty Kings?"

"The only city above our heads is the monkeys' turf." Baloo chimed in. "It is pretty big but not that big."

"Of which I am the proud ruler." The orangutan stepped up. "King Louie right here, at your service." He formally presented himself. "Nice place you got here, Mr. Cobra."

Tarzan mused. "I only know Colonel Hathi and his herd of elephants. And the zebras prefer the fields over the forests."

"The city—the great city of the forest whose gates are guarded by the Queen's towers—can never pass. They built it before my father's father came from the egg, and it shall endure when my son's sons are as white as I!"

"It is a lost trail," said Tarzan, turning to the others. "I don't know his talk."

"Me neither." Baloo shrugged. "Can't even figure out that accent, he is really old."

"Do you know who you are talking to?" The stranger barked before speaking: "I am White Hood, Warden of the Queen's treasure!" The bleached cobra properly introduced himself to Tarzan in particular. "Who are you sitting down before me, unafraid, knowing not the name of the Queen, talking our talk instead of your own? Who is thee with the spear and men's modesty?"

"Tarzan they call me," was the answer. "I am of the Jungle. The apes are my people, and Louie here is my cousin." He tried his luck at the reptile's talk. "Greatest of Cobras, who art thou?"

"I am the Warden of the Queen's Treasure. She built the stone above us in the days when my skin was dark so that I might teach death to those who came to steal." White Hood continued: "Five times since I came here the stone has been lifted, but always to let down more, and never to take away. There are no riches like these riches—the treasures of a hundred kings. But it is long and long since the stone was last moved." His gaze became downcast. "To think that my city has forgotten."

"The city is still up there." The sloth bear mentioned. "Look it up. Just watch out for the roots of the trees, they are tearing apart every stone."

"Men has left the city to us." Louie took the chance to explain. "Tarzan is the only man left."

"The city can't die."

"That's why we are here. So it won't." Tarzan told him. "We don't want anything from here except for the Iron Tooth. If you show us where it is, we can avenge the people of this city."

"None shall take from this treasure as long as I guard it."

"Mr. White Hood, sir." The Ape-Man tried again. "Please, we didn't come here to fight. We come here to learn."

"Learn what?"

"The secrets of men."

The warden hissed in fury. "Like MY secret treasure?"

"Pal, personally, I think you should take a long overdue day off and be out there in the jungle, get some sun on those scales of yours," Louie said, not very secretly eyeing the room for any hint of something interesting this 'queen' left behind. "Hmm. Obviously, I would be more than happy to keep an eye on your treasure while you're gone."

White Hood scowled and flared his fangs.

"He didn't mean it like that!" Baloo declared with haste, pulling the ape away. "Look, Tarzan is a man, and this is men's treasure. So, if you don't mind showing us that tooth, we will just be leaving."

"Little fools. This is Man Treasure, and it is man that I guard it for... and from."

The White Cobra hissed savagely:

"Twice and thrice have men found their way here, but they never spoke till I came upon them groping in the dark, and then they cried with their last breath. But ye come with lies and would have me believe the city has fallen, and that my wardship ends. Little do men change over the years. But I never change! Until the stone is lifted, and the Queen takes me to the light again, I—I—I, and no other, am the Warden of the Queen's Treasure! The city is dead, ye say, and here are the roots of the trees? Man with ape for a cousin, look by thy foot! What is that there?" Tarzan picked up something white and smooth. "It is the bone of a man's head," The watcher said quietly. "And here are two more." He shows it to the trio. "They came to take the treasure away many years ago. I spoke to them in the dark, and they lay still."

"Oi, White-Worm-of-the-Dark, I told ya already, there is neither queen nor Opar!" shouted Louie. "The city is mine!"

"There is still the Treasure."

Baloo rubbed his head in defeat. "He is mad, all right."

"Father of Cobras, I see nothing here to take away." said the youth, between his teeth.

"You said you seek the Iron Tooth."

"Because we need it. Let me take the Iron Tooth so we can kill the one who slaughtered your masters." Tarzan pressed, hoping this one could be reasoned with just like Kaa. "I do not fight when I don't have to, and I was also taught the Safe Word of the python."

"There is but one Safe Word here: mine!" The old Cobra lisped. "You claim you can understand our tongue. I have but to touch your neck and the jungle will never hear yours again. No Man who came here went away with the breath under his ribs. So it spoke the Warden of the Treasure of Opar!"

Feeling in his bones where this was headed, the Black Back brought out his fang. "You have only dealt with men of this city until now. You do not know me," Tarzan whispered coolly. "You have asked for this hunting. Let us do this."

He had been standing with the weapon held point down. He flung it from him quickly and it dropped crossways just behind the great snake's hood, pinning him to the floor.

The red eyes burned, and the six spare inches of the head struck furiously right and left.

And smoke escaped from his mouth.

Something streams out from the maw like water except it is red, emits light... and burns, causing the trio to disperse.

Out of his impromptu shelter made up of fallen pillars, Louie gagged in a mix of horror and excitement. "Fire... the Red Flower is on his tongue!"

The Cobra spews out some more, its bite both vicious and scalding.

"Run for it!" Baloo cried.

They escape from the warden by running in a zigzag sprint, serpentine-style around the room. Their attempts to surround the cobra are rendered moot once the serpent spins its fiery breath at them, convincing ape and bear alike to back off.

"Little good that will do for you, mangy monkeys! I have been feeding on trespassers for decades."

During a split-second, the three got their eyes off him and he vanished amongst the scattered treasures. White Hood was so fast that, in the darkness of the basement, one could mistake him for a two-headed serpent. Tarzan was careful to keep to the other side of the wall; the White Cobra had been following him closely.

After so many years hearing by word-of-mouth of the mysterious and dangerous Red Flower, the White Ape found it wasn't so bad as his imagination had made him expect, though he could see why the jungle folk feared the flame; the heat alone was enough to spur his body to jump away.

But, while the old Cobra mumbled and twined lovingly around one of the many support beams, his prey found that the flames came out weaker each time and snuffed out ever quickly as well.

"Enough!"

In a flash, Louie's weight was upon the writhing body, paralyzing it from hood to tail. For his size, the orangutan was surprisingly agile.

"Kill!" said Louie, as Tarzan's hand went to his fang. Once dead, they could look for the fire in his stomach.

"No," the youth said as he drew the blade. The agonizing antelope and his close encounter with the Khan were still fresh in his mind, eroding his already minuscule desire to draw blood. "I will never kill again save for food. But look at him." He caught the snake behind the hood, forced the mouth open with the blade of the knife, and showed the terrible poison fangs of the upper jaw lying black and withered in the gum, emitting nothing more than a tiny, harmless smoke ring.

The White Cobra had outlived his scorching poison, as a snake will.

"It is dried up," said Tarzan; and motioning his cousin away, he picked up his spear, setting the White Cobra free.

"That snake is a has-bin?!" asked a gobsmacked Baloo.

"Come closer and I shall have your neck!" The has-bin in question refused to let them be despite his state.

"What are you gonna do, calm us into submission?" Louie scowled, hiding his disappointment over the extinguished flame. With his poison dried up and his fangs but a memory, he was about as poisonous as the average mango pit.

"The Queen's Treasure needs a new Warden," Tarzan said gravely. Perhaps he should consult with Kaa about this.

"Do it, kill me." All of them looked at the cobra. "If I can't uphold the Queen's will, my life no longer has any meaning. All I have left is shame."

"There has been too much talk of killing. We will go now." Sympathetic, Tarzan tried talking to him one last time; perhaps hoping to work something out.

But the warden wasn't having any of that.

"Surely you don't think you can leave that easily."

White Hood's mouth EXPLODES like a small lightning bolt, blasting Tarzan off his feet and spitting great jets of fire into the rock above. Louie and Baloo leap one way and Tarzan hurls himself in the other as rubble rains. The snout of a stone cobra attached to a column is pushed by a flying chunk, crashing the whole thing and causing a section of the floor to move aside from its original position, revealing a hole underneath for the Ape-Man to fall in. Tarzan defuses the impact of his sudden fall by landing flat on his butt and rolling on the ground. Faster than he could anticipate, the youth found himself crawling through the hole into the passage again, and the last thing he saw was the White Cobra striking furiously with his harmless fangs at the solid, golden faces of the men on the crumbling wall.

The warden was buried by the very treasure he sought to protect.

Through the settling dust, Tarzan sits up and squints; a solid wall of broken rock seals the tunnel between him and his companions.

"Tarzan!" His godfather called from the other side. "Are you still kicking? Riggling maybe?"

"I am fine. What about you two?"

"We're okay, can't say the same about ol' White Hood," Louie replied, glancing at the unburied tail of the serpent.

"What now?"

"Wait here." Tarzan gazed down the underground passage. "I'll go on and... find another way out."

Louie nodded. "We'll try and shift some of this rock. So you can get back through."

"See you in a bit."

Now on his own, the young man glances at the snake skin at his feet and moves off, stepping carefully through the shadows.

What dark calamity did he fall among?

The quietness of this place alluded to its mysteries. Not even the bats ventured that far underground. Within the cave, a flight of concrete steps, worn hollow by centuries of use, rose before him, disappearing at a sharp curve down the passage a few yards ahead. Into this narrow alley, Tarzan made his way; turning his shoulders sideways so that they might enter at all. Through winding corridors, he ventured farther and farther into the remoter precincts of the underground lair. The walls had faint traces of drawings made of rock and color. However, it was impossible to tell what those marks showed, for not even his trained eyes could penetrate the darkness and the depths.

At the next turn, the stairs ended, and the path was level. Tarzan wheeled and passed on into the profundity of the tunnel until he came upon a dead end marked by a rude, barred door that still stood, and as he put his shoulder to push it in, an alluring voice rang out almost beside him. It was evident that he was being called to enter this particular room by more than just curiosity or lack of option, especially since he briefly felt the sensation of unseen eyes upon him. Still, he could not be sure that it was more than his imagination.

If it was, could there be a trap or perhaps within lay the secret to freedom?

Testing his chances, he forced it open. Within, all was black as everything else. There was no window to let in the faintest ray of light, and as the corridor upon which it opened was itself in semi-darkness, even the open door shed no relieving rays within. Feeling the floor before him with the butt of his spear, Tarzan entered the nightly gloom until his eyes finally adapted to the darkness, revealing that the youth had come into a great chamber in the center of which stood a stony mound shaped in the likeness of a tree stump.

As the Ape-Man stood gazing in varying degrees of interest at this ancient structure right underneath the monkeys' realm, he became aware of movement within the chamber. Dim, shadowy shapes appeared to be moving about in the semi-darkness of the interior. There was nothing tangible that Tarzan's eye could grasp-only an uncanny suggestion of life where it seemed that there should be none, for living things seemed out of place in this weird, dead place of the long-gone past.

Surely nothing could live down there... but the wicked spirits from the spooky tales of his cubhood.

Like the one he realized was behind him.

Tarzan nearly fell over but steeled himself as he turned around, spear in hand, waiting for the enemy he fully expected was about to pounce on him.

Of all the things he expected, a colorful bird was not one of them.

The Mangani was rendered stunned for a moment, staring at the fluttering creature that was now flapping circles around him. Befuddled by this turn of events, the youth straightened up from his stance as the feathery fellow perched on top of the mound. Now that it was still, Tarzan was finally able to get a good look, at least as much as the dark room would allow. At the same time, the bird examined him from head to foot with every indication of considerable curiosity.

"Um… hi?" Tarzan offered, completely wrong-footed by this sudden arrival.

They spoke in turn, still looking intently upon Tarzan.

"I do not understand your language," said the pinkish ape. "Possibly we may speak together in another tongue?"

Slowly they crept toward him, and now 'she' spoke, but this time there fell upon Tarzan's surprised ears a language he could understand. "Will this suffice?"

The Common Tongue used by all during the great gatherings of the Bukuvu. Although taken aback again, he answered in the vocabulary of the jungle folk: "Were you the one singing?"

"Of course!" the bird, a female, giggled. "How else would I have gotten you here, Tarzan?"

Like that, he was baffled again. How did she know his name? "Have we met?"

She shook her head. "No, but please allow me to introduce myself." She did a curtsy, showing off her impressive wingspan. "La, emissary to the Queens of Opar, at your service."

"How did you end up here?" He inquired. "Were you stuck?"

"No, I merely needed somebody who could help me. And now that I know you can, I wanna be your friend."

The Ape Man paused, thinking about her words and remembering his encounter with the cobra. "The men of this city are dead," He figured she should know straight out. "Shere Khan killed them."

"I am aware. I went into hiding in these caves to escape the tiger," explained La. "For many years I have waited for someone like you."

"...Someone like me?"

"Yes. Someone who can help me defeat the tiger."

Tarzan perked at that. "The Khan is strong, how can we beat him?"

"I can teach you how." She leaned to look straight at his face. "I am sure you have questions."

"Yes... what is this place, exactly?" His eyes stare around the chamber. "White Hood called it 'Opar'."

"That's right." She asserted. "The City of Opar, the time-forgotten mystery of the jungle."

"How long have you lived here?"

"Most of my life. It's a sad tale, really." La hung her head, slightly depressed. "The men who lived here are descendants of magnificent people who came to this savage world long ago in search of refugium. Our cities, like this one, stretched from a great continent under the rising sun to a great sea into which the Great Bright Circle descends at night to cool his flaming brow. We were very rich and very powerful. During the summer, we would come to the palaces here and then return to our native land, far, far to the north. Many ships went back and forth between this world and our own. At one of these times, the great calamity occurred; when it was time for the teeming thousands to return, none came."

Her gaze was distant, yet her emotions were palpable. Choosing to worry about the whats and hows later, Tarzan instead focused on what was in front of him.

"For weeks the people waited. Then they sent out a great galley to learn why no one returned from our homeland. Still, though they journeyed about for many moons, they were unable to find any trace of the mighty land that had for countless ages borne their glorious empire-it had sunk into the sea, from that day dated the downfall of my people. Disheartened and isolated, one by one the cities were deserted or overcome by the monsters who invaded our territories. The last remnant was finally forced to take shelter within this mighty fortress. Slowly we have dwindled in power until we were no more than a small tribe to be purged by savage tigers."

After a split second, she continued to regard him.

"This is my home, as well as the only thing left of your kind in this jungle. I hope you consider helping me keep it safe from the tiger." With a single flap of her wings, she was on his shoulder. "There is so much we can do for each other, Tarzan."

Seemingly on command, the ground starts shaking.

A sparkling visage shines into existence and takes form, creating a bright red she-man made of a strange, flame-shaped smoke with no visible legs or feet. Wearing one of those 'hats' on her head, and several skins and jewelry all over her body. It floated opposite to the pair, towering above the altar which was now rumbling to life as something came out of the rocky structure.

This bird... she has strange powers, like the cobra.

In the span between the pink ape's blink, the image disappears along with its light.

Yet, something else defied the cave's natural darkness.

That moment was when Tarzan, snapping out of his stunned shock, knew at last he had found something truly fascinating.

It was a three-foot sparklie fang—something like a branch of modest size with one talon-like edge coming out of the equally sharpened end. The top was one round, shining stone of dark greenish-blue color, and eight inches of the handle below it were of a more rugged surface than the rest, giving a most satisfactory grip. The rest of the hilt was a shaft of white as pure as a tusk, while the point had pictures of elephants; and those attracted Tarzan, who saw that they had something to do with his friend Tantor.

All in all, Tarzan thought this strange thing looked like a blossom, although it was clearly more evocative of his wooden fangs.

"They didn't take the queen's ankus when the city fell." reveration was noticeably abundant in La's voice. "What you have is a weapon stronger than stone or bone. Is this not worth dying to behold?"

"I do not understand," said Tarzan, eyeing the strange tool which was like nothing he had ever seen before, not even in his wildest dreams. He lifts the 'ankus'. "I desire to take this away, so that I may see it in the sun."

The bird fairly shook with delight. "Assuredly I will give it... if you promise to come here, so I may share with you my knowledge of mankind's ways."

Tarzan deflated, there was that proposition again. "The jungle is no place for men's tricks." He said. "They are dangerous."

"Absolutely not." asserted La. "Their ways are simply misunderstood by the creatures of the jungle. But I assure you... I understand you."

He didn't know what to make of it. She sounded so sure of herself that she half-convinced him.

"Our sharp minds are gifts that nature has given us. How different is that from any other animal? But there are those who fear our power, and so they forbid it."

The Khan.

"But I would be happy to tell you anything you want to know."

Some of his thoughts lingered on his godfather currently sleeping under the watchful eye of a giant python and his willingness to let him delve into such subjects. Even so, the youth was truly fascinated by men. His imagination pictured the wonderful things his kind made in the city above and the magic he had witnessed here and back at the swamp, and the very impossibility of doing such things himself added a thousandfold to his desire to try.

Maybe La could help him find a way to beat Shere Khan. Maybe... she has the answers no one else has.

"I promise."

"Excellent." Her smile increased tenfold. "Trust me, and I will show you mankind's wonders."

She showed him the way out through the catacombs which wind under the entirety of Monkey City, across the Dirisha, and as far as the Cold Lairs. Then she left, gone as quickly as she came. It was quite dark afterward, but the Mangani managed to find his way despite so. Following her instructions, Tarzan came across a chamber beneath the altar room. From there, he entered into one of the several corridors leading from it. For ten minutes he groped slowly along a winding passage until, at length, the youth came to a closed door.

With a push, the wood swung in on scraping hinges, and he was free.

###

Forests near Monkey City, Bandar-log territory, northwest Bukuvu

"Slow down, Terk!" Simba exclaimed, following after the she-ape.

"Come along, Simba." She looked over her shoulder at him, changing her run for a walk. "I wanna see the city!"

"Gimme some slack, it wasn't that long ago when I fought the Khan."

"Hey now." Terk waited until he was beside her so they could continue together. "The only reason you lost was because you didn't have me there to help you and T. Why, if I had your back, we would make that striped cat beg for mercy after what he did to Baggy."

"Thanks. But I think we would need the whole Troop to take him down." admitted the lion. "That tiger is just on a whole other level. The way he moves and attacks... it's terrifying. He was waiting for that moment when we would slip up... and saw it coming before we realized it." He grimaced halfway through his sentence, never again would he wonder why everyone in the jungle feared the Khan.

Seeing this, the Mangani female decided to cheer him up... in her own, unique way. "Do you mean a moment such as this?"

She slapped his back, hard, throwing him off balance so she could sprint ahead.

"Race ya there!"

"Hey, no fair!" Simba, frowning to hide a creeping smirk, leaped over overgrown ferns to catch up. "This ain't a race!"

"No? Then why are you running?"

Without warning, she stopped, curling into a ball in his path.

'THUMP'

He trips over her form, spinning in the air and down to a patch of creeping moss. As soon as he was done seeing stars, he saw a cheeky gorilla skipping her step and singing a silly song in front of him.

"King and husko, master commander. Mighty king, of the wild!"

"I will get you for this!"

Under the predatory smile on his face, the bolting feline silently hoped Kerchak wouldn't show up and assume he intended to feast on his niece.

###

Monkey City, Bandar-log territory, northwest Bukuvu

Outside the city walls, the monkeys were howling to communicate with each other on the canopy formed by the outlying orchards. Soon enough, they would begin the last party of the day.

At long last, a trio of treasure hunters arrives on cue to participate in the nighttime festivities. For that moment though, they were just glad to get to the fresh air and daylight once more; and when they were back in their jungle and Tarzan made the ankus glitter in the evening light, he was almost as pleased as though he had found a bunch of new trees to climb on.

"Well, what do you know?" beamed Baloo, arms on his sides.

"Success, my man!" Louie jumped all jolly. "You found the Iron Tooth!"

"You were right, Louie." Tarzan laughed as he swung his new weapon to get the hang of it. "This thing feels incredible."

"Good for you, T. You found what you were looking for." Baloo congratulated his godson and then yawned, visibly puffed. "As for me? I am still hungry."

Louie's grin was now aimed at the ursine. "Baloo, old buddy, old pal, I have got just the thing for you: a nice, tasty banquet!"

All of a sudden, Baloo remembered he had all the 'treasure' he could ever want right then and there. While their friend went to slouch by the fruit pile, Louie took a good look at the 'man-thing' before handing it back.

"Well, cus? Have you considered my offer?" He leaned over towards the youth, with that manic gaze in his eyes again.

"...Yes, I wanna learn more too." Tarzan declared although he hesitated telling him of La. At least for now.

"Atta boy!" A very eager Louie clasped him on the shoulder. "This is gonna be great, cus. I just know it!"

"But I also wanna learn how to be a city ape."

"...Come again?"

"I already am a Black Back of the Troop, but I swore I would become the very best." He mentioned, jogging the orangutan's memory back to their conversation when he mentioned his promise to the Chief Silverback. "You're the King, you can teach me. I can't make fire yet but, in exchange, I promise you will get to see man in action."

Louie was now looking off at nothing, giving his chin a good stroke as his mind mulled over the idea. "Huh... man will teach ape to be man... and ape will teach man to be ape."

Fifty-fifty. Turning to Tarzan, his lips twitched upward.

This sounded cu-ray-ze enough to work.

"Now, son of a cat, don't scat. If I could learn the secrets of man, I would be King Louie the Must!"

The Mangani smirked back. "So we have a deal?"

"Cus, don't hold up the show. Let's go!"

But then something bowled into the scene, knocking aside the vases nearby.

"Ah!"

Snapping their heads, the pair stared after a big ball of smoke, from which the sounds of a violent struggle emanate while hands and feet protrude momentarily before pulling back in.

"Say uncle!" Simba's voice demanded from inside the cloud.

"Sure I will. As soon as I get my hands on you!" Terk shouted back.

Tarzan had to assure a confused Louie that there was nothing to worry about.

"Not the neck. Not the neck there, Simba."

"Cramp in the calf!"

"Okay, you win!"

Now that the lion had freed the she-ape, the pair finally took notice of their surroundings... and Louie took a good look at the lady.

"Sup, Louie?" Simba greeted the red ape, getting his attention.

"Simba, my main mane!" Louie high-fives his new fellow leader. "I was worried you weren't gonna show up."

"Almost didn't, I've got just enough strength in those weary bones for a dinner at your place." The former Pride Lander points at his simian friend. "Also, hope you don't mind but I brought a friend."

"Not at all." A VERY interested grin overtakes the King of the Swing as he goes to address his new guest. "Hello, gorgeous."

Terk scoffed. "Gorgeous, me? Took too many shots already, Your Majesty?"

"...Maybe." His smile becomes mischievous.

She lets out an amused snort and shakes his hand. "Terk of the Mangani."

"Louie, King of the Badar-log." He greets her in return. "I have noticed you around."

"And I have heard of you. You are happy entertaining those two or do you wanna go a few rounds with me?"

His eyebrow raises almost past his hairline. Contrarywise, both Simba and Tarzan struggled to not lose their appetites.

"I am talking about dancing."

"...That's nice too," Louie replied, coming back to reality and accompanying her to the dance floor.

As the pair got acquaintanced, the brothers groaned rather loudly and then started talking about their day.

"You went on an adventure without me?" Simba asked, a little bit upset.

"Sorry, bro. But you weren't here. Now check this out." Tarzan said delightedly as he twirled the stone. He would show it to all. "Very many men would kill thrice in a night for the sake of that one big blue stone alone."

"This is brighter than Bagheera's eyes," The cat commented, eyes never leaving the jewel.

"But the stone makes it heavy to the hand. My fangs are better; and—see! the blue stone is not good to eat."

Simba tilted his head at that. "Then why would they kill?"

The hairless brother shrugged, equally in the dark.

La had told him much but not all, likely saving it for his next visit. Until then, the Ape-Man would have only his thoughts to figure out for what use this thorn-pointed thing was made.

Afterward, they danced off through the night, Tarzan flourishing the great ankus and stopping from time to time so he and his brother could admire it. When Timon and Pumbaa came along, he told them all his adventures from beginning to end, and they glanced at the ankus between whiles.

Chapter Text

Two Brothers Under the Sun

Chapter – XXIX

To Get You On Your Way

Cliffside Dwelling, Hakuna Matata Falls, northern Bukuvu

Snoring reverberates across the lair. Curled up in an also sleeping Pumbaa's tummy, Timon goes up and down with each of the warthog's snores. Movement in front of him nudges the meerkat awake, he drowsily opens his eyes and sees a floating monster that looms above him.

...

...

...

"!"

"GYAAAAA!"

Timon leaps out of his slumber and his bulging bed, screaming in fear. The noise awakes Pumbaa, who catches Timon's panic and scrams out of their nest, unintentionally ruining it. The startled pair rushed across their den to Baloo, the pig hiding behind the ursine while the mongoose leaped to their friend's neck, pretty much latching onto it and causing the bear to choke awake.

Tarzan laughs and removes his robe to reveal himself. "It's okay, guys. It's just me."

"Morning, Tarzan," grumbled Baloo, immediately figuring out what the commotion was about as his companion detached from his throat.

Now back on the ground, Timon sighs in relief. "Don't EVER do that again."

"Oh, I was just having some fun." said the Ape-Man, amused that he had scared the meerkat half out of his wits.

His diminutive godfather gave him a dirty look. "Yes, and now you owe us a new bed, Mister."

Glancing at the state of the duo's nest, the youth couldn't help but be sorry. "Oops."

"Isn't it a bit too early to be playing tricks?" Pumbaa asked.

"Can't help it, I wanted to see what I could do with these... robes." Louie had let him borrow some false skins to see how they felt after mentioning that the men of the city would take them on and off of their bodies. 'Clothing' was a complete mystery to the jungle man, while the 'cloak' seemed to have only one advantage: pulling jokes like the one he just did. In the end, Tarzan still found himself most comfortable in practically nothing at all.

"Please tell me Louie isn't planning to teach you some new jokes too." Timon bemoaned, holding a hand to his head and rubbing his temples.

...

...

"...Nah, of course not."

"...That pause took a bit long, Hairless Wonder."

"...Don't worry about it."

"Too late."

"Have you guys seen Simba?" Pumbaa questioned after looking around the dwelling.

"Must be on patrol by now." mauled Baloo.

"And it's barely morning," Timon observed; he had yet to become accustomed to their lion heading out before noon.

"All this sun can't be good for him either." The swine remarked, noticing the bright sunshine outside. Today would be a hot day in the Bukuvu.

"Life can be so unfair sometimes." added the sloth bear, nodding somewhat somberly.

Tarzan, a morning person to this day, was eager to learn and teach King Louie and the monkeys, so he didn't share their lack of interest in getting out of bed. Putting the clothes away, he stopped to admire his Ankus haft, raising it - where the weapon would surely glint if there was any sun in this overcast tree hole – before putting back on his newly identified 'loincloth'. Done that, the Black Back moved out.

"There he goes again, hunting adventure and excitement." From his corner, a tired Baloo rolled his eyes.

"As long as he doesn't have another run-in with the tiger..." Timon trailed off, validating the trio's decision to not tell him or Pumbaa about White Hood. "Well, since I am awake now, might as well do something." He glanced at his sleepy friends. "What do you say, guys?" Getting no response, for the pair was already on their way to dreamland, the meerkat made his way down the stepstones, walking down the cliffside.

The Golden Lion craved some fresh air the moment he rose up and blinked his awakening eyes.

Ears unfurling, he crouched and leaped off the front entrance, landing outside before the Falls and then racing forward, reaching out and clawing at the foliage he passed; careful around the bushes so as to not risk pulling a little creature's home. The vultures were balancing and wheeling as they kept his watch over the jungle while waiting for things to die. For months life in their little domain went on much as it had before Bagheera's unfortunate retirement, except for Simba's new scouts adjusting to their new environment and work routine. Most of the jungle's inhabitants, therefore, were relatively content with the change in rulers. Life continues to flow lazily around Hakuna Matata Falls.

Diplomacy does much. The pachyderms helped take care of the worst cases, thus leaving most things under control. Simba, who also followed Bagheera's example of leaving the direct protection of the herds to the herds themselves, had yet to come up with a Safe Word to share with his inner circle. He remembered some calls, which his father had used long ago. These words came from Grandpa Mohatu's homeland, the land of his ancestors... a land of kings.

He halted easily in the forests, pausing and sniffing the air. Seeing a chance to spoil himself while things were calm, he thoroughly licked his forepaw. Not long after, his scouts dropped down one after another to join him at the lakeshore.

"Come on, Boss." Buzzie addressed him. "You got a lot of kinging to do."

"Yay, more work..." The lion's eyes rolled. Every day same story.

"The ostriches are having a kicking contest and want you to play referee."

"We may be delayed." Dizzy considered. "We have to pay the partridge flocks for their assistance."

Flaps fluttered his wings. "Sure is exciting around these parts."

"And here I thought I could enjoy a royal snooze," Simba muttered. The hot, toasty sun was perfect for it too.

Seeing the frown on the great feline to whom they had eagerly pledged allegiance, Ziggy fidgeted a little. "Would you believe it if I said we can take the rest of the day off?"

Stopping, the Golden Brother turned to his subordinates... his mouth curled into a momentary smile. "Yes, but I would have a hunch that you were lying,"

The four haunched Oathsworn blinked at him.

"You have a hunch?" Dizzy remarked as he and his pals stared at their boss.

Simba gave a chortle before moving ahead towards the prancing and frolicking Big Backs. It was time to move those herds from a nearby section of the fields so the grass, unlike Simba, could get some rest. "We best be getting started."

So the lion walked in while the feathery quartet rocked on their wings, feet gathering up under them, and waited overhead, shadowing their boss.

The maned cat followed on his father's footprints... but a king he was not.

"A-OEHA OEHAAA!"

"What was that?" Ned, well-groomed from head to tailbone, howled alongside his brothers. "Your battle cry?!"

"You need one much better than that, Tarzan." Louie declared from the nearest tree.

After rendezvousing with the king and his subjects, Tarzan followed as the group led him to a forested area with a lot of low-hanging vines. Once there, the monkeys proceed to scoop themselves up into the air. The hairless ape glances at the orangutan climbing around the treetops from his own branch.

This is where they will teach him, and he will teach them in turn.

The young man knew he was too old to learn more about his jungle world... but he wanted to learn more. Vine swing was hard for the Ugani, not many vines could withstand their full weight. And this was pretty different from what he was used to back in the Wakalu or the waterfalls, where the vines clumped together to form a dense web that even giants like Baloo and Kerchak cold lounge on like a bed.

So this is the monkeys' world.

"Don't be afraid, it is like flying," Tarzan muttered to himself, trying to get into the ideal mental state.

"Oh, my gosh, you don't even know." His cousin exclaimed, earning his attention. "I will lay it on the line for you: birds fly... bats fly... time flies. We apes are influenced by the principles of weight mass and gravity. The manipulation of which results in..."

...

"The manipulation of which results in...?"

"...Falling?" Not finding anything in his own knowledge, the youth blurted.

"No!" Louie exclaimed and the baboons snickered. "Come on, even our younglings know this, cus!"

Tarzan merely shrugged for he still was without much else to say,

"Pendulation," Louie repeated so he could take it well. "Pen-du-la-ti-on."

"...Pendulation."

"Good." The monarch tosses a vine for him to grab. "Here, cus. Have a swing."

Tarzan stood on the tip of the wooden perch. The monkeys one by one leap onto the vines, swinging away. He tightens his hold and tries doing the same. With the Bandar-log ahead of and behind him, The Ape-Man swings on, vine after vine, steadily getting accustomed to it. For a moment, he lost control and spun madly before grasping another vine and swinging all the way to the end of its sweep...

"Tarzan? Where did you go?" Louie asked, having lost sight of pinkish Mangani amongst the trees overrun with multiple and different patches of ivies.

"Hello!" Looking up to where he heard the shout, the king spots his new disciple rocking back and forth over his head.

"Hey, cus, you are doing it. You are pendulating!"

"Come and hang with us." Ned, Jed, and Fred hooted.

Louie jumped and clicked his heels. "You're one of a kind. I can't explain it."

Tarzan leaps with abandonment, over clearings from vine to vine.

"You're kind of cool in a wonderful way."

He pulls up short at one tree. It is too far from the next one, with many vines between them.

"Though you're kind of weird, you can make it."

To his right, the Bandar-log tug on the ropes. It's tough. They pull harder. Can't break it. Soon they are swinging below the canopy.

"And who better than me to teach you?"

Seeing this, Tarzan wraps one hand around the nearest rope, focuses his gaze on the path before him, and jumps off. He sails through the air and goes in for a landing on the side of the other tree... only to find himself dragged in the opposite direction.

"Who better than me to set you on your way?"

"Watch out for that tree!"

'SPLAT'

He clings there with his hands and feet, face crushed against the timber. Louie winced and covered his eyes while the triplets almost fell over laughing.

"Word of advice: check the vines before swinging, cus."

"Learning hurts," Tarzan murmured, slightly in pain.

"You'll figure it out." The red ape swung near him. "Stranger things have happened. Look at me, I started out as a late bloomer myself. Now I am the King of the Swing." Then, he muttered on the side. "Then again, can I help that I was born with exceptional hand-eye coordination?" He offers another vine. "Here, try again."

Tarzan took a moment but accepted it. "This could take some hangin' in there. Though with persuasion, I could take you on up."

Up, down, and around the limbs of trees, the Ape-Man hurls himself forward. "Make you go up beside the others. And who better than me to lead you?"

Tarzan was able to pick up on their technique very quickly. Soon enough, he was flying in the air like the others. "Who better than me to take you all the way?"

"Louie, look. Look!"

Soaring over him, the monarch clapped. "You learn fast, cus. Now try to keep up."

Louie & Tarzan glide along the trees. "Strugglin' along for years and years."

Tarzan's bound is like a sprint. The rushing wind hits his face, making him feel light as a feather and free as the breeze that carries it. He starts tagging the orangutan, then jumps over. The others trailed them, using their weight to control the vines' direction.

Louie smiles over his shoulder at the Black Back. "Until I came along for you. Now it's all comin' together and..."

The whooping bunch goes on with grace and ease. Onward, upward, never stopping till reaching the very top. "Together we'll see this through, you for me and me for you."

Within the trees' crowns, there's a 'highway' of trapeze paths as vast as the Bukuvian pastures and of denseness equal to the underbrush below. Its trails are more like a bunch of conjoined elephant trunks: curly, all twisted up together and stuck in a Baobab tree's roots. Each strip of woodland provides a new route to discover.

It was hard for a first-timer to get around. Tarzan, who knows how to find his way in the densest of forests, was caught by surprise more than once. "I can learn. I can listen. I know there's something deep inside, but I need assistance... to go the distance."

The jungle's trapezes are kind of tricky. The path is never straight and sometimes there's no path at all, which makes it hard to navigate. Although the rainforest's thick, the monkeys move through it quickly. "And who better than me..."

Pink and red apes vibe together into the denseness of the canopy, moving fast. "To teach me?"

"Who better than me?" The Ape-Man's agility was always remarkable, but it was hard to figure out vine swing on his own. Now, with the king's help, he was soaring through the swings, showing off some of his acrobatic flips here and there.

"To tell me all you know?" Louie easily dangled upside down on a vine, suspended by his feet. From there, he teaches the man to distinguish the more flexible vines from the stiffer ones. Also to avoid those clinging too tight to the trees unless there is another close enough for him to grab, otherwise he might find himself stranded in place.

"Who better than me?" When his companions stood on their hands, Tarzan, ever the fit boy, followed suit.

"You reach me." They swing amidst the trees and land on the ground with a roll. One leap and they were back on the boughs, whooshing as fast as anybody else from Louie's court.

"Who better than me..." Tarzan surprised his cousin by showing him and the triplets his 'tree surfing' skills.

"To show them all we know? Oh!"

He could do this all day long. It was fun... at least until his arms started tightening.

"Ow."

"Easy, cus," Louie said, mashing leaves into a frothy green paste to create a bubbly lotion. "This will soothe your muscles."

"Smells funny..." Scooping a handful, Tarzan applied it to his sore spots. Despite being accustomed to exercising, his arms and fingers weren't used to all that swinging. Fortunately, his cousin not only had knowledge of the fruits and vines but the jungle leaves as well, which he now passed down to him. Sighing in relief, Tarzan of the Great Troop relishes as his muscles relax.

"Feeling better?" asked the orange ape, earning a nod from the naked ape. "Jungle medicine. These are our tricks." King Louie smiles at him with a toothy grin. "That reminds me: it is time for your part of the deal."

"Okay, but not here." Tarzan asserted. They were so high up the herds roaming below far resembled a column of termites. None dared to look down for too long lest their vision turned dizzy while they stood in these tall branches. He takes to the trees again, swinging around while tailed by his companions. Arriving at his den, Tarzan lands on the jungle floor and scouts the surrounding area, for he has more to show his new friends than just his house.

"This is my fang." The youth shows them his weapon.

"Otherwise known as a stick." They remarked, not very impressed.

On cue, he brings them some of his clubs. All of different shapes and sizes: broad, slanted, stunted, plus many others. Since their nails and teeth are not strong like men's tools, he opted to make better ones for them as gifts. Those picked their interest, yet Tarzan looked far eager to display his straps of grass rope.

"This can work." Tarzan considered before getting to work.

"What is that supposed to do?" They pondered unsure. Louie, meanwhile, looked very intrigued as he watched Tarzan gather his tools: two lengths of cords to be gripped on both ends and a pouch big enough to carry a fig in the middle. With that in hand, the young man searched the ground for tiny, smooth stones.

"What is he doing anyway?" The oldest baboon found himself asking.

Louie, with hints of thrill in his tone, responded: "Making stuff."

Once a stone is placed in the pouch, the Ape-Man begins swinging the now-slinging thingie in a circle to the upside of his head, attaining terrific speed. The resulting blur surprises the spectators. He then releases one of the ends, sending the projectile out of the sling and shooting it at a nearby tree, bruising the trunk.

All of a sudden, monkeys were swarming Tarzan's things.

"Give me that!" "It is mine!" "I just wanna see it!" "Easy now. There is enough for everyone." 'RIP' "Look what you did!" "Okay, then give me that!" They forget what they are doing and go back to fighting each other.

"How did you become their leader?" Tarzan asked from the sidelines with King Louie by his right.

"Oh, I stopped a war between them with nothing but a lovely bunch of coconuts."

The Ugani looked at him funny. Seeing the confusion in his expression., the monarch regarded his subjects: "BOYS!"

"WHAT?!"

"QUIT IT!"

"OKAY!"

Clearly the Bandar-log have their own laws.

The lesson officially began. This time, they listened as he spoke: monkey saw and monkey did. By lacing it together with vines, Tarzan taught them to weave the cane and leaves just like he does, making ropes and cover. The group carved fangs as well; while not as heavy as the ones back in the city, they could be made easier to handle by the monkeys. While the gorilla hacks and hammers his club, this is how the Ape-Man does it: swiftly and suddenly. Afterward, it was time for target-practicing with the 'slingers'. Tying it to themselves when not in use, they surveyed for potential targets in the vicinity, especially ripe fruit batches. Using whatever they could find as projectiles, and weapons with length according to their size, the Bandar-log were capable of launching missiles at great speed and distance. Louie remarked that the hunters back at Monkey City would use them to hunt for game, much to Tarzan's silent consternation.

Timon walked off into the fields, trekking to a nice bathing spot he had found recently.

'SPLASH'

The meerkat dives with grace into the solitary lake. A perfect ten. Cooling off from the morning heat, the diminutive fellow floats carefree in the current. With his heavyweight friends around, he felt no need to be too careful. In fact, there was no one but him by the waterhole.

Little did he know that swimming in this area was no longer a safe thing to do.

Danger lurks nearby. A pair of gigantic jaws half-emerged in the water to give the impression of a harmless piece of driftwood passing by. Right beneath them is a shadow moving quietly with the smallest amount of necessary force to reach the meerkat. Oblivious to all, Timon smacked his thirst-quenched lips.

"That sure beats a mouthful of dry dust."

With his back to the water, he hadn't seen the long, snaking form until it was almost upon him. Water seethed around a huge, scaly head. Something large, very large, rose from the depths. Cold, vertical slit pupils flashed as Timon turned and saw a mighty mouth full of terrible teeth. In the same split-second when he let out a shriek, the meerkat jolted out of the water. Now mid-air, he felt something pull his tail. Daring to look back, Timon found out he was dangling down from Makuu's mouth.

"You can't eat me!" He cried while internally begging his friends would come and save him. But he had gone too far, they couldn't hear his cry for help. And the crocodile is too fast, they wouldn't reach him either way. "It is forbidden to eat a member of the king's court!"

"Stay calm, mongoose, and you won't get hurt." Timon gasped in fright when the predator reared his back abruptly, snatching him up into his mouth. Terrified, he crawls around the moist cave.

Before sliding into a reed bed, Makuu spots a group of birds flying eastbound.

"Good. Tell the lion king Makuu is in the neighborhood."

Apes and monkeys alike returned to whirling along the topsides of the branches. Tarzan blindly catches a vine, prompting it to snap downwards at great speed while his arms are still wrapped around its form. The monkeys cease their pace. The 'vines' coiled around the surrounding trees are suddenly dragged along the jungle limbs... then it stops.

Tarzan opens his clenched eyes and looks down to see a considerable distance between him and the forest ground. Gazing up, he catches the horrified looks on the monkeys' faces before the group scuddles off along the canopy. Following in the direction in which they were staring, and wising up to the distinct look of the thick rope suspending him, the youth sees a familiar rock python.

"Hello, Kaa... it's good to see you." Instinctively, he avoided eye contact with the leering hypnotist.

"What is that?" Kaa asked, far more interested in the man-thing Tarzan had on his sheath.

"My Iron Tooth. I got it at Louie's place. It belonged to a queen who ruled the city before the monkeys came along. "

"It's too bright. It hurts my eyes." He stressed between sibilants, so the youth jumped away to climb onto a tree behind them, his back facing its trunk. "I heard some news from Ikki (his quills make him presumptuous) of a man-thing that was entered into the Bandar-log, but I did not believe. That porcupine is full of stories half heard and very badly told."

After hedging for a brief moment, Tarzan confirmed: "I have been swinging with L-King Louie and his monkeys."

"And you mistook me for a vine?"

He looked around at everything but the serpent. "Sorry, guess I got carried away."

"So it would seem." The python remarked, critically. "I suggest you be more careful next time, I might mistake you for Bandar-log some twilight. Just changed my skin; you would slide down pretty smoothly."

Though something within him told the young man not to, he nodded.

"Are you afraid of me, man's cub?" All the monkeys flee before him for good reason, and he right now looks hungry.

"...No." Outside of a battle, a friend of Bagheera kills to eat only, and Tarzan knows this snake does not see him as prey.

"Sometimes fear... is the only intelligent response." Even when the occasion called for politeness, Kaa's demeanor appeared menacing. "Don't you think?"

"Why aren't you with Bagheera?" The old python was a recluse, Tarzan knew that. He didn't believe the snake left his dwelling just to check his gossip.

"Not to worry, he is fine where I left him." His visage conveyed both calmness and seriousness. "I have been watching you, Tarzan of the Great Troop."

The Ugani couldn't help but recoil and gawk a bit. "Why?"

"Even you must know you are unusual. Not quite a man, not quite an ape... or neither..."

"An Ape-Man."

"Ape-Man! Yes, that will do." Kaa perked backwards. "I think we can both agree that you are something the jungle has never seen before." All of a sudden, his tone turned grievous. "I have no love for apes... or men for that matter. Whatever reason Bagheera had for saving you, doesn't apply to me."

Tarzan growled at the serpent. "You said you were his friend."

"I am." As he regarded the Black Back in utmost seriousness, the leaves tangling under his coils rustled with each movement of his. "Every day... you grow a little older. Every day... you come a little closer to Bagheera, Shere Khan, your Chief, and even your brother." After a moment or two, his tongue calmed. "One day you will lead. One day you will speak... and the jungle will listen. What will you say then, Ape-Man?"

The Mangani shook himself clear of the serpent's stare and met his gaze, his eyes, like two green moons in the darkness, facing the blazing eyes of the giant. "I will end the war. I will hunt the Khan."

"Revenge. How man-like of you."

"What'd you know?" Tarzan asked, voice raising.

The reptile quickly turned grouchy. "I am Kaa. Mjuzi: a hunter of knowledge. I have learned much about the medicine of our land. I have seen a hundred and a hundred rains. Ere Hathi cast his milk-tushes my trail was big in the dust. By the First Egg, I am older than many trees, and I have seen all the Jungle has done. I have seen all the dead seasons, the great trees, the old elephants, and the moss growing in bare and sharp-pointed rocks..."

In mid-air, he stayed still like a living creeper. Oh, no wonder the monkeys can't even lay eyes on him.

"Art thou still alive, Manling?"

Fear and amazement had compelled Tarzan into silence.

"I shall be watching you... Tarzan of the Bandar-log."

He merges back with the arboreal landscape, his size doing little to slow him down. Tarzan's eyes were on him even as he faded from sight.

"That's it, boss." Buzzie screeches. "Nice and clean."

For many of the Bukuvu's denizens, break time means time to get wet. Simba currently showered underneath a small waterfall, snapping himself out of the desire to sleep off the rest of the day as his mane took in the water, which would allow him to patrol the fields without the need to make a rest stop in the shade to cool off.

"Don't forget the tail feathers," said Flaps, he and Buzzie watched him from a dry corner of the rocky formation from where the water trickled in. Heeding the blond's advice, the lion shifted to wash his backside.

"Good morning, Your Majesty."

Looking down, Simba smiles and greets a trio of elderly turtles lounging in the cranny behind the waterfall. "Good morning." Then, he shook his head. "None of that, it's fine just to call me Simba."

"But you are the king." One of them observed.

"Nah, I am only filling in for Bagheera." He elaborated: "That's the Simba who is a hunter and warrior. Right now I am the real Simba, who's just a normal lion who happens to be friends with people in high places, that's all."

The second turtle spouted: "Maybe, but we can tell you are truly his son."

Simba flinched, fully turning to them.

"You remind us so much of Bagheera."

Oh... right...

"Just the other day we were thinking to ourselves what had become of you." The third eyed him carefully. "My, my, how you have changed."

"I have?" If so, he hadn't noticed. "Yeah, you know, king stuff. I have had a lot on my mind lately." Being king could be stressful. So many decisions... would Louie give him a few pointers, perhaps? After he was finished showing his swing to Tarzan?

Their little conversation was interrupted by Buzzie's shout outside.

"Incoming!"

'SPLASH'

"There he goes," Flaps commented as Simba and the turtles peeked out expectantly at the rippling epicenter, awaiting with the vultures for the dived body to resurface.

"Did you see that entry?" Buzzie asked his flockmate.

"Oh, yeah." The blond scavenger answered before Tarzan's head popped out of the lake.

The Mangani addressed the small crowd by the shore. "Hi, what's going down?"

Simba couldn't help but snicker, amused he had shown up just as he was thinking about him. "Why, if it isn't my big brother descending from on high to mingle with the commoners..."

"Your form needs work," Buzzie mentioned.

"Good hang time though." Flaps stated.

Amused, Simba's eyebrow raised. "Louie is teaching you face-flopping now?"

"How to fall, actually." Tarzan breathed out. Louie had him tuck his head and roll on the ground so many times that the Ape-Man ended up with dust all over his body.

"Dry yourself up, cus." Heads glancing up to the trees, they all spotted the King of the Monkeys. "Can't swing with your hands wet and slippery."

Tarzan nodded. "I will be back in a moment." Alike as they were, the youth realized that he and his cousin had their differences beyond their appearance. Louie and his Bandar-log didn't appreciate a bath as much as he did for example. However, that wouldn't dissuade Tarzan from teaching them his 'hollow stalk trick' later.

A cacophony of sounds coming from the foliage robs their attention. It wasn't long until they saw a bear and a warthog rushing towards them with two vultures as escort.

"Simba. Tarzan. Thank goodness we found you." rasped poor Pumbaa, who had set off at a clumsy trot in the hopes of getting there sooner.

"Hey, Baloo!" Louie called to his friend. "Check it out, I just made a swinger out of Tarzan."

"No time, Lou." The bear had a grim expression as he talked. "Our little pal Timon was taken."

"What...?" Both brothers hissed furious with rage and grief.

"Makuu took him!" Pumbaa cried in alarm.

"WHAT?!" They chorused again, the lion on the verge of exploding.

"Timon, is he...?" Buzzie started.

"No, he's alive," assured Dizzy.

"But they are headed for Makuu's lands," Ziggy informed.

"We gotta follow." With one final echo, Tarzan and Simba bounded downriver at the double.

"Just try and stop me!" Baloo cracked his knuckles, trailing after his boys with Pumbaa. "I will tear that crocodile limb from limb!"

"Boys, fly ahead! Find them!" The former prince barks at his scouts. "We have to go!"

"You can't fight Makuu in the swamp!" The first turtle raised his voice so all would hear him even past the waterfall. "You will get stuck if not worse."

"There's gotta be another way," Simba murmured.

"The trees." Realization dawned upon his brother. "We need help. Louie! Louie!"

"That's my name, don't use it in vain." The orange primate had a roguish smile, for he had thought the same thing as his hairless cousin.

"PLEASE, DON'T EAT ME!"

The end of that sentence came out in a rush as Makuu unceremoniously spat him out onto a mud pit with a 'splash'. Timon scrambled to pull himself together. Looking around, he saw he was in a shallow fish pond set up many turnings ago; its waters shrunk to leave behind a wide, muddy bank. The crocodiles of the jungle's floats had made vast reefs of stones across the shallows outlying the riverbanks, where schools of fish unawares would find themselves stranded once the water levels changed.

Now he knew how the fish felt in these waterside traps.

"That's all people ever think of: crocodiles are never satisfied." Makuu mused before the meerkat. "Can't imagine where they got that from."

All Timon could do was gulp. "Because you eat people?"

"Not today. Right now you are my new babysitter."

"...Eh?"

"Since the last one is no longer available..." That smirk of his clued Timon as to why.

Still, the mongoose managed a glare. "My godsons will come for me!"

Makuu took the reminder and ignored it. "I am a father too, you know? I cannot deny my sons and daughter fresh meat when it wanders so willingly into our midst."

He looks over the meerkat. Doing the same, Timon futilely tried to back away from the five little crocs with hunger in their eyes.

"My children. They need to practice hunting live prey." Once they had crawled to their side, Makuu gave the introductions. "These are Bitter, the eldest, Grabber, Chomper, Guzzle Guts, and Jacala, my youngest."

A snicker dripping with uneasiness slipped from the 'babysitter's' mouth. "That doesn't at all quell the fear I am feeling right now," Pumbaa said that soothing in mud is great for stress... Timon was too busy praying to enjoy it.

'ROAR'

A powerful caterwauling cuts through the wind, prompting everyone in the mudhole to turn in time to see Hodari swooping from high above.

"Sire, he is here!"

Makuu flashes a wicked smile at Timon, causing the latter's relief to curl into a ball. "Well, what are we waiting for? Training starts now! Forward, kids! And don't leave so much as a bone for the vultures."

He leaves with the plover, abandoning the tiny fellow to his kids.

If there was one of the northern denizens who questioned Simba's authority, that was Makuu. But the crocodile confined the manifestation of his objections to petty disobediences and irritating mannerisms. Simba had long feared, however, that he but waited for his opportunity to wrest the hunting ranges from him by some sudden stroke of weakness, and so he was ever on his guard against any unpleasant surprise.

Until now.

The boundaries between their ranges were fading, which wasn't good. Makuu, already with plenty of space to hunt, still hungered for more control over the plains and had no qualms about challenging others to fight so he could get what he wanted. After all, that's how he, of all croc leaders in the jungle, came to control these parts. And now he was clearly eager to test the maned youth. Thus Simba made sure to retain a strong pose no matter what. His step was firm on the ground and his head up high, his family, meantime, brought up the rear in case things turned ugly. Such royal grace was usually saved for whenever he and his entourage strutted around the jungle to do their business, lest he strumbled and fell on his own face.

But at the moment, he had more important things in mind.

"The Golden Lion does us great honor,"

Makuu would try to get him down, unsurprisingly, so he stood up, proud... and fuming. "Where's Timon?!"

"Your court jester, huh?" Makuu lay in front of him, not looking the least bit serious. "Probably having a singsong somewhere in the forest."

Simba hissed under his breath. "I swear, if you did something to him, I will have your hide!"

"I didn't do anything." His kids on the other hand...

"He was in my domain, you had no business hunting there."

"If he was one of yours, he should have identified himself." The Undertaker couldn't contain his toothy grin when the feline cursed himself for taking so long to come up with a Safe Word.

"You know who he is." Venom seeped through the big cat's teeth.

"Must have mistaken him for one of the marsh packs, mucking about in the water and all that." Face-to-face, he spoke his case. "Either way, my float has the right to hunt on the river."

Simba's face scrunched, wondering how truthful the crocodile was being. "We are forbidden from hunting each other's tribe. Break that Law and there will be war."

"Do you suppose the Colonel will side with you for starting a fight over a dead mongoose? When he already has to deal with Shere Khan?" Makuu retorted, having expected such moves. No doubt about it: the lion and Bagheera were related for sure. "And I remember the Colonel sided with us during the debacle with the dholes."

The young hunter crossed his eyes. To that, the reptile kept going.

"I'm just respecting the natural order: survival of the fittest." He was smirking again, and the Golden Brother was already sick of it. "But your folks- Now, they are special. They belong somewhere in the middle." His laughter is insulting. "Between two sets of jaws, smothered in honey!"

He was trying to get a raise out of him, Simba knew that... and it was working.

Several meters above the forest ferns, creatures with opposable thumbs climb effortlessly. In the thick cover of vegetation overhanging the jungle, they mean to bypass the plovers on the lookout for anyone crossing the field in the direction of the fish traps. Louie, all business, snaps his fingers, causing his monkeys to get in line formation like soldiers. Time to pay Timon back for helping save their kingdom from Hista so many seasons ago.

Putting his tricks to the test, Tarzan lassoes an opposite branch, creating a rope bridge. The monkeys move across with ease while he reaches the halfway point, cuts the rope with one of his sharp stone fangs, and pendulates to the trees on the other side. Looking back, they see the croc's flying minions undisturbed as they wait for the bear and hog to try something on the opposite grove.

The infiltration was a success.

Meanwhile, Timon faceplanted on the mud. He trashes in the sticky pit, desperate to escape. Makuu's children were salivating by now. Small as they were, their maws were already big enough for his head to fit inside. The poor fella was swallowing uncontrollably against the sudden lump in his throat.

"You know... this reminds me of a story."

"...Strange-But-Wise-Monkey?" Timon blinked, looked around, and found a familiar primate sitting on a branch jutting over the mudhole.

"Yeah, a great story about five young crocodiles." Rafiki allowed his gaze to drift as he stroked the underside of his beard. "Once upon a time, there were five young crocodiles. And their names were: Bitter, Grabbler, Chomper, Guzzle Guts, and Jacala."

The hatchlings perk up towards the elder with keen interest, forgetting about their new plaything.

"How did it go again?" The Mjuzi continues his tale. "One was very clever, and one not very much."

"That's you, Chomper!" Bitter teased his younger brother.

"The story is about us." Young Jacala had an eager look across her beaming face.

"We want a story." declared Guzzle Guts.

"Well then, young snappers, gather around Old Rafiki, he knows the tale." For a demonstration, he stretches and slaps his arms together as if they were crocodile jaws.

Timon was finally able to breathe in relief. How convenient. Enter omniscient monkey, right on cue. Just when the little scamps were within a hair's breadth of taking his life.

Then something tapped his head from behind.

"Uh?" Timon paused and looked up at his apish godson holding down a chain of monkeys, and one orangutan, ready to bring him to safety. The elder's story kept the hatchlings at bay long enough for the saviors to spring into action.

A grin took over the bug-eater's face.

"You pounce on me from behind while I grieve my godfather, is that it?!" Simba shifted, moving from the lounging position he had been into a squat, one that would allow him to quickly leap into battle if needed.

"As I said, he didn't say your Safe Word. Not that you even cared enough to make one in the first place." Makuu bent down, suppressing his limb-severing fangs. "With that type of carelessness, it's no wonder the Khan managed to sneak and raid our side of the river in the first place. Now Bagheera is down and there's no way to know when he will wake up." He rallied to the law they all beheld, the Law of the Strongest. "The jungle deserves a king who can defend their home."

"Is that a challenge?" The exiled prince glares right on his face.

"The fact is that the jungle needs a leader. A real leader." Narrowing his gaze, Makuu stares at him dead in the eyes. "You will see that I take my responsibilities seriously... very seriously."

His words offend Simba's pride and set the latter's teeth on edge. "You're right. I didn't want this job... I never wanted this job... but I am not gonna sit down and just let you take my family, nor our home." The formerly laid-back lion clenched his teeth fearlessly. "You said this was a king's job... well since the choice is between you or me... I will take it." So he spoke, not merely Simba the Golden Lion, but Simba the Lion King.

"Well then, Your Majesty, come over here. And let's get started."

Shoulders back and chest out, the feline lunged.

Simba nipped at the croc's nose like a snapping turtle. Makuu glanced back at him in menace. A supremely irritated look on his face as the brat did something one must never do if they hold their lives in high regard: smile at a crocodile. Simba remembered the turtles' wisdom 'Whatever Makuu tells you, don't go into the swamp'. He won't advance, but he isn't going to back down either. No fool, but a king. Without an instant's hesitation, Makuu came upon him on the dry land. Anger swelling within the lion's chest prompts him to shriek taunts and insults at his adversary, who roared out in rage and vexation. While the pair snarled and roared, the battle between their voices summons their comrades.

Fine, let there be war. Makuu must be punished and driven away.

"Tell him who's boss!"

Those four vultures on the back of the brat would hardly serve as a snack. Then again, a meal is a meal.

'BOOOM'

The River of Scales, which runs through this entire jungle, exploded out of the water in front of both groups. If you can imagine a battering rhino weighing nearly half a ton driven by a cool, quiet mind, you can roughly imagine what Kaa was like when he cut them off. His first stroke was sent home with shut mouth in silence, and there was no need for a second.

"GET BACK!" Kaa ordered, so they did. "I AM HUNTING HERE TONIGHT. PEACE WILL NOT BE DISTURBED!" His voice carried no sibilance yet none could deter the shudders it unfurled with them.

Makuu blinked, opening her mouth to form a response. His gaze locked with Kaa briefly and his mouth closed without saying anything. With just two words, spoken softly but firmly, the tense atmosphere shifted entirely. "I apologize," The crocodile leader inclined his head.

Makuu respected those he deemed worthy but refused to show it when he didn't have to. And perhaps no creature is more deserving of such courtesy as Kaa the Python, who is as old as the jungle. He whose only companion is hunger was amongst the most feared in the Bukuvu, for none knew the limits of his power, few could look him in the face, and even fewer had ever come alive out of his death hug. In the few times they encountered each other, the crocodile leader learned to fear the serpent and wouldn't dare to lay a claw on his scales, for good reason. Simba, despite scampering a few feet at the sight of the long head swiveling above them all, was pleased to see the python.

They were done here.

Since Timon had escaped the crocodiles' clutches, he had earned his Right to Survive. The Jungle Law is sacred and Makuu's float had to accept it for the sake of their honor. With him alive and well, his family saw no motive to wage war over the death of a living meerkat either. Some last words were exchanged as Simba and Makuu snapped their fangs and growled at each other one final time until Kaa spoke again so the stillness returned to the riverside.

Slit-eyes bore into the back of the lion's head as everyone left without nagging.

"One day, young Jacala was very hungry. So he said let's go fishing."

"What happened?" When the youngling recoiled by the shore, Chomper slipped his balance on the rock he was lying on and fell back into the mucky pool, much to his and his siblings' amusement.

"Where did we go?" Jacala asked the old monkey.

"What are you doing? How'd the mongoose escape?" Their father entered the scene unsurprised to find the critter nowhere in sight, but he sure did not expect to find his kids listening to an old-timer's story.

"Dad, just five more minutes." pleaded Bitter

"Then we will hunt him." Guzzle Guts promised. The fact he taught the meerkat was still within their reach showed how little mind he was currently paying to Makuu's task.

"Please...?" Jacala warbled. She and her siblings crooned through exaggerated, forced grins.

Deep inside, the father feels something tingling within his core. At the sight of four adorable little ones before him, even the Pride of the Ghaut felt the faintest hint of a soft smile starting to form on his face.

"...Two more minutes, then we'll get back to your training."

Nearby, an elderly Mjuzi watches amused by the sight of a prideful croc leader yielding to the innocent eyes of his children.

Cliffside Dwelling, Hakuna Matata Falls, northern Bukuvu

One fine shower later and Timon was free of the mud. "And then he left me stuck there so his kids could use me for hunting practice."

"Yeesh! Looks like we will have to picnic somewhere else." declared Baloo as he led his roommates back into their lair, where a certain hairless godson of theirs was messing around with his stuff. "T... what are you doing?"

"I made you a nest."

"You made them a hammock." Simba corrected from beside the 'nest' swung between two perches coming out of the knotholes.

"You made this?" Timon blinked, tossing aside the large leaf he was using as a towel. "For us?"

"Yeah, I mean, I did owe you a new one didn't I?" Tarzan gestured for him and Pumbaa to try it out. "Go ahead."

The pair clambered onto the hammock. Ah, it was good. Turns out their Hairless Wonder could make a really good nest. Even better than their old one, in fact: nice, soft, and warm. Suspended above their cave, it was like sleeping on air.

"You are something else, T," Timon muttered then fell asleep right then and there. Of course, none could argue the meerkat didn't deserve it.

"You know what, cus? You got pluck." Louie said, coming to the youth glowing from the praise.

"Next time, think you can teach me how to grow hair like yours?" He joked.

His red relative laughed. "Sorry, cus. But I will tell you this much: I still gotta a lot of stuff to teach ya. We aren't the best climbers in the jungle for nothing."

"Same time tomorrow night?" Tarzan asked to which the orangutan nodded. "Thanks for helping us back there too."

"Think nothing of it." Louie waved off as they moved outside to meet the triplets. "We share each other's fleas."

"Hey, guys, can you imagine Baggy doing something like that?" Timon, half-sleep, considered, exchanging a look with his friends.

"No way." Pumbaa spouted.

"No way," Baloo muttered. "We'd be in trouble."

"Don't worry about Tarzan. He is in capable hands." The monarch asserted as he looked over at them, but it was in vain.

A/N: Sorry for the delay. My family went on a trip and then moved over to a new house, but now things should return to schedule.

Chapter Text

wo Brothers Under the Sun

Chapter – XXX

At the Jungle's Royal Courts – Part 1

The Prince and the Pompous

Saltwater sloshed about his legs whenever the tide came in, rising as high as his tailbone only to ebb again when the tide receded.

Tarzan had never imagined that any water that was not funneling down from Zulu Falls could look so big, except possibly for all the snow covering the Theluji peaks. It looked like all the water flowing down from the jungle had been gathering in this place since the beginning of time- so wide that its shores, be them in front or to the sides, were too far to be seen at all. At this moment, Tarzan would believe if he was told there weren't any and his home was in fact a huge island.

He felt the urge to just stand there and watch. The sight before him was beautiful. The water glistened with a bright light as he heard the waves rushing into the shore. The sand was muddy under his feet, and the water was nice and cold. He watched as it receded back into the ocean before rising up once more in the form of small waves. Unlike the river, he didn't have to run into the water... the sea came for him on its own, as if it was calling for him. And Tarzan found out it could be pretty insistent.

Though he had been warned of the riptide that could drag a swinger away from shore in its grasp... he walked till his waist was covered by the watery surface. He just had to test these waters to seal this moment, swimming and diving into the tides. He liked it a lot. The water is great, if a little bit salty. Simba, who never missed an opportunity such as this, especially now that his work schedule had doubled, decided to do the same.

They loved their river and waterfall, but this wasn't bad whatsoever.

Perking his ears up, he focused on the sounds of waves crashing on rock, along with the sound of gulls calling to each other as they rode the drafts. Those sea birds could fly over the world from what Louie said, but chose not to. Along the bight to his right was a cliff face. The Great Waters pounded against the land far below. In the opposite direction was the same thing: earth sloped downwards towards the sea, allowing for other outcroppings of rock on the cliff face. Upon one such outcrop near the shore stood a mighty, curved tree all by its lonesome, reaching up to the sky and sun above. Looking down, he took notice of the tidal mouth of the River of Patience, where the tide meets its stream.

Not many paths lead here. There aren't many reasons for the jungle folk to venture so far from the Mouth of the Dirisha. Not much vegetation grows there either, only lichens. To think this all started when Louie asked if he and the others wanted to help him get the best coconuts in the Bukuvu.

In hindsight, he should have suspected when the smell of salt and rotting vegetation filled the air the moment his brother remarked: "I didn't know this neck of the woods."

When Tarzan followed the orangutan's sign for him to come over, he quickly realized what his cousin was pointing out.

Sure he had learned about the Great Waters, the enormous river that even the keenest of sight can't find the end; where the sun shrinks in the far west. Even then he was sure his jaws almost dropped once he actually saw it.

The Theluji sunset and the Bukuvian waterfalls had a new contender for the most beautiful sight the Ape-Man had ever witnessed. The blue of the waves was brighter, no contest. The sea wind was refreshing, bringing relaxation to the youth... along with the smell of seaweed?

"Ah, this is the life, guys." Pumbaa was wallowing in a big tuft of greens that had been washed ashore, a ball of damp algae shading his eyes from the sun. "Fresh ocean air, lunch specials of lichen, and not a soul to be seen for miles around."

Tarzan agreed with both the hog's sentiment and statement. Outside of those funny birds with pouches beneath their beaks, he and his family were the only ones present: Baloo was running in the water, splashing up a trail in his wake; Timon jumped off from the bear's back and into the sea, starting to do flips while keeping his distance from the darker waters. One couldn't blame him for fearing what was hiding in the undertow, swimming around in the depths unseen. But Tarzan, meanwhile, was far more interested in what lay across the sea.

"How far away are the other man dens?" Tarzan questioned, looking east where Monkey City stood.

"Really far," Louie answered, "Days' worth of travel even if you got wings."

"Do you think they are still there?" The White Ape suggested.

"Perhaps." His surrogate cousin agreed with a nod as he began walking by the beach.

"Hey, Simba," A smirking Baloo called to his maned godson. "Won't you drink the water to see what it tastes like?"

"Nah, the Colonel already showed me their salt licks." The impish edge on the lion's own smirk showed he had seen through the bear's attempt to trick him. Tarzan liked to think it was because his brother had fallen for that earlier. "If you wanna try it, go ahead."

As the ursine grumped, his hairless godson looked out towards the horizon, wondering what could be on the other side.

All he saw was a whole lot of blue, stretching off to the far distance before him. This only stirred his thirst for knowledge and instinctual curiosity. He knew there were others like him out there. An entire world he wished to meet. All his life, people tried to dissuade him from his endeavors to learn about men's world. Bagheera told him often that their ways didn't adhere to the Great Circle, that it had nothing to offer their jungle home, ergo there is no point in trying to emulate them... but Tarzan had never been truly convinced. He knew that there was so much more to see than could ever be seen beyond the borders of the Bukuvu, and merely hearing the tales from the travelers doesn't compare to the feeling of experiencing places and events in person.

Like Louie had stated as they were making their way here: "Showing is better than telling."

On the spur of the moment, Simba decided to ask something that had been in his mind for a while: "How did Aunt Kala happen to find you, T?"

"I'm not so sure, I was really young. Mother said she and Bagheera saved me from Sabor... and that's it." Another thought came to him by the end of that sentence: how could he describe this to his troopmates?

"Nothing else?"

"No. I am happy here. But, you know... I would like to see new places... meet others like me. And then introduce them to you and the others."

Simba snorted. If they were anything like him and Louie, the jungle would be turned upside down. "So, what are you going to do, build one of those boat thingies by yourself and drift until you reach another shore?"

"Great idea. It will be my greatest trick yet, let's get going!"

...

...

They burst into laughter. "For a moment, you really had me worried there." Mostly submerged, the lion faced the winds, taking his time to enjoy the breeze like he would do together with Bagheera. "This is what it's all about. What could be better than this?"

"You will never know by staying here." King Louie responded from his seat on a large boulder sticking out from the beach. "Mark my words, Simba. If you are impressed by my Kingdom, just wait until you see the Realms of Men, then you will be in for a surprise."

"So, suppose we ever get there, what would you do besides showing off?"

"Well, I haven't really thought about that part," Lou admitted. "But this I assure you: our home is just a tiny piece of something much greater. So much more than this. That's why we need to go out there and find out more about the world. Just monkeying around here won't change a thing."

Tarzan considered the Red Ape's words. As great as the Circle of Life... or greater?

"Eh, what's so wrong with a simple life?" Baloo questioned as he made his way to join his boys. "You have been thinking a lot lately, haven't you, Lou?"

"What can I say? Tarzan inspired me."

"You're welcome," responded the Pinkish Ape. "What more can you tell me about the sea, Louie?"

"Well-"

"GYAAAH!"

A scream interrupted them, for Timon had tried to catch a krab for lunch... and was not particularly successful.

After helping out Timon with the crab, the little critter having apparently mistaken that strange creature with multiple legs and an exoskeleton for a bug, the group returned to enjoying their beach time. Squirting and splashing in the shallow water as they played and ran around, doing small talk and sharing stories with the pelicans among others who dwelled by the seashore, and drinking from fresh coconuts.

When the shining Bright Circle had their shadows fully retreat under their forms, Louie adverted them to go back to the jungle. Tarzan went to bid farewell to the Great Waters, who sent a wave towards his chest in response.

Surely he would never forget this day.

The change from salty sea air to the damp, cool winds of the inland jungle was palpable.

"Kilio Valley?" Baloo repeated while they walked along the course where the forest river rushed to the Great Waters. "You're visiting the elephants, Simba?"

The big cat nodded somberly. "Yeah, I have a funeral to attend." He stared downward, sad. "My friend, Aminifu of the Jungle Patrol, has passed away." Several leaves spiraled in the air under the lion's gaze.

"I remember him. Nice guy." Louie remarked, genuinely sad.

"He would give us sprinkling showers back at the river," Pumbaa remembered, his face bending towards the ground while Timon offered him a pat on the back of his head.

They all shared a moment of silence. Aminifu had completed his part of the Circle of Life.

"Send our regards to the Colonel," Baloo said, to which Simba nodded.

"So... are you worried about your tribute?" Tarzan asked his brother, earning confused looks from the others. "He has to say it in Elephantese, as their traditions dictate." He explained.

Louie's finger pressed beneath his chin, "And they take those traditions very seriously."

Simba rolled his eyes upon hearing that. "Oh, believe me, I know. It has to be perfect."

"True. But it's just one phrase." Tarzan spoke out: "Eihe kala pano tou."

"Hmm. Easy for you to say."

His brother chuckled. "Heh, I guess it is. But then, I am fluent in Elephant... not to mention Gorilla, Hippopotamus, and several dialects of Monkey."

"Yeah, T," Timon remarked a bit dryly. "We know."

"Trust me, Simba. By the time we get back, I'll have you speaking like a true elephant!" Tarzan declared before putting an arm around his Blood Brother's neck... that's when he noticed the weirded-out expression the feline was giving him. "What is it, bro?"

"It's just... odd to see you exposed in such a way." Most animals had their privates typically hidden under most circumstances, whether by fur, feathers, scales, or even under their skin in some cases... but, right now, the Ape-Man was...

"...Oh!" Realizing the issue, Tarzan gestured for Louie to toss him a large piece of colorful, patterned fabric which he wrapped around his waist below the navel, covering his body down to the ankles.

###

Kilio Valley, northeast Bukuvu

Atop a great boulder with his 'eyes in the sky', Simba reclined in full view of Hathi's domain, his tail sweeping languidly behind him.

From up there, Kilio Valley appeared to be but a small grove of trees located on a low area of land between the rolling hills, with a gentle stream from the waterfalls to the southeast meandering through there. Many willow trees surround it and a few scattered acacia trees adorn the landscape, marking the resting place of many elephants. Several rocks dotted these parts as well, and a dirt path, currently hidden by the large assemblage of guests, led across it.

"No, no, no, boss. Like this." Buzzie repeated the words as Tarzan had instructed. "Eihe kala pano tou."

Simba struggles: "Ehke kana pao tu." He groans afterward.

Flaps, standing alongside the rest of his flockmates, asked: "What does this mean again?"

"It translates to: 'He had good on him.' It means he was a good elephant." answered Dizzy.

"Well, that is certainly true," Simba mumbled. Aminifu had much good on him, so it was expected that, as Bagheera's replacement, he would give full honors to the fallen pachyderm.

"Ah... there is nothing like the odor of decomposing corpses," Ziggy relished. Decaying carcasses as far as the eye can see, putrid aromas at every sniff. This place was paradise for scavengers like them.

"I know." Dizzy nodded with a smile. "Disgusting, isn't it, guys?"

"Yeah." Flaps agreed as he took in the smell. Elephant, sun-dried to perfection.

Their well-roared boss reprimands them. "Show some respect, this is a funeral." Aminifu was a good friend, he deserved it. "Okay, Buzzie. Once more, from the top."

Buzzie nodded: "Now, let me see your Elephantese accent."

Trumpets are sounded, and Simba pauses. In the valley below, a procession of elephants gathers before Aminifu's body, with his daughter Ma Tembo standing at the head. She and Tantor nuzzle sadly. The last elephants stride past the dead giant, leaving flowers or hugging him. Above them, tickbirds lazily flitted through the trees under the shade of the canopy, including Ono who was nipping at one of his wings, ever determined to look proper for such occasions.

Ma Tembo draws herself up and trumpets again.

"Well... time for the tribute." Simba resigned, face hanging down. "Things like this almost make me wish I wasn't king." Grief and mourning had been a constant companion since childhood, but the youth would never see it as a triviality.

"Come now, boss," Buzzie spoke out. "It's really not as bad as all that."

"Having to say goodbye to an old friend in a language that I don't understand?"

"Yeah, that's a bummer," Dizzy admitted before flying closer to Simba. "But you have so many cool jobs, and I bet you can do this as well as you do them."

With that last bit of encouragement, Simba races down the hillside. He passes through a wooded area with songbirds flitting over his head, for Ono was assigning them to their trees, and arrives at a big rock facing the crowd. Once there, he stops to stand in front of a long line of different animals waiting for their respective turns to pay their respects.

They all had stepped aside when they saw him coming.

He chuckles nervously, then anxiously swallows to gather his wits together.

Finally, he begins, speaking in the manner Louie had taught him to project his voice over a crowd. "I knew Aminifu for a long time." Members of the Patrol bow their heads sadly. "And now that he has completed his journey through the Circle of Life, I will remember him fondly."

He surveys his audience, trying to get a feel for their reactions. One moment later, he continued:

"Because, as you elephants say, 'Eihe kaka pano tou'."

The daughter's face turns to shock while the other elephants gasp. On the back, the vulture quartet cringed.

"Huh? Huh?" The lion blinked and shifted his attention to Tantor, taking immediate notice of his friend's nervous gulp. "Did I say he had good on him?"

"Actually, Simba, it was more along the lines of he had..." Tant put his ears over his eyes. That wasn't a good sign. "...Poop on him."

"I said what?!" Simba exclaimed horrified.

'THUMP'

He turns and sees Ma Tembo, who glares at him... right before she starts snorting until she can't contain her chuckle any longer, arching her head back as her huge figure shakes in place. More and more elephants soon joined her, snickering as if they had heard a funny joke. The tension in the air suddenly gave way to smiles and sounds of merriment. Even the birds were snickering while Ono smiled behind Hathi's ear. Meanwhile, Simba's Oathsworn smiled relieved.

The feline apparently responsible for this couldn't help but smile despite not exactly understanding what in the Circle was going on.

"It's true," recomposing herself, Ma Tembo elaborated between chuckles. "He always did have poop on him. And it always made us laugh." She gazes around the crowd, fondly. "He always made us laugh." Next, she goes to hug Simba with her trunk. "It's nice to remember the good times. Thank you."

The big cat returns the gesture. "Well, he had good on him too."

Ma Tembo nodded, looking away solemnly. "He did. He truly had good on him... but more poop!"

Everybody had a good laugh.

Once it ended, the egret cleared his throat.

"Announcing His Majesty..."

At Ono's declaration, all eyes were directed to the back of the herd.

"Warden of Zulu..."

All elephants step aside so their king can stride between them.

"Colonel Hathi!" The Majordomo hovers in front of his liege, calling out as he does so. "Make way! Make way for the king!"

The Colonel stops in front of Simba and Ma Tembo, prompting them to bow their heads in deference.

"Your Majesty." The lion greeted.

"Oh, Simba. How have you been?"

"Mostly getting used to my new job."

"So I have heard." Hathi leaned on his bamboo stick to support himself as he took a more relaxed stance. "Certainly you still have a lot to learn, though."

Simba gave a silent nod. Thankfully he hadn't offended the Warden of Zulu with his 'highly irregular' elogy.

"Of course I recall my own first tenures. Back in the Pride Lands, it was. When I was... or was it by the Great Lakes? Anyway, it was, In fact, one of the high points of my early years. Why, had I not acted with such selfless bravery, and with such great daring, and extraordinary courage, along with powerful disregard for my own safety, I wouldn't be half the pachyderm you see today."

'Here it comes again.' No matter how much he tried, the lion found himself incapable of not rolling his eyes when the monarch started rambling.

"Sure there were some bothersome challenges ahead but I steeled through them all... well, most of them at least."

Ono who had been speaking with some members of his flock excused himself towards Hathi. "Sire, checking in with the morning report!"

The Colonel caught himself mid-sentence. "Oh... Oh, yes! The morning report." He addresses the bird. "Fire away."

Ono hops up and salutes him. "Uh, all appears to be in order, Your Majesty." The egret gestures from right to left with one wing. "There's much excitement about our new acting king." Simba perked upon hearing this. "The oryxes aren't fighting, for a change. The eland herd is migrating east along the Waingunga, as expected. Oh, also, on the path along the river, I spotted a new cluster of beehives."

The youth would make sure to go there later. Bees make great snacks.

Hathi's Majordomo concludes the news with another salute. "And that's the morning report."

To which the pachyderm nods firmly. "Interesting. Thank you, Ono."

"Thank you for the opportunity, my king." Polite as always, Ono bows before him.

Considering his words, Hathi looks away thoughtfully. "Hang on, I'm... I'm thinking. The bees are building hives on the path along the river. The elands use that same path. If the elands stir the beehives, they'll get stung. The herd would break up, and there could be chaos." Now all serious, he regards the lion, ducking down almost to his level. "Can you divert the elands away from the bees' nests?"

"...Yes, sir!"

Behind them, the maned brother heard an awed Tantor half-gasp: "An official decree from pop..."

"Better look into it personally." Just like that, the king set off into a march. "Come on, you two. On the double!"

"Yes, sir. Right on, sir!" Ono moves quickly after him with Simba, joined by the vultures, doing the same.

They trotted along quickly till they reached their destination. Once there, they immediately went to divert the eland herd away from the beehives that now littered a good section of a trail on the river shore. The trio positioned themselves on the edge of it, Ono flicked his vision to spot a herd of elands running along the path, Hathi oversaw the situation and had Simba intercept the herd as it was making its way around the bend, moving the elands off the path and across the green fields, far away from the bees.

The operation worked out with no hitches.

Since everything was finished, the trio decided to partake in a little walk around the jungle. The lion and the elephant galloped without hurrying through the grass, up and over the hills. Moving across from an area where the trees grew more crowded and thick bushes covered the ground. While the vultures excused themselves to grab a bite of a dead animal, the two leaders talked.

"Sorry, Simba," Hathi said after the lion was done speaking his case. "I'm afraid you and Makuu will have to share. Fortunes of war and all that sort of thing you know."

The former Prince of the Pride Lands deflates at that, visibly displeased. "Even if he likes to remind me that he would make a really nice throw rug?"

"I know it's hard. But be patient." The old monarch advised. "Things should work out by the time Bagheera returns."

"I hope." Under his groan, the youth all at once pleads in silence that things will return to normal soon.

Ono floated to him. "Are you well, Your Highness?"

"I was better before you said 'Your Highness', Ono." The big cat's tone came out harsher than intended, which he realized as soon as he fully snapped out of his thoughts. "...Sorry."

The egret merely smiled, showing some of that patience for which he was known throughout the Bukuvu. "It's different from the last time, is it not?"

"It is," Simba said with a sigh, swallowing slightly. "And not just because people keep looking at me like they did with Bagheera." More than a few times, the lion checked over his shoulder to make sure his godfather wasn't standing behind him. "Before, I merely continued with his work. Now I am trying to co-rule things with Makuu of all people." He sighs. "It was easier when the worst I had to do was raise my voice."

"A useful skill, I admit. But not an infallible one, I fear." Noticing the look on his face, Hathi offered words of support from his own experiences: "I was nervous about ruling at first too. But I have faith in you. Just work to keep the peace and everything will be fine."

Simba hesitated. Then, ultimately, he shook his head and said firmly. "I won't let you down, Sir." He bows to the pachyderm. To Hathi, his position as leader of the Jungle Patrol and protector of the Bukuvu would always come first over all else. It was his honor-bound mission, and so was Simba's.

"I know, young prince." A warm smile graces the thick-skinned giant's face. "Or should I say king?"

"...Prince is fine."

"Very well." Hathi trilled in deep thought. "Still, I think you could use a little reminding of the better duties that come with our job." He turns to his Majordomo. "Ono, if you would do the honors..."

"Yes, of course!"

Landing in front of them, the bird clears his throat before letting his voice loose.

"Everyone in the jungle lands, big or small, looks forward to whenever you may call."

Spotting the incoming trio, a giraffe nudges her companion, a hyrax, and the two approach Simba and company to curtsy before them.

"A visit from Your Highness is an honor, yes, it's true!"

Ono lands in between the two subjects and does a display of reverence of his own. Both Hathi and Simba nod in acknowledgment. The lion looks up to see numerous passersby bowing in their direction.

"All your subjects want so much to be with you!" The egret flies up towards him. "So embrace your position." Simba smiles as Ono flits to his other side. "The royal tradition!"

The little guy guides the two beasts away. Their group walks across the grassland, with Hathi's Majordomo flying overhead.

"Delighting the lands with every little thing... in all of the wonderful duties of the king!"

Simba jumps over a stream. Two fishes jump up from there, and then the members of their school form a ring, spraying water into the air. Afterward, the Golden Brother sits while several birds fly past him.

"You welcome birds from all around,"

A herd of gazelles prance by. "Grant gazelles their grazing ground,"

A turaco lands on a nearby tree, makes a whistling sound, and flies away. "Behoove the official turaco whistles."

"Guard the clearing of pointy thistles," Simba parts some grass in their path.

Two aardvarks, a couple hoping to spend a very special moment of their lives in the Bukuvu, approach on either side of the lion and kiss beneath his blessing. "Reside over aardvark wedding rites,"

Simba leaps away and approaches a group of mongooses. He bites the air, and they copy him. "Coach the mongooses on their bites,"

Zebras buck and bray, meanwhile Simba watches from a ledge above them. "Listen to the zebras' silly pleas,"

A family of monkeys hangs down from a nearby tree. One of them sneezes and falls off their branch, but Simba catches them. "And bless any animal when they sneeze."

Ono flies past Simba and Hathi. "So embrace your position." He flies off while both mammals stroll along below him. "The royal tradition!"

After spiraling higher toward the sky, Ono dives to them."Delighting the lands with every little thing... in all of the wonderful duties of the king!" He pauses for a moment. "In all of the wonderful duties of the king!"

Two bushbucks hop by. "You set the limits on bushbuck hopping,"

A hippopotamus belly-flops into a pool, Simba and Hathi peer from a nearby rock. "Judge the hippos' belly-flopping,"

In a shallow pool, a crocodile, which a double-check confirmed wasn't one of Makuu's, opens its mouth and groans. "Consider crocodiles' complaints,"

At the shore, Simba bends down and kisses a baby porcupine. "And tenderly kiss baby porcupines, oh, so gently."

"Assign all the songbirds to their trees," Simba himself now sings as he races off into a wooded area, with birds moving around the branches above.

A manatee emerges from a lake and tilts its head. "Advise confused manatees,"

He approaches a bee hive and eyes it with hunger. "Ceremonial harvesting of the bees."

"Consoling giraffes when they get fleas!" Ono points to another giraffe who jerks uncomfortably as fleas hop around in his fur.

"Actually, that's not much fun." Simba raises an eyebrow.

"The fleas do tend to spread, but that said..." The tick bird flies through a forested area, with Simba and Hathi right behind him. "So embrace your position."

Simba bops his head as he rejoins the singing. "The royal tradition!"

He and the Colonel march to the song's rhythm.

"Delighting the jungle lands with every little thing in all of the wonderful..." Ono goes to the lion's side.

"In all of the wonderful..." Simba beams towards him in turn.

They sing together in a grand finale. "In all of the wonderful duties of the king! In all of the wonderful duties of the king!"

Hathi allowed a hearty chuckle to escape his mouth. "Ha, ha. That's what I like to see. Devotion to duty."

"Healthy animals." From their expressions, it was clear the vultures disagreed. Buzzie in particular flinched while moaning. "Just like that, I am losing my lunch."

"Yes." Simba smiles at the tick bird. "Thank you, Ono. I do feel better now."

"At your service, Young Prince."

Chapter Text

Two Brothers Under the Sun

Chapter – XXX

At the Jungle's Royal Courts – Part 2

A Man on the Monkey King's Court

For many moons Tarzan mingled with his new friends, quickly learning the many speeches, customs, and ethics of their tribal life. He put himself to work and assisted his hosts in a number of chores too; it was the least he could do after all they had done for him. Besides, he does not want to unpay their actions by doing nothing. He was taught better than that. Thus began his many days with the Bandar-log monkeys: various tasks were presented before the young man but he faced them all with a degree of determination he had fostered since he was a cub. Coupling that with his speed and strength, the Ape-Man found himself working comfortably amid his new friends.

They welcomed guests into their homes and treated them with generosity and kindness few could match. Most were pretty friendly, though definitely fierce. Some seemed rather calm, pleasant, and approachable. Others displayed a warrior's demeanor, though many still regarded him with a modicum of respect.

Still, both sides endeared themselves to each other.

Tarzan honored his word, so they trusted him. When he wasn't teaching them his tricks, he helped them sown seeds along their jungles. Watched after their hunters for any sign of trouble. Harvested the orchards that provided for feasts all over the Bukuvu, including Louie's famous parties always celebrated after the day's work was done. Fought and trained alongside their warriors both with and without his tools. Filled and cleaned their reservoirs. Showed the monkeys how to glide using great fronds. Mingled with Louie's other guests, talking with them while ridding their bodies of bugs, thorns, and splinters.

In turn, he was taught how to count to higher numbers, to do a little something called 'writing' with mud, and another thing the monkeys called 'haggle' —a few of the many new words he learned since he started coming to their city. Learned to make music by clasping his hands into a 'horn' or by singing a tune and making whatever sound his mouth flopped around. Improved his jumping and hurdling techniques. Found there are tons of delicious bugs on the canopy who live on the highest branches and never venture below. Got the hang of brachiating: swinging arm-over-arm while swiveling his shoulders, which was as easy for the likes of his cousin as walking on two legs is for men. Discovered the secrets of the sweet jungle figs (yellow is good, green makes you sick). Engaged in grooming with the members of the kingdom...

So many things to keep his body occupied and his mind away from Bagheera.

In a small sense, it was like he was back at home. Granted, no tree in this neck of the woods was like the Wakalu, but that suited the youth just fine. The familiar forested environment all around the city was enough for him.

Tarzan had honestly forgotten he had just become a regular guest at the orangutan's kingdom. He felt so comfortable around them already that one could assume he was raised among their own.

He felt like he belonged there, amongst the Bandar-log.

The Ape-Man didn't even notice he had changed so much.

Throughout his time there, Tarzan has been particularly intrigued by Louie's subjects. Teamwork allows even the most diminutive of them to accomplish their goals, and they constantly practice it through their elaborate games and dance routines. That said, they're still a rambunctious bunch who sometimes forget to mind their strength when they're fooling around, especially when playing one of their games.

But what intrigued him most of all was seeing them living harmoniously with nature despite their leader's efforts to emulate the city's previous inhabitants. Perhaps… if shown how the monkeys live the way they do, there might be a place for men's ways in the Bukuvu.

The thought didn't fail in making the Mangani scoff derisively at such a notion. Easier said than done with both his godfather and leader.

Still, so much knowledge to be learned, and so many new memories made, all of it has been swimming around in the mind of the Ape-Man since getting here as he was still processing his situation.

Trotting away into the shrubbery of the overgrown forest, it didn't take long to pick up on the distant sounds that drew the youth's attention. There were thumps and crashes, and hoots, hollers, and shrieks that he had learned to associate with Louie's primates.

After a few more minutes, the forest began to thin out a bit and Tarzan stepped into a clearing… and suddenly found something heavy falling into his arms.

Blinking in confusion, he stared at the brown, leathery-skinned melon that had suddenly landed in his hands. "...What?"

"Tarzan, head's up!"

He looked up as he heard Timon suddenly shout in alarm, and a shadow fell over him.

A skinny and long-limbed form fell toward him, arms outstretched, and Tarzan could practically see it in slow motion as the triumphant look on Simon's face turned to one of shock and dismay as he realized his landing zone was already occupied. The Ugani leaped back with a jolt as the monkey, his dive reduced to a bellyflop as he flailed in midair to avoid the Hairless Ape, landed right beside him. A cloud of dust and dead leaves was kicked up from the impact. Immediately, the small primate jumped to his feet, whipping around and looking at the ground in a panic, obviously worried that he'd hurt Tarzan. To his confusion and Timon's relief, there was no sign of him.

"Up here."

"Wha-?" Simon followed the voice upwards and gaped at the Ape-Man suspended calmly on a tree branch ten feet above the ground. The monkey stared at him for a few seconds, before visibly sagging in relief and wiping sweat off his brow under his coconut-shell helmet. "Oh, thank heavens…"

A shout from the clearing drew everyone's attention, as another Bandar-log: Uroho, the baboon leader who could hunt unfertilized bird eggs better than anyone in the tribe, impatiently called for his comrade to get the ball and resume play already.

"Yeah, yeah, keep your helmet on…" Simon groused before looking up at Tarzan, still on his tree branch with the melon in his arms, and raised his hands to him, clearly indicating his request for the return of his troops' 'ball'. Tarzan hefted the fruit, ready to toss it, but paused, glancing out at the clearing, the clustered Bandar-log, and the crude basket made from twisted vines hanging from a tree at the other end of the clearing… and a mischievous smile came to his lips.

Timon shot a grin of his own at Pumbaa on his side, and the hog rolled his eyes with a smile as they realized what their godson was thinking.

Tarzan hopped off the branch, landing before Simon. By monkey standards, he wasn't short but was easily dwarfed by the Black Back who held out the ball for him to take… but as he reached for it, the Pinkish Ape faked him out, drawing the ball away at the last second and darting past him, into the clearing.

Befuddled, the scattered players took a few seconds to realize his intent. Timon could practically see the brains tensing within their heads… "Wait, why didn't the man… Is he… Hey! Stop him!"

One baboon bounded in Tarzan's path to the basket, arms spread wide to block. He was left gaping as the juvenile suddenly leaped and curled to fly over his arms, also missing the pair that had moved to flank him.

At this point, the spirit of competition appeared to have taken hold amongst the troop and they started taking Tarzan's blitz more seriously. Uroho, his helmet marked with a green stripe in contrast to the others' orange, started shouting orders, and the rest smoothly moved to follow them.

The new player in the game moved between a pair of monkeys who tried to box him in, but they underestimated the young man's speed and only managed to slam into each other as he sprinted onward. Another bunch planted themselves in Tarzan's way, jumping on top of each other with arms waving to block him, angled so that there was only one way to dodge if he wanted to continue forward. Two more charged toward the open path, prepared to catch him when he went that way— but again, Tarzan proved too elusive and tricky for such a simple ploy.

A shadowy swine shot forward when the youth stutter-stepped, throwing off the timing of the pair of defenders' attempt to tackle him, leaving the first to catch nothing and faceplant into the dirt. The second stumbled over Pumbaa and Timon, and the blockers' mouths fell open as they watched Tarzan nimbly bound atop a heap of stone and use it as a springboard.

Only the order-giving Uroho was still between Tarzan and the goal basket now, and he fared no better as the Naked Ape faked his way around him. Seconds later, the Hairless Wonder stood next to the basket, smiling back at the dumbfounded primates, before casually dropping in the ball.

There was a long pause as a decent-sized gathering of monkeys stared back at Tarzan, standing silently.

Then, Simon suddenly burst out into hysterical laughter, doubling over and propping his hands on his knees. The rest of the troop followed suit, cheering, laughing, and applauding the brother who had so unexpectedly trounced them at their own game, almost entirely on his own. A few of them were excitedly chattering about Tarzan's play, gesturing as they described his moves like those they were talking to hadn't just seen them themselves.

Tarzan gave them a triumphant little bow.

Took a bit longer than he thought but the training paid off: he was now able to dodge them just like he had learned to do with the gorillas.

"Okay," Uroho admitted, coming over to him."You may be hairless but you are pretty neat."

Someone new offered a contribution. "A fascinating conundrum you bring, young warrior," a wizened voice announced.

Tarzan eyed the trees behind them. Sitting cross-legged in a branch, a white-furred simian holding what appeared to be a bakora staff looked down upon him and the group of Bandar-log. Slowly, steadily, but with a grace that belied his apparent age, the mandril descended the tree he was perched in, never taking his eyes off of the man among the monkeys. The hunched form of the primate stood before the Black Back of the Mangani troop, casting an evaluating eye over him.

"He is back!"

"The Wise One had returned."

"He's arrived."

Much to Tarzan's surprise, Simon and the rest of his troop immediately regarded the newcomer and all bowed respectfully, though the new arrival was half the size of their monarch. Even he couldn't help but bow his head to the older primate, showing the humility he shared with his feline godfather.

Afterward, they huddled around the elderly fellow.

"Rafiki?" One called out to him. "Is that you?"

"Hello, Simon," Rafiki greeted the monkey with a smile and a laugh, "Rafiki is honored that you've come out to see an old creature such as he."

"The honor is mine, Wise One," Simon, in a display of respect mostly reserved for his king, replied reverently as he bowed his head to Rafiki.

"I take that you know him." Tarzan guessed as much, a witty upturn beneath his slightly curious expression.

"Duh! Rafiki, the wisest of primates." Uroho, of all monkeys, berated him. "He wanders the land curing the sick and wounded. Everybody knows that."

Tarzan, who only recognized the elder as his brother's new friend, was very curious now.

"I see you have found a new teacher." Rafiki chuckled as he made his way to join them.

The man blinked. "What, this?" He questioned with a smile of his own, lifting the monkey's ball in one hand. "Just showing them some of my tricks. I am still learning myself."

"Oh, still figuring out your path, huh?" Rafiki commented as he scratched his immaculate white mane and gave Tarzan another appraising look, "It has been quite a long time since I saw a man."

"We're not very common in the Bukuvu, at least not anymore," Tarzan acknowledged.

"Nor in any other place I have visited," Rafiki observed, "You are very far from your kind, my young friend."

"Indeed I am," Tarzan replied with a neutral voice.

"Then how were you able to escape the Khan's wrath all those Seasons ago?" Rafiki questioned, "If I may pry, that is. Not many can evade the tiger, much less an infant."

Mulling over his thoughts, the Ugani responded. "I don't know." He said honestly, "The gorillas took me in when I was too little." His shoulders slumped. "As for last time, I had help."

Rafiki nodded before turning his eyes in the direction of the mountains. "The Troops nest to the east. Yet here you are among these ruins."

Tarzan could offer him little more than a shrug. "I guess something just called me to this place."

"Looks like it." The elder pondered in return before smiling and turning to greet several others by name, sometimes getting introduced to new faces as he did so. The Bandar-log present welcomed him with shouts and laughter full of respect and admiration.

Tarzan, ever eager to satiate his curiosity, remained close by.

Baloo smiled after he finished rubbing his itching back against a banana tree and sprawled his form upon the trunk, enjoying the feeling of relief as the gentle breeze took the edge off the heat of a sunny tropical day.

"Baloo!" Louie came along. "Just the bear I was looking for!"

"I am not hard to find, Lou." His ursine friend smirked from his position. "Just search where it's comfortable."

"Could you deliver these bananas to the Baboon Lagoon right away?" The monarch gestured to the pile of fruits (kinda, sorta) neatly pilled by a tree's base.

"No problem, old buddy. I will get right on it." Slouching back on his back scratcher, the easygoing bear picked a piece of watermelon to his side. "Hey, Lou, watch this." He ate from the fruit, put it down, aimed for another half of watermelon, this one in the shape of a bowl and conveniently placed a small distance from them, and spit the seeds directly into it with perfect accuracy.

But Lou's mind was on something else entirely. "You do know what right away means, don't you?"

Baloo yawned. "Yeah, but what is the hurry, furry?"

"Well... listen... it's too complicated, I will explain later. I gotta go." As a somewhat nervous Louie prepared to leave, he regarded his friend one last time for extra precaution. "Um, Baloo, this delivery is very important and I trust you won't let me down... right?"

"How can you even ask such a question?"

"Oh, I don't know." His voice raised. "Maybe 'cause you haven't even moved yet!"

The monarch's shout sprung the bear out of his relaxing spot and into his feet. Outloud, the latter said: "All right, I'm gone and solid gone. Now, don't worry your red little head, it is under control."

"Don't drop a single banana!" Louie, already at a considerable distance, warned him further.

"I won't!"

"Did you find Hakuna Matata?"

"Well, yes, I did! Thank you very much!" Timon's tone was chipper and carried that gracious air. "And I am very happy."

"Ho ho haaah! I see." Rafiki chuckled; a rather popular pastime of his from what the jungle man had noticed.

"I think you mean 'beyond what you see'!"

They shared a laugh before going back to catching up, making Tarzan wonder about the story behind that even if he opted to save his questions for later.

"So, did you decide to get away from your worries too?"

"You could say that." said the Wise Monkey. "I'm living on that old mimosa tree near the grove. Nice place, feel free to come visit."

"The python's garden?" Tarzan nearly exclaimed in surprise, partially because he must be the only monkey who isn't afraid of Kaa—just the mention of his dwellings made the ones around them tense—but also because he was having a hard time believing the Witch Doctor had guests who weren't down on their luck.

"He can be a bit grumpy, huh?" Rafiki, noticing the apprehensive look on his face, admitted in agreement. "But Kaa is not too bad once you get to know him." He eyed the youth. "In fact, I recall your godfather is in his care, right?"

"...Yeah." The White Ape's gaze shifted towards nothing.

"Worry not, Bagheera is in good hands." The mandril paused. "Coils, actually. But as capable as any pair of hands, I can assure you."

Tarzan wished he could thoroughly believe that.

Their conversation continued: while Rafiki spoke of the many places he had been to and things he had seen, Tarzan brought stories of his life in the jungle and, alongside his friends, sang songs he had learned from his time with the Bandar-log.

Eventually, they came upon the vast city of ruins. The monkeys are not without friends both from within and outside the jungle; visitants come in droves to these parts slowly reclaimed by plant life. Like at the Commune or Zulu Falls, all were welcome there. Guests came and went, but the place looked as filled as ever. Though the baboons kept a watchful eye for troublemakers that disturbed their kingdom's peace, its inhabitants were ever proud of their city and community. Amidst the songs, they tell tales of Louie's ascension and how their realm came to be after he united the Bukuvu's many monkey tribes.

Rafiki hobbled off, picking his way down the steep side of the larger stones. The two gourds tied to his stick bounced up and down. Large chunks of rock lay strewn around the roads, which dozens upon dozens of smaller monkeys were using as perches, hooting and hollering as Rafiki revealed himself. From those cleaning up fruits in the city fountains to the hunting parties salting their meats to eat later, all eyes were now focused on the elder.

Timon, covering his ears, snorted. "Shrieking monkeys."

"Nah, those are howler monkeys," Pumbaa corrected, missing his friend's point.

Inside the throne room, on the opposite side to which the group entered, was the one and only King Louie lounging lazily on his finely stone-carved seat. As they reached the foot of the Monkey King's throne, the orangutan held up one of his hands, instantly silencing his underlings.

"Your Majesty," Simon said as he bowed before the monarch, the others on his team following suit, "The Wise One has arrived as expected."

"Well, well, well, so he has," Louie commented with a smirk before dismissively waving his hand at him. "Return to your game, Captain. Enjoy your little break from work. I will see to our guest."

Simon nodded and bowed again before he and his comrades made their way to the edges of the room, climbing up and out through the large hole in the ceiling.

"Rafiki, my friend!" Louie greeted happily, standing up from his throne and approaching the older primate. Clapping his hands above his head as he walked, he said: "It has been too long!"

"Indeed it has, my king," Rafiki replied with a laugh before they embraced each other, "I see you have been faring well."

"As well as can be hoped," The king replied. Pulling back, he turned his attention towards the Pink Ape in the room. "I see you have already met my cousin Tarzan."

To that, the Mjuzi nodded. "You sure have been living an exciting life."

"High praise coming from you." The Jungle VIP was more than glad to take that compliment. "His story is quite fascinating, don't cha' think?"

"Indeed it is," Rafiki agreed with a chuckle, then gave him a knowing look, "For you especially, Rafiki imagines." Louie's only answer was a smile that did not meet his eyes.

Tarzan couldn't help but stare at them.

"Anyway, I bet you are tired from your journey. Come on, you get the best spot in the house," offered the king while leading him to another corner of the throne room. "Here in my place, we offer an assortment of appetizers with this selection." He showed them a fern crawling with insects. "Bugs."

"I will have them, and a coconut-mango shake." The Wise One requested. "Shaken, not stirred."

Since the rest had returned to their chaotic and unpredictable game, more motivated than ever by how easily Tarzan had scored on them, the Naked Mangani took his place in Louie's court.

"You see, you have something in common with Rafiki, cus." The orangutan observed with a knowing smile.

"What do you mean?" Tarzan questioned.

"Unlike what you may have imagined, Rafiki is not from the jungle," Louie explained, "Nor is he native to the Pride Lands."

"Then where did he come from?" Tarzan asked.

"No one knows in truth," Louie went on with a shrug of the shoulders, "He just showed up in the Pride Lands one day and came to our jungle not long afterward. My subjects were quite taken with him and his... wisdom. Some even believe that he was once some kind of king far to the east. They said he could jump for miles and ride on the clouds and that his staff could stretch to the horizon."

"It does sound quite... far-fetched," Tarzan couldn't help but scoff at such a notion, before looking at Louie with an appraising eye, "I also hear a bit of... resentment in your voice."

"Resentment?" With a hollow laugh, Louie questioned, "You presume much, T."

"Sorry, but you did sound a bit miffed," Tarzan replied with a quirked eyebrow, earning another shrug from Louie as they continued to walk. "What's that all about?"

"Let me answer that with a question of my own," Louie replied the moment they reached the end of the hall and stepped out into the ruins, "Do you know how I got into my position?"

Tarzan blinked in confusion. "I don't understand,"

"Don't tell me the question hasn't entered your mind," Louie stated with a slightly condescending tone, his countenance taking on an expression that was the complete opposite of his typical jovial self to the point it made Tarzan wonder what thoughts were going on within his mind. "That you haven't already wondered how I could gain power in a jungle with the likes of Shere Khan and Colonel Hathi mucking about."

Tarzan did not say anything, but the look that he gave Louie spoke volumes, causing the latter's smile to widen.

"It's because I'm smarter than them," Louie continued smugly, "I know how the world works better than any of them. Better than anyone in the jungle, I imagine." His eyes narrowed. "Except Rafiki."

Tarzan locked eyes with him, figuring out the great ape's game right through that tiny smirk of his. "Then what are you trying to get out of him?"

"I am sure you can figure it out," Louie smirked, dragging a leaf to reveal an orchid. A red one.

The youth's mind flashed to the lessons of his comatose godfather. "Bagheera says that Fire is an uncontrollable force of pure destruction. That knowing how to create it will only lead to the deaths of you and everyone around you."

"As men have destroyed themselves?" Louie retorted with a knowing smile, "Fire can be controlled and it can be put to use. Men have done it and I aim to do the same." He comes to his cousin and puts a hand on his shoulder. "I believe you completely, cus." Tarzan's head shifted so they were now face-to-face. "I know how stubborn the other jungle folk can be. Why, that's the reason I never became a Mjuzi. They are wise, I am telling you, but they have no vision." Louie's gaze grew a little more intense —it was subtle, but Tarzan was well-acquainted with it by now— and he continued. "One day, we'll show them. We are gonna do great things in the jungle, then they will be convinced."

The younger primate was at a momentary loss for words. Hearing he and his tricks had earned such trust from someone like his cousin, whom Tarzan had also come to respect as a good leader like Bagheera or Kerchak, was one of the best feelings he had experienced... but this one, in particular, felt far more different than usual… it also made him feel guilty.

Louie takes to the parapets, causing his 'relative' to climb after him. Each of them wraps a foot on a vine, tugs it firmly, and swings away in the same direction.

"I'll ape your mannerisms, we'll be a set of twins." They arch gracefully through the banana trees, past the giraffes helping themselves to some good fruit. "No one can tell where an Ape-Man ends and an orangutan begins."

Below them, baboons nibbled their fingernails to trim them. "And when I eat bananas I won't peel 'em with my feet 'cuz I'll become a man, man-cus, and get some etiquette!"

"Oh, ooh-bee-doo (Oop-dee-wee)," More of Louie's subjects join them as the pair lands to a stop on a tall tree and starts dancing. "I wanna be like you-hu-hu (Hop-dee-doo-bee-do-bow)."

"I wanna walk like you (Cheep)," The monarch makes a pair of crowns for the two of them with vines, leaves, and bananas. "Talk like you (Cheep) to-o-oo! (Wee-bee-dee-bee-dee-boo)"

"You'll see it's tru-u-ue (Shoo-be-dee-doo)," Once again Tarzan of the Great Troop found himself taken by the sway of the Bandar-log leader. There was just something about this eccentric monkey king that intrigued the jungle man. Louie's mind was full of imagination and invention; he spoke with great enthusiasm of stories and adventures beyond Tarzan's wildest dreams. "An ape like me-e-e (Scooby-doo-bee-doo-bee) can learn to be Hu-u-uman to-o-oo!"

When the orangutan tripped and almost fell, Tarzan immediately reached to bring him back to safety. This earned him a grateful slap on the shoulder.

"I wanna get out of the jungle, and stroll right into town." He sings his jazzy tune as if nothing had happened. "And dance to that crazy man-rhythm 'til the sun goes down (Yeah!)"

"I can't explain the attraction." His finger points down where the baboons are chilling by the pool, hinting at his and Tarzan's reflections. "Mmm, but I guess it's true: the more you seem to be like me, the more I wanna be like you!"

All of a sudden, a vision came to be: Tarzan, Prince of the Bandar-log.

"Oh, ooh-bee-doo, I wanna be like you-hu-hu!" Feeling the urge to sing striking within his heart, Tarzan swooped around the branches, acting like a legit Bandar-log. Louie knew at that moment there was no need to say more. "I wanna walk like you, talk like you to-o-oo!"

"You'll see it's tru-u-ue: someone like me-e-e can learn to be like someone like you-hu-hu!" Their royal 'apenesses' linked shoulders. "Can learn to be like someone like me!"

Their little team of backup dancers helps the pair close their song with a smooth, rhythmic howl.

"Isn't this great, cus?" Louie asked. "Everything's gonna be right with the world thanks to us!"

For that moment, Tarzan smiled back. "I am all up for it."

"Hey, Tarzan? Something is wrong with my flying-through-the-air-knocking-branches-on-my-head-magic-stick-thing."

"You mean your spear? Let me see it."

As time went by, it may be seen that the youth got on tolerably enough indulging his cousin's manic fascination for men. Moreover, the lad was a man of hidden talents, tool-making being one he seldom had the chance to practice sadly enough for, beyond all his other skills, he prided himself upon the carving of his wooden tools. To him, here was a perfect field for his endeavors. The clearing where he instructed Louie's monkeys became his personal domain, over which, with lordly dignity, he held absolute sway—befitting a conscientious man raised by a conscientious panther. Thus Tarzan started his spear-making lessons.

"They need your guidance." Louie's words had easily confined themselves within his mind since the first day. "They need the Spearmaker."

"Hey, Tarzan! How's this stick?" A baboon hoisted a rather long bamboo stalk for him to look at.

"Find a shorter one."

He made sure to give each of his students (a funny tingling sensation overtook his lips every time he referred to them as such) a moment to check their progress as he walked through the clearing.

One was nibbling the branch to sharpen it, creating a messy, jagged end. "Don't eat your spears." The 'teacher' gave him another. "Here, start again."

'CLACK' 'CLACK' 'CLACK'

Even King Louie was taking a crack at it, banging two rocks together in the hopes of getting a pointy tip.

"Slow down, that's no way to make a spearhead." Tarzan extended his hand so Louie could give them to him to make a demonstration. "Hit the rock like this."

'CLACK' 'CLACK' 'CLACK'

While the jungle man displayed his techniques, the monarch caught a glimpse of tiny, nigh-imperceptible shiny things coming out of the stones as they collided.

Sparks. "Red Seeds!" "Do it again."

"Like this?" Tarzan smirked, unaware of his thoughts.

"Faster, faster!" Louie goaded him, shaking in place... until a poke from behind caused him to look at the monkey who had done the act and who was now pointing him towards a tree by the clearing's exit.

Rafiki had appeared while they were busy with the class.

"Actually, cus, this is fine." The Red Ape lost his eagerness and took the rocks back from his oblivious cousin so he could try it himself.

To his frustration, no Sparks dropped for him.

After Tarzan left (and Rafiki moved to another spot in the treeline), a mandril came over to Louie. "If the Red Flower is so important, why not just make Rafiki tell us what he knows?"

"Too risky." replied the king. "We mustn't alert the Colonel. He might think we are up to no good."

"But we are up to no good."

"No, Zutho!" Louie spoke out loud, but not enough to draw too much attention to them. "I work for the greater good. Our purpose is noble. But if the elephants are alerted, they will be watching our every move. They have never understood, but soon I will prove I am right! Until then, let's be careful."

After that, Zutho and his comrades left the king and walked away. Once they were far enough, he smirked wickedly. "This is perfect!"

One of his lackeys yawned. "I thought you hated Tarzan."

"No, I do. Oh, how I hate him!" The dissenter was seething. "And I'm going to use Louie, yes. I'm going to use him to get rid of Tarzan once and for all!"

Within the Halls of the Monkey King, a trio of Bandar-log puts on a little show filled with delight. Uroho and his baboons were entertaining the king's guests, making people laugh by performing their tricks, doing a funny walk, juggling figs before passing them on to the next baboon, pulling Kigelia fruits out of people's ears to play kick as if they were balls, and the most magical trick of all: make others disappear using a leaf only to make them appear with another leaf.

Monkey Magic: things seem clear, then they disappear.

After things had settled for the most part, Tarzan came upon the entrance and spotted Rafiki cheerfully answering eager questions from more Bandar-log that the Black Back couldn't understand. And off in the corner, one table was a little louder and rowdier than the others: Jelani's boys, Ned, Jed, and Fred were seated there, continuously toasting each other with shots of slushie. One of them noticed Tarzan and they waved at him before returning to whatever had them so occupied.

Looking back, he saw the elder was now by himself for the first time since he arrived. When Rafiki raised a hand to him, a bemused Tarzan waved back as he picked his way between the monkeys to join the Mjuzi at the counter, where his hosts had set a drink in a gourd about the size of a small bucket.

Of all the primates that dwelled in the Bukuvu, not one has lived half so long. The youth was told he is as wise as one would expect a veteran Mjuzi to be. And while Louie had a dark look that somewhat reflected his impatience, Rafiki had a gaze of polite curiosity. So it wasn't long until Tarzan's quizzical mind found a sense of kinship with this old monkey.

"Rafiki is grateful for what Louie has done." He very clearly stated. "Much has changed since he became king. The people are happy and well-fed." He took another sip of the deliciously fruity beverage they had provided him, gathering his thoughts. "But Louie feels he knows more than the rest because of his upbringing in these dwellings. He's always been sure of himself, that men and thus he alone had all the answers. But I fear that might lead him astray." He had another, deeper drink, emptying the coconut shell of its contents.

"He seems very fond of you though." His companion made sure to mention. Earlier, Tarzan had seen past the orangutan's resentment and saw the genuine fondness he held for the Mjuzi.

"Rafiki does all he can to help the good creatures of these lands," Rafiki explained with a chuckle, "Some creatures like to show their appreciation."

"I'm not sure I would call it mere appreciation, 'Wise One,'" He replied with a smirk, earning another laugh from Rafiki. Tarzan then paused and stared into his empty cup, blinking rapidly. "How strong are these?"

"Not very, but that was your third one, so…"

Tarzan, moving with the slow precision of one who has realized they're a bit impaired and is fighting it, pushed the coconut shell away. "I think I'd better switch to water, now."

"Such wisdom is rare in those your age," Rafiki praised, immediately setting a well-formed clay cup filled with fresh clean water in front of him.

"Still, the thing he's after..." The young man started.

"Fire," Rafiki finished with another nod, "Man's Red Flower."

"He is convinced I can make it. I am pretty sure he thinks you can do as well."

Rafiki said nothing in reply

"You do, don't you?" Tarzan asked in growing, yet whispering, astonishment, "You actually know how to make fire."

"That is not something you should concern yourself with," Rafiki stated as he put down his drink, prompting the hairless ape to do the same.

"Don't worry, I won't," The latter replied, "It just explains that anger Louie has for you. You have the one thing he wants and you refuse to give it to him."

"We try to avoid this topic for the sake of friendship. He knows that I won't say anything, but he also knows that Rafiki is not the only source of knowledge," The monkey, his hunched form standing before the jungle man, cast an evaluating eye over him once again. "So… do you have any ideas for what to do when he gets tired of asking? Because, you should know, it's practically guaranteed that he will."

Tarzan nodded gloomily as he sipped. "Yeah, it's gonna happen. No question. And no, I really don't know. Especially since it might end up in a fight, and he taught me… a lot of what I know. I don't wanna hurt him... and I don't think he wants to hurt me either."

Rafiki nodded thoughtfully at his side, looking no less sagely despite drinking several servings of his preferred libation. "Louie wants what he thinks is best for the jungle, our best chance would be to convince him he is heading down the wrong path, hopefully before he sets the trees ablaze."

"In that case, I guess we will both have to be around to put out the flames," Tarzan replied, earning a laugh from his new friend.

La was taught much by the queen. She would tell Tarzan everything in turn. Everything about the Man-Kingdom that came to pass: its stone dens that sprawled across the distant horizon like a forest, their pendants that glew with the Blue Flower, its metal mounts made in the likeness of living creatures which they used to fly, not glide, actually fly like the birds and swim in the ocean as easily as the creatures of the depths, its observatories, like the one this city was built around of, that saw far into the night sky, their magic... She also introduced him to what men called technology, which he took to with gleeful fascination. The more she talked, the more stupefied his face became.

Finally, the topic of the collapse that sank the motherland and the fall of Opar proper to Shere Khan and his tigers came up.

Shock and awe gave way to dismay.

So much was lost. All they had built was gone in the span of a single night. Tarzan, who loved to tinker around with his stuff, couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness and sympathy.

"They hunted us down as one hunts a fierce beast," said La from atop her abode, full of ancient splendor. "There was no mercy in them. The men were killed and the women were driven away like sheep. They fought against the tigers for hours, but in the end, they could not prevail against Shere Khan. At last, my liege the queen told her people to hide away in the temple complex—sadly, it was too late for anything to be done. None were left alive."

La's voice neared the edge as she shared with him the story of the late tribe of men who lived in the city, and their war with the tiger now known as Shere Khan. By the end of her tale, Tarzan looked at her in pity. His face softened though he had a great deal of anger towards the usurper, so much so that he clenched his fists.

The Great Circle does not condone war and revenge, but that wouldn't stop him from making this promise: when they meet again, he will show the Khan who hunts who.

"I understand." He told her, referring to himself. "My brother is tending to a friend's funeral. Almost lost another godfather too a while ago... and I am no stranger to death." Memories from that massacre at the Honey Cliffs would forever be carried in his chest.

A flicker of understanding shone on La's gaze. As if she too recognized the senselessness of so much violence. "Oh, you poor thing." She shook her head in solidarity.

"We do our best, with what we have and what we know," He said quietly, enough for her to hear. "That's in the past now. What comes after is not on you."

La smiled humbly. "For a while, I thought I'd never meet another man after the city fell. I'd like to teach you what I know so you can carry on their legacy when I'm gone."

Thoughts swirl inside his mind before he speaks. "La... fire is evil, how can it cure?"

She shook her head at that. "Evil here is a point of view, Tarzan. It's how the jungle folk see it. And their point of view is not the only valid one. The people of this city believed in security and justice also, yet they are considered by some of the creatures here to be..."

"...evil." A small sob almost escaped him when he realized it wasn't just Shere Khan he thought of in that moment but Bagheera and Kerchak as well.

"From the Khan's point of view." La gave him a nod. "Please, try to understand. Men are creatures too. When it comes to basic needs, we are similar in almost every way. The difference between us is that men are not afraid of the Great Circle of Life. This allows them to freely use their intelligence to change nature to suit their needs. That is why they are more powerful."

Pausing for a moment, she gazed off into a small, lonely opening that allowed the light from upstairs to illuminate the chamber.

"There is a lot more about Men's Ways than just the Red Flower. To them, nothing could compare to the Stone of Cold Fire and the Blue Flower it blossomed. Why, the people of the homeland even called it the heart of their city. It was so powerful that those who truly figured out its secrets even acquired the knowledge to keep the ones they cared about from dying."

Tarzan's eyes widened. "They could actually save people from death?"

"The knowledge of men is a pathway to many abilities that could be considered unnatural."

"Is it possible to learn this power?"

"Not as you are now. But if you truly want it... I can teach you." The bird's magic gave an almost palpable sensation to the mysterious forces at play in these caves.

So bizarre... and so beautiful.

"We are still here, Tarzan. The city is still standing, and I have all the knowledge they acquired over the years. You have that sharp mind and power to adapt to your surroundings that has carried men since the dawn of time. That's all we need. Their history will cease to be a mere memory. The city of Opar will return... very... much... alive."

On the same day Timon was almost eaten by crocs, he shared with his hairless godson a small piece of wisdom he had learned as a young meerkat regarding predators: "They come, they eat us, they leave. It's our lot in life. It's not a lot but it's our life."

This didn't sit well with Tarzan. For he desired a jungle where his family would be safe forever.

Although these reminders of the harsh reality of survival partially tainted his thrill for discovery, the jungle man remained resolute. "It would mean everything to me." He made a respectful bow, while La smiled.

That was when the Iron Tooth commanded his attention.

The gem was now glowing and thrumming like the humming throat of a grown pachyderm, getting louder, more persistent. A vibration that resonated within the Ape-Man's very soul. Tarzan's hand, acting on a sudden instinct, gripped the handle as if trying to calm the ankus. He held it in his hand, feeling its weight, its energy, its connection to this place.

"It is calling to me." Guiding and pulling him towards knowledge; the hidden truths he needed to uncover.

La's smile got bigger. "My promise of knowledge to you is at hand. It's all yours for the taking."

La presented him with a unique opportunity. Why shouldn't he take it?

He made up his mind.

"What can I get you today?" The monkey asked.

"Quick question," Timon said, elbows resting on the table. "Would you say your termite-stuffed veggies are good?"

"Good?" The Bobo Brother repeated him. "They are the best,"

The meerkat narrowed his eyes. "I'll be the judge of that,"

"You're on," The monkey left but not before sending him a cocky smirk.

"Will you have the same, Pumbaa?" asked the other brother.

"Nah, not me." replied the warthog, shaking his head. "I'm on one of those special diets." He explained before gobbling down a huge quantity of palm oil kernels.

"Pumbaa, if only your brain was as big as your stomach." Timon faltly remarked.

"More juice over here, please," Simba called from across the table.

'BURP'

"Huh, I don't remember eating that."

"Daring today, are we?" The Bobo snickered, then went to get more gourds.

Simba took a deep, blissful breath and inhaled the air in the surroundings. "How could I possibly live away from all of this?"

"Wonder if they need four vultures for their act." Buzzie mused from the next table, where he and his flock watched the monkeys trumpeting through their clasped hands, tapping gords, pots, vases, and jars to make music.

"Maybe they do. Remind me to ask T when he gets back."

"I GOT FRUIT!" At that moment, who else should pop up with a spear skewering a bunch of fruits to refill the bowls?

"Nice timing."

Contrasting with the mellow atmosphere going on all around him, the Bukuvu's Man-Expert, Jungle VIP, and above all else King of the Bandar-log found himself at his wits' end as he pranced in front of his throne whilst silently praying his friend wouldn't goof off on his assigned task.

"What time is it?" He managed to pause long enough to ask his aide.

"Um... almost night." Simon checked outside. "But I think the sun running a little faster today."

Like that, Louie returned to his nervous walk. He needs those bananas. If they don't get here in time, his plans will be in trouble. "Baloo better get here."

"I know he is gonna show up soon," Tarzan reassured.

Simba, lounging on his seat, quirked a brow. An anxious Louie wasn't something one sees every day. "Who is it for, the water buffalo?"

"Actually-"

"Here I am." The bear in question announced, cutting off the orangutan and making his entrance with many bananas over his shoulders. "There you go, Lou. Have fun with your guest tonight." Baloo said, and there was just enough smugness in his voice that Louie made a mental note to give his old friend a small prank at some point. Nothing big, but just enough for old times' sake.

Seeing this, Simba blinked owlishly. "...Okay, now you got me curious, who is it?"

It took a while but the king's very important guest finally could see the edge of his domain. The troop stepped forth and watched with her, a mass "ooooh" rising from the score of young gorillas as they got a good look at the city.

"Glad you could make it!" The monarch greets them, accompanied by a number of his guests and subjects.

"This place smells like bananas," Flynt said from amongst the Ugani Black Backs. "I like it already!"

"You came here with a whole escort just for us?" Terk snickered, moving towards the orangutan. "How modest."

"Well, of course, my lady." He approached and kissed her hand. "I always provide for my very special guests."

"Lady?" Mungo searched the area. "What lady?"

Laughs followed that joke. Louie gave him a pointed glare but was quick to lose it when he saw Terk's smile. Opting to let it slide, he gestured to his home. "Consider yourselves at home. And feel free to enjoy my own secret fruit stores."

"Not much of a secret," Timon muttered to his companions, making them chuckle a little.

"Whoa, so humble too." Terk snarked once more whilst her troopmates raced to the party.

"Isn't this grand?" Flynt asked, already helping himself to a soft drink.

"Bananas!" Mungo roared in mirth. "Bananas, I say. Where are the bananas?"

As soon as all had gathered back in the throne room, Louie climbed atop his seat to make an announcement. "I have something important to say,"

Flunkey, hands clasped, trumpets.

"Very important,"

The lieutenant repeats his actions.

"Incredibly important,"

One more time.

"So important you won't believe how important-"

"Lou, what is it?!" Baloo half-demanded.

The King smirked. "Let's party!"

"Swing, boy, brotherswing."

His knuckles drag him to the dance floor. Where people gather 'round whenever they're ready and then the music begins to play.

"Come on, swing begin."

A daring Terk heads there at her own pace.

"Swing, boy, brotherswing."

They size each other across the hall. Both of them sporting grins with hidden, almost-predatory edges.

"Don't stop, swing begin."

They meet in the center of the dancing ring.

"Boys and girls, shake your knees." At the same time, orangutan and gorilla feel a groove comin' on its way. "And if you can, hear them. Clap your hands, snap your fingers, and sing. Popeil, popeil."

Neither of them knew how or why it started. All they knew was that, when the beat brings a feel, It's hard to get parted.

"Here comes the king to the dancing ring."

He stretched a hand to her, which she was all too glad to accept.

"The king of the ring, the king of the swing."

They know to take it in stride; what is to follow is sure to be good.

"Clap your hands, snap your fingers, and sing."

A beat bouncing to the song echoes inside their heads.

"Brotherswing!"

They throw themselves into the other's arms.

"Swing, boy, brotherswing."

Next, the pair moves their legs at such speed and syntony that one would think their feet had minds of their own.

"Come on, swing begin."

He shows her his royal dance step, impressing and daring her to accompany him. Terk, being a natural, did exactly that.

"Swing, boy, brotherswing."

Automatically they're on their way, swing dancing seductively like a pair of peacocks.

"Don't stop, swing begin."

The music was loud and boisterous (not too different from the din of the Great Apes), They attune their dance to these turbulent melodies, their movements becoming more noticeably graceful with every twirl and spin.

"Swing, boy, brotherswing.".

Others bounce and sway to the rhythm. Bit by bit, the cheering crowd goes to join the couple on the dance floor. Soon enough, nearly everyone, whether monkey or gorilla, was letting loose at the party.

"Come on, swing begin."

This is a real jungle boogie. It is jazzy. It is groovy. It is Monkey City.

"Swing, boy, brotherswing."

The fiery and passionate pair was still at the center of the action.

"Don't stop, swing begin."

Pure instinct guides them. They feel it in their bones: the rhythm pouring through them down to their jumping feet.

"Boys and girls, shake your knees and fulfill your craziest dreams."

Louie and Terk face each other, and he eagerly takes the chance to admire her beautiful eyes.

"Clap your hands, snap your fingers, and sing."

This vibrant celebration of movement and song brings something so infectious into one's core that it's almost impossible to resist. The monkeys' music doesn't just invite you to dance, it takes you to a world where worries disappear and the only thing that matters is the rhythm.

"Pop-pitti, pitti, pitti."

Playful lyrics add to an invitation to surrender yourself completely, to let the joyful impulse of the music carry you away.

"Here comes the king to the dancing ring."

The verses are simple, but they convey a profound truth: sometimes one needs to step away from the daily grind and simply move their bodies. A liberating notion that the city's newest guests found to be extremely appealing.

"The king of the ring, the king of the swing."

Barely a moment is spent on a pause, for that would be a waste.

"Clap your hands, snap your fingers, and sing."

An unlikely sense of community and camaraderie permeates through the halls. Like a call to unite all in the search for that perfect groove.

"Brotherswing."

The mere act of clapping, snapping fingers, and singing together becomes a shared ritual, a way of connecting with each other through the pure joy of movement.

"Swing, boy, brotherswing."

The repetition in the music hypnotizes them like a python's dance. Its lyrics and enticing harmony become a mantra, encouraging everyone to keep going, to stay in the groove a little longer.

"Come on, swing begin."

The dance floor turns into a place where time slows down, where the pressures of life momentarily disappear, replaced by a pulse of music and body movement.

"Swing, boy, brotherswing."

Amid all its exuberance, the song of the Bandar-log carries a simple message about the importance of letting go and having fun.

"Don't stop, swing begin."

As they partake in this little affirmation of life, Louie and Terk embrace the moment together, finding joy in dancing and sharing that same feeling with others.

"Forget Baggy, Kerchak's gonna flip when he learns about this." commented the ursine.

"Beautiful, isn't it Timon?" Pumbaa cooed, overcome with emotion as he watched what was sure to be the beginning of a lively and romantic relationship.

"Oh yeah!" Unfortunately (fortunately in said aromantic meerkat's case), his friend was far too occupied dancing in the opposite direction. "Lou outdid himself this time!"

"Looks like he found a new swing partner too." Simba pointed out.

Baloo nodded, smiling full of pride. "I taught her everything she knows."

"Terk and Louie... heh, who knew?" Simba turned to his brother. "Did you, Tarzan?"

The Ape-Man nodded. "Louie asked me for advice... I fell to the ground and laughed so hard I could have sworn I made a mess on my clothes."

That caused everyone at the table to double over in laughter.

"So, let's see if you've still got it?" Baloo asked his boys.

Tarzan and Simba shared conniving smirks before leaping forth. Two Brothers, so young and full of life, take to the dancing ring.

"Take it away, Little Britches!" Baloo cheered before joining them.

"Hey, wait for me!" Pumbaa followed right after.

"Oh, gee, our big guardian lion is leaving." Dizzy alerted, snapping his colleagues from the party.

"Yeah, we better follow." Buzzie pushes the other three after the lion. "Come on."

"Ho-ho, you guys are having a party without me?" Rafiki's voice could be heard from the crowd.

"Hi Rafiki-WHOA!" Tarzan tripped on his step only to regain his balance in the last second.

Seeing this, his brother laughed. "Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you: the Monkey Prince!"

"Shake it, cus!" Terk took a moment from her dance with Louie to address her hairless cousin.

"Swing, boy, brotherswing."

"This party is nuts!" Timon cried out as he dived into a bowl of nuts.

"Come on, swing begin."

Everyone was truly dancing now. They got the groove and knew how to move. No soul was unable to find solace in the rhythm.

"Swing, boy, brotherswing."

Some gorillas proceeded to 'monkey' around, so to speak, by doing flips and gravity-defying hoop de loop. Truly this place brings out the party in anyone.

"Don't stop, swing begin."

"I call this a banana split." The Bandar-log king showed off to the Mangani female.

Not too far away, his best friend rolled his eyes and snickered. "Oh, boy. He's gone bananas."

"Swing, boy, brotherswing."

Many voices hoot as new songs are made or the musicians start playing an old favorite.

"Come on, swing begin."

Oh yes, this was a most magical night.

"Swing, boy, brotherswing."

They lose themselves in the moment. Indulging in feasts, dance, and merry-making.

"Don't stop, swing begin."

So it came to pass that Terk of the Mangani had her first date and dance.

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. Test season came up, and I had to focus on getting good grades. Then, along came the holidays, and my schedule got crammed. But, just like Bagheera, now I am back and better than ever! ...Whoops, spoiler alert!

To all, a wonderful New Year!