Tarzan 3: Son and Daughter part 2
by Not so different from you

Disclaimer: I don't own Tarzan, Disney does.

Chapter One
The Stowaways

Nothing was the same in the jungle anymore since Tarzan had left, and it wasn't only Terk and Tantor who felt this way. Many other jungle animals that Tarzan had aided and even befriended in the past began to wonder what would happen to the ape family he had once led, and was Kokom even ready to take such a heavy burden upon himself to protect the other gorillas?

Some less-than-friendly, even hostile animals were only too happy to see the last of the hairless freak who so easily kicked them around. Renard DuMonde, on the other hand, had only this to say when he heard from Hugo and Hooft that the Danfords intended to keep Tarzan and his immediate family in England on a permanent basis, "Well, at least ze Missing Link may at last learn ze way all 'umans are supposed to live. Wiz a cultured family like ze Danfords, 'oo will ave none of such uncivilized behavior, perhaps eet eez a far better example to set for ze children."

As for the gorillas, something much more tragic happened than Tarzan's departure. Kala, the ape matron from the time since Kerchack was their leader, had fallen seriously ill and she was dying. Without Professor Porter to determine what was the matter with Kala, some of the gorillas thought she may have eaten something poisonous by accident. Others said harshly that if any in their family were really stupid enough to suppose Kala didn't have any better sense than that, then they deserved to suffer such an 'accident' as they assumed Kala did. Some of the younger and more romantic, even vain apes, mostly females, believed that Kala was slipping away because she just gave up caring ever since Tarzan left with his human family for England. They even went so far to conclude that Kala might have even poisoned herself on purpose. Disgusted, the other apes were in further uproar after that.

Kokom, however was getting sick and tired of all the arguing. His new mate, Tarka, had also been telling him, "Kokum, you must be the leader that Tarzan has now left only you to be. I know it's been even more complicated since he left, especially now that Kala is so sick, and you still won't feel completely ready, but now is the time. This is a family, and you must try to reason with the others. The past with Tarzan and the Porters is gone." Kokom of course, knew that Tarka was right. "I know. I'm going to discuss our next plans with the others, and hopefully put an end to all this fighting, without fighting myself."

So it was, that just before night began to fall on the jungle, Kokum had walked out among his fellow apes and bellowed so none would mistake it, "SHUT UP ALL OF YOU, OR YOU CAN ALL JUST GO AND SLEEP WITH THE RHINOS!" The arguing had suddenly ceased. "Now, these are difficult times, and no one's more aware of it than I am. But if we are to keep on surviving as a real family, we must all work together AS a family, we can't let happen to us what happened to Tublat."

One of the older ape males said sourly, "I'd wager Old Tublat has it better than any of us now. Tarzan just abandoned us, and put an inexperienced youngun' like you in his place. His poor ape mother who rescued him when she could have simply left him to Sabor if she wasn't so softhearted, is dying, and where is Mighty Tarzan now? Off to a land dominated by humans! Kerchack would never have approved of this." The other apes muttered darkly amongst themselves.

"Kerchack was a brave and mighty leader in his time, but that's finished. Tarzan made his decision to live with his own family among their own kind. I'm speaking to you as your leader, imploring you all to wisely move forward, and look after your own now. I cannot stress it enough!" This time, a female gorilla came forward to speak. It was Terk's mother. "Kala is dead. My best friend is gone to be with Kerchack. Tarka is our matron now, I guess." She was on the verge of weeping. Tarka came forward to support her. "Now you must be strong, Kala would have wanted, no, expected that." But Tarka too, had tears running down. T-the last thing Kala s-said was, Tarzan, I'm so proud of you wherever you go, n-no matter what, you'll always b-be in my heart..." and then, like that, she was gone." And with that, Terk's mother broke down sobbing.

Terk, somewhere else among the apes, had heard it all just as well as the others. But Terk had also decided she wasn't going to stay, either. Somehow, she thought as she snuck out of the nests later on, as the other gorillas were sleeping, that she would find some way of getting across the ocean to England, and she was going to get Tantor to accompany her on this extraordinary adventure. There was no time to lose, Tarzan and the others needed to know what happened to Kala, and even with Kokum and Tarka, somehow, Tarzan was still needed.

T

When Terk had gotten to elephant territory, all of the elephants were also slumbering. Underneath his favorite tree, Tantor was laying very comically on his back and snoring loudly. What was even more comical was the dream Tantor seemed to be having, by the sound of it.

"ZZZ...no, don't make me wear that tutu...ZZZ...I'll look stupid in that tutu...ZZZ...no, I don't want to be painted blue...ZZZ...I can't drink fountain water...ZZZ...there's so much bacteria...ZZZ...ZZZ..."

"Hey Tantor, Tantor, YO!" Terk bellowed, and Tantor jumped awake. "Terk, please keep it down. You don't want the other elephants to wake up. What are you doing here at this time of night, anyway?"

"I'm here because I'm taking a moonlight stroll and I thought that you'd be moonstruck." Terk said sarcastically. "Kala's dead."

"Poor Kala," Tantor said softly. "But she's very likely better off and reunited with Kerchack. I'm going to catch some more Z's, and offer my condolences first thing in the morning. Good night..."

"No, Tantor, no more sleeping! I need you for what I'm planning to do, old buddy of mine. We're going sailing off to England." Terk announced proudly, as though no one else, gorilla or human, or indeed, elephant, could have come up with anything more brilliant. "Wait a second, Terk, that's just ridiculous, harebrained on even the tenth level, and very dangerous. Besides, our place is in Africa, not England. Now please, I insist you go home, get some rest, and I'll see you in the morning." Tantor then turned around and lay back down. But Terk wasn't the kind of gorilla to give up so easily. She yanked on Tantor's tail.

"YEEOOWWW!" Tantor yelped, flying up and landing rear-end down on Terk. "Tantor-get-your-fat-smelly-elephant-butt-off-me-I'm-suffocating!" Terk cried. "Sorry, but maybe next time you'll think twice about the hazards of pulling on an elephant's tail." Tantor said reproachfully. "Yeah, yeah, now listen up, because I'm only going to say this one time. You remember the last time Tarzan was about to go live with humans a long time ago but it turned out he was in trouble? Well, you told me that if Tarzan needed us we were gonna help him! Tarzan would do the same for us. I don't like this Lord Danford guy, and his valet just seems crooked to me. I'm going to help Tarzan, Jane, and those children of theirs, wild animal or not, and you're coming with me mister, you got that?"

T

So, it turned out, the next morning a cargo ship came from England to the docks near DuMonde's, as Dumonde had ordered several pounds of fine teas and leather boots imported from England and Italy to replenish his stockroom. Terk and Tantor quietly crept out of the bushes and while no humans were paying attention, snuck onto the ship and hid themselves as best as they could in wooden crates. (Fortunately, there was an empty crate just big enough for Tantor to hide himself in, though it can't be said it was particularly comfortable). It was another 20 minutes to a half an hour later when the ship finall began moving back on its' voyage back to England, where Terk was determined to let no strange human stand in the way of the only humans she'd ever trusted.