Shonen's The Savannah Book

Chapter 1

Mowgli Arrives in the Pridelands

It was any normal summers day in the Pridelands. Gazelle were prancing, Hippos were bathing in the lake. Giraffe were eating the tallest plants no other herbavore could reach. And as always with the Circle of Life, predetors, such as Cheetahs, Jaguars, and if the Pridelands lion pride were on their morning hunts. But there was another creature within the Pridelands. One creature that, for those predetors who obeyed the Circle of Life, vowed they would never attack. Man...

Now these weren't those poachers who hunted game purely for sport and profit by breaking Jungle Law. No, these were researchers. Humans who cared for the Circle of Life and were working to save the habitat from the brink of disaster. It was a professor and his wife, along with their son, whom they named Mowgli. As he was asleep, the research couple went grab more samples throughout the Pridelands, to make sure the problems of the human realm had not affected the wildlife here. So far, it hadn't. Unbeknown to them, two predators that did not obey the Law of the Jungle had caught their scent in the air. "Man... I hate man," Said a dark deep voice.

This creature was non other then Sheer Khan the Tiger. He remembered what man had done to him. He was not pleased that they were in the Pridelands again. "As if that usurper Simba wasn't bad enough, now man has to return?" Said a dark, but feminine voice.

Zira, who had been mate to Scar, and birth mother of Nuka and Kovu. Simba had taken Kovu from her, "Claiming" he'd be safer with them (Which is true, but she doesn't think that.) She was able to take Nuka with her, but he was nothing more then her's and Sheer Khan's lackey. "Nuka!" Sheer Khan called.

Nuka scrambled to Sheer Khan's lair, "Y-yes sir?"

"I smell man. Track them for me. Let me know where they are," Sheer Khan commanded.

"But Sheer Khan. You aren't going to hunt them are you? It's against our law. It's against the Circle of Life," Nuka urged.

"I make my own laws in my hunting ground. Now go find them," Sheer Khan ordered.

"Y-yes sir. Right away," Nuka said nervously.

Unknown to anyone. Mowgli had been awoken from his slumber, following some little hyraxes, having lost much of his clothing, aside from his loin cloth. He had bumped into Simba's dear friends Baloo the Bear, and Kaa the python. When Nuka arrived at the human camp, he heard the commotion coming from the parents, about their lost son. Nuka smiled. Sheer Khan and Zira would be pleased to hear that a little boy was easy prey for them. He escaped just in time too, for Mowgli's father had come out with his rifle, ready to defend his wife and find his son. Bahgeera had also head the commotion. He let the grown up see him. They reacted, thinking he had taken their son, and he ran for it, and they pursued.

As the day passed, Baloo had lost track of Mowgli, after running into Nuka. He knew that Sheer Khan and Zira were after the man cub, and needed to find him. At the same time, Bagheera had found the parents, and had caught their attention, but the elements were not on his side, as rock and dirt crumbled from beneath the couple and they feel into the ravine below. "Oh how tragic," Bagheera said.

He soon made a dash to help find the man cub, knowing Sheer Khan and Zira were more then likely already on his trail.

Meanwhile, Nala was relaxing. Letting her daughters, Kiara and Vitani, her son Kion, and her adopted son, Kovu, all nurse. Luri lay right along side her, letting her two pups nurse. Simba and Alexannder mearly smiled as they watched their little ones play together while nursing. Then snapping twigs caught their attention, they readied themselves, and growled. That is until, they saw a little man cub emerge from the trees. "Wha- that's a man cub, what's it doing here?" Simba said.

"Poor thing, he must have lost his way," Nala said.

Mowgli walked right up to her and petted her muzzle. "Hmhm, he doesn't seem frightened at all," Luri said as she watched.

Mowgli then saw the cubs nursing, and then pulled little Kion aside to have a suckle. "Look he's feeding, just like our own cubs are," Nala said, as Kion took a whiff of Mowgli's curious sent, then jumped back in to nurse with his siblings and the man cub.

"He certainly is a hungry little fellow," Alexander said.

"Isn't he though," Nala chuckled.

Bahgeera and Baloo soon arrived and revealed what had happened to the parents of the man cub. Already having been touched by his cuteness, and knowing the man cub could never make the half month long journey to the nearest man villiage, Nala and Luri made up their minds to adopt him into their families. Bahgeera said his name was Mowgli. The pride and pack were not in disagreement nor were the leaders.

They then heard a roar off in the distance. "Oh dear, that sounds like Sheer Khan and Zira. Nala, Luri, get the cubs inside the den," Simba ordered.

"Yes dear," Nala said.

"Yes your highness," Luri added.

The Pride and pack sisters came to help Luri and Nala get their cubs to the den, including Mowgli, before returning to their leaders sides. Sheer Khan soon made his presence known. He had no quarrel with Simba in particular, but he wasn't fond of bowing to another. "Simba, I am not here to try you in combat, but, I can't help but notice there's this strange odor around Pride Rock tonight... What is it? This sent that I'm on?... I almost... I almost think it was some kind of... man cub," Sheer Khan said.

"Mowgli belongs to my pride and Akela's pack, Sheer Khan," Simba stated.

"Mowgli? They've given it a name. And when did we come to adopt man into the Pridelands?" Zira mocked.

"He's just a cub," Alexander stated.

"Does my face not remind you of what a grown man can do?" Sheer Khan pointed out showing his blind eye.

"Well, you can hand over the man cub, and we'll be on our way, or you can surrender your throne, we'll take him anyways," Nuka said.

"Nuka, keep your mouth shut. We obviously can't convince these naive lions and wolves that they have foolish leaders, so we'll be back another time, when they feel a little more open to negotiate," Zira said.

"We are not through with you all. We will make you pay for this," Sheer Khan said, adding a roar in afterwards before the three lawbreakers turned tail and left.

Soon they made their way inside, seeing all the cubs sleeping soundly together. "Well, looks like tomorrow, the Pridelands will have to assemble to meet the new prince," Nala said.

"Indeed," Luri giggled.

Soon the pride settled in for the evening, and Rafiki had been informed of the new addition to the Circle of Life. "ARE YOU CWAZY?! DIS WILL NEVEW WORK! Oh Mufasa You've Been Up There Too Long, You're Head Is In de CLOUDS!" Rafiki reacted.

Mufasa reacted with heavy wind. "Okay! Okay! Alright! OKAY! I don't tink dis is going to work, but I trust you. I just hope you know what you are doing!" Rafiki called as Mufasa left his presence.

End of Chapter 1. Phew. so The first chpater is set up a lot like The Jungle Book TV series. Now Mowgli's got two mothers. Where will the adventure go next? What does Mufasa have planned? Only future chapters can tell. I did borrow a lot from the Jungle Book TV series, and Also took a few lines from the Sheer Khan clip for the new Jungle Book live action movie, so I do not take credit for the lines. Let me know what you think by commenting. I will update my other The Savannah Book story, but I wanted to get this one out today. Happy Easter everyone.