Chapter VIII

As the young Queen and the Golden Hunter trekked toward the Gorillas' nests, Sheeta tried to recall what she could of the old Mandrill Chief Akutwa-usha. She had scant knowledge except that firstly, Mandrills detested Leopards, for her people more than any others preyed upon their people; and secondly, her mother had spoken of the chief as if he were even madder than Tanda. Rumours floated that he rarely frowned, even for the most solemn occasion, that he babbled for hours before giving any help, and that he was audacious enough to mock creatures that could easily crush his neck or stomp him to death.

If she and Clayton were lucky, the lunatic would keep Tarzan occupied long enough for them to set their traps.

However, if Akutwa-usha experienced a period of a sanity, and if he were as skilled as shaman as Tanda, then he might give Kala's son magical assistance.

He might have even the power to undo the magic that had brought Clayton back to life.

Sheeta bristled. No love existed between Leopards and Mandrills, but if that mad monkey led to so much as a scratch on Clayton's face, she would hunt every member of Akutwa-usha's people until they were naught but a memory.

Meanwhile, near the Shimmering Green Pools, where grew the trees that carried a fruit that tasted sweeter than honey, the tribe of Akutwa-usha, the Argogu, cracked open fruits over laughter and shared freshly-caught fish over hurrahs. The Argogu celebrated the joyous arrival of two new sons and one daughter by three of the chief's most beloved wives. When, in the distance, Tarzan heard the festivities, he decided that he ought to wait until their merry-making had calmed. After all, he should not dampen a joyous occasion with the heavy rain of solemn topics.

However, some of the guards on duty on the perimeter spotted him. They recognised the one who was called the Friend of Many Peoples, and they cheered and beckoned him and Tantor to join the celebration.

"Uh, that's great and all, gents," replied Tantor, "but I'm not one for loud parties. I've got sensitive ears, and—"

"Come on, our dusty friend!" said the Mandrills. "There's a nice big spot by the big, big pool."

Then another group of the primates turned to Tarzan and said, "Son of Kala! Good to see you, He who Smites the Leopards! Come, come! The chief will be pleased that you've come!"

All the tribe gave their warm greetings as Tarzan passed. They called him by his many titles, not least of which was the Leopard-Smiter, the Hairless One who is a Friend (for many Hairless Apes were remembered as unfriendly to those not of their kind), the Driver (for he had driven away the Apes who had come to take the Gorillas and destroy the land), and the Silver-Hearted Leader (for though he was no Silverback, he had the heart of a leader).

When he arrived before Akutwa-usha and his many wives and all their children, Tarzan tipped his head and said, "Good tidings, Lord of the Argogu."

"Ahh! Tarzan!" exclaimed the chief as he leaped from his seat and hurried to Ape, giving him a strong embrace. "Always a welcome sight! What brings you to this part of the jungle, my dear lad?"

"I wish I could say it is to celebrate with you," he said. "I hate to disturb a party."

"Oh, nonsense!" said Akutwa-usha with a wave of his paw. "We have two more days of celebration ahead. And I am always available to the Friend of Many Peoples."

"Thank you, chief," said Tarzan, and the Mandrill invited him to sit beside him as the primates feasted.

"Now, tell old, crazy Akutwa-usha what has got you spooked."

"Spooked?"

"Why, yes!" he said with a smile, and he jabbed a digit at him as he continued: "You looked as pale as sun-bleached bone until you sat down. Something has you scared beyond the normal need to fly from danger. Hoho! You wouldn't come to this old shaman for that!"

Tarzan sighed and nodded. Then one of the wives offered him a tuber to settle his stomach, and he accepted. After taking a munch, he said, "What do you know about the rumour of the White Ape who has Risen from the... from the Unseen World?" And he called the Black Realm the 'Unseen World,' for to speak its true name, especially during a celebration, could invite bad luck.

"Hoho! It wasn't you, then? And all this time I thought it was," said Akutwa-usha. "You are the only tarzan that I have seen and just about the only Ape who has survived his encounters with the deadliest hunters."

Then Tarzan pulled the red cravat, which was tied to his loin cloth, and handed it to the shaman.

"I found this," he said. "It is something that Hairless Apes called a 'cravat.' They wear it around their necks, like the red-throated hornbills in the lands far, far from here."

"Hmm. To try and attract wives, I wager," said Akutwa-usha with a chuckle. "Oh! It's not your peoples' fault that the spirits made you so plain. The gozan can quite creative, trying to splash on a little colour... Although sometimes at the expense of a few birds' lives."

Then the shaman sniffed it and nibbled it delicately. He held it up to the sunlight and tossed it in the air a couple of times, watching it fall. He tore a small piece and walked to another male Mandrill, his apprentice, who kept his supplies on hand. He took up the half of a dried gourd and toss the fabric in it. Then he sprinkled what appeared to be yellow sand on top and a few drips of water from one of the pools. Taking up a smooth, black stone, he crushed and ground it until fibers and the sand-looking substance were fine. Finally, he dipped in his finger and tasted the substance.

"Oh! Oh... That is interesting," said Akutwa-usha, pouting and moving his lips side-to-side.

"What is it?" asked Tarzan.

"Hmm, hmm... Hoho! Yes, he is definitely alive," said the shaman, "whoever he is. A meat-eater, for sure. In good condition and..." He sucked on another sample and smacked his lips contemplatively. "... very passionate. Doesn't lose focus easily. Perhaps too focused; so much so that he can be easily blinded."

Tarzan's heart sank, and he slumped. He gazed at the cravat and huffed through his nose. The shaman had confirmed his great dread. Suddenly, he was transported back to that tempestuous night, as the sky had thundered with the guns on the ground. He recalled the golden flash of lightning and flashes of gold that lacked leopard spots but had a Leopard's ferocity. The fight had been quick but vicious and had concluded violently.

"But... But how?" he wondered.

The Ape was startled from his thoughts when a pair of young ones landed atop him, playfully wrestling with one another as they fought over stick in a game, which Mandrill children often played. He placed his hand over his heart and sighed.

"Chief Akutwa-usha," he said, "is it possible for someone to survive the fate that took the dreaded Gultan or Benbar the Scourge?"

"Oh, please!" The shaman waved his paws dismissively. "These titles! 'The dreaded,' 'the Scourge'—oh, they are a dangerous people! And they don't talk to 'food,' but a spotted hunter cannot help that it was born a spotted hunter, any more than you can help that you were born a Hairless Ape."

"But I'm—"

"Different?"

Tarzan frowned. Holding up the cravat, he said, "If this is who I think is it, yes. I'm not like he is. I don't hunt and kill for fun."

"Yet he is your kind," said Akutwa-usha, and he patted him on the back. "And I can see that you are still concerned for him, no matter how much bad blood he has against you."

The Ape nodded slowly and sadly.

"Tarzan, Silver-Hearted Leader, this is Ape is very much alive. No animal I know of or have heard of has survived a broken neck. This Ape has been touched by a strange but powerful magic. Perhaps you shall be lucky, though. Perhaps this magic, which has changed the dead to the living, has also him at his core! For I shall say this: he hunts with a companion."

Tarzan knitted his brows and leaned closer. "Companion?"

"A spotted hunter," said the shaman, "and a Queen at that... And what an honour!" Then he broke into uproarious laughter, patting his large, furry belly.

"Lucky devil!" he laughed. "Her people relish the taste of primate flesh. Your friend here must have done something extraordinarily special to earn her trust and companionship. Hoho! Hahahaha!"

He was running with a Leopard? That explained why he was audacious enough to enter Leopard territory. Then the questions that arose were: how long had he been running with her? And how well did they cooperate?

Most importantly, would they seek his family and hunt them?

"Chief Akutwa-usha, thank you for your help," he said. "Forgive me for leaving after such as short visit. I shall repay you as best as I can when I can."

"Go, go, you silly lad!" chuckled the chief. "There shall be many more children and many more parties. Go! Find the Ape who Hunts with the Sheeta. Hurry, lad, hurry! There is no telling what the crazy thing shall do!"

With that, Tarzan leaped through the camp to Tantor's side. At first, the Elephant hesitated.

"Oh, but Tarzan," he whined, "this nice Mandrill here was teaching me about twelve antiseptic leaves I've never even heard of!"

"They actually have a multitude of purposes, my good fellow," said the scrawny creature, lifting a digit matter-of-factly. He, like Tantor, was not keen on rowdy celebrations, and they had paired off and begun discussing an encyclopedia's-worth of ailments and their remedies. "This one carries a strong analgesic, and this one here can alleviate gastritis, although I've noticed it works better for sufferers of inflammatory b—"

"Tantor!" snapped Tarzan. "We need to get back to the family." Then he turned and apologised to the Mandrill, who crossed his arms and harrumphed. Tantor apologised as well, politely tipped his head, and offered to resume their conversation when their paths crossed again. Finally, they began their return, all the while Tarzan prayed to the ancestors, begging that they protected Jane and his family.

Just as Tarzan and Tantor had begun their return, Sheeta stood tall and admires Clayton's work. How appropriate, she thought, that Tarzan's tribe had settled so near to the same amphitheatre where the filthy Ape had taken her mother's life. She smiled at her smirking companion, and they glanced at one another before gazing at the amphitheatre and the vast environment surrounding it.

Clayton had showed her how each of the three traps worked. He had seemed bothered, either by their small scale or that he did not have more, but he was content enough. She had even helped lift his mood by taking his silver fang, some dried vines, and a long, sturdy branch and creating a spear. She had tried to test its wieldiness, but she was awkward, more adept at holding her short bamboo spear than weapon so distant from her body. When Clayton tested it, its fluidity surprised and pleased him so much that he planted one of his wet, ape kisses on Sheeta when she least expected him.

"It ends tonight, Sheeta," he said. "That ungodly beast will regret trying to kill me. I'll hang his carcass so high, every man and beast for miles won't dare tangle with me again."

As he spoke, Sheeta noticed that Vengeance had darkened his face. She recognised the flames of hatred that burned in his eyes, the same hatred that she had seen clenched by her mother against Kerchak's tribe. Her heart beat loudly in her ears. That bitter focus had long ago frustrated and worried her, but this time, she thrust her worry beneath her desire for justice. She had waited many long months and contemplated the dangers associated with vengeance, but finally, she felt that she was ready. They were ready.

All that they needed to do was to find Tarzan.

Annotations:

Argogu (Mangani) fire belly.

tarzan (Mangani) white skin.

gozan (Mangani) black skin(s). Note: There is no plural form in Mangani.

sheeta (Mangani) high hunter(s); leopard(s). Akutwa-usha may or may not know who Sheeta

Also, two pieces of fanart for Of Lords and Leopards can be found at crimson-memory dot tumblr dot com forward-slash tagged forward-slash sheeta. There is mild nudity but no naughty bits.

Disclaimer: The author makes no claims over the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs or Disney. Furthermore, no monetary gains have been made or will be made from this piece of fanfiction.