Chapter 1: A Sighting in the Jungle

Bagheera

Bagheera sat alone on the branch of a tree hanging slightly above the riverbank, enjoying the sound of the running water and the gentle breeze that was gently sweeping through the jungle. It was not very often that he got to relax because, for him, there was always something that had to be done in the jungle. In fact, it hadn't been long since he had accomplished one of his biggest tasks yet: to get Mowgoli, the man cub, safely back to the Man Village before he fell into the clutches of Shere Khan. For a while, Mowgoli had remained in the village, but soon returned to the jungle when Baloo, the bear, brought him back to the jungle. When he finally found Baloo, it was revealed to him that Mowgoli was being chased by Shere Khan once more. He was forced to wait outside with a small man cub named Rajun while Baloo rescued Mowgoli and his friend, Shanti. All three humans, including Mowgoli, returned to their people. Only this time, Mowgoli, Shanti, and Rajun returned to the jungle as they pleased to visit him, Baloo, and the rest of the jungle people that cared for Mowgoli. Everything seemed to be fine now that Shere Khan was believed to be at the bottom of the lava pit.

And now that all the chaos seemed to be at an end, Bagheera could finally take a little time to relax. With Baloo out mingling with the party animals at the ancient ruins, he had time to himself. He stared past the riverbank as he rested his head on his paws. And then he saw something he never thought he would see in this part of the jungle again with the Man Village so nearby. It was a young female panther, walking down to the side of the river for a drink of water. He shyly downcast his eyes at first, not wanting to stare. But seeing something different about her, he slowly looked across the river again. She looked exhausted; her beautiful blue eyes showed just how tired she was as she walked at an usually slow pace to the river. Each step seemed to be of great effort to her. She looked around, seeming not to see him, before she bent down to take a drink. When she was finished drinking, she used her paws to splash water on her face before getting up. When she looked around again, he noticed that she looked like she felt a little better. Before he made up his mind on whether or not he would greet her, she turned around and leapt onto the top of a ledge that sloped down to the river.

Bagheera waited for a few minutes, but he soon turned away, thinking that the small female panther had left. But as he was leaving, he looked over his shoulder to see her leap back down from the ledge with something in her mouth. As he turned his head back in the direction where she was, he nearly fell off of his branch when he noticed what she was carrying. His mouth dropped open when she sat a small female man cub down at the edge of the water where she had been. The small girl looked to be about the age Mowgoli was when he was just old enough to sit up and crawl on his own. The beautiful panther laid down and watched as the child dipped her tiny hands into the water, her wide blue eyes scanning the bank cautiously. Well, it looked like he and the female panther would meet after all, though it would not be a mere simple greeting. He began to get a little frustrated as he made his way to where the female panther and the child were. Not that he wanted to frighten her….but what was a young panther such as herself doing with a small man cub, anyway? And why was she bringing it to this part of the jungle?

Chapter 2: Walking

Salena

She could feel her paws growing heavier with each step as she tried to navigate her way through the unfamiliar jungle, carrying the little man cub in her mouth. Her jaws were numb with the weight of the baby girl, who seemed just as tired as she was. She made no noise. Salena had tried to let the small child sit on her back, but once they started moving the girl always slipped off, being too little to keep her balance. So Salena continued carrying the sleeping child through a part of the jungle that was new and strange to her by the cloth that was slipped over her small body.

As Salena continued walking, she noticed that the bottoms of her paws felt as if they were bruised. One of her forepaws bent for no reason when she stepped forward, causing her to stumble. She lay there for a moment with the child still in her mouth, exhaustion nearly overcoming her. Eventually, she stood up with determination and continued walking; trying to keep her mind on the task she had at hand instead of how tired she was. Thinking of her task brought a memory back to her mind….one of the last memories she had of her home on the other side of the jungle…..

At first she, her mother, and her younger sister jumped back in fear when her father sat the man cub in front of the entrance to their cave. He chuckled at the appalled expressions on their faces, only saying, "Don't worry, she can do no harm. She is little."

"Dihren…" her mother's soft voice was between a gasp and a surprised tone.

"I had to do something, Maya. She was crawling around the jungle all alone, and there was no trace of her parents. I couldn't leave her there to die of starvation or at the hands of a predator." Her father's strong voice had the soft tone it always carried when he spoke to her mother.

Maya's wide, crystal blue eyes (much like her own) seemed to soften a bit. But the worry on her face was still evident. Before she could speak, however, my little sister spoke.

"Father….?" She said in a frightened tone as the baby girl crawled towards her making high pitched gurgling noises of amusement. She backed away until she was completely against a rock. Before she could move again, the man cub reached out and touched her face, the child's brown eyes shone as she wrapped her tiny arms around Alpa's foreleg. Alpa's expression changed from a frightened one to a confused one, she didn't move.

"It is alright, Alpa. She is only trying to make friends with you." My father stated in a reassuring tone.

All this time Salena had remained silent, which was very unusual for her since she was usually a light-hearted and cheerful panther. She simply looked at her father, still in a state of confusion. Seeing a human was very uncommon in this part of the jungle, but every time they were seen it meant that there would be fewer creatures in the jungle. All of her life, she had been warned to stay clear of man….her father even taught his family ways to stay out of their way. And now he brings one of them to their home? Being lost in her thoughts, she failed to realize the baby girl had been crawling from Alpa to her. Only when the girl touched her forepaw, did she realize what was happening. Moving in a startled motion, she pulled her forepaw away and quickly backed away from the man cub, causing her to fall forward. The baby's big, brown eyes welled with tears. Salena instantly softened, feeling guilty for what she had done. Moving slowly, she walked over to the sobbing girl and pushed her in an upright position with her nose. The little girl smiled and wrapped her arms around her foreleg as well. Salena just sat there, looking at her parents.

"Father, please. What are we to do? We cannot not keep her here…I don't know how Serena feels about…."

"Serena." Her mother repeated with a sudden look of worry and realization, looking at her husband with wide eyes. "Dihren, please. We cannot keep her. It might bring harm to us…." Her mother's eyes brimmed with tears at the very thought of what could happen to her family.

"Now, now Maya…" Her father closed the distance between him and his mate and used his paw to pull her to him and let her lay her head on his chest as he rubbed his chin against the top of her head. "Nothing is going to happen to our family."

"But….Serena is very nice." Alma butted in innocently. "She and Salena are friends…aren't you, Salena? It isn't her that I would be worried about. I would be afraid of her mate, Shere Khan."

"Yes, Alma. We are friends, but you know why she wouldn't like a man cub being here. She has her reasons…."

"Because of Shere Khan?"

"No, Alma." Salena said in an exasperated tone. "You know that she never hated man even when she met him. Besides, things have been complicated between her and Shere Khan. He hasn't been in this part of the jungle for quite some time. He left after…."

"Oh." Said Alma in a cautious tone, seeing the frustrated look on Salena's face. "After that."

"Yes." Salena replied, looking again at the parents. "Which is why it is not wise to keep this child. Father, we have to send her back." Salena hated to be heartless, but she was also worried about the safety of her family that she loved so dearly.

"We are not going to keep her, but we can't leave her to die. I have decided to take her to the Man Village." said her father in a tone that told everyone his decision was final.

"But that's all the way across the jungle, Dihrem." said Maya in a state of alarm. "You cannot make it that far alone."

"I have to try, Maya." her father responded, giving their mother a sincere look.

Salena nearly panicked upon hearing his decision. Her dear father was still strong and well-respected across the jungle, but he was growing old. Too old to handle such a journey and still have strength. It was at that moment that Salena made her decision, the only decision that she knew she could make.

"I will take her." she stated in her sincerest tone. There was a long pause as she looked around at the shocked, and horrified, expressions on her family's faces.

…Salena shook her head before the memory could break her concentration. As she trudged on, she could only see the look of sadness in her mother and sister's eyes when she left, and the way her father looked into her eyes and said his farewell words to her. "Stay strong, Salena."

The words of her father seemed to echo in her mind as the pain seemed to travel from her paws to her legs. She had lost track of the number of days it had been since she left with the little man cub. It had been days since she had had a steady meal. Since she couldn't leave the little girl alone, she had to settle for whatever ran across their path. Finding the baby something to eat had been a chore as well. The girl screamed until Salena knocked a banana out of a tree in frustration. At the sight of it, she cooed and happily took small bites out of it when the young panther peeled it with her claws. But that had been so long ago….and they were both so thirsty….they had to stop.

Just as Salena thought she would collapse, she heard the sound of running water and managed to push herself a little further. When she neared the top of a ledge, she gently laid the man cub down, not wanting to reveal her to any other animals that might be near the river. When she came to the edge of the ledge, she saw a river that seemed to run a long way. Unable to help herself, she walked down to the edge of the river and took a long drink. She washed her face as well, appalled that she looked such as mess. She scanned the riverbank before jumping back onto the ledge to get the little girl, who was now starting to wake up. She sat the man cub in front of the river before laying down for a short rest. Just as Salena was starting to relax, she was surprised to hear a rich voice coming from a short distance away from where they were resting.

"Pardon me." the voice had said. Startled, Salena jumped to her feet and spun in the direction that the voice had come from. She was surprised to see a handsome, male panther standing only a few feet away from them with cautious, yellow eyes. Not knowing how he would react to an outsider bringing a man cub to his part of the jungle, Salena stepped in front of the little man cub and crouched with widened eyes. She tried not to show that she was frightened, knowing that she would be no match for him. She waited to see what his next move would be.

"Please, don't be afraid. I am not going to hurt you, or the little man cub….My name is Bagheera. I was only curious as to why you are bringing a man cub to this part of the jungle…and if you knew how some animals might react to such an action." His voice carried a rich, softer tone that she couldn't help but admire.

Salena was surprised by both his response and his name. Bagheera…..

"When you get to the other side of the jungle, seek out a panther named Bagheera." her father instructed her as she prepared to leave for her journey.

"Bagheera?"

"Yes. Do you remember the story about the man cub that returned to the Man Village after he had lived in the jungle for some time? Well, Bagheera is one of the animals that helped the man cub reach the village safely. Tell him who you are and that I sent you. I have little doubt that he will help you once you find him."

"Dihrem, are you sure that's a good idea?" asked my mother cautiously. "Do you know this panther?"

"Yes. I do, very well. He and I have met to handle some affairs that needed tending to in the jungle a few times. He is sincere, strong, and able. Surely, he will help Salena reach the Man Village. Having his help would be far better than traveling alone with the man cub in that part of the jungle. Remember my words, Salena."

…..Now seeing the expression on Bagheera's face struck her speechless for a moment. When she finally gathered her words, her voice came out in a shaky, exhausted tone. "My….my name is Salena and I…..I am the daughter of Dihrem and I…I am…."

"Dihrem?" the male panther asked with an expression of recognition. Salena was relieved that he seemed to recognize her father's name. His expression seemed to change again to an expression of worry when he looked back at Salena. "Please, take some time to rest. I don't mean to frighten you…"

That bad? Salena thought to herself before continuing in a desperate effort to explain herself to him in an attempt to get him to guide her in the right direction. "No, please. I…I really need your help. I am trying to get this little man cub back the Man Village and I…I am lost…" She could feel herself slipping away into blackness as she spoke.

"Now, now. You look exhausted. Please try to rest. I will stay and watch over you and the man cub until you can explain the circumstances to me. We also need to get you something to eat. Do you think you can make it to those trees over there? It is only a little way up the riverbank." At Salena's hesitation, he gently scooped up the baby girl in his jaws and waited for her to follow. Too exhausted to object. Salena tried to take a step forward, only to have her paw bend back and cause her to trip again. Only this time, she slipped into blackness instead of finding the strength to catch herself. The last thing she felt was Bagheera's steady forepaw reach out to catch her before she hit the ground.