Chapter-2
One day, Mowgli came running hard towards his cave. The mother wolf was resting at the back of the cave and saw that Mowgli looked a bit restless.
“What is it, son?” she asked.
“Akela was attacked by a Sambhur while he was hunting down the hill near the village,” said Mowgli, “The lone wolf must have been hurt a lot as I heard the snap of his teeth and a loud cry as Sambhur knocked his forefoot. The shouts grew fainter behind me as I ran into the croplands. The injured Akela might have been caught by the villagers.”
Bagheera came out from the dark near the cave.
“Akela is missing,” said the panther, “They would have killed him last night.”
All that day, Mowgli sat in the cave worrying about what would have happened to Akela as was ordered by his mother that he would not go in search of Akela and risk his life. In the evening, Tabaqui came to the cave and told him rudely that everyone was waiting for him at the Council Rock. Mowgli went to the Council.
There, Mowgli was surprised to see Akela who was lying by the side of his rock as he always did as a leader. But Akela looked weak and injured but Mowgli was happy as he was alive. Shere Khan was also present at the Council walking to and fro on a rock behind Akela. Bagheera came a bit later and lay close to Mowgli.
When all the members turned up, Shere Khan came in front of them and started to speak without Akela’s permission.
Shere Khan began to speak, “The leadership of the Pack is now open and I don’t need any permission from anyone to speak now.”
This made Bagheera and Mowgli angry. As being a dog’s son, Shere Khan had no right to speak in the Council.
Mowgli stood up and said, “What has a tiger to do with our leadership?”
Suddenly, all the Pack members roared, “Let the dead wolf speak.” When a leader of the Pack has missed his kill, he is called the dead wolf as long as he lives.
Akela raised himself with full force and came forward.
“I have led the Pack for twelve seasons and since then no one has been trapped or maimed. Now I have missed my kill. Now I leave as the leader of the Council.”
There was long silence and the Shere Khan spoke, “The stupid wolf should be granted what he is asking for as he is meant to die. Give me the man’s child or else I’ll keep troubling you.”
Bagheera knew that it was not the Sambhur but Shere Khan who had attacked Akela, so he could raise the voices of other wolves to throw Mowgli out of the Pack.
Everyone in the Pack knew that with Akela out of power there was no one else to protect them against Shere Khan. The Pack yelled, “A man! A man! What has a man to do with us? Let him go to his own place.”
Listening to this Shere Khan shouted loud too, “Give him to me. He is a man and should no more be a part of the Pack.”
Akela lifted his head again and said, “Why should he be thrown out? He hasn’t broken any law of the jungle yet. He has lived all these years with us peacefully. He is a perfect member of the Pack.”
“No man’s cub can run with the people of the jungle,” howled Shere Khan, “Give him to me!”
Akela said again, “It is certain that I must die and my decision to keep the man’s cub in the Pack is of no importance to you but for the honour of the Pack I would request you all to keep Mowgli in the Pack.”
This time when Shere Khan shouted loud and ordered the Pack to throw Mowgli out of the Pack, Bagheera stood up with anger and said, “If you all want this; we have no option but to fight.”
Mowgli also stood upright and was furious with rage and sorrow as he never knew that all the wolves hated him.
Mowgli looking at Akela said, “We instead of fighting for my place in the Pack should first try and save you.”
Akela, the grim old wolf who had never asked for mercy in his life, gave one piteous look at Mowgli as the boy stood all naked.
Mowgli then said, “There shall be no war between any of us in the Pack. And even if I grew up I would remain as faithful as I could be and never betray you as man do to man.”
He walked towards Shere Khan on the other end and caught him by the tuft on his chin with anger. Bagheera followed him for his protection.
Shere Khan’s ears lay flat back on his head, and he shut his eyes.
“This cattle-killer wants to kill me as he was not able to kill me when I was a cub,” said Mowgli beating Shere Khan over the head with a branch. The tiger whimpered and whined in an agony of fear.
At last there were only Akela, Bagheera and perhaps ten wolves who agreed on keeping Mowgli. Then something strange happened all of a sudden and the tears ran down Mowgli’s face.
Akela was fainting slowly and slowly and Mowgli knew he would soon die. Akela read this sadness on Mowgli’s face and a fear of death ran through Akela’s nerves.
And soon Mowgli started crying as he had never cried in all his life before.
Mowgli stood up and said, “I will leave the Pack if you all wish the same but first I must say farewell to my mother.”
And he went to the cave running as hard as he could where she lived with the father wolf. He started crying as soon as he reached there while the four cubs howled miserably.
“Will you forget me?” said Mowgli.
“We will never be able to forget you,” said the cubs, “You can come to the foot of the hills and we all will come to meet you and play with you.”
“Come as soon as possible soon!” said the father wolf.
“Come soon,” said the mother wolf, “little naked son of mine. I will always be waiting to meet you again. And I always love you more than my cubs.”
“I will come for sure,” said Mowgli, “And whenever I will return I teach Shere Khan a lesson in front of the Council Rock.”
The dawn was beginning to break when Mowgli left the cave and started walking towards the place where villagers lived to meet the someone of his own breed.
