FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

1. Tabaqui was sound asleep against my right flank with his head on my chest. The stress of helping me escape from Shere-Khan, loosing his clan-mates, and everything that happened after had worn him out. Finally he could let his guard down. "So...How did you escape, Bagheera?", I asked.

Bagheera yawned and stretched out his limbs. "Thankfully, Shere-Khan was too short on breath after the fight to immediately come after me, and the hyenas weren't able to climb up the trees. I made my escape by climbing up and jump from tree to tree. After this defeat, I couldn't bring myself to go back to the pack. I felt like a failure. Also, I did not want to provide Shere-Khan with an excuse to come to the pack's territory and reap havoc. I couldn't live with myself the first days afterwards. But I realized that I had done what I could. I had made up my mind not to return, and to move this area of the forest, well out of the way of both the pack's and Shere-Khan's territories. A few weeks later while I was on the hunt, I saw Vermillion chasing a deer and I helped him make the kill. After reacquainting, We decided to team up."

"I'm glad we did. After all those years of solitude, it was nice to have a friend and be back in a pack. Even if it is a very small one.", the red wolf said to Bagheera before turning to me. "If you want, you are welcome to join us. "Thanks, that means a lot to me. But I can't.. I want to get to that tiger before hunters from the human town will track him down and kill him." Bagheera looked at me, "You've experienced his strength up close and personal once. Wasn't that enough? He let you live, don't forget that. If he didn't want to use you to get to Mowgli, you'd have been shred to pieces. And besides, look at you! You're injured. It's best for you to stay with us, and let the humans take care of it." "I want revenge, Bagheera. I want to look that cat in his eyes while I ram my knife through his heart." "We all want revenge", the panther sighed. "Don't be stupid. You're no match for him", Vermillion said. "Hasn't that become obvious to you? How more badly does he have to hurt you before it does?" "I'm no match for him all by myself, no. But with others?" "You're asking us to help you fight him?", Vermillion asked. "That will only bring more pain and sorrow. I don't want to loose any of you to that tiger. I have lost enough. And so have you", Bagheera softly said. "Well, there's another way for a human to kill a tiger", I said. "NO". Bagheera shook his head after realizing what I meant. "That goes against the Law of the Jungle. You can't do that." "What do you mean?", Vermillion asked me. "A shotgun. A rifle." "Ah. Those are such horrible things. I've heard of them. It can be used from huge distances. There's not even a fight. It's just not right. It's disrespectful." "I have no respect for that tiger. I despise him. And does he keep to The Law?", I angrily replied. "And I'm human. The Law does not apply to me." "You are a member of a wolf pack that inhabits this part of the forest. There for The Law applies to you as much as it does to us!", Bagheera sternly said. "And whoever breaks it, will face the consequences." "If that means this forest will be rid of that verminous pest, and if you care about that law more than me, I'll happily bear the consequences."

Bagheera looked to the ground downhearted. "You know very well that I care a lot about you. You've saved me from those poachers. I would have been dead and skinned if it wasn't for you. But The Law of The Jungle is important. Just think about your human society and what would happen if no one would live according to your human laws?" "If someone would have killed my human mother or father, I don't know if I would, Bagheera. Shere-Khan took the life of someone I cared deeply for. Alexander was like a father to me." After a few minutes of silence, the feline stood up and nuzzled me. "You go do what you have to do, my friend. But I can't and won't join you if you choose to go down that path." I embraced the panther and held him close. "You're leaving?", Tabaqui, who had woken up when I reached out to hug Bagheera, worriedly asked. "Yes. I'm going to go back to the human settlement to get what I need to kill that tiger." "But that will take you straight through his territory. He'll be waiting for you, if he won't catch you earlier! And you won't stand a chance with your injuries." "I am sure that I can navigate my way around. And about my injuries... I've dealt with that before", I said while looking at Bagheera. Vermillion came to sit next to me and licked my face. "Whatever happens, I hope to see you again. You're being foolish and stubborn to go take up that tiger alone, but if that's your destiny, it is how it is." I leaned into the red wolf and sighed. "I surely hope to get back. Or to make things good with Sura and the pack." The wolf idly stared at the rocky wall. "I wonder if we could try to make our way to them, Bagheera. I wonder who the pack's alpha is now." "I think that Sura took it upon himself to lead", I answered, "At least, judging from how he behaved. I would so much want to talk to him about what happened and tell him I'm sorry for reacting how I did", I sighed.

"Well we can at least go there and see how things are", Bagheera said. He turned to the hyena. "I'm afraid you can't come, Tabaqui. I don't think you'd get a friendly welcome. But feel free to consider our den as your new home during our absence. At least you should be pretty safe from Shere-Khan here. We've never seen or heard anything of him for as long as we've lived here." The striped hyena reached up to me and licked my cheeks and mouth. "Please, be safe. Don't waste your life." I ran my fingers through Tabaqui's scruffy mane and rubbed my cheek against his muzzle. "I will try. Thank you." After a final, long goodbye hug from Bagheera, Vermillion and Tabaqui, I grabbed my backpack and made my way out of the den area, back to the stream where I took the opportunity to wash myself and re-fill my water supply.

The sun had set. Another long hike through the night. My feet were still a bit sore, but the day of rest and the good night sleep that I had, had done me good, and the little pain that I felt while walking was tolerable. My torso however, still was very tender, which was annoying me. The bite and claw wounds on my chest were crusted over, and not infected. I had to thank Tabaqui for licking those wounds right after my fight with Shere-Khan. Hyena saliva has very powerful anti-bacterial properties. They would all heal up to become impressive scars. 'Where and how on Earth would I be able to buy a rifle in Balaghat?', I wondered. While cursing my impulsive decision, I turned my GPS receiver on to have a look at the map and plot a route that would circumcent Shere-Khan's territory as much as possible. To my relief there was a more or less straight route from my position to the outskirts of Balaghat without crossing into the tiger's territory, unlike what Tabaqui feared. It would take me through some more unfamiliar and unexplored areas.

In the pale blue light of a small LED torch, I checked the contents of my wallet. There was enough left to at least buy more supplies. I wasn't very hungry yet. but that would certainly be very different after walking all the way back to Balaghat. Maybe I should look into booking a cheap room there for a few nights. I'd rather sleep under a roof than having to camp out at the edge of the forest, with the risk of being found by trackers or police. The forest was quiet and stark. The terrain was a lot rockier and more hilly here, which made navigating a lot more difficult and tiring. Five hours later, I decided to take a break and I sat down on the soft forest floor. It was wasn't as far from Vermillion and Bagheera's den to the town's outskirts than it was from the pack's territory. It shouldn't be very long before reaching the edge of the forest. After a long rest, I continued on. The map on my GPS receiver was detailed enough to show hotels, bigger stores, and inns. I decided on a hostel, which usually are very affordable. Just a bed and a shower, that was all that I needed for the few days I hoped it would take me to sort myself out. Heck. I didn't even think about regulation regarding firearms. Knowing how difficult it was to officially obtain a firearm in the Netherlands, I had little hope that it would be easier here in India. Maybe illegally then? I would not have a clue how, without having any contacts. I grumbled. Shere-Khan killed that group of four, but their remains were found, and surely the weapons they carried were taken back. And I'd be tracked down by the tiger before I'd get close to where he attacked them.

Dawn had broke when I reached the town's outskirts. I took the machete and bowie knife off of my belt and put them my backpack to avoid trouble. The claustrophobic feeling caused by the narrow streets and alleyways, and the relentless noise and exhaust fumes hit me like a brick wall. I navigated to the hostel that I decided on earlier, ignoring the good few odd stares I got from various people in the streets. The hostel was close to the center of town, and I was happy to find it was already open.

I greeted the woman at reception who, thankfully, replied to me in English, "You look like you've been out in the jungle!. You know that there's a dangerous tiger on the loose there, right?", she asked obnoxiously loud. A few hostel guests who were having breakfast in the hostel's small restaurant area behind me looked at me. Annoyed by this unwanted attention, I nodded my head. "Yes, I'm a professional tracker. I'd like a single room for a few days so that I can rest a bit, please." The lady handed me a form. I filled in the standard fields with my name and such, and handed it back over. "Oh my god! You're Matthew De Berg", she almost gasped. "No wonder that they asked you to help out. Well, you get yourself a good rest then. Here's the key to your room. It's the only room we have with an en-suite shower and toilet. It's on the second floor." I did my best to fake a smile and thanked her, grabbed the key, and turned around. The people who were staring at me quickly got back to their breakfast and morning coffee, except for one. A younger man, probably in his late teens or early twenties at most kept on staring at me from behind his plate of porridge and his glass of milk. I gave him the standard polite nod and walked to the staircase.

Literally five seconds after I placed my backpack on the floor in my room, there was a knock on the door. Tired and annoyed, I opened the door to find the young man who was staring at me downstairs standing in front of me. "Sorry, but I'm exhausted. I need sleep if you don't mind", I said while trying to hide my annoyance. "You are the man who spent six months in the jungle a few years ago after almost being killed. But you survived." "Yes. Everyone knows that here, it seems." "And the black panther you saved from those poachers." "Yes, what about it?", I asked.

"Bagheera", he replied.