Chapter Text
Like any other day in the dense foliage of the jungle, Tarzan and Kaphi ran around the family grounds in games of tag and hide and seek. As Kaphi grew older, evading her grew harder for Tarzan, but he always found ways to stay ahead of his four-year-old sister. While Tarzan did enjoy breaks from Kaphi now and then to play with his own friends, he really didn’t mind playing with her for a few minutes every day. Even if sometimes it managed to land them in trouble.
Today was no different, and Tarzan led his sister in a game of chase around their nest, and Kala smiled warmly at them.
“Be careful, you two,” Kala said. “Don’t trample each other.”
“Tell that to Kaphi, Mom,” Tarzan said as he dodged a pounce from his sister, who prepared to jump on him once more. However, she was caught mid leap by Kerchak, who pinned her down and tickled her, and she squealed in laughter.
Intrigued by the new game, Tarzan jumped on Kerchak’s back, distracting his father enough to release Kaphi as Kerchak turned his attention to trying to grab Tarzan off his back, but his son jumped down and avoided his hand. Kaphi and Tarzan ran around their father as he tried to snatch one of them, but they jumped out of reach each time, laughing at the new game.
Kerchak lunged forward and managed to catch Kaphi’s leg, forcing her to a sudden halt, which consequently made Tarzan run into her, and he tripped over her with an oof. Kerchak pinned both children down and tickled them while they kicked and struggled to break free of his grasp.
“Surrender?” Kerchak asked.
“We surrender!” Tarzan and Kaphi cried.
Kerchak snorted down heavily on them, causing a rush of air to tickle their necks before he released his kids, and they bolted away, hiding behind Kala playfully.
“Mom, protect us!” Tarzan and Kaphi said.
Their mother chuckled at their antics.
“I’ll protect you from that big, bad, meanie,” Kala said in a teasing voice, staring at her mate with a smirk.
“Meanie?” Kerchak challenged with a smirk back. “They don’t try jumping on your back and strangling you all day.”
“That’s because I’m their mother,” Kala said as she nuzzled her children. “They would never want to strangle me.”
“I see. I suppose everyone wants to overthrow the silverback then, even my own children.”
Tarzan laughed as he jumped away from his mother and walked over to his father.
“I don’t want to overthrow you,” Tarzan said as he sat next to his father. He smiled mischievously. “Just overpower you.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Kerchak snarled, then he tried to grab his son for more tickles, but Tarzan leaped away, jumping for a nearby tree and climbing up it. He carefully maneuvered down a branch that hung over his nest, trying to line up with his father who was occupied with wrestling Kaphi, who was creating the perfect distraction for him to leap down and ambush Kerchak.
He was directly above Kerchak when the branch made a loud snap. The branch shook as it gave slightly at the break, leaves rustling around him. Then, the branch snapped completely, and Tarzan shouted as he fell.
The fall stopped abruptly as Kerchak was able to catch his leg before he hit the ground, and he set his son down next to Kaphi.
“Careful,” Kerchak told him, “Dead branches are never for playing on.”
“I didn’t even know it was dead.” Tarzan righted himself and shook himself out. “It looked fine.”
“It was completely grey, and its bark was peeling,” Kerchak said, staring down at the pieces of the branch around them before glancing up at the tree. “It’s an old tree. You need to be careful where you put your weight when climbing one of those, if you absolutely must climb it, that is.”
“Oh. I guess I never really paid attention to the trees I was climbing before.”
“That explains why you’re always falling out of them.”
“Hey!” Tarzan pounced on his father, wrapping his arms around Kerchak’s neck and gently biting one of his ears. Kerchak shook his head to dislodge his son, though he didn’t have a chance to do much more as Kaphi ran forward and mouthed her father’s arm before she smiled up at Tarzan, who was sitting on Kerchak’s back watching her.
“Race you around the grounds!” she challenged.
“You’re on!” Tarzan said.
Tarzan jumped down, but Kerchak grabbed him down before he could run after his sister.
“Do not wander past the family grounds,” Kerchak warned. “And stay where I can at least still hear you.”
“Yes, Dad,” Tarzan said, and as soon as Kerchak released him, Tarzan bolted through the family as quickly as he could to catch up to his sister, who was enjoying her lead on her brother. They ran in a large circle around the nesting site, with Kaphi staying in the lead for the most part, and Tarzan decided to cheat his way ahead by swinging forward on a vine, dropping down in front of his sister to cut her off and take the lead.
“Hey, no fair!” Kaphi complained.
She darted off to the side to try and cut her brother off.
Tarzan saw her move and had to leap up for another vine when she slid directly in his path. He swung over her, sticking his tongue out at her. Kaphi snarled playfully as she followed him, trying to stay ahead of his vine swinging. After managing to stay ahead of his sister for several swings, Tarzan dropped to the jungle floor and charged through the trees, keeping as much of his lead as possible while Kaphi tried to catch up to him.
Kaphi managed to catch up a few times to Tarzan, cutting him off, and Tarzan darted around a tree. They blocked each other’s moves around the tree repeatedly, then Tarzan ran deeper into the trees, leading his sister in their games.
They were unsure of how long they played their game of chase, or of how far away from the family they had strayed until Tarzan nearly fell into the river while dodging an attack from Kaphi.
“Whoa!” Tarzan cried as he tumbled over the riverbank and nearly fell into the water below. He pulled himself up to safe ground and sat down to catch his breath, looking down at the river then up at his sister as Kaphi walked over to him and looked down at the river as well.
“If we’re by the river,” Kaphi questioned as she sat next to her brother, “are we too far away from the family?”
“I mean . . .” Tarzan hesitated as he looked through the thick jungle. “A little. But I know the way back; we’ll be fine. But we better get going before Dad notices us missing.”
Kaphi nodded in agreement.
Moving much slower as he was still a bit tired from his game, Tarzan led the way back through the jungle. He was ready for a nap, honestly, and he fought a yawn a couple times as the warm afternoon sun streamed through the trees, beating down on Tarzan’s back. Kaphi was unusually quiet, which clued Tarzan in to how tired she was feeling as well. A nap would be nice when they got back to their nest.
Shadows from the trees danced on the ground due to the sun streams, but Tarzan frowned at an odd-shaped shadow holding completely still, and he paused to stare at it closer, then looked up into the trees. He didn’t see anything, but that didn’t erase the unease that suddenly filled his chest, and he sniffed the air in hopes he might pick up on something like Kerchak was so good at doing, but he did not catch any whiffs.
He looked back at the ground but the shadow that had caught his attention was gone.
“Why did we stop?” Kaphi asked, pouting slightly.
“Shh,” Tarzan said. “Something doesn’t seem right.”
Kaphi huffed as she plopped down.
“Can’t we be home already?” she asked. “I want a nap.”
Tarzan tried sniffing the air again, taking a few cautious steps forward, his eyes scanning the thick brush. He didn’t see or hear anything, so he looked back at his sister to tell her to stay close, but his eyes widened at the large shape stalking through the trees behind her.
“Kaphi!” he cried.
Kaphi glanced over her shoulder and screamed as Sabor the leopardess leaped out of the shadows; claws aimed for the little ape.
Tarzan jumped for a branch, his heart in his throat as he watched Sabor chase his sister in the small clearing. The leopard cut off her escape each time she tried to move for a tree, and she screamed in terror as Sabor cornered her against a large boulder.
Thinking fast, Tarzan jumped down to the jungle floor. He picked up the first rock he could find, then threw it as hard as he could at Sabor.
“Hey!” he shouted.
The rock struck the cat in the cheek, and Sabor turned furious eyes on Tarzan, her ears flat against her head as she hissed.
“Come and get me!” Tarzan dared.
With a roar, Sabor ran after Tarzan, who climbed up the tree he had originally jumped for. Sabor slashed at him, and he backed up enough to avoid feeling her claws. He slipped around the tree and leaped for another branch, but she was right behind him, forcing him to keep climbing higher up another tree.
He glanced down in the clearing and saw Kaphi frozen against the rock still. He had to get her to safety but how?
Sabor’s teeth suddenly flashed before his eyes and Tarzan nearly fell backward out of the tree he was in as he cried out. He grabbed a vine and swung down to a lower branch in a different tree, and his eyes brightened when he spotted a hollow in a tree. It would be a tight squeeze, but he knew Kaphi would manage to get inside.
Sabor snarled as she leaped for the branch he was on, and Tarzan jumped way while he shouted to his sister and directed her to the hollow not far from where she was.
“Kaphi! Go there! Quickly!”
Kaphi blinked, then ran for the tree Tarzan pointed at, disappearing in the hollow. Tarzan leaped from one branch to another with Sabor at his heels, nipping and slashing in her attempts to catch Tarzan.
He grabbed a vine and swung away from her just as the big cat leaped for him, and he managed to throw himself into the hollow, disappearing inside with his sister.
“Kaphi, are you okay?” Tarzan asked. He looked her over for any injuries.
“I’m fine,” she said.
Sabor reached into the hollow with a paw, and they both screamed as they backed away, keeping just out of reach of Sabor’s claws.
After feeling around for a minute, Sabor pulled back and stared into the hollow, her yellow eyes piercing through the dark space and zeroing in on Kaphi and Tarzan. She growled lowly as she paced outside of the tree, then laid down in front of the hollow, her tail flicking lazily. Tarzan swallowed dryly. Sabor was waiting.
“What do we do now?” Kaphi asked, tears welling in her eyes. “We’re trapped and she’s going to eat us.”
“She’s not,” Tarzan reassured her. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“I want Mommy and Daddy,” Kaphi said before she started crying loudly.
“No, no, don’t cry,” Tarzan pleaded, hugging his sister comfortingly. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get out of here, I promise. I just need a minute to come with an idea.”
As scared as he was, Tarzan did his best to put on a brave face for his sister. He ignored his shaky body in favor of running a soothing hand over her small tuft of hair, and she returned the hug full force, her own shakiness ebbing away. After a moment, they were both much calmer, and Tarzan released his sister to think of a way to escape Sabor.
Tarzan looked around the small hollow he was in. The tree appeared to be hollow within as well, and there was a small stream of light above them, so Tarzan climbed up the narrow space, slipping slightly on the smooth surface. When Tarzan was level with the stream of light, he realized there was another hole in the tree, and he pulled pieces of bark loose and broke off more of the opening until he was able to squeeze through.
He cautiously moved along the branch, inching along until he could see what was below him. He saw Sabor in the clearing, her head on her paws, her eyes closed, and her tail flicking now and then. He started to back away when he heard a small crack, and he froze, the noise eerily familiar.
He looked down at the branch he was sitting on. It was very grey in color, and the bark was peeling around it. It was a dead branch. In fact, the entire tree they were hiding in was dead, which explained why it was so hollow on the inside and why the bark fell apart easily.
That gave Tarzan an idea.
“Here kitty, kitty,” he called to Sabor. “Up here!”
Sabor’s head snapped up and she bared her fangs at him.
“Na-na-na-na-na-na!” Tarzan taunted, making faces at the leopard.
Sabor leaped for the tree, then crawled her way up while Tarzan quickly shuffled back to the small hole he had managed to squeeze out of. He waited until Sabor was just under the branch, then stuck his tongue out at her and blew a loud raspberry. Sabor snarled as she swung herself up onto the branch Tarzan was on.
Now that she was up on the branch, Tarzan ducked back into the hold, but he wasn’t fast enough in avoiding Sabor’s paw as she swiped at him. He cried out as her claws managed to catch his chest, her paw pinning him against the smooth wood inside the tree.
“Tarzan!” Kaphi cried up to him.
Tarzan squirmed against the leopard’s hold. He was glad that this was all she could do since her head was too big to fit through the hollow, but he could hear her other paw digging away at the old wood, and the hollow was widening with each second.
Not knowing what else to do, Tarzan bit one of Sabor’s toes, and she yowled as she pulled her paw back, and Tarzan slid down the tree some, but he stopped himself halfway.
Sabor tore at the hollow entrance with fury, tearing the opening apart, and Tarzan heard the creaking of the branch as well, and he smirked.
“Come on, cat!” he shouted. “Is that the best you’ve got?”
“Tarzan, stop that!” Kaphi scolded, backing away in fear. “What are you doing?”
Sabor roared in response as she pushed her head through the hole, along with a paw, widening the hole more. At last, she was able to squeeze a shoulder in, and she had a head and one of her arms reaching for Tarzan, swatting at him.
Tarzan let himself fall the rest of the way back down the inside of the tree. He stayed close to Kaphi, watching as Sabor tried to push herself down after them, and she managed to break enough wood away to squeeze her other paw in, and she kicked at the branch she was standing on to push herself into the tree more.
Crack!
Sabor yelped as she jerked back slightly, using her claws to prevent her from falling out of the hollow after the branch she had been standing on snapped from under her. Her back end was now hanging, and her back paws clawed at the tree for support, but so much of the bark had peeled away that only slippery smoothness was left of the tree, and she struggled to get a grip. She couldn’t really move forward, and she couldn’t move back. For the moment, she was thoroughly stuck.
“Kaphi, let’s go!” Tarzan said, and he yanked his sister out of the hollow. They paused only for a second to make sure Sabor was really stuck, and Kaphi blew a raspberry at the leopard herself when she saw the cat struggling to free herself from the tree.
Tarzan urged her forward, and they ran through the jungle as fast as they could back to the family grounds, laughing all the way.
“You were amazing!” Kaphi said, leaping around her brother. “I was so scared, and you were like—come get me—and then Sabor was right behind you, and, and . . . you were so brave!”
“Thanks,” Tarzan said. “You were pretty brave too.”
“No,” Kaphi said shyly, pawing at the dirt. “Not like you.”
“You’ll get there. I’ll teach you everything I know.”
Tarzan walked with his head high and his eyes closed, and Kaphi grinned before copying her brother, and they arrived back to the family safely. They grabbed some fruit from a small pile collected by some of the family members, eating with vigor after their small adventure. Kala greeted them when they arrived to their shared nest, though she gasped at the scratches on Tarzan’s chest.
“What happened to you?” she asked, sniffing her son and licking the wounds a couple times.
“Mom, I’m okay,” Tarzan said, jumping away from his mother’s ministrations. “We just . . . err . . .”
“Tarzan saved me from Sabor,” Kaphi answered for him, and Tarzan winced at the honesty before giving his mother an innocent smile.
“Sabor? Where was this?” Kala frowned at her children.
“Oh, well . . .” Tarzan started.
“We accidentally ran all the way down to the river when we were chasing each other,” Kaphi said happily as she snuggled up against her mother. “On the way back home, Sabor attacked us, but Tarzan took care of everything. He got her all trapped in a tree and we got away. He’s a hero!”
Didn’t little sisters know some things should be left unsaid to their parents? Well, there was no getting out of this now. Kala gave her son a stern look, and Tarzan sighed and nodded.
“Yeah, that’s all true. It was an accident that we went too far though. We really didn’t mean it. Besides, I’m fine. They don’t even hurt.”
Tarzan resisted scratching at the injuries just to make a point.
“Your father’s not going to like that story,” Kala said. “He told you to stay in hearing distance of the family before you ran off, and even if you were busy playing, you two should have checked now and then to be sure you could still hear us. This could have been avoided.”
“Sorry, Mom,” Tarzan and Kaphi said.
Kala sighed, then pulled both kids into a hug.
“I’m just glad you are both safe,” she said, nuzzling them affectionately. “Though one of you will have to tell your father about what happened.”
“Not it!” Kaphi said, touching a finger to her nose.
“Aww, how are you so quick at that?” Tarzan complained, glaring at his sister’s smirk.