Kerchak

Tarzan led the way deeper into the jungle. Me and the others followed her closely, aware that it wouldn't be difficult for us to get lost in the deep jungle. Clayton's hands were clued to her shotgun as though they were physically attached. We walked in silence.

We had been walking for quite a deep before we reached a small lagoon.

Tarzan examined a growth of ivy that could be found on one of the trees.

"Felix," she said firmly.

The jungle girl immediately pointed at the growth of ivy and gestured toward the top of the tree, making climbing movements with her hands. My jaw dropped.

"Y'mean, we gotta climb up this tree?" I asked in disbelief.

The other members of the group spun around to look at me and Tarzan. Tarzan merely nodded and smiled. I stared at the ivy for a moment before taking a deep breath and climbing on.

I looked over my shoulder, down to where everyone remained.

"It's okay guys!" I assured them, "Just... don't look down!"

Glaze nodded and looked over at her companion, "Okay. Let's go, Tank."

The growth of the vine led us into the trees. There were vines dangling everywhere.

We saw what looked man-sized gorilla-chimpanzee hybrids. One of them had to be Kerchak. Tarzan looked to the Mangani with a plaintive expression. Three Mangani; two distinctly male and the other female. The larger male Mangani, who must be their leader, stared back gravely, but the female Mangani had an almost melancholy look?

Tarzan moved forward slowly. The largest Mangani stared angrily at her as she approached.

Tarzan began speaking to the larger Mangani with more of those disjointed syllables I’d heard from her earlier, though he could recognise the name ‘Kerchak’. She spoke to them primarily in grunts and murmurs.

At the end there was an apprehensive pause when Tarzan finished, and looked to the largest Mangani for their response.

“Uh, did you get any of that?” Tank bent over to ask me and Glaze.

“No,” Glaze said.

“Kerchak…” Tarzan trailed off, watching the largest Mangani stalk off. Behind him, the other two Mangani followed, but I noticed the female one kept her gaze on Tarzan, and looked regretful.

“Does Tarzan, um…” I looked to Jane, who was now watching the Mangani stride away, “Does he know them? I know he knows Kerchak, but does he, like, know the other two Mangani?”

“We know she was raised in this jungle by the Mangani, when she was presumably abandoned here as a small child,” Jane contemplated, “Her motor skills and posture make me think she was raised by the Mangani since at least toddlerhood, if not infancy. Tarzan’s demeanour when we first encountered her was quite like the accounts written of Victor of Aveyron, another feral child from some centuries before. Those Mangani may be the only family Tarzan has ever had.”

Tarzan turned to us, then, upset.

“Kala mother. Tublat father? Not father?” He shook his head sadly, “Tublat not say. Tarzan not know. Tarzan here all life.”

“Oh dear,” Jane sighed.

"Hey, where'd Clayton go?" I asked.

There was no trace of the British woman.

But whatever any of us was planning to say next was interrupted by the bang of a distant gunshot, and everyone straightened immediately.

“Clayton!” Tarzan shouted.

“Oh no, she must have found a Mangani!” Jane cried, “She kept insisting on pursuing the poor creatures! That liar! How could she do such a thing?!” Jane spat angrily, “We have to hurry, she could have found more!”

Without another word, Tarzan took off through the trees, climbing up the tree trucks as fast as she could.

And with that, we followed after her. We arrived back at the treehouse. Clayton had shot a young female Mangani.

"What's the big idea!" Glaze roared.

We glared at Clayton for a moment, Glaze panting for breath. Clayton stared warily at Tarzan. The jungle girl moved forward, stepping deeper into the tree house.

"Teeka?"

The Mangani returned Tarzan's gaze. Tarzan caught the sight of Kerchak. The Mangani first looked at Clayton, his eyes practically spewing fiery rage, then at Tarzan. He grunted angrily and turned to leave.

It was then that everyone's expressions hardened in rage and every pair of eyes turned on Clayton.

"You don't understand," she told us, defensively, "I was only trying to..." she searched frantically for something to say, "Ah. A snake slithered by, you see," the words were practically stumbling over themselves clumsily, "I saved that poor Mangani' life!"

Tarzan glared at Clayton.