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Entry tags:
Eclipse of the Heart
Title: Eclipse of the Heart
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: Disney's The Jungle Book
Characters/Pairing: Baloo/Bagheera, Mowgli
Rating: G/K
Challenge/Prompt: SmallFandomFlsh #129: Eclipse
Word Count: 986
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners, not the author.
"Boy, they sure are mad!" Mowgli grimaced at the cacophony resounding throughout the jungle. Monkeys screeched, wolves howled, and other beasts, like Shere Khan, the human child was quite sure, roared.
"It's okay," Baloo assured his cub. He could feel his furless skin trembling against his bulk and so wrapped himself closer around the boy. "They're just mad," he explained, pausing for a long, slow yawn, "because they think Sister Moon is in trouble."
"But she's not, is she?" the child asked worriedly. "You said she was just going to visit her brother, the Sun."
"Uh, yeah," Baloo hesitated and scratched a flea. In truth, he didn't know where the moon or sun went when they disappeared. All he did know was that they always returned, so there was no reason to worry, not about them or about their lives possibly being in peril, as the other animals believed they would be without the moon's silver light to guide them on their nightly hunts, or anything else. He had Mowgli, Bagheera would return once the moon did, and they had plenty of food. Shere Khan was nowhere close enough to bother them except for being louder than any other roaring animal in the jungle. Life was good.
"You don't sound so sure, Poppa Bear."
"Well, the truth is, Little Breeches," Baloo answered, rolling over onto his back and hefting his cub onto his considerably large stomach, "I don't know where she is."
"But you said -- "
"Yeah, I said she went to visit her brother, the Sun, but I don't know where the Sun is," he hurriedly explained, eager not to let his cub know he was a liar.
"Oh." Mowgli's face fell, then began to scrunch as he started worry again. "But you're sure," he asked, looking back up at his Poppa Bear, "that she's okay?"
"Sure. Dig this, cub. She's done this before. She goes away and doesn't tell anybody where she's going, but she always comes back."
Mowgli looked out at the darkness. He had never seen anything so dark as the jungle was now underneath the eclipse. "But you're sure she's coming back?"
"Absolutely."
He curled into a ball on his father's stomach. His little hands softly clenched his gray fur. If his Poppa Bear said everything was going to be okay, then everything would be okay. There was no reason to worry. They had the bare necessities, each other and plenty of food, shelter, and water; they were fine. But, still, as he gazed outside and listened to the other animals screaming at the darkness to return the moon and throwing things at the night sky, he felt unsettled.
Baloo's paws went around him in a gentle hug. They lay like that, neither sleeping, for a while. Baloo's furry body rose and fell gently underneath Mowgli's fleshy cheek. "Cub," Baloo spoke again after some time had elapsed, "you're not sleeping."
"I can't."
"I told you she'll come back." A sliver of moonlight appeared. Baloo smiled and pointed the moonbeam out to his cub. "See? She's already returning."
"That was a quick trip."
"Sometimes they are."
They watched the moon reveal herself in all her glory again. The forest quieted. Eventually, the wolves began to howl again, but this time they sang to welcome the moon and thank her for her turn instead of yowling. Their songs usually easily lulled Mowgli to sleep, but he still couldn't sleep, not yet. "Poppa Bear?"
"Yeah, cub?"
"Are you ever going to disappear like the moon?"
Baloo was quiet for a moment. Mowgli grew more worried, raised up on his elbows, and looked down into the bear's face. Baloo smiled, wrapped his beefy arms around him, and tussled his short, black hair. "No," he swore. "I'm never gonna go anywhere. This jungle is my home." And you're my pack, he wanted to add but didn't.
"Good." Mowgli smiled and, now contented, quickly fell asleep in his poppa's arms. But now Baloo lay awake, looking out at the moonlit forest and thinking thoughts no happy-go-lucky bear should have to think.
Bagheera padded softly into the cave. He looked into Baloo's eyes and, instead of going to his usual spot, laid down beside him. He curled next to him. "Does it have to happen, Baggy?" Baloo whispered, his concerned voice as hushed as the quietly falling leaves outside.
Bagheera gently kneaded Baloo's shoulder, but his eyes were solemn as he watched their cub sleep. "We both know it will," he answered just as softly. "It's the way of life, the way of man."
Baloo wanted to argue that Mowgli wasn't a man, he was a bear, but they both knew better. Besides, as they watched, their cub stirred softly, and he knew further talking would awaken him again. He fell silent. Bagheera slept beside him, Mowgli on top of him, but he remained awake, awake and thinking.
I'm never gonna go anywhere. This jungle is my home, and you're my pack. He had told the truth. He wouldn't go anywhere, but Mowgli would. He would leave him, as the sun and moon did too, but unlike them, he would not return. In the dark, Baloo wept silently, but when the light of day came again, he was smiling and eagerly anticipating starting the new day with his cub and mate.
Still, when he stole a forlorn look at Mowgli's back, Bagheera nodded to him with an expression as grave as Baloo felt. Mowgli would leave them. They would be lost without him, as lost as any animal in the forest at night without the moon to guide them. Mowgli wouldn't return, but Baloo wasn't going to worry about that, or anything else, today. As long as he had his cub, he wouldn't worry. He'd make every day count instead, every day a party that his cub would remember for the rest of their years, even, and especially, if they never saw each other again.
The End
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: Disney's The Jungle Book
Characters/Pairing: Baloo/Bagheera, Mowgli
Rating: G/K
Challenge/Prompt: SmallFandomFlsh #129: Eclipse
Word Count: 986
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners, not the author.
"Boy, they sure are mad!" Mowgli grimaced at the cacophony resounding throughout the jungle. Monkeys screeched, wolves howled, and other beasts, like Shere Khan, the human child was quite sure, roared.
"It's okay," Baloo assured his cub. He could feel his furless skin trembling against his bulk and so wrapped himself closer around the boy. "They're just mad," he explained, pausing for a long, slow yawn, "because they think Sister Moon is in trouble."
"But she's not, is she?" the child asked worriedly. "You said she was just going to visit her brother, the Sun."
"Uh, yeah," Baloo hesitated and scratched a flea. In truth, he didn't know where the moon or sun went when they disappeared. All he did know was that they always returned, so there was no reason to worry, not about them or about their lives possibly being in peril, as the other animals believed they would be without the moon's silver light to guide them on their nightly hunts, or anything else. He had Mowgli, Bagheera would return once the moon did, and they had plenty of food. Shere Khan was nowhere close enough to bother them except for being louder than any other roaring animal in the jungle. Life was good.
"You don't sound so sure, Poppa Bear."
"Well, the truth is, Little Breeches," Baloo answered, rolling over onto his back and hefting his cub onto his considerably large stomach, "I don't know where she is."
"But you said -- "
"Yeah, I said she went to visit her brother, the Sun, but I don't know where the Sun is," he hurriedly explained, eager not to let his cub know he was a liar.
"Oh." Mowgli's face fell, then began to scrunch as he started worry again. "But you're sure," he asked, looking back up at his Poppa Bear, "that she's okay?"
"Sure. Dig this, cub. She's done this before. She goes away and doesn't tell anybody where she's going, but she always comes back."
Mowgli looked out at the darkness. He had never seen anything so dark as the jungle was now underneath the eclipse. "But you're sure she's coming back?"
"Absolutely."
He curled into a ball on his father's stomach. His little hands softly clenched his gray fur. If his Poppa Bear said everything was going to be okay, then everything would be okay. There was no reason to worry. They had the bare necessities, each other and plenty of food, shelter, and water; they were fine. But, still, as he gazed outside and listened to the other animals screaming at the darkness to return the moon and throwing things at the night sky, he felt unsettled.
Baloo's paws went around him in a gentle hug. They lay like that, neither sleeping, for a while. Baloo's furry body rose and fell gently underneath Mowgli's fleshy cheek. "Cub," Baloo spoke again after some time had elapsed, "you're not sleeping."
"I can't."
"I told you she'll come back." A sliver of moonlight appeared. Baloo smiled and pointed the moonbeam out to his cub. "See? She's already returning."
"That was a quick trip."
"Sometimes they are."
They watched the moon reveal herself in all her glory again. The forest quieted. Eventually, the wolves began to howl again, but this time they sang to welcome the moon and thank her for her turn instead of yowling. Their songs usually easily lulled Mowgli to sleep, but he still couldn't sleep, not yet. "Poppa Bear?"
"Yeah, cub?"
"Are you ever going to disappear like the moon?"
Baloo was quiet for a moment. Mowgli grew more worried, raised up on his elbows, and looked down into the bear's face. Baloo smiled, wrapped his beefy arms around him, and tussled his short, black hair. "No," he swore. "I'm never gonna go anywhere. This jungle is my home." And you're my pack, he wanted to add but didn't.
"Good." Mowgli smiled and, now contented, quickly fell asleep in his poppa's arms. But now Baloo lay awake, looking out at the moonlit forest and thinking thoughts no happy-go-lucky bear should have to think.
Bagheera padded softly into the cave. He looked into Baloo's eyes and, instead of going to his usual spot, laid down beside him. He curled next to him. "Does it have to happen, Baggy?" Baloo whispered, his concerned voice as hushed as the quietly falling leaves outside.
Bagheera gently kneaded Baloo's shoulder, but his eyes were solemn as he watched their cub sleep. "We both know it will," he answered just as softly. "It's the way of life, the way of man."
Baloo wanted to argue that Mowgli wasn't a man, he was a bear, but they both knew better. Besides, as they watched, their cub stirred softly, and he knew further talking would awaken him again. He fell silent. Bagheera slept beside him, Mowgli on top of him, but he remained awake, awake and thinking.
I'm never gonna go anywhere. This jungle is my home, and you're my pack. He had told the truth. He wouldn't go anywhere, but Mowgli would. He would leave him, as the sun and moon did too, but unlike them, he would not return. In the dark, Baloo wept silently, but when the light of day came again, he was smiling and eagerly anticipating starting the new day with his cub and mate.
Still, when he stole a forlorn look at Mowgli's back, Bagheera nodded to him with an expression as grave as Baloo felt. Mowgli would leave them. They would be lost without him, as lost as any animal in the forest at night without the moon to guide them. Mowgli wouldn't return, but Baloo wasn't going to worry about that, or anything else, today. As long as he had his cub, he wouldn't worry. He'd make every day count instead, every day a party that his cub would remember for the rest of their years, even, and especially, if they never saw each other again.
The End