Leela Kamala / Mowgli (impractical) wrote in fableless, @ 2016-09-19 21:49:00 |
|
|||
Mowgli was in a good mood. Was it the sunny day or the good hunt the pack had? Not really. No, what had him particularly grinning was because on this day, Baloo the bear needed his help. He liked being on this side of it for once, not needing to hear about the laws of the jungle on and on, but that his expertise was more important for once. He was going to enjoy it too, and the wild boy had no ability to hide his glee. He was well known from his brothers and sisters as being the one who could take out painful thorns from their paws, usually in exchange for licks and a juicier piece of the hunt. His dark hair was long, past his shoulders, if it got in the way he'd tie it around himself or slice it off entirely using a sharp piece of wood. It wasn't easy, but it worked. He wished he had fur the way the others did, the way Baloo did, because amongst them, his tender and weak flesh shown, he was the odd one. "So you need help with your paw. Do I need to explain the lesson to you?" Mowgli had a heart of fierceness, but it was playful too, dark eyes sparkling with mirth. It was never cruel, for wolves were not cruel, just playful. Baloo was in a bit of a pickle at the moment, and since Mowgli was really the only one who could help him, he hesitated to ask, because he knew the boy would give him that very look he was receiving right now. And Baloo did not like that look. He sat glumly on a rock and held out his one paw for inspection, resting his chin on the other. “Yes, yes, very funny when the master suddenly becomes the pupil,” Baloo eyed Mowgli from beneath his lashes with a wry expression. “Something tells me you’ve already made up your mind, and I am merely along for the ride, little brother.” Mowgli laughed and back rolled, snapping fluidly back to his feet. He was all elbows and knees, for a man cub, but had this unusual amount of agility and constancy of motion. Sitting still was not for him. It was his worst quality as a hunter, and patience, patience, patience was always being pushed into him. He was very gentle with the paw, for all his mocking, scrambling up to the rock so it would be easiest. He was small compared to the bear on any day, but he was smaller than all of them, outside of the pups. He wiggled his fingers at Baloo. "This is one of those instances when these are more useful than your big mean ones." With sharp fangs and paws and teeth, it was difficult for them to get out small things. With Mowgli's slim hands, it was a different story. He squinted and took a close look. "I wonder if I'm still going to be able to do this when I'm grown up. How big do you think they'll get?" He'd never really compared himself to a man, and he didn't really intend to. They could give him all the answers anyway. Mowgli was a good boy, despite his mischievous looks and silly games, and Baloo looked on fondly as the man cub popped back to his feet. He was kind and inquisitive, always wanting to know how the world worked, how the jungle worked. And Baloo was always happy to answer his questions, even when they came out at moments like this when all he really wanted was the thorn out of his paw. But the distraction was helpful, and after considering how to best answer Mowgli’s question, he made a circle to indicate the general area that his hand would one day take up. “Almost as big as mine,” Baloo replied, giving his paw back to the boy to remove the offending article. “But nimbler,” he continued to explain, and then took a deep breath. “All right. I am ready.” Mowgli blinked at the paw and smiled. "I'm going to get that big? Ha, I'll show all the cubs." He'd never seen a man before, so he could only trust that Baloo knew all the things that he didn't know about the mysterious race he came from. He knew that the other animals feared man and didn't like them, but they were alien to him. He would never be one, not truly. "Oh look!" His eyes were wide, pointing over Baloo's shoulder. "Oh they'd better stop that or someone's going to get mad." He was very good at selling these things, so that when Baloo's attention was diverted that way, Mowgli could grab a hold of the thorn and pull it right out with one sharp tug. It stung for sure, but it would heal, unlike if it was stuck there forever. He'd done diversionary tactics for most, but this was Baloo's first. Otherwise he would have known the trick. “They'll likely still be stronger than you,” Baloo chided, but then looked away as Mowgli pointed out someone causing trouble. He spun in his seat as best he could with his paw still in Mowgli’s hand, trying to spot the perpetrators. He'd still been looking when Baloo felt a sharp pain where the thorn had been. “You tricked me.” Baloo said accusingly. Mowgli shrugged, unrepentant. "You might've stiffened up or flinched if you were looking at it. That makes it tougher." Trickery and deceit were not outside of the realm of the animal kingdom, but it certainly wasn't to the level of man. Outside of the monkeys. He peered at the thorn, bloodied and now in his fingers. "This is bigger than I thought, ouch." He reached over to pick up a leaf he'd brought and put it over the paw. "Hold it there against where the thorn came out, it stops the red from coming out as much." Mowgli grinned up at him. "Good thing I was here, big brother, or it would've taken awhile to get it out. What do we say?" The bear still made a displeased face; the meritable point the man cub had made more annoying than anything. With a huff, Baloo took the leaf and did as Mowgli instructed. “How did you get so smart?” He guessed, shaking his head, trying to hide the smile that was growing despite his annoyance. "It could be that I had good teachers …." Mowgli trailed off, dark eyes sparkling with humor. "But that would be a lie." He rolled backward off the rock, landing easily on his hands, walking on them as easily as he did his legs. He looked up at Baloo upside down, his grin appearing to be a frown at this angle. "I was born this clever." He laughed and flipped onto his feet. The wolf cubs chose that minute to sweep by him, excited. Despite his attitude, Mowgli paused before joining them, looking to Baloo for permission to play. He might be a scoundrel, but he was also a man-cub, and the bear his teacher. “Then you should know what my answer is without me having to tell you,” Baloo laughed, and waved Mowgli off to run along and play. Mowgli's grin smoothed and softened into a real smile. He then turned to his brothers and sisters and howled, running off after them to return to the pack. |