Father and Mother Woif listened to Shere Khan in the jungle not far away. Then suddenly , they heard a noise much nearer to them.
‘It’s a man . A man ‘s cub. Look!’ said Father Wolf.
And there in front of them stood a baby who could just walk. He looked up at Father Wolf and laughed.
‘Is that a man’s cub?’ asked Mother Wolf. ‘I have never seen one. Bring it here.’
The baby , small and with no clothes , pushed its way between the cubs to get near to Mother Wolf .
‘Look,’ she said , ‘he is taking his meal with the others,’
‘ I have heard that this has happened before,’ said Father Wolf ,’ ‘but I have never seen it until now. Look at him. He is not afraid.’
Suddenly, it was dark, and Shere Khan was pushing his great head in through the mouth of the cave.
‘We are pleased that you visit us, Shere Khan,’ said Father Wolf , but his eyes were angry. ‘What do you need ?’
‘I am hanting a man’ s cub,’ said Shere Khan. ‘Its father and mother have run away. Give it to me.’
Father Worf khew that Shere Khan could not get inside the cave because he was too big.
‘The man’s cub belongs to us,’ he said. ‘The Pack the other wolves and I-will decide. If we want to kill him , we will him not, you.’
‘The man’ s cub belongs to me! It is I, Shere Khan, who speaks!’ And Shere Khan’s roar filled the cave with noise.
‘No!’ came the angry voice of Mother Wolf. ‘The man’s cub belongs to me! We will not kill him. He will live, to run with the other wolves, to be my son. Now go away, fish –killer, eater of cubs Go!’
Shere Khan went. He knew that he could not fight Mother Wolf in the cave. ‘But I will have this man-cub one day, you thieves!’ he shouted from the jungle.
‘Do you really want to keep him, Mother?’ said Father Wolf.
‘Keep him?’ said Mother Wolf. ‘Yes. He came here by night, alone and hungry, but he was not afraid. Yes,I will keep him. Ant I will call him Mowgli, the frog.’
‘But what will the other wolves of the pack sat?’
By the Law of the jungle all wolf-cubs must come to the pack when they can walk.
The wolves look at the cubs carefully. Then the cubs are free to run anywhere because all the adult wolves knw then ad will not attack them.