Akela looked up, old and tired. ‘Free people, I have been your leader for many years. In all that time no wolf has died in the hunt. But this time I did not kill my deer. The Law of the Jungle says that you must come one by one.’
No one spoke. Akela was old, but nobody wanted to fight Akela alone.
Then Shere Khan spoke. Bah! This old wolf is not important. He will die soon. It is the man-cub who has lived too long. Give him to me.’
‘A man! A man!’ cried most of the younger wolves angrily. ‘A man does not belong in the
Wolf-pack.’
Mowgli is our brother,’ said Akela. ‘He has done nothing wrong. Let him go to his own place.’
‘He is a man,’ cried Shere Khan and most of the wolves.
Mowgli stood up, the fire –pot I his hands. He was very angry, and very sad.
‘You have said many times that I am a man. I was your brother, but I will not call you my brothers again. I will decide on my life or my death, not you. I am a man, and to show you, I have brought the Red Flower with me.’
He dropped the fire-pot on the ground and some of the fire fell out. The wolves were very afraid and moved back. Mowgli held a long piece of wood in the fire and the end began to burn brightly.
‘You are the leader now,’ said Bagheera softly. ‘Help Akela. He was always your friend.’
‘Good,’ said Mowgli. He looked at the frightened wolves. ‘I go from you to my people – the world of men. But first . . . ’ and Mowgli went to Shere Khan. ‘This killer of cows wanted to kill me. This is what men do to killers of cows,’ and he hit Shere Khan on the head with the burning stick. The tiger was very frightened.
‘Go now,’ said Mowgli to Shere Khan. ‘The next time I come to this rock, it will be with your dead body. I tell you this also, my brothers, you will not kill Akela – because I do not want that. Akela is free to live.’
And Mowgli jumped at the young wolves with his burning stick and they all ran away. In the end there were only Akela, Bagheera, and a few older wolves left. Then something began to hurt Mowgli inside him and, for the first time in his life, tears ran down his face.
‘What is it? What is it? Am I dying, Bagheera?’
‘No, Little Brother. You are a man, and these are men’s tears. But you must go – the jungle is closed to you now.’
‘Yes,’ said Mowgli. ‘I will go to men. But first I must say goodbye to my mother.’ And he went to the cave and cried on Mother Wolf’s coat.
‘You will not forget me?’ Mowgli said to his wolf-family.
‘Never,’ said his wolf-brothers. ‘Come to the foot of the hill when you are a man, and we will talk with you.’
‘Come soon, little frog,’ said Father Wolf, ‘because your Mother and I are getting old.’
‘I will surely come,’ said Mowgli, ‘and I will bring the coat of Shere Khan and put it on the Meeting Rock.’
And in the morning Moowgli went down the hill alone to meet those strange things that are called men.