Storynory presents, The Jungle Book, Mowgli’s Brothers, Part Two.
By Rudyard Kipling
Read by Richard Scott
Edited by Jana Elizabeth
Hello, This is Richard, and I am here with the second episode of the Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling. Last time we heard how a baby boy, Mowgli, was adopted by a family of wolves. Father wolf about to present him to the wolf pack. Will they accept the little man-cub?
And I’m delighted to dedicate this episode to Rae and Jasper who support Storynory.
Father Wolf waited till his cubs could run a little, and then on the night of the Pack Meeting took them and Mowgli and Mother Wolf to the Council Rock—a hilltop covered with stones and boulders where a hundred wolves could hide. Akela, the great gray Lone Wolf, who led all the Pack by strength and cunning, lay out at full length on his rock, and below him sat forty or more wolves of every size and color, from badger-colored veterans who could handle a buck alone to young black three-year-olds who thought they could. The Lone Wolf had led them for a year now. He had fallen twice into a wolf trap in his youth, and once he had been beaten and left for dead; so he knew the manners and customs of men. There was very little talking at the Rock. The cubs tumbled over each other in the center of the circle where their mothers and fathers sat, and now and again a senior wolf would go quietly up to a cub, look at him carefully, and return to his place on noiseless feet. Sometimes a mother would push her cub far out into the moonlight to be sure that he had not been overlooked. Akela from his rock would cry: “Ye know the Law—ye know the Law. Look well, O Wolves!” And the anxious mothers would take up the call: “Look—look well, O Wolves!”
At last—and Mother Wolf’s neck bristles lifted as the time came—Father Wolf pushed “Mowgli the Frog,” as they called him, into the center, where he sat laughing and playing with some pebbles that glistened in the moonlight.
Akela never raised his head from his paws, but went on with the monotonous cry: “Look well!” A muffled roar came up from behind the rocks—the voice of Shere Khan crying: “The cub is mine. Give him to me. What have the Free People to do with a man’s cub?” Akela never even twitched his ears. All he said was: “Look well, O Wolves! What have the Free People to do with the orders of any save the Free People? Look well!”
There was a chorus of deep growls, and a young wolf in his fourth year flung back Shere Khan’s question to Akela: “What have the Free People to do with a man’s cub?” Now, the Law of the Jungle lays down that if there is any dispute as to the right of a cub to be accepted by the Pack, he must be spoken for by at least two members of the Pack who are not his father and mother.
“Who speaks for this cub?” said Akela. “Among the Free People who speaks?” There was no answer and Mother Wolf got ready for what she knew would be her last fight, if things came to fighting.
Then the only other creature who is allowed at the Pack Council—Baloo, the sleepy brown bear who teaches the wolf cubs the Law of the Jungle: old Baloo, who can come and go where he pleases because he eats only nuts and roots and honey—rose upon his hind quarters and grunted.
“The man’s cub—the man’s cub?” he said. “I speak for the man’s cub. There is no harm in a man’s cub. I have no gift of words, but I speak the truth. Let him run with the Pack, and be entered with the others. I myself will teach him.”
“We need yet another,” said Akela. “Baloo has spoken, and he is our teacher for the young cubs. Who speaks besides Baloo?”
A black shadow dropped down into the circle. It was Bagheera the Black Panther, inky black all over, but with the panther markings showing up in certain lights like the pattern of watered silk. Everybody knew Bagheera, and nobody cared to cross his path; for he was as cunning as Tabaqui, as bold as the wild buffalo, and as reckless as the wounded elephant. But he had a voice as soft as wild honey dripping from a tree, and a skin softer than down.
“O Akela, and ye the Free People,” he purred, “I have no right in your assembly, but the Law of the Jungle says that if there is a doubt which is not a killing matter in regard to a new cub, the life of that cub may be bought for a price. And the Law does not say who may or may not pay that price. Am I right?”
“Good! Good!” said the young wolves, who are always hungry. “Listen to Bagheera. The cub can be bought for a price. It is the Law.”
“Knowing that I have no right to speak here, I ask your leave.”
“Speak then,” cried twenty voices.
“To kill a naked cub is shame. Besides, he may make better sport for you when he is grown. Baloo has spoken in his behalf. Now to Baloo’s word I will add one bull, and a fat one, newly killed, not half a mile from here, if ye will accept the man’s cub according to the Law. Is it difficult?”
There was a clamor of scores of voices, saying: “What matter? He will die in the winter rains. He will scorch in the sun. What harm can a naked frog do us? Let him run with the Pack. Where is the bull, Bagheera? Let him be accepted.” And then came Akela’s deep bay, crying: “Look well—look well, O Wolves!”
Mowgli was still deeply interested in the pebbles, and he did not notice when the wolves came and looked at him one by one. At last they all went down the hill for the dead bull, and only Akela, Bagheera, Baloo, and Mowgli’s own wolves were left. Shere Khan roared still in the night, for he was very angry that Mowgli had not been handed over to him.
“Ay, roar well,” said Bagheera, under his whiskers, “for the time will come when this naked thing will make thee roar to another tune, or I know nothing of man.”
“It was well done,” said Akela. “Men and their cubs are very wise. He may be a help in time.”
“Truly, a help in time of need; for none can hope to lead the Pack forever,” said Bagheera.
Akela said nothing. He was thinking of the time that comes to every leader of every pack when his strength goes from him and he gets feebler and feebler, till at last he is killed by the wolves and a new leader comes up—to be killed in his turn.
“Take him away,” he said to Father Wolf, “and train him as befits one of the Free People.”
And that is how Mowgli was entered into the Seeonee Wolf Pack for the price of a bull and on Baloo’s good word.
And that is the end of our second reading from the Jungle Book. Very soon, I’ll be telling you what life in the jungle was like when Mowgli grew up to be 10 years old.
And I’m delighted to dedicate this episode to Rae and Jasper who love listening to the stories while driving through the rainy Oregon forests and whose family kindly support us.
I liked the story
Hi — January 24, 2021
I loved this story Richard 🤑 WELL DONE👍👏 great story about the jungle book 2!!!!!!!!!
Ella — January 24, 2021
Yes maybe so
Nima — January 25, 2021
Yay Part 2 I loved this storynory well done!All of you guys are so amazing.❤ 🥳
And I’ve never been so early but it doesn’t matter I just love the jungle book!
From로제Rosé,Korea,byeee~(#^.^#)
로제Rose — January 25, 2021
i loved it
weewee — January 25, 2021
I loved it 💕😍
Hagar — January 25, 2021
This is fun too listen too and i hope the other parts come sooner and can i have a shout-out please🤗
Thank you
Arky — January 25, 2021
I love the story even though I have heard it a 100 times
Please answer😋🥰😍🥰😘😘✌️✌️😉😌😁😳😘😏😊👍
Somaan — January 25, 2021
Wow, Beautiful.
Simrah — January 26, 2021
I like the story
Anonymous — January 26, 2021
Well done Richard ✅
Anonymous — January 26, 2021
i dont like this..
sorry — January 26, 2021
I DIDNT LIKE THIS STORY
ERYK — January 26, 2021
Wow love this sooooo much💖🎉🎊😍❤️😘💕♥️👌👏
Nixd — January 26, 2021
Wow my sunny bunnies like it but not all
Sunny bunnies — January 26, 2021
I think it is ok and why do they call the man cub a frog
Anonymous — January 26, 2021
Hi 😷
“I loved it😎”
Jake pad — January 26, 2021
Is there going to be a part three and if there is when will it be posted? Also good job on the story!!😁😁
Please reply: Richard or Jana
Charlotte — January 27, 2021
Hello Charlotte, yes indeed Part 3 coming up. I’m just getting it ready. I’m glad you like it ☺️
Jana Elizabeth — January 27, 2021
I loved liked the story. The person who read the story. Well done Richard. Great werk. I even think the second one will be nice because the first one was realy nice.
sam — January 27, 2021
great story my family loved it they asked if u can shout them out😊😀😯
josiah — January 27, 2021
yes i did like he story it was really good
junior garcia — January 27, 2021
i like it 😍😎😎😎😎😍😎🎉🎉
Angad — January 28, 2021
good story i had a really good time plz can there be a part three i love jungle book its my favorite
Anonymous — January 28, 2021
Yes i like the Story because i find Wolfs total cute and pretty!
Jannat — January 28, 2021
Yes, I like this story!:) It is very nice!
Roblox — January 28, 2021
i love it so much😍😍
Anonymous — January 29, 2021
well done richard
Anonymous — January 29, 2021
well done Richared
Ahmed — January 29, 2021
Yup
Clayton — January 29, 2021
Fun story
Anonymous — January 29, 2021
Nice story
Hi — January 29, 2021
thanks….
Anonymous — January 30, 2021
The Jungle Book my Favorite book
kourtney mosley — February 1, 2021
good
yang — February 1, 2021
Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnngggggggggg Just kidding I adore it!!!
Tom — February 1, 2021
I love this story. I love the jungle book all together 🙂
Li — February 1, 2021
This story is amazing! well done 😀
Lee — February 1, 2021
Awesome 😎
Izuka — February 2, 2021
Im not sure if I actually like this its a bit no I mean very very long and its kinda of hard for me to read I like it but it could be a little short but I don’t like it that much because its long and I m old but its hard for me to read like it really long😟😟😟😬😬🙄🙄
Sorry Richard and Jana
🤧🤧😞😞😔😔😞😞😓😓
IM so sorry — February 3, 2021
😘😍😘😘😘😘😘🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰😘😘😘😘😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
LOVE IT
Jessie — February 3, 2021
I liked that story too
Abdallah — February 4, 2021
like
Arther — February 9, 2021
gooooooooooooooooood
eroc — February 9, 2021
Nice story
Anonymous — February 10, 2021
I really liked the book it was very interesting and short but other than that I really really liked it
Jack — February 10, 2021
idk how i felt about it srry
brayden — February 10, 2021
Omg, That was the best book ever, I knew storynory books are good!!!!!!!
Zoe Wang — February 19, 2021
i liked it because it is so funny.
Mia — February 23, 2021
I love this story thank you richard
renagade raider — February 23, 2021
I reallllyy like that 😊😀 :3
Hello — February 23, 2021
good part
unknown — February 23, 2021
i like this bit
jia — February 23, 2021
Wow this book is a bit more intense than when I watched the movie. They talk differently, too. (I watched the movie before I read the story :P)
Liliana — February 24, 2021
Ok Cool story
Shiba — February 25, 2021
I like the story. I like it. This is a very long story. I am used to it.
Syed — February 25, 2021
Awesome and cool!
Eason — February 25, 2021
I like this book
Anonymous — March 1, 2021