森林王子（上）：狼群之子與叢林法則

Suddenly, from the thick bushes at the bottom of the valley, a terrifying sound shattered the quiet evening. It was the dry, angry, snarl-like whine of a tiger who has seen nothing and does not care who knows it. 'It is Shere Khan, the Big One,' said Father Wolf. 'He is hunting man tonight!'

Under the ancient Law of the Jungle, no beast is permitted to hunt Man, for man-killing brings human hunters with torches and guns, making the jungle unsafe for all. A moment later, the bushes rustled, and out stepped a naked brown baby who could just walk. The little boy looked up into Father Wolf's face and laughed fearlessly.

'Is that a man's cub?' asked Mother Wolf in wonder. 'Bring it here.' Father Wolf gently picked up the child in his powerful jaws without leaving a single tooth mark on his tender skin, setting him down among the wolf cubs.

At that moment, the dark striped head of Shere Khan the tiger thrust into the cave entrance, accompanied by Tabaqui the jackal. 'My quarry! A man's cub went this way,' roared the tiger. 'Give it to me!'

Mother Wolf sprang forward, her eyes blazing like two green moons in the darkness. 'The man's cub is mine!' she snarled fiercely. 'He shall not be killed! He shall live to run with the Free Pack and hunt with us; and in the end, lame hunter of cattle, he shall hunt you!' Shere Khan backed out of the cave mouth, growling that the Free Pack would decide the cub's fate.

When the full moon rose, Father Wolf brought the child to the Council Rock, where over forty wolves sat under the leadership of Akela, the great gray Lone Wolf. The tiger roared from the shadows, demanding the child, and several young wolves muttered in fear.

According to the Law of the Jungle, if a dispute arises over a cub, two members of the pack who are not its parents must speak for it. Baloo, the sleepy brown bear who teaches the wolf cubs the Law of the Jungle, stood up on his hind legs: 'I speak for the man's cub. There is no harm in him. Let him run with the Pack, and I will teach him.'

Then a dark shadow dropped into the circle of moonlight. It was Bagheera the Black Panther, sleek, black as ink, and terrible in battle. 'To kill a naked cub is shameful,' purred Bagheera in a silky voice. 'The Law says a cub may be bought for a price. I offer a fat bull, newly killed, if you accept the boy.'

The hungry wolves accepted the bull, and the man's cub was formally received into the Seeonee wolf pack. They named him Mowgli, which means 'the Little Frog' because of his smooth, hairless skin.

For ten golden years, Mowgli grew up strong and agile in the Indian jungle. Baloo taught him the Master Words of the Jungle—the secret calls that allowed him to ask for safety from the hunting snakes, the birds of prey, and the wild bees. Bagheera taught him how to climb trees, swim swift rivers, and hunt with silence and respect.

Mowgli loved his jungle life. He pulled thorns from the wolves' paws, wrestled with his brother cubs, and learned to look steadily into the eyes of any beast until it looked away, proving the natural power of Man.

One afternoon, while resting high in the trees, Mowgli was seized by the Bandar-log—the lawless, chattering Monkey People! The monkeys carried Mowgli away through the treetops, leaping from branch to branch at dizzying speeds, dreaming that the human boy would teach them how to weave sticks and become masters of the jungle.

Remembering Baloo's lessons, Mowgli shouted the Master Word of the Birds to Chil the Kite soaring above: 'Mark my trail! Tell Baloo and Bagheera!'

Chil flew swiftly to the bear and the panther. Knowing that the monkeys were terrified of only one creature in the entire jungle, Bagheera and Baloo sought out Kaa the Rock Python, a giant serpent thirty feet long with deadly hypnotic power.

The three rescuers rushed through the night to the Cold Lairs—an ancient, ruined city swallowed by the jungle, where the Monkey People had imprisoned Mowgli inside a roofless stone dome surrounded by thousands of shrieking apes.

Bagheera leaped into the ruined courtyard, fighting off hundreds of biting monkeys, while old Baloo charged in like a living battering ram. But the sheer number of apes threatened to overwhelm them until Kaa the python glided silently over the stone walls.

The mere sight of Kaa struck terror into the monkeys' hearts. 'Kaa! It is Kaa!' they screamed in panic, freezing in their tracks. Kaa struck the stone wall with his heavy head, shattering the dome and freeing Mowgli.

Mowgli thanked his brave rescuers with the formal Jungle Words of brotherhood. That night, as the moon shone over the ancient ruins, Bagheera reminded Mowgli that a greater battle lay ahead: Shere Khan was poisoning the minds of the younger wolves against Akela, and the day was coming when Mowgli would have to face the tiger with the power of Man.