The Jungle Book Chapter 12

[00:00:00.00]The Jungle Book
[00:00:03.10]Chapter 12
[00:00:04.80]The Red Flower
[00:00:10.40]Later Mowgli returned to the cave. 
[00:00:15.00]Mother Wolf sensed something was wrong. 
[00:00:18.70]"What is it, son?"
[00:00:20.40]Mowgli didn't want to tell her about the other wolves. 
[00:00:24.30]"Oh, some bat was chattering about Shere Khan. 
[00:00:29.10]He's hunting nearby, so I think I'll hunt near the people's fields tonight." 
[00:00:34.40]With that, Mowgli hurried away, racing downward through the bushes.
[00:00:39.50]Near the stream at the bottom of the valley, he heard howls. 
[00:00:47.60]The wolves were hunting.
[00:00:50.90]"Spring, Akela!" a young wolf shouted. 
[00:00:54.50]"Show your strength!"
[00:00:58.10]Mowgli heard teeth snapping and then a yelp. 
[00:01:03.10]Akela had sprung at something—and missed. 
[00:01:06.80]Mowgli raced on toward the village.
[00:01:14.40]Mowgli had never come this close to the village before. 
[00:01:19.20]He slipped over to a hut and peered inside.
[00:01:24.40]A red flower glowed along one wall. 
[00:01:29.70]He watched a woman get up and blow on it. 
[00:01:33.30]Then she fed it some sticks.
[00:01:36.70]Mowgli sighed. 
[00:01:39.60]The red flower was dangerous. 
[00:01:42.60]What should he do?
[00:01:44.30]He waited through the night. 
[00:01:48.10]In the morning he saw a child pick up a pot. 
[00:01:53.30]The boy filled it with lumps of the red-hot flower.
[00:01:58.90]Mowgli laughed. 
[00:02:02.00]"That small cub can handle the red flower," he thought. 
[00:02:06.10]"So can I!"
[00:02:09.10]He ran at the boy and grabbed the pot. 
[00:02:13.50]Then he ran deep into the jungle. 
[00:02:19.40]After some time he stopped to blow at the red stuff as the woman had done. 
[00:02:27.90]"Now it's time to feed it." 
[00:02:30.50]He dropped twigs and bark on the red flower. 
[00:02:34.00]It quickly bloomed again. Mowgli grinned. 
[00:02:39.10]"I did it!"
[00:02:41.40]Halfway up the hill he met Bagheera.
[00:02:45.00]The panther looked worried. 
[00:02:47.30]"Akela failed at last night's hunt. 
[00:02:50.30]The wolves wanted to kill him, but they were looking for you instead."
[00:02:54.80]"I was in the valley. I am ready to fight now." 
[00:03:00.00]Mowgli held up the fire pot.
[00:03:03.70]Bagheera nodded. "Good." 
[00:03:06.00]Then he peered more closely at the red flower. 
[00:03:09.80]"Are you afraid of that thing? 
[00:03:11.70]It's dangerous when it blooms."
[00:03:14.30]Mowgli shrugged. 
[00:03:16.60]"I'm not afraid. 
[00:03:18.50]In fact, I remember it from long ago. 
[00:03:22.10]Before I was a wolf, I rested near the red flower. 
[00:03:26.90]It was warm and pleasant."
[00:03:31.50]That night Mowgli headed to the pack council. 
[00:03:35.80]He stayed in the back so the wolves wouldn't see the fire pot.
[00:03:40.20]Mowgli gulped when he saw the empty rock. 
[00:03:44.60]Akela lay beside it, injured from the hunt. 
[00:03:48.50]The pack was removing him as leader!
[00:03:52.30]Shere Khan walked around the rock, 
[00:03:55.80]young wolves trailing him. 
[00:03:58.50]When everyone had gathered, Shere Khan began to speak.
[00:04:04.10]"He has no right to speak here!" 
[00:04:06.60]Bagheera whispered furiously to Mowgli.
[00:04:09.90]Mowgli sprang to his feet. "Why is he —"
[00:04:13.30]"Quiet, man cub!" 
[00:04:15.60]some wolves yelled.
[00:04:17.50]Akela slowly raised his head. 
[00:04:20.50]"I'm weak and old. 
[00:04:23.00]Another wolf must fight me to become the pack's new leader."
[00:04:28.00]There was a long silence. 
[00:04:31.00]None wanted to fight Akela.
[00:04:34.30]"I want only the man cub," Shere Khan roared. 
[00:04:39.60]"Give me the man cub, and I will leave your pack alone."
[00:04:44.20]"Let the tiger take Mowgli!" a wolf yelled. 
[00:04:48.50]"Mowgli is not a wolf!"
[00:04:52.10]Akela lifted his head again. 
[00:04:55.10]"Mowgli has eaten our food and slept with us. 
[00:04:58.80]He has not broken the law of the jungle. 
[00:05:02.50]He's our brother."
[00:05:04.10]"No, he's a man!" the pack snarled. 
[00:05:08.90]Shere Khan's tail flicked.
[00:05:12.10]Bagheera glanced at Mowgli. 
[00:05:14.50]"Now!"
[00:05:16.20]Mowgli stood upright—showing the fire pot to the pack. 
[00:05:21.50]"You've often told me that I am not a wolf. 
[00:05:25.20]So I won't call you my sisters and brothers anymore!"
[00:05:30.00]He flung the fire pot on the ground. 
[00:05:33.40]Swiftly it bloomed into furious flames.