The python slithered up over the air, its neck rose up and its head down as its eyes gazed to Elsa. Elsa stood still within the snake's coils that wrapped around, holding her tight. The snake moved around Elsa, continuing to face toward her. It hissed, as it thin red tongue slipped out from its mouth and then back in within a quick second. The jungle girl turned to face toward the python, following around with the large rock snake.

"Sssssay now." it said with the voice of a female, hissing upon every s-word she spoke.

"What do we have here?"

The snake came around to face Elsa.

"Why, if it isssssn't a girl-cub."

Elsa gazed to the snake, looking to the python with great fear.

"Ssssuch a ssssweet little girl-cub at that."

"Please don't eat me." Elsa begged the snake.

The python only chuckled.

"Calm now, little cub." She said.

"I won't hurt you."

The snake hissed at her as she came forth to the girl. Elsa gazed into the Kaa's sharp eyes. She could see several colours, following behind one another. Elsa found herself to be completely still, unable to control herself. She began feeling somewhat relaxed and so... comfortable. Her fear of Kaa had began to fade away,

"Let go of your fear now, little cub." She said.

"I am your friend... I'll keep you closssse...I'll protect you."

The snake rose up from the little brunette girl. Elsa then snapped from the snake's control. She closed her eyes and shook her head, before looking back up at the Rock Python.

"Who are you?" Elsa asked curiously.

"I am Kaa." The snake said.

Suddenly, Elsa was raised high in the trees, where Kaa brought her to a space between the reaching limbs of the tree. She came down between the few large limbs, coming on her feet. Kaa's coils slithered around her, unraveling the girl from her holding. Kaa's head came from above, her head stopping at the same level as Elsa's and the her long neck coming downward the rest of the way.

"I have heard sssso much in the jungle in the recent time." Kaa explained.

"The pride of Mufassa has come to accept a girl cub assss one of their own, cared for by the white lionessss."

Elsa nodded her head, smiling.

"Diata." Elsa said.

"I'm her daughter."

"As I sssee." said Kaa.

"I have sssseen cubssss of man in ssssuch rare times. But never have I known one that hassss come to grips of learning the life of the jungle."

Kaa slithered around to the right of Elsa, as the young girl turned to face the snake.

"After all." said Kaa.

"The jungle issss far too dangeroussss for one ssssso young and beautiful asssss you. SSSShhhhere Khan, the tiger would kill you with but one touch of hisssss paw."

Elsa knew of that name. Diata had told Elsa of those within their jungle home, who would be considered a danger to Elsa. Scar, Mufassa's banished brother, The leopard, Sabor, the three hyenas, Shanzi, Banzai and Ed, Zira, the lionees and her many followers and lastly, the lame tiger himself, Shere Khan. Diata explained that Shere Khan was but one of the jungles most feared and respected. He had a great hate for man, being that he was exposed to the many burdens of man and swore to vanquish the opposing threat to the jungle.

If he were to meet Elsa, she would no doubt be seen as a threat. Though, Shere Khan hunts far in the jungle, kept in a great distance from Elsa. Also, Shere Khan wouldn't dare to go against Mufassa; he was much stronger than the lame one.

"But my mother told me Shere Khan was far away." said Elsa.

"SSSSooo true, little cub." said Kaa.

"The stripped one is so far. But sssshall you cross pathssss with him or the King'ssss brother, SSSScar, sssshall you, little cub not walk into their mouthssss."

"I won't walk into their mouths." said Elsa, knowing that she was protected by her mother and friends of the jungle.

"I am a friend to all the animals; they would protect me from Scar and Shere Khan."

"Perhapssss." said Kaa.

"The jungle musssst sssshow great love to you. But to what isss one like you sssso far from your own kind."

Elsa frowned and narrowed her head. The reason for her life in the wilderness of the jungle was far from what she could explain, let alone bare a word to explain it.

"I-I came here with my...parents." Elsa said, trying to explain.

"But they-"

Elsa paused, thinking of her parents felt so unbearable and so torturing to her. She couldn't find the strength to Kaa saw the pain and agony of the young girl. Thinking of her parents made her feel so sad inside.

"Ohhhh." She said as she slithered around the girl.

"You poor little cub."

Elsa could feel the snakes large coil drag across her body.

"Come now." said Kaa turning to face her.

"Don't be sssso ssssad."

Kaa's head came forth, bending to reveal the top, it set down Elsa's forehead. The wild girl could hear Kaa's hissing. She looked up as Kaa departed from her, a single tear rolled down from let left eye. Seeing the tear slid down her cheek and finally drops down, is when the snake was then met by Elsa's fading wound.

"What'ssss thissss?" She said, looking to the young girl's shoulder.

The python stared to the wound in the girl's shoulder. A sight that was all so familiar to the snake. A wound she had seen long before, the people of the jungle greatest fear to be known. Elsa looked down to the gunshot wound that was disappearing in the slowest manner. She placed her hand upon it, covering with her palm.

"It issss the mark of man." Said Kaa, knowing what it was the girl had been marked with.

"So does their burden come down upon their own cub?"

Elsa looked back up to Kaa.

"A man did this to me." Elsa said, remembering Jack's uncle with his gun.

"He was trying to get me and my mother."

Kaa never knew of a hunter of man to bring harm to their own cubs. While it was, man breaks the jungles law of hunting; they always looked after their own children as far as she knew. It was such a great shock to know a hunter had tried to kill one of their own.

"It would sssseem sssso." said Kaa.

"Man would not hunt one of their own. But it would be known for you, little cub. Man hasss turn away from you."

"But why?!" Elsa asked, curiously.

Kaa slithered around Elsa. The wild girl turned to face her, as Kaa looked back to her.

"Climb on, little cub."

Elsa looked down to Kaa's large Coil. The wild girl came up and climbed on the snake's back, holding tight the snakes round, body frame. Kaa then turned, looking ahead and began to slither down and slithered across the long, bark covered tree branch, Elsa hanging onto the back of the large rock python. Through the tops of the trees, Kaa slithered forward in a zigzag formation. Elsa looked all over at her surroundings, passing through tree after tree, countless branches covered by lush green leaves.

Elsa looked up front to Kaa.

"Where are we going?" The wild girl asked curiously.

"To the river ahead." Kaa answered.

"There issss ssssomething I wissssh to sssshare with you."

The two had come to the end of the jungle, where the river separates the other side. Kaa came to the last end of branch, came off and lowered herself down into the rushing river. Elsa came down into the water with the Rock Python. With a big splash, Elsa came into the rushing river; she shook her head, ridding the waters from her.

"Tell me, little cub." said Kaa, going downstream.

"What do you ssssee? What issss all around you?"

Elsa looked all over, to all sides there was the lush jungle, from there and far ahead was the lush, tropical forest of Africa. The tall dense trees that sprouted high to the air, the green petals that cover every end of every branch, and the lush plants that grows from the moist jungle soil below. This was but what Kaa was referring to, the jungle that was her home.

"The jungle." Elsa answered.

"Yesss." Kaa said, moving back and forth through the water.

"It issss the jungle, little cub. That is but the ansssswer to your quessstion."

Elsa looked curiously to Kaa.

"But how, Kaa?" Elsa asked curiously.

"How is the jungle the answer to my question?"

"Becausssse, little cub." said Kaa.

"You are but part of the jungle. You are one of it'ssss thriving; you are learning it'ssss lawssss and living under it'ssss way to Life."

Elsa thought to Kaa's answer was. She knew she was now one of the many cubs of the jungle. She was being taught the laws by the Black Panther, Bagheera, and from Baloo the bear. She took under the lions that raised her for these many passing months of her life in the jungle. She followed in their ways of life, also learned the traits of all the animals she called her friends. So was it true? Was it that she was really one of the jungles thriving? Was this was Jack's uncle had shot her?

"So, I am part of the jungle?" Elsa asked curiously.

"Yesss, little cub, yessss." Kaa answered.

It seemed to be that the pieces she had, looked to fall into place. It was now apparent to her, that man had cast her away, because she was now of the wild heritage. Elsa was a jungle girl, who had fled away from human nature, choosing to live the life of a wild animal. As so, man had cast her away because of this.

Further up the river, there were large flat rocks that stuck out from the river. Kaa moved toward the rocks and slithered atop their hard, smooth surface. Elsa came out of the water and upon coming onto the flat surface; the wild girl came off of Kaa's long coil and sat before the python.

Kaa rose her head up as she looked to Elsa.

"You have great love for your lush home, don't you?" Kaa asked curiously.

Elsa nodded her head yes. She loved the jungle like the animals that raised her, it was wide and free. it gave food, it gave shelter, and also, it gave such fun. The jungle was truly her home, never had she felt like this in her short life among humans

"I do." she said.

"I love the jungle."

"AAAhhhh." Kaa responded.

"Do you not ssssee, little cub. You bare the respect for the wild, one that man hassss failed to show."

Kaa knew this to be true. Man had taken for granted the treasures and gifts of the jungle. They fail to honour the law, for they have broken many before, the guiltiest of this crime against the jungle was the white men. Hunting for pleasure and without the need for food, tearing down the trees, wiping away all that nature created. Man had done so much, taken without giving back. But Elsa had proven to be the opposite of her own kind.

She is proving herself to truly be one of the jungles. She is leaning to follow the laws, to be part of the lush forest as the others. This was also hard for Elsa to understand. She had been cast away from her own kind, for the reason of being part of the jungle. Elsa narrowed her head, pondering to herself. All that had happened, the plane crash, the roar and the wound of the gun. This was a clear sign that man had banished her to the wild lands of Africa.

Elsa looked back and down into the rushing water. She stared down at her reflection. To know her own kid had rejected her, it was far too much to take in.

"So, my own kind wants me gone?" Elsa questioned.

"But why do they?"

Elsa looked back to Kaa.

"I'm one of them."

"No, little cub." Kaa explained.

"You are no longer of their world."

Elsa frowned, narrowing her eyes. The truth was hard to accept, but it had to be for what it was. Elsa looked up to Kaa. She then felt Kaa's coil pass by her hand. The wild girl gazed down and looked to Kaa's long body. He skin, so wet and scaly, a dark grey covered by a pattern of yellow. Elsa placed her hand down upon Kaa's long body.

"Your skin looks so beautiful, Kaa." said the wild girl as she looked up to the python.

Kaa smiled gratefully at the girl.

"Yesss, little cub." She said.

"I am Beautiful."

Kaa slithered around the girl.

"In every few months gone by, I sssshed my sssskin. I rid mysssself from my old dying sssssurface and I am able to given new, fresssh sssskin."

Elsa gazed curiously at Kaa.

"New skin?" Elsa asked.

Kaa nodded her head.

"Yesss." said Kaa.

"New beautiful sssskin."

Elsa gazed back down to Kaa's large coil. She thought of what the wise python had explained. Relieving herself from her own skin and beginning again.

(I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, we are drawing close to ending the childhood of Elsa. There are only a One or two chapters left till we reach that point. As always, if you have any requests or ideas you wish to share, feel free. Last but not least, please comment and review!)