Mother Wolf gazed at the small human in wonder.
"He's so little!" she said softly.
The young boy was squirming between two cubs to get warm.
"Look at that! He's not afraid of us or the cubs."
"I've heard of young humans living with wolves," Father Wolf said.
"But I've never seen it in my own pack."
Just then the wolves heard something and spun toward the entrance of the cave.
Tabaqui had returned—with the tiger, Shere Khan.
"The boy is here, master!" the jackal said eagerly. "I see him."
"Shere Khan, your visit brings us great honor," Father Wolf said politely.
But his eyes sparked with anger. "What do you need?"
"A human cub went this way," Shere Khan said.
"His parents have run off. Give the man cub to me."
Luckily, the cave entrance was too narrow for Shere Khan to enter.
"We wolves are free creatures," said Father Wolf.
"We take orders from the head of the pack, not from you."
The tiger's furious roar filled the cave.
Mother Wolf sprang forward.
In the darkness her eyes looked like two green moons as she faced Shere Khan.
"The human cub is mine!" She growled.
"He will not be killed.
He will live to run with the pack and to hunt with the pack.
Now go, Shere Khan!"
Father looked on in amazement.
He had forgotten how fierce his mate could be when she was angry.
Shere Khan backed away from the cave.
"We'll see what the pack says about that human cub!" He snarled.
"He's mine, and his life will end in my teeth!"
Mother threw herself down among the cubs as Father watched the tiger stalk off.
"Shere Khan spoke the truth about one thing," Father said with a sigh.
"We must show this cub to the pack.
Do you really plan to keep him?"
"Of course I'll keep him!" Mother snapped.
"The poor little creature came at night, alone and hungry.
I'll call him Mowgli," she added.
"One day he will hunt Shere Khan, just as that tiger has hunted him."
Father was worried. "What will our pack say?"
The law of the jungle was very clear.
The pack protected young cubs until they were old enough to hunt on their own.
But the pack wasn't likely to protect a human cub.
"We'll deal with that later," Mother replied firmly.
The pack council met once every month, when the moon was full.
It was the duty of all new parents to show their cubs to the council.
On the night of the next pack meeting, Father and Mother went to Council Rock.
The wolf cubs and Mowgli ran after them.
Council Rock was a hilltop covered with stones and boulders.
Akela, the great gray wolf, lay across a rock.
He had led the pack for a year now.
He was a wise, strong leader, who knew the ways and customs of people.
It was very quiet at Council Rock. All the parents sat in a circle.
In the center of the circle, the cubs tumbled over one another, playing.
One by one, the wolf parents showed their cubs to the pack.
"Look well, oh, wolves!" Akela cried.
The mothers anxiously repeated the call.
"Look, look well, oh, wolves!"
Mother's fur quivered.
It was almost time to show Mowgli to the pack.
What would the wolves say when they saw the odd-looking man cub?
