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"What were you looking at Ape-man?" said Bagheera, speaking only to himself as he pushed the foliage to the side.
Several branches below him Jasmine was refusing to stay where he'd told her to, determined to continue the dangerous climb on her own. The panther had to admire her panache. For someone who appeared to be so fragile, the princess was not afraid of high places. "Did you say something?" she asked.
"Just thinking aloud." He leapt to a nearby limb and searched the brush again. This was the spot where he and Tarzan had their encounter and Bagheera was curious what the man had been so focused on. He'd invited Jasmine along as he found her to be the most agreeable of the man-pride, and he wanted the perspective of human eyes.
He finally found what he thought he was looking for; a crystal-like circle, about the size of a human paw, with a red glow emitting from within. "Here we go," he called to Jasmine, pleased that she had nearly scrambled up to the branch he was on. He batted at it, but the thing was wedged tightly into the nook of the tree. "What do you make of this?"
Bagheera scampered out of the way and Jasmine examined it, tapping on the surface. "It almost looks like a gemstone," she said, "but maybe not as solid. I think human hands made this." She pressed one eye against the surface. "I think there's something moving inside."
"Like a bird?"
"No more like a smaller circle twisting ever so slightly. Almost mechanical." She sighed. "I wish Genie were here. He'd know exactly what this is."
"This Genie? Does he invent things?"
"Not exactly." She lay her ear against the tree's trunk trying to find any unexpected sounds from within. "He's a magical being with thousands of years of experience. And since he hasn't found us yet, I'm really scared that something terrible has happened in Agrabah."
Jasmine listened to the trunk for a few moments before giving up on the approach. She took another minute to stare at the object in front of her, hoping for some bit of wisdom or insight, which never came. She never heard the voices from the other side pleading for her to hear them. She never saw the waving hands desperately trying to be seen. She only saw a circle twisting from within, and a red glow.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help." She wrapped her arms around the panther's strong neck and prepared for a very fast journey downwards.
"No matter," Bagheera smiled. "We may have at least learned something."
"Really? What's that?"
"That someone has been here before us."
Back at the beach, construction on the larger shelter had been going smoothly, all things considered. Kronk had been an absolute machine when it came to splitting logs, and Tarzan was particularly adept at knowing how to lash them together. The two men had intuitively taken to cooperation with very little discussion.
Elsa had been off by herself collecting fronds that she thought might help keep out the rain. Kronk assured her that he was happy to tackle that assignment once he was done with the lumber, but Elsa insisted. She told him she didn't want to feel like an extraneous component; trying very hard not to glance in Frollo's direction, who seemed preoccupied with thinking a lot.
Tarzan balanced on the roof's frame when Elsa handed him her first batch of fronds. She mouthed the words "I'm sorry," but refused to make eye contact.
The ape-man was about to say something when a loud thunderclap-like sound struck from the nearby jungle, displacing several birds from their perches.
"What was that?" asked Kronk.
Tarzan stared undeterred in the direction of the sound. "Clayton," he said.
The other three looked at him curiously. "Clayton?" said Frollo. "Clayton who?"
Tarzan reproduced the sound with his own voice, causing Elsa to jump. "Clayton," he repeated.
Frollo rolled his eyes. "You are an idiot."
Elsa turned to Kronk. "Jasmine and Bagheera."
"Yeah, they could be in trouble." The big man broke into a sprint towards the direction of the sound. He was joined by Tarzan, who'd jumped from the top of the structure.
They only made it a few steps when the foliage separated revealing a strange shape with a bright light shining behind it. It appeared human but somewhat deformed in the face. On its head were long appendages that looked like horns in the backlight.
For a second everyone froze, and only Frollo could muster the will to say anything. "What demon is this?"
"RUN" came a voice, shrill yet somehow whispered. And in an instant the shape was gone leaving only a bright light that momentarily blinded everyone, followed by another 'Clayton'. One of the structure's logs splintered in all directions from a sharp force. Elsa stifled a scream while everyone else instinctively dropped to the sand. And as quickly as it had come, the being and the light was gone.
Again, Frollo had to speak first. "You see? This place is cursed!"
Kronk fruitlessly tried calming him. "Hold your horses there. We are in a jungle-"
"We need a BOAT not a residence! That demon could be anywhere!"
"No," said Tarzan. "Not demon."
Frollo shot him a look. "Oh, what do you know, you monosyllabic bushman? You probably worship the thing."
"Look, big guy," Kronk set his big palm on Frollo's shoulder. "I hear you on the boat idea. Once we find Jasmine and Bagheera, what's say we regroup and come up with a new plan?"
"We don't need the input of that egotistical-"
"Elsa!" barked Tarzan, both to shut Frollo up and direct his attention where it needed to be. Elsa propped herself against one of the nearby palm trees, pressing both hands against the left of her abdomen.
Kronk started in her direction but Elsa put up her hand. "Stay back!" She was bleeding.
"No!" cried Tarzan. He bounded across half the distance between them.
"Please!" she shrieked with a mixture of tears in her eyes.
"Elsa," he said as calmly as he could. "Tarzan help Elsa. Elsa trust Tarzan."
Elsa kept her hand up for a time. She'd been very lucky around Jasmine during the yeti attack, and since then she'd managed to hide her magic from everyone else. Except Tarzan, but he didn't seem to understand what it was. Now that Elsa was wounded, she really didn't think she'd be able to contain it. But she'd promised her sister that she'd try; try to let others in, to risk opening up. And the pain from the loose shard of wood that had found its way into her waist was becoming unbearable.
She hesitantly lowered her hand. "Elsa trust Tarzan."
Several yards away, Frollo huffed, "She's going to attract every beast on this island by nightfall."
Kronk gave him an optimistic smirk. "One step at a time, buddy."
Continue to Chapter Eight.
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