"Sometimes it feels like darkness
 around me.
 I'm alone, lost.       But, then,
 there's you."

"Something died in there! I know so!"

The young man rose his head, shaking his long hair, and stared at the huge elephant standing beside him. He stared down at the water pool a few feet from the rocks where they were, narrowing his eyes slowly. The huge shadow of the giant pachyderm ran of the rocks and into the surface of the crystalline pool and tiny fish moved at the bottom. Over the mirror like surface floated a few dry leaves, twisting each way as the ripples carried them. He looked at the water harder but he didn't see anything.

"See? I told you! Not even you want to go in there."

Tarzan couldn't help but smile. Sometimes, he wished he knew exactly how his friend's mind worked and that he could peer into it and see how the ideas he conceived were formed. He didn't understand him at all sometimes, specially when most animals could tell when danger was near and Tantor seemed to sense it even when there wasn't any.

"Tantor," he said looking up at him. "There's nothing in there but water and a couple of fish." The elephant lifted its trunk and hood it behind the back of his neck. It tickled Tarzan but Tantor gripped his shoulder.

"Can't we go someplace else?" Tantor said. "I've heard there's baboons and cats in these areas, somewhere, hidden, the colour of the waters. I heard that."

Tantor's whole body shifted so he could hide behind his friend. His friend was silly, Tarzan knew, trying to hide behind his slim body, but he reached back to touch his trunk as it curled around his neck. Narrowing his eyes in a smile, the young man took a deliberate step forward, his toes gripping the edge of the rocks.

"I'll brave the horrible danger," he said, sounding mockingly serious and trying not to laugh. "Then you can see that there is nothing to fear."

Tantor's eyes grew wide as his friend drew away from him. He bit his lower lip and hoped that he wasn't shaking as he usually was when he was extremely frightened. He looked at his friend, who was, no doubt, making fun of his fear, and kept himself from pulling him back by the hair. Tarzan closed his eyes, feeling the pool just a few inches bellow, deep and cool and full of blue colours that called for him swim. The shadow of his friend still made the crystal look darkened and he guessed it was what made Tantor so scared. If he could get the elephant to move and make the shadow disappear, he could get him into the water. He opened his eyes and stared into the pool's surface and flung himself in one swift motion.

Tantor gasped as his body slid into the water, swallowed by the blue, and seemed suspended at the bottom. With a rush of sparkling drops, Tarzan emerged from the bottom, laughing.

"You are going to kill me!" Tantor yelled down at him.

"Come on! It's so nice, you won't believe it!"

"No, no no. You have to wait a few minutes, a few more. The baboons don't attack until a few more minutes, they wait until the body is a lot wet. I'll just... wait here..."

Tarzan sighed silently, knowing he was wasting his time. The elephant might wait a full hour if he chose to, until all of the sounds in the trees and the rocks seemed quiet and he was sure they were alone. He sighed silently, reaching back to dip his hair into the cool water. It felt so good. He felt sorry for his friend up in the rocks, staring down at him with wide eyes and expecting some animal to hurt him.

That was when he saw it, a dark silhouette right above and behind Tantor's massive body, between the leaves. Tarzan frowned as he noticed that it was nothing more than a huge frond fan leaf, but he suddenly realized he'd found his chance. Splashing with his hands and widening his eyes, he jumped in the water.

"Tantor! A baboon! Behind you!"

The young man heard himself roar as the huge elephant shrieked and blew his trunk, his eyes wide. Without thinking, Tantor flung his huge body, screaming with fear, down into the water pool. Tarzan barely got out of the way as the elephant landed like an explosion.

"Help me, Tarzan! Help! I'm going to die!"

"Tantor!"

Tarzan felt his body loose itself under the water as the elephant crashed about trying to save itself. His massive legs and ears sent him and the fish splattering about, the huge body creating waves. He swam back toward the elephant, desperately trying to catch him so he could get him to relax. Tantor was searching blindly for his friend and, when he found him, pulled him by one of his legs, dragging him under his body and out of the water.

"Tantor! It's all right! Listen to me-"

"Tarzan! Heeeeelllllp!"

"Tan-"

"Last seconds of life, must tell friend that he means a lot to me. I-"

"Tantor!" Tarzan finally got hold on his trunk and pulled it towards him, reaching with his legs to get onto the elephant's head. "There is no baboon. Relax!"

The huge elephant's eyes found his, the pupils slowly becoming smaller. He stopped screaming all together and looked up at his friend, slowly coming to understand what he had said.

"You said..." Tarzan felt himself blush as those eyes began to realize what had happened.

"I know," Tarzan said. "I lied. How else could I get you into the water?"

Tantor's trunk wrapped itself around his waist and squeezed his body and lifted him from his back.

"Don't do that me! I'm too sensitive! I could've died!" The elephant said angrily.

Tarzan could not help but laugh, imagining a dead pachyderm sinking into the pool because of a frond fan leaf. He gripped his friend's trunk with his hands and stared at his face. Tantor looked so miserable, but he could see laughter building up under his tusks. He reached out and gripped the elephant's hair and smiled down at him.

"Then something would have really died in here," he said.

He had returned to the same spot again. He'd done it twice already, feeling the earth under his feet and touching the ground with his hands. Nothing. Silently and quietly, he had waited and watched from behind the huge leaves up in the trees, waiting for the jungle to become quiet and still, the atmosphere to descend like a crushing weight. But, he didn't sense anything, nothing at all, just the beating of his heart and the restlessness in his head.

It troubled him. A lot.

Rain had begun to fall as night came down from the sky. The drops bounced of the leaves and trickled down the vines, drumming softly on the canopy of leaves of the nest. He could hear a few gorillas behind him talking to each other in quiet voices so they wouldn't disturb the rain and its song. He lay against the tree, his legs hanging down towards the earth. He knew that his arms had somehow come up to hide half of his face. He could sense himself hiding, but he didn't know how to shake himself away from the feeling.

"Aren't you coming to eat?"

Tarzan blinked. Terk was sitting only a few branches away, hoping he had finally heard her. The rain cast white lights over her face and the leaves about her. He blushed as he realized his arms were still over his head and he lowered them, hoping she could not tell what he was thinking.

Terk frowned, but she swung across towards him. He didn't want to look at her. He hated knowing that she could tell everything about him, even the things he thought he could hide so well. She sat down on her bottom and hung her own, short feet down like he was doing. There was a small smile when she turned her head to look at him. But it disappeared as his eyes trailed away from her.

"You know?" she said, her voice thin and carried away with the wind of the rain. "The guys can be so obnoxious. They always take the largest bits of food for themselves."

"You can have mine," Tarzan said in a hushed voice.

Terk ran a finger over her knees, circling the fur on it. Tarzan saw her yank a few of the hairs and toss them down at the wet earth. He looked at her and sighed silently. She was looking at him again, but he swallowed the feelings that ran through his head and returned her small smile.

"Did you secure some for yourself?"

"Eh?" Terk blushed, wondering why her friend had even bothered to continue her silly attempt at conversation. "Oh, yeah. Really good pieces, one for you and one for me. In my nest."

Tarzan leaned into the tree again, his eyes wondering away through the cracks in the large branches and leaves of their home. The drops were bigger now, louder against the greens. He watched as they smashed themselves to pieces and ran down through the green veins.

"He's out there," he whispered.

Terk looked at him silently. It was as if she were holding her breath as she looked at his slumping back and his large arms hanging down to his lap. The wind of the rain toyed with the tips of his hair. She could feel the moments when his voice escaped from his lungs. Tarzan had not really meant to voice his thoughts, but Terk didn't say anything and waited to see if he would go on.

"Somewhere," Tarzan breathed out. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the leaves on a distant tree rustle. He could feel anger in his face. "But, I can never find him." Terk watched as he turned to look at her, his eyes narrowed in deep though.

"You will," she said. Her voice felt like a rasping in her throat. She hated the way it sounded, so totally silly when it came to saying important things. She wasn't too good on emotions. "Hey, I know so."

"He'll find me," Tarzan said with a sigh. "That's not how it's supposed to be."

"You've been out two times, only two."

Tarzan blushed as he realized that Terk known, had seen him even when he believed he had been extremely careful. He wanted to hide and not talk to her, hate her for being so close to him, but she was looking at him with those large eyes of hers, her fingers running over her knee again.

"He's out there in the rain, Tarzan, just like we're here in the rain," she said in a quiet voice. He looked at her silently. She pulled some more hair. "You'll find him." He watched her fling her body upwards from her sitting position and reach out with her long arms towards his shoulder.

"Now, come on," she said brushing aside the sad feelings and the rain. "Sabor's probably got plenty of good food, while we get the scraps those lousy guys care to leave us."

Tarzan could not help but smile. He shook his semi-wet hair and brought his legs up from where they hung. Terk looked at his face, wondering about the shadows she could see crawling in the young man's eyes.

"Race you to your nest," Tarzan said as he swung down from the branch they were using and jumped towards her tree. Terk groaned as she realized he'd get the bigger piece if she lost.

"Hey, wait up!" He was always so much quicker than her. "Oh, man!"

It was impossible. The elephant was making much, too much, noise for him to be able to concentrate. He could feel the anger crawl up his spine. Tarzan frowned as Tantor's large legs brushed against yet another branch and more leaves, rustling fronds and stems this way and that, his trunk smashing bugs and his ears flapping with every shift of his body. He wondered if all of the jungle had not already sensed that the pachyderm and him were out here. But he kept his mouth shut, pressing his lips together. Maybe he should climb back to the trees.

"Tarzan...?"

The young man lowered his head closer to the ground, but he looked back to where Tantor stood by the bushes. He wondered what the elephant wanted now. The bull simply grinned at him, his tusks making him look rather silly, and waved with his trunk. Tarzan blew an exasperated sigh.

"Why did you choose to come with me today, Tantor?"

The elephant made his way quickly to where his friend was and smiled. Tantor didn't look at him, merely began to pick some of the grass and put it in his mouth as if they were out in an ordinary leisure walk through the jungle.

"We don't much spend time together these days," he said. "That's all."

Tarzan didn't know what to say. He watched as Tantor ate more grass. Lately he had been becoming more and more obsessed with leaving the gorilla nest and spending entire days by himself up in the trees, going back to the same spot. He knew Terk saw him leave early in the morning before the sun was up, but she had decided not to question him. She knew he didn't want her to go with him, didn't need her. He narrowed his eyes, knowing Terk probably felt hurt. Tantor smiled as he popped some more green grass into his tiny mouth and waved at him with his trunk.

"You've ever had some of this stuff right here?" Tantor said and offered his friend a bit of the grass. "It's great and totally safe for digestion."

"Not now," Tarzan said. He wished the elephant would stop munching so loudly. "Later."

"Right," Tantor agreed. "It's the best stuff ever, you'll see."

Tarzan blushed and frowned at himself. He wanted to get away from the elephant so he could crawl across the jungle floor quietly, like he wanted. He didn't need the noisy, large animal slowing him down and giving away his position. But he could not bring himself to do it. Tantor's eyes were focused on him as he weighed his thoughts on his head.

"Tantor, I-" but he stopped. He shook his head and drew his fingers through his hair. It was useless right now, and he didn't understand why he was feeling so angry. Perhaps he should go home or to the water hole, give up on the day's search. He drew himself from his hunting stance and turned towards his friend. But Tantor wasn't looking at him. His eyes were wide and focused on something Tarzan could not see.

"You hear?" Tantor's voice was a whisper.

Tarzan became still, his body shrinking into itself. Beside him, Tantor fell into silence, his ears becoming alert and still as well. Tarzan could feel his nostrils widen, his eyes narrowing. His toes gripped the ground harder.

"Tarzan..."

The young man's body acted without thinking and reached up to grip one of the vines that hung from the tree behind them, and pulled himself up. He didn't look back down to where Tantor's massive body stood, the elephant's eyes widening with the presence he could also sense. He reached a high branch and leaned closer to the trunk. He could feel his muscles tense and his mind slow down into a lethal quiet. Tantor watched him become one with the tree, hidden by the leaves, his chest breathing faster. The elephant didn't much like the way the young man was acting, but he couldn't voice his thoughts. He couldn't even voice his fear. But, he was glad he wasn't alone.

"Sabor..." Tarzan whispered, almost as if the great cat could hear him. Almost as if he could see it wherever he was. But he could not. He could not see anything.

"Come back down, Tarzan," Tantor whispered in a low voice, the sound of it starting to betray his panic.

The young man heard him. Tantor looked so scared and stiff. Tarzan could feel the pachyderm's shaking body as if he were gripping his arm. He hated himself for leading the elephant so far away and for not asking him to leave when he had though so. Leaning his head into the trunk, he willed the euphoria to leave his muscles and willed himself to go swing down to his friend. They should leave this area, go back to the water hole. He could feel his mouth unwillingly bear his teeth and he was scared of his emotions. Bellow him, Tantor mumbled his name again.

The elephant gasped as Tarzan swung down and landed beside him. The young man's eyes were still narrowed and his chest was still moving too fast, but Tarzan reached up to grab his ear.

"Let's go swimming, Tantor," he said. But Tantor could feel the struggling emotions in that voice.

"Tarzan..." The elephant said in a low voice.

His friend's green eyes didn't understand him, but he could see them searching his own. His trunk reached out and gripped Tarzan's shoulder. The young man reached up to touch it affectionately, knowing he must be worrying his friend too much. Tantor ventured a weak smile, but he never finished it. From behind them in the low bushes, the large cat leapt up and smashed itself into the elephants back.

Tantor screamed and the movement of his frightened body flung Tarzan away from him into the tree. Tarzan felt his body become still, his eyes widening and his heart pumping faster as the great cat kicked with his hind legs at the huge elephant and leapt to the floor. His eyes found him. Tarzan felt his breath escape his body as he reached back to grip the trunk involuntarily. He heard his breath rumbling in his chest.

"Tarzan!" Tantor screamed as the cat moved again. He couldn't see too well. The cheetah had slashed his forehead and blood trickled onto his eyes. All he could sense was the incredible beating of his heart and the fear he felt.

"Sabor!"

Tarzan sprung from his legs, his chest moving too fast and his eyes full of anger. He was not thinking too well, his vision and thoughts clouded with the energy he felt in his limbs. The cheetah bared its teeth, angered that for days the young man had been hunting him, following him, treading on his territory. He could sense the eagerness in the young man, could sense that he wanted to kill him. Tarzan screamed again as he challenged the great cat. Sabor growled in a low tone, almost laughing at his attack. But, behind him stood Tantor, who afraid and blind, reached forward with his trunk and stomped on the ground.

Tarzan felt the earth shift bellow him and he was not fast enough to jump aside as the cheetah flung itself at him. He could hear Tantor's panicked shrieks, he could feel his blood pumping in his head, too loud. He wasn't thinking right. Tarzan moaned as he landed on his hands and feet and he lowered his body as he'd seen his father do. He closed his eyes, willing the strength and agility the great silver back gorilla possessed to come to him. Sabor narrowed his eyes, watching as the large man bared his teeth like his father. And he attacked again.

"Tarzan! No!"

The cheetah howled in pain as he felt his body smash into a large tree. He shook his head and roared as he caught sight of the animal that had flung him. The elephant stood, bleeding from the gash on his head where he had attacked him when he found them. Tarzan's eyes widened as the cheetah's eyes locked onto his friend's shape. But Tantor didn't see any of them. He could only feel his heart beat and the laboured breathing of his friend, and the fear in his head. He knew all too well that the cheetah felt his fear.

Tarzan yelled as the cheetah leapt at the elephant. He heard Tantor's scream and the loud blow of his trunk. There was no emotion in those eyes. Only fear. Tantor would be killed. Tarzan heard his own scream as if it were ripped from his lungs as he flung himself at the cheetah.

"Run away, Tantor!"

The large paws clawed his chest, pushing him backwards. His back burned as his body smashed into the tree. Sabor dove into the ground and leapt up at Tantor's head, his teeth gripping the elephant's large left ear. Tantor screamed and tried to fling the animal off, but Sabor was so much faster, so much more agile. And the cheetah wasn't afraid.

Swinging his arms before him, Tarzan kicked at the great cat again. His father's techniques were not working. The cat ignored his attack and leapt at the elephant who swung his trunk at him and tried to fling him away. But, Sabor was ready this time. He impulsed himself incredibly from the earth and cut Tantor's body with his claws, his fangs reaching up to his neck. Tarzan couldn't see anything. His mind was becoming dark, but he smashed himself against the cheetah's body again. The cat whirled in pain and he smashed his huge hands at its face. He'd seen them. Tarzan's eyes were blind with anger. He'd seen elephants killed by large cats. Sabor roared and dug its sharp teeth into his shoulder, deep, and dragged him closer. Tarzan felt his body convulse with pain and tears came to his eyes.

"Tarzan!"

"No, Tantor!"

"Tarzan!"

Sabor! Sabor! Don't kill my friend! Don't you kill my friend!

Tantor!

The pain erupted through his brain, blinding, horrible, like a knife cutting him inside and tearing his muscles apart. He wanted to stop screaming, but he couldn't... He couldn't stop screaming...

And it was darkness. All was darkness.

He felt shards of white lightning in his head. Slowly, he opened his eyes, gritting his teeth as the pain surged through him. He was lying in his back. He felt his breath come in shallow rhythms.

"I was scared, Tarzan."

Tarzan closed his eyes as he heard Tantor's voice, coming at him like a whisper in the darkness. The great elephant lay almost fully resting on the floor and staring at the water, not looking at him. The young man opened his eyes again, swallowing the pain in his shoulder, and looked at the pachyderm. Tantor's ears almost covered all of his head, and large gashes circled his neck and ears. Yet, somehow, Tantor had dragged himself and his friend to the water hole he had feared so much a few days ago. Tarzan willed his body up from the floor. The elephant looked at him, his eyes searching for those of Tarzan. The young man could feel the quiet in the great animal.

"I was so scared," Tantor said again in a low, quiet voice.

Tarzan lowered his body next to Tantor's. The marks on his shoulder hurt so much, but he didn't listen to the pain.

"I was scared too," he said. "So scared."

Tantor looked down at him, staring down at the back of the young man's head. Tarzan heard his heart beat, slow in the caverns in his chest. Narrowing his eyes, he reached out with his arms and lay his head on the elephant's great body. He could feel Tantor's heart beat strong. So strong.
 
 
 
 

Author's Note

June 11, 1999: A story about Tantor. I wanted to do that, since he's Tarzan's best friend. It seems a bit shaky to me, but I like the emotions I put behind it. I hope they come across the way I meant them to be. Hope you enjoyed it a lot!
 
 

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