But the young wolves , the children of the disbanded Seeonee Pack , throve and increased , and when there were about forty of them , masterless , full-voiced , clean-footed five-year-olds , Akela told them that they ought to gather themselves together and follow the Law , and run under one head , as befitted the Free People . This was not a question in which Mowgli concerned himself , for , as he said , he had eaten sour fruit , and he knew the tree it hung from ; but when Phao , son of Phaona -LRB- his father was the Gray Tracker in the days of Akela 's headship -RRB- , fought his way to the leadership of the Pack , according to the Jungle Law , and the old calls and songs began to ring under the stars once more , Mowgli came to the Council Rock for memory 's sake . When he chose to speak the Pack waited till he had finished , and he sat at Akela 's side on the rock above Phao . Those were days of good hunting and good sleeping . No stranger cared to break into the jungles that belonged to Mowgli 's people , as they called the Pack , and the young wolves grew fat and strong , and there were many cubs to bring to the Looking-over . Mowgli always attended a Looking-over , remembering the night when a black panther bought a naked brown baby into the pack , and the long call , `` Look , look well , O Wolves , '' made his heart flutter . Otherwise , he would be far away in the Jungle with his four brothers , tasting , touching , seeing , and feeling new things . One twilight when he was trotting leisurely across the ranges to give Akela the half of a buck that he had killed , while the Four jogged behind him , sparring a little , and tumbling one another over for joy of being alive , he heard a cry that had never been heard since the bad days of Shere Khan . It was what they call in the Jungle the pheeal , a hideous kind of shriek that the jackal gives when he is hunting behind a tiger , or when there is a big killing afoot . If you can imagine a mixture of hate , triumph , fear , and despair , with a kind of leer running through it , you will get some notion of the pheeal that rose and sank and wavered and quavered far away across the Waingunga . The Four stopped at once , bristling and growling . Mowgli 's hand went to his knife , and he checked , the blood in his face , his eyebrows knotted . `` There is no Striped One dare kill here , '' he said . `` That is not the cry of the Forerunner , '' answered Gray Brother . `` It is some great killing . Listen ! '' It broke out again , half sobbing and half chuckling , just as though the jackal had soft human lips . Then Mowgli drew deep breath , and ran to the Council Rock , overtaking on his way hurrying wolves of the Pack . Phao and Akela were on the Rock together , and below them , every nerve strained , sat the others . The mothers and the cubs were cantering off to their lairs ; for when the pheeal cries it is no time for weak things to be abroad .
They could hear nothing except the XXXXX rushing and gurgling in the dark , and the light evening winds among the tree-tops , till suddenly across the river a wolf called .
Akela Law Mowgli Phaona Seeonee Striped Waingunga leer pheeal twilight