The Lone Wolf became leader of the wolves a year ago. When he was young, he fell into a wolf trap. Another time, he was caught by man, and they beat him so badly that he almost died. So the leader of the wolves knew all about men and what they were like. At the meeting of the wolves, thethey did not talk very much. The cubs played while their mothers and fathers sat around them in a circle. Sometimes an older wolf came quietly up to a cub, looked at him carefully, and returned to his place without any sound. Sometimes a mother would push her cub far out into the moonlight, because she wanted to make sure that everyone saw it.

From his rock, Akela called: "You know the Law - you know the Law. Look carefully at the cubs, you Wolves!" And the mothers said the same thing: "Wolves, look carefully" Then Father Wolf pushed Mowgli the Frog into the center of the circle. When this happened, Mother Wolf was scared and worried. But Mowgli sat in the light of the moon. He was laughing and playing with some small stones. Akela did not lift his head. In exactly the same voice as before he said "Look well!" Then there was a loud noise from behind the rocks - it was the voice of Shere Khan. He was shouting: "The cub is mine. Give him to me. Why do the Free People want him?" (The Free People was the name the wolves called themselves)

Akela did not move. Instead he said again: "Look well, you Wolves! The Free People do not take orders from anyone. The Free People only listen to the Free People".