Akela (occasionally called The Lone Wolf) is a fictional character featured in Rudyard Kipling's Mowgli stories collected in The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book. He is a wolf, chief of the Seeonee wolf pack and presides over the pack's council meetings. It is at such a meeting that the pack adopts the human cub Mowgli as one of its own and Akela becomes one of Mowgli's mentors. A fictional character is any person who does appear in a work of fiction. ... Rudyard Kipling, British author Joseph Rudyard Kipling (December 30, 1865 – January 18, 1936) was a British author and poet, born in India. ... Mowgli by John Lockwood Kipling (father of Rudyard Kipling), The Second Jungle Book, 1895 Mowgli is a fictional character who originally appeared in Rudyard Kiplings short story In the Rukh (collected in Many Inventions, 1893) and then went on to become the most prominent and memorable character in his... The Jungle Book (1967 movie) French edition, 1957. ... Embossed cover from the original MacMillan edition of The Second Jungle Book, 1895, based on art by John Lockwood Kipling (Rudyards father) The Second Jungle Book is a sequel to The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. ... Binomial name Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758 The Grey Wolf (Canis lupus), also known colloquially as just the wolf, is a mammal of the Canidae family and the ancestor of the domestic dog. ... In Greek mythology, Mentor (sometimes Mentes) was the son of Alcumus and, in his old age, a friend of Odysseus. ...

Nine or ten years after Mowgli's adoption, his enemy Shere Khan the tiger, with the aid of some young wolves he has persuaded to support him, plans to depose Akela so that he will no longer be able to defend Mowgli. A wolf who becomes too old to hunt is traditionally driven out or killed by his pack. Akela is far from decrepit, but the young wolves deliberately drive a young, healthy buck deer toward him knowing that he will not be able to catch it. When the council meets to depose Akela, Mowgli defends him with a blazing branch and drives Shere Khan and his allies away. Shere Khan, a fictional tiger of the Indian jungle, is the chief villain in two of Rudyard Kiplings Jungle Book stories featuring Mowgli. ... Tigers (Panthera tigris) are mammals of the Felidae family, one of four big cats that belong to the Panthera genus, and the largest of all cats, living or extinct. ... Genera About 15 in 4 subfamilies. ...

After Shere Khan's departure the remaining wolves beg Akela to stay, but he refuses to remain pack leader and decides to hunt alone. "Akela" is a Hindi word meaning "solitary". Phao becomes the new pack leader, Mowgli returns to humanity, at least for a time, and Akela hunts alone. During this period Akela helps Mowgli to kill Shere Khan with the aid of the human village's buffalo herd. Binomial name Bubalus arnee (Kerr, 1792) The Water Buffalo is a very large ungulate. ...

Some years later, when Mowgli has been rejected by humanity and the pack is threatened with extinction by a rampaging pack of dhole Akela joins the battle and fights to the death, finally dying in Mowgli's company ("Red Dog", in The Second Jungle Book). Akela's death is a major factor in Mowgli's decision to finally return to human society at the age of 17. Binomial name Cuon alpinus ( Pallas, 1811) The Dhole (Cuon alpinus) is a species of wild dog of the Canidae family. ... Embossed cover from the original MacMillan edition of The Second Jungle Book, 1895, based on art by John Lockwood Kipling (Rudyards father) The Second Jungle Book is a sequel to The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. ...

In Cub Scout packs, Akela is a symbol of wisdom, authority, and leadership. Akela can be any trusted adult authority, teacher, parent or scout leader. Sir Baden Powell chose Kipling's Jungle Book as a source of symbolism for the Scouting movement. US Cub Scout Emblem The Cub Scouts, often known simply as Cubs, is a section of the Scouting movement for children between the ages of around 8-11 (depending on the country). ... Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB (February 22, 1857 _ January 8, 1941) was a soldier, writer and founder of the world scouting movement. ... Scouting is a world-wide youth organization. ...

See also

• Rudyard Kipling
• The Jungle Book characters
• Scouting movement.
• Cub Scouts