Although the wolves know Akela is weak, he is still too intimating for them to face directly. Instead, they wait for Shere Khan to arrive and promptly abandon Akela. These wolves lack loyalty, which, as will soon become apparent, is a quality Kipling always punishes. This story, along with all the stories in
The Jungle Book, is a morality tale that embraces the mores of British Imperialism. In this case, Shere Khan represents disorder—a “savage” outside force that does not abide by the standard rules of society. In other words, he is a stand-in for any rebellious forces in India that might try to challenge the British Empire.