So, as I said in the summary, this is a little introduction to 'A Second Chance', mostly because I realised when I was writing part of the first chapter that part of it didn't make an awful lot of sense, so I wanted to put a small intro in, just to emphasize part of my point. You don't actually need to read this to understand the proper story though, so don't read it unless you don't mind small spoilers, like I said in the summary.
Disclaimer: I clearly don't own Ice Age otherwise there would've been a much more DiegoxShira storyline to the fourth movie. And the story focused on those two a lot anyway! Oh, and I don't own the lullaby either, I got it from The Hunger Games.
Shira's dream
A silver sabre cub danced through the undergrowth, singing quietly to herself. She sung a lullaby that her mother would sing to her every night.
"Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow..."
She batted playfully at the blades of grass, every so often taking down a small flower and chewing the stalk. Proof that she would one day be a great predator. Just beyond a small clump of bushes, a large lake spread across the land. On the opposite side of the lake from the sliver sabre, a rival pack rested. They'd arrived several weeks ago, accidentally sailing over on a chunk of ice that had broken off from the mainland. They'd come from almost the other side of the world, and intended to leave as soon as possible. Suddenly, she noticed an orange shape flailing in the water. She knew it was an enemy sabre, but she still felt the need to save it. Those sabres hadn't done anything to her, so she wasn't about to let one of their cubs drown!
She searched desperately for something that floated, and thankfully found a small piece of wood. It was just about big enough to carry two sabre cubs, but she wasn't too sure... she just knew she had to try. Carrying the wood in her mouth, she ran towards the lake's edge. She quickly grabbed a sturdy looking stick in her paw, before leaping forward into the water. She released the wood, and luckily managed to land on it. Stabbing at the water with her stick, she tried frantically to get to the orange sabre. Somehow, she managed to get close enough for the other cub to reach her. She held the stick out.
"Here!" she shouted "Grab on!"
The other cub nodded and grabbed the stick. She tried her best to pull him in, and although she couldn't quite get him onto the wood, she got him to the edge. He sank his claws into the wood and held on tight. She put the stick in her mouth and grabbed him with her front paws, attempting to pull him up herself. He helped as best he could, and eventually they succeded. The two cubs clutched each-other in fear; neither liked the water very much, and they weren't sure which camp to go to: hers or his. She decided they should go to his, as he was freezing cold and would need the comfort of his family. Besides, his family might be more tolerant than hers, so perhaps the fact that she was returning the cub might make a truce between the two packs.
"So," she asked, smiling kindly "What's your name?"
"D-Diego," he shivered "Yours?"
"Shira," she answered, her eyes meeting his.
"Well, thanks for saving me," Diego smiled back at Shira gratefully. She blushed a little under her white fur, and started paddling with her paws after nudging the stick towards Diego. He nodded his thanks and helped her row their little raft.
With Diego's Pack
A paw struck Shira on the side of her face, claws scratching her painfully.
"Shira!" cried Diego in fear, running towards his new friend. Diego's large, muscular father pushed him back.
"Stay away from her Diego! She's a curse!" he roared, baring his teeth at the frightened silver sabre.
"No she's not! She saved my life, Dad!" protested Diego, trying to defend Shira, which seriously touched her heart.
"You're right Diego," drawled his father, in a sickly-sweet way "She's not a curse. At the moment she's a nothing. But soon, she will be a symbol! From this day forward, that pack across the lake will respect us!"
"But Soto!" squeaked a small cub, smaller than any of the others "We're leaving soon! Why do we need the pack to respect us?"
"Because Zeke," growled Soto "It's a matter of pride! We want to be the most respected pack in the world, and therefore we need this pack to respect us!"
"So why do we need the little cub, Soto?" asked a chubby cub. It wasn't actually a sabre, but a close relative.
"Well Lenny," sighed Soto, unhappy that his pack's cubs were so slow "If we kill this stupid little runt, then we will have set an image of us in their minds!"
"Yes, an image of heinous murderers!" spoke up a female sabretooth, whom Shira assumed was Diego's mother.
"Okay, okay," moaned Soto "But I'm not just going to let her go!"
"Why not?!" demanded Diego.
"Because she is an enemy, Diego!" snapped Soto, scaring the young cub. He then reached for Shira.
"And as for you, Snowflake," he hissed meanacingly "Bon Voyage!"
He flung the cub into the lake with all his might, laughing as she struggled to stay afloat. She could hear Diego - and most likely some of the other cubs - bawling back on the edge of the lake. She looked back at her own home, and saw both her parents watching her.
"SHIRA!" shrieked her mother, crying hard, but her father seemed unaffected. Shira thrashed around in the water, calling in vain for help. Her mother leapt into the water after her child, and struggled to swim towards her. She grabbed Shira by the scruff of the neck and tried to get her back to land. Soto laughed cruelly at the mother's desperate attempts to save her daughter, to which Shira's mother shouted something very rude. But, as sabre's are not well-known for their swimming techniques, they began to sink fast. In a last minute attempt, Shira's poor mother flung Shira towards her father, who refused to catch her, letting her head hit the ground.
Shira's mother slowly sunk under the water, giving up on her swimming attempts.
"Mommy!" wailed Shira, scrambling to the water's edge again. Her father didn't try to stop her; he couldn't have cared less whether she lived or not anymore. She'd saved a cub from a rival pack, so he no longer wanted to call her his daughter. Shira's mother disappeared completely, forever lost in the cold, unforgiving lake. Poor little Shira lay on the grass, crying a second lake for the loss of both her parents. Her father was alive, but he didn't care for her now. She was alone in the world.
Down by the sea, several weeks later
Shira lay on the sand, watching the waves. She hated waves. She hated water. Water had taken her mother, and the effect had taken her father. She remembered her father trying to feed her rancid meat and giving her poisoned water to drink. Just that morning, he'd thrown her out of the pack. Literally, he'd thrown her into the forest where she landed painfully on a nettle patch.
As she watched the horizon, she spotted an approaching shape. She felt very tempted to run and warn her pack, but then she remembered that she had no pack anymore. She watched the humongous shape come closer, until she realised it was an ice ship. Confused and nervous as she was, Shira felt adreneline course through her veins for the first time since she had rescued Diego. As the giant ship docked, Shira saw a figure leap up from the deck and grab onto the mast.
"Ahoy down there!" he called, gesturing to little Shira, who stood her ground "You got a pack?"
Shira shook her head firmly, as she knew her voice wouldn't reach him. This pleased him highly.
"Any family at all?"
Shira shook her head again. He swung some sort of cage thing with vines attached to it down for Shira to climb into.
"Coming up?"
She bit her lip anxiously, watching the crew with fear in her eyes. None of them appealed to her really, although there was one cute little bunny rabbit, until a purple kangaroo leapt up to peer over the edge. Shira locked eyes with the little joey and saw desperation in them. Shira didn't need to consider anymore. That little kangaroo needed some sort of family, and Shira was determined to give her that. She then looked up into the ape's eyes and nodded, climbing into the cage.
Shira's 12th birthday
Shira lay down on the cold ice floor, exhausted, and closed her eyes. It was her birthday, and the crew had thrown her a little party, but it had managed to wipe her out completely. She heard footsteps, and felt something warm beside her.
"Hey Shi-Shi," she heard her best friend whisper. She giggled softly.
"Hey Razzy," she whispered back. The kangaroo wrapped her arms around the sabre, knowing how easily Shira got cold in the winter months, despite her fur coat. All the animals got very cold in the winter, unless they came across an enemy ship, which would of course mean that they could attack and warm themselves with new pelts and pure adreneline. Shira cuddled gratefully into the kangaroo, muttering her thanks. Raz laughed gently.
"It's okay Shira, I know you don't really like feelin' unprotected at this time of year."
"Yeah..." Shira took a deep breath, letting her best friend's familiar scent fill her nose "You have no idea how much all this means to me."
"Not a problem, you're my little sister so I should take care of ya," vowed Raz solemnly.
"I'm only younger by a few months..." murmured Shira, as she drifted off to sleep. Raz smiled at the silver sabretooth.
"Sleep well, Sheila. Sweet dreams."
"You too..."
Raz's smile grew even wider as she lay beside the sleeping Shira, just listening to her steady breathing and watching her chest rise and fall. Tears started to well up in her golden eyes. Shira had told Raz everything about her past, and Raz could relate to it in a way. She felt incredibly sorry for the sabre, and squeezed her tight.
"I love ya Shi-Shi," whispered Raz, stroking Shira's silver head "So, so much."
Raz's Dream
A purple kangaroo stood on the sidelines, watching an ape beat a silver sabretooth mercilessly.
"Gutt... please..." moaned the tiger, as the ape slammed his fist into her stomach.
"You betrayed us, Shira!" snapped Gutt, kicking her hard "First Mate Squint! Hand me your knife!"
Squint looked uncertainly at the knife in his paws. He knew what Gutt was going to do with it, and he wasn't sure he wanted that blood staining his prized possession. Raz mouthed at him not to, but he had no choice. He handed his knife to Gutt, who grinned evilly.
"Thank-you Master Squint. Now everyone, I want you to pay attention! This is what happens when you become a traitor!"
And with that, Gutt raised the knife and stabbed it into Shira's thigh. She screamed in pain; a shrill sound that made all of the crew's hearts ache to comfort her. Gutt laughed viciously, enjoying watching her suffer.
"Now that you have been punished for being a traitor," drawled Gutt, grinning at her maliciously "The second part of your punishment is to come,"
"Second part?!" blurted out Raz before she could stop herself. Gutt turned to glare at her. Loyally, Shira mouthed "Go with it! Tell him he's a genius!"
"Tha' is genius Gutt! She deserves it!" Raz praised her captain, looking at Shira to make sure she had said the right thing. Shira nodded, an attempt of a smile on her lips.
"Yes she does, Raz. Yes she does," Gutt said in a low voice, turning back to Shira "Let's see how much Diego likes a mate that can't walk!"
He raised Squint's knife and slammed it into her other thigh, disabling both her front legs for the time being. He watched Shira's blood stain the ice ship's deck, and chuckled darkly. He gave Shira one last blow to the stomach, and left her on the ground to bleed. The crew stood and stared, considering whether or not to go help her, when Gutt turned and noticed the protective circle around his old first mate.
"Attack me!" hissed Shira, picking up on the fact Gutt was staring at them "Attack me now! Try to make me bleed more, okay?"
None of the crew wanted to hurt her anymore than they already had, but they knew they had no choice. They all lunged forward, weapons at the ready. Unfortunately for Raz, she was holding her spiral shell spear, and had to attack Shira with it. She didn't have any choice, but she didn't stab the tigress too hard, just enough to peirce the skin. She over-acted though, to make it look like she was really hurting poor Shira.
When the pirates had finished fake-attacking Shira, Gutt observed her bloodied body. He nodded with approval.
"Good job my crew, the blood loss will ensure she doesn't make any more escape attempts," he commented, tilting Shira's head up to look her in the eyes "No man will want you if he sees you like this, Shira. So I guess you're alone in the world now, huh?"
He flung her body onto to the ice floor and walking off, laughing evilly. The crew followed, bedding down for the night. Clearly, Shira was supposed to sleep in a puddle of her own blood. Raz stole one last look at what was left of her sister, and fell into an uneasy sleep.
Later that night
Raz awoke to the sound of crying. It was nothing more than soft sobs, but she heard them. She gently climbed to her feet and hopped over to whoever was crying. Unsurprisingly, it was Shira. She was fast asleep, but she was thrashing weakly with tears streaming down her cheeks. Her once white fur was rusty red with dried blood, and her body was covered with purple and blue bruises just under the fur. Raz gently shook the sabre awake, her golden eyes meeting with Shira's azure ones.
"Hey Razzy," whispered Shira, her voice barely audible. She'd been through a lot recently, and Gutt had gripped her neck on numerous occasions in the past 24 hours, so she couldn't speak very loud in general. Raz tickled her under the chin.
"Hey Shi-Shi," sighed the kangaroo, a small smile tugging at her lips as Shira shied away from her, giggling childishly. She always had been ticklish as a cub, and even as a full-grown sabre she hadn't outgrown it. Shira licked Raz's fingers playfully, causing her to laugh softly.
"Stop it! Tha' tickles!" laughed Raz, grinning at the sabretooth.
"Yeah well that's what you get for-"
"Stabbing ya with the spear?"
"Well I was gonna say tickling me in the first place. I'm not mad at you for the spear Razzy! I told you guys to attack and I'm glad you did! Gutt didn't hurt any of you guys, and that's all that matters," insisted Shira. Raz shook her head.
"You matter too, Shi-Shi!" she whispered, stroking her between the ears, trying to ignore the dried blood that came off on her fingers "And I don't hold a grudge against you for helping that sabre."
"You don't?" asked Shira, shocked. Raz shook her head again.
"Of course not! You've been through a lot Shira, you deserved to find 'im again after all these years!"
"Thanks Raz, I'm just not sure whether I've lost him for good now. There's a big chance I'll never see him again!" wept Shira, as Raz hugged her kindly.
"But there's an even bigger chance tha' ya will see him, Shira!" Raz assured her friend "Just wait and see, if Ah have anything to with things, you'll find him!"
"Thank-you Razzy, but I don't want you in danger!"
"Don't worry, I'll be subtle 'bout it! Just don't worry 'bout me, okay? I want ya to be happy an' Diego is the key to that. Ah can tell!"
"Thanks again, Raz," sighed Shira, nuzzling her best friend caringly. Ignoring the dried blood that clung to her purple fur, Raz wrapped her arms around Shira's beaten body and held her close.
"Ya'll never be alone in the world, Sheila!" she promised "Never, ever!"
Slowly, Shira drifted into an uneasy sleep. Raz sit with her for a bit, making sure she wasn't going to start crying again. Satisfied that Shira was okay, Raz kissed the top of the sabre's head in a sisterly way, and hopped to the side of the ship. She shook the dried blood off of her fur until she was sure that it was all gone, and gently returned to her sleeping place, blowing a kiss to Shira's sleeping form as she passed by, and pulling a face at Gutt as he slept. Feeling incredibly childish but strangely happy, Raz fell asleep, not knowing what the next day would ensue.
So, how did I do? This was just supposed to be the dreams that I refer to in 'A Second Chance' just so you guys know what I mean and I don't have to write out the dreams in the actual story. Thanks for reading and reviewing! XD