Her weasel body was lithe and strong and she carried a strong, straight wooden pole with her everywhere. On her underside she was a gorgeous yellow color, while on her chin, under her nose and around her mouth she was white. Her topside was a sort of brown-gray. The thing that really seemed to get everyone she met though, were her eyes. Her right eye was red and her left eye was shocking violet. And she never cried, not a tear would she shed. Some said she was just tough and others said she couldn't cry. Her name was Donna.

The snowscape was calm and Donna's baton was in her paw. The glare of the sun on the snow made it difficult to see but she surveyed it easily. Suddenly a shadow swooped over the scraggly, leafless bush she stood next to. Donna looked up and her eyes widened for a split second before they adopted a look of fear. The hawk dove and she watched the gleaming talons come closer, closer… she leapt out of the way at the last second. The hard wooden pole cracked over the hawks head just before it could catch her.

Donna smirked and her eyes winked with merriment as she sent the unlucky predator on its way. The sound of a cracking twig behind her made her spin around. She sighed, it just ain't your day today, girl. She stayed tense, whatever this thing was, it was about to discover that she was nothing to mess with. Besides, it was probably some stupid squirrel playing a trick on her. Then she heard the growl. A massive cat leapt out at her, claws reaching out for her. She screamed at the saber, whether in fear or defiance it was hard to tell as she swiped at it with her staff.

Thump! She skidded back, one fore-paw in the ground the other holding her staff out to the side. The saber stumbled a bit under the force of her blow. Just then two mammoths, , a male and a female, two male possums and a very smelly sloth appeared in back of the saber. "Diego, stop it! Look at her, poor thing. You must have scared the living daylights out of her." That, guessed Donna, was the female. The saber, Diego, as the mammoth had called him grunted. "Aw, come on, Ellie. We haven't found a decent meal for me in days. The weasel is the biggest thing all week."

Donna spoke up. "Umm, 'scuse me, saber, but 'the weasel' can fight back. I think you'll have a bump on your noggin to prove that one." The male mammoth snorted at that and was immediately chastised by the female or 'Ellie'. "Manny, that's not very nice. You know Diego never saw it coming." Diego looked at his paws and thought, man, am I losin' my edge. Beaten by a weasel. The sloth seemed to know Diego's thoughts and slouched over to pat him on the head.

"Sooo…where're you headed, mammoths?" Donna addressed the male. He looked at Ellie and said, "South, to start a community. The others went around too avoid the saber territory but we think our herd can take any trouble we run into."

"Herd? So, like you guys are all together as a family?" Donna looked confused. Thankfully, Ellie answer. "Yup, we're all family. My brothers and I joined while trying to escape the flood and these three," she pointed her trunk at Manny, Diego and the sloth, "Were the original herd. And, I say we've been very rude, please let us introduce ourselves."

Donna soon learned that the sloth was a klutz by the name of Sid, the mammoths were Manny and Ellie, the possums were Ellie's 'brothers', dubbed Crash and Eddie and that the saber was Diego. "Thanks, it's nice to meet you all. I'm Donna. " The sloth and the possums shook her paw vigorously. "Ssso, where's your herd, hhmm?" Sid looked at her curiously. Donna looked down. "My family is dead." Her words were flat, dead sounding but her eyes didn't glisten at all as she spoke. When Donna looked up she said "but it was ages ago, it doesn't matter anymore. It does get lonely though."

"Well, come with us." Ellie's green eyes glittered welcomingly. "you seem nice enough and you and Diego should get along great, you're both are hunters."

"And," muttered Diego in undertone, "Sid will annoy you to no end." When Donna Looked uncertain Ellie encouraged her further, "Come on sweetheart, you'd be safer with us that out here anyway, and less lonely. Besides, that hawk nearly made lunch-meat out of you."

"I guess I could come. If you don't mind, besides, something tells me that possums aren't fond of hawks. I could...uh I could keep 'em away if any try to make a snack out of them." She grinned sheepishly. "Sold, to the crazy herd for the price of no hawks." Crash and Eddie sounded just like auctioneers. Manny started forward, "Come on, I'd like to reach the edge of the saber turf by noon. Then we can rest, we don't want to be caught there by night."

Donna waited for the herd to pass her up a bit so she could walk with the possums, Si d wasn't the kind of company she enjoyed, Diego made her a bit nervous, and the mammoths looked like they were already in a conversation. Besides, Crash and Eddie seemed like fun guys. "So, is Manny always like this?"

"Always, he's--"

"No fun" said the possums together. "But enough about Manfred, let's hear about you. If you can take out Diego, what can't you do? I heard that Big D was one of the best hunters when he was in a pack." Donna shrugged. "I don't really know what I can and can't do, I just take it as it comes."

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I AM SORRY FOR ANY TYPOS AND HOPE YOU ALL LIKE THE STORY!