The Desolate Moon

A/N: All right, author ranting time! You are welcome to skip this if you like.

Anyway, I saw Ice Age 4 in theaters the day it came out, and I must say I was rightly impressed. The humor fit, the animation was AMAZING, and those occasional tearful moments were executed well. Now the film wasn't perfect, and the slew of new characters bit difficult to keep track of, but it was done well enough.

Now this is my first Ice Age fiction, and I hope that I was able to convey the same tone as the film, especially with these rather difficult-to-write characters.

Any who, read and review, por favor!

Ice Age (c) Blue Sky Studios

~Ice Age~

"You're pretty soft, for a saber."

"Excuse me; I happen to be a remorseless assassin!"

…

"Two sloths, a mammoth, and a saber? You guys are like the start of a bad joke."

…

"I don't fight girls."

"I can see why."

….

"Still want me on your scurvy crew?"

…

Diego awoke with a start, jolting to consciousness with a gasp. He rose to his feet, glowing eyes scouring the dim cave he and his herd had begun to call home, and made out the enormous slumbering forms of Manny and Ellie, Peaches not too far away, Sid's snorting silhouette and the shapeless lump that was Granny. Assured of his herd's safety, Diego's risen heart rate began to slow.

The saber-tooth shook his head, as if physically ridding the meddled thoughts from his mind, and prepared to lie back down and return to a fitful sleep. But it was then that his gaze zeroed in on the empty space across from him, where he had last seen Shira before falling asleep.

.

Shira had always thought that the moon looked so lonely.

Lying with her head on her paws, the saber tooth rested in the shadow the ship's mast created, hiding her fur from the milky white glow of the waxing moon high in the ebony sky. The rest of the clew were slumbering around her, their heavy breathing the only sound aside from the soft lapping of waves against the ice ship's sides.

Her gaze gradually strayed from the pale crescent to the broiling, tremulous seas around them, a blacker black than the heavens themselves, and yet found her glowing sapphire eyes drawn to the moon's wavering reflection. She sighed softly, retracting her gaze to her forelegs.

She heard a thud beside her and instantly bristled, though kept her unease from showing as the sinewy primate silently leaned towards her.

"Why still awake, Kitty?"

Shira's claws raked through a thin layer of ice at the nickname, blindly hoping that Gutt hadn't caught her sudden flare in temper. "Couldn't sleep, Captain," she answered softly, as to not wake the rest of the crew.

Gutt beamed, though from the saber-tooth's vantage point it looked more like a leer, and he looked over the vast ocean. "Ah, yes. The sea does have a way of entrancing the mind…" he glanced back down at her with his hard, golden eyes. "But that's not the reason you're up." He leaned forward, only inches from Shira's muzzle and she shrunk back at the intense look his gaze held. The ape's breath foul in her face, he rumbled, "not having…second thoughts, are you?"

A lump of fear instantly formed in Shira's throat, her stomach twisting. She quickly shook her head, luminous eyes wide in the gloom. "N-no, never, Captain Gutt."

The primate grinned, a sight that sickened the saber-tooth. His yellowed and yellowing teeth shone like sharp, silver bone in the moonlight, and he chuckled throatily, as if aware of her discomfiture. "Of course not, Kitty. You're too good for that."

Gutt smoothed out his tricorn with an air of dignity, ruffling slightly by the salty breeze, before crouching down beside Shira again. She stiffened as his mouth came frighteningly close to her ear, and he whispered. "Yes…you'll do."

Before Shira could react further Gutt had pulled back and began climbing the mast, the crow's nest serving as his bed for the night, leaving a shell-shocked, young saber-tooth below him.

It took several seconds before Shira found her voice again, craning her head skyward towards the primate. "'I'll do' for what, C-Captain?"

"As my first mate, Kitty."

.

Diego silently exited the cave entrance, glowing hazel eyes scanning the terrain for any sign of the female saber-tooth. His gaze at last landed on Shira, lying on a rocky outcrop on the edge of the clearing, her back to him.

As soon as he found her, unharmed and unmarked, Diego felt the knot of terror in his gut gradually loosen, and with a soft sigh he began to pad forward, footfalls nearly silent against the dirt. He climbed up the strewn stones until he stood beside Shira, carefully watching her as he lowered himself down.

Shira's own gleaming, sapphire eyes remained locked on the full moon above them, which outshone every star and casted a bright silver hue over her grey fur. She didn't react to his sudden appearance at her side.

Seconds passed, slowly dwindling into minutes, before Diego cautiously cleared his throat. "Something on your mind?" he asked, giving Shira a curious sidelong look.

There was silence once more, and Diego was prepared to simply leave the female saber to her thoughts before she spoke softly, her voice nearly lost to the wind.

"Do you ever think the moon gets lonely?"

Diego blinked, turning his head fully to send Shira a surprised look. She still refused to look at him.

He coughed, awkwardly glancing the other way. "Well…I wouldn't think so. It's got all those stars up there to keep it company." Diego risked a glance back towards Shira, and found that her gaze still had not wavered.

"But the stars are nothing like the moon," Shira disputed calmly, her gaze suddenly very far away. Diego knew that she wasn't really seeing the moon or heavens anymore. "It's different. It has no pair."

Diego's glanced down at his paws, not knowing what to say or do. But inspiration struck like lightning and he turned back to the female saber. "Well, y'know, the moon may be pair-less, but she—it's hardly alone." He motioned heavenward with a paw. "The stars may be different, but they're still with the moon. It's never alone."

Shira's eyes finally trailed away from the ebony sky, and her head came to rest over her paws. She chuckled softly. "Never knew perception was your thing, Diego."

He shrugged glibly. "It's a gift."

Shira laughed again, though her mirth trailed off after only a few seconds. "Why do you try so hard? I mean, why am I worth it? I'm just one animal—and most everyone in your herd has tried to help me."

Diego smirked. "Well that's what you—"

"—do in a herd," Shira finished, lifting her head up from her paws with a small sarcastic smile. "Yeah, I know."

The male tiger scoffed softly, and Shira gasped when he gently nuzzled her neck. "And you were worth it because you were one of us, from the moment Gutt left you behind. We are an equal pair. And any one of us wouldn't hesitate to lay our lives on the line for you—and I know you would do the same for us."

Diego rose to his feet, his final words spoken, and with a parting nod turned and headed back for the cave entrance.

Shira was left alone on the outcrop once more, the moonlight still tinting her fur silver, the wind still howling… and she looked heavenward with a smile.

Perhaps the moon didn't seem so lonely anymore.