I do not own Ice Age, nor the characters within. Do not sue me.

Ƭħє ŞąЬяє'ƨ Şħąmє

Chapter One: Mistake

My name is Diego.
I'm a sabre-toothed tiger.
I'm going to die.

It's not like I'm depressed or anything. I'm just hungry. No matter what I do, I can't seem to hunt anymore – my 'herd' keep accidentally stopping me from getting my prey. The less I eat, the weaker I get, and the weaker I get, the less I can eat. It's a downwards spiral, one that's eventually going to lead to my death if I can't get any food.
I need to eat meat. I'm a carnivore. A carnivore in the midst of a herd that eat whatever green leaves they can get their grubby paws on.

If I don't eat soon, my instincts are going to take over, and I'm going to attack them. I've actually started sleep-prowling in search of food – I woke up last night with Sid's scrawny throat in my mouth. He's incredibly lucky to be alive now, but that doesn't matter, does it?

Yeah. It does. Of course it does. They're… my pack… herd. They're family. Friends. Not food.

I can see them from where I am now. They're scattered around a sort of sinkhole in the ground, where the cliffs are raised up around them. There's only one way for them to get in and out of their 'home' – but any sabre could see that all you have to do would be to cut around the edge of the hollow and jump in, and you'd have the perfect ambush. Then you could eat…

I've got to stop thinking like this. I'm not going to – I can't – attack the herd. They're my friends, packs of easy meat…
No!

I can't think like that!

I wish I'd stayed with Soto. Maybe then this never would have happened. Oh, I don't know! I need to eat!

I can't take this anymore! I need to eat! I don't care who or what it is! I need food!

***

Diego's eyes flashed luminescent emerald as he launched himself down into the hollow, a ferocious snarl ripping from his throat. Peaches was right beneath him, and it was her that he was aiming for. She looked up once –

(terrified hazel eyes staring up)

– and he landed directly in front of her, knocking her over and pinning her with one paw, the other going to slit open her throat –

(pathetic squeaks for help escaping her)

– and then the blinding oblivion of pain took over his body as Manny used his tusks to throw Diego away from the baby mammoth. Not caring, not thinking, Diego leapt at Manny and tore a vicious cut in his thick coat. Manny let out a cry of pain, falling back two steps, and Diego was about to turn and pounce at Peaches again when Sid of all people showed up.

It was Sid's expression – hopelessly lost and confused – that snapped Diego out of his hunting trance. His eyes flashed back to their normal hazel-green, and he froze in the middle of the dwelling, realizing what he'd done. Manny roared "What do you think you're doing?!"

Diego let out a low cry as he saw the blood seeping from Manny's side, and then Peaches let out a terrified scream as he took a step closer, scuttling for cover behind her father. Diego felt sick self-hatred well up inside him, and cried out again. Then without even realizing what he was doing, he sprinted out of the clearing and left the dazed pack –herd– behind him, vanishing into a forest to the west.

Back in the hollow, Crash, Eddie and Ellie had returned. Ellie immediately saw the wound, and Peaches' terrified look, and asked "What happened?!"

Manny told her in a shaking voice "Diego attacked."

Those two words made Crash and Eddie freeze with horror, before darting over to Peaches, and Ellie look at him in disbelief. "He did what?!"

"He … attacked. Peaches. Me. Then ran."

Ellie turned around and looked out the entry-way. "…Why did he do that?"

Crash spluttered indignantly. "What you mean is, will he come back?!"

A cold shiver ran through Manny, and almost on instinct, the herd moved closer together, terrified of what would happen if Diego returned.

***

Diego kept running until he was far, far away from the pack, in an area of land which he hadn't ever been in before. He'd ran until nightfall, and then kept running, going as fast and as far as he could before he'd pushed himself to the limit. He knew he could still track his way back to the pack, but maybe, now, he'd just leave them alone, instead of attacking them like some kind of monster!!! He'd managed to catch a gazelle and eat it, for the first time in weeks, and the food had immediately cleared his thoughts. He could remember Peaches' terrified look, the pathetic squeaks she'd been making, Manny's outrage and fury… His own claws scraping across Manny's skin…

Assaulted by a blinding wave of self-hate, Diego savagely hit the snow-covered ground with his paw. A loud crack came from his limb, but he could barely feel the pain over the sickening sense of shame that was welling in his lean body.

Manny had saved his life. He'd given him more chances than he deserved. And in return, Diego had attacked him and his daughter.

Diego shuddered, then let out a pained groan, beginning to search for somewhere to sleep. He was still in the forest, but a large cliff had was running in a north-east direction, blocking his road. He was in a small, natural clearing, and a black hole of a cave extended into the cliff face. The scent of another sabre pack was strong, but he was almost beyond caring what happened to himself now. He shrugged, then lay down where he was.

At least he couldn't hurt anybody he cared about now…