This is just a little story I thought up after reading all the other Ice Age stories involving Diego meeting up with a female he met as a younger saber. But, I love guy talk and thought it would be a nice twist on the norm to let him talk to another predatory guy. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I love my Jasper and he is mine, but Diego and the others do not belong to me.
The enticing scent of miniature pronghorn wafted by the large cat's nose as he lay concealed in the tall grass of the open plains. He sighed as he thought of the large bison that he wished he had time to stalk. His 'herd' was to be moving on later today and a bison would take all of the time he had been allotted to hunt and he wouldn't have time to fill his empty stomach. Just as he was about to pounce on the meal that would keep his hunger satisfied for the next few days, a voice he sometimes wished he could silence forever sounded.
"Diego! Help me! Dieeegoooo!" His ears laid flat against his skull and he pulled himself away from his potential meal with a growl to save the sloth yet again. The grazing pronghorn dispersed as the saber leapt from the grass. Diego traced Sid's path by scent and found the sloth cowering at the paws of a huge, yet sickly-looking black wolf. The other carnivore's teeth were bared into the beginnings of a snarl as he stood over Sid, until, that is he caught the scent of another predator. The wolf turned faster than he looked capable of and Diego was on top of the animal before it had a chance to spit out a warning. Diego noticed an instantaneous flash of recognition seconds before he pounced, but paid no attention to it. Sid looked on in fright as Diego tackled the wolf head on and the two carnivores rolled end over end until the wolf finally landed on its back with Diego pinning it down, a paw on each side of its head. Both animals were snarling until Diego caught sight of the wolf's icy blue eyes and blinked in, what appeared to Sid, as shock.
All signs of aggression disappeared from the saber as he stepped off of the wolf. "Jasper?" The wolf picked itself up from the melting snow beneath their paws, shook himself and sat back on his haunches, his icy blue stare unnerving Sid immensely.
"I was wondering how long it'd take you to recognize me. I thought I was gonna have to beat you to get you to remember." The wolf said with a toothy grin.
"As if," Diego scoffed and gave an equally toothy grin "then I'd know it wasn't you!"
Just then a loud sound of rustling leaves behind Jasper startled the two predators out of their friendly grins and into defensive positions. Diego, however, relaxed as he caught scent of Manny and Ellie. "What happened, I heard Sid scream and fighting!? Manny asked, his face showing that he wasn't as concerned as his voice would lead one to believe. Jasper cast a glance at Diego's relaxed posture and gave him a confused look before dropping his defense posture. He stood straight and backed up slowly to where he was standing beside Diego. Manny caught sight of Jasper and gave him a suspicious glare, to which Jasper responded by lowering his eyes and dropping his tail—a typical non-threatening posture for wolves and sabers alike. Diego was not fooled, though. He knew this particular wolf too well.
"Manny, Ellie, Sid," Diego nodded to each of his friends in turn "this is Jasper, an old friend of mine."
"Pleased to meet you. Any friend of Diego's is a friend of mine." Jasper said, dipping his head in respect.
"How old?" Sid asked cautiously, stepping from behind the tree he had hid behind during the brief fight.
Jasper gave the sloth a glance before answering. "Old enough to know that Diego carried around a dead mouse for a week after he caught it when he was six weeks old." Jasper turned to Diego with one of his signature toothy grins, his icy eyes sparking with amusement.
Diego glared half-heartedly at the wolf and punched him in the shoulder with his paw. "It was the first thing I ever caught and I was proud, so sue me." He explained to his herbivorous friends. Manny seemed to still hold his suspicion and Ellie looked amused while Sid looked about ready to loose his lunch, apparently thinking of a week old mouse being carried around by a miniature version of his best friend.
"So, what are you doing around here again, and what happened to you? You look like crap!" Diego said to Jasper.
"Thanks, I wish I could say the same to you, but it looks like you're doin' pretty good on your own." Jasper said with a light sarcastic undertone.
"Seriously, what happened, you look like you got in a fight with a short-faced bear." Diego commented and Sid moved closer to Manny.
"Close, but no deer. I was ambushed by a couple of hungry sabers looking for an easy meal. Don't know why they thought I'd be easy, though. I think they might 'a been from your old pack." Diego's eyes widened at this, but if Jasper noticed he didn't show it. "Zeke and that sneak I always said would turn on ya' if you didn't watch your back. They were in pretty bad shape, but I wasn't feelin' generous enough to lose." Jasper gave another grin and looked around. "So where's the rest of your little family?" He asked.
"How'd--?" Diego began, but was cut off by a chuckle from Jasper.
"Don't think you guys haven't been noticed. Different herbivores runnin' together is weird enough, but a saber too? I had to check and see if the rumors were true. I guess I shoulda realized it was you hangin' with the leaf eaters." He stopped and gave Manny and Ellie an apologetic look. "No offense intended, of course." He gave a glance toward Diego before continuing. "But Diego was the one who asked me if I thought our prey's families missed them."
"Really," Sid piped up "I thought I was the one who softened you up?"
"Nope, he went soft way before he met you guys." Jasper looked around quickly, ears perked, all signs of humor gone. Diego also went on the alert along with Manny and Ellie—but for a different reason altogether. Just as Manny was about to ask what the wolf heard a howl sounded from somewhere a good distance away. The howl was short and curt and ended with a few chirping barks." Manny watched nervously as Jasper suddenly dropped his alert posture. His tongue lolled from his mouth happily and his tail wagged slightly.
"That would be the she-wolf I'm helping out for the time being. She's expecting and her mate was killed by a group of hunters, so she needs a protector." He explained when he saw the strange looks he was receiving.
"Yeah, and all she could find was you." Diego said teasingly. Jasper rolled his eyes and trotted quickly into the trees, limping slightly.
Just as Manny was about to say something, a howl erupted from the trees no more than a hundred yards behind Manny, startling the two mammoths and Sid. There was an obvious chuckle near the end of the howl as Diego was sure the wolf had heard Sid's startled yelp.
All the animals gathered in the clearing stared into the trees in which the wolf had vanished for quite some time before Manny spoke. "I don't trust him." The bull mammoth deadpanned.
"That much is obvious, but why?" Diego asked coolly.
"He's sneaky and sarcastic and…." Manny trailed off, trying to think of more adjectives to describe the ebony-furred wolf.
"The wolf version of me?" Diego finished, giving Manny a look that said 'and?'
"Well, yeah, but you're different. He's…" Manny began.
"A wolf!" Sid put in.
"And I'm a saber. Sabers take down mammoths. Wolves would have to be insane to even try. I'm more dangerous to you guys than he is." Diego was beginning to realize that his friends didn't even see him as a threat anymore and that…well, he didn't know exactly how that made him feel, but it wasn't a nice feeling.
"I think he deserves a chance!" All three males raised an eyebrow towards Ellie as she continued. "He did say 'Any friend of Diego's is a friend of mine.'" Ellie explained her point with a bad imitation of the wolf's gruff drawl. Diego, pleased, sat back on his haunches and waited for Manny and Sid to think over the shemmoth's words. Manny's suspicious look seemed to be faltering and Sid was drawing in the sand with a stick.
Diego padded over to the sloth to see what masterpiece he was creating now. As he watched, a crudely drawn wolf appeared and a saber beside it. Both figures appeared to be snarling at an, as of yet, undrawn enemy. Diego's emerald eyes widened as Sid began to draw an ungainly-looking sloth before the two predators. Did Sid really think that he and Jasper would attack the others if Jasper were allowed into the group?
Bile rose in the back of his throat at the conflicting emotions that were suddenly throwing themselves at his slowly softening heart. He grabbed the stick with one paw and brought it down, cracking the thin branch in two. Sid, shocked, looked up into his friend's eyes. Whatever Sid saw in those emerald depths must have comforted the sloth, for he took his clawed hand and smoothed over the grizzly scene he had drawn in the sand. Diego was unsure of what had been unveiled in those few moments, but he hoped it had told Sid what he needed to be able to put those thoughts to rest.
"I guess he can stay." Manny sighed, breaking the unusual trance between saber and sloth. Unbeknownst to Diego and Sid, their mammoth friends had been quietly discussing the black wolf.
"What? We were just talking about him hanging around. He doesn't wanna travel with us." Diego said, stepping towards Manny.
"Now who said that? Maybe I wanna give up my wild bachelor days and hang with some buddies and their girlfriends?" They all turned to see Jasper stepping from the trees, a characteristic toothy grin on his muzzle. When he caught sight of Diego's questioning look, he chuckled lightly and said, "I told you I was coming back."
Diego looked confused for a few moments before rolling his eyes and giving the black wolf a half-hearted glare. "You know I can't understand your crazy singing, you idiot." Diego swiped at the wolf, who ducked and grinned mockingly. Diego caught Manny's stare and straightened up and cleared his throat. "So, do you wanna stay with us?" Diego asked, barely hiding the hopefulness in his voice.
"It's worth a shot. Plus, I need to eat something besides rabbits. Though…." Jasper looked away; seemingly deep in thought "Cass won't be able to travel for a few weeks. Once the pups are born, she'll be a week in the den…three weeks should be ample time." He looked up, icy eyes flashing with his plan. "So, I'll meet up with you guys in three weeks. Cass'll be fine on her own after that."
"Whoa, you're just going to leave a single mother alone with no one to protect her!?" Ellie said with eyes widened in horror.
Jasper seemed taken back and flustered. "W—well, no, but…Would you guys mind staying here for a while? A month or so?" He looked around the clearing as if looking for an answer. His tail dropped slowly as Manny stared him down until the tip of the ebony appendage brushed the ground. The realization that this was true apprehension coming from his friend hit Diego and he stepped in front of the wolf and stared Manny in the eyes as best he could.
"If he tries anything, I will personally chase him out and, if need be—"
"—kill him." Jasper finished for Diego. Diego shot his friend a look and Jasper only smiled in return. Diego turned his attention back to Manny and nodded once.
Manny, looking a bit surprised, said "Okay then," he glanced at Ellie and Sid "I guess we're staying here for a month or so. Ellie, do you know where the possums are?" Ellie looked as if she had forgotten about them and began searching the trees around them.
"We're right here!" One called from somewhere in the trees overhead.
"Yeah, and we heard everything!" Another called. Ellie looked up and the two possums jumped onto her head, to her tusks, then to the ground. Crash and Eddie walked, sauntered really, up to the new animal and looked him in the eyes. Jasper had to look down at the two and seemed quite amused with the situation.
"Don't hurt our sister." Crash said, emphasizing each word with a poke to Jasper's nose.
"Yeah, or you'll have to deal with us!" Eddie added, stepping up beside his brother and giving one final poke to the wolf's nose. Jasper just twitched his nose and said, "So you guys are the infamous possums?"
"Yeah," Crash began.
"What's it to ya?" Eddie finished.
"I like spunk." Jasper said simply and looked up. Manny's eyes showed his amusement and Ellie looked about ready to burst into giggles while Sid's jaw was hanging open. Diego just shook his head and pushed Jasper aside, putting his own nose in danger of being poked.
"Just remember, you twerps, he's a lot faster than I am." Crash and Eddie yelped and hugged one another, looking in mock terror at the newcomer. Jasper grinned, showing sharp white teeth.
"Hey, Lord of the Flame," Diego said with a smirk.
"My tail is not on fire!" Sid shouted, not quite managing an angry voice.
Jasper chuckled. "Okay, we were just about to warn you, but I guess you'll find out on your own."
"What'dya--?"
He was cut off by a battle cry from Eddie. "Bonsai!" Two purple and white blurs shot out from the trees and from those blurs came the sound of dart guns and a barrage of rocks.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" Sid cried, holding his arms over his head for protection. Jasper and Diego, laying a few feet from one another, laughed along with Manny and Ellie who lay a lot closer than the two carnivores. Crash and Eddie finally ceased fire when Manny threatened to bury them up to their necks in the dirt.
Jasper rolled over onto his side and stretched out his legs then suddenly sitting back up again, startling Sid. He turned his icy gaze on Diego. "Hey, you remember that sweet she-wolf that pushed you out of that tree?" Jasper asked with a grin.
Sid and Manny chuckled lightly before receiving a glare from Diego. "Yeah, what about her?"
"I don't know, I just wanted to bring that up." Diego narrowed his eyes as Sid, Ellie, Crash, and Eddie all burst into a fit of laughter—or in Ellie's case, giggles. Manny just grinned; no one made fun of Diego much and it was fun to see something really get under the saber's fur. It was also interesting to hear that Diego wasn't as tough as he put on.
As always, read and review. I want you to be as honest as you feel comfortable in your reviews. I would do the same for any of your stories. How Jasper met Diego will be revealed soon. Stay tuned!
-Phantom