Well it's been a while I guess, but I'm back with a story genre that I don't have to much personal experience in, of coarse it's romance. This will also be my first song one shot, the song is Ends of the Earth by Lord Huron, you might want to play it via youtube when I've mentioned to in the story.
Since I'm not the best when it comes to romance I can't guarantee you'll like it, but hey I gave it my best shot so without further ado, enjoy the story!
It's been three weeks since the herd arrived on Hyrax Island and for now everything seemed peaceful, the new herd member and ex-pirate Shira had been welcomed by every single member of the herd (in their own way of course), and Granny, well everyone seemed to just tolerate her crazy antics, after all Sid was the one to be left looking after his loving and caring Granny most of the time. Right now it was night time and the herd had gathered in their cave, Sid, aka "The Fire King" as he calls himself, had lit a roaring fire in the centre of the cave which illuminated light which allowed everyone to see and it also produced heat to keep everyone warm in this bitterly cold night. The general topic of conversation throughout the herd was how everyone's week had been, the smiles and laughter coming from them all (with the exception of Granny) told the story of how perfect life was going for them ever since the continental drift.
Shira had adapted to her new life style as being a member within a herd that now lives on an island very well, especially considering that she used to be a ruthless pirate who would've killed you if you happened to look at her funny; she still had some of her pirate tendencies such as saying "Aye aye" or addressing Manny and Ellie as captain, but this was to be expected since she had lived with Captain Gutt and his crew for years. Over time she will be able to worm out these automatic reactions that had been drilled into her mind. As Shira was relaxing on her large rock bed inside of the herd's cave she stared into the flaring fire and found herself lost in deep thought, and her mind pondered on one individual.
Shira (Thinking): 'Diego. You're the one who changed my life, you're the one who convinced me to leave Gutt and my old life aboard that ice ship prison behind to join your herd, my knew family; but… Why did you want me to come with you? After everything I said and did to you I expected you to give up on me, but you didn't, there has to be a better reason than pity, right?
Shira spent a prolonged time thinking on the matter and this hadn't gone unnoticed, when Diego looked her way after she hadn't spoken up for a while he spotted her looking distantly into the fire, when she seemed to be getting upset it concerned Diego and he began padding towards her to see if he could get her to share what she was thinking about.
Diego (Concerned): "Shira?"
Shira didn't respond, she just continued to stare into the fire, now Diego was beginning to worry about her, normally she was fully focused and aware of what was going on around her, she would never let down her guard unless something was deeply troubling her. Unfortunately he knew their personalities were similar and if she didn't want to talk about this it could lead to an argument, but Diego was too concerned to just leave her so he proceeded anyway.
Shira (Thinking): 'I mean, I overheard you on that rock in the hunting grounds…'
Flashback
Diego: "Well I have to admit back on the ice ship Manny and Sid were right, but does she feel the same way?"
This immediately peeked Shira's interest and she was now definitely going to question Manny and Sid what had happened after they had stolen Gutt's ice ship, she carried on listening to Diego to see if he would reveal anything else.
Diego: *Sigh* "Probably not, we've only known each other for a few days and most of those she wanted to rip my throat out and we haven't been in the same herd for even a day yet."
End of flashback
Shira (Thinking): 'I haven't gotten the chance to ask Manny and Sid what happened when they took the ice ship yet, so did he actually mean what I thought he meant? Or was I just getting my hopes up?' *Sighs dejectedly*
Diego (Concerned): "Shira?" *Places his paw on her shoulder which snaps her from her thoughts* "Are you okay?"
Shira: "Huh… Oh, yeah, why wouldn't I be? *Fake smiles convincingly*
Diego (Comforting): "Are you sure? If you want to talk about anything you know we're… I'm here for you" *Warmly smiles at Shira*
Shira: "I know, I'm just tired is all…" *Fake yawns then lays her head down* "…But thanks anyway Diego." *Returns Diego's warm smile with her own before closing her eyes*
Shira had managed to fool Diego with her little act and he discreetly returned to his moss patch bed which was close by to Shira's large rock bed, however a certain sloth who had been keeping his granny occupied with fruit she'd forced him to chew for her (Yep, Granny had inevitably lost her teeth) had watched this scene unfold with glee in his eyes. When he saw Shira lay down to go to sleep and Diego wander back to his moss patch bed he felt disappointed, he thought Diego was finally going to suck it up and tell her the feelings he was holding back from her; even though both sabers still deny having any feelings for the other everyone in the herd could sense that this wasn't true. Once he was sure Granny wasn't going anywhere the sloth waddled towards his orange saber-toothed friend, he was just going to ask Diego a few personal questions.
Sid: "Awww, you know you two make a cute couple." *Sits down in front of Diego* "Sooo, why haven't you told her how you feel yet?"
Diego (Thinking): 'Of course Sid would be the one to see me talk to Shira like that' *Sighs annoyed* (Annoyed) "There's nothing to tell her, and besides some creatures say you and me would make a "cute couple", but I'd never consider it in a million years."
Sid: "Ouch, but come on Diego, how can you say that…" *Suddenly thinks of how he can get Diego to confess to Shira* "If you don't tell her soon I'll tell her about our time at Siren Cove."
The mere mention of Siren Cove made Diego tense up and this didn't go unnoticed by Sid, they both knew that this story gave Sid an advantage over Diego; using this story to blackmail him was uncannily clever for the sloth and he seemed to enjoy pushing this in Diego's face.
Sid (Teasing): "Remember your siren Diego? I'll gladly remind you."
Diego (Annoyed): *Tries to talk whilst Sid rambles on* "Sid?"
Sid (Teasing): "And when we were about to kiss… You kissed me for some reason."
Diego (Angry, raised voice): "Alright that's enough, you kissed ME sloth, and it was the most unpleasant experience of my life; now if you want to carry on go ahead but I will end up mauling you!" *Bears fangs and raises his hackles*
Luckily for Diego the rest of the herd were too involved in their own conversation to notice him threatening Sid (again); seeing Diego with his fangs beard and his hackles raised always made Sid nervous, grinning sheepishly he began to inch away from the irritated saber and began waddling back towards his granny.
Sid (Nervous): "O-Okay buddy good talk, good talk, I-I'll let you handle it from here, but if you get cold paws just remember that the love master is here for ya."
Diego (Thinking): 'Love master? Yeah right, no female wants to get anywhere close to you sloth.'
After ten minutes Manny announced that it was time for everyone to settle down and get some shut eye, with that everyone went to their individual sleeping areas, Ellie and Peaches hung upside-down on one of the tree roots poking through the cave roof with Manny sleeping below them, Crash and Eddie hung from Ellie's tusks, Sid and Granny laid down on their smooth rocks whilst Diego and Shira were already resting in their individual sleeping areas; from here everyone drifted into a peaceful slumber. Well with one exception, Diego, once he was certain that everyone else was in a deep sleep his cat eyes flew open, with the moon shining on them they glowed a glossy emerald colour, looking around he could see the sleeping forms of every herd member; rising up he turned Shira's way and began starring at her. Diego started to feel exactly how he had felt on the ice ship before they had drifted into Siren Cove, it was completely alien to him, it made him feel warm and happy but at the same time nervous and uncomfortable around Shira.
Realising that he was staring at Shira he shook himself out of his trance and wandered to the mouth of the cave, remaining as silent as a shadow in order to not disturb anyone, reaching the cave entrance he gazed up into the night sky and what he saw was a sight of sheer beauty. An aurora borealis danced across the pitch black sky along with the glimmering stars, different shades of green, blue, purple and red entwined and flowed vividly performing a spectacular event that most would consider themselves lucky to see, however to Diego they were nothing compared to Shira's beauty.
Diego (Thinking): 'Wait… What! Argh, why can't I get her out of my head? I'm supposed to be a proud bachelor saber, I've never desired a females company, it's just something I haven't needed, but… ever since I met Shira I haven't been able to stop thinking about her. Are Manny and Sid right? Have I actually fallen in… love, with… Shira? *Sighs* "Damn it."
In his frustration Diego punches the ground hard, not giving a thought to whether he would wake anyone else or not; as soon as he did this an all too familiar voice filled his ears and when he turned to search for the owner of the voice his eyes landed on Shira who was now standing in front of him only a few meters way.
Shira: "Looks like I'm not the only one who's having trouble sleeping tonight."
Diego: "You could say that." *Turns back to the aurora borealis*
Shira: "So what's up with you? Something's clearly bothering you if you're punching holes in the ground." *Pads over and sits next to Diego*
Diego remained silent, unsure of how to answer Shira's question, he wouldn't even make eye contact with her, and the only thing he did was stare into the sky which started to irritated Shira; before she repeated her question to Diego she followed his gaze and noticed the dramatic light display going on above their heads and was in complete awe. The natural phenomenon astounded the silver furred saberess and her mouth began to hang open, in all her travels she'd never seen anything with such beauty and wonder, well with the exception of one animal, but the stubbornness and doubt in her mind still kept her from admitting any of this to him.
Diego: "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Shira (Stunned): "I'll say…" *Softly giggles* "And I thought a remorseless assassin like you wouldn't care to watch something like this; you're even softer than I thought you were."
Diego grunted at this comment but gave no other reaction; a minute of silence then fell upon the two sabers as they thought on their feelings towards each other.
Shira (Thinking): 'I can't wait any longer, I've got to ask him what he thinks of me; or I could make it obvious how I feel about him, but how? Urgh, why is it so hard to just to tell him how I feel?'
Diego (Thinking): 'There's no question, about it I've defiantly fallen for her and I've got to tell her now, but how? By just openly saying I love you, why not? Because of my saber pride and I still don't know how she feels about me, obviously. Argh, how do I start? Maybe… that's it!" *Gets up and stretches in the typical cat fashion* "Well, seeing as we both aren't having any luck sleeping are you up for a race re-match."
Shira (Thinking): 'Perfect, this is the opportunity I needed, thank you Diego.' (Confident) "Ha, don't ya mean am I ready to beat you in another race, because we both know that you don't stand a chance against me when it comes to speed and agility."
Diego (Confident): "We'll see, and why don't we make this more interesting, I'll give you a ten second head start and if I manage to catch you in that time you tell me what you're hiding and if you manage to evade me than I'll tell you what's on my mind, sound fair?"
Shira: "Fair? It sounds like you're trying to let me win, but since you made this stipulation you have no one to blame but yourself when I beat you and leave you behind in a cloud of dust."
Diego: "I wouldn't bet on…" *Shira bolts past him heading straight for the forest* "…it. Okay; 10, 9, 8, 7 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, here I come Shira."
Play music now
With those final words Diego too bolted from the herds cave heading in the same direction he had seen Shira run off in; she really could move swiftly when she needed to though and in the pitch black darkness of night she had already gotten out of Diego's sight range, the only light he had was being produced by the aurora borealis and the full moon, this didn't matter to Diego though as his cat eyes absorbed the light and reflected it back out which near enough doubled his vision. Being an expert tracker and hunter Diego remained set on his target, following the faint tracks Shira had left behind, as well as her scent, he managed to follow her trail which led him to a fast flowing river, but she was nowhere to be seen; sprinting alongside the river Diego continued the search making sure to pace himself carefully, if he ran out of energy before he could even locate Shira he'd stand no chance when it came to chasing her down.
Oh, there's a river that winds on forever, I'm going to see where it leads.
Oh, there's a mountain that no man has mounted, I'm going to stand on the peak.
Out there's a land that time don't command, wanna be the first to arrive.
No time for pondering, why am I wandering on whilst we're both still alive?
To the ends of the earth would you follow me? There's a world that was meant for us to see.
To the ends of the earth would you follow me? If you will have a say my goodbyes to me.
After following Shira's scent down the river it suddenly ended like she had just vanished from existence, but looking closely he spotted faint paw prints from a large cat which pointed straight through the river, a crafty and risky yet clever tactic displayed on Shira's part. Due to the fast flowing river Shira's scent will have been easily washed away on the rapids, but she will have had to jump across on the barely visible stepping stones that stuck out just above the water's surface, if she slipped and fell into this river there is no doubt that she will have easily been washed away and from what Diego has seen she cannot swim. Shaking that thought from his head Diego began hopping across the river using the unstable path of stepping stones, almost falling in on the last jump he pulled himself up on the opposite river bank; undeterred Diego sniffed the ground to see if he could pick up any scent that Shira might of left behind, but he found nothing as the winds had become increasingly stronger.
Oh, there's an island where all things are silent, I'm gonna whistle a tune.
Oh, there's a desert that size can't be measured, I'm gonna count all the dunes.
Out there's a world that calls for me girl, heading out into the unknown.
Well, if there are strangers and all kinds of dangers please don't say I'm going alone.
To the ends of the earth would you follow me? There's a world that was meant for us to see.
To the ends of the earth would you follow me? If you will have a say my goodbyes to me.
Looking straight ahead Diego saw the path that led up to the snow covered mountains, Shira would blend into the environment up there perfectly with her fur being pure white and greyish black on her flanks and back. Even though Diego couldn't see any signs that Shira was heading in that direction he decided there was no other place she would run to if she planned on beating him in this race, picking up the pace again Diego set off in pursuit of the illusive saberess. Reaching the base of the mountain the gradient of the path started rising, squinting Diego could see Shira in the distance as she reached the top of the slope; she hadn't even broken a sweat so far and looked as if she was planning to head further up the mountain. If Diego had a hope in catching her now he would have to think fast.
I was ready to die for you baby, it doesn't mean I'm ready to stay.
What good is living the life you've been given if all you do is stand in one place?
I'm on a river that winds on forever, follow till I get where I'm going.
Maybe I'm heading to die, but I'm still going to try, I guess I'm going alone.
Searching for an alternative path up the mountains Diego saw a sheer vertical wall that would take him to the next level of the mountain path, remembering how Shira effortlessly ran up a similar wall he prepared to give it a try. It wasn't much of an option as it would be extremely difficult to pull off and if he failed Shira will win the race and he will injure himself, but it was the only way he would catch her now; sprinting at full speed toward the vertical wall Diego began the perilous climb, putting all his energy into keeping his speed and grip up on the sheer vertical wall. So far it was going well, but half way the momentum Diego had steadily started to die down, half way up he was forced to climb the rest of the way by clutching to any ledges that would support his bulk; it was proving to be a struggle as most ledges would crumble away beneath his weight and his muscles began to feel the strain of gravity pulling down on them, but enduring through this challenge he managed to scramble to the top.
Still standing, but the trek was starting to whittle away at Diego's stamina; ignoring his burning and aching muscles Diego immediately got back to tracking down Shira, as he was about to start heading further up the mountain path something that was camouflaged underneath the snow leaped out at Diego and tried to pin him down. Noticing the animal out of the corner of his eye Diego barely managed to jump out of the way in time, not giving his attacker the chance to strike again Diego launched a counter attack by leaping at the animal from off of the mountains wall and succeeded in pinning the unknown creature; however when he got the chance to see who he had pinned it didn't take him long to recognise them. Diego noted that from its shape and size that this was a female saber who had white fur with stripes of greyish black, earrings made from green and blue shells, small canines and beautiful aqua coloured eyes.
Shira: "Looks like you managed to catch me softie." *Softly giggles*
Diego (Teasing): "Just like last time, remember kitty?"
Shira: *Rolls eyes* "Yeah yeah, now are you going to let me up?"
Diego: "Hmm, not yet, since I won you agreed to tell me what you're hiding from me."
Shira (Nervous): "O-Oh, yeah… a-about that, err…" *Sighs* "…D-Diego, did I hear you and Sid correctly? Did you come across Siren Cove when you took Gutt's ice ship?
Diego (Nervous): *Stumbles back, allowing Shira to stand up* "Y-you were awake back there?"
Shira stands back up on her feet and gave Diego a small nod in conformation, under his fur Diego began to burn up and this was not just from his aching muscles, a massive blush came over him as Shira admitted that she'd been eavesdropping on his conversation with that annoying sloth. Turning his back on Shira Diego padded over to the cliff edge of the mountain path and she quickly followed suit; laying down on his haunches he once again cast his attention to the aurora borealis that still lit up the cloudless sky with vivid colours, taking a deep breath Diego finally answered Shira's question.
Diego (Calm): "Yeah, we happened to stumble into Siren cove after taking Gutt's second ice ship."
Shira (Nervous, Soft): "W-Who did you see, as y-your siren?"
Diego (Nervous): "I-I saw… I saw…" *Takes another deep breath* "I saw you, Shira."
Time seemed to freeze for Shira and Diego felt as though his heart had stopped beating, Shira couldn't help but let her mouth hang open and raise her eyebrows, she'd finally managed to get him to open up to her and felt nothing but happiness surge through her body; after a long pause as the current event sunk in for both sabers Shira found her voice and was able to move again.
Shira (Soft): *Lays down a few inches away from Diego* "You actually saw me, are you saying that you…"
Diego (Passionate): *Stares directly into Shira's shimmering aqua eyes* "Shira, you want to know why I'm soft? It's because whenever I'm around you I can't help but feel really happy and really nervous at the exact same time, when we left you behind at switchback cove that time I felt as though I'd been crushed, I couldn't eat or sleep that night and just brushed it of as an illness, but ever since I saw you appear as my siren I haven't been able to get you out of my head… Putting my stupid stubbornness and pride aside the answer is… yes, I love you with all my heart Shira, and I always will."
This confession certainly came as a shook to Shira, she had suspected his motives for him wanting her to join the herd but she never expected that the once proud and roughed male saber would ever let his feelings flow so freely like this. Now that he'd let all of his feelings for her known Shira could only think of one reaction that would let Diego now how she felt at this moment; closing her eyes Shira pressed her lips up against Diego's and they shared their first kiss. It was brief as Diego was completely stunned and didn't know how to react, as Shira pulled away Diego came to his senses, placing his paw on the back of Shira's neck and pulled her back in for a much more passionate kiss. Diego rolled Shira over so she was now on her back and he was standing above her, both connected and interlocked by their mouths, with Shira wanting to go deeper into the kiss Diego opened his mouth which allowed their tongues to connect which was a strange but new and exciting feeling for both sabers; after several minutes of expressing their true feelings for each other it was time for them to pull apart for them to breathe some much needed air.
Shira (Astonished): "Wow… that was, amazing."
Diego (Passionate): "I'll say, that was the most incredible moment of my life and I don't plan on ever letting you get away from me." *Sighs* "I can't wait any longer so I'm just going to ask…" *Pauses to tease Shira a little* "…Shira will you be my girlfriend?"
Shira: *Smiles and raises one eyebrow* "You really have to ask!"
In an instant Shira quickly jolted forwards pushing Diego down onto his back and now she was the one who was standing above him, leaning down she licked Diego's throat which caused him to start purring uncontrollably and a smug smirk to creep its way onto Shira's face.
Shira (Seductive): "Of course the answers yes!" *Begins walking back down the mountain path* "Oh and Diego, just out of curiosity who's the better kisser out of me and… Sid."
Diego (Shocked): *Shoots back up after hearing Shira's question* "You heard that too…" (Mumbling) "When I get my paws on that sloth I'll…"
Seeing Diego's embarrassing reaction told Shira all she needed to know, he had kissed Sid at Siren Cove, laughing Shira began running back down the mountain and when Diego noticed she wasn't there anymore he bolted in the direction he heard her laughter coming from.
Diego (Shouting): "SHIRAAA!" *Runs down the mountain path chasing after Shira*
In the three weeks that both sabers had been living in the same herd they had both been holding back and denying that they felt anything for each other, now both of them were letting all of these feelings loose. Diego who had come from a herd ever since he had turned on his pack had no experience with female sabers, he always assumed that he would be a bachelor for the remainder of his life, even if he did meet a female saber along the road he had no experience interacting with them so that made his chances of being with one even slimmer. Shira who had spent several years aboard a pirate ship and took orders from an over grown ape had built up a wall around her heart, she was cold and merciless never giving anyone a chance to get close to her, but one certain male saber had manage to melt these icy walls and got through to the true Shira who could show care and compassion, even if she still had a sharp tongue and dark sense of humour. The two were perfect for each other, but would they be able to hold it together, they both lacked experience so this was entirely new to them and they would have to face tough challenges ahead; for now though the only thing that mattered to Diego and Shira was there new life that they would be spending together, they would always remember this special night and not just because of the stunning aurora borealis.
Yeah, I think it went pretty well, but what do you guys think? To let me know leave a review (please), if ya really enjoyed the story ya can favourite it by clicking the little heart somewhere on the page. Thanks to everyone who does decide to view, review and favourite and I guess I'll see you guys in the next story eh, byes for now.
