1
Prologue
I was running. I was running like I had never run before. All of a sudden, I wasn't there anymore.
I was still running, but I was covering the ground faster. My two legs were gone. I now had four. They were covered in fur. Black-and-silver fur. How did this happen? I was just out for my morning run. There definitely wasn't this much snow out. I mean, it's summer back home! Where am I, anyway?
I kept running. I didn't want to stop. It was exhilarating. My long strides effortlessly ate up the ground. I was vaguely aware of what I was doing, but I had no idea where I was going.
I stopped at a pond, only because I had to. I couldn't move any further at the minute. Taking a long drink, I caught sight of my reflection.
I recognized the animal I had become from my prehistory textbook. I was a Smilodon, a saber-tooth cat. Now, you can imagine my reaction. I went crazy and started running again.
Smilodons aren't built for long journeys at high speeds. But for some reason, I was able to. I guess I was a different breed of saber or something. Or maybe I was just special.
I was hungry. That night, I made my first kill. It was an antelope, and it was delicious. I had never tasted anything like it. After I finished, I looked for a shelter for the night. I was in for a surprise.
The first shelter I tried already had animals in it. I froze in the doorway, staring at the odd grouping.
The first one I saw was the mammoth. He was a giant compared to me. He looked fat, but I knew the reason for his bulk. Mammoths have three inches of fat under their skin to help them keep warm in the Ice Age.
There was a ground sloth, too. He actually was fat, and smelly. His greenish-brown coloured pelt was full of fungus. i was about to leave when I noticed the next one.
This really surprised me. A golden, handsome male saber slumbered in the dying light of a low fire.
Wait. Fire?
I had seen this before. I was inside the Ice Age movie. Crazy stuff, movie magic.
These must be Manny, Sid, and Diego. But, where was Pinky? I mean Roshan? Oh, there. I spotted him curled in Manny's trunk.
The mammals were all still asleep. I decided, I'll stay here for the night. I know all about these animals. I was safe. Not to mention the fact that I was a saber.
How in the world was I a saber?