Hi? Yeah. I know. A one shot. Wow. *sarcastic clap* geeat way to stay on task, girl.

Ahem. Anyway. I have no real reason for writing this… I guess I was feeling a little deprived of some plotless fluff? Maybe? Eh. Cookie, anyone?

I don't own Ice Age.

Raz was in a foul mood. Just as she had been for the past several moments. This was not her day. She grit her teeth and dug her claws deeper into the wooden handle of her favorite spear. She was cold, tired, and quite annoyed. That dingo back there had managed to chip one of her best swords before she cut out its throat. Now the blade was unbalanced and didn't feel right in her palm. So she'd shoved it into her pouch and, after a quick splash in the river to wash off its scent, left the area before the enticing smell of fresh blood drew in more predators looking for an easy meal. The last thing she needed was a tussle with a crocodile or anaconda before bed.

The loner jill grumbled to herself as she continued on her way to her place of shelter, occasionally snagging a eucalyptus leaf from a particularly-tempting looking tree. She had every intention of going home, eating dinner, and sleeping half the night away.

She had no intention of bringing home a joey.

So, when she tripped over the ball of white fur laying sprawled on the forest floor, she was very annoyed. She yelled as she was sent sprawling, and the critter gave a frightened squeal.

"Alrigh', what's the big idea then?!" she snapped, leaping up nimbly and aiming her blade at what may have been a threat. One big, big watery eye stared, horrified, at the pointy blade close enough to clip its lashes. With a squeal, the tiny joey backpedaled clumsily and fell on its tush, scrambling back and whimpering.

"N- No, p'ease!" Raz scrunched her nose at the mispronunciation; this tiny scrap of life couldn't be any older than a year and a half. What was it doing away from its mother? "Leave Zar 'lone!"

"Pfft, gladly," rolling her eyes, she lowered her blade in annoyance and turned, having every intention to leave.

But then the snow white joey squealed, "N- N- No!" and leapt forward, grabbing onto her ankle.

"What the- get off. Right now."

"Nooo!" it wailed in a high pitched, cooing voice that still held just a touch of a babyish lisp. "Stay! No go! No leave Zar 'lone no mores!" the joey spoke in broken English fragments.

"I said, get off!" she snapped, patience spent, raising her left foot and slamming it back down with a firm shake, sending the extra baggage tumbling off and onto its back. The joey, which she noticed was a little doe, stared up at her with a watery eye and a trembling lip. Raz could only see her right eye; bright blue. The left was covered with a sloppy flower wreath situated crooked on her head. The flowers were shriveled up and dead. "Get lost, pipsqueak."

"Zar alweady lost!" she protested. "No be lost no mores! Help!"

"What- me?" she demanded indignantly. "Yeah… that ain't hap'nin. Go 'way." She started to hop away, but was dismayed when the squirt followed her, albeit very clumsily, with stumbling steps and shaky legs.

"N- No! No go! Stay wiff Zar! Zar lost! No wanna be lost!"

"Well here's a thought," she snapped over her shoulder; the joey was quickly falling further behind. "Go'n find ya mummy and daddy. Then ya won't be lost anymore."

"But… me can't." she whispered. "Me not have mummy an' daddy."

Raz, for all her cruelty and sadistic ways, stopped dead in her tracks. It felt like she'd been injected with ice water, as a chill rushed through her blood. "…What?"

"Me no have mummy an' daddy," she panted with a quick set of tiny coughs, finally catching up to her again and leaning against her ankle; that was all the further she reached on Raz. "They gone."

She licked her lips nervously. "Gone where?"

"They go bye bye. Take me in forest, put me down in grass. Tell me stay. Me stay. They no come back. They not want me."

Well, crud.

Already internally kicking herself, repeatedly, she heaved a great sigh and said, "Alright. C'mon."

Her visible eye opened very wide and a bigger grin than should have been possible blossomed on her cheeks. Had she been human, her dimples would have showed for sure. "Reawwy?! You take'a me wiff you?"

"…Aye," for whatever reason, the joey flinched.

"Me hold you hand?" she asked in her tiny, peeping voice and reaching up her equally tiny paw toward the adult. The violet jill grimaced, but swallowed her pride and shoved her spear into her pouch, dropping her hand and agreeing irritably. The joey beamed, leaping up and catching her hand, just barely able to grip two of her fingers, and Raz couldn't help marvel just how tiny her itty bitty fingers were in comparison to her large ones. "T'ank you, um…"

"Raz. Just Raz."

…

Nearly an hour later, Zarikkitta lay nestled in a comfy leafy nest quickly thrown together by her hostess, nibbling a peach and watching as the big, purple jill tended her weapons.

"Waz?"

"Its Raz!" she snapped, exasperated. "Raz! With an R!"

"That what I say. Waz."

Groaning, she muttered something along the lines of "I hate kids," under her breath and continued sharpening her dagger, fingering the blade with just a hint of longing and fondness. It had been a favorite of Squint's.

The joey, who had introduced herself as Zar, was quiet for a time. Not nearly a long enough time, though. "Waz?"

"What?"

"Where you mob?"

"Hopefully drownin' in a tar pit somewhere."

"Huh?"

"Nothin'. Go ta sleep 'er somethin', kid. Yer buggin' me."

Zar was quiet for a long time, and for a while all Raz heard was the crackling of the flames and steady shiiink of the flint on her blades. "Waz?"

"Oh for the love of- what?"

"Me not perfect."

"What… and what in the name of a tsunami does that have ta do with anything?"

"It why mob no want me. Me not perfect. Why you want me?"

"First of all, I don't want you. Second, what're you babblin' about?"

She sat up and rubbed her eyes with a big yawn, lolling her head back and curling her little pink tongue. Then she removed the dead flower wreath and set it carefully aside, opening her eyelids. Raz was rather shocked by the pure white, blank and milky eye that stared out from the left socket.

"Oh…" that explained everything. This joey was blind in one eye. "Oh man, kid…"

"It not always dis way," she sighed sadly as tears welled up, and she suddenly found her lap very interesting, shame tinting her tiny voice. She was too young to sound so ashamed and embarrassed of herself. "I born wiff both eyes good. Me see wiff both. Dhen… eye got blurry. Everything turn white. No know why." Her shoulders started to shake. "They say me bad. Call me bad girl. Say me not good 'nuff. Had to get rid a' me." She sniffled softly. "Say me's other eye go white too. Not want me. But…" she raised her face to Raz, tears streaming in rivulets down her cheeks. "But me no like bein' lone. No get it. Why me bad? Why mummy daddy no love me? Why?" she gazed at the pirate like she had the answer to every one of the worlds' riddles. "Why?"

Golden eyes burned with moisture as painful memories resurfaced. Being tossed, the freezing cold water, the disgusted looks… it was all too much. She couldn't take it.

She abruptly put down her weapons and immediately went to little Zar's side. The joey nuzzled against the offered arm, snuggling into the comfort she'd been yearning for for weeks. "They didn't deserve you," she growled quietly, holding the joey protectively. "You listen ta me, squirt. Yeah, you ain't perfect. But ya know wha', no one is. Iss' just life. But you was way too good for them; they didn't deserve ta call you their daughter, ya hear?"

She sniffled, lip quivering as she rubbed her eyes. "But…"

"No! No buts! Yer a fighter, survivin' on yer own when yer so little, and with such'a problem. You oughtta be proud!"

"I oughtta?"

"Aye, you oughtta. Now listen up Sheila, I ain't yer mum and I sure as heck ain't part'a any mob, but I can tell yer special. I'll watch ya, if ya like. Teach ya how live without yer eyes."

"You- ya will?"

"Definitely. They say it takes a lotta strugglin' and pain ta be a warrior. Well, you's been strugglin' and sufferin' a good bit now; I'll make a warrior outta you, squirt. Then anyone that says ya aren't perfect can kiss her sword blade."

Zarittikka's good eye shone with adoration and hope. "Ya reawwy make me good girl?"

"I'll make ya th' best girl this Outback's evah' seen."

"Wow…" she breathed in awe, before snuggling up under her chin. "Thank yoo, thank yoo!"

Raz chuckled, watching her new student as she yawned suddenly, rubbing at her eyes and then drowsily laying her head against her chest. Oddly enough, she didn't mind near as much as she would have two hours ago. Rather, she found the display of the sweet little joey snuggling against her… cute. And kinda heartwarming.

'Oh great… I'm goin' soft, ain't I?'

Eh, oh well.

…Yup. That happened. I honestly have no idea where this came from. It just boom, hit me, and I was like 'Well, ok brain, you're the boss. So, yeah. Um… review?