Cubsitting
The morning sun slowly blazed its light into a cave populated by a certain family of sabres. The father, Diego, was the first to awaken. Yawning slightly, he gently nudged his mate, Shira, awake.
"Morning, kitty." He whispered.
"Morning yourself, softie." Shira smiled.
The two parents gently nudged their offspring (Dennis, Dawn, Snowfall, and Stripes) awake. The cubs had only recently been weaned off their mother's milk, and had just progressed to eating solid foods. A chunk of gazelle leg was brought over to them, serving as their breakfast.
As the cubs ate, Shira stretched.
"That's it, get nice and limber." Diego nodded. "Today's the day, after all."
After the arduous task of giving birth, Diego and Shira had agreed that Shira had to get back into shape as soon as possible, so that they could double their hunting quota.
"Are you sure?" Shira asked. "The kids..."
"Will be fine." Diego reassured. "We just have to get someone to sit for us, that's all."
"And who exactly are we going to trust with our precious cubs?" Shira asked.
At that point in time, Peaches wandered into the cave, Louis by her side.
"Hey guys." Peaches smiled. "Sorry for coming by so early, but we just had to see the cubs again. They're so cute!"
"If that's okay with you, of course." Louis added timidly.
"Relax, shorty." Shira grinned. "It's just fine with us."
"In fact, since you're so keen on seeing the cubs, what say you keep an eye on 'em for a while?" Diego asked.
"Really?" Peaches and Shira asked at the same time.
"You sure about this?" Shira asked.
"Sure." Diego grinned. "Everyone knows teenagers make the best sitters."
"But do you really trust them with our cubs?" Shira inquired.
"Of course." Diego nodded. "I've known Peaches since she was a cub herself, and Louis is one of the nicest kids around. Trust me when I say we can trust them."
"Well, if you say so." Shira said, though she looked unconvinced.
Whattaya say, Peach?" Diego asked. "Will you look after the cubs for a few hours while I help Shira get back in shape?"
"I guess that'll be okay." Peaches agreed. "Alright, we'll do it!"
"We?" Louis replied.
"Yeah." Peaches replied. "You can lend a paw. Right, Louis?"
Peaches looked at Louis in a way that, unbeknownst to her, made the molehog melt.
"Right." Louis sighed, a goofy grin on his face.
"Okay, if you're sure you can handle them..." Shira said, still unsure. "We'll be down in the valley if you need us."
"Relax, aunt Shira." Peaches smiled. "We've got this."
"Okay then." Shira smiled, touched as always by Peaches calling her "aunt". "Kids, we have something to tell you."
"What, mama?" Asked Snowfall.
"Your father and I will both be going out for a while, so your cousin Peaches and her friend Louis will be looking after you today." Shira explained.
"No, don't go!" Dennis protested, his eyes tearing up. "Stay!"
"Sorry, pal." Diego stroked his son's head. "We have to. But we'll be back soon, I promise."
"Baby." Stripes sneered at his brother.
"Be good for Peaches and Louis, kids." Shira nuzzled her offspring.
"Yes, mama." Dawn giggled.
"If they get hungry, there's a gazelle leg over in the corner." Diego told Peaches.
"Oh, so that's what that smell was." Peaches grimaced.
"Remember, these are our kids we're trusting you with." Shira glared at Louis. "Don't let anything happen to them, you hear me?"
"Y-yes, ma'am." Louis trembled.
"Okay, let's go." Diego gently pulled Shira away. "Good luck, kids."
Shira reluctantly turned and exited the cave, looking back at her cubs one last time.
"You sure we can trust them?" Shira asked again
"Well, we could always ask Sid to do it instead..." Diego joked.
"Not funny." Shira huffed.
Peaches and Louis were then alone with the cubs.
"So, how are you kids today?" Peaches asked, before realising Dawn was staring at her. "What?"
"Your nose is funny." Dawn pointed out.
"That's because it's not a nose." Peaches told her. "It's a trunk."
"What's it do?" Dennis asked.
"I use it to pick things up." Peaches said, demonstrating by lifting up Louis, and placing him back down again. "And drink water."
"That's weird." Stripes sniggered.
"Hey!" Peaches said, offended.
Meanwhile, Snowfall was inspecting Louis, sniffing him all over. Unfortunately, her nose got a little too close to his quills.
"Ow!" Snowfall yelped.
"Sorry, sorry!" Louis cringed.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" Peaches asked.
"Hurts." Snowfall sniffed, clutching her nose.
"Don't worry." Peaches soothed her. "Louis will kiss it better."
"I will?" Louis asked.
Peaches stared hard at Louis.
"Yes, you will." She said firmly.
Sighing, Louis leaned forward, planting a tiny peck on Snowfall's nose.
"Better?" He asked.
Snowfall nodded. She then nuzzled against Louis in gratitude.
"Aww, I think she likes you!" Peaches chuckled.
Louis chuckled back.
Peaches noticed Stripes curled up on the floor, staring at nothing.
"What's up with you, my little sour puss?" Peaches asked playfully.
"Go away." Stripes sneered. "You're not mama or papa. They're fun. You're not."
"Oh, yeah?" Peaches grinned. "Well, you'd better watch out, cuz I just thought of something else I can use my trunk for."
Quick as a whip, Peaches placed her trunk on Stripes' belly and blew several raspberries, causing the cub to giggle uncontrollably.
"Nooo!" Stripes chuckled. "Stop!"
"Still think I'm not fun?" Peaches teased. Noticing the other cubs laughing at Stripes, she rounded on them. "You want some too?"
The cubs scattered. Peaches got Dennis first, then narrowly missed Snowfall.
"Louis, I could use some backup over here!" Peaches declared.
"Coming right up!" Louis grinned.
Burrowing into the ground, Louis came up under Snowfall, planting a raspberry right on her tummy. Diving under again, he did the same to Dawn.
Suddenly, Stripes leapt on Snowfall's back, and delivered a raspberry to Peaches. Chuckling, the teen mammoth fell on her side. At the same time, Dawn pounced on Louis, and levelled a little payback.
The cave rang with the sound of laughter, which was all too soon replaced by another sound: That of four rumbling stomachs.
"Okay, lunch time!" Peaches smiled. The smile soon faded when she lifted the gazelle leg over to her young charges, who began savagely tearing into it.
"Want some?" Dennis asked through a mouthful of meat.
"No thanks." Peaches grimaced. "I already ate."
Louis said nothing, his face slowly turning a sickly shade of green.
After stripping the leg clean, the cubs, their hunger sated, lay down on the floor.
"Mmm, that's good gazelle." Snowfall belched.
"Boy, you were hungry." Louis noted.
"'Course they were." Peaches smiled. "Having fun really builds up an apetite."
"Yeah, fun." Stripes agreed. "You are fun, both of you."
"Aw, thanks!" Peaches wrapped her trunk around Stripes and lifted him up to her face, gently pressing him against her cheek.
"Soft and fuzzy, too." Stripes murmured, nuzzling against the fur on Peaches' cheek.
Meanwhile, the other cubs had pounced on Louis, and were licking him mercilessly. Eventually, they let him up, revealing the fur on his head to be sticking up in all directions.
"Nice 'do, Louis." Peaches teased.
Blushing, Louis set about trying to get his fur under control.
The cubs giggled, then started to yawn.
"I think it's time for a nap, guys." Peaches noted, putting Stripes down.
"Not me." Stripes protested, poorly hiding a yawn. "I'm not sleepy."
"Nice try, mister." Peaches smirked. "The little cubs need to sleep off their big meal."
"I'm not little." Stripes insisted, yawning again.
The four cubs climbed onto the pile of leaves and down that comprised their bed. One by one, their eyes closed, and they fell asleep.
"Oh, they're so cute." Louis remarked.
"Yeah, they are." Peaches sighed. "Well, look at us. Who'd've thought we'd make such great parents?"
"Yeah, s-sure." Louis stuttered, blushing. "You and me, parents..."
The two sitters watched over their slumbering charges for quite some time. Before they knew it, Diego and Shira had returned, bringing with them a large animal carcass, which Shira herself had hunted down and caught.
"So, how did everything go?" Shira asked.
"Just fine, ma'am." Louis smiled.
"They were perfect little angels." Peaches cooed.
"Told ya they could handle it." Diego nudged Shira playfully.
Yes, you did." Shira admitted grudgingly. "And you were right."
"I knew it couldn't have gone worse then the time I looked after Peaches when she was a kid." Diego smiled.
"Why, what happened?" Shira asked.
"She kept yanking my tail." Diego reminisced. "She thought it was 'broken', because it wasn't as long as everybody else's."
Shira sniggered loudly. Even Louis couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"Hey, I was just a kid." Peaches shrugged. "I didn't know any better."
"But she did think my 'tusks' looked nice, though." Diego added, to a fresh bout of laughter. Even Peaches joined in.
Suddenly Stripes eyes flickered open, and he saw his parents.
"Mama!" He called. "Papa!"
Woken by their brother's outburst, the other cubs realised their parents had returned, and joyfully charged over to them.
"Hey, guys." Diego chuckled, holding Stripes and Dawn close.
"We missed you too." Shira nuzzled Dennis and Snowfall.
"Did you have fun with Peaches and Louis?" Diego asked.
"Yeah!" Dawn giggled.
"They're the best!" Stripes cheered.
"Can they watch us again sometime?" Dennis asked.
"Pretty please?" Snowfall added.
"I think that can be arranged." Shira smiled. "If it's okay with you two, of course."
"It's fine with me." Peaches smiled.
"And me." Louis grinned.
"Yayyy!" The cubs cheered as one.
"We'd invite you to stay for for dinner, but..." Diego indicated the carcass.
"That's okay." Peaches said quickly. "I've gotta get back home."
"Me too." Louis added.
"Awww!" The cubs moped.
"Hey, we'll be back." Peaches smiled, rubbing Stripes' and Dennis' heads with her trunk.
"Promise." Louis grinned as he patted Dawn and Snowfall's heads.
As the two teens left the cave, they heard the cubs yelling "Bye!" and "See ya soon!"
"Great kids." Peaches sighed.
"The best." Louis concurred.
The End.
(Ice Age and all associated characters are the property of 20th Century Fox and Bluesky Studios.)