Reflected Reality

We had a real hard time at school today. By 'real', I mean real hard. It started as having a simple fraction test, then somehow spiralled into becoming a state-wide decimal test. Oh well, at least I can say that I think I did good at them.

So, to calm down after the tough day, I arrived home and decided to watch Ice Age. I've seen it a million times already, but I can't get enough of it. Laughed at the humorous parts, who can contain laughter at those parts?

Well, anyway…. Near the end of the movie, the ground began to shake. It started out as a slight tremor, I figured it to be an Earthquake; But wait, we don't get quakes down under. For some reason, my eyes drifted towards the video recorder. Strangely enough, in the small black rectangle thing letters were spelt out in the order as follows;

P-O-R-T-A-L

Light blue flames flickered out from the television, before turning in a circle with rapid speed. It soon looked like a portal, but to what? I didn't find out, as everything went black.

Chapter 1; Reality Turns

"Augh…." My head throbbed, it felt as if I had cracked it open on a rock.

"Hey, she's coming to!" What the…? Where was that voice coming from? It sounded familiar.

Heavy eyelids slowly fluttered open to reveal a stream of blinding light directed at me. I flinched at the sudden pain, but from waking up in different lit rooms the past few days taught me to keep them open; It wouldn't blind me, just be painful for a minute or so. Groaning, I tried to sit up, but I wasn't on two legs, I was on four! Where the hell was I? What am I?

Remembering the voice, I looked around, more interested in who was watching me rather then my own appearance. When my eyes rested on a familiar, comical figure I leapt back in surprise.

"Eheh… Manny… She's awake…. Help!"

I couldn't believe it. I was dreaming. Yeah, that's it. Just dreaming. That didn't explain the throbbing though, you never got injured in dreams. Standing before me was no other then the lovable lisper featured in the Ice Age movies. I instantly freaked and turned to run, but only ended up falling face first in the dirt. Then I remembered; I wasn't on two legs right now. Maybe…?

"Hey, what do I look like to you?" The small whisper escaped my lips after encouragement from my throat. "And what is your name?" Surely I was dreaming, or this was just a sloth that looked incredibly like Sid from the movie. That still didn't explain where I was.

"Uh… A dire wolf?" The yellow-furred sloth looked at me like I was nuts, then remembered my other question. "Sid."

Oh, no… Was that bright flickery thing really a portal able to transport you into a movie? Well, it obviously wasn't a dream, so maybe if I stuck with them the portal would eventually open. So, I was a dire wolf, perfect. Now I could torment Sid like Diego always does in the movie. Speaking of that cat, I wonder if they've been through the adventure yet.

It was a bit odd to be a different animal, especially a four-legger, it's hard to walk properly. Though I wasn't complaining, I could help them on the journey if they haven't done it yet.

It would be better to keep the thought 'I'M IN A FREAKING MOVIE' to myself, not blurt it out to the others, they wouldn't even understand.

"Sid, eh?" I asked, attempting to rise to my paws, though it was hard. "My name's…" I trailed off. My real name, Tian, is too much of a human name, so I would have to come up with more of a… wolf name?

A small puddle of water stood off to the side of where we were talking, it would be just big enough to see what I looked like. Stumbling towards it, the water rippled briefly before clearing to show what my appearance as a wolf was. Even if I do say so myself, I looked rather beautiful for a wolf, not to mention a dire.

A long fang stuck out on each side of my mouth, AKA a dentist's nightmare. They weren't that long, but they were attractive compared to now-a-day wolf fangs. My pelt was a smooth and silky black, eyes a sweet light blue. They glinted dangerously, hah, I feel kinda sorry for Sid, now he'd have two predators teasing him.

Eyes drifting down to study my sturdy legs, I was surprised and pleased to find my front left paw was coated in chocolate brown. I could get used to looking like this, even if it took a while to learn how to move and fight properly.

Soft foot falls came up beside me, I knew instantly it was Sid.

"Well…?" He asked, patiently waiting for me to state my name.

"Delusion," I replied after moments of silence. What? It suited my appearance.

"Look who finally woke up," a deep and familiar voice spoke up as heavy thuds came towards the puddle.

My eyes shot up and I came face to face with mammoth tusks. If getting stuck in the Ice Age movie hadn't given me a heart attack, this surely did.

"Woah!" I exclaimed in surprise, leaping back from the puddle and almost tripping again. Managing to catch a few glimpses of his dark brown coat and tuft of hair, I instantly realised it was Manny. The mammoth from the movie. Great… As Sid stated at the beginning of the adventure, 'Manny the Moody Mammoth'.

"If you showed a threat I would of kicked you by now, don't worry. My name's Manny," The big bundle of poofy hair greeted in his own way, before turning from me and walking down a wide path surrounded by pink petalled azalea trees.

Hey-- This is the place where they first get the baby, but why didn't they have it? Had they already returned it and started heading South, or hadn't even met it yet? "Ha ha, very funny. I'm sure a kick in the ass by a mammoth hurts." I barked sarcastically, walking around in random circles in hopes of finally figuring out how to move.

"It doesh. Trusht me. Hey Manny, let her come!" Sid piped up in his familiar lisp on the 's' and 'c' letters.

I didn't object to the offer, I wanted to go home so badly, and hopefully once 'Pinkie' was returned I could get to the place I wanted.

"Are you insane?! She's a predator!" Manny snapped towards the sloth, eyes narrowed in that way that makes you want to crawl under a rock.

"Ahem. I'm still here you know." I raised a brow in annoyance as I said these words, laying on the dirt with paws crossed. I figured out how to move properly, Hallelujah!

"We're not going South. So good-bye." Manny snorted, glaring at me. Pfft, I wasn't scared by a glare. From another predator, yes, from a mammoth, no.

"I'm not either. Otherwise, why would I be so far away from the migrating animals? C'mon. Wolves are pack-members, we need company, my pack was killed by humans.." I hated to lie, but it was… appropriate at the given circumstance? The one thought that entered my mind at that moment was to beg. But eh, I'd follow him if he objected anyway.

"Fine. But don't try anything funny." Sighing, the mammoth started to walk away, clearly aggravated. I don't know who was better arguing with this giant, me or Diego.

A smirk plastered on my black lips, I rose to my paws and started to walk at my own pace after the duo ahead. Wait, what would I do for food? I'd have to kill…? Great. Oh well, I ate only ten minutes before the portal sucked me in here, so I wouldn't have to worry about food. Too much. But, I kept telling myself it was all a dream. Yes, a very literate and frighteningly realistic one, but come on. It has to be a dream. Or reality decided it was time to throw a completely innocent bystander into a movie. Mother Nature really has to get some lesson in showing gratitude for the people around her. Oh sure, I've done some bad things in my life. But I did nothing to deserve this! I'd rather be sued $1,000 then stuck here, eating something which would meet it's end at my fangs.

"So he said 'At least pick a female with the same coloured pelt.'. Then I thought; Whoa, she's gonna go all praying mantis on me. You know what I'm saying?" Surprisingly, it didn't take as long as I thought for the first sentence of the upcoming scene to arrive. Sid was rambling on about female sloths again. I was still walking behind them, waiting impatiently for Diego to come in; So I could chat with him. Hey, don't judge me. Two reasons why it would be better for me;

1. Another predator.

2. He was my favourite character in the movies.

Point made.

"If you find a mate in life, you should be loyal, in your case grateful. Now get away from me!" Manny barked impatiently, obviously annoyed by the sloth.

The real thing was even funnier then watching it at home.

"I think mating for life is stupid," He paused to take a bite from the apple he was holding, "there's plenty of Sid to go around. OOF."

I would have laughed as Sid bumped into Manny's stationary back leg, but before I could he continued and I suddenly remembered the situation about to occur. A death.

"Manny?" The sloth questioned as he walked under the large beast, before coming out near his head and eyes widening.

A woman was washed up on the bank, upper body out of the water as she hauled something up the sloping ground. Taking her hand off of the brown bundle as it reached the top, it was about to roll back down into the water when Manny's trunk grabbed it, before rolling it over to finally see the small head of Pinkie. Sid quickly walked up, followed by my cautious figure. The small child smiled slightly, before making a quiet noise and beginning to gently squirm inside the skin-coated sack that he lay in, apparently unknowing to what had occurred.

"Look at that, he's okay." The sloth smiled gently, before turning his attention back to the river, only to see the human disappeared from sight. "She's gone…"

Manny sighed and turned away, I just sat there, ears pressed back against my skull, she would of drowned.

"Manny, are you forgetting something?" I asked softly, beating Sid to the question.

"No."

"But you just saved him!" Sid whined, bending down to pick the small kid up in his clawed hands.

"Yeah, well I'm still trying to get rid of the last thing I saved." He walked back down the path, but luckily not far enough before his companion began talking again.

"Look, that must be his herd right up the hill. We should return him." The 'hill' Sid mentioned was actually a cliff, with few ledges. But at least he had good eyesight, as smoke lifted from above the towering rocks, obviously a human camp was there.

"Let's get this straight here. There is no 'we'. There never was a 'we'. In fact, with out me, there wouldn't even be a 'you'." Manny growled, using his trunk to poke Sid in the chest once.

"Just up the hill." Sid protested, a frown on his face and emphasis on each word.

"I'm. Not. Going!" The mammoth glared daggers at the sloth, again using his trunk to mouth, in this case nose, every word.

I chuckled silently at the hilarious scene, though kept it out of ear shot.

"Fine. Be a jerk," Sid spat, turning around and starting to walk towards the cliff, "I'll take care of you. We don't need that meanie-weeny mammoth do we? No we don't." He tickled the baby with his claw, then looked up at the cliff, turned back to us, and waited for Manny to speak.

"That's good, you'll take care of him," Manny muttered, "You can't even take care of yourself!" .A smirk showing behind his wide trunk, he motioned his head to the top of the cliff and waited for Sid to climb it.

Accepting the challenge, the sloth turned and scratched his claws against the smooth surface. He eventually managed a hold with his right hand and used his feet to move up the narrow ledges. Sure enough, a few seconds later he faltered and he twisted into an odd position as his head hit the side of the rock.

"You're an embarrassment to nature, do you know that?" I smirked, walking over to the cliff edge with Manny following suit.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Sid called down to us, before murmuring a cautious 'I'm gonna die' to himself. A few rocks up and the wrapping that made the baby's bed started to unravel, Pinkie seeming to enjoy the thrill as he fell from the wrapping and was caught by Sid's clawed feet. "Manny!" The sloth cried in desperation.

Just as his claws faltered and the baby fell from the high height, Manny held out his trunk to catch it. Finally Diego would come in!

1.…

2.…

3!

Sure enough, on the count of 3, a tawny coat flashed past and grabbed Pinkie with his jaws in mid-fall. Wait, where the hell did he jump from? It had been bothering me ever since the third time I saw the movie. Ears perked and eyes alert, I scanned the waterfall, just able to see past it's gushing water. There were a few ledges, one was just high enough to pounce off and land safely on the dirt-covered ground. How he got there in the first place was still a mystery, but I decided needn't worry about it at the moment. In an hours time I would be listening to a baby wail on and on and on and on… And on. Still caught in my own thoughts, I was sprung back when I heard talking. By the sounds of it, Manny wasn't taking too kindly to the fanged predator.

"I don't like this cat. He reads minds." Sid whispered to Manny, a clawed hand cupped over his mouth in an attempt to make it private. I don't even know why he tried, Diego was right next to him. Shuddering slightly, the sloth scampered over to the mammoth with the baby in tow.

A low growl emitting from the depths of his throat, the tiger directed his gaze at Manny. "Name's Diego, friend." He stated, standing on a low, wide rock that was the closest to the ground of the rather large pile of rocks he had landed on.

"Manfred, and I'm not your friend. This is--" The mammoth was cut short by my interrupting, trunk pointed at me with a distasteful look.

"I can state my own name, thank you." I snapped, avoiding the murderous glare Manny was fixing me with. "Delusion." I finished matter-of-factly.

"Fine, 'Manfred'." Diego growled, watching Sid scurry off to hide behind the mammoth's large leg. "If you're looking for the humans you're wasting your time, they left this morning."

"Thanks for the advice, now beat it." Manny then turned his attention to Sid, whom was peeking out behind his leg in concern of being attacked by the tiger. "Fine, I'll help you take it too it's herd. But promise me you'll leave me alone after that?" Not even waiting for a reply, he started to walk off down the path.

"Okay, okay I promise." Sid started, waddling after the lumbering giant.

Stretching out stiff limbs from which I was still getting used to, I didn't hear the part about Manny's 'poofy hair' as I turned to Diego. "Ugh, herbivores…" Was all I bothered to say before beginning to trot after said herbivores. As I caught up, I couldn't help but know that piercing eyes were burning into all three of our backs, clearly from the sabre tooth.

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter, spent a lot of time on it. I've been obsessed with the movie lately, I have contstant phases on being obsessed over a certain movie. This month's phase is Ice Age! Whoo~ Anyway, remember to review and give pointers to anything you think I may be able to improve on. Next chapter will be up soon. ^_^