Hey guys, new one-shot. Like a prequel-ish thing to 'Christmas Fears'. Hope you like!
Dedicated to KaylaDestroyer, who I really hope likes this!
Enjoy!
And I don't own Ice Age!
A little kangaroo joey three years old (a couple weeks off from being four) peaked out of her mothers pouch. She looked around at the valley; it was lush and green, full of colors andf the sweet smell of wild flowers. A small ale sparkled at the far and.
She scrunched up her face and snuggled dejectedly into Lalli's fur. "Ah don' like ui'." she moped. "I wanna go home mummy!"
"Aw suck I up an' deal wi' it squirt!" her older brother, Tadao, jeered. "This time ye ain't gettin yer way!"
"Razmia." Lalli said gently, making her frown. She really didn't like hearing her full name. "This is ar home now, swee'hart."
She gave her mother a big, doe eyed look. "B-But… Ah miss ar cave! Ah wanna go back an play wi' Kyle!" Kyle was her little koala almost-friend that she'd had to leave behind in Australia. Because his kind slept most of the day, they didn't play a lot, but still.
"Oh Sheila, don' look s'sad." Her father said, patting her head. "Y'll make new friends!"
"Bu' Ah don' wan knew friends!" she wailed. "Ah wan mah old friends! Eleana, and- and Aaisha! An' Vanora!
"I though' ye said sheh bullies ya though." Jemal pointed out, grinning. He liked seeing his sister sulk like this, considering she was usual a cheery ball of sunshine that was always up and running around.
"Sheh does! Bu' Ah wanna go 'ome!" a tear starting to slide down her cheek, she ducked back inside. She wanted to go back to Australia! Where it was hot and dusty- the air here was thick with moisture, and the cold! The cold was insane! She couldn't help but shiver even in her mothers toasty warm pouch!
"Oh Raz, don' cry sweet'eh." Lalli tried to soothe her upon hearing her sniffle. "Iss' alrigh, y'll git used ta i' vent'lly."
With their youngest member in hiding, the family continued on through the valley. They'd found this place a few days before, and after determining it had a nicely sized cave, decided to make it their new home.
Their old home in the Australian had been suffering a severe drought; it hadn't rained for months. There was no dew in the mornings anymore. When the main watering hole began to dry up, it was the last straw. Lalli and Blayke announced they'd be moving, mainly for the sake of their youngest child, their only daughter. After all, a new, growing joey needed nutritional nourishment, food and water. So when the water supply was suddenly cut off, they were out as fast as they could.
"Kids" Lalli announced. "Welc'me ta yer new cave." Raz peaked out.
It looked like their old cave, only bigger, and without their beds. She sighed sadly. "I' looks li' ar 'ome…" she sniffled, eyes stinging again.
"Oh don' cry!" Blayke said quickly. "Sheila, why don'tcha go look 'round, see if ye can fin' some'n ta play with." He didn't give her a chance to answer, and instead picked her out and gently nudged her. "G' on."
"Bu- Bu wha' if they think Ah talk weird?" she'd seen a few amercians come to the Outback, and they'd been teased relentlessly for their strange accents. To her, she talked normally. But sshe knew here, she had an accent and they spoke normally.
"Scoot. Now." She reluctantly did as he said. She decided she'd go to the lake, she was very thirsty. Then maybe she'd go look for a snack.
-The Lake-
A group of six little kids splashed around together in the cool waters, their mothers watching closely. Flynn, the elelphant seal, jumped off a high log. "Belly flop!"
"Run!"
"Scatter!"
He splashed down, sprinkling them all with more water, making them giggle. As they played, the smallest of the group's eyes wandered to the other side of the lake, catching sight of something by chance. A creature of some sort he'd never seen before sat on a rock. The purple fur struck this new character as mysterious and strange.
"Squint?" his mother, Julie, called upon seeing him look over. "Come here please." He did as she said and tumbled up onto shore.
"Yeah?"
She raised a paw to point. "That little girl looks lonely." The child looked over at them for a moment, almost wistfully, before turning away and heaving a sad sigh. "I think she feels left out. You should go talk to her."
"Girl?" he sounded repulsed. "Yuck, gross! I'm not goina play with a girl! That's yucky!" they all glared at him. "Oh, I mean- uh… not you mommy! You're nice."
She smiled. "Yeah, but… she looks so sad. Have you seen her before?"
"Yeah, actually." Amethyst spoke up. "I saw her family come in this morning. I think they moved in not far from you." She looked over at Joyeeta. The badger nodded.
"Yes… I heard the hummingbirds say that a new family was moving into that old cave. They have seven kids. That little ones the only girl, as far as I know." The looked over sympathetically. She did indeed look very sad, head resting on her hands, elbows on her knees. Her eyes were cast towards the ground, her ears drooping. Everything about her looked depressed.
"Boys." Denisha called to them, and they abandoned the water. "Why don't you go and say hello to that little girl? She looks like she could use a smile."
"Girl?!"
"Boys, there's nothing wrong with girls. They don't have cooties or anything."
"But-"
"Boys." Julie said sternly, and they hushed for a moment. "Think about it. It's her first day in a new home, she's all alone, and she doesn't know anybody. She doesn't have any friends. Wouldn't you be lonely and want someone to come and talk to you?"
"Well…" she made a good point. "Ok. But just for a little while."
The women watched proudly as they went off around life, making sure no one fell in.
Raz sighed sadly as she stared at her reflection. Those other kids across the lake had been the only other beings she'd seen so far, but she'd been too shy and afraid to go over. What if they didn't like her? What if they told her to go away? What if-
"H-Hi."
She jumped, startled. She looked down. That small gray rabbit stood beside her foot, and she looked around to make sure he wasn't talking to someone else. She laid a paw on her chest. "M-Me."
"Yeah." She was silent. Maybe she would make a friend after all! "So your new, right?"
She nodded shyly. "Y-Yeah." Some other kids started approaching.
"So what's your name, New Girl?"
"Uh… R-Raz."
"Kay… well I'm Squint." He jumped up on her shoulder, just a blur of color. "You wanna play with us?"
She looked delighted and hopeful. "Can I?"
He looked a bit uncomfortable. He'd never had much experience with girls, none of them had. "…Sure. We just thought you looked kinda… bored. So ya wanna?"
"Sure!" as she got up, the others introducing themselves, Flynn laughed innocently.
"She talks all funny!"
An instant change overcame her face. Her ears drooped, her golden eyes filled with tears and she bit down on her trembling lower lip. As the first sob escaped, they knew they'd made a mistake. The girl began to cry and hid her face in her hands, turning and surprising them all by not walking, but hopping away.
They glared at Flynn, who looked guilty. "Oops."
-Elsewhere-
The little joey found a nice secluded thick tree on the very inside of the forest and sat down, crying, sobbing loudly. She knew it! She knew they'd think she was weird and not like her because of her accent!
How could she have been so stupid, thinking they'd actually want to play with her! Such a cruel trick, yet a very predictable one. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, hiding her face and sobbing into them.
It was official, she hated it here! She wanted to go back to their original home. This place wasn't for her; no friends, no one to play with, and she was pretty sure she'd get lost when she tried to find her way out of here…
As she cried, she was unaware of a black and white form creeping closer.
"Excuse me?" she jumped and lifted her head, looking up at the teenaged badger. She had raven black fur, with silvery stripes going down her back, and kind green eyes.
She sniffled. "Wh-Wha?"
"Why're you crying little one?" she asked softly.
A whole new wave of tears welled up in her metallic eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "N-No'n ere likes meh! Thas why!" she wailed.
"Oh now now." She felt a pair of arms embrace her and hold her close to something warm. "Don't say that; I'm sure it's not true."
"N- No! I' is! They sai' so! Theh think Ah'm weird!"
"Shh…" the mystery person rubbed her back.
She knew good and well she wasn't supposed to talk to strangers, but she was desperate for comfort, and this young woman had made no point to harm her, so she allowed it. "Shh… it's ok."
After a while, she held the little girl out in front of her, fat teardrops rolling down her cheeks, which she wiped away with her thumbs, thankful they weren't replaced. She little girl sniffled sadly as she looked up at her, eyes brimming with sadness, but no more tears. "Now sweetie, tell Krissy exactly what happened." Being an older sister of thirteen, she had experience with kids.
"Kr-Krissy?"
"That's my name. What's yours?"
"R-Raz."
"Kay sweetie, what happened?" she she told her. How she'd been sitting by the lake, then those other kids came and at first asked her to play, then hurt her feelings by saying she talked weird.
When she was finished, the young kangaroo looked ready to cry again. "Oh…" she sighed sympathetically and patted her head. "It's ok. It'll be ok."
"H-How?"
"The seal said it, right?"
"Y-Yeah…" where was this going?
"Don't be upset. He says stuff like that all the time, he wasn't trying to be mean." She assured her. "Flynn's actually a real sweetheart. Just doesn't think before he speaks sometimes."
"Um…"
"The point is" she got up and pulled the joey to her feet. "Maybe you should go try again."
"B-But wha if theh- theh don' like me?"
"But what if they do?"
"Well…"
"You'll never know unless you try. They could be your future best friends, but you'll never know if you don't try."
"Well…"
"I'll go with you, if you want."
She seemed happy with this. At least this person was being her friend. "…Ok."
"Cool." She offered her her paw, and she took it a bit hesitantly. "C'mon. Gupta's always happy to make a new friend."
-Elsewhere… Again-
The boys were discussing their accidental upsetting of the new girl. "I can't believe we made her cry! And on her first day!" Gupta fretted guiltily.
"Agreed, mon ami." Silas said. "We had no reason to insult the madam and upset her."
"I- I didn't mean to!" Flynn wailed. He especially felt bad. "I-"
"Boys!" a voie called. The only nice of Gupta's sisters, Krishna (more commonly known as Krissy. At least, to them) was approaching. And, holding her hand and watching them with nervous eyes, was Raz. "Boys, I think you all got off on the wrong foot." She began. "You hurt her feelings. So whaddo you say…?" she hinted.
"We're sorry."
"And now…?"
"Can we uh… start over?" her brother asked. "Maybe go play together?"
She nodded shyly. "Ok."
"Cool!"
"Whaddaya wanna do?"
"Ball?"
"Tag?"
"Well…" she looked hesitant. "Ye like pirates?" none of her friends back ever liked that.
"Are you kidding?!" Squint shrieked. "We love it, that's our favorite game!"
"Well whaddaya know. A girl that actually likes pirates." Gunner remarked.
She put her paws on her hips. "Ye go' tha righ! No' all Sheila'sre are daint'eh an like playin dolls er somethin!"
He looked pleased. "Nice… maybe not all girls are that bad."
She smiled, pleased. Maybe she could get used to this place, she thought as they went off together. Krishna shook her head as she watched them go, smiling. Her work was done.
She'd just created a perfect group of friends. That new little girl was happy, her brother had a new playmate, and she'd taught them not all girls were gross.
Raz smiled as they showed her their secret playing place in the bog. "Wow…" she marveled. "Best. Day. Eva."
So, what'd ya think? Cute? Well, I thought it was. And I just couldn't resist bringing Krissy in. You didn't mind, did you?
Just had to get this out, just in case the world really does end. Now, as I've said before, I don't believe it will, but I just figured I'd put this up just in case.
Oh, and my dad heard something on the news. Apparently, they misread the Mayan calendar, and we've got another twenty five years, they think. But I'm not sure, so figured I'd post this anyway. Review please!
Oh, and a couple things. First, read MusicRocks807 new story A Second Chance, it's awesome! Two, I think I'm going to do another holiday story. Votes on which holiday (Easter, St. Patricks Day, etc…)?