"Don't call me Kitty..."
An Ice Age Oneshot
By CookieM2012

The sun was shining bright upon the Hyrax island, the humid atmosphere hanging over everyone and everything. There was light rainfall that morning, so the large plants and trees were glistening, and seemed like they were sweating a little, but it was a gentle and serene wake up call to everyone, pulling them all away from a deep sleep to hear the soft rainfall lightly pattering along the ground outside, turning the small patches of snow into slushy mush once stepped on by anyone who had the misfortune to miss noticing it. Manny, Diego, and the others were just settling down for breakfast in Manny and Ellie's cave together, when Diego spoke about his hunting trip this morning. Diego began, waiting for everyone to turn to him as they sat in the hazy shade. "I think I saw some more saber-tooth's running around the island."

Everyone automatically looked at one another, waiting for someone to talk. Ellie stepped to the plate, smiling as she popped a grape into her mouth. "You know what this means? There's neighbours we haven't met yet."

"Of course," Shira laughed, chewing daintly as Peaches took a bite out of an apple. "Besides Diego, this island is big, what do you expect?"

"Well that means checking out new territory." They all knew that devilish grin anywhere. "But, we should see if we can find them and make peace." Suddenly, they heard someone calling into the cave 'There's new animals moving in!' All turned to Diego on cue, who stood. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" All jumped up and walked outside, to find a whole pack of saber tooth's walking towards the den, with the rest of the herd watching them in awe. It was like a royal visit, because everyone there was just staring and whispering at the site of many more Saber's than just the two they always knew. Diego and Shira walked out to meet them, and they were welcomed warmly. A male called Marcus, with black fur and grey eyes, stepped forth.

"It's nice to see new faces around here," he said, flashing a charming smile at Shira. Diego was about to growl at him, signalling him to back off, until a female walked up and introduced herself as Sarya (Sar-rye-ya) and received an affectionate lick from Marcus. She had grey fur with beige stripes, big blue eyes, and shells were wrapped around her right front leg. She was about to go on with something else, but she quickly paused, and stared at Shira, who was also looking at her questioningly.

"Are you... who I think you are?" Shira asked slowly. Sarya narrowed her eyes a little, but then they quickly widened, as she gasped, raising the paw that has the shells slowly, merely pointing at her.

"Yes! And are you..." She squealed as Shira nodded excitedly. "Wait til the others see you! Oh my gosh girl, you haven't changed a bit!" She turned and started shouting names Diego obviously had no idea what was going on, or who this girl was. Shira quickly saw this printing on his face, and laughed.

"I grew up with Sarya back in my old pack. She didn't like it either I guess... along with the others, seeing they are here with her... I don't recognise anyone else here... wonder if they are still as crazy as I remember them."

"You for real?!" Screamed a voice. "She's here!? Where?!" Shira's smile grew bigger and bigger, seeing three more familiar faces; Luna, Sunflower, and Dawn (fur and eyes associated with their names) coming into view, looking around excitedly. The one shouted was Dawn, and her head was looking everywhere for only a split second each, you would swear her head was going to roll right off it's place. "Where girl where!?" Shira was about to raise her paw, before Sarya pointed, causing the three girls to turn their heads, stare at her, squeal, and start running for her. She was ready to get crowded by them...

"Oh Kitty! We missed you so!" That was when silence fell throughout the area.

Kitty..

It was like the trees had grown a lot bigger, and blocked out any sound. Shira's eyes widened, and there was a sharp gasp or two behind her. Dawn, Luna, Sarya, and Sunflower instantly saw this, and looked at her questioningly. "Sweetie, are you okay?" Sunflower asked innocently. Shira felt her claws come out, and latch into the dirt beneath her feet, and she slowly turned her head, and saw Manny, Sid, Ellie... and Diego staring at her in silence. Granny looked around with no interest, while Peaches trunk was over her gaping mouth, eyes as wide as saucers. The other sabers slowly just retreated back the way the came, as did the other members of the herd.

"Shira?" Diego's voice rang through her ears, before she didn't turn to look at him. Instead, she took flight, her feet retracting the claws, and taking her in the other direction, her friends giving a sheepish chuckle, before following her. She remembered someone calling out to her, asking where she was going.

"Hunting!" She cried.

Yesterday was crazy enough...

Diego had been up and out before the sun was even at the view on the horizon to explore new territory this morning, quietly leaving Shira with their den to herself for the day, and there was enough food for her as she went hunting the day before, not much alone, as the 'cougars' as Manny named them, were with her. They shared a bachelorette den together, not far from Shira and Diego's, where they were currently at. They did a lot of catching up to do while out together, but it was more of them talking than Shira, as she wasn't willing to speak much... at first. Slowly, but gradually, they got her talking, almost like the events never happened. They were so happy to see Shira, they explained, and that they had to cry out her name in excitement...

That was a big mistake.

Crash and Eddie shared a den with Ellie, Manny, and Peaches, while Sid had one for himself, large enough for any new 'amazing' plans of his. The day before, when Diego was due to return, Shira insisted that the two possums should stay in her den for the day, to give Ellie and Manny a break, while Peaches was staying at Steffie's with Kaite for a girls night in. Ellie and Manny tried to ask Shira something, but she wasn't talking to anyone properly the whole day.

"Are you alright Shira?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"About yesterday..."

She immediately stood up, her old friends looking at her in confusion "Just forget about all this... they can stay in a free den near mine, seeing they are looking forward to... catching up."

Thinking it was 'cos she was gonna feel a little lonely with Diego absent, Crash and Eddie went to see her... but when they reminded each other that Shira was never a soft character, she pounced on them as soon as they entered. "AH!" They screamed as her paws flattened them against the dusty floor. Their lower halves were beneath her paws, and after a low growl and their verbal stammers, she bent down towards them if the present weight... wasn't heavy enough. "Don't hurt us!" They cried.

"What did you hear?" She hissed lowly. The two shielded their faces as soon as they felt her breath hit them, and as they were already flat on the ground, it was too late to play dead... unless Shira went a step further and made it reality. She was towering over them, and knew it was a death sentence if they even tried to send a signal. "Answer me!"

Crash managed to get every part of his body, barring his tail, out from under her. Eddie was too petrified that he was frozen stiff. "W-we heard n-othing!" He stuttered quickly. "Totally didn't hear the cougars calling you a certain name..." Eddie was about to stammer something, probably something along the same lines, of they weren't thin enough, before he and his brother glanced at one another quickly, covering their mouth quickly. Shira first thought they did it so they would stop talking before she permanently silenced them... but their lips couldn't keep in their laughter in, and before she knew it, they were spluttering helplessly. "But why hide it from us... Kitty." She growled for the second time, but it fell on deaf ears; Crash and Eddie were still breaking their sides laughing so hard, losing air quicker then ever beneath her suffocating press.

"One, don't call them Cougars." Where did they even catch that? "Two, if you say that to anyone, you will regret it... very badly." They suddenly stopped somewhere during her sentence, but their lips couldn't stop quivering, whether from the urge to laugh, or the urge to call out for help. "Now, did you hear that?"

Eddie gulped. "L-l-oud and c-clear!"

Crash chuckled nervously. "Like a sphere..." Shira raised a brow towards him, obviously not understanding what he meant, but then finally lifted up her paws, and crawling to her comfy spot, and settle down, watching them closely. They hadn't moved from their spot, but Crash's tail was slowly moving again, and Eddie could feeling everything from the waist down once more. Silence filled the space between them, as Eddie broke it eventually, as his bones cracked, filling him with relief. He fell flat on his back again, sighing heavily in sheer bliss, but Crash was holding his tail while watching Shira worriedly, for once in his life, as Shira stared at the ground, dangerously mute as she rested her chin along the space of ground between her balled up paws. "Uh..." He itched closer, his grip was tighter around his limp tail, almost twisting it slowly as his massaged it. "Shira?" He jumped back as quickly as she turned her eyes towards him. "Why do... why do you not like K- I mean- that name." Shira narrowed her eyes at him for a few seconds, before the restless frown on her face loosened into a softer frown. Sighing, she rolled her eyes as she sat up, and Eddie tensed up a little as the look on her face.

"I rather be addressed as Shira..."

"So Shira isn't... your real name?"

She immediately rolled her eyes. "It is... but not my first name." She turned to the entrance, where the darkness loomed across her gaze like a curtain. She then turned back to their direction, but her eyes were on the ground. "It's my second name... my mother's name..." She growled and started pacing back and forth quickly. "Diego had to be there when they called out... of all animals-"

"We were there too..." Eddie whispered fearfully, but when she didn't pause in pacing, he felt a little light headed from feeling so pleased. "And maybe he didn't hear it..."

"He was right beside her doofus." Crash's fingertips connected as if he was holding a flower by the stem, before bring it to his head, and releasing them again when they made contact with his flesh at the word 'doofus'. He turned back to 'Shira', paws on his hips. "Besides... whether he was there or not he would've found out... as we aren't the only blabbermouths around here." Shira's ears instantly flickered, however Crash decided to take it as the fact the feline didn't understand him. "Have you met Katie or Steffie? They talk so quick I'm surprised their jaws didn't fall off yet, or Sid! He'll chat your ears off- but I'm sure you know that by now." Crash laughed with him, but noticed Shira wasn't bothered about that.

"Shira... why didn't you tell Diego, or any of us about it?"

"I didn't want the reaction you all gave me-" She then started talking about what she always expected from them. "You... laughing, staring while practically on the ground dying... if you weren't laughing in that point in time, you'd looking at me in shock, whispering, before breaking into laughter..." She gave a low roar, before looking around for something to hit. "And I saw it all..." She suddenly stared recollecting what went on the day before... and she shuddered before her paw collided with the wall. Only one could imagine how painful that was. "What has... everyone else said?" Crash and Eddie turned to one another, unsure what to say. "And don't lie to me!" They stood in silence again.

"To be honest... Shira..." Crash seemed hesitant, but in the end he just shrugged. "No one said anything bad. They understand your uncomfortable with it..." Her ears flicked. "Maybe it was wrong for us to laugh... but we're over it now, right Eddie-?" He turned to find his brother looking at him with quivering lips, like he was about to laugh again, but Crash, for once being sensible, he gave Eddie a warning look, and Eddie's eyes printed that he wouldn't... well, that he would try to. "Heck, who know Shira, some animals here probably have even more ridiculous name then yours."

"Yeah?" She rolled her eyes. "Like who?"

"Like myself." She immediately turned to see Diego standing at the entrance, his catch sitting lifelessly by his feet. Crash and Eddie looked at him with their eyes widened with curiosity, but he just gestured them to leave them both be, and they reluctantly obeyed him, slowly walking out, until he growled slightly, which got their kesters out of there a lot quicker. After they were definitely gone, his eyes averted to Shira, who was staring into a non existent corner of the cave, as it was circular, and a lot darker thanks to the lack of sun currently outside, instead shaded by the midnight sky. "Shira... if that's even your real name," her shoulders hunched. "I know you probably don't wanna look at me, but there is nothing to be ashamed of about your name."

"Why are you so calm." She turned to face him, puzzled. "How are you not mad at me for never telling you about it?"

Diego shrugged, but couldn't help but smile, as he gestured her to come over to him. She did, and he immediately leaned forwards, for their heads, and noses to touch. "Whether your name is Shira... or Kitty. I don't care, as far as I'm concerned, your name wasn't the reason I fell in love with you." She raised a brow, but their noses and forehead remained close together. "I fell in love with a strong, beautiful, independent, and vibrant feline, who is her own being, and won't let down that title. Your name won't change how I feel towards you." She smiled, going a little red under her fur over his words. "Besides," he pulled back a little, "maybe I'm not mad cos... I can relate to it." She blinked. "Not first name mind you, but I have a pretty embarrassing middle name.. for a guy." Shira rolled her eyes, pretending to lack interest.

"What is it?" She had a lot of names running through her mind. "Is Cody, Jaden, or Maximus embarrassing?"

He smiled, scratching the back of his neck to show the sudden awkwardness wavering over him. "Would you believe me if I said my middle name was Skipper?" She froze, and stared at him in shock. "Here we go, in three..."

...

"Two..."

...

"One..."

...

"What?!"

Hope you liked it guys!

Man it feels good to write for Ice Age again! My one shot series is still in progress, nearly there! Haven't done this mix of character yet I don't think XD It's been so long...

Anywho, what do you think!

Let me know what your thoughts are in your reviews!

Ciao!