Hey! Thanks for reading and reviewing, and thanks for the constructive criticisms! They all helped a lot! : D
Chapter Two- Prowling Sabers
"Yeah, there's definitely more to the story than that!" Sid continued, breaking off a branch from a near-by tree and tossing it into the fire.
"Yeah there is!" Diego echoed, "my part- the night before I met you."
"Um, Diego, I really don't think they want to hear about a boring old hunt. Where all you do is, murder a helpless animal and bite it and… eat it. " Sid shuddered.
"WE DO!!!" Crash and Eddie sprung up and shouted in unison.
"Okay." Diego said, ignoring the twins. " This isn't any hunt. I'll just tell about what happened after the hunt." The fire cracked some wood. "Besides, you wont get the story if I don't talk about what happened before I met you."
"What do you mean?" Manny asked, the orange fire light shining on his fur.
"I think he means- Shut up and listen!" Ellie smiled at Diego. "Go on, Diego."
"Thanks, Ellie." Diego said, the wood gave another crack as Diego began his part of the story. "It was about seven. We just finished eating and everyone was lying around waiting for the leader of the pack, Soto, to give us a command."
"Wait- wasn't Soto the one that Manny-" Sid almost said the word killed when Ellie shushed him.
"This is a story," Ellie said, "Don't give it away." She said, cuddling closer to Manny.
"Soto was my older brother." Diego said to clarify the situation.
"You have a brother?" Crash asked astonished, then looked to Eddie.
"Yeah, I had five brothers actually, and four sisters." Diego replied.
"What happened to them all?" Eddie asked.
"But Diego, we only saw four sabers in your pack at Glacier Pass." Sid commented.
"Okay, okay. Let me tell the story and I'll answer all of your questions," Diego said, slightly taken aback by all of the incoming questions.
"Okay!"
"Anyway… we were all waiting for Soto to give us a command. He was the alpha of the pack, and I was the bata- the second-in-command."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I love antelope!" Lenny smiled satisfied. He waddled over and hit Zeke, the last in command, in the back of his head.
"Ow! What was that for?"
Diego watched the stupid situation between his idiotic brothers. He sighed. He then saw Oscar chewing on a bone. "I'll take that." Diego swiped the bone out of Oscar's mouth.
"Hey! I was eating that you-" Before Oscar could finish the sentence, Diego threateningly eyeballed Oscar up to his face.
"Wanna fight for it?" Diego asked menacingly.
"Never mind!" Oscar grumbled off somewhere that Diego didn't know or didn't care where. Diego snickered to him self, asserting his position was always fun.
"It's good to be the Bata!" Diego grinned chewing on the bone.
"You think you're all that just because you're the Bata Diego." Lenny rolled his eyes, "I bet Soto really hates you."
Suddenly, Soto appeared over the hills, "Diego!" He called motioning for Diego to follow his lead.
Diego left, smirking over his shoulder smugly to his obese brother. He than dropped the half-chewed bone to the ground. "I never really wanted this."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Wow, you were a jerk." Crash said.
"Yeah. Why'd you take the bone if you weren't gonna finish it?" Eddie asked.
"It's called asserting your position." Diego shrugged. "Any other questions?" Looking at the shake of heads, Diego continued.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Yeah, Soto?" Diego came up behind his brother.
"Just follow me." Soto said, and Diego did so. If Soto told you to do something you would do it.
"Why?" Ellie interjected.
Diego sighed, "'Cuz he's the alpha."
"Oh, okay. Go on," Ellie said flashing her lovable smile.
Diego followed his brother. Traveling under fallen trees, threw dry, yellowed grass, to the growing noise that brought back the memories of a deadly week ago.
"Soto, stop!" Diego faced Soto, "We're not going back there are we?" Diego motioned his head up the waterfall.
"Yeah, but we're not going to the camp. We're just looking."
"I hate humans." Diego spat bitterly. Soto gave a snarl in agreement.
"What is it with humans?" Eddie asked gnawing on a piece of rotten apple that he found on the ground.
Diego huffed, "I'm getting to it."
"Diego, tomorrow we get revenge on the humans." Diego glanced at his brother, his features were as hard as his own voice as the two made their way up to the canopy.
"Revenge, as in wipe out the Leader Man's whole pack? Or revenge as in doing something to destroy the Leader Man's whole life." Diego asked.
"The second one." Replied Soto, "but some of Leader Man's pack members might be killed too. But Diego, last night I thought of a way to avenge our pack."
"How?"
"I'm leaving you a very important assignment. We're right now just goanna scope out the human camp. Make sure everything's clear. And tomorrow early in the morning we head out. And I want you to bring the Leader Man's… cub to me! I'll take care of the rest. " Soto grinned sickly.
Diego chuckled to himself. "Guess we'll be having baby back ribs for breakfast!" Soto laughed at the joke then ran up the falls. Diego quickened his pace to follow.
"That's so sick, Diego!" Ellie fumed, "a BABY? A helpless BABY?" Crash and Eddie gave the tiger a look too.
"I know, I know. But at the time… you know. I don't know." Diego was at a loss for words.
"Baby back ribs?" Manny gave Diego an equally harsh look. Diego was defeated.
"I Know!"
"You were a BIG Jerk!" Sid added.
"I KNOW! I feel bad enough. Lets just get back to the story." Diego sighed.
"Oh look at the cute, little, baby Diego." Soto marveled at his prize. "Isn't it nice he'll be joining us for breakfast."
"It wouldn't be breakfast without him." Diego replied, coldly.
"Especially since his daddy wiped out half of our pack and wears our skin to keep warm. An eye for an eye, don't you think!"
Diego narrowed his eyes, "Let's show that human what happens when he messes with sabers.
"Alert the troops. We attack at dawn," Soto commanded. Diego turned to go when Soto had an additional though, "oh and Diego, bring me that baby… alive. If I'm going to enjoy my revenge, I want it to be fresh!" Soto growled. Diego returned to tell the other sabers the plan. Soto continued watching the humans, as if he were on a stake out. The baby tottered, attempting to walk. Before he could fall, his father hugged him, and carried him into the tent.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Hold on a minute, Diego." Manny said before the tiger could go on. "You told me and Sid earlier that you wanted the baby because it was your job. And Soto wanted them in revenge for your pack mates?" Diego nodded. "Well," Manny continued, " were your other brother, and your four other sisters the pack mates that got killed?"
"Yeah," Diego responded.
"Oh. Sweetie, I never knew." Ellie gasped. There was a momentary silence. No one spoke, not sure how Diego was feeling. He shrugged.
"It's okay. I mean losing your brothers and sisters is one thing. But losing your mate and child is another." 'Oh Crap!' Diego thought in his head. He looked at Manny, "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up." Diego stared into the copper flame. Not wanting to meet gazes with his friend.
"It's fine, Diego." Manny smiled half-heartedly. "It's just that. I never knew that your brother and sisters were killed. I just thought when you said pack mates you met well… pack mates. Not family. You okay?"
Diego smirked, "I'm fine. Don't worry. But yeah. That's why the revenge was so important to us."
"Soto still seems like a jerk, though." Eddie commented.
"Yeah. But he wasn't always like that." Diego said, "we used to be as close as you and Crash are."
"Really?" Eddie exclaimed.
"What happened?" Asked Crash, leading his head closer into the alluring glow.
"That's later in the story."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Diego made it back to camp, not knowing if Soto was behind him or not. He heard his pack mates complaining about Soto's obsession with humans.
"Listen up," Diego spoke loudly, "we attack the humans at dawn. " Zeke laughed psychotically.
"Ah-ah-ha-ha! See-ha! See, that's, that's what we're just sayin'!" Zeke grinned his crooked teeth at Dieog.
"What about that walking buffet, heading south?" Fat Lenny complained.
Diego scoffed, "You'll be a walking buffet if you don't do what Soto says."
"Then let's get the orders from Soto. Why do we have to hear them from you?" Oscar said arrogantly. Before Diego could respond, Oscar's answer came from Soto:
"Because Diegos' the only one I trust!" Soto circled the tigers, sizing them up. "You mangy pack of worthless kittens! This is our chance to send the humans a message that they won't forget." He walked over to the weakest of the pack, Zeke. "Does everyone understand?"
"Yes, yes. Send your message; get your revenge, please. Whatever you want-" Soto hit Zeke in the back of the head, no member of the pack should ever question Soto. Let alone, talk back to him.
"Get some rest." He commanded, "Diego will give you your marching orders at dawn. "
Diego glared at Oscar, smugly. 'Ya hear that Oscar, I'M the only one he trusts!' Diego thought to himself, he smirked and walked away.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Wow, being in a pack of sabers seems… tough." Ellie was the first to speak up.
"Yeah, it sort of is." Diego shrugged.
"So… wait, you attacked the humans the next morning?" Eddie asked.
"Was there blood?" Crash asked a bit more interested.
Just as Diego was about to tell more in the story, Sid spoke up.
"Hold on buddy. Manny and I had a big adventure too!"
Manny gave Sid a look. "What adventure?"
"Okay, maybe not adventure, but I have to tell about the part where I boldly built a sturdy shelter out of the massive logs. And Manny got tired just carrying a stick!"
"Uhh. I seem to remember that differently. " Manny glared at the sloth. "It's my turn to tell the story."
Well, I hope that was better. : ) Can't wait to write the next chapter! Its gonna have Manny speaking! Lol! Thanks for reading, and please review if you want! Tell me if you liked it!