Hey everyone, new chapter! Hope you like. I don't own Ice Age.
A mother badger stared at her eldest daughters face. "Are you sure you're going to be ok here?" she asked.
"Don't worry mom." The sixteen year old, Anjali, replied. "We'll be fine."
"Are you sure? Because I can bring the baby with if you think he'll be too much-"
"Oh mom, relax!" eleven years old Krishna exclaimed. She glanced down at the bundle of leaves she was holding fondly. "He's an absolute angel! We'll be fine taking care of him for the day."
"Well…" she was reluctant to leave her two and a half week old son with his fourteen older sisters. It's not that she didn't trust them, but she was never comfortable leaving her children alone. And the child, still very young, still nursed. Should he get hungry, they'd have nothing to feed him. He got very cranky if he didn't get a meal shortly after demanded, and she didn't know if they'd be able to handle it.
"Alright." She reached out and took the baby from the second youngest. "Now you be good for your big sisters now, alright?" he just babbled at her and reached one tiny paw up to touch her face. "Good, that's a good boy." She cooed, handing him to Anjali. "Oh, just so you know, his rattle's in the living room."
"Ok mom, bye." They all waved and sent her cheery farewells as she walked away from their burrow entrance. She was simply going to find some more cotton from the cotton trees; with winter coming and a newborn baby in the burrow, they needed to keep him warm, or he'd get hypothermia, or frostbite, or something even worse. She'd also promised to pick up some honeycomb if she could find it.
The trip was relatively short, it would take her maybe three or four hours to get to the cotton tree grove and back. But still, newborn cubs required lots of attention, and four hours was a lot without experience…
"Relax Joyeeta." She chided herself as she walked away. "The girls can handle him…" but her conscience wasn't so sure.
Back at burrow, the thirteen other females surrounded Anjali, talking to their baby brother. "Oh isn't he just the cutest thing?!" Dzoita cooed.
"I know!" Nalini agreed, tickling under his chin. "All this time, nothing but sisters, and now suddenly we've got a baby brother." To fourteen sisters who never thought they'd have anything but females in their family, being suddenly blessed with a little brother was a very big deal.
Anjali hugged the bundle of leaves close to her chest and kissed the tiny forehead. "I promise I won't ever let anything happen to you." She nuzzled him for a moment. "I promise we'll always keep you safe. I promise." She'd made that promise the second he was first laid in her arms only minutes after his birth, delighted when their mother announced that it wasn't in fact her fourteenth sister, but her first brother.
"I second that!"
"I third that!"
"Me too!"
They'd all told him that; they'd never let anything hurt them and do everything in their power to keep him safe and happy, everyday. They kept talking to him adoringly for another five minutes before a cold almost-winter wind blew by, and the baby suddenly let out a tiny sneeze, making them all stop. "Bless you little one." Tsaru cooed.
He sniffed and giggled up at her. "C'mon little one." Anjali spoke, heading for their burrow entrance. "Let's get you inside before you catch a cold."
Once back inside the main room of their underground burrow, Anjali took the child off to the side, sitting near the back wall and slowly rocking him, humming to him, putting him in a sleepy trance. This went on for about fifteen minutes, until the child's warm brown eyes slipped closed, sucking his thumb. She kissed his head. "Goodnight Gupta." She wrapped him in another two or three blankets and put him in his cradle, which was a large wooden oval shaped bowl supported by two rock pillars and held steady with some vines, which allowed it some motion but assured that it would not fall. The still slightly pink badger cub had no idea what danger he was in as he was laid down to rest.
The girls went to the opposite side of the room and while he napped, doing one another's nails with rough, two inch rocks and multi colored berry juices.
A sudden tremor rippled through the home. The ground shook. Dust and dirt rained from the ceiling. Stone furniture trembled. The cradle rocked hazardously and threatened to tip over. "What in the world…" Mallika whispered.
The ground jerked again, much harder, and they all sprang up, sharing wide eyed glances. They dashed to the cradle and the eldest grabbed the baby, who was miraculously still asleep. Their underground home swayed and shook, things falling from hand dug dirt shelves.
The pair of sleepy brown eyes opened slowly and the baby whimpered, scared. "Oh shh, no, it's ok." Anjali tried to shush him before he began to full out cry. "You're big sissy's here, don't worry. We'll protect you."
They ran for the exit, only to find with horror that it had collapsed. Or at least, it was covered by pounds and pounds of rubble. The ground gave another angry rumble and the ceiling shuddered. Oh no…
Large chunks of dirt and rocks came sailing down, and the sisters shared scared glances. They knew the room would collapse in no time if this horrible earthquake continued. And they knew what they had to do to keep their promise.
Gathering near the entryway (…or what was left of it), they gently laid their brother on the ground and surrounded him carefully with leaves and cotton and anything else soft and cushy that might protect him. They formed a protective dome, leaning over the child, just before the room collapsed, all trying not to scream, shielding the child and praying he'd be alright.
When Joyeeta felt the earth quake, she immediately stuffed the collected cotton in her little woven basket and ran all the way home.
She gasped, horrified, as what she saw. The earth had thankfully stopped trembling, so it was easy to access the damage. It wasn't nearly as bad as she feared, but still awful. Rocks and dirt covered their entryway. She set the basket down and began to dig, calling out to her children.
Fortunately, the rocks only covered the outer entrance and she managed to make it indoors. What she found broke her heart. The entire burrow had collapsed; it was a miracle the tunnel hadn't. But that would mean her children… "Anjali! Mallika! Nalini! Tsaru!" she swallowed thickly as tears came to her eyes. "Rekha? Krishna? Bijoya?" she glanced around once more. "Gupta?"
Oh no… not all of them! Not all fifteen children- they were all so young! Her daughters were all such great young women, so loving and kind and gentle- they couldn't be gone! And her son! Oh what was she to say? The child was barely half a month old and his life was already stolen! What kind of a mother was she, allowing that to happen?
Grief and regret flooded her heart and she slid down against the tunnel wall, expression one of devastated disbelief and she began to cry silently, placing her face in her paws. Every last one of them… gone. Every child…
Her ears pricked up and her eyes widened with hope. No. No, it couldn't be! …Could it?
She hastily got up and began rummaging through the earth, ears straining. Yes! Yes, she could hear it! It was faint, yes, but it was definitely there. Either that, or the loss had made her lose her mind.
She gasped at what she found. Her fourteen daughters lay around in a circle, all of them bloody, cut, and bruised. But none were breathing.
But there was still that one little sound…
"Gupta!" she cried with utter disbelief, reaching down and snatching her newest baby off the ground. "Oh Gupta, you're alive!" she held him out in front of her and examined him. A few scrapes on his little pinkish face, but otherwise seemed untouched. Ultimately shaken, seeing as he was crying hysterically, but alive and unhurt, nonetheless.
As she hugged him to her chest lovingly, protectively, she realized what her daughters had done. They truly meant it when they said they'd do anything to protect him. And she would do the same.
"Shh…" she soothed as he sobbed into her shoulder. "Shh, it's ok, you're ok. Mommy's here now." She kissed the top of his head. "And mommy promises; she'll never let anything or anyone ever hurt you. I promise."
She sighed sadly and kissed her fingers before pressing them to Iraira's, her youngest daughter only nine years old, forehead, doing the same to the others, going from youngest to oldest. "Goodbye girls." She spoke solemnly, willing herself not to cry. "You were excellent big sisters. Sleep well, my daughters." And she turned and left, searching for a new home for her to raise her only son.
-Seven Years Later-
Gupta stood at the entrance of their cave home and sighed sadly. He wished he could play with the other children, but they were all scared of him. Ever since people had heard of that earthquake, and how he'd been the only one that lived and his sisters all died, everyone was terrified of him.
And his ultimately strange markings didn't help. He had, instead of regular stripes, a strange pattern that resembled a skull, of all things, with two lines criss crossing behind it. After everyone saw those peculiar markings and heard his story about how he survived that deadly earthquake, many, especially the superstitious, had taken to calling him 'Devil Child'.
"Come my dear." The gentle voice of his mother spoke from behind him. "You need to rest. Back to bed." He'd grown up a very weak, sickly child, spending much of his time unwell and in bed; apparently, breathing in all that dirt and debris might have seriously damaged his lungs and seemed to have permanently lodged themselves in his body, constantly making him ill. He seemed to be constantly catching colds and other common illnesses too. He was seldom well enough to even be out of his bed; he relished being able to stand by the door and breathe the fresh air. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gone outside.
Some people called his staying inside an excuse. They said it was because something evil possessed him and made him perform dark magic, whatever that was. Whenever something bad happened, he was immediately blamed. He didn't understand it; he'd never done anything wrong. He minded his mother and rested when he was told. He ate all his food at mealtimes and said prayers at night. He was a very good child. So why did they call him a devil? It hurt, badly, but he did his best to ignore it. Still, he couldn't help but wonder about his strange back markings. Perhaps they meant something… no! He was a normal badger, just with an unusual pattern, that was all.
…Right?
He sighed as his mother laid him down again and felt his cheeks. "You don't feel feverish anymore." She mused. "Will you be alright if I run to get some more food?" she probably meant meat to boil into a broth, he figured. That was the main perk of being an omnivore; if there was no vegetation around, they could always resort to meat, or vice versa. They never went hungry or had to scrounge for food like some herbivores. Or even some carnivores.
"Sure mommy." She kissed his forehead.
"Ok. Now you be good and stay in bed. I'll be right back. Alright?"
"Yes mommy." He was a very obedient child. She went to leave. "W-Wait!" he called, suddenly feeling afraid. "Mommy… can I come too?"
"Oh no honey, you need to rest."
"But I'm not sleepy." He reasoned, sitting up.
"Still." She eased him back into laying down and covered him up. "You need to rest. You won't get better if you don't."
"I never get better." He grumbled. "Remember?"
"Don't take that tone with me, mister." She warned sternly.
He sighed, but still couldn't shake the feeling of dread creeping upon him. "Yes mommy." He said politely. "I'm sorry." He looked guilty, almost ready to cry. He was a rather sensitive child sometimes.
"Oh honey, its ok." She sat on the bed of leaves beside him and patted his paw. "Mommy's not mad. But you've got to stay here. Ok?"
"Oh… alright." He agreed reluctantly.
"Good." She kissed his forehead one more time. "I love you baby."
"Love you too mommy."
She got up to leave. "Bye honey."
He waved. "Bye bye." And she was gone, leaving her son alone in the cave, who was now practically trembling with fear. Something was wrong; so very, very wrong. If only he could place what…
He shifted and tried to get comfortable. His bed didn't seem right. Perhaps it was just the chilly autumn day… or maybe some of the cotton used for his pillow had been discarded in the wind. There had been a fair amount of it that day.
He turned over and looked at the cave wall. It was decorated with drawings made from charcoal and berry juices, he loved to draw. It was one of the few pastimes he had when ill. His mother always brought him new colors of paints, and little toys and trinkets whenever she were lucky enough to find some.
She also taught him in music. She'd crafted him a little guitar, and tiny drums. And sometimes, if he had trouble sleeping, she'd play her flute for him. He wished to learn as well, but she said it wouldn't be good for his weak lungs and would take too much effort to learn; she didn't want him straining himself.
He reached under his pillow and brought something out. It wasn't much, just a rather large acorn on a stick, filled with pebbles. It had been his baby rattle; he loved it still to this day. It had been hand crafted by his sisters, and if he squinted, he could see their names etched into the top in teeny tiny writing. Anjali, Dzoita, Nalini, Tsaru, Mallika, Rekha, Ondzoli, Laboni, Charu, Jayashri, Patralika, Bijoya, Krishna, and Iraira.
To think all fourteen of his big sisters died protecting him, it almost made him believe the 'Devil Child' statement. After all, what kind of little brother gets their sisters killed, completely accidental and by teir choice or not?
He sighed and put it back where it belonged and stared a while longer at the illustrations, before his eyes closed.
He awoke about an hour before sunset. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Mom?" he looked around; where was she? "Mommy?" this was strange, she still wasn't back. He would know if she'd returned; he was a very light sleeper and the slightest sound could rouse him. So where was she? "Mama?" he called again.
He slowly got out of bed, swaying for a moment. He must've had a slight fever, he decided, because he was dizzy. Fevers tended to do that. He went to their cave entrance, staring outside. "Mom?" she never stayed out after dark, and the sun was slowly creeping towards the horizon. It would be night soon.
He glanced down at the ground. He hadn't touched the soil in so long, and he'd admit, the idea of going out after five-six years of isolation frightened him. But if it meant finding his mother…
He took a slowly step outside. The ground was cold, making him wince, shivers travelling through his thin body. He rubbed his arms as he slowly walked outside, he'd seen his mother off to find food many times before, and headed in the direction of the beach.
"Mom?" he called quietly, frightened by all the stares. Of course, he couldn't see their owners, they all ran and hid at the sight of him. He sighed sadly and bowed his head. He was harmless, he hated having everyone so scared. He wanted a friend to be with, despite never even leaving his cave home. But still, having someone to talk to and play with when he was at least partially well would've been nice.
He sighed again. "I wish my big sisters were here." He mumbled sadly to himself. "Maybe they'd play with me." Joyeeta often told him of the times they'd spend playing with him, keeping him entertained and make him laugh as a baby. They must have loved him, he figured, or they wouldn't have given their lives to save his.
Plus, if they were there, it might help him find his mother. He kept searching well until dark, and he finally found her.
He instantly wished he hadn't. He bit back a scream and clamped both paws over his mouth. His mother lay near the forests edge, the foliage smoking and burning around her. Black smoke billowed up into the air. A forest fire! Of all the things…
"You!" a new voice shrieked. He turned. There was the old woman that hated him so much, Hatra (it was actually in the name that she was hateful!), standing there. "You did this! You cursed child- you killed your own mother!"
"N-No!" he stammered. "I didn't- I wouldn't- I mean…" he was so confused. How could he start such a massive fire?! And everyone knew he spent more the 98% of his time in bed, and 100% of it indoors! The only he was out was to look for his mother and have her come home.
"Lies! First your father, then you're sisters, now her!" she jeered. He backed away, trembling. Why was she accusing him of such things? Why did he hate him so? "Don't you run away from me, Devil!"
"But I-"
"Don't even try that spell chanting on me! I know your tricks!"
"What tricks?" just backing away so quickly was taking a fair amount of energy.
"Don't try it!" she screamed. "You cursed thing- I told your mother to be rid of you! I told her, I told them all that you'd be the death of someone! And look what you've done!"
"But I didn't do it!" he sobbed, beginning to cry. "Why would I?! I love her!"
"Oh yes?" she demanded. "Then why did you kill her?!"
"I di-"
"Murderer!"
He stumbled and fell. He didn't even realize he was in the cold water of the ocean until it was too late. "Killer! You wretched child! Look what you've! You've killed an innocent woman!" he suddenly found himself up to his neck, with her looming over him. "You're older sisters were right." She said coldly. "We should have gotten rid of you."
He gasped. That was ridiculous! His sisters- they loved him, right? Of course! She was just making this up. She was lying! She had to be. "Go Sea Devil." She pushed him back. 'Sea Devil…' he wondered at the back of his mind. "Go back to where you belong. With them." And everything went black.
Gupta woke up to sun shining on his face. He was wet, soaking wet. The air was salty and felt moist and strange against him, as he was used to rather dryer things.
He sat up weakly. His head throbbed and his stomach churned, little heart racing. What had happened, he didn't remember…
Hatra! She had hit him and thrown him to the sea. And his mother… oh no! she was gone! Dead! the only family he had left…
He collapsed and turned on his side, curling up, fighting back tears, which brimmed thickly in his eyes. Hatra… she claimed he had killed his father. But his mother said he disappeared before he was born. And his sisters… it wasn't his fault, was it? And his mother…
Why had Hatra blamed him? No doubt she was spreading the rumor to everyone else and they'd surely hate him for it. Well… more than they already did.
He laid there miserably for three days, curled up, crying silently from time to time. He watched the sky most times, watching the sun travel across the sky then disappear beneath the waves. Then the moon would rise and seem to smile down at him, and he subconsciously knew his mother was watching him.
But he didn't want her watching him. He wanted her with him. Right next to him and soothing his feelings of fear.
It was on the third day when the small piece of ice he was resting on bumped against something. He honestly didn't care thought and just kept his back to it.
"Oi! Hey, look a' em weird markins!" a heavily accented voice exclaimed. He winced inwardly. Again with the markings? Really?
"Woah, cool!" another, accented as well, agreed. But the accents were anything but similar. "Hey cap'n, looka this!"
There was slight bang, like something heavy dropped on something else, and an amused chuckle. "Well what's this?" this one had an accent just like the second.
He decided it was high time he turned around. Fear flooded his veins as he took note of the huge iceberg hovering above him. Three animals stood up there, one adult and two children about his age, both kids holding weapons. The first, with purple fur, long ears, and golden eyes held a staff of well sanded wood, capped with a gleaming pinkish orange spiraling shell.
And the other, only about six inches tall, was gray with long ears hanging behind his head, uneven teeth, and two gold rings clipped at the end of his left ear, holding a knife that looked like the skull of a baby swordfish.
The third was definitely the scariest. It stood nearly eleven feet high, with black and gray fur, a long beard, crooked yellowing teeth, and fur on his head that looked like a hat of some sort.
The purple one gestured for the large one to come closer and murmured something to him. "Yes..." he studied him for a moment. "I suppose so…" he gave him a smile that sent a shiver through his body. "How'd ya like ta come aboard?"
He nodded shyly and before he knew what was happening, the girl grabbed something, whirling it above her head for a moment before tossing it down. He was suddenly wrapped tightly in a cocoon of vines and hauled up, hanging upside down. "Hey!" he protested.
She tossed him down rather harshly and slit the vines with her sword. "There ya're mate. Now-" she poked at him experimentally, turning him around and examining his back. "Nice mark'ns ya got there." she observed, while the other child circled him, twirling his knife with a scary amount of experience.
"I dunno Raz." He hopped up on her shouldes, crossing his arms and leaning against her neck. "Looks kinda scrawny t' me."
"Says th' guy tha' weighs n'more than a quarta pound!" she retorted with a smug smirk. He narrowed his eyes but let it drop. "So whas' yer name mate?" the purple one, dubbed 'Raz', asked.
"Gupta." He answered curtly, still unsure about them.
"Gupta, eh? Well thas' diff'rnt. An'ehway, Ah'm Raz. This i' Squint."
He waved slightly. "Hey."
Raz poked at him with her spear once more. "Ye got 'tential, Ah think. Wha bout you?"
They shared a look, and he shrugged. "I guess."
"Good." She picked him up by the ears and flung him away. "Y'll make a dec'nt crew memba." She told him. "And a mighta fine flag."
He swallowed nervously. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. "Wh-What?"
She cackled. "Haven't ya figa'ed i' out mate?" he slowly shook his head. "Fer good violence- we're on a pirate ship! Ya get it now?"
His eyes widened. "No way…" he breathed in amazement.
She smirked. "Oh yes. Yes way."
Maybe he did like the sound of it.
Wow, this was long! 4,026 words not counting the Authors Notes! And 14 pages!
