"Um hello? Is there anyone?" For some time now he wandered through the dense fog. Again and again here and there are known shadows, but he could not really see clearly. He could also hear voices from time to time. Unfortunately these were too far away to be able to say exactly who was speaking there. Louis understood slowly nothing anymore. The last thing he remembered was that he wanted to hide from the storm. After that, everything was black in his memory and to his misery he had also lost the floral wreath. It would be quite a chore to start the whole thing again. Maybe he should move it to a few days later when the weather had changed, or at least until he was feeling a bit better. Because since he woke up in this dense fog he felt powerless somehow. He not even realized as he stepped on the floor with his feet. Then there were these temperature fluctuations. First he froze for a while and all of a sudden it was warmer. But that did not last long because it was cool again. He even had the feeling that the air seemed moist. Curiously, but it isn't raining. After that, everything around him felt warm again. If he had not been traveling, he would have laid himself on the floor and slept immediately. But now he could not sleep, because he wanted to meet Peaches again. He has, after all, not seen her for two days. It usually never went a day by easily without each other. He wondered if it makes any difference for her if she doesn't see him anymore. Abruptly, he saw his reflection on the floor in front of him.

"Water? Where it suddenly come from?" The haze twisted about the cool water. His image changed at once, and he looked down at Ethan. But it seemed that he hasn't noticed him. He found it quite strange that he saw the mammoth in the water. His brain must play a prank on him. Suddenly Ethan was no longer alone on the other side. Peaches appeared at his side as from nowhere. Pleased she smiled at the other mammoth. Louis knew that his friend was still behind this guy. Why she had not simply admitted it? Not that he had ever asked, but he would have liked to hear it from her. He just hoped Ethan would not disappoint her again.

Nevertheless, he had the need to go to them, even if he would only ask if she had time later or tomorrow for him. But running into the water was illogical for him because he could not really swim well. So he wanted to first carefully put in one of his feet. Unfortunately, that did not work because the water was frozen and therefore as smooth as glass. It seems strange that the sun was still shining on the other side.

All of a sudden everything went dark and cold again. When he pounded on the ice, he frightened noticed that not the mammoths were under water. But it seemed nobody realized him here. He suspected because the ice was just too thick. Why didn't want his paws function properly? He had already dug through thicker ice after all. The water ran down too fast in his throat as he tried to scream, but that was his fault here. Now he would drown without anyone to know. Maybe it was better, he thought for a moment. In the same time, it became warm again. It was not an unpleasant heat, rather it was a good comfortable feeling that you never wanted to let go.

"Louis?" Yes, that must be heaven, thought the molehog happy. But a second later he wondered what his friend was doing here already. Because it was clearly her voice he heard now. Hastily he wanted to open his eyes to see what is going on.

"Louis you're ok? Attempt to breathe calmly." Told him Peaches, she stroked reassuring the little with her trunk on the back. That was not easy by his spines. The awakened One looked confused around. Only then he noticed relieved that he was not the drowning. He would be much more choking on a coughing fit if he had not woken up. His throat hurts a lot. So he touched his fur there if somewhere was a little swollen. Besides, he slowly looked up at the mammoth girls. Something glittered in the dawn on her face, he looked up quickly if it had rained again. He could unfortunately make no cloud out.

"Are you feeling better?" Then it occurred to him that his friend spoke with a slightly unsteady voice and also he noticed that he was half covered in a tree stump.

"Where ... am I?" He could not ask the question very loud, but his opponent had to have understood it anyway.

"You're in my home." He also saw now what the sun reflected before. There are tears running down Peaches face.

"What has happened ...? ... I'm sure ... it is everything.." He wanted to calm her down, but then he suddenly started coughing heavily. He wondered where he had just been infected. Actually he rarely get sick. The mammoth quickly wiped the tears away and hugged the molehog carefully.

"I'm so glad you're still alive." The knowledge that his friend was sad because of him has raised mixed emotions in him. On one hand, he was glad that she cared about him. On the other hand, it did also hurt that she had trouble because of him. He also felt very uncomfortable now. Not because Peaches held him close, but because he was a little afraid that someone from her family could see them.

"Hey ... Peaches! I ... am ok." So she put him back onto the tree stump. That had the advantage that Louis could lie down again when he wanted to. For the mammoth the boy looked pretty shaky on his legs.

"I'm sorry." So she still wiped the last tears of joy away before she spoke again.

"But last night you were anything but not ok. You have picked the flowers at the waterfall alone, right?" Caught saw the molehog away. It was clear that the possums could not hold anything back. Now he stood there and had the ring not more.

"Yes. But unfortunately ... I..."

"Louis the flowers are poisonous." She interrupted him before he could say anything else it.

"What?" Now he looked really shocked.

"I'm so sorry that I have raved about those things. I'm sure you wanted me to give me a gift and you have therefore taken them from the rocks. If I had known that they are toxic and make you sick, then I would have certainly discouraged you." Explained the mammoth guiltily.

"You could have died from it and because I was only thinking of me ..

"Peaches ... I still living... it's not your fault." He coughed before accreting to speak again. Nevertheless, he had to think about what almost could have happened. He could poison his friend, but then another thought had struck him.

"What's with Crash...Eddie.." Again he broke off coughing.

"Attempt to breathe calmly. They are ok. My mother forced them yesterday to take a bath and she did not even know it. Since it was practically they have wallowed times in the mud." That made the small mammal not really happier.

"And Shira ... and ... Ethan ...?"

"Shira had it also caught, but she will certainly feel but a little better tomorrow. Wait a minute! Did you just say that Ethan has it too?" The respondent nodded affected.

"But how he came into contact with the planty?"

"It's the best to go to him….and ask him yourself." Actually, Louis didn't want to sound angry, but for some reason he did it. Then Peaches facial features changed accordingly. He pushed it to its current weak body. He just had his feelings not so well under control.

"Louis, I will of course stay here. Unlike you, Ethan is fine."

"Are you sure?"

"He still looked very healthy yesterday afternoon." Again Louis nodded to that. He was relieved. Nevertheless, even if he didn't like this braggart, he wished him nothing so bad.

"But let's change the subject. Now you're finally awake and you can tell me what you need. Eddie and Crash were looking for a few berries and nuts last night. She held both to him immediately. Then she briefly turned around and grabbed something.

"Here! First take this, you certainly thirsty. A leaf with dew-fresh water." Of course Louis burned the neck so he took the cool water first in and drank it all. It was not much but the thirst deleted it for now. Peaches, however, already waiting held out the next sheet. Smiling, he placed it next to him without to spill down the water.

"Peaches ... tell me?"

"Yes?" Said the mammoth girl, because her little friend stopped abruptly to speak.

"Wiener you're still alive!" But they were interrupted by two screeching possums.

"We have already assumed the worst." Announced crash dramatically.

"Yes. How could you frighten us so much?" Added Eddie in the same voice. Then the two wanted to rush forward to the molehog, but Peaches held them fast from it. She held the brothers at the tail so high that she had both exactly at eye level.

"Don't you see that he is not fit enough to run around yet?!"

"She's right." In that order Ellie came in between and took over the striped rodents.

"It's nice to see that you're doing better Louis. Do I have to bring something to eat?" Silently he pointed to the berries and nuts.

"Wow. Guys you really worked hard last night." With pride nodded the two possums.

"And Peaches? Should I bring you something?" The mammoth mother did not want to seem worried, but she could see that her daughter was really taken by the night. She would later ask Peaches if she needed a break. Ellie also hoped that Manny would not exaggerate when he is awake. She knew that he could also not sleep and so he fell asleep sometime in the morning.

"I go and get me something later." Replied the younger mammoth. Because hunger she really felt not hungry. It was probably because she still felt pure relief at the improvement of her friend.

Ellie nodded to her daughter in agree and made her way off with their impatient brothers.

The sun's rays painted the walls in the tigers cave slowly a little brighter every morning. Shira blinked a few times around to get the sleep from her eyes. Then she carefully stood up. Today she was clearly a little better. The scratching in the throat was still there, but it was not quite so bad. So she stretched to test the rest of her body. Everything ached a little, but if she would be slowly it could work with the running around. Only now she noticed that she was alone here. Diego had probably already gotten hungry, she thought as she ran outside.

"Or not." At the entrance she discovered the missing saber tooth. Two untwisted possums were running around him.

"Diego, Diego." Eddie stood there and shook played disappointed his head.

"There you have absolutely no idea about women." The addressed just rolled his eyes and hoped that the female saber-toothed finally woke up. He was waiting for her with the search for food.

"Real bad. Since you not that long together and she throw you out of the cave already." Now Crash gave also his opinion to this.

"If you had asked us, then that certainly would not have happened."

"Hey! She hasn't kicked me out!" But Diego's words were simply ignored.

"Your ruffled fur says something else. Yet you look tired. That is to say yes, you've slept out here."

"Doesn't he always look tired?" Inquired Crash from his brother.

"Now that you mention it ..." They both ended climbing to the saber-toothed up to look at him more closely.

"Maybe she kicked him out because of that. He is getting too old."

As Shira heard that she had to step in after all. She knew that the rodents just would annoy Diego for fun, but they went a little too far. Quietly, she crept a little closer and waited for Crash and Eddie to sit a little calm on the other saber. Then she gave simply a dangerous roar from herself while she tore the two from Diego down. The brothers stood in shock, of course and played dead again.

"Good morning." She explained a little quieter after a clear her throat while she put the smaller mammals on the ground. But they were not the only ones she had shocked. Diego didn't notice her too. This was probably because he had possum squeaking in the ears all the time.

"That's really not cool." Explained Eddie offended.

"Exactly, we could have died of a heart attack." Added Crash just as disgruntled.

"Oh guys that was just fun." Said Shira with a smile.

"You have strange humor." Both possums shook their heads and ran toward her sister, who they saw at the foot of the mountain now.

"Just ignore them. They're only fooling around. Much more important is how you are today." Said Diego so cool and calm as possible. She turned completely around to face him now.

"Today it is a little better. Did you want to walk around with me a little? I'm not very fast but.."

"Of course." Only then the male saber-toothed realized that his answer was a little premature. He had not even let her finish her sentence.

"I mean..sure why not. I have nothing else to do." She shook her head a little but smiled to that.

"I'm just tell quickly Ellie my decision okay?" Diego nodded and soon Shira turned her back to him and he cursed himself silently.

"What was that for a response? 'I've got nothing else to do?' If I go on so she really throws me out here." He really wanted to pull himself together, but it's so long ago that he wanted to ensnare a female. Shira was a really great friend. They went hunting together and talked every now about things that only saber-toothed tigers could discuss with each other. Somehow he had been missing this. Nevertheless, it was fared better in the years with his friends than in the period with his old pack before.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" The silver-haired saber brought him back to reality again.

"Oh, nothing. Let's go." Shira found the behavior a little strange but perhaps she was imagining things. So she just ran after Diego. Then she thought about it again what should become of her. After Ellie's stories Diego was the complete opposite of the normal saber-toothed tiger. Of course, he was good at hunting, but lacked almost any brutality with him. Whether he saw her as a good friend or more, that was not the point now.

Other tigers she had met previously saw only a prey in her. A female being that you could suppress. Diego, however, was the first who treated her as equal. The other from this different herd, had become important to her and vice versa.

And here was her problem. Shira liked Diego really very much. But she did not know whether that was just built on a friendly basis. First she wanted to not think about it, because she could not bear it to disappoint or hurt him. Maybe she should give him the cave. She wondered if Diego would also have his own family. In addition, she also occupied the matter of the other saber-toothed tigers they are nearby since a short time.

"Shira?" Her male companion watched her again and again out of the corner of his eyes. He did not know whether she still felt bad or if it was something else bothering her.

"Hm?"

"Are you really okay? Shall we run slower?" Thereupon, the tigress was really slow and glanced at him examining.

"Diego, can I ask you something?" It sounded so serious that he would have denied it at best, but it had nothing necessarily have anything to do with them.

"Of course. Fire away." He said, although in a good mood but inwardly he was anything but that.

"Am I holding you from something?"

"What? No. I told you we go together.." But she interrupted him to explain better what she meant.

"No. I'm talking about our lives. Some time ago, this pack of saber-toothed tiger came in this.."

"I see. You've talked to them. Shira they are still nearby. If you want to ask me if you can go with them, then you don't need my permission to do so. You can go wherever..." She interrupted him again and came up a bit.

"That's not it. I really like it here." And Shira meant that really how she said it and her counterpart pleased that a lot, even if he had not showed that on the outside.

"What I meant to say is if I'm too in the cave…"

"What makes you think that? It is large and spacious."

"That's just it. Want you for not looking for someone to start a family with?" Diego would have really expected anything but that.

"What are you talking about? But I have a family. Shira what's going on? Where that suddenly come from?"

"I know that the others make their thoughts if we are couple now or not." The male saber short rolled his eyes and wondered who he had to thank for that conversation. Manny? Sid? Or Crash and Eddie were too loud in front of their cave entrance earlier? But what did he care about that now how she had experienced it. Of course he had always thought about here and there to have his own family, but by the time he had given up because how could he explain his living conditions to another saber, even if he felt more than just like for Shira, he wouldn't force her to anything.

"Listen Shira! Who cares what others say or think? We are friends who sleep in the same cave. So what?"

"You are really a softi." Said Shira smilingly and leaned on him without a warning.

"Hey, not so loud. I don't want everybody to know." Explained Diego with played angry voice. He could not help but grin anyway. But it was fine as long as no one gets it.

"Oh, how sweet!" They both turned around, startled by the voice from they were being disturbed.

"Just pretend I'm not there."

"I try mostly Sid. Unfortunately It just never works." Well Diego was really disgruntled and went away from Shira. She however had to smile, because she found it kind of cute when the other saber-tooth was embarrassed because of the situation. She confessed indeed that it was not the best time to cuddle with the other tiger. Actually, she just wanted to thank him for all times, but a different feeling interfered with that and it had nothing to do with gratitude. She never thought that her cave roommate would be so warm and soft. Previously she had never paid attention to something like that.

"Someone is in a bad mood here. If you lovebirds do not want to be disturbed then you should.."

"Sid! Did you want something in particular?" Quickly interrupted the male saber the other before other stuff flowed out of this blabbermouth.

"I saw you sneak past and.." A look from Diego said the sloth that he should be as brief as possible.

"I just wanted to know whether is Shira better?"

"Thanks for asking. Yes, today I feel really better. I've also got a great male nurse." She looked back at the male saber tooth.

"One does what one can." Explained he only cool. Sid, however, shrugged his eyebrows as he nudged Diego with his elbows in the side.

"Aha, you playing the nurse hm?" He added then quietly. Of course, Shira had noticed it anyway. She only shook her head with a smile.

""Anyway Shira and I must move on." The saber-toothed wanted his conspecific to move already but the sloth was not finished yet.

"Actually, I'm on the way to Louis. You didn't know if he is already doing better?"

"Ellie told me that her daughter was watching over the little one the whole night. She even said if he approaches it slowly then he will be alright again." Shira hoped it at least.

"That is good to know. I'm still looking over again. Maybe I can do something for him." Tigress nodded and Sid left the place.

"I also should see after him later. If he want to see me at all."

"Shira stop to blame yourself for it now. This can happen and I'm sure that Louis doesn't blame you." Actually she wanted to contradict him, but she also doesn't to argue with Diego now. So she simply nodded and they both continued their stroll.