((AN: Do not own))
Chapter Seven: Thinking = Food
"Can we slow down a little? I'm dying here." Sid asked, out of breath as he staggered behind us. A flock of vultures landed on the trees and loomed over us. "It was just a figure of speech!" He exclaimed. He ran to catch up to where I was.
"I asked you if you wanted me to carry you, Sid, and you said no." I told him.
"I change my mind." He hopped on my back.
"They just sit there watching us…" Manny said looking up at them.
"I wish I knew what they were thinking…" Sid whispered to me.
"I know. I'd love to hear that. It'd be kinda interesting, don'tcha think?" I replied in the same hushed tone.
"Yeah."
"Food, glorious food…" One vulture sang in a deep bass voice. "We're anxious to try it."
"Three banquets a day!" Another vulture sang flying over us to the other vulture. This one was female.
"Our favorite diet." The two vultures moved aside to reveal a baby.
"Just picture a mammoth steak. Fried, roasted or stewed!" the baby sang.
"Oh food, wonderful food, marvelous food, glorious food!" They whole flock sang. We all started to run away. It got to the point where Sid jumped off because he thought they'd snatch him.
A vulture swooped over to a rock Crash and Eddie were on. "Poached possums served flambé." Eddie and Crash played dead. Ellie grabbed them and handed them to me.
"Broth made from a sloth." A small flock of vultures chased Sid in to a mud puddle."A saber tooth soufflé!" Diego grabbed Sid and we all ran on to the log bridge that led to the other side.
"Why should we be fated to do nothing, but brood?" They sang flying around us. "Oh food, magical food, wonderful, marvelous food!"
We slid down the hill, on a rock, after we made it across.
"Food, glorious food!"
We walked till there was a break in the land. I gave Manny and Ellie Crash and Eddie and they shot them to the other side of the gorge using their trunks.
"Flesh picked off the dead ones."
Manny shot Sid to the other side next.
"Pricked, catered, or chewed will be the dead ones!"
Diego and I jumped to the side next. Manny and Ellie followed.
"Just thinking about putrid meat!"
A vulture knocked all of the rocks down. We all ran on the rocks.
"Puts us in a mood."
Diego and I were not very good at it. I guess we're all paws. We jumped on to Manny and Ellie.
"Food, glorious food,"
Sid was about to be hit with a rock, Manny grabbed him and put him on top of us.
"Marvelous, heavenly,"
Crash and Eddie were picked up by Ellie and they landed on Sid's head, making us a mammal pyramid.
"Magical Food!" The baby sang as we pasted it.
"Food! We want food!" They circled the air. We fell to the ground they flew away.
"There. Now you know what they were thinking." Manny told us. We walked on.
"Food, Glorious food!" Sid and I sang. Could you blame us? The song was good.
"Sid!" Manny and Diego yelled at him. They were joined by Crash who was yelling my name.
"What? It's catchy." Sid defended us. Then we saw the boat.
"That's a log." I said looking at it. All it was was a huge log that was cut in half. "What are we supposed to do go two by two to save our certain species?"
"I don't mind." Diego replied looking at me. "We made it."
"Yeah, we showed those scary vultures!"Sid exclaimed happily.
When Crash and Eddie tried to go ahead, fiery hot steam shot up from the ground. Crash ran to Ellie. Sid backed up next to Manny. Eddie ran to me. Steam started to shoot up from random parts of the ground.
"Oh it's just a little hot water and steam. How bad could it be?" Sid asked.
A little dodo bird came across one of the springs and was shot up into the sky. He came back down fully tarnished, roasted, and ready to eat. "I think I just lost my appetite." I stuttered looking at it.
"I just did something involuntary, and missed." Sid said.
"Okay, c'mon." Manny said moving ahead. He was almost hit with the steam.
"Manny, get back, it's a mine field out there." Diego yelled.
"There's only one way to go. Straight through." Manny stated.
"Straight through? We'd like to keep the fur on our bodies. We'll head back and we'll go around, that's safer." Ellie replied.
"No. There's no time the dam'll burst before we make it." Manny told her. "We'll drown."
"We go through this, we get blown to bits." She argued.
"We go forward!" Manny argued.
"We go back." She retorted.
"Forward!"
"Back!"
"Can I say something?" Diego asked them.
"No!" They yelled. He glared.
"You are so stubborn and hard-headed." Manny told her.
"Well, I guess that proves it. I am a mammoth." She walked away, "C'mon." She grabbed Crash. Eddie looked at expectantly. I looked between him and Diego.
"Eddie, you behave and go with Ellie. I'm going with them." I told him.
"No!" He argued. "You promised!"
"I'm keeping my promise. Now go and remember what I told you!" I retorted. He ran after them. I watched him go and then turned back at them, "What are we waiting for a miracle?"
"I can't believe you just chose Diego over your family." Sid whispered to me as we started to walk.
"I chose to risk being blown up, so I wouldn't drown later. It has nothing to do with Diego." I told him.
"I don't know. Drowning sounds like a much gentler way to go, blown to bits sounds so sudden." He replied. Manny went ahead of us at a faster pace through the geysers. Sid and I ran catch up with Diego. "He's gonna get himself killed!" Sid exclaimed.
"Killed? He's gonna get himself fried and served on a platter like the dodo."
"Manny, wait!" Sid called after him.
"Manny!" I called after him. He kept walking. A geyser erupted in front of him and he fell to his feet. He got up and just stood there. We ran in front of him and called to him trying to connect him back to reality. He just stared at us with a blank look.
"Manny! C'mon we gotta go now!" Diego yelled getting him out of his daze. Manny started to run to the side Diego pushed him in the right direction. And we ran as if our lives depended on in. Well, actually they kinda did. Geysers erupted on every side of us. It was like we were magnetic rocks attracting the steam to pierce our bodies, but dodging them just in time.
"Sid, get on! You're too slow and I can catch up to them quicker." I yelled to him. He jumped on to my back and grabbed my fur tightly. I ran for it.