Heart of a Sabertooth
So I can only apologise for my lack of updates for by my far my favourite and most popular story. I'm in my final year of uni so its stress and more stress. I've still got to update the previous chapters but I thought I owed you guys with a new update :D….
Check out my other story that I'm currently rewriting: it's a BBC robin hood fic you'll find it under my profile.
Oh and Ice Age 5 has a new title and release date-go and check it out! X
Ice Age doesn't belong to me just my OCs
The plains had provided a suitable home for the small herd. With open lands that spanned out as far as the eye could see, mountainous regions and forests also covered the lands in the distance. Being out in the open meant the heat was more noticeable and this meant certain species required the shade so that they didn't overheat.
Animals in their prime, were the herbivores that grazed in their hundreds. Antelope, horses and bison made homes on the plains, eating the expanse of food available to them. These animals provided a perfect home for a small growing sabertooth family.
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Lay as close to the ground as possible, she allowed the grass to cover her body, hiding her in the thick brush from the antelope in front of her. She was a professional when it came to hunting, every front paw she moved was replaced with her back foot, effortlessly and silently. Her vision was slightly obscure from the grass but she honed in with her ears, the sounds of the antelope munching on the vegetation getting louder the more she closed the gap.
Her leg had healed up some time ago, with her cubs being weaned and her milk drying up she was back in her prime.
The antelope around her were skittish as if sensing something wrong, the one she was watching jumped at the sound of a bison approaching his feeding spot. She watched in frustration as the bison pushed it away with a swing of its horns.
She couldn't take on a bison by herself and she was a little too close for comfort, being so close to an animal that had previously maimed her.
Bison were simple beings, but even she knew how dangerous they could be, so any sudden movements would likely cause another attack.
Any plans she had though were pointless, when she heard the herd crying out in alarm. The ground trembled beneath her paws and she watched in disbelief as the herd took off, the bison in front of her following the lead of its herd mates.
She was suddenly in the middle of a stampede.
Jumping up from the ground, she ran against the herd, weaving in and out of the animals as she tried to find a way out of the thundering hooves and horns. Her sudden appearance startled the already panicked herd, but her running against the herd helped in her favour as the animals ran around her, trying to avoid her.
She decided this was her best option to grab food, she avoided the horned animals and was about to pounce on an antelope doe, when she was tackled to the ground by an unforeseen force.
They tumbled together and she found herself pinned to the ground by claws and a heavy weight. She growled loudly and found herself staring up at startled amber eyes looking right back at her.
Diego's eyes.
She was released quickly as Diego took in their awkward position, and grumbled an apology as Shima stood up watching as the herd vanished into the distance.
"NO!" she shouted as she watched her hunting opportunity ran away from her. She turned around, panting heavily as she took in Diego's equally exhausted state.
"What were you thinking, I could have been killed!" she snarled at him
Diego was used to her aggressive looks and attitude towards him, he just shook it off, he wasn't afraid of her 'threatening' display.
"I didn't know you were hunting…..had I known maybe I'd of tried harder at…what was it? Killing you!" he said smirking at her
She snarled "Grrrr….your so infuriating!" turning her back on him she made to move away.
"Trust me I'm not the only one around here!" he shouted after her.
She rounded on him, not afraid of him she walked into his personal space.
"You ruin everything!...because of you my cubs will go hungry again tonight, so I hope this little display was worth it!"
Diego was as stubborn as she was and the male pride in him would never apologise on her behalf. Over the past few months, their relationship had gone from bad to worse…she had finally accepted he wasn't interested in her or harming her cubs. Even if there were no cubs, she was a lousy female to be around!. But her cubs…her cubs had grown on him, if it wasn't for how riled up Shima got over her cubs growing affection for him he wouldn't be interested, but knowing her cubs wanted to spend time with him gave him pleasure at the sight of her displeasure.
So for their sake he would offer a compromise.
He followed after the miserable female when a thought suddenly hit him, on how he never spotted her in the first place, sure her coat worked in the winter, but out in a grassy open plain, surely she would be finding it hard to hunt just by herself….she was simply proving to be a skilled huntress; he found his eyes taking in her form, she had changed physically after weaning her cubs, her body was more toned and she had lost her kitten weight…she looked deadly and in the prime of life.
She looked somewhat attractive! No! He shook the thought out of his head, she was already under his skin with her snark, the last thing he needed was for her to get inside his head.
He picked up the pace, stepping in front of her, she only gave him a look at being stopped, which he ignored.
"Look….we both know the herds too large and strong to take on by ourselves"
"Pfft, as much as you would love for me to be as bad of a hunter as you, I'm afraid I'm leagues better…..had you not startled the herd I would be returning home with my prize in my mouth"
"Even with the bison joining the herd, you really think you'd of gotten out of there alive?"
"I can take care of myself….but thanks for the concern" she said giving him a wink before walking around him.
A bit flustered from her wink, he quickly composed himself "I wasn't concerned…..merely reminded of your injured leg, caused by…what was it? Oh yeah a bison"
He watched her stop again, he didn't wait for her explosive outburst, he'd had enough of that to last a lifetime.
"So…. I suggest we hunt together…" he said
"No" was her reply as she walked off once again
"Just let me explain"
"I'm not hunting with you….it requires trust and teamwork, something we can both agree on not having with each other"
"What other choice do you have, you're just going to wait for meat to fall from the sky, the herd won't be returning anytime soon if they know we are both in the area"
He watched as she contemplated his words, she turned to look at him giving him a hard stare with her blue eyes.
"What are you suggesting then?" she asked with a raised eyebrow
"Later, when it's just starting to get dark, we'll follow the herd….it'll be cooler and we'll have the advantage at night…you'll have happy cubs and maybe a good meal will put a smile on your sour face" he said still wanting to goad her.
"I do smile, it's just you intentionally antagonize me at every possible moment"
"What can I say, it's a talent" he said grinning slightly.
She huffed and rolled her eyes at this infuriating male, but given his annoyance he made an offer she simply couldn't refuse, for her cubs she would work with him….just this once.
"So what do you say….put aside our differences and work together"
She walked over to him, adding an extra sway to her hips as she once again stood in his personal space. He stood a head higher than her, but she wasn't intimidated at all by him. In fact she noticed him take notice in her walk and even appeared a little tense at her closeness. This only made her do it more.
"I agree with your idea, but you owe me for losing the herd in the first place….if we do this we do it my way, no more charging head first, instead were going to be more stealthy and clever" she said raising her brows up at him.
"Whatever you say princess" he said sarcastically.
She huffed slightly, fed up of answering him…she needed to get back to her cubs so she turned in their direction.
She roared deeply to them, the vibrations of her vocals travelling the distance to her cubs in hiding. The call came from deep within her belly, it sent a clear message; that it was safe to come out.
She noticed that she hadn't lost Diego, instead he followed closely on her heels.
"Why are you following me?" she simply asked him
He raised his eyebrow at her and his lip curled into a smile.
"I promised the cubs I'd see them, it's been a while"
"It's been two days since you saw them last!" she said clearly agitated.
"Well, even you can't deny they enjoy my company….I am uncle Diego!" he said, annoyance in his voice at his new nickname.
"Please stop reminding me of such a ridiculous name….I do try to correct my children!"
"Sid started the whole uncle thing!"
"Oh yes, Sid, the other thorn in my side….why do you think I try to spend as much time away from him as possible, he's always offering to babysit and I'm fast running out of ideas and patience to deter him"
He started laughing, when it came to Sid and kids he was useless.
"So you're saying you wouldn't trust him with the most precious things in your life"
"No I wouldn't!...his heart might be in the right place, but I couldn't trust him with a pet rock"
They shared a chuckle at her joke. She roared again encouraging her cubs to come to her.
"Sid's got it in his head your cubs need some sort of father figure…"
He found himself pinned to the floor, Shimas lip curling back showing off her impressive teeth.
"Let's just get one thing straight before I rip your throat out…..my children do not need another father in their lives, they have one!" her voice was breathy as her emotions got the better of her.
She tried not to think of Conan, the pain was as fresh as the day he was killed. Something about Diego and Sid talking so casually about a father for her cubs made something in her snap. She calmed down and took in her aggressive stance she had over Diego. He was by no means submissive or slightly scared at her outburst in anger, but it had shocked him to see her snap so quickly.
She stepped off him and turned her face away at the tears she felt forming in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude….It's just you've never mentioned him before, I just assumed he was….." he trailed off when he looked at her.
"That he was what, a casual dalliance" She wasn't even bothered anymore that a tear escaped her eyes and stained her cheeks.
"I wasn't implying that…" Diego said softly. He didn't know how to react to her in such an emotional state.
"He was real, and I loved him dearly….that's all you need to know" she said blinking her eyes.
"I'm not asking you to tell me, but you know Ellie is there for you if you need to talk" he watched her shake her head 'no' "I can see your hurting, and whatever happened is the reason you fight so hard for your cubs lives, and probably the reason why you hate me so much"
She sighed deeply looking at his concerned face "Diego, I don't….."
"Momma!"
She was interrupted by her cubs running towards her. She instantly left Diego and ran to greet her children.
At 6 months of age, they were a lot bigger, stronger and able to travel longer distances than before. Shima had to adapt to her growing cubs, weaning was a challenge. The cubs didn't take to the metallic taste quickly and they had struggled with chewing solids for the first time. It was also a moment that broke her heart. She missed the intimate feel of having her cubs suckling from her, but she knew that she couldn't have this bond forever and that she herself had gone through this with her own mother.
They were also too heavy to carry. Her son Cade still hadn't stopped from trying but this was the only way to get strong and being carried around wouldn't help in the future. By them walking by themselves it would hopefully mean that if danger was around they could all escape together, instead of choosing a cub to carry and leaving the other behind.
When her cubs began talking, their first word was an attempt at momma, but it was mostly the pronunciation of the letter M, she had never felt so proud in all her life hearing her cubs address her so. Now that they were grasping words she taught them the things she knew, stories and information about anything and everything.
She nuzzled her cubs with deep affection, her low rumbles reconnecting their time apart. They both leapt at her face, showering her face with small kisses.
She watched as Cade became distracted by Diego behind her and giggled as he bounded over to him.
"Diego!" he giggled as he jumped at Diego in excitement. He leapt onto his back and played his favourite game at tugging the fur of his ears. His small forelegs gripping around the adult males neck as he tugged at the fur.
Diego chuckled at the cub and his playful behaviour. He shook the cub off gently when he got a little too carried away. His sister Sesi greeted Diego in a gentler manner and merely stood on her hind legs to knock her head into his.
Shima looked on at how her cubs reacted to Diego. She had done her best to prevent her cubs getting close to him. She feared Diego from the beginning but it was only when she travelled with him, did she realise how wrong she was about him. He wasn't a killer, he was a sabertooth who had made a family with herbivores. He was a softie she had realised.
He had avoided her at best giving her the room he knew she needed, had brought her food when she was unable to hunt. But the turning point had been when he had saved her son from the crocodile attack.
To lose her son would have killed her. She loved her children equally, but Cade was becoming the spitting image of his father more so every day. He was the physical memory of her lost love.
When Diego had saved him she realised Diego wasn't Fang. That Diego had her and her cub's best interest at heart. "It's what you do in a herd" was what he told her when she had thanked him. She didn't understand back then, but now things were different. Despite living alone from the herd to hunt and spend time with her cubs, she had found a new home with the misfit bunch. Every member had been so kind to her and she realised she could have left when she had healed, instead 2 months later she was still with them.
When Diego had saved Cade, she realised it was impossible to keep them apart. Out of the two cubs, Cade had a special bond with Diego and secretly she guessed it was a feeling returned. She often caught her son mimicking Diego's walk. He copied Diego's behaviours, his favourite being hitting Sid around the head every time he did something stupid. Cade wasn't quite as tall but he still tried, which often earnt a scolding from her and encouragement from Diego.
It seemed so comfortable seeing the three of them together, but inside it only got harder to bare. She loved her cubs finding guidance and security within Diego and that they weren't scared of him but often sought out his company, always asking her to see him. What killed her was that they didn't have a father, and how desperately in love Conan had been with them before their birth. She still hadn't explained to her children what had happened to him. She felt they were too young to understand and that one day she would be ready to tell them of his brave sacrifice.
She was brought out of her thoughts when Cade jumped up at her.
"I'm hungry momma!" he whimpered up at her.
"I know my darlings, me and Diego shall hunt tonight, and I promise to bring you something back" She said nudging his head in reassurance.
He gave her an open mouthed look, his tiny saber teeth starting to come through.
"You're hunting with Uncle Diego?" he asked in wonder
She looked up at Diego who pulled a face at the term uncle. He seemed to hate it more than herself.
"Yes sweetheart, me and uncle Diego are going to hunt" she said smirking at how annoyed he got over it.
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After leaving her cubs for the second time today, she and Diego walked into the darkness. The herd was just ahead of them, luck was on their side tonight for the wind had died down, and being feline their eyes were adapted to work in the dark.
They had agreed to work together, and so far they were working well. They spoke little staying focused on the task at hand. They were currently standing on high ground staring out at the resting herd. Together they could probably take on a young bison. But as an animal that worked well in herds, they risked the chance of the others coming to aid their comrade. They were also tasked with how they were going to drag it back to her cubs, for they wouldn't travel in the dark on their own. They aren't the only predators out here.
Together they had settled on one of the equines, he appeared older than the others as he lay on his side as if exhausted instead of being alert as its other herd mates. This individual wasn't on the outside of the herd and was protected by other herd members some of them bison.
She had asked Diego to disrupt the herd as soon as he got close, this would startle the alert animals and give Shima the short time to pounce on the old horse as it got to its feet.
Sabertooths weren't built for long periods of speed, instead their powerful bodies allowed for short bursts of fast speeds, meaning she would need to get close enough and act fast enough.
Working in sync they both crawled on silent feet towards the herd. Once Diego felt they were close enough he released a deep roar into the silence of the night.
The herd reacted quickly, turning from the roar they panicked as they kicked up dirt in their speed to get away from danger. Once the dust had settled Diego could see better, he turned to see Shima hanging from the horse's neck. Despite her strong grip and weight the old horse was putting up a fight for his life, he tried kicking with his front legs and Diego realised if Shima got caught with a hoof she would be killed instantly.
Instead he ran over to their struggle and jumped onto the horses back, he dug his claws into its back and tried to shift his weight in order to bring the animal to its knees. His teeth were useless in this sort of struggle, a saber wouldn't risk the loss of their teeth as this could make hunting difficult in the future.
Shima noticed Diego on the back of the horse, and felt the beast struggle with the added weight, she could feel it in the breath of the horse and that the strength in its fight was dwindling.
When she felt it giving up she used her teeth and found the soft skin of its throat. With strong jaws her teeth pierced the skin, severing the artery. Her mouth filled with blood and it was all over. The horse collapsed to the ground and she only let go when he released his final breath.
Her teeth slid from its neck and her jaw ached from the bite.
She panted heavily after such a struggle but this horse would provide a satisfying meal for 4 hungry bellies.
"We work well together" Diego said next to her, a smile on his face
"That's because brains work over brawn" she said returning his smile.
"I was trying to compliment you, you maddening female" he said rolling his eyes at her
"Oh" was all she said, feeling a little warmth on her cheeks
"Don't worry, the moments gone" he said chuckling at her "C'mon, I know two very hungry cubs who will appreciate such a fine meal"
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Her cubs ate with gusto that night. They hadn't stopped leaping around when they had seen the two adults dragging the carcass back to them.
Shima always allowed her cubs to eat first and she noticed Diego did the same thing.
Once her cubs were heavy with meat and spark out on the floor asleep, did she and Diego tuck into the meat.
This was the first time they had eaten together, and it represented how much their tolerance for one another was growing. That didn't mean they were completely comfortable with one another, they ate quite a distance apart and he only allowed a few mouthfuls before leaving her to have her fill.
She didn't question him or want to push him into eating with her, instead she appreciated the gesture and knew he would eat his fill after her.
Later on he had indeed eaten after her, she had settled next to her cubs, her belly almost at bursting point. She watched him eat for a while and lay on her side when he got up to settle down himself. He lay a distance away from her and the cubs, but a small smile settled on her lips at the thought of them beginning to trust one another and maybe, beginning to enjoy each other's company.
So there we have it!...I decided this story needs a bit of a jump in order to get the story going, as I have a sequel planned out!
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter….there's a lot of ShimaxDiego bonding, but as you can see it's not been easy going and she does have her moments to turn on him.
I wanted to get across her hesitancy at not wanting to trust Diego…after what happened with Fang she doesn't have a lot of faith in her species. And as we all know Diego is a sweetheart and I think Shima has finally realised this.
I didn't want to make Diego seem out of character with her cubs…but they've had time to bond and seeing him in the movie when Peaches is born it's easy to see how much of a softie he really is when it comes to kids.
So the cubs are growing up, they're eating meat, talking and poor Shima is having to adapt to her growing babies, but this means these cheeky cubs can get up too more trouble and hopefully more of their personality comes through!
Please give this chapter a review and check out my other stories and thanks for being patient. I've also rewritten chapter 1-4 so go check those out. Till next time! 3 x