Xion the Author: Hmmm… am I focusing the story on Ryan a lot lately? Nah! Am I…?
Ryan: Uhhh… a bit… I guess…
Xion the Author: Oh well! Time to go on with story! Time to end thy cliffhanging. I suddenly wanted to get this story updated till the quick, ever since I got another idea for another story.
Manny: We could all say it's not entirely about me.
Xion the Author: Think again… so anyways, my freakishly large chapter making doesn't end, and I estimate that there'll probably three or four more chapters to go. Chapter summary, let's see, lots of things happen like Diana revealing who's the father. There, now go read the entire thing. XD.
Chapter XV: The Decisions We Make
The human found footprints. Paw prints leading into the forest, and mammoth prints leading out of the human territory. They were more interested in the fat juicy mammoth, but going out of Glacier Pass was too risky.
A human boy concluded the tracks. He headed off into the forest, following the wolf and saber prints.
"Ryan?" said Nia. "Ryan, are you okay?"
His mind was blank. "Was that real?" he thought. "Did her father push me himself? Is it the reason why I forgot everything?"
He tried to calm down, and collect his memory. And thus, a flashback occurs.
"Nia?" Ryan said. "Are you okay?" He found her to be troubled. She was in deep thought for a long time now.
"What? Oh, its nothing." She replied, utterly wasn't listening to him. "She really was thinking hard", Ryan thought
Nia sighed. "What's wrong?" said Ryan.
"Ryan… It's just…" Nia couldn't speak her mind well, so she paused a bit, and then continued. "Part of me wants to stay here, with my father, and part of me wants to be with you. I'm so confused… Ryan…" she was about to cry when Ryan hugged her.
"It's gonna be okay…" Ryan said. "I promise"
"'Ere it is…" Buck said. "The Chasm of Death."
"Wow…" uttered Barret. "It's so… chasmic."
"So how do cross the place?" asked Sid.
"Easy", replied Buck. "Ya see this contraption 'ere?" he said pointing to a wheel like structure.
"This thing rolls these ropes-" he said as he turned the wheel around. "Pulling this here" he said pointing at an odd bone structure particularly from a dinosaur, something similar to what they used before, only smaller. "You mammals will ride here while someone pulls the wheel."
Everyone thought it was simple enough, but Barret interrupted. "But what will happen to the person turning the wheel? Does he get left behind?" When Barret said that, everyone looked at each other. They didn't want anyone to get left behind.
"No, of course not." replied Buck plainly. Everyone stared at him. "How then?", they thought. "There's another wheel at the other side, so the first person can pull the last one in."
Everyone felt relieved. No one was getting left behind at all. "All right then." said Barret. "I'll go first."
"So that's why you wanted to leave so badly…" said Diego.
"Yes…I wanted to leave this place. I wanted to get a fresh start, with the kids." said Diana.
Diego still kept wondering that question. Although it might hurt Diana, making her remember, he needed to know the answer.
"Who's the father?" asked Diego.
Diana felt like not answering. They paused in talking for a bit. Diego felt like he should never had asked that question, but as soon as he tried to say something, Diana finally answered.
"His name… is Oscar."
.Ryan waited for Nia at River Cliff. He sat there alone for a while. It was the day he decided to take Nia and that they'd run away together.
A strange noise came in from the bushes. Ryan stood up. He looked into the shadows in the forest
"Nia?" Ryan called out. "Nia, there's something I want to-"
He stopped talking when the shadow came into the moonlight and revealed itself.
"Wait." Ryan said. "W-Who are you?"
The wolf he was talking to had angry eyes, but had a calm yet scary posture. "My name is Garic. And who might you be?"
"My name is Ryan." he said.
"Aahh… I was beginning to wonder why my daughter insists on coming here all the time, so I came up here myself."
Ryan felt this person was dangerous. He felt it was best for him to leave now.
"I think I should-"
"You're not going anywhere." interrupted Garic. He started walking towards Ryan, with his teeth taunting him. Ryan quickly took a step the right and went higher up the mountain. Garic followed him. Ryan was swiftly moving in the rocky path, but Garic was too quick. He blocked Ryan path right in front of him. Ryan took a leap sidewards, but again Garic tried to block his way.
Ryan finally tried to fight his way out, but his opponent was too strong, Garic overpowered him and Ryan fell down to mountains, and caught right unto the edge of River Cliff. He was panting hard.
"You just had to know my daughter, did you?" said Garic as he walked to edge. Ryan was doing his best to hold on to the cliff. His two front paws were hanging him in the balance. "Maybe it's best-" said Garic as he stepped on Ryan's left paw. "If you never knew her" he continued, squeezing it until Ryan let go. He squealed in pain. His right paw was the last thing holding him.
"Goodbye, Ryan" Ryan's last hanging paw scratched down to the edge, and he finally fell downwards.
Barret climbed on the vessel. "Try not to breathe the air this time. It's not the laughing kind." Barret found it to be quite obvious it being green and all. He just didn't know the last time Crash and Eddie were in the Chasm of Death.
Barret held on as Buck rolled the wheel. Barret held his breath as he was propelled slowly into the heart of the Chasm. There, he seemed to have disappeared from sight.
"Barret!" shouted Eddie. "Are you okay?!"
At first there was a long pause, then followed by a huge thud. "I'm okay!" shouted Barret back, finally reaching the other side.
"Good!" shouted Buck. "Peaches, boys, you lads are up next. Big mammoth, you're up afterwards. Now pile on!" He instructed.
"Buck!" shouted Barret. "What do I do here?!"
"When I say go, we roll the wheels together!" Tha' way we get things movin' faster!" Buck shouted at the top of his voice. Everyone was closing their ears, even Barret as it echoed all over the chasm.
"All right!" Buck said. Peaches, Sid, Crash, and Eddie were now on board. "GO!"
Buck and Barret rolled it as hard as they could, but it was hard, as the load was a bit heavy. Peaches, Sid, Crash and Eddie were holding their breath as hard as they could. The twins were just about to lose their breath when a large thud occurred, and they landed and breathed in fresh air as soon as possible.
"Air! Air!" the twins were exclaiming. Sid too was gasping for air after getting launched into the ground. Peaches was all right and didn't really struggle. Her large lungs had enough air to keep her comfortable without breathing.
"Alright big mammoth, your turn." Buck said. Ellie rolled her eyes, and got on the vessel. Some ropes got loose, and then there were creaking sounds.
"Don't panic!" said Buck. "Just a few technical difficulties, but i' should be all right."
As soon as he said that, the noises stopped. "Get ready!" Buck shouted. Barret held on to the wheel, and Ellie held her breath. "GO!"
They were again turning the wheel as hard as they could. Creaking sounds started to happen again. The vessel was moving slowly, and Ellie was trying hard not to breathe in the poisonous gas.
Halfway there, and Ellie showed signs of struggling. She started panicking, and her breathe was getting short by the second. Barret was pulling the wheel as hard as he could. The twins started pulling the wheel as well. A large yet satisfying thud finally occurred, and Ellie got out as quick as she could.
"All right!" shouted Barret as he turned the wheel the other way, returning the vessel back. "Your turn bro!"
"'Kay!" said Buck. He hopped on the vessel as soon as it reached him. "Start pulling now!"
Barret once more pulled the wheel with all his might. But this time, there was something wrong. The creaking sounds started again, and were immediately replaced with rope-snapping sounds. Not good. It couldn't take a mammoth ride. Buck was still in the chasm riding on the vessel holding his breath. He couldn't instruct them what to do. Barret just kept on pulling, hoping the mechanism won't break.
But to his demise, a large cracking sound occurred. Ropes were suddenly snapping, and they all heard a loud crashing sound.
"Buck!" they all shouted.
"Buck! Buck!!" kept shouting Barret. Was Buck all right? Is he ever gonna see him again?
"Bu-" as soon as he tried to shout his name again, Buck appeared, swinging on a rope, letting go of it, and landed on the ground without difficulty whatsoever.
"Stop shoutin' already!" said Buck. "Yer gonna wake up the dead."
"Buck!" said his adoring little fans. Crash and Eddie were at his feet, hugging him. Everyone was relieved, especially Barret.
"Well… that was close." Sid said.
"We thought you were a goner." said Ellie. Although she knew that he was that crazy unkillable weasel they all know, he wasn't technically immortal.
"Well, you know me." said Buck. "Now, come on. Let's stop wasting time and head off. The real danger is yet to come…" When Buck said this, everyone shivered. What exactly were they in for next? Just what was there in Silhouette Tunnel?
Ryan couldn't believe it. Her... father?
"Ryan?"
He finally glanced up. He was looking at the girl whose father had nearly ended his life. He couldn't face her. He could barely look at her now.
"Did you know…?"
"What do you mean?" asked Nia.
"Your father, tried to kill me!" said Ryan in anger.
"What?" said Nia. She didn't really know anything. "What are you talking about?"
"The last time we were supposed to meet… your father showed up… and pushed me off the cliff." said Ryan.
Nia was in disbelief. She tried to approach him."Ryan-"
"Stay away from me!" exclaimed Ryan. He ran past her as fast he could. Nia wanted to follow, but what could she possibly do? What she couldn't believe at all was what her father tried to do…
Diana and Diego were following the wolf's tracks. They came upon Ryan running towards them. "Hey, Ry-" Diego tried to greet him, but he simply brushed them off and kept running. "Ryan! Hey! Where are you going?!"
"Something's wrong…" Diana caught Nia at the corner of her eye. "Nia, right? " asked Diana.
"Yes…" Nia couldn't answer very well.
"Diana." said Diego. "You stay with her, I'll go after him."
"Tell me what happened" said Diana. As Diego ran after Ryan, Nia explained everything to Diana, wondering what happened.
"One really is the loneliest number…" said Manny to himself as he stood and looked at his reflection in the water. He wondered how Sid and Diego felt after all this time. Sure, they had each other, but had they ever thought about looking for a mate? Manny thought for a while. "Diego might have a chance if he found another saber, but Sid probably doesn't have any chance at all."
He stood there talking to himself. Gladly, no one was there watching him. "When was the last time you ever did anything with your friends?" he said pointing at his reflection. He looked towards the village where Ellie and the others could be waiting, but then looked back at Glacier Pass.
"Peaches… can wait…" Manny said to himself, and ran off back towards Glacier Pass. It was a tough decision, but Manny felt like he had to do it.
Ryan came upon a large tree. It had a large hole on the ground below it, there Ryan snuck in and found himself in complete nostalgia. This was where his step-father took care of him. He saw himself before with his step-father.
"Careful now. Don't hurt yourself" chuckled his step-father as he played with him.
There Ryan sulked. He sat on the cold ground, and covered his eyes with his paws, deliberately confused at what to do. He was thinking hard about what to do
"Hey." a familiar voice came in. It was Diego.
"How did you get here." asked Ryan.
"Your tracks are everywhere, you know." he replied. Ryan grinned. Even if he remembered everything, he was still oblivious. His step-father told him to keep his tracks clear to prevent anyone harming him, especially the humans.
"Diego…" said Ryan. "I don't know what to do…"
"Just exactly what happened?"
Ryan explained everything to Diego. Bit by bit, Diego started to understand. "So that's why you left in such a hurry."
"Diego…" said Ryan. "What should I do? Any advice?"
Diego thought for a bit, and then came up with the right advice. "Do you still love her?"
"What?"
"I said, do you still love her."
Ryan thought for a while. Did he? After all the crazy things that had happened, he realized that he still did. He got up from feeling down, and stood on his four feet. His determination was flowing back to him.
"Now go get her."
"Thanks." replied Ryan.
"Don't mention it. Oh, and she's probably with Diana right now."
Ryan sprang up to his paws and went straight outside. Diego followed out as well, but as he got outside, Ryan was no longer in sight. Diego tried tracking him, but somehow couldn't.
"That wolf…" Ryan had covered his tracks.
"I'm going to confront my father." said Nia.
"Are you completely sure about that?" asked Diana.
This was no time to be weak. Nia nodded. She had to do it. She ran off to her village, while Diana went back to find Diego.
"Ryan!" shouted Diana. She saw Ryan running up towards her.
"Where's Nia?" asked Ryan.
"Nia went to her village. She said she's going to confront her father." answered Diana
"Oh no" Ryan said as he quickly sprinted to another direction. Diana looked at him as he ran away. Somehow, she saw that he's changed.
After a while, Diego came following after. Diego was running towards her as well.
"Die- *gasp* watch out!" A net coiled Diego instantly.
"Argh!" shouted Diego.
"Diego! Wait there, I'll help you." But suddenly a band of humans appeared near Diego, holding spears against him.
"Diana, don't!" shouted Diego. "Go get help! Look for Manny!"
Diana quickly ran away. Although she was in no position of running, her brother's life was depending on it.
"'ere it is lads…." said Buck. "Silhouette Tunnel"
"Just what is it in here that's so scary?" asked Crash nonchalantly.
"Many come in 'ere, but don't come out. It's 'cause ya usually see your greatest fears here. There's some sort of gas there that when you breathe it, you hallucinate."
"And?" asked Eddie, as if there's a catch.
"When you hallucinate, you go around in circles, never coming out. I once almost lost my life 'ere."
This scared most of them here. If Buck almost died here, there's no telling what could happen to them.
Xion the Author: Grrr! Manny is getting the spotlight again! Unfortunately, I don't want him to get back to the village to see no one there, and I want him to be at the ending too, so I guess he'll still be a star .
Manny: I am overjoyed (sarcastically)
Xion the Author: * . * So anyways, we're probably nearing the end. But as long as we're not there yet, I don't care. XD. Hmmm… debit13 appears to have disappeared… I wonder why… probably too busy writing his own story! ^ . ^
Sid: Good thing you'll keep updating even though he's doesn't review!
Xion the Author: Of course! I am, after all, nearing the end of my story.
Diego: OK... back to me being caught... why? I thought you were going to focus on me now.
Xion the Author:I'm focusing more on you. . Besides, I had to, the finale needs you to be in human custody!