Hello everyone!
Thank you for reading this far! If you are reading this at roughly the Jan/Feb 2012 point, then I apologise for the sudden drop in quality that will meet you in the next chapter; this story's earlier chapters are currently being rewritten to match the level the later chapters reached. To those who have read it before, don't worry! The plot isn't changing, just the writing style, and a few tweaks to make it consistent! Because of the way the continuity changes slightly in the rewrites, I need to write the rest up to chapter 16 before I can upload them, but keep an eye out for them! They will get published at the same time as the epilogue to the story :)
Anyways, without further ado...
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Manny felt numb as he listened to Diego and Frank speaking. Save the gentle crackle of the fire, nothing else seemed to make a sound as the two spoke. He glanced up at the cliffs and starry night above, a part of him noting how beautifully peaceful it was.
Yet, inside, he was in turmoil.
Paying attention to the story they told, full of human betraying human, long forgotten vengeances and the newly enslaved powers behind it, he could only think of two things;
We're on the run, again, he thought, letting out a sigh as he did so. And Peaches is in danger.
He scanned the crowd around the fire, spotting every member of his herd, the humans, Keira and various other important people from the valley. The look on everyone's faces said it all; no matter where he looked, he saw tiredness, confusion,
and fear.
"...after that the human, Terry, said Soto ordered them to hunt us down," Diego said as Manny returned his attention to him. "And the only good news we have is that we have a head start; we're outnumbered, and they now also have firesti- ah, I mean, rifles. We gotta run."
"How long do we have?" Keira asked plaintively.
Frank leant forward.
"We have till noon," He said. "If we're going to have a chance, we need to be as far away from here by then as we can be."
"The herd and the village should go separately."
Every set of eyes falling upon him made Manny realise he just said that. Remaining still for a moment, he collected his thoughts, trying to figure out why they should separate.
"Why should we do that, Manny?" Keira said softly.
"Because they aren't coming after the village," Manny replied. "They're after us. So we split up; the eleven of us they're actually after," He gestured towards both the humans and the herd. "Will head north, the village will head east as far as the Wildernesse Plains before heading north."
"North to where?" Ellie asked.
"Glacier Pass." Manny stated.
Half the crowd gasped; the humans and Buck's blank stares conveyed their confusion, whilst Keira merely stared at the sky, smiling approvingly.
He felt Ellie's stare fall upon him. Meeting her eyes, he saw the full force of her shock.
"Tell me you're kidding." She said.
"Name one place between here and Glacier Pass where sabres wouldn't go," He replied defensively, padding the ground with his foot to drive home his point. "A place where we would definitely be safe from them. Name one."
Ellie pursed her lips, remaining silent. Buck, attention turned briefly to his knife, shrugged slightly.
"Wot's Glacier Pass?" He quizzed. "An' why is everyone 'aving a fit cos of it?
"It's a ravine," Keira replied. "Roughly three months travel north from here. It is also deep in a region where human hunters have been growing more and more active over the last few years. Soto would be a fool to follow us there, because we'd be fools for going there," Her lips curled into a smile. "Brilliant."
"Three months?" Frank remarked incredulously as several others whispered 'human hunters?' fearfully. "Isn't there anywhere nearer?"
Diego shook his head,
"The Meltdown Valley, maybe," He said quietly. "But Soto wouldn't stop hunting us there. Manny's right; the Pass is our best shot."
"Why can't we fight them?" Ben asked. "We beat them once, we can do it again!"
"We didn't beat them; we surprised them," Frank replied. "And this time there will be more of them...and Terry. Believe me; you don't want to be on the wrong side of Terry."
"Who is this Terry?" Ellie said, perplexed. "You mentioned him, but not actually told us anything about him."
Even in the dim light of the fire, Manny could see the human's expression darken. His heart sank slightly, realising after a while the look he sported;
He feels betrayed.
"Terry," Frank began, virtually spitting out of the name. "Is my...sister's husba- mate. He's someone that, if it comes to a fight, you want him on your side, because he the best fighters I know. Unfortunately for us, Soto has my sister hostage, and so this brute of a man is now coming after us."
"That's not really fair to say-" Claire said softly.
"The man left you and Ben to die," Frank snapped back. "So forgive me if I think it is."
As the humans talked, Manny shot a significant glance at Ellie, who shot one back; they both knew what they were hearing was hyperbole.
At least I hope it is, he thought.
Even so, the mood around the campfire became brooding and fretful. Suddenly, no one - either vocally or on their faces - seemed to contest going to Glacier Pass. Hyperbole or not, Manny was thankful; the story made his job all the easier.
"Way to brighten the mood, buddy," He remarked aloud. "So, I'm thinking we run and avoid the bloodthirsty brute. Anyone wanna disagree?" Silence greeted him. "Anyone? Anyone at all?...good. Then it's settled. Tomorrow we make for Glacier Pass."
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The sun rose over the cliffs, casting the dawn's light on the trails of animals flooding out of the forests and glades. Manny - the only herd member awake - looked on silently, watching the scenes below him unfold, knowing full well he was seeing the village fleeing their valley. He pictured the faces, the names, the annoying little quirks of the villagers who had become his neighbours over the years, imagining what they would be doing as they travelled out into the unknown...
Gone, he thought. All gone now.
He could hear the noises of the migration, even from his little hillock beside the cliffs. Slowly, as he listened, the village grew quieter and quieter, until there was no noise to be heard.
Before the sun had even managed to break away from the cliffs, the valley was engulfed in silence. Manny fought back the tears he sensed wanting to well in his eyes; it was only then, after the valley had upped and left, that he realised that what the decision of the night before entailed them.
Are we ever going to see them again? He asked himself. He scanned his surroundings, suddenly wishing he didn't have to leave. Are we even going to see this place again?
"I know that look."
His head snapped around, surprised to find Keira standing beside him. His gaze flickered between the antelope and the disappearing dots on the horizon.
"Ah...shouldn't you be with the village?" He quizzed. "It's kinda Fleeing-for-your-life Day, in case you haven't notice-"
"That look is the look of a person whose heart longs for nothing more than a home," She continued, as if unaware that Manny had spoken. "But who has had to leave too many places, said goodbye to too many people, buried too many loved ones,"
She looked up at him. His snapped his head away, unable to stand up to her intense, piercing stare. All of a sudden, he felt naked; as if every defence he had set up inside to hide his feelings crumbled.
He never enjoyed the experience whenever that gaze fell on him; the only person who had ever made him feel utterly transparent, was Keira.
"Your heart has taken so many hits over the years it no longer thinks you will ever get a home anymore," She said softly. "But we will return, Manny. Soto cannot hunt us forever; one day he will fall, and we shall make this valley full again. This will be a home again."
He smiled slightly, gaze returned once more to the horizon, his mind's eye dwelling on the village.
"I'll hold you to that." He said softly.
Her chuckle filled the air around him. It felt as warm, lively, and genuine to his ears as the sun did on his fur.
"I wouldn't expect you to do otherwise," She replied, smiling. "But in the meantime, take care of yourself, the herd, and the humans."
He cocked his head at her in surprise.
"The humans?" He repeated. "They look like they can take care of themselves!"
"Looks can be deceiving," She said. "And the truth is they know nothing of this place; they do not know the dangers, threats and opportunities of the world out there," She made a gesture, encompassing the entire horizon. "But you, do. Take care of them, Manny. There may come a day when they will take care of you."
He let out a long, drawn out sigh.
"Alright! Fine," He murmured. "I will."
"Good," She said, surveying the valley as she did so. For one, brief moment, Manny saw sorrow in her eyes.
"Right, well, I should get going now," She stated airily, trotting down the hill as she did so. "I promised the villagers I would be quick."
"Aren't antelope supposed to be fast?" He called out to her just as she jumped the stream at the bottom.
"Will test that for you, and let you know my answer at Glacier Pass!" She called back. "Fare well, Manny!"
Manny stood in his spot, scanning the plains beyond for Keira. Even as the cave behind him slowly awoke, he remained still. Eventually, he saw one solitary antelope emerge from the forests, making its way towards the valley's exit, blurring into a mere dot on the horizon. He smiled, feeling his eyes well up.
"So long, Keira," He murmured. "May Breda guide your ways, till our paths cross again."
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Breakfast felt muted to Manny, even if nothing outwardly seemed different. Their little camp felt bustling, but even the knowledge that the entire valley was empty except for his herd left him oddly disheartened. Trying to shake the thoughts out of his mind, he focussed on what happened around him. He watched as Diego quietly left to go hunting, Claire emerging to chat with Ellie, and the possums...
He sat up, watching Crash and Eddie intently, recognising their mischievous smiles even from a distant. Piece by piece, he realised what they were up to. By standards that were quick for mammoths, he was on his feet.
"Crash! Eddie!" He said loudly. "Wait!"
The possums paused, guilty expressions etched onto their faces.
"Morning bro!" Crash called out, smiling nervously.
Moving forward quickly, Manny took a seat at the lip of the hill.
"Continue." He said, making a permissive gesture with his trunk. Looking on, he watched with satisfaction as a loudly snoring Sid, fast asleep on his bedding of bark, slid down the hill, rushing towards the stream.
"Whe-what's going onaaaaaaahhhhhhGRAAAAAAAAH!"
Manny smiled, taking in a deep breath as the screams from a suddenly awake Sid filled the valley.
"Ah, morning," He said wistfully. "One time of the day where listening to Sid is a pleasure."
"YOU STUPID, SMELLY, DUMBRAAAAAH! WHYISITSOCOLD!"
He couldn't help but grin.
"Can't beat it," He murmured. Peering over the lip of the hill, he burst into laughter at the sodden, miserably flopping apparition beside the stream.
"Morning Sid!" He called out airily, hiding none of his amusement. "Sleep well?"
"I'M GLAD YOU FIND IT FUNNY MANNY!" Sid screeched. "JUST YOU WAIT! I'M GONNA-"
"Oh, sure," Manny replied. "I'm sure you're going to do terrible things to me as payback. Don't forget to torture the possums too! Let me know how that goes!"
He turned, moving towards the fire, leaving the sloth to his own devices.
"...M-manny? MANNY! Wait up!"
"What?" He asked. Before he could turn, he felt his trunk being yanked away. "What the...?"
Stunned, he merely watched as Sid dried himself, using his trunk. It felt disgusting, uncomfortable, worthy of being sat on...
Audacious, he noted. He surprised even himself with the faint trace of admiration the thought possessed.
Finished, Sid casually let his trunk drop to the floor.
"Thanks Manny!" He called back. "Feel so much better now!"
He stood there, staring at his trunk with distaste.
"Manny!" Ellie shouted. "I'm going to get breakfast. Wanna join me?"
"In a minute!" He replied as he made his way slowly down the hill. "Just got a powerful urge to wash my trunk. In the stream. Repeatedly. Till there's no fur left."
He waited until he was out of earshot before he began grumbling. He didn't want to leave, didn't want anything they faced to happen. All he wanted was for things to remain the same.
"And, with all of that, I now have become Sid's towel," He muttered. "Great. Just great."
"Hey, Manny?" Ellie called out. "Do you know where Frank is?"
"No, why?"
"He's not here!"
He glanced up at Ellie, now at the top of the hill, eyes full of bewilderment.
"I didn't see him leave," He replied. "And I've been up for a while!"
"So where is he?" She quizzed.
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Alone in the glade, hillock and stream in view, Frank could do nothing but stare at the wreckages before him. Slowly, pre-dawn's light revealed the sheer devastation of the crash. He closed his eyes, struck by how unlikely anyone could have survived such an incident, let alone survive it relatively intact; he was thankful that both had happened. Yet all he could really think about was Terry, and his decisions on that very spot.
I had no choice! Terry's voice rang out in his mind, as if in protest. It was either leaving them to die or having all of us eaten!
He tried to picture the scene; sabres on the hill, the crash having just happened, the chaos and confusion of it all. The fear...
What would you have done, Frank? He asked himself; he heard it in Terry's voice. Wouldn't you have done the same if it meant most of us survived? What if it was Charlie and Nigel in that truck, and not Ben and Claire?
He didn't know how to answer his own question. Deep down he knew he didn't want to; he knew the answer already.
"And I nearly shot him for doing what I would have done." He murmured aloud.
To his surprise, as he scanned his surroundings again, the sun was in the sky;
and higher in the sky than he would have liked.
Grumbling under his breath, he jumped the stream and got to work. Slowly, methodically, he yanked out anything out of the wreckage they could use; radios, rations, weapons...
"Morning."
He jumped, narrowly missing a sharpened point of tangled metal. Glancing out of the wreckage, he could make out Diego's paws beside the truck, his body occluded by what little remained of a door.
"Morning," He replied mutedly. "How are you today?"
"Fine," Diego said. "You missed breakfast, Frank."
"Didn't feel hungry." He replied tersely, once more rummaging for useable supplies.
"You didn't sleep last night either," Diego added. "And managed to get away before Manny - who also didn't sleep last night - said goodbye to the villagers...how long have you been here, Frank?"
Frank let out a grunt,
"Sorry mother!" He said, his pitch as high as he could make it. "I was just so excited about Christmas I just couldn't sleep!"
"What?" Diego remarked, utterly nonplussed.
"Never mind, dear!" Frank replied sarcastically. "By all means, keep talking. It's not as if I'm doing much at the moment; just trying to find supplies, weapons and whatnot that will keep us from dying, but sure - let's talk about my sleeping habits!"
The ground rumbled methodically, before suddenly coming to a stop. Even though he had only been around them for just over a day, he still recognised the movement; a quick glance outside confirmed it for him when he saw the feet of a mammoth.
"Wonderful," He grunted. "Now I have a mammoth and a sabre, here to helpfully distract me. Just bloody brilliant, that."
"Oh great," Manny huffed. "A hungry, cranky, sleep deprived human and Sid on this trip! This day gets better by the minute."
"What part of 'busy' do none of you understand?" He called out, trying hard as he could to keep working.
"The part where sabres come and eat us if we don't leave now."
Claire's voice froze him in his work. Edging out of the truck slowly, he found himself faced by the whole herd. Glancing up at the sky, he grimaced.
"How long have I been here?" He asked aloud, more to himself than anyone else.
"Have a guess, genius," Manny said plainly, gesturing towards the sky. "Playtimes' over, kid; we have to go. Now."
"Or," He replied insinuatingly. "You can help me get out anything useful from this wreckage quickly, and then we can immediately run for our lives."
"Anything useful," Manny said, his eyes settling on the truck. The mammoth's features creased, struggling to find a mix between annoyance and bemusement as he studied the mangled truck. "From there?"
"Yes, from there!" Frank retorted in exasperation. Ducking back inside, he threw out several items. "Such as walkie talkies, rations, blankets. Things we will find useful!"
He looked out, staring at the mammoth. Manny's gaze flickered between the truck, the ground and the sun above, eyes deep in thought. Slowly, but surely, his eyes fell onto Peaches, standing beside her mother, bright eyes staring into his. He let out a long, drawn out sigh,
"All right, fine," He murmured. "But let's make this quick."
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The thing felt cumbersome on his trunk. Ever since Frank strapped it on, Manny could do little else but stare at it with a look of utter blankness, mystified as to what it could be.
"What's this weird black...rocky...thing?" He mumbled.
"It's a radio," Frank said hurriedly. "All right, we're all set! How about we run for our lives?"
Manny didn't reply, attention still fixed on the 'radio'. He looked up, noting the same absent expression on Diego, Buck and Ellie, all of them newly equipped with the things.
"What are they for?" He asked slowly.
"We use them to communicate over long distances," Frank said. "Up to two or three miles if needs be. Or a hundred feet of solid rock."
The mammoth stared at the thing on his trunk in surprise.
"Right..." He murmured. "And how does a rock do that?"
"Because it's not a rock," Frank said quietly. He jerked backwards unknowingly; shocked that he heard the human's voice coming from the thing on his trunk rather than the human. "It's a piece of technology."
Manny instantly disliked it. It seemed too outlandish, too surreal for his liking. The possums and Peaches, however, stared at the radios in awe.
"Dude," Crash exclaimed. "That's...awesome."
Frank made a dismissive gesture.
"Yes, yes, I'm sure it's incredible and so on," He said quickly. "Now haven't we got to go? We have got several dozen hungry sabres after us."
Frank glanced quickly up at the sky. Following the human's gaze, Manny winced; the sun was directly above them.
It's noon, he thought with dread.
"We need to go," Manny agreed. "Now."
Without a word, everyone began to move, as if suddenly aware of what was truly going on. With every step, Manny thought of the valley they were leaving, how empty it truly would be now.
It sent a shiver up his spine; of all the places he had been over the years, the valley was the closest thing he had had to a home in a long time. It hurt him to think of it as utterly empty, more so to think of it as being abandoned to Soto.
Against every instinct, every fibre of his being, he felt himself slow to a stop. He knew he wanted one last glance of the valley, just in case.
In case Keira was wrong, in case we are wrong, in case we don't make it...
He forced his mind into silence, suppressing all the fears that had already been assailing him for a day.
The valley appeared glorious to him in the golden sunlight of day. He could see the forests, the glades, the lakes and pools of water, the cliffs above the herd's cave...
What the? He thought in shock.
He stared at the figure on the cliffs; although it was too distant for him to see it's features, he could tell what it was from its' shape;
Human.
Manny knew it had to be the human Frank had told him about; it had to be 'Terry'.
He wished the human was nearer; he wanted something to beat into tiny little pieces, something on which he could unleash his anger at the situation. But, just as much, he was grateful the human was so far away. Awkwardly, he curled his trunk around the device strapped to it, pressing it close to his mouth.
"Guys," He said slowly. "I can see human on the cliffs; could be Terry. Looks like we've got loads of time."
He paused for a moment, wondering whether he had even used the radio correctly. Suddenly, it flared to life, Frank's voice filling the air.
"Roger that Manny, nice to hear a bit of good news for once! Now hurry up! We're waiting for you. Frank, over and out."
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Terry looked on - eyes fixed on the distant set of dots he knew were Frank, Ben, Claire and their new allies - with longing. He rued their freedom, even if they were having to flee.
Flee from me, he added, heart sinking further.
"It looks like they took the bait."
Terry recognised the voice and responded accordingly; he didn't move, nor even show any recognition of Soto's presence; he felt no need to show the sabre any respect. Not after what he had forced him to agree to.
"Seems like, boss," Terry grumbled. "Just so I know, why do you want me to hunt them?"
Soto came alongside him, eyes likewise focussed on the herd in the distance, watching as they vanished from view.
"I want them to know fear," He said calmly. "To spend what little is left of their pathetic lives paying the price for what they did to me."
"And then I swoop in, steal their kid, and bring it back for you to eat," Terry finished, curling his lips in disgust. "With all the respect you're due, boss, you're an asshole."
Soto's lips curled into a cruel smile, annoying Terry even more; not even insults could curb his enthusiasm for his schemes.
"Maybe I am, human," He replied. "But I suggest you push me no further, or I shall prove it. Your mate will be a good enough example."
"Go to hell boss," Terry spat. He had to stop himself; anger wouldn't save Sam. As much as he hated to admit it, only obeying orders would save her.
For now, he thought acridly. He wasn't stupid; he knew Soto had no intention of letting them go, ever.
At least not alive.
"Sorry, boss," He said, tone conveying no apology whatsoever. "When does my team set out after them?"
"You leave at dusk," Soto replied coolly. "And you have one month to achieve your mission, or I shall eat your mate as compensation."
It took all of his will not to rise to the bait. He finally turned to stare at Soto, knowing that nothing would make him happier than to smash in his smug face. He took several deep breaths, pushing down everything he was feeling.
"Aye aye, sir," He mumbled. "I won't fail."
Soto shot him a cruel smile,
"You had better not," He said. "For your sake."
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End of Chapter 11
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What did you think? Well...button below this, letting me know...hopefully you know the drill by now :P
Till chapter 12,
Adieu!