Hello, everyone!
I'm really sorry I kept you waiting, but the good news is that Ninxi and I finished to write the story, so I'll publish the next and final chapter very soon. Enjoy! :D
Once Milly, Diego, and Sid exited the cavern, it began to snow.
Milly snuggled Pinky closer to her. "Hope this doesn't turn into a blizzard."
"Me too." Sid commented.
Sid looked at the canyon walls and spotted a painting of a bear ahead. Sid rushed to it and a stone below the drawing caught his eye. To Sid, it looked just like a plain rock, but it seemed to be the same color as the painting. Could it be the tools they used to make these masterpieces? Sid had always wanted to try replicating it.
"Humans must not only use berries for their drawings." Sid told Milly and Diego.
Milly stopped to see what the bear was doing. "Right. What else do you think they use?"
"Rocks?" Sid questioned as he tried to scoop the stone into one of his paws.
Sid growled a whimper when he looked up at the picture once more. He didn't like that the humans had painted the bear with unrealistic sharp teeth, claws, and a mean expression. Sid rubbed the rock over the bear's face and smiled at the result, continuing on. Milly and Diego exchanged confused glances, but when Sid pulled away to uncover his creation, Milly and Diego snorted into laughter.
"What?" Sid whined, accidentally dropping the strange rock.
The bear picture now had messy and goofy grin, the claws were more furry, and there were two strange looking creatures on his back that were meant to be Pinky and Scrat.
"You're missing something important about you." Milly sighed in amusement.
"Yeah." Diego agreed. "It needs to be more round."
Diego approached, grabbing the rock between his teeth drew a sloppy circle around the bear's stomach. Milly and Diego laughed, but Sid snorted in displease.
"At least make it realistic!" Sid announced, and then snatched the rock from Diego.
He rubbed the rock against the wall vigorously to fill in the circle Diego made, until he yelped in pain from a burn. He had created a spark from the movement and it had lit twigs that were set all around the canyon wall. Milly, Diego, and Sid backed up, clearly startled. Scrat hid himself and Pinky clapped.
"You made... that? How did you make that?" Milly asked.
"Only humans can make that!" Diego snarled.
Sid cautiously sniffed the fire from a distance. "Humans and bears must only have this power!"
"No, you idiot!" Diego hissed, motioning over to Pinky. "Humans have weird paws, that's why they can do it. How do you think they can draw those pictures? I've seen it before since my pack used to... study them."
"Are you saying I have weird paws?" Sid inquired with offense. "I think I might just be the Lord of Flame!"
Milly snorted with a smirk. "Hey, Lord of Flame, your tail is burning."
Sid looked at his tail, to see the end of it was being singed. He yelped as he patting it out. Scrat held on for dear life. Diego clawed Sid's leg, causing the bear to trip and fall over on his tail while the fire on his tail lost oxygen and stopped.
"Oh thank you!" Sid smiled. "I think I'll start calling you Diego."
"I'm Lord Tear Off Your Head!" Diego snarled in reply.
Sid whimpered and backed up, but not before Diego playfully bit his neck fur to knock him over. Once Sid was on the ground, Diego roughed up his head fur. "I'm just kidding, you squirrel-brain."
Scrat hissed at the cat for the comment, but Diego ignored it. Sid and Diego were interrupted by Pinky gently getting up and starting to walk. Milly caught him with her trunk when he almost fell, and he slowly wobbled across the ground. He had a big smile on his face and giggled when he lost his balance. Even Scrat seemed to be watching intently.
"Our cub is growing up so fast, Milly!" Sid beamed.
Milly rolled her eyes. "He's not our cub, Sid."
"Oh, right. I'm more like his big brother, huh?" Sid smiled. "Come to big brother Sid, Pinky!"
Pinky began to approach Sid, but he then noticed something else and went its way. He fell into Diego's paws, causing the startled scimitar to nearly launch himself into attack mode from not expecting the human to come to him.
"Oh, um... good job?" Diego told the baby as Pinky pat his paws. "Good practice."
The baby giggled his way back to Milly, where she wrapped him in her trunk, listening to his silly noises as Sid marched over to Diego and sat beside the confused cat.
"Have you ever had a friend who'd risk her life for you like that?" Sid asked Diego, smiling at Milly.
"No..." Diego sighed. "Milly's a great mammal."
"I think Milly is going to leave after Pinky is returned." Sid shrugged.
"Probably."
"I know you don't like to hear me rant." Sid looked Diego in the eyes sincerely and whined at the thoughts of Sylvia coming to mind. "But, I do regret what happened with Sylvia. She saved my life... but she..." Sid stopped himself, not wanting to finish the sentence and Diego nodded, understanding. Sid sighed and cleared his throat. "What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't waste her friendship. I can't make up for how I treated Sylvia... she wasn't as lucky as Milly. Since you have the chance, you should stay with a true friend like her. Don't you think? Not every mammal risks their life for another."
Scrat nudged Sid with care and Sid looked toward him thankfully. Sid stretched and yawned. "Good night, Diego."
"Night, Sid."
Sid closed his eyes to rest, along with Scrat. Diego wondered if what he was doing was wrong. He hadn't realized he'd been slowly bonding with the mammoth and the bear the whole time. Sid was right, he couldn't betray Milly after what she did. She had risked her life just to save a shifty cat that she barely knew. Did she potential in him? Did she have a plan to betray him too? Or was it more simply... that she was telling the truth about herds looking after each other, and she really did care about him? Diego growled to himself again, as if to scare the thoughts about Milly and Sid away. He was here to get revenge on the human tribe for his pack and his brother. He needed to prove himself and befriending a herd-less mammoth and a desperate bear was certainly not the way to do that.
Diego shouldn't let himself be conflicted about a mammoth's friendship. He'd be disgrace to all the remaining scimitars in the world if he accepted it, yet... he wanted to. She was such a genuinely caring mammal, along with Sid, despite him being greatly annoying. Even if he wasn't on great terms with Sid's squirrel, he saw a powerful loyalty between the pair. The baby also seemed to care about Diego. Diego couldn't help but think of how disappointed his brother would have been for him even having these thoughts. Soto had always been a perfect alpha, not only he was older, but he was sly and clever. He'd would've left his pack in shambles with how emotionally stupid he was being right now. What if-
"We're almost there, friends." Milly announced, interrupting Diego's thinking.
"FRIENDS?" Sid yelped in so much excitement that Diego was sure all the happiness he'd seen and experienced combined wouldn't compare.
Milly's expression looked as if she was regretting the word, but she sighed and smiled gently. "Yeah."
Great. Now Diego felt even worse. She considered him a friend. Friends NEVER betrayed one another, let alone plan ruses to kill them. Sid appeared as if he was going to explode from his happiness, which was amusing.
"It was nice to meet all of you." Milly continued sincerely.
"Of course it was!" Sid shouted with the widest smile.
Diego looked down, unable to meet the cow's gaze. "Yeah... it, uh, really was."
Diego could barely get his thoughts together as the light from the cave mouth grew nearer and nearer. He had only a few seconds to choose. Two paths lay ahead. Betray his friends... no, "travel buddy" mammals, or his brother and his pack. He watched as joy filled the faces of the mammoth, bear, squirrel, and the baby. All unsuspecting of a nearing attack. He couldn't betray them. Milly risked her life, Sid was trying so desperately to be his friend and was cheering him up... but his brother would be so-
"Y'know, it's your last chance to tell Milly you'd like to stay in her herd." Sid whispered into Diego's ear.
"Milly." Diego stated impulsively.
"Hmm?"
Today, this second, was the most stressful moment in Diego's entire life. Even more stressful then his first hunt and his father and brother watching. This was his final choice. No going back.
"I've... I..." Diego struggled.
"Come on, Diego, you can tell her anything." Sid reassured.
"I've been setting you up. I was ordered to follow you and lead you to Half Peak so my pack could attack you." Diego stated swiftly. Diego was breathing quickly and quietly, as if he'd been chasing an antelope herd for weeks on end.
"Heh, you've got a strange sense of humor, Diego." Sid smiled.
"I'm serious." The cat sighed. "I... my brother's pack attacked the human village and I chased the baby's mother to jump. Since Milly and you wouldn't let the baby go, my brother decided I should trick you... our pack was really hungry... needed the food and the revenge on the tribe for killing our members... but-"
"YOU WHAT?" Milly's voice was booming and made Diego's heart beat even faster.
Of course, he couldn't blame her. He would have been angry as well, but he had been hoping she'd be understanding. However, he didn't expect the next part as she shoved him against the side of the cavern with her tusk to his throat. He felt as the tip of her tusk sliced the skin of his throat and pain shot through him.
"YOU PRETENDED TO BE MY FRIEND?" Milly growled.
He hadn't been this terrified for years. The air was leaving him as he struggled adjacent to the wall. He couldn't escape the grasp of the cow, she was way too strong and he was debating on if he had picked the right choice.
"Diego..." The cat briefly heard Sid say.
His vision and hearing were disappearing and he needed Milly to understand. "M...Mil-"
"What?" She stated angrily.
"I... I...I'm on... you...r side..."
Milly released some of pressure but not completely so he could talk a little better. "I... wouldn't... have w...warned you... if I wasn't... on your... side."
Milly realized this and dropped him. Her anger didn't disappear, but she sighed aggressively.
Suddenly, an orange scimitar came into the cavern and looked between the large deep bleeding gash on Diego's neck and and the slightly stained tusk of Milly's. Her tusk had skimmed his throat when she had shoved him into the wall, and she didn't realize how harsh she had been. She shouldn't regret it, right? He'd tricked her and was probably still using her. So why did she feel so bad?
"Are you the leader of your ambush?" Milly snarled to the scimitar that entered the cavern.
"Why, yes." The cat spoke truthfully and with a delighted grin. "I recognize you. You're that mammoth that had two calves, huh?"
"Sorry, Mr. Smarty, but lots of mammoths have two calves." Milly responded bitterly, trying not get emotional over her past again, certainly not in front of a stranger that was likely hoping to hunt her.
"Well, of course." Soto continued, not losing his smile. "But you're unique. You strayed from your herd."
Milly's cold glare turned into an interested glower, but she tried to dismiss her confused thoughts.
"I know you have the baby." Soto spoke gently. "But there are so many things you don't know about it."
"What lies do you need to tell me?" Milly muttered.
Soto smirked at her. "Did you know that its tribe killed your calves?"
Milly hissed. "You don't know that!"
"Oh, but I do. I have only been stalking one human tribe my entire life - the baby's. I followed them and saw those creatures kill your calves. The proof is all there. How would I have know about you if I didn't follow their tribe? Not many mammoths stray from their herd. I think it makes you strong and inspiring. Really, you should join us. Get the revenge you deserve."
Milly's glower turned into a frightened expression but she shook it off and turned it into a harsh glare. "That's his tribe! Not him. He had no control over that."
Sid and Milly shared a glance, and Sid gave a her proud smile.
"That's too bad." Soto sighed but then the delighted grin came to his face. "Team. Show yourselves."
The two rhinos Milly had attacked before approached, looking as bloodthirsty as ever. Two scimitars followed as well who looked concerned, yet hungry.
Diego gasped for air and tried to get himself up. The cut on his neck ached, but he didn't want his brother to go anywhere near Milly or Sid.
"I think you made the wrong choice." Soto remarked. "Plus, you attacked my brother. If you kill him, it would be a waste of the orange scimitar species."
"We're going to kill you!" Carl shouted and approached Milly. Frank trailed behind him.
Soto shrugged. "Carl, Frank. We talked about this."
Carl backed up and sighed while Frank dipped his ears in embarrassment.
Soto neared Milly. "You're strong. You can't tell me you don't want revenge?"
"I said no!" Milly yelled.
Soto chuckled softly. "Your loss."
Soto pounced to hit Milly's neck with his fatal and sharp teeth. Diego jumped up and attacked his brother, clawing him with all his might. Milly was stunned, for the without the cat, she'd probably have a nasty cut on her neck. This act caused the rhinos to run toward Milly, while Keke and Jenny rushed toward Sid. Milly took the baby from Sid and rushed into the nearest rhino to her, smacking him into the rocky, rough wall while trying to keep her balance without dropping Pinky.
This battle made Sid anxious. He couldn't fight. Jenny jumped up and swiped to hit Scrat, but the squirrel tumbled off of Sid's back in time. He couldn't save his friends. He wasn't strong enough. He wasn't good enough. He wasn't prepared enough for their attacks. This was what many animals had told him over the years. He was too scared, so he ran as fast as he could. Scrat scampered after him.
Will Sid go back? Will the herd defeat the pack and the rhinos? Will the baby and his father reunite? Stay tuned to find out! :)
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