Chapter 12
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters in Ice Age. They all belong to Twentieth Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios, not to me. I also do not own the Lion King characters, for they are owned by Disney. All lines in bold are either from any of the Ice Age movies, any of the Lion King movies, either Brother Bear movie, or from a song that will be specified at the beginning of the applying chapter.
Manny's P.O.V.
I open my eyes as the morning light enters the cave. A yawn escapes my mouth as I stretch my muscles. As I stretch, I try my hardest not to crush Pinky, who snuggles up to my chest every night. Our human child pops up and starts to climb on my back. Every morning the two of us go out to eat breakfast together. Pinky is now situated on my shoulders, so I head to the entrance of the cave.
"Manny, do you know where Diego is?" Pinky asks once we are in the woods.
"If I had to guess, he's probably hunting for Shira and their cubs," I tell the six-year-old human.
"Do you think he could teach me something when he's done?" he questions.
"I'm sure he could. What do you want his help with?" I reply.
"I'm at the age where human children learn to hunt small animals. I'll be seven in two weeks," Pinky explains to me.
"Is there anything special humans do for seventh birthdays?" I inquire.
Pinky sits on my shoulders in silence for a few seconds before he responds.
"Humans from my tribe generally get their spirit rock when they're seven," he tells me.
"Maybe you should tell Diego when you see him. He understands more human traditions than I do."
"How does he know about human traditions?" Pinky asks.
"He lived near your tribe when he was in a pack," I reveal.
"That's cool. Do you want to see what I made?" Pinky questions.
"Of course I would. What did you make?" I respond.
"I made this!" he yells as he shows me a human object made out of wood.
"What is it?" I inquire, for I haven't seen one of these in a long time.
"It's a crossbow I can hunt with!"
My face flashes into one of fear. I knew that one day Pinky would realize that he needs to hunt.
"Pinky, you have to promise me something," I tell the child.
"What is it, Manny?" he asks.
"You can't hunt mammoths, sloths, possums, molehogs, or sabers," I instruct.
"I promise," Pinky assures.
After eating breakfast, Pinky and I find Diego in the woods. Pinky hops off of my back and runs towards Diego. My orange saber friend stands still, and the herd's human tackles him to the ground.
"That was a nice attack, Pinky. If you were a saber, you would be an awesome fighter," Diego compliments as Pinky brushes the snow off of himself.
That shows you right there how much Diego cares for Pinky. If Sid had been the one to tackle Diego, Sid would have to beg for mercy.
"Diego, can you teach me how to hunt?" Pinky asks in a sweet tone.
Diego's P.O.V.
"Sure, kiddo, I can teach you how to hunt," I honestly tell Pinky.
"Thank you, Diego!" he excitedly shouts.
The two of us head into the woods where I can give Pinky his first lesson. He carries his crossbow under his arm, and I hope I can teach the kid how to shoot it. A herd of gazelle is just past the bushes, so I motion with my paw for Pinky to stop.
"Okay, Pinky, first you need to place an arrow in your bow," I explain.
The human child does just that, and I am proud of him already.
"What do I do next?" he whispers.
"Now, you're going to pull the string back and take your aim," I instruct.
Pinky follows these directions, and he soon has selected a target.
"I have my target, Diego. Do I shoot now?" the child asks.
"Not yet, Pinky. Make sure you are aiming at the prey's vital organ before you let your arrow go," I tell him.
He follows my instructions and lines his arrow up to where I know the gazelle's heart is.
"Let it fly," I softly say to Pinky.
The arrow shoots out of the crossbow and takes the gazelle down.
"I did it!" Pinky cheers with a huge smile on his face.
"Nice work, buddy!" I congratulate.
Pinky hugs me tightly and I return his embrace. He walks over to his kill and starts to drag it along in the snow. The arrow falls out of the dead animal.
"Make sure you get your arrow, Pinky," I tell him.
"I almost forgot!" he exclaims.
As Pinky retrieves his arrow, I begin to take his carcass back to a cave I know of. When Pinky has his arrow, he comes up next to me and grins at his accomplishment. A molehog pops up out of the ground and yells when he sees the dead gazelle.
"Why did you create yet another predator?" he demands.
"What are you talking about?" I question in confusion.
"You've taught that human how to hunt. Now he's going to kill us all!" the molehog panics.
"I'm not going to eat you!" Pinky promises.
"That's what they all say," the molehog says as he disappears into his hole.
This calls for a lesson. After I have Pinky's gazelle in the secret cave I know of, I sit down to teach him something.
"Pinky, I need to teach you something," I tell the child.
"What's wrong, Diego?" he asks.
"You're a great hunter, Pinky, but you need to respect the fact that animals are not unlimited like leaves and berries. Also, you don't want to torture your prey by prolonging the time it takes to kill it," I explain to Pinky by using the lesson my father taught me.
"I'll be respectful, Diego. I promise I won't kill more than my fair share of prey," Pinky assures me.
"Great. I'm glad you understand," I praise.
I know that Pinky is going to become a fantastic hunter.
Zira's P.O.V.
As the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, I start to see the barren landscape of the Outlands. My loyal followers head in the same direction as me. I step over the border that separates the Pride Lands from the Outlands. Upon entering my home, I see three cubs being chased by a male lion. These cubs aren't just any cubs, and that male lion is not just any male lion. The three cubs are my four-week-old cubs, and the male lion is my mate and the cubs' father. The four of them rush towards me, and my cubs tackle me to the ground. I get off of the ground, mostly because I hate most games that cubs play.
"Viper, get your little monsters under control!" I tell my mate.
"My little monsters? Last time I checked, they're yours, too," Viper jokes.
The two of us each take turns disciplining and training the cubs. Today is Viper's turn to deal with the triplets.
"I got you, Mother!" Jasmine, the only female triplet, cheers.
"Jasmine, you know better than to wrestle with your mother," Viper scolds.
"Sorry, Dad," Jasmine apologizes.
"Boys, the same goes for you, too," I tell my sons, Venom and Fang.
"Yes, Mother," the boys say in unison.
Jasmine looks exactly like I do, which is a plus for me. Venom has a golden pelt, which he gets from my side of the family. Fang looks almost exactly like his father, which means he also looks exactly like Kovu. Viper is Kovu's biological father, so now Kovu has three younger siblings.
"I can't wait to see Kovu again. He was two hours old when I saw him last," Viper brings to my attention.
"I know that. Do you think I forgot who the father of Vitani and Kovu is?" I say with more anger than I mean to.
Viper is Vitani and Kovu's biological father, which Scar was aware of when the twins were born. Vitani, on the other hand, thinks she is Scar's daughter.
"Fang, you need to train today," Viper suddenly tells our youngest son.
"But, Dad," my youngest cub complains.
"No complaining, Fang!" I yell at him.
Fang shrinks down, flattening himself against the ground. As future king, he needs to learn how to fight properly. Jasmine and Venom always beat their brother in any mock fights they have. My son needs to get in shape, or he'll end up being rejected as an heir, just like Nuka.
"Let's go, Fang!" Viper commands our son.
He follows his father, head hanging low and ears drooping. That leaves Venom and Jasmine to me.
"Come on, you two! Show me your best fighting!" I roar.
Jasmine and Venom happily oblige, and soon the two are fighting, trying their hardest to beat the other.
"Watch your back, Simba," I cruelly whisper.
Author's Note: And there's Chapter 12! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter; please leave a review with what you thought. I'll try to update soon whenever I have the chance now that the school work is starting to pile up. Until the next chapter, my amazing readers!
