Hello again everyone! I'm updating this ASAP, and I've managed to post this early because I started it after I finished my Thailand Itinary for Geography, and as I was in a celebratory mood I decided to try to update this! :D BTW, I don't own any of the songs used in this, except for the verse of "We Are", which I did actually make up. Not the chorus, the verse. Got that? Kk. :)
Taz: I belong to scoobs5601 and I'm from her fanfic Inside A Red Notebook!
Me: Which, if I do say so myself, is absolute epicness! Anyway, hope you enjoy! :) Oh, and a special shout-out to aqualina111, for the 100th review of this story!
That night, the herd gathered together around a burning campfire lit by Sid. The campfire party organized by Peaches, Meghan and Louis had been postponed because of the sudden increase of herd members, but had been reschedueled for later in the week. That aside, they were still having a campfire, partly because Shira wanted to welcome the pirates to the herd, and partly because Diego inforced everything Shira said now that she was back at last.
Raz and the other pirates had been somewhat hesitant at first, but all their little sister had to do was give them the big, puppy-dog eyes and they melted, instantly agreeing. Taz, on the other hand, was more than willing to be a part of the campfire, even volunteering to tell a scary story or two to frighten the herd a bit. Shira had also insisted that Rhianne and Herbert stay for the campfire too, which, after being cleared with their parents, was fast-approved after Manny and Ellie found out what Shira, the teens and the wolf cubs had done to Ethan and the other mammoths.
"Hey Diego, Shira," Sid greeted the two sabres as they padded into the clearing, side-by-side.
"Hey Sid," they called in unison. Mikayla, who had long since returned, was residing by the fire, warming her paws and pulling faces at the silver tigress whom she hated so much. Just you wait, Kitty, she thought, Just you-OW! She roared in pain as she put her paws too close to the fire and accidentally put one into the flame. Shira almost failed to hide her smirk, but covered it up before anyone - besides Mikayla - noticed. She glared at Shira, but quickly averted her gaze when Diego looked in her direction, so as to avoid being caught. Shira and Diego lay down beside the fire together, cuddling and purring.
Raz hurried over and placed Kendall, Hope, Ranger, Lightning, Jade, Casper and Tina down beside their mother, whom they began to nurse from eagerly. Shira winced in pain, but thanked Raz for babysitting. Diego nibbled her ear gently, relaxing her, which made Mikayla beyond mad. She wanted Diego to be nibbling her ear, to be giving her the attention he gave Shira! She wanted him those to be her cubs, for him to love her, not that sabre with the weirdly-coloured fur and the short canines! In Mikayla's opinion, Shira barely even qualified as a sabre! And she hadn't shown any fighting skills, Diego could easily dunk her underwater, as he had proved that afternoon.
"Hi everyone!" Peaches came in with a smile on her face, and Louis, Taz and Meghan by her side. Normally she would've been carrying Louis - and probably Taz, too - but he had tunnelled over, and Taz had followed him using the same tunnel, for a change in transport.
"Hey Peach-WOAH!" exclaimed Shira, as Buck landed on her head.
"Hey tiger, heard you had cubs and just had to see 'em for myself!" Buck patted her on the head "Welcome home."
She rolled her eyes. "Thanks, now get off my head."
"Alright," he replied with a smile, hopping down from her head and petting the cubs, before running over to join the possums.
"Y'know, he's really awesome, but he's really-" Shira was cut-off by Diego kissing her on the lips. Giggling, she pulled away, but only after a few seconds.
"What?" inquired Diego, trying to kiss her again but being pushed away yet again.
"Jeez Softie, how many times are you going to kiss me today?" taunted Shira, before licking him on the cheek.
"Hey!" Diego said, sounding like a sulking little kid "I haven't seen you in months, I've gotta make up for lost time!"
Shira laughed and rolled her eyes again. "Okay, okay, point taken. Now come here, Softie."
"Stop calling me Softie," mumbled Diego, as Shira pulled him in for another kiss.
"As soon as you stop calling me Kitty," muttered Shira, after they pulled apart. Diego pretended to think it over, before shaking his head and cuddling her close to his chest.
"Nah, no deal. You're my little Kitty, and I guess that means I'm your Softie."
"You read my mind," sighed Shira, cuddling into his chest. Diego raised an eyebrow.
"Sleepy already, are we?" he asked, playing with her ears again.
"No, just comfy. And annoyed, so get off my ears!" Shira started batting at Diego with her paws, but he still continued to mess with her ears, knowing that was one of her pet-hates. "Seriously, off!" protested Shira, trying to pry Diego's paws off her ears. Diego held on, now purposely gripping her ears to irritate her further. She growled at him, but he knew she was kidding around, as she still remained against his chest. If she was really mad, she'd have pulled away from him completely.
"Aw, don't be mad at me, Kitty," Diego fake-whined, before pressing his lips against her cheek. She began to giggle, snuggling into his fur some more.
"Couldn't stay mad at ya if I tried, Softie," she admitted, licking his neck. Their sweet moment was interrupted by Sid's greeting.
"Manny, Ellie, there ya are!"
Diego waved to his old friend Manny and his mate, before returning his attention to his own mate, who was still cuddled against his chest, while he held her protectively. Their cubs lay against Shira's stomach, now tired and weary, as was Shira, but she intended to stay up until the end of the campfire. This doesn't mean she wasn't drifting into sleep every now and then, though.
Now that everyone had arrived, the campfire officially began. They had a general talk, Taz told a couple of scary stories (Crash and Eddie insisted they weren't scared, but, as Taz rightly pointed out, this didn't stop them jumping at every little sound and sitting very close to Ellie for the rest of the night, much to Manny's displeasure, as he couldn't be affectionate to his mate the way Diego was to Shira), and it ended with a traditional karaoke session, as usual, but they didn't sing "We Are" as they assumed the pirates wouldn't know it (actually they did, as Shira had taught them the lyrics, but she didn't point that out).
Instead, they took turns singing any random songs, while putting in suggestions for the group song at the end. Peaches went first, singing a song she made up on the spot, so she would have had no music, but she sang it to the tune of "We Are", just with different lyrics, except for the chorus, which she kept the same because "Something so good can't be changed". It was only short though, because eventually she ran out of ideas because she was slightly nervous singing in front of the pirates.
Peaches cleared her throat and began:
"We are, we are, Not your ordinary fam-mily, but we can all agree that, We are, we are, Close as close can be!
So it don't matter what it looks like it looks perfect to me, We got every kind of love, I feel so lucky indeed! They can keep on talking, it don't matter to me, coz, We are, we are, Family!
Sometimes, when I'm down, I need help from my family, Because I know I can trust you! And after all these years, you can all still surprise me! And tonight, we're all as a group, All of us, and now the pirates too! Plus the cubs and Taz, of course! I hope it'll stay like this!
Coz we are, we are, Family!
When she was finished, everyone applauded, proud that someone in their herd was so talented as to come up with something like that right off the bat. Next up was Ellie, who sang a song she'd learned when she was about Peaches' age entitled "I love being here with you," but no-one else in the herd knew it so she only sang a few verses, and she had no music.
She linked her trunk with Manny's, ignoring her brothers' comments, before she began to sing:
"I love the East, I love the West
And North and South, they're both the best
But I only want go there as a guest
'Cause I love being here with you
I love the sea, I love the shore
I love the rocks and what is more
With you there, they'd never be a bore
'Cause I love being here with you
Singing in the shower, laughing by the hour
Life is such a breezy game
Love all kinds of weather, long as we're together
I love to hear you say my name
I love good wine and fine cuisine
And candle light, I like the scene
But baby if you know what I mean
I love being here with you
I love being here with you
I love, I just love, I love being here with you!"
The herd applauded again, pleased with Ellie's singing talents. But while the others were praising her, Crash and Eddie had more important matters on their hands, well... paws.
"What's a shower?" asked Crash.
"And wine?" added Eddie.
"And 'fine cuisine'?"
"And-"
"I didn't write the song, boys!" sighed Ellie, exasperated "I don't know what all the lyrics mean! Aunt Peggie taught me it, you remember her, right?"
The two possums nodded, now understanding. Shira giggled at the twins' antics, until Diego realised that she hadn't sung yet.
"Hey Shira," he gently leaned away from her, so he could look into her eyes "You wanna sing?"
"No way!" She shook her head. The herd then began to plead Shira to sing, as they hadn't heard for so long, and they figured she might sing something the pirates would know too, so they could join in.
"Aw, c'mon Shira!" Taz tried to persuade her "Ya know ya want to!"
Suddenly, Shira had an idea. "Okay, but if I have to sing, you have to as well, Taz!"
After some egging on from the rest of the herd, and the pirates, Taz agreed to do a song after Shira had sung whatever she would sing. Shira had some trouble deciding what to sing, so she asked the others for suggestions. They all began to shout out random songs, but a lot of them she didn't know, or felt they were inappropriate. Randomly, one of the cubs yawned loudly. This gave Raz an idea.
"Hey Sheila, ya could sing ya lullaby. Ya know, the one ya used ta sing ta me when we were lil'? Tha' migh' put the cubs ta sleep," Raz explained her idea.
Shira's eyes lit up. "Raz, that's a great idea!"
"Lullaby?" asked Diego, raising one eyebrow. Shira blushed.
"Yeah, my Mom used to sing me a lullaby every night before... you know..."
Diego hugged her close, knowing what had happened to her mother (Gah, another reference to a past story! That one was Dreams, BTW). But the fact that Shira was singing a lullaby to the cubs meant that Taz sung first, so as not to wake them up.
"Okay so, this is a song I learned a while back that I've just always liked. I guess I've always thought it was kinda cool..." she shrugged.
Taz grinned at her audience, Louis in particular, and began:
"Each morning I get up I die a little
Can barely stand on my feet
Take a look in the mirror and cry
Lord what you're doing to me
I have to spend all my years in believing you
But I just can't get no relief Lord
Somebody (somebody) ooh somebody (somebody)
Can anybody find me somebody to love?
I work hard everyday of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end I take home my hard earned pay all on my own
I get down (down) on my knees (knees)
And I start to pray 'Til the tears run down from my eyes
Lord somebody (somebody) ooh somebody (please)
Can anybody find me somebody to love?
Every day - I try and I try and I try -
But everybody wants to put me down
They say I'm goin' crazy
They say I got a lot of water in my brain
Got no common sense
I got nobody left to believe
Yeah - yeah yeah yeah
Ooh
Somebody to love
Find me somebody to love..."
When she was done, everyone praised her, especially a certain molehog. In fact, when they were all settling down for Shira's song, he even slipped his arm awkwardly around Taz's shoulders, using the old fake-yawn move. Peaches and Meghan grinned at each-other.
"Aww, that's so sweet!" cooed Peaches quietly "That's the oldest trick in the book, but it's sweet!"
"I know!" agreed Meghan in a whisper "I gotta admit Peach, you were right about this one! They're adorable together!"
Shira smiled upon noticing Louis and Taz, pleased that the molehog seemed to have moved on from his crush on Peaches. Shira had nothing against it, she was just happy that now he had a chance at a proper relationship. Not that it was really at that stage yet, but hey, you never know. Smiling, she relaxed into Diego's chest again, enjoying her beloved's embrace, before she sang:
"Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes
And when you awake, the sun will rise.
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.
Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
A cloak of leaves, A moonbeam ray, Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.
Here is the place where I love you."
By this time the cubs - both sabre and wolf! - were long asleep, as were Crash, Eddie, Sid and Gupta, who was used to falling asleep to the sound of his younger sister singing the familiar lullaby. Diego gently nuzzled Shira.
"You sing a beautiful lullaby, Kitty," he murmured into her silver fur.
"Don't call me Kitty," she tried to sound scary, but it was hard as she was so sleepy, and her relaxing position against Diego's chest meant she was even more tired.
"Okay everyone I think that'll do for tonight, clearly some of us need to go to bed," Manny gestured towards the already sleeping herd memebers, and Shira who was almost asleep. Everyone who was still awake nodded, and headed to their caves. Several people helped Diego and Shira with the cubs, as it was impossible for two sabres to carry seven cubs on their own. Rhianne and Herbert were to sleep with Taz in the pirates' cave, as they had known her for years and felt most comfortable around her. This had been arranged before they fell asleep.
After all the sabre cubs were settled with their father on the big, mossy rock that Shira had missed so much, she padded outside to see if her siblings were enjoying the new home. She was pleasantly surprised to see them all bedding down for the night, Taz lying half-asleep on Rhianne's back as, "Leaves are uncomfortable!"with Herbert cuddled beside them, Raz composing a make-shift bed for Gupta, while Squint (who had the most medical experience) bandaged his snoozing brother's leg as painlessly as possible, Silas arranging various twigs and other items into a temporary nest to sleep in (for he was far too tired to make anything permanent at the moment), Boris just slumbering on the cave floor, and Flynn happily flopping down at the back of the cave.
"Hey guys," whispered Shira softly, so as not to disturb the sleeping wolf cubs "How you likin' the new cave?"
"Oh it's great!" exclaimed Flynn joyfully, only to be shushed by his siblings and Taz.
"Don't wake the kids!" the little possum yell/whispered, while sweeping her fringe out of her eyes, before relaxing again into Rhianne's soft, white fur. Shira chuckled softly.
"Well, I'll see you guys in the morning then, right?"
Squint smiled. "Definitely!" he stated, to which the others nodded.
"Great, goodnight guys!" she waved goodbye, and they all waved back, except Boris, who'd entered the land of dreams shortly after Shira's arrival, and Gupta, who'd been sound asleep since the lullaby.
Diego was waiting for her outside. She rolled her eyes, but kissed him on the cheek, whispering a "I'm just gonna check if the teens are awake, go wait with the cubs," in his ear. He nodded, and walked silently back to their cave. Shira was very surprised to hear arguing coming from the mammoth cave, and was hesitant to enter in case she was walking in on something.
"-but I won't have anywhere else to sleep!" was the first thing Shira properly heard, and it sounded like Mikayla.
"Well you haven't been sleeping in that cave for the past three months, in fact, you haven't even slept here for most of that time! Why do you suddenly need to go in Diego's cave now?" demanded Manny. Shira tensed, but resisted the urge to pounce and kill. For now, at least.
"I just get so, so lonely!" whined Mikayla, probably trying to make herself seem young and vunerable. Manny clearly didn't buy it.
"But don't you think Diego's gonna want some alone time with his mate and kids? I mean, he hasn't seen Shira for months, and today was the first time he's ever seen his seven children," Manny made some valid points.
"Am I interrupting something?" asked Shira, in that I-was-so-not-eavesdropping-just-then voice. Manny shook his head.
"No, what do you want?" he asked, before Ellie thumped him with her trunk "Sorry, I mean-"
"Nah, it's cool. I grew up on a pirate ship, manners don't mean anything to me," Shira assured him. She could've sworn she heard Mikayla mutter something like "Clearly!" but she ignored it and continued "I was just gonna say goodnight to the kids if they're still awake."
"Yeah, we are," came Peaches' voice. She was lying on the floor beside Meghan, both girls still with the flowers in their hair, with Louis lying in a small hole in the ground near her (Louis and Meghan had cleared it with their parents after the prank). Ellie was hanging upside down (her flower still woven into her hair), beside her sleeping brothers, both of whom had leaves stoppering their ears so they couldn't hear the arguement, courtesy of Buck, who was lounging nearby.
"Night Shira," said Louis quietly, which set off various mutterings of similar things that filled the cave. She grinned.
"Night you guys," she replied, before heading out of the cave and returning to her own much-missed one. Diego greeted her with an affectionate nuzzle and a lick on the forehead. She laughed softly, before returning the gestures and lying beside him. The cubs snuggled into her stomach, and Diego lay down against her back, creating a warm and loving place for Shira to sleep.
"So, how'd things go with the kids?" asked Diego, after a moment of complete bliss.
"Pretty good, but Manny and Mikayla were arguing," Shira filled him in "Something about her wanting to sleep in here..."
Diego didn't say anything, he just tightened his grip on Shira and pulled her further into his chest protectively, clearly against anything that could come between him and his silver sabre. Shira giggled, allowing Diego to cuddle and cradle her as much as he wanted. The cubs were well protected against any danger, as their father had no intention to sleep that night, only lay there, watch for danger, and observe his mate and cubs as they slept.
"Y'know Shira, it feels good to be back on this rock," sighed Diego dreamily, but Shira was confused.
"What do you mean?" she asked, unable to look at him because of the position they were in, but it was clear by the tone of her voice that she would if she could.
"I was too... I dunno, sad? Guilty? Worried? I'm not sure, but I couldn't sleep on this rock without you beside me. It just felt... wrong," he confessed, kissing her on the head. Her eyes widened. Diego refused to sleep in his bed without her? She couldn't get past how much he had missed her all those months, he'd been torn apart without her around.
"Diego, c'mon. I'm not that spe-"
"Yes, you are," he interrupted "You're mine, Kitty! And no-one is ever gonna take you away from me ever again!"
Shira sighed. "Goodnight Diego. I love you," she smirked before adding "Softie."
"Love you too," Diego licked her cheek "Kitty."
Shira didn't even bother protesting, she just snuggled into his fur and allowed herself to fall asleep. Diego smiled and watched her for a while, until eventually he too began to feel fatigue from the extremely long and eventful day. Just before he fell asleep, he saw Shira's ear flick in annoyance, which helped him realise the cubs were awake and nursing. Waiting patiently until all seven cubs were asleep again, Diego played happily with Shira's black ears. Once the last child fell back asleep, Diego rested his head on Shira's and allowed himself to doze off, unaware of the prying eyes outside.
Mikayla stood at the entrance of the cave, glaring. She just had to get rid of that Shira, and she knew just how to do it...
So... what didja think? Honesty's the best policy remember! At least, in this case it is. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this, because knowing me I'll take forever to update this after my roll slows down. And yes, I consider three chapters in under seven days a 'roll'. So, what do you think Mikayla's plan is? Are the pirates gonna stay forever? Is Gupta's leg ever gonna heal? Are Louis and Taz gonna become an item?
BTW, just so you know, it's been the same day since Chapter 10, the day just started dead early and it's just ended in this chap. Did you understand that?
So, back to my point, thanks for reading and please review :)
Oh, and one more thing. Y'know Rhianne? Well, one of my friends has been going through a really tough time in her life, she's just recently lost one of her closest family members and the funeral's this week, so I dedicated a character to her, even though we aren't that close anymore and she doesn't read this anyway, I just feel better for doing so.