Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original Ice Age characters. They belong to Twentieth Century Fox. 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.
Chapter 21
Diego's P.O.V.
Shira loves the cave! I'm excited that she loves it, if you can't tell. My mate continues to explore the ocean-side cave.
"This is perfect, Diego. There's room for the whole herd!"
"The whole herd's not living here, Shira. It's just going to be you, me, and the cubs," I remind.
"I know that. I was using that as a comparison. This cave's huge, making it perfect to raise the cubs in."
"Let's go back to the others for the rest of the baby shower," I suggest.
Shira and I walk back to the others for some more activities.
"Next is present time!" Crash and Eddie yell.
Peaches comes over with her present first.
"What is that supposed to be?" Granny rudely asks.
I look at the present in detail. There are several pieces of tree bark held together with vines. Once they connect, they form a rectangle.
"This is a great playpen, Peaches. Thank you!" Shira and I say in unison.
"I'm glad you like it, Uncle Diego!"
Granny and Sid come forward with their gift. It is the most bizarre thing I have ever seen.
It is a combination of shells, branches, and tiny pebbles.
"Not to be rude, but what is it?" Shira inquires.
"It's a rattle to entertain them with," Sid responds.
"The young people of today," Granny mutters.
Buck brings forward several carved figures. There is a mother and father saber with their six cubs.
"I'm not sure how many cubs you'll welcome into this world, so I can always make more, or you can toss any extras."
"Buck, these are great! Thank you for them," I tell my weasel friend.
Manny comes up to us with his gift next. It is one of the most heart-felt presents I have ever seen. Manny's present is an ice mobile that ha all of us on it with extra space between Shira and me.
"The empty space is for when the cub come. I'll add them when I know how many cubs you have."
"Manny, this is great. You're going to make a great uncle for our kids," I grin.
"Uncle? I'm going to be an uncle?"
"Yes, you are. You're going to be their full-time uncle."
"Uncle Manny has a nice ring to it," he beams.
"It sure does," Shira smiles.
"What else did you expect? You're my brother, of course you would be their uncle," I point out.
"Thanks, Diego. This is a huge honor for me," Manny begins to tear up as he speaks.
"Nothing more needs to be said about it," I persuade.
"How can I show everyone I'm strong and sensitive?"
I playfully punch Manny in the shoulder.
"Well, I'm going back to the cave. The cubs have made me tired," Shira yawns.
I notice that the sun has set, and the sky is now filled with stars. I follow Shira back to the cave, and flop down beside her. You can see the stars from inside the cave, and it brings peace to our new home.
"Today was a lot of fun. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did," Shira drowsily says.
"I'm sure they did," I reply.
I sit there for a minute, looking at the stars and how they reflect off the ocean.
"Shira, do you want to start a family tradition?" I whisper.
"Sure, Diego. What would it be?"
"Let's roar at the moon every night before we go to sleep. If we ever get separated, we'll always have the moon to remind us of one another," I explain.
"That sounds great. We should continue that once the cubs are born," Shira suggests.
I open my mighty jaws and begin to roar with all of my might. Shira joins in, and soon the trees near the cave begin to shake. We continue our roar for about five minutes before calling it a night.