Of course Shira doesn't let the two younger conspecifics so easily go. She followed them even if she wanted to go back to talk about what happened with Diego and the others. Although these tigresses ran very fast, still it wasn't a big problem for her to keep up. No one would easily manage it to get rid if her. Perhaps her roommate if he would try really hard.

But that didn't matter now. When she arrived by this pack she was aware of why it was difficult for her to find Peaches. Unfortunately, she arrived too late to prevent the spined one from doing something dumb. I should have been clear to her previously that the boy would look for his friend despite a disagreement. She couldn't stop him from anything but when he ran away from here again she knew that this leader was hasn't good things for him. The tigress don't want to let the mammoth alone but she doesn't have much of a choice and so she ran after Louis. She quickly caught up with him and now he sat on her back.

"It would be better if I ..." The molehog wanted to suggest to run by himself. Then he felt a little uncomfortable but Shira shook her head.

"So we are faster by the others."

"Well, you're right and thank you that you were nearby." Said the little one because he was really glad that she helped him to escape. But he was ashamed then without the support of other animals he was simply helpless. Alone he could just cowardly dig himself in the earth. In the next time he probably could only come out at night. But to get to know other animals in the dark was difficult.

In addition, he had become so accustomed to Peaches adventurousness. He had to admit that it would be pretty boring for a while without her around.

But that's all beside the point. Now it was important to free her as soon as possible. Yes he said they should see each other no longer in the near future, it doesn't meant that he wouldn't help her when she was in danger. Even if she would never want see him again, it doesn't changed nothing on this fact. They had been through so much together. It doesn't matter whether he felt more for her now. Friends are just there for each other in difficult situations.

"Hey?" Shira could smell that they were close to their friends now and so she wanted to get the little one's attention. But this was so deep in thoughts that he doesn't notice her. Therefore she just kept silence because she doesn't really know what to say to cheer him up. The situation was more than difficult for the little one. The tigress could empathize with his concerns. Finally, she was almost exactly the same. She doesn't want to say to Diego that there should be an exchange. It was clear to her that he wouldn't refuse it. The mammoth girl was too important than he would risk anything. To bring herself from any bad thoughts she ran a little faster.

"Hey, there are the sloths!" Noticed Lorene when the two larger animals appeared abruptly behind her. Yolanda supported Sid a little because his side hurts a bit.

"What happened to you?" Ellie wanted to know and inspected the injured paw.

"Oh, that. Yes Shira's new friends like it a little rough." Stated Sid and woke Diego's interest with that sentence. This continued to an eye out for his roommate all the time. He slowly was really worried where she remained all the time.

"What do you mean?" The undertone in the sloths sentence doesn't go past him.

"Only that she has made friends with the other saber-toothed tigers."

"I still believe that she just wanted to help us." The bright sloth came in between. Just as the saber-toothed tiger wanted to reply something to that a scream stopped him.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Eddie what's wrong?" Ellie then wanted to know because that just went into any animals ear

that was around.

"And this was very high for a male opossum." Manny wanted to tease him but everyone ignored his comment. The rodent looked horrified behind him. Then the skunk mother got it why the striped was so in panic. Her daughter was gone again.

"He got a stick on his tail. What's so shocking on that?" Sid wanted to know and looked questioningly at the others.

"The shocking thing is that Ruby was in the same place a while ago." Lorene was desperate and angry at the same. Why was it so much fun for her child to run away? Searchingly she looked around in the group

"You should have noticed it! Why.." But as the skunk looked in the direction of Eddie again this was suddenly gone too.

"Is he running after her? "Ellie got slowly confused now. Running after him was useless. This would only bring the others in danger.

"You stay here!" And put her trunk on Lorenes shoulder. This was on the verge to also run off.

"I can't leave her alone out there!" She slapped the trunk aside but then Crash stopped her.

"We can't just leave without a plan. But we also can't wait longer for Shira."

"He's right." Diego sighed and all discussed some details of how to proceed from now on. The remaining possum kept his love all the time by the tail. With crossed paws Lorene stood there and waited. Actually she could overpower him easily but it was true what he uttered. Without a plan she wouldn't get very far. It could take forever until she has searched everywhere to Ruby. She doesn't even know where her little girl wanted go. Maybe she was bored and so she slipped away. Or worse, she wanted to search for Louis.

"Grandma you should go into the cave with Yolanda. What happened later is only for real men." Ellie and Diego threw on a certain look at each other because they knew what was coming now.

"Tell no nonsense. I can still can spank big cats with a stick. You are never too old for that fun." And the younger sloth got a taste of it at same time.

"Did you have to do it in front of her?" He whispered to his grandmother and both looked to Yolanda.

"Of Course. She must learn how to do that." Grinned the old lady.

The oldest mammoth held the whole discussion for a waste of time. It wasn't important whether if a possum or a skunk wasn't here. Finally, they ran continuously back and forth.

"Peaches and Louis are definitely alright. They are both old enough to take care of themselves." Manfred then turned around to Diego and this knew his sentence was a mistake. "You can have a say in it when you have children yourself." The saber tooth was actually glad that Shira wasn't present. The theme made him in fact a little uncomfortable in front of her. Finally, they hadn't the chance to talk about something like that.

"Hey! I'm also .." But he doesn't continued his sentence then suddenly a heavily breathing tigress with a molehog on her back showed up.

"They have Peaches!" Reported Louis and immediately jumped down from Shira. She needed a short break. Of course the male saber tooth was immediately by her side to check if she was injured.

"WHAT ?!"Manny stomped angry closer to the prickly guy and lifted him up so that he was on his eye level.

"Who has her? Tell me already what happened!"

"He would but you almost crushing him!" Ellie scolded and her husband now and punched him in the side so he let Louis go again.

"Here drink something." Said the mammoth mother and handed him a leaf with water. She then gave some water to Shira and this was really thirsty.

"Thank you." The molehog quickly drank all the liquid before told everything.

"This saber-toothed tigers kidnaped Peaches. They want her to be free again but Diego has to go to them."

"How about I go to them and tell them a few things they should learn?!" The mammoth father was almost beside himself with rage. First they frighten his wife and now they demand such a barter deal. Slowly he thought this saber-toothed tigers really want to get to know his unpleasant side.

"No!" The little one dug himself fast up as he could before the largest animal to stop it. This wasn't perhaps very smart and he had still is afraid of Peaches father but if they make a mistake now then something might happen to his friend. The thought made him brave enough to stay against the oldest mammoth.

"They will smell if we just go there and then they do something to her. The wind up there is very unfavorable for us."

"Unfortunately, he is right. The only chance is if you really are going alone up there." Proposed the silver-haired tigress. Shira still doesn't want that Diego should do that but also nothing better came to her mind now.

"Where have you been all this time?"

"I had tried to find Peaches but soon I realized that she was caught and I had no chance alone. That's why I came back with him." It was still difficult for her to show weakness.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Interrupted Yolanda the whole thing.

"She's right. You helped us when we were attacked and I'm sorry that your spectacle let me thinking that you were going to the other side." Sid added a little ashamed.

"In addition, you also have prevented that I was eaten. We will save Peaches and everything would be alright again." So the mole hedgehog patted and encouragingly her side to show they will be fine. He kept telling himself in his head over and over again that it has to be like that.

"I should immediately go." Diego doesn't wanted to waste any more time.

"Wait!" Exclaimed Louis. Then in fact he has something like a plan. Furthermore he trusted this stranger wit no piece. Finally, a saber-toothed tiger wanted to kill him on the way here already. His luck was the enemy didn't catch that he could dig through the earth and that Shira has found him.

"I have an idea but I don't know if it would really work."

"Spit it out!" Commanded Manny gruffly and got another one from his wife. He knew when the day ended, he couldn't sleep on this site.

"Ok. Please tell us." He said then something more polite. So all listened to the idea and followed the whole thing quickly.

"It takes far too long. It looks like you apparently aren't important enough in your 'herd'." The leader was at going back and forth on her place. From her position she has a good look at every animal who wanted to come near to the mountain.

"What do you know of it? Two of your people were buried under the earth and yet you don't seem like as if you would grieve." The mammoth was aware that her voice sounded awful but slowly it doesn't matter to her anymore whether the others here noticed that she was sad.

"Oh, are you really crying about your little friend? If it comforts you. He tasted good." Explained the tigress who has allegedly eaten Louis to annoy the larger animal. She even showed gleefully how she licked the red-colored fur. Peaches eyes couldn't give a single tear anymore as long as she sat in the corner and cried. But something else was bubbling inside her and tried slowly to break out.

"His little button eyes have practically begged.." But the saber came with her sentence not to an end than the mammoth had enough and got into a rage. The grief was suddenly replaced by pure anger and thus she grabbed the cat and threw it to the side. How could she know that Louis was alive and their counterparts lied all the time because of the leader. If the pain of her friend wouldn't have made her so deaf to everything then she maybe has noticed that it was only berry juice in the fur of her opponent. When she had thrown this tigress against a rock and this lay lifeless on the ground now it came to her mind that she wasn't better at this moment. Peaches has never seriously hurt anyone before. In her view, the whole thing wouldn't happened if she has spoken sensibly with Louis. Then maybe he would be still alive. The blame that was now on her let her body shiver and it took all the power that raged in her only a few moments ago.

The oldest saber was literally relieved. She doesn't know why the mammoth sat back on the ground now but she was glad for it. As aggressive as it just acted it nobody might have hold it back. It couldn't be that this animal regretted the attack yet. She should be just happy that it was quiet again and so she turned her eyes back into the distance to wait for the male tiger.

Finally she was able to locate something but as it got closer it was only the missing member of her pack. She sighed because apparently she has regarded these male saber-toothed wrong.

Who would exchange his life with an animal that was below in the food chain? At least they were able to eat plenty tonight.

"They were on the place you've described to me." Enraged the leader rolled her eyes on that. She wondered if the others couldn't do anything right.

"What does it mean? Mammoths don' run far away in such a short time. You must have taken the wrong way."

"But I .." The other tigress tried to explain it but it was no use.

"But nothing! Be glad if you even get some of the meat from behind there today and now get out of my sight!" First the other wanted to say something but then she lowered her head and walked away. It was no use to say something against the eldest of them.

In meantime a certain skunk wasn't far away from the this pack. Somehow she just doesn't feel as brave as at the beginning of her tour. It was getting darker and even if it wasn't a problem for her, she slowly got goosebumps. She hasn't thought to ask whether saber-toothed tigers are immune to her attacks. But now it was no more time for that.

Moreover, she has no idea where these big cats were and also with each further step all looked the same to her. Did she have been here before or occurred the forest just bigger to her because she was alone?

Suddenly she heard something rustling. She told herself it was only the wind and ran on. But the sound wasn't going away after a while and she just doesn't know where it came from.

"May I ask you what are you doing here?"

"Ahhhhh! Don't eat me. There is nothing under fur." Wailed the skunk and squeezed her eyes shut tight. But when nothing happened she blinked careful and she realized that before her wasn't a voracious saber tooth.

"Scream even louder around then you will surely get eaten." Explained Eddie a little annoyed because he doesn't think that Ruby could run so fast. He has namely discovers the girl a while ago but she abruptly began to run and he could barely keep up.

"What are you doing here?" She angry wanted to know now. The possum couldn't simply fallow her on the bailout. Afterwards everyone would say that she couldn't have done it alone. She doesn't want that to happen.

"Oh, I like walking around alone at night." Replied the possum and the skunk was confused now.

"Really?"

"Of course not. I followed you because .." She couldn't understand the rest because he was going quieter.

"What did you say?" So she asked after some time.

"Not so important. Why are you just running off alone? These animals aren't like Diego and Shira. They don't care how little you are and make no exception. They just eat you. How did you actually know where this pack is?" Ruby seemed to him as she doesn't knew what he said, so he took some leaves aside. Now she could look up a small slope and see one of the saber-toothed tigers.

"Hey, there they are. So how do we go on from now ? I'll tell you right away I will afterwards say that I have done it alone." Eddie beat his paw in his face when he realized what he had done wrong now.

"You didn't know that the cats where around?" She shook her head on that.

"It doesn't matter. You don't going to do anything anyway." With that he grabbed her paw to pull her away from here. Finally, it was too dangerous for the skunk to play here.

"Hey what are you doing?" She complained and wanted to break free from the hold.

"We are going back together to the others." But the girl doesn't want to and also she doesn't think Eddie would act as the other adults.

"Let me go! I need help Louis."

"You want to do it by ending as snack for the sabers?"

"But what else should I do that he noticed me?" She had no more power and so she let herself fall to the ground. The other sighed and looked down at her.

"Don't you think you'd overdone it with that action a little? For your age.." But she felt insulted and babbled in his sentence.

"Yes I know. I'm too young and too small. I'm not hearing it the first time."

"And that is why you should start with small things." Surprised, she looked up at him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well it isn't necessarily to save your 'hero' from saber tooth tigers just because he should notice you. You don't even know whether he is really up there. Do you think that he is impressed when you bring your life nonsensical in danger?" She looked ashamed away again because it didn't come to her mind before.

"I do not think so."

"Come on, get up and we will find something to impress Louis." He doesn't believe that they both would really find something for the molehog but it might distract the girl a little from such dangerous things.