Chapter 25
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, The Wild, or from a song that will be specified at the beginning of the applying chapter.
Diego's P.O.V.
"So, do all of you know the rules for while your mother and I go hunting for dinner?" I ask all twelve of my cubs as Shira and I prepare to leave on a hunt.
"Stay inside," Lily and Shadow answer back.
"Yes, what else?" Shira inquires, testing the cubs' memories and listening skills.
"Don't play too rough," Snowflake and Will respond together.
"Or loud," Bolt and Cierra speak up.
"That's right. You don't want to draw other predators into the den while Daddy and I are gone," Shira explains, not wanting our sons and daughters to go from predators to prey.
"There's one more rule. Who remembers it?" I question, looking over all of my cubs to make sure they are all fine before Shira and I leave.
"Oh, I know!" Hunter all but yells, bouncing excitedly on his orange paws.
"Okay, Hunter. What's the final rule, buddy?" I smile while nuzzling heads with my son.
"Look out for one another," my son confidently says, puffing out his chest as he smirks at Diego Junior.
I laugh at my two oldest sons' behavior before lightly cuffing both of them over the head. Junior and Hunter begin to softly growl, getting into their attack positions Shira and I have been teaching them. Shira clears her throat from beside me.
"Diego, I thought we were going hunting," Shira smiles at me, brushing her white fur against my orange pelt.
I feel a soft purr build up in the back of my throat, but I clear it away just as quickly. Turning towards my wife and mate, my green eyes lock onto her icy blue ones before I softly lick her cheek.
"We are, Shira. I'm ready now," I respond, starting to walk towards the cave's entrance.
"Finally," Shira remarks with a light sigh but laughter in her eyes.
"Besides, I was waiting on you, anyway," I smirk before I start running down the boulders that lead to our cave.
My legs pump faster than they do when I'm hunting as I try to escape Shira. It's a fact that Shira is faster than me, as much as I hate to admit it. Therefore, when we have mock chases like this it is crucial that I get a head start. Looking behind me, I see Shira has gained quite a bit of ground as she sprints behind me.
"Diego!" she playfully roars, her legs moving faster than before as she continues gaining on me.
"Catch me if you can, Kitty!" I yell over my shoulder as I leap over a small river.
"Challenge accepted, Softie!" Shira calls back, and I hear the drumming of her paws against the frozen ground getting closer.
Why did I have to challenge her again?
I should have known it would have ended like this. Before long, Shira pounces from behind with her paws outstretched. She jumps over me, pulling my side down to the ground with her paws. I try to escape my mate's grasp, but to no avail. Shira presses her paws harshly against my chest, holding me down in the snow. A smirk crosses her lips as she looks down at me in triumph.
"Haven't you learned your lesson yet, Diego?" Shira inquires.
"What might that be, Shira?" I grin up at her.
"Never challenge me to beat you in a race," she answers in a confident tone. "You won't beat me."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Now, let me up, will ya?" I respond, shaking my head in slight disbelief.
"If I must," Shira dramatically sighs. "Only because we need to hunt for the cubs. If it weren't for them being back at home waiting for dinner, this would so not be over," she laughs, moving off my chest and allowing me to get to my feet.
I stand up, shaking the wet snow off my fur, happy to be up on all fours again. Once I'm up and ready to continue moving, Shira gives my cheek an affectionate lick before nuzzling her head against mine.
"Ready when you are," she tells me, her head resting under my chin and against my chest.
"Let's go then," I smile, picking up the scent of a herd of yak grazing in the field nearby.
I lick my lips at the idea of all that meat Shira and I could get for the cubs and us. A yak carcass would be enough to feed us for a few days at least.
When we get closer to the herd, Shira and I drop onto our stomachs in a hunter's stance. The wind carries the scent of the yak to us and keeps our scents hidden from our prey. They don't even know we're here. It's a perfect opportunity for an ambush.
"So, any ideas?" I whisper as Shira comes to a crouch by my side.
The advantage to having Shira as my mate, other than she makes me complete and gave me cubs, is that she is an adept hunter. Thus, when we hunt together, success is more than twice as likely. That's always a good thing for to adult sabers, but with having twelve dependent cubs in our family, this skill is even more beneficial to my pack's well-being. I still love being able to call my mate and cubs my pack.
"Yaks are fast, right?" Shira brings up, which I admit is a fair point to bring up.
"Right," I answer, earning me a light cuff on the head from Shira.
"That was rhetorical," she says, rolling her eyes in either annoyance or humor; I can't tell. "Anyway, since they are fast, I thought I could chase after it. Since we still don't have a flanker, I guess you can lie in wait as a catcher. I'll drive the yak to you."
"Aye-aye, Captain," I smile at Shira, slowly stalking into the thick grass to wait for her to drive the prey to me.
No sooner than these words leave my mouth does Shira start to crawl towards the yak herd, moving where he scent does not reach our target. Her white fur blends into the snow-filled scenery to any animal that may be on the lookout for a predator, but I can see Shira due to my knowledge of my mate's movements and physical attributes. Meanwhile, I quietly slip into position all while waiting on Shira's signal and making sure I don't alarm the prey or miss my opportunity to strike. Every muscle in my limbs tenses as I prepare to pounce and take down our prey. The cubs will be so proud when we bring home this carcass!
Lily's P.O.V.
Mom and Dad have not been gone from the cave very long before my siblings start their antics. I, as my parents' second oldest cub, feel responsible for all of my brothers and sisters. This being said, I try to restore order in the cave.
"Guys, we're supposed to be quiet," I harshly whisper, remembering what Mom said about other predators.
"Lighten up, Lily," Cierra remarks, her red fur shining brightly in the fading sunlight.
"Yeah. We'll be okay," Will speaks up as he tackles Rose to the ground, which knocks Maya over as well.
Maya growls before pouncing on our brother, wrestling him to the ground with pride in her blue eyes. Even though she's making a lot of noise, I don't stop Maya's attack; our brothers need to be taught a lesson. Snowflake and Bolt, my two quiet and behaved siblings, sit on their haunches staring out the cave entrance. I move to sit beside them, nuzzling Snowflake's head in the process.
"They're being too loud," Bolt whispers, his eyes wide with fear.
"Yep. And I don't think Mommy and Daddy would approve of that," Snowflake remarks, looking behind me towards the back cave wall.
Sighing, I turn to see what my younger sister means by this.
"Oh, no," I groan upon seeing Icicle climbing up the vines that tangle and criss-cross up the cave's side wall. "Icicle, what in the world do you think you're doing?" I ask, using a slightly stern voice.
Oh, great. I'm turning into Mom already. Not that it's a bad thing, because my mother is amazing. However, I seem to have more of my father's fun-loving side than Mom chooses to admit. All of us cubs love to rough-house, pounce, play fight, and whatever other type of mischief Dad may get us into.
"I'm trying to climb to the top," Icicle tells me, continuing to push herself further up the side of the cave.
"Icicle, be careful!" Hunter calls, looking up at our sister with alarm present in his facial expressions.
"Yeah, sis, don't fall off!" Diego Junior yells, moving to stand below where Icicle is climbing.
My oldest brother's green eyes track her every movement and I feel my breath catching in my throat. This must be what Mom and Dad feel like every time they take us out of the den. The twelve of us must keep our parents on their toes; however, they handle raising me, my brothers, and my sisters with what appears to be relative ease.
"Look out!" Icicle shouts as she begins to slip.
"Icicle, no!" Maya, Blizzard, and I all call out.
The three of us and Diego Junior move forward to try and catch our sister. Diego, Blizzard, and Maya break her fall by cushioning the blow with their own bodies. I, meanwhile, catch my sister's scruff in my mouth, trying my hardest to hold her above the ground like Dad and Mom do when one of us is tired or needs to be transported quickly. Gently, I sit Icicle down on her paws and give her a quick once-over. Good. All four of her limbs are there and she has no visible injuries.
"Are you okay?" I ask in concern, nuzzling my sister before giving her a few reassuring licks to the head and face.
Dad and Mom always lick our faces and heads whenever we're scared or just want some attention or affection.
"I'm fine, Lily. Just a bit shaken up," Icicle tells me, her green eyes starting to go back to their normal width and liveliness.
"You've got to be careful, Icicle," Shadow remarks, coming over with Will by his side.
"I know. It's just—I wondered what it was like up there," my sister says, shuffling her paws in an embarrassed way.
"Well, what do we want to do now?" Blizzard speaks up, turning towards the rest of our siblings and the cave's opening.
"We could play Hunters and Prey," Rose suggests with a smile.
"Sounds like fun," I agree, wanting any excuse to pounce.
"I'm in," Snowflake nods, sending me a secret signal we use if we're on the same side.
"Me, too," Bolt excitedly says, bouncing up and onto his white paws.
"So, what are we waiting for?" hunter asks, stretching his legs out.
"Maya and Will are prey first!" Diego shouts, looking exactly like our father with that knowing smirk on his face.
Thus, we start our game as all of us race around the cave, glad that Dad and Mom taught us how to play this game a few days ago.
Halfway through our game, something colorful catches my eye. I quickly turn around, focusing my eyes on the unknown movement outside the den. There it is again! I crouch down to where my stomach is brushing against the cave's floor. Slowly, I start to creep forward, wanting to find out what the color is coming from. Curiosity edges me forward, regardless of my parents' warnings.
"Hey, look! It's a butterfly," Icicle suddenly says, coming up beside me in the process.
Great. Way to destroy my imagination, Icicle. Now I've lost interest in trying to stalk it.
"Let's go for it," Hunter smiles, rushing forward towards the butterfly.
"No," Snowflake instantly disagrees, shaking her head in disapproval.
"But—" Blizzard starts to argue, trying to escape the den.
"But nothing," I remark with a scoff. "We don't leave the den for anything," I remind, keeping in mind what Mom and Dad told us before they went hunting not long ago.
"Dad's orders," Shadow tells our brother, agreeing with mine and Snowflake's statements.
"Out there's a world of wonders," Diego Jr. insists in an attempt to convince us to play outside.
"No, out there it's a world of trouble," Maya explains, shuddering a bit as she thinks of the possibilities of what could go wrong.
"I want to check it out," Cierra grins, attempting to jump over Snowflake and Bolt to escape the cave.
"Bad things happen out there," Bolt says in a slightly scared tone. "So don't go out there," he nearly begs, his ears drooping to create guilt in our rebellious siblings.
"Besides, if you wait long enough, everything comes to you," Rose reasons, knowing Mom and Dad will bring us back food and probably take us out to play before we go to sleep tonight.
"You can't stop all of us," Icicle smirks before running out of the den with Diego Jr. on her heels.
Really? Of course this would happen. Why me?
"Guys, come back!" I shout, jumping out of the cave after my siblings.
Mom and Dad are going to be so mad….
Shira's P.O.V.
My muscles begin to scream as I continue the chase after the yak. I may have seriously misjudged the distance. As I begin to tire, I leap forward with all my might and pounce on the yak's hindquarters. Diego springs up from his position in the snowy grass and catches our prey before it can escape. With the weight of both of us on the yak, it soon falls to its knees, loud calls exiting its mouth. Diego clamps his mouth around the yak's neck in an effort to silence it whole I hold the prey down from behind. My mate's efforts aren't futile; the yak dies not long after. Thankful for this large quantity of meat, Diego and I whisper our gratitude to the prey animal who gave up his life where Diego, our cubs, and I can live ours.
"Nice job, Shira," Diego tells me, flopping down beside me in the snow. "Another successful hunt," he smiles, rubbing his face against mine.
"You weren't so bad yourself, Softie," I smile, purring as he continues to nuzzle me before kissing my cheek.
My cheeks blush pink as he starts to gently clean off the yak's blood from around my mouth. After almost two-and-a-half years of knowing and being with Diego, I'm still surprised every time he shows me small signs of affection. I begin to lick his face as well, which makes Diego emit a few purrs as well.
"Shouldn't we be getting back to the cubs?" I inquire, my gaze locking onto Diego's piercing green eyes. "I mean, not that I'm not enjoying this, because I am," I ramble in order to assure Diego that I'm not purposely trying to end this moment between us.
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Who knows what trouble they could be up to by now?" Diego agrees with a smile as he finishes grooming my face.
The two of us stand up and grab the carcass in order to take it back to the cubs where they can eat dinner, play for a while, and then go to bed. Diego and I may spend some time talking or watching the stars before we go to sleep for the night, too.
"You know, Diego, it's been too long since we've had some time together," I remark as we stop for a minute to catch our breaths from carrying the yak carcass.
"I've been thinking the same thing, Shira. It's kinda hard to have time alone with having twelve cubs to look after and a herd to meet up with and be members of," Diego agrees, looking in my eyes with such love and kindness.
"True, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love our family we made together," I smile, knowing that all my dreams and hopes have come true with Diego as my mate and our cubs being born about a month ago.
"I love all of you, too. I wouldn't have had my life turn out any differently than it has," Diego tells me with a goofy grin on his face.
An idea pops into my head as I form a plan for how Diego and I can spend some time together.
"Diego, I've got it."
"Got what, Shira?"
"I have an idea for how we can spend some time together while the cubs are awake," I respond, rolling my eyes.
Sometimes Diego can be so clueless about the simplest things. He claims it's because he's too focused on thinking about me and the cubs. Diego's such a softie, but I love him for it.
"Oh, yeah? And what might that be, Kitty?" my mate inquires, moving over to nuzzle his head against mine.
"What if…" I start off, wanting to word this very carefully. "We introduce them to the herd and…" I continue before Diego cuts me off.
"No," he bluntly tells me.
"But, Diego, you love the herd," I remind, not sure why my mate is being this stubborn.
"Shira, you know how I feel about this. Crash and Eddie will put the cubs in danger trying to teach them who knows what. Sid is well… Sid. I just don't want any of our children to get hurt," Diego explains, his voice lowering as he reveals his true fear to me.
"I understand, Diego. If you don't want them to meet the whole herd, that's fine with me. What do you think of Manny watching the cubs?" I suggest.
"If, and only if, Manny alone watches the cubs, I think we can spend some time away from the kids," Diego breathes, the worry starting to fade from his eyes. "Deal?" he asks, looking over at me.
"Deal. Now, let's get back home before the cubs get into trouble," I assure him, my blue eyes showing compassion and understanding.
Though I do worry a lot about my children's safety, sometimes Diego seems to go into hyper over-protective dad mode. Manny and Simba must be rubbing off on him more than my mate realizes. It makes me happy to know that Diego cares so much about the cubs he and I brought into the world, with the addition of our four adopted wolf pups. It's quite a contrast from my childhood; my own father left soon after my brother and I were born. My mother had to raise us all by herself. My mother…. I lean down and pick up the yak carcass in my jaws, ready to head home and bring dinner home to our twelve little miracles.
A flash of white slips into the den as Diego and I begin climbing up the rocks that lead to our secluded den. Not knowing what has slipped into my cubs' safe haven, I feel a growl building in the back of my throat.
"Shira? What's wrong, Kitty?" Diego questions in concern.
"Something just slipped into the den," I whisper, beginning to head in to check it out. "Cover me," I command softly.
Crouching down, I crawl forward on my stomach, not sure what I may find inside our den. My breath catches in my throat as I continue to inch forward. Thankfully, my fears are assuaged as twelve small sets of paws come bounding toward me.
"Hello, sweethearts," I smile, nuzzling each of them one at a time.
"Mama, you're home!" Snowflake grin, her eyes lighting up.
"We missed you," Will tells me as he nuzzles his head against my chest.
A different smell seems to linger in the cave as I give affection to all of my cubs. As Bolt ambles over to Diego with Junior and Icicle on his paws, I notice what the smell is. Diego shoots me a knowing look as he allows Junior to pounce on and attack his paws.
"Cubs, where have you been?" I ask in a gentle voice.
"Inside the cave, Mom," Blizzard tells me, his green eyes moving to look down at his paws.
"Are you sure about that?" Diego questions with a small smirk.
"Yep. We've been here, Dad," Icicle assures, batting her paws at her father's face.
"You two wouldn't be lying to your father and me, would you?" I bring up, looking at the twelve of them.
"I would hope not. That wouldn't be the right thing to do," Diego adds in, gently wrestling Junior to the ground.
A few moments of silence pass before someone speaks up.
"Okay! I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. Snowflake, Bolt, and I tried keeping everyone inside. We didn't mean to be bad," Lily admits.
"Thank you for telling the truth, Lily," I praise.
"Now, all of you come eat and then off to bed since you decided to go out even after we told you not to," Diego says, using an authoritative tone, but not too harsh of one.
After all, cubs will be cubs. Besides, with Diego and me as their parents, our cubs are bound to get into mischief due to their adventurous personalities. All of our cubs settle around the carcass.
"What gave it away, Mom?" Diego Junior inquires.
"Bolt had mud in his fur," I reveal.
After dinner, Diego and I give all our cubs their baths, making sure that Bolt has all the mud out of his fur.
"There. All clean," I smile down at Bolt, adding one last tender lick to the top of his head.
"Thanks, Mommy," Bolt happily says, pressing his small head against my chest.
"You're welcome, Bolt. Now, off to bed with you," I gently tell my son, lightly nudging him with my head.
My youngest wolf son bounds over to where his siblings are lying to prepare their bodies for sleep. Bolt jumps into the small space between Snowflake and Shadow before wedging himself between his sister and brother. Diego and I each press a kiss to every cub's head before we move over to our own bed. I climb onto our bed-shaped rock and lie down on my side. Diego comes over and settles down beside me. He wraps his paws around my waist and I feel his breath against my cheek. I move my head to where it is now underneath Diego's head and I start to relax as I become wrapped in his loving embrace.
"Do you think they've outgrown the need to explore?" Diego whispers, his green eyes shining as they look down at me.
"Not a chance," I softly laugh, gazing up at him.
"I was afraid you'd say that," he mumbles.
"Well, Diego, they are our cubs. They're bound to be curious and mischievous, especially at their age," I add in, sniggling closer to him, allowing his body warmth to envelope me.
"True. Besides, I'm sure it will just get worse from here on out. They'll be more mobile as they get older," Diego remarks with a slight laugh.
"Oh, that's practically a guarantee. We will certainly have our paws full," I smile before lovingly licking his cheek.
"I'm positive we can handle that, Kitty," my mate assures, starting to lick the top of my head.
I purr as he continues to lick my head and face, which makes Diego purr contentedly as well. I lean up ad nuzzle my head against his neck before whispering in his ear.
"I love you, Diego."
"And I love you, Shira. I'm so glad I found you on that pirate ship."
"That was one of the best days of my life, Softie," I smile, leaning into Diego's orange fur.
"Goodnight, Kitty. Sweet dreams," Diego drowsily responds.
"Sleep well, my assassin," I chuckle, curling my body to where I am closer to Diego and my head is beside his.
We fall asleep beside each other, not wanting our perfect life with one another to ever end.
Author's Note: And there's Chapter 25! I hope everyone enjoyed; as always, reviews are always appreciated. Sorry for my absence, but school has still been chaotic, especially since I finish up my sophomore year in high school today! The good news is, I will now be on summer vacation, so I will try to update once a week if I can. I'll try and update this story on Thursdays if I get the chance, so be on the lookout for new chapters on that day. I'm so glad the school year is done; it's been a long year and I am looking forward to my much-needed break and rest from school, along with writing more frequently where you amazing guys and girls don't have to wait for the drama to continue unfolding. There will be more drama; count on it. Well, that's all I have to say for now. Until Chapter 26, my amazing readers!