Chapter 28: Comfort and Bravery
Sid was curled up like a furry ball, weeping silently in the darkness of the cave he was imprisoned in by Leo, Victor and Ripper. He still blamed himself for letting Flora get killed, despite the fact that it was all a lie to torture Sid mentally with depression and guilt.
"B-Buck...Flora...The tribe...They're all dead and it's all my fault...Why am I always such a coward?! Why can't I be brave like Manny or Diego or even Buck?!" Sid cried.
Suddenly, he heard some rocks moving before the sloth saw Buck digging out from the wall.
"Whew...It's about time. I thought I'd never stopped digging," Buck panted.
The weasel then saw Sid as he smiled in relief and cheered , "Sid! You're OK, lad! I was worried about ya!"
Sid didn't answer but looked at the ground in tears which made Buck's smile vanish as the weasel added in concern, "Sid? Mate? What's wrong?"
"F-Flora...she's dead," Sid sobbed.
Buck's eye widened on that answer as he looked down in shock before gasping out, "Flora? D-D-Dead?!"
"Yes...they killed her," Sid weeped.
Buck turned away in severe shock and anger as he then saw his knife before he yelled out, grabbed his knife and stabbed the boulder blocking the entrance as he angrily and tearfully yelled, "Those bastards! How could they?! I shall avenge her by tearing those wolves apart!"
"...If anyone needs to be torn apart Buck, it's me..." Sid sobbed.
"W-What?" Buck sniffed through his tears.
"Hantro is right...This is all my fault...I should have fought those wolves and now because of my cowardly ways, Flora is gone and the tribe is doomed!" Sid cried.
Buck was shocked to hear that Hantro blamed his sloth friend for something he never meant to do and since he tried so hard to help the tribe as the weasel walked up to the sloth and said, "It's not your fault, Sid."
"Yes it is...Just please leave me alone! Go now and be free before it's too late!" Sid cried.
"No, Sid. I'm not going to leave you here by yourself," Buck refused.
"Save yourself, Buck! Leave before they kill you!" Sid pleaded.
"If I leave ya, then they'll kill ya!" Buck pointed out.
"Just go away! I've caused enough damage as it is!" Sid cried.
"What are you talking about Sid? What did Hantro say to you?" Buck asked in deep concern.
"He was telling the truth...Everyone I love gets hurt or killed because of me...If I have just been brave and helped you fight those monsters instead of standing there like a coward than none of this would have happened," Sid sniffed.
"Sid, you were protecting Hantro! I'm sure he didn't mean to blame ya. He was just upset..." Buck said, trying to comforted Sid.
"Leo is right...I am a monster. A stupid, clumsy, insignificant monster who ruins everything!" Sid sobbed.
"Sid, don't say that! You can't just let those bastards' words get into you because that's what he wants! He wants you to break down and surrender!" Buck gasped in alarm.
"Well he's right..." Sid said, agreeing with Leo's words.
"How could ya agree to that about yourself, mate? You're better than anyone I know!" Buck firmly spoke out to his friend.
"You think it's easy for me to live my life everyday like this?! I've been hurt all my life...I've been abused, lied to, cheated, and broken down...All the people we love are gone because of me and my foolishness..." Sid vented.
"I know how ya feel," Buck replied.
"No you don't, Buck! You're just a weasel who lost his mind! You don't know anything about me!" Sid cried which made Buck look at him in bewilderment. "I was nothing but a selfish, egoistic, cowardly mammal through and through. I never stop to think about my actions until it's too late and when I tried to make up for the mistakes I've made, it always backfires badly! I'm not a hero or anything like that...I'm just a lazy good-for-nothing sloth, so quit acting like you give a damn...because no one does care for me in the end...and that's the truth!"
Buck glared at the sloth before he slapped him in the face and softly yet firmly said, "Look at me, Sid."
"W-Wha-?" Sid stuttered.
"Look at me!" Buck barked which quickly caught Sid's attention before the weasel firmly said, "Now you just listen to me, mate! I may be insane but I have more sanity in my mind to understand you and respect you. You are not, I repeat, are NOT alone in this! I know how ya feel and I'm so sorry your life wasn't the best as any mammal should be...But I know deep down you are not selfish or egoistic or even a coward! A true coward would just flee from his friends or even never return to the village, but yet you did return and you stayed...Do ya know why?"
"W-Why?" Sid sniffed.
"Because you, Sid, have a big, caring, strong heart inside you; more pure than gold itself and brighter than any star in the universe...You are loyal, passionate, and much braver than any mammal," Buck replied.
"You don't have to lie, Buck. Just be honest..." Sid sadly sighed.
"Snap out of it, Sid! I am being honest with you! Bloody hell, mate! Ya think I have that much friends that I would ever bother to leave some behind?! Hell no, Sid! You are my best friend; the only best friend I've ever had since forever!" Buck firmly said, trying to get Sid's hopes up.
Sid was about to speak but Buck covered his mouth to prevent him from speaking further when Buck added, "Don't let those vile wolves or anyone bring you down! No one died because of you! You did not kill Flora or anyone else! Victor and Ripper did! It's all their fault! They're the ones who ruined everything!"
Sid looked at Buck as he knew he was telling the truth. Sid did need to stop feeling sorry for himself and try to stand up to villains like Leo more but it wouldn't be easy for him. He just wasn't much of a fighter in reality.
"I'm so sorry for what I said back there, Buck," Sid apologized.
"I know, mate," Buck comforted with a nod.
"You, Buck, truly are an amazing weasel. You are so brave and so insanely powerful yet you understand others like me and you're more of a great friend that I could ever ask for," Sid said with sincere.
Buck smiled at the sloth before he rubbed his paw on Sid's cheek and comfortingly replied, "You are a great mammal, Sid. Honestly, you are the bravest sloth I've ever met and that does mean something! I am truly honored to be your best friend."
Sid tearfully hugged Buck before the weasel smiled and returned the hug as he then said, "You just need to stop feeling sorry for yourself. Always believe in yourself and your friends and remember, do not be afraid to stand up for yourself and others. You are stronger than anything I know."
"Awww, how cute (!)"
The duo then turned to see Victor, Ripper, and Leo at the entrance of the cave from which they moved the boulder that was blocking the entrance.
"Too bad it has to end soon. Wish we can say the same for that little Flora brat we just killed!" Ripper mocked which made Buck growl furiously and charge at the wolf.
"I'll send ya both to hell!" Buck yelled, but then Victor smacked the weasel down before Ripper pinned Buck down with his paw.
"Buck!" Sid gasped before Leo pointed a spear at Sid and sneered, "There there, Sid. Just do stay where you are and your pet here will be OK."
"What do you want, Leo?! Haven't you done any suffering as it is?!" Sid cried.
"Now now. Keep your tone down, boy. I'm just here with a proposition," Leo chuckled.
"Y-Yeah? Well you can shove it right up your-!" Sid sternly stuttered before Victor knocked him down to shut the sloth up.
"Don't be rude to your elders, boy! I am the Mayor of the Valley that your herd is at!" Leo firmly said.
"Since when were you the boss of the Valley?!" Buck growled.
"Long before him and his freakish herd came along and changed everything!" Leo hissed.
He then looked at Sid and said, "Here's the deal. It's simple and easy, even for you...I will spare you IF you lead your herd here and let my friends here take care of them."
"It's been a while since I've eaten a mammoth," Ripper deviously laughed.
"Or even fought a sabre," Victor added.
"Y-You want me to trick the herd to go to their deaths?! Are you mad?!" Sid gasped in horror.
"Oh come now, sloth. You do that and you'll stay alive. Although you will be banished off of this island and to a deserted one. I will see to that," Leo evilly replied before taking Sid's tribal crown and adding, "And I'll get to keep this. It looks good on me."
"...What do you have against the herd?! What have they done to you?!" Sid cried.
"They humiliated me in front of the valley, making me look like a fool! Plus, they are changing the ways I live with perfect harmony with important animals and I get more and more mammals that are disgraceful to me every day! It's becoming a mess around here and your herd brought themselves and those other insignificant mammals to my Valley...I've had enough of them! They must go and you WILL help me!" Leo sternly explained.
"...I...I..." Sid stuttered.
"Don't even think about rejecting the offer, sloth! We all know the truth. You don't belong to anyone! The herd hates you, you owe them nothing for what they've done to you and besides, you're just a clumsy monster who burns things with your evil talent!" Leo mocked.
Sid looked at Buck as his eye was telling the sloth to stand up for himself and not let Leo get the best of him.
"Now move, sloth. We haven't got all day!" Leo ordered.
Sid then looked at the red sloth sternly and took a breath before replying with, "No."
Leo halted abruptly as he glared at Sid with bewilderment and hissed, "No?!"
"W-What are you? Deaf and stupid? I said, No!" Sid demanded, standing up to Leo.
"Ooooh, Fire King's got some fight in him after all," Victor mocked.
Ignoring Victor, Sid glared at Leo and with bravery he spoke, "I may not have been able to protect Flora or the tribe from you, but I will protect my family from you all no matter what happens to me!"
Leo angrily gripped his claws tight and replied, "Well...you just sealed your doom, freak!"
Leo ripped the crown apart which made Sid and Buck gasp in alarm before Leo added, "...But no matter. I'll lead the herd to you and well, let my canine friends here deal with them."
"I can't believe you! Why would you do this to us?! I had done no harm to you and yet you cowardly called me a monster because of one thing you fear the most!" Sid cried.
"Your so called talent is a threat to my valley and I will no longer have you around, even if it means destroying you!" Leo growled.
"So you would kill my family because you don't like the way they're being at your precious valley and all that?! No one owns the valley or anything! We are all free to live our lives in anywhere and anyway we wish!" Sid cried in confrontation to Leo.
"What a load of bull coming from a monster like you!" Leo scoffed.
"I'm no monster, Leo. You are!" Sid snapped.
Leo glared at Sid and slapped the sloth who suddenly reacted back by slapping Leo, which surprised Buck and even the wolves.
"Argh! You filthy creature!" Leo growled as he kicked Sid down.
Sid just chuckled, "That hurt, didn't it?"
"Laugh all you want! You and your friend here will soon perish and within hours, so will your precious herd!" Leo hissed.
"They will stop you!" Sid warned Leo.
"I doubt that very much," Leo doubted, grinning evilly at Sid before he and the wolves left the cave and trapped the duo inside.
Hantro was watching outside as he sighed, "What took you so long?"
"Little mayor here had a hissy fit," Victor mocked the red sloth.
"Shut up!" Leo grumbled.
"Listen, you two! You better keep your side of the deal because we're growing impatient as of this moment!" Ripper threatened both Hantro and Leo.
"We will. I'll get the Chief to crown me soon," Hantro replied.
"And I shall lead the herd here soon," Leo added.
"You two better do as promised or you'll be joining the others in death," Ripper evilly chuckled with Victor.
What happens next?
Stay tuned to find out!
ALSO PRETTY PLEASE GIVE CREDIT TO DUSK19, FOR NONE OF THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT HIM
