Book 2: Breaking the Ice Chapter 34
Jenna and Rosalina nervously looked at the pack of sabers that had caught them when they walked back to the other side of it. "H-h-hello." They stuttered.
One of the sabers rolled its eyes and demanded, "Give us the baby." Jenna looked down at the kit and saw fear in the little girl's face.
Rosalina got in her fighting stance and threatened, "If you lay a claw on Jenna and the baby, I will personally take your eyes into my paws, shove them down your throats, and let them watch, from your insides, as I tear your carcasses apart!"
She smirked when two of the sabers looked at her in fear and ran away. The pack leader and the remaining sabers looked after them and yelled, "Wimps!" He turned his head to see that the she-weasels were running a few yards away from them.
"Get them!" The leader shouted at his pack members. They did as they were told and ran after them.
Jenna turned her head and screamed when she saw the sabers chasing them. Quickly, she gave Rosalina the baby and told her that they should run opposite directions. Jenna ran left, and Rosalina ran right.
The pack leader swore under his breath before turning to his hunting pack and instructing three sabers to run the direction Jenna ran and the other three sabers to run the direction Rosalina ran. "Don't disappoint me." Their pack leader called after them as they took off after the she-weasels again.
Rosalina held on to the baby weasel kit protectively as she continued to run. She turned her head to see three sabers chasing her. She screamed and quickly scanned the area around her to find a place to hide. Fortunately, she found a hole in the ground that looked like it would protect her and the baby. But, if the sabers tried to claw at them, there would be a slim chance that it would be a safe place to hide.
She turned her head to see that the sabers were hot on her tail. Quickly, she climbed a tall tree, holding on to the baby as she climbed. She got to the tree just in time to see the sabers surround the tree. Rosalina was panting heavily with adrenaline and shaking in fright. The baby wrapped her arms around her neck and nuzzled the side of her head against her chest. Rosalina looked down at her to see that, she too, was shaking in fear.
"We should be okay for now." She reassured the girl between pants. The kit smiled at her and began to giggle softly, causing Rosalina to smile back.
Both of their eyes widened when they heard one of the three pursuing sabers yell, "Get down from there, you little rats!"
Rosalina looked down at them and said, "I thought cats could climb. Oh, and who are you calling rats? You're rats for killing innocent mammals." She laughed when the weasel kit blew a raspberry at them with a smirk. The teenage she-weasel gave her a gentle hug and did the same thing she just did.
They watched for thirty minutes as the sabers tried to climb the tall tree and reach them on the sixth branch. They finally decided to give up and go back to their pack leader. Rosalina did a small victory dance. She had to keep it small because of the kit in her arms and she didn't want to make her nauseous.
The little kit looked up at Rosalina and let out a little chuckle. Rosalina smiled when she did this and said, "Let's stay up here just in case those sabers come back." In the meantime, they waited for something or someone to show up and either attack them or save them.
Meanwhile, Jenna was still running a good distance away from her pursuers, but was losing her stamina very quickly. No matter what, she was not going to slow down her pace and she was not going to turn her head. She began to desperately call out for Buck in short heavy pants. Suddenly, a heavyweight paw stomped on her tail. She yelped in surprise and panted, "Excuse me. You've stepped on my tail."
Suddenly, a low growl came from behind her and caused the fur on her neck to rise in fright. Jenna slowly turned her head to come face-to-face with a saber-tooth tiger. Her breathing went abnormal and her body began to shake as the saber stared at her with hungry eyes.
He smirked at her evilly, along with the other sabers. Jenna recognized the faces of those sabers. They were the ones that killed her mother a long time ago. She let an angry glare show on her face and growled, "You! You were the ones that killed my mother! Now, you're going to pay the price."
Jenna did something that she has never done before. She scratched one of the sabers across the eye with her claws, hopped onto his back, and bit into his shoulder. He roared in pain and tried to buck her off. She pressed her claws into his flesh and continued to bite him, dodging the blows the other sabers were trying to deliver her as she did so.
When Jenna went for the throat, the saber roared in pain again as her teeth sank deep into his throat. She then let go and attacked another saber, but was smacked in the side in mid-air. She moaned in pain, but she didn't give up. Jenna growled and went for her second opponent.
Buck ran through the village to find Rosalina and Jenna. He heard Jenna call out for him during his trying to get to know Ben after he apologized for pranking him. "Jenna, Rosy, where are you?" He called out until he heard screams and roars coming from a distance.
He gasped softly to himself. "That's Jen! Jenna, I'm coming!" He yelled as his pace began to get faster.
He followed her scent as he ran. He clutched his knife tightly as his fear of Jenna being in danger increased. Once he had reached Jenna's location, he saw Jenna fighting off the sabers. One of them was dead, leaving two still standing. He was shocked at what he saw. This was one of the sides of Jenna he had never seen before. It was…..shocking!
He looked at the pool of blood that was underneath the dead one and the bleeding scratches and cuts on the still-standing sabers. He got out of his trance and dashed towards the scene. "Ay, tiga's! Ova' here!" Buck called out to them, causing their and Jenna's head to turn in his direction.
"Buck!" A very happy, but tired Jenna screamed. The two sabers looked at each other.
"You attack the female. I'll take care of that male one over there." One whispered to the other. He nodded and started to growl at Jenna. She gasped when she saw a saber heading straight towards Buck. She was about to scream his name in worry but was smacked by a paw before she could.
Jenna screamed in pain and saw blood trickling down her arm. She quickly got up from the ground and charged towards her attacker. She jumped onto his back and went for the side of his throat. Unfortunately, she got knocked off and fell onto the ground.
She grunted then ran towards a sharp rock. She picked it up then ran back to her opponent with the rock raised high in the air. Another unfortunate thing happened. The saber smacked it out of her paws then scratched her shoulder. She let out another scream and felt more blood flow out.
Buck dodged every swipe his opponent and was slashing at him with his knife and sometimes his claws. The saber was almost close to being dead. He had long, bloody gashes running along his body and had a couple scratches on his legs. Buck smirked as he watched the saber get weaker and weaker while he tried to fight him.
He was no match for Buckminster! With one last slash across the side, the saber fell to the ground, dead. He turned his head and gasped when he saw that Jenna was bleeding.
He ran over to her and stood in front of her, his eye filled with anger and hate. Before he could slash at him, a female saber-tooth tiger roared angrily and yelled, "Stop! Leave them alone, please!"
The she-saber had green eyes, gold-orange fur, a white belly and paws, and sharp, pearly white teeth. Both Buck and Jenna stared at the female in shock. They watched her run towards the attacking saber-tooth and chased him away.
Buck turned to Jenna and gasped when she fell to the ground. He swooped down and caught her before she could touch the snow-covered ground. He sat her down on a nearby stone and started panicking, "Jenna! I'm so sorry! I'm no' going ta let you die! I promise!"
Jenna coughed softly, causing Buck to get even more worried for her. He quickly went to find a bowl-shaped boulder and a bundle of leaves. Once he was back, he immediately washed Jenna's bloody arm and shoulder off.
Jenna was wincing in pain because of how fast Buck was working, but she knew that he trying to keep her from dying. Then, Buck wrapped the leaves around her arm and shoulder then tied the ends together, but made sure it wasn't too tight that it hurt Jenna.
Buck gently hugged Jenna close to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and started sobbing. "I was so scared!" She whimpered. Buck pulled her more closely to him to where she could feel and hear his heartbeat.
"Jen, I'm so sorry I wasn't there! I should have come along so this wouldn't have happened. I would have been there to fight them off! I'm so sorry! Oh, I love you!"
He was now in tears and was crying softly against her uncovered shoulder. Jenna pulled herself much more closely to him and cried into his chest. Ten minutes later, they pulled away slightly from their hug to look into each other's tear-glazed eyes.
Buck moved a strand of Jenna's hair away from her face and whispered, "I love you." Jenna caressed his uncovered cheek and whispered back, "I love you, too."
Buck caressed Jenna's cheek in return and pulled her into a passionate, love-filled kiss. Jenna kissed him lovingly back. More tears fell from their eyes and down their cheeks as they held the kiss. "I broke my promise." He whispered into the kiss.
Jenna pulled away and raised an eyebrow at him. "What promise?" She asked. Buck reached for her paw and held it.
He sighed sadly, "Afta' Tim hit you, I promised you that I wouldn't let anyone hurt you again, but I did. I'm so sorry, Jenna."
The she-weasel used her thumb to wipe away a tear that rolled down his cheek and whispered, "Buck, you didn't know that this was going to happen. This isn't your fault. Come here." Jenna pulled him into a hug, which he immediately returned. She looked up at Buck and kissed his cheek. He smiled a small smile before leaning in and kissing her again.
From a distance, Rosalina was climbing down the tree with the baby weasel holding on to her by keeping her arms wrapped around Rosalina's neck and her legs wrapped around her ribs. Once she reached the bottom, she carefully got off Rosalina's back and stood in her full height.
Rosalina looked down at her and said, "I don't think they'll be coming back. Let's go find Jenna." The baby nodded and walked paw-in-paw with her. They searched the village for her until the little weasel sniffed the air and managed to catch Jenna's scent.
"Oh, oh!" She jumped up and down with her pointer finger pointed left. Rosalina sniffed the air and caught Jenna's scent as well.
She looked at the girl happily and complimented, "You're such a smart girl! Way to go, little one! Let's go!"
As they walked, the little kit was looking at her surroundings and giggling in delight. Rosalina chuckled sweetly at this. She really thought it was cute. She remembered how she used to do that whenever she saw something interesting or found something. Nothing better than going down memory lane, huh? She thought happily as she lifted the girl into her arms.
She squealed and laughed in enjoyment when she did this. "Buck's going to love you! I just know it!" Rosalina beamed at the happy kit. She replied with a cute giggle and a nuzzle against her shoulder.
Few miles later, they found Buck and Jenna locked in a kiss. "Whoa, baby!" Rosalina exclaimed, causing the couple to quickly pull away from their kiss and see Rosalina with the little weasel girl in her arms.
Buck raised his eyebrow at the sight and asked, "Rosy, who's that?" Jenna's baby blue eyes widened. She grabbed Buck's paw in hers, got off the stone she was sitting on, and walked him over to where Rosalina stood.
Buck took in the girl's appearance before walking closer to Rosalina and sniffed the kit. The baby started laughing and squirming as he sniffed her. "Smells like cinnamon and looks really healthy." Buck noted out loud. He backed away from the kit and stood next to Jenna.
"Where did you find 'er?" He asked them.
"We found her behind a bush." Jenna and Rosalina answered at the same time.
"That's why those saber-tooth tigers were attacking us." Rosalina explained.
"Rosalina found her crying and shaking until she called for me to come see her. I tickled the little sweetheart and she started laughing. It was just so cute!" Jenna said with a smile on her face.
Buck chuckled at Jenna with a nod then asked, "Does she have a name?" Both she-weasels shook their heads.
"We don't know what to call her, but I guess we can try to find a good name for her by listing things Rosalina and I learned about her." Jenna suggested with a shrug.
"That's a pretty good idea!" Rosalina agreed then began to list things about the baby girl.
"Well, she's really sweet, smart, cheery, obviously cute, outgoing, and likes nature. Oh, and what about her appearance? I'm talking about those beautiful forest green eyes, the short, brunette hair, her silky-smooth fur, and that white star on her shoulder."
Buck and Jenna thought for a moment until Jenna suggested, "Um, I'm thinking Naomi, Celine, or Juliet. What do you two think?"
Rosalina looked down at the kit after Jenna said 'Celine'. She seemed to like that name because she started laughing happily. She looked up to face Jenna and smiled, "I think the little one likes Celine the best."
Jenna beamed when she heard the girl laugh and nuzzle her head on Rosalina's shoulder. "I can't come up with any otha' name that's betta' than Celine." Buck said truthfully with a smile.
"All right! It's official! The little one's name is going to be Celine." Jenna dismissed and made her way to Rosalina. The teenager gave her the kit and smiled as Celine giggled softly.
Buck couldn't help but smile sweetly at Celine, who was getting comfortable in Jenna's arms. He hoped that her bandage wouldn't come off while she was holding her. It shouldn't, but he should look at it every few minutes just to be sure.
"Wait! Should we find her parents first?" Rosalina asked. Disappointment struck Jenna's face. She didn't think about that. She was just too busy fussing over the baby. Jenna bit her lip then nodded.
"Don't bother looking for them." A female voice said somberly. The four weasels turned their heads to see the female saber-tooth tiger that had saved Buck and Jenna from getting attacked.
The she-saber sighed sadly before informing them, "The sabers killed her parents. They hid her behind a bush to keep her safe before trying to fight them, only to be torn to shreds. I saw the whole scene while my pack and father went out hunting."
Shock and sympathy struck Buck, Jenna, and Rosalina once they heard the saddening news. Jenna looked down at Celine and whispered, "Poor baby!"
Celine looked at their sad faces, confused and oblivious to what was going on. She faced the female saber and quietly made baby sounds.
"Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Destiny." The she-saber introduced herself. Jenna smiled at her and introduced her and the others.
"I'm Jenna, but you can call me Jen," she nodded at Rosalina and Buck and continued, "That's Rosalina, but she sometimes prefers to be called Rosy for short. Next to her is Buck, short for Buckminster."
Destiny chuckled a bit at Buck's full name, but not in an obnoxious way, of course. She stopped chuckling to hear Rosalina say, "And this cute, little baby in Jenna's arms is Celine." The infant weasel kit waved hello at the saber with a little giggle.
"Hi!" Destiny waved at the little girl sweetly.
Suddenly, Destiny's father called for her. Sadly, she said, "My dad's calling. It was really nice meeting you four. I hope we meet again soon." Jenna, Rosalina, and Celine waved as Destiny walked away.
"It was nice meeting you, too!" Jenna called after her.
Buck placed a paw on Jenna's shoulder from behind, causing her to turn her head and meet his gaze. "We should be heading home. But, first, let's get back ta the heard and say our goodbyes." Buck smiled when Celine reached her paw out to him, wanting him to hold her.
Jenna noticed this and smiled, "I think she wants you to hold her now." Buck grew a little nervous. He's never dealt with an infant before.
"I'll hold your knife." Rosalina offered. Buck's grip was loose, which made it easy for her to take it from his paw. Jenna noticed Buck's nervousness.
She reassured him, "You'll do fine. Just hold her like I am, but be gentle."
The one-eyed weasel was still unsure. He was scared he was going to hurt Celine. Jenna read the look on his face and caressed his cheek. "You'll do fine." She reassured him again. Once Buck was ready, the she-weasel gave him the baby weasel.
Celine looked up at him with her forest green orbs, softly giggling as she did so. She matched the smile Buck had on his face and nuzzled her head against his chest. Buck's smile got bigger when she did this. Then, he held her with one arm as he lifted his paw for her to hold.
Celine reached for his paw, grabbed one of his fingers, and began to nuzzle it lovingly. "You're a very affectionate little thing, aren't you?" Buck chuckled, causing the weasel kit to chuckle with him.
"Aw!" Jenna and Rosalina sighed as Celine kept nuzzling him.
"She likes you." Rosalina sighed in a near high-pitched voice. Buck chuckled again as he gave the kit back to Jenna. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He looked at the females then smiled, "Let's get back ta the herd."
The three she-weasels returned the smile before walking with the male. Celine let out a yawn. She nuzzled against Jenna's chest then closed her eyes and fell asleep.