Thanks to Footrot Flats for reviewing the previous chapter!
Chapter Five: Fixing Mistakes
Shira retreated from the herd, ignoring the pang of sadness inside. She wanted to collapse and break down, but thought the male sabre would think less of her if she did. Not that it really mattered; it wasn't as if she'd see him again... right? He was relieved to see her go she could see it in his eyes. She didn't understand what made Diego so cold and shielded. Was he scared of female companionship? Or was it something deeper? She'd never know.
A shadow passed her. She arched her neck back and glanced up at the sky. Two vultures, a male and female, soared above her circling each other until they were just a dot above. She smiled to herself then wiped a tears away from her eyes. Watching the pair made her feel lonely and lost. She found what she was looking for, a male sabre, but he wanted nothing to do with her. His cold rejection hurt her, making her feel small and worthless.
Just what was his problem anyway?
An image of her mother appeared in her mind. She was also a grey sabre; all the females in her pack were. She remembered her mother licking her fur, cleaning it of dirt before singing her a soft lullaby to help her sleep at night. Shira smiled at the memory and wished her mother was there right now to protect and guide her. She knew everything, in particular how to deal with male sabres. Her mother never let males bring her down or get the best of her.
Why couldn't she be like her mother?
She continued to walk leaving deep footprints in the snow, not caring to cover up her tracks. If she died out here so be it. It wasn't like there would be anyone to grieve over her death. As she walked, she caught the overpowering scent of meat fill her nostrils. Her ears perked. Her eyes were wide with alert. She sniffed the air and caught the scent of one – no, at least twenty animals – lying dead. Her stomach rumbled. It was then she realized just how hungry she was.
Spurred on by the encouragement of food, Shira forced herself to walk. Normally, sabres didn't eat dead prey killed by others, but she didn't have a choice. She was still hungry. Food was energy. But at least this time she didn't have to hunt... nor would anyone have to hunt for her. Her stomach growled again, urging her to walk faster despite the pain she felt. She'd fill her stomach first then rest.
After that, she'd decide to seek out other male sabres.
They wandered through the bleak frozen wilderness, battling the cold elements. For the mammoths, their thick layer of hair kept the worst of the cold away. The sabres weren't as fortunate. Three of them shivered as the wind brushed up against their bodies. They crowded together hoping body heat would keep them warm. Soto, however, seemed unharmed.
"It's so cold," Zeke complained, his teeth chattering. Soto glared at him, his eyes burning with cold fury. Zeke swallowed a mouthful of air and spoke no further, afraid of what might happen. Soto was always cruel, but this Soto was different.
Unlike the sabres, Peaches didn't know what Soto was like before. All she knew was that he was a horrible sabre using them as bait. She didn't like it. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out an outburst. "We're going to freeze to death if we don't find a place to rest!" she complained.
Soto stopped. "Are you questioning me?" he said, his voice low and dangerously calm.
Peaches rolled her eyes. "You have no idea what you are doing. Yu're just leading us around in circles with no real plan at all," she said, growing more confident with each word that left her mouth. The confident expression on her face faded when Soto jumped and landed directly in front of her. He was shorter than her, but something told Peaches he was deadly. She took a step back, feeling unsure of herself.
A wide sneer crossed Soto's face. "You spoke out of line and now you will face the consequences of your stupidity." He circled around Peaches, a smirk on his face. The other three sabres watched with interest.
Peaches tried to keep a brave face, but her eyes were wide with fear. She glanced down at his claws then at his teeth and trembled. "Please don't hurt me..."
The sabre beared his teeth and emitted a deep growl. "Stand here." He lifted a paw and pointed at a spot before him. Peaches looked at her mother with wide eyes.
Ellie turned to face Soto, an expression of utmost hatred on her face. "Keep my daughter out of this!" Ellie said her voice low with controlled rage. "I should be the one you punish. Don't you dare lay a hand on her."
The leader looked at her, a bemused expression in his eyes. He cast a quick glance at Peaches then focused his attention on Ellie. "Mothers."
Ellie ignored his comment. She pushed her daughter aside and stood in front of her protectively. "Close your eyes, Peaches. I don't want you to see this," she ordered. Peaches nodded and squeezed her eyes shut.
Soto drew back a paw and struck Ellie across her trunk, his sharp claws creating a deep visible wound. Blood seeped out of the cut and onto the snow, dying it a deep shade of red. The pain seared through her body, but she knew she couldn't show any sign of weakness before this tyrant. She held her ground and glared at the male sabre.
Peaches cowered at her side, wrapping her trunk around her mother's left foreleg. She whimpered her now open eyes blurred with tears. "Mum!"
Ellie winced with pain but fought back the tears that threatened to spill. She would not break in front of Soto; she had to remain strong for her daughter. They were going to get out of this situation. "Don't cry," she said softly. "Everything's going to be ok."
"Continue to disobey me and I'll make sure you'll receive more wounds and next time Peaches will suffer," Soto threatened. He turned his attention to the three male sabres. "And don't you think you can question me otherwise you'll face the same treatment." He turned his back and moved to the front of the group, continuing to lead them through the cold.
Wrapping her trunk around Peaches's side, Ellie brought her daughter closer to her body. She felt her daughter's damp tears sink into her fur. She remained quiet knowing sabres had excellent hearing, but the look she gave her daughter covered what needed to be said – they needed to find a way to escape and soon before harm came to Manny and her friends.
After leaving Shira behind, the trio focused their efforts on searching for Manny's family. Catching a scent of the mammoths was proving to be difficult for Diego and he was beginning to believe the female sabre scent was messing up his tracking ability. He was leading the herd in no direction at all. If he continued to rely on his superior sense of smell, he would lead them back to Shira.
Suddenly, Sid jumped up and down. What on earth? "This is no time to be dancing, Sid!" Diego snapped.
The sloth stopped 'dancing' and looked at Diego, a pensive expression on his face. "I smell a sloth! My family!" he declared, eyes beginning to water.
"Your family?" Manny repeated, giving Diego a sideways look. Sid was a great friend, but he didn't think he could handle anymore Sid's.
Sid nodded. "Yeah!"
"I thought they abandoned you?" Manny said.
Sid nodded again. "Yeah, they migrated without me..." He sniffed the air again, "but that's them all right. Zack, Marshall, Bertie, Uncle Fungus, Eunice... and... grandma?!" His eyes widened with surprise at the familiar scent. "I haven't seen grandma in years!"
Manny and Diego exchanged worried glances. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? They were never certain with Sid. "Is that something we should be concerned about?" Diego said with caution.
"She's a bit crazy... mum thinks I got my horrible genes from her," Sid explained, frowning slightly. "I wonder why they are here? Maybe they've come to their senses and want to apologize!" He smiled at the thought. Diego wasn't so sure about that – perhaps Sid's family returned to pass granny onto Sid's care. It was possible.
Six sloths appeared before them. Three were young, younger than Sid. The young sloths looked at Sid, pleased grins on their faces. They charged at him and chased him around in circles while the adults looked on. The young adult female spoke. "Sid, this isn't a happy occasion. You're taking grandma away from us and we're going to move on without you." One of the young sloths poked Sid in the stomach.
Diego looked at the family of sloths with a grin on his face. Sid and his relatives might not get on, but they shared the same blood. He briefly wondered what it would be like to have his own family. A brief image of four sabre cubs running around appeared in his mind. He smiled at the image. What would it be like to have younger versions of him to guide and watch over? Was he even capable of being a decent father?
He shut his eyes, shook his head, and pushed those thoughts aside. He was a bachelor; single and proud. The thought of being tied down to a mate and cubs didn't sit well with him at all. What if the relationship didn't last? What if she decided to abandon him? Then he'd be alone once again. Or, what if she died? He'd be the one left alone to bear those hurts and pain. Not everyone had to have a mate. He had his herd, his pride and that's all that mattered... right?
But no matter how hard he tried to find the positives of single life, the voice in the back of his head told him he was a coward and running away from true joy. "Diego, you'll never know unless you take a chance," Manny said, snapping Diego out of his thoughts.
Diego jerked his head at Manny and frowned. Manny had caught him staring at the sloth family, how embarrassing. "I don't know what you're talking about." He tried to play it cool, but Manny knew him too well to fall for that.
"You're wondering what it's like to have a family of your own," Manny replied.
Diego glanced back at the sloth family. Sid was now running around in circles chasing his younger brothers and sisters, laughing as he ran. Diego averted his gaze. "It's not going to happen."
"You don't know that for sure."
The sabre gave Manny a forlorn long. "I don't do love Manny." He didn't feel like he deserved it. "I betrayed my own species, what makes you think I deserve a chance?"
"Everyone deserves a second chance." A silence fell between the two mammals, each lost in their own thoughts. Diego felt lonely, but it wasn't something he wanted to admit. The silence continued until Manny decided to speak again. "Don't you miss being with your own species?"
Diego halted and glanced over his shoulder. "No."
"I don't believe that."
Diego sighed. "What are you trying to get at?"
"Don't ruin your only chance at a joyous life."
"I'm happy, I've got you guys," he said, forcing a grin. "I'm not with the pack anymore," he added.
Manny lifted his trunk and pointed towards the north. "Somewhere out there my mate and daughter are alone, and they mean everything to me. You and Sid are my best friends and I trust you with my life, but I wasn't complete. I felt like there was something missing. Ellie and Peaches have filled that void. It's something I can't explain to you," he said, bring his trunk back down. He looked at the sabre and noticed he had fallen quiet, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Don't let her go without giving it a chance. I thought Ellie was a lost cause and now look at us."
Diego sighed again. "What do you propose I do? She probably hates me now." With good reason no doubt, he thought. He didn't exactly make her feel welcome.
"Find her and apologize. Invite her to re-join us."
"What if she doesn't want to?"
Manny smiled. "I doubt she'll say no. She might not be happy with you, but something tells me she's not going to turn you down." The mammoth glanced over at Sid. The sloth was now lying on the floor spinning around in circles, much to the joy of the younger sloths. Crazy sloth, he thought. "Sid and I will continue to walk, but I'm sure you'll catch up to us quickly." Diego acknowledged Manny's words with a nod. "Thanks Manny."
He looked back where they had left Shira. He knew she can't have travelled far, not with the injury she had. Would she welcome him back or attempt to attack him? Only one way to find out. He turned away from his herd and trotted back towards they parted with Shira. Not surprisingly, she wasn't there anymore.
He lowered his head towards the ground searching for tracks. It didn't take him long to find sabre footprints in the snow. Perfect. He broke out into a steady sprint and soon found her limping through the snow. "Shira!" he called out.
Hearing his voice, the female sabre tried to quicken her pace, but her injury slowed her down. "What do you want?" she snapped, as he trotted up beside her. "Have you returned just to chase me further away?" she added, trying to conceal the hurt in her voice.
He shook his head, flattening his hears against his head. "I wanted to apologize for the way I treated you before," he said slowly, watching her expression. Her face remained cold. He tried again. "It was wrong of me, I know."
Her eyes met his. "Then why did you?"
He hung his head in shame. "I didn't know how to act. I haven't seen a female sabre in a long time."
"I'm no threat to you."
"I understand that." He lifted his head. "Would you like to re-join the herd?"
She cocked her head, trying to decide whether he was being sincere or not. She could not detect any sign of hostility from his eyes and decided he was honest. "I would be honoured," she replied with caution. She didn't trust him fully, but at least he hadn't attacked her this time.
A warm grin crossed his face. "Great. We'd better get moving though, this is a dangerous area." Without speaking another word, Shira followed Diego back to the herd.