A dark evil has been unleashed upon the world, enveloping it in shadow. Now the herd must embark on a dangerous journey to unearth the source and end it.

A/N - Old story re-uploaded for nostalgia's sake.

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Prologue

"What do you think it is?"

"A giant egg."

The smaller, light brown pelted sabre tooth tiger sniffed the ground around the egg trying to detect a scent. "Is it food, Oscar?"

The cat called Oscar walked towards the egg and reached out a paw. He touched the surface of the egg, feeling it pulsating at his touch. With each beat, the stone quivered gently as if it were waiting to hatch. It was unlike any other egg he had witnessed; this egg was red, had purple veins and was warm to touch. Pressing an ear against it, he detected a soft purring noise coming from within. He jerked back violently. "It's alive!" he commented, darting a worried glance at his friends.

His much thicker companion, a sabre with hazel eyes and short fangs, took an eager step forward rubbing his paws together in delight. "Can we eat it, Oscar? I'm hungry!"

Oscar shook his head. "I don't think that would be wise."

The small sabre tooth tiger jumped forward rising on its two hind legs. It pressed its two forelimbs against the egg and licked it eagerly. "Oh, come on Oscar! We've been travelling for days now searching for food!" He glanced up at the egg. "It's almost as big as a mammoth! It'll keep us full for days."

A deep growl escaped Oscar's throat. "No Zeke. We have no idea what this egg is. It's far too large to come from any bird." As he spoke, a rumble of hunger came from his stomach. He glanced back at the large egg again. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try..."

Before he could give the word, Lenny and Zeke opened their jaws and sunk their teeth into the egg, trying to crack it open. The two hungry sabres tried desperately to break through the hard surface, but their attempts were futile. "Enough! It's not going to break!" Oscar commanded.

Defeated by the tough eggshell, Lenny and Zeke stepped back and lay flat on the ground. "I'm so hungry..." Lenny muttered, a visible drop of drool dribbling down the right side of his jaw. "I wonder what's inside?" He didn't know of any mammal born from an egg and no bird was large enough for it.

"Looking at this egg isn't going to ease our hunger. We need to hunt," Oscar said, feeling restless. Although the snowstorm still raged outside, the desire to eat was overwhelmingly strong.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Oscar?" Zeke said.

Oscar remained silent. Was he willing to risk braving the intensity of the storm? He turned his back to the strange egg and headed towards the exit of the cavern made of ice, followed closely by his friends. Blistering cold wind greeted the trio.

Lenny shuddered. "We're going to die out here."

Zeke nodded vigorously, his teeth chattering. "We should stay in the cavern Oscar until the snowstorm passes – that's why we came in here in the first place." His body trembled as another powerful gust of cold wind blew causing snow on the ground to rise in the air.

Despite the desire to hunt, Oscar knew wondering aimlessly in the snowstorm would be fatal. They would have to wait until the storm passed before travelling again. He didn't like it, but they didn't have a choice. He could only hope the egg hatched and present them with a meal. Turning around from the outside world, he led his pack mates back into the safety of the cavern.

Weakened by hunger but forced to remain under shelter, the cats could do nothing but rest. Lenny's eyelids closed and soon fell asleep while the other two stayed awake. Zeke's stomach grumbled and the mangy grey furred tiger rubbed his stomach with his left paw gingerly. "I'm so hungry I would even eat that sloth..." Sloths weren't known for tasting great, especially that oddball called Sid.

Oscar growled softly at the mention of sloth. That sloth brought on their demise and led to their former leader Soto being killed. It was a memory he wanted to forget, but one that wouldn't fade no matter how hard he tried to move on. He laid his head gently between his paws. If Soto were still alive where would they be now? A sudden wave of fatigue took hold of him. Yawning, he closed his eyes and rested when a rumble caused his eyes to open.

Zeke's ears perked up, fully alert. "Did you hear that?" he said, lifting his head up from his paws.

"It was probably my stomach rumbling," Lenny replied, awakening with a yawn.

"It's coming from beneath us," Oscar said, now wide awake.

A violent tremor caused Zeke to jump to his feet. "Earthquake!" he yelped, dashing to Lenny's side. He huddled up next to his friend quivering, eyes scanning his environment nervously.

Now on his feet, Oscar searched for a place to hide. There! A small opening in the far-right wall. "Over there!" Oscar said, running towards the opening for protection. He sat down on his belly and crawled into the opening, his friends following behind him. The three sabres squeezed themselves into the tight space as the ground continued to shake.

Bits and pieces of ice fell from the roof of the cavern, smashing into hundreds of pieces on the floor. The sound was deafening – it was as if thunder and explosions had combined to make a terrifying noise. The three large cats cowered as they waited for the shaking to stop. The egg in the centre of the room swayed back and forth as cracks began to show.

The tremors weakened significantly as the egg continued to crack. Bit by bit, the hard surface fell off revealing what was hidden inside. Oscar cautiously exited the protective opening curious to investigate, while Lenny and Zeke remained hidden. A four-legged creature with a tan pelt of fur stood where the egg once was. Semi-short canine teeth hung from the upper jaw and Oscar felt a strong sense of connection surface within him.

"...Soto?" he said, slowly walking forward.

It wasn't possible, was it? Soto had been killed by a woolly mammoth. He had seen it with his own eyes! The sabre tooth tiger jerked his head sharply towards Oscar. The corners of his mouth tipped upwards in a smirk. "I have been reborn."

Zeke and Lenny emerged from their hiding and joined Oscar. "But how? We saw you die!" Lenny spoke.

Soto opened his mouth revealing sharp dagger like teeth and yawned. "It feels good to be alive again." He glanced behind him where the egg once was.

Zeke rushed forward with exuberant joy. "It's good to see you again!" He attempted to nuzzle his former leader with his face but was pushed roughly away.

"We do not have time for a reunion party," Soto snapped, turning his head in Zeke's direction. It was then Zeke noticed Soto's once hazel eyes were now a blood red. He shook his head and walked backwards to re-join his friends; his head slightly bowed. "The time has come." Soto turned his attention away from the other sabres and glanced outside. The snowstorm had now ceased. All was deathly silent.

Oscar spoke. "Time for what?"

Without turning to address him, Soto replied, "Vengeance." His death replayed clearly in his mind. He remembered the betrayal of former pack member, Diego. He remembered being hurled into an ice wall by that mammoth. He remembered the icicles falling and stabbing him ending his existence in a brief second. He growled deeply. "We leave now. They won't survive this time."

Oscar exchanged worried looks with Zeke and Lenny but didn't dare argue. This was Soto, their former leader and friend. He still looked the same, except for the blood red eyes, but he could still be trusted. Without saying another word, the tigers followed Soto and exited the cavern.

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This story is finished, so I will be uploaded reasonably quickly. Maybe once a week.

On a side note, I'm looking to recruit new writers (and non-writers) to a community board that I own.

in short, it's a creative arts forum where people can form friendships, and trade ideas and get feedback on stuff.

Check out my profile page for more information (scroll down to Creative Arts section).