Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age, or any of it's characters. If I did, I would have a good bit more money than I do now:-) I only ownthose those characters in this story that I myself made up, and to myself I also owe the plot.

AN: Finally, I got some reviews! It hasn't really been that long, but it's still good to know that at least someone has given my story a try! A special thanks to my very first reviewer on my very first story ever... DRAGULA! And another big round of applause for WHALE SHARK 7, who was my second reviewer, but gave me an excellent idea for my first chapter, which I have now edited for her (loved your idea! hope you don't mind that I actually used it! I can take it out if you really want me to:-) Anyway, on with the story!

Chapter Two

Not too far from the herd's location lived another herd. A herd very strange in the eyes of Diego, Manny, and Sid, but a herd that they had confronted once before. It was a herd of humans that resided in the small village. Raw-hide huts filled with stone masers and animal fur served as homes to many a family. Loud sounds of barking and growling escaped through the sharp, deadly teeth of a wolf, floating through the air and echoing off the large stone structure to the north. Somewhere, concealed within the folds of one of the lonely huts, were three men, discussing an important tradition.

"I'll do anything," stated one young man bravely, his soft, steady gaze meeting that the older man before turning to meet his father's proud eyes. The boy couldn't have been more than sixteen years old, and here he was speaking to two men twice his age as if he were one of them. As of yet, there was only one thing standing in his way.

"Anything would be easy," stated the boy's father. "The task asked of you, the very same that was asked of me, is difficult beyond belief."

"Well, what is that task?" asked the young man eagerly.

A moment of silence echoed through the tent before the older man next to his father spoke. "You are to choose three hunters to come with you, travel east, and hunt down a mammoth."

The young man's gaze slowly changed from eager to slightly worried. "A mammoth?" he asked, glancing from one man to the other.

"Inushuk," said his father, "I know this is not an easy task asked of you, but as is tradition, you must complete it. That is, if you are to ever have Kyria's hand."

Kyria. At the mention of the young, beautiful girl he had come to love, Inushuk felt a warm sensation run through him. "I accept this task," he said in a final tone. In a low, inaudible voice, he muttered to himself, "for Kyria."

The proud smile that appeared on his father's face seemed to make his decision worthwhile.

"You will do a fine job," his father said, "but I advise you to choose your three soldiers wisely. Remember what it is that you must retrieve."

"I will remember."

"Good. You leave tomorrow. Now, choose your warriors and go to my daughter. She would never forgive you if you failed to say goodbye."

Inushuk nodded, a smile on his face. He and his father stood and headed out of the tent. Before he left, Inushuk turned around and nodded again to the man remaining inside. "Thank you, sir."

"Sir? Inushuk, at this point, I think you may start calling me father."

"But I haven't completed my task. It isn't until then that Kyria and I will be engaged, let alone married."

"Inushuk. Call me father. I'm sure you will have little trouble in completing this task. Mammoth's don't go down easy, but you're young and strong, and you will have the help of any three soldiers. It would do me proud for you to call me father."

"Thank you, father," Inushuk grinned, turning and leaving the tent, running to catch up to his father.

"Inushuk," his father said, "you couldn't possibly understand how proud I am of you. You've chosen a wonderful bride, my son. Kyria reminds me so much of Katara. Your mother would have been proud."

After a moment of silence, Inushuk spoke up. "Father, how did mother die? Every time I ask, you change the subject. Please, tell me." For so long, Inushuk had known his father was keeping something from him. It had to have been something important.

His father sighed and closed his eyes, thinking deeply before saying, "Inushuk, come with me."

Curious, the young man followed his father, and soon found himself on a cliff, high above a river.

"This… this is where your mother began her road to death, Inushuk," began his father slowly. "A pack of tigers attacked us here. I didn't see what happened to her, but a young woman in the tribe was with her that day, and she did. A tiger had entered the hut and tried to take her baby. He had tried to take you. I don't know why. Your mother grabbed you and ran, the tiger in pursuit. He chased her up onto this cliff. He would have killed her right then and there, but she did the unthinkable. She held you tight and jumped."

Inushuk shivered, stepping forward and looking over the edge of the cliff. It was so far to the water. "Father, if she didn't survive that, how did I?"

"I'm not sure Inushuk. Nobody knew what happened to you in between your mother's death and your return to us."

"How did you find me? It seems nearly impossible."

"It was impossible, Inushuk. As much as we searched you were nowhere to be found. We never came across you. You were returned to us."

"But who found me?"

Inushuk's father sighed and said, "Inushuk, you may not believe this, but… you were returned to us by a mammoth. A mammoth and a sloth. I swear it. The mammoth was carrying you up on it's back, and it set you down with its trunk. I'm not sure how or what really happened, but believe it or not, before we left, you walked back over to those two animals like they were your family. I'd swear that the sloth hugged you, and the mammoth picked you up by his trunk again before handing you over to me. I gave him a token in return. It was a string of beads; the only thing left for me to remember you by. I gave it to him. You were too young to remember."

Inushuk almost didn't believe his father, but he knew he would never lie to him. A mammoth and a sloth? How? As he was walking back, he remained silent in deep thought. Suddenly, he was hit with a thought, or maybe a dream. He couldn't be sure what it was. It was as if a part of a story was replaying in his head, but not enough to make sense. There were no pictures. Just sounds.


Labored breathing echoed about. A low growling could be heard over the quiet roar of water. Silence and then a great heave of breath. Wind whistled around them for a long moment before a giant splash of water. Muffled sounds echoed about, heard from under the water, and then another splash and a woman trying to catch her breath. Soon, the roar of water died down, and only a light trickle remained. The sound of hitting wet land and then the sound of something being pushed up onto a bank, and rolling a bit away before being stopped by something. A baby's giggle and a loud snort before words drifting in and out, not always audible.

"He's okay! Hey… She's gone… But you saved his life!" came a voice with an apparent lateral lisp. Then came footsteps, not very loud but very long.

"Don't worry, I'll… we don't need that… do we…"

"This… got to see," came another voice.

The sound of someone struggling before more words. "I'm okay! I'm… going to die. Ouch! Oof! Ow!"

A baby's high-pitched whoop of joy, and then the sound of a tiger's roar. Another voice, "I was returning him to his herd."

"Actually… belongs to us."

"Us?"

"There… no us"

"I see. Couldn't… need… adopt."

"Hey…"

"You calling… liar?"

"NO…"

"You were thinking…"

"I don't like… cat, he… minds.

"Oh… just a …. helping out."

"I just know where… humans are."

"Everybody knows they have a camp… other side… Glacier Pass. Come

on… I'll help… to his herd."

"Great!"

Now there were sounds of climbing again, before a soft, shocked gasp.

"I told you. Give me… baby. Unless you… how… track."

"Come on… we'll take him to… humans."

"Aw, tigey wigey… left behind."

"Tigey wigey's… lead the way."

"Better watch… back, cause… be chewing on it."

"Up here where… you! Sooner we… there, the… can get rid… drool face… the baby, too."


Inushuk shook his head, coming out of his trance a bit. That was strange. So strange. He could swear he never heard the conversation before, yet it seemed so familiar to him that he had to have heard it from somewhere. He decided to worry about it later as he saw a young woman just up ahead.

"Inushuk!" she exclaimed, running over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Kyria," he said softly, lifting her up off the ground an inch or so before setting her down. "It's a mammoth."

The woman's chocolate eyes clouded over with worry. "A mammoth? Inushuk, are you serious? Because if this is a joke, I'll kill you!"

"No joke. But don't worry. I have my choice of three hunters from the tribe to go with me. We'll be back before you know it."

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

Kyria nodded somberly. "Who are your hunters?"

Inushuk smiled. "I know the perfect men."

The warriors Inushuk had chosen seemed to be a bit of a strange bunch at first, but it didn't take one long to understand the man's choices.

His first choice had been Akalayak, his best friend while growing up. The sixteen year old man was, for one, Inushuk's most trusted companion, and was quick and agile, with much energy. He and Inushuk combined would be a force to be reckoned with.

Inushuk's second choice was Nanook, a man in his early thirties. Nanook was by far one of the strongest members of the tribe, and was very skilled with both spear and machete. He would be vital in fighting off predators and eventually bringing down a mammoth.

Lastly, Inushuk chose Tuma. Tuma wasn't strong like Nanook, and he wasn't fast like Akalayak. No, the elderly man was full of wisdom. His knowledge would be important when trying to survive in the cold valleys and his techniques in hunting would be put to good use.

That night, Inushuk fell into a deep, dream filled sleep quickly. In his dreams, faces were added to the voices he previously heard.


It was cold. The wind was chilling. The sound of a baby's cry filled the air. And there was the baby! Riding atop a giant mammoth, he was. Beside the mammoth walked a sloth, and on the other side, a saber tooth tiger.

"Hey! He's wearing one of those baby thingies!" voiced the mammoth, and after a short dispute, the sloth with a lateral lisp to his words checked the baby's diaper, throwing the clean cloth at the mammoth. After the sloth was hit by the giant animal, the baby giggled.

"That seems to be working out fabulously."

"Here! Turn him towards me!" came the sly, roughish voice of the tiger. Standing over the baby, he covered his eyes with his paws. "Where's the baby?" Then suddenly, he snapped his paws from his eyes and said, "There he is!"

The baby continued crying. "Stop it! You're scaring him!" scolded the mammoth , whacking the tiger on the head with his trunk.

They continued on their journey, coming to a cave. After so long, they entered a larger chamber with drawings on the wall. The mammoth's stare seemed transfixed on a small drawing of three mammoths. He ran his trunk along the baby mammoth, and came in contact with the human baby's hand. He drew away quickly and lifted the baby up, setting him on his back and walking off.

They exited the cave, and danger came. Before long, they were running over a narrow bridge, a river of lava on either side. The baby watched as the tiger jumped, and didn't quite make it, hanging onto the side of the wall, claws deep in the ice. The baby was handed to the sloth, and the mammoth helped the cat up, nearly dying himself.

"Why did you do that?" asked the tiger. "You could have died trying to save me."

"That's what you do in a herd. You look out for each other."


Those last words stayed with Inushuk through the whole day, not to mention the dream itself. It was pure nonsense, he was sure. The dream was simply triggered when his father told him of his past. After all, animals couldn't really talk, and to truly picture a sloth changing his own diaper. Still, there was always that possibility that it was the truth. It seemed so familiar to him, despite his own doubts and denials.

"Inushuk, what's wrong?"

The young man snapped out of his small, self-made trance at his friends words. "What? Oh, nothing, really. Anyway, back to strategy."

"Right," Akalayak said, staring curiously at Inushuk.

"Mammoths are huge animals. We'll need a great amount of skill and strength to bring one to the ground," explained Tuma. "Inushuk, keep your bow always near at hand. It will be vital, as we won't always be close. It could make the difference in this hunt.

"The goal is to trap one, as if we were tigers. Akalayak, we will need you for that. You are quick and agile. As big as mammoths are, they normally will not trample. You will need to act as two men, and cut the mammoth off when we need you to.

"Nanook, you will be an important key as well. You are tall, and very strong. It will be your job, once we have cornered the mammoth, to go for his throat. Do you all understand your positions?"

All three of the men nodded, and they all stood and exited the tent. They would at sundown.

Inushuk sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Could he do this? Mammoths were huge animals, with sharp, ivory tusks and unbelievable power. He highly doubted a spear in it's side would do it an awful lot of harm.

He lifted his hand to his mouth and whistled long and loud. When he stopped, the air seemed so silent. Then, before long, energetic barking was heard, and it didn't take long for the she-wolf to skid to a stop in front of her favorite human.

"Hey, Asungaq, you all ready?" he asked the wolf. She was a sleek, thin canine, with a long, thin nose and large, intelligent eyes. Her silver fur fell in a glossy sheet over her body, and her eyes were large and intelligent.

"We have quite an adventure ahead of us, girl," he said. Asungaq barked in reply, and looked up at him. "I know you'll do fine. And so will I."

"Inushuk!"

Inushuk looked up from his wolf at the call of his name. The sight before him made his heart melt. Kyria was running toward him. While her tanned skin seemed so fair and smooth, her eyes were clouded over with worry. Her ebony hair billowed out lightly behind her as she ran, lifted by the gentle breeze.

Inushuk caught her in his arms, holding her close to him. She buried her face into the folds of his tunic, and when she looked back up at him, her eyes glistened with silent tears.

"Kyria, please don't cry. Think about how happy we'll be after this. We'll be husband and wife, Kyria, and everything will be wonderful."

The woman took in a deep, shaky breath and laid her head yet again on his chest. "Oh, Inushuk, please be careful! If you come back hurt, I don't know what I'll do…" she said, straying off at the due to Inushuk's hand raising in the air.

"Don't you think like that. I'll make it back fine, we will be married, and we will be happy."

"I don't doubt it."

Inushuk quickly glanced around him. He could see eighteen-year-old Akalayak saying goodbye to his wife and parents. To his left, Nanook was bent down, hugging his two children. Tuma kissed his granddaughter on the cheek and stood up to hug his son. Up above him, the moon was slowly becoming visible. It was time to leave.

Inushuk dipped his head and gave Kyria a soft parting kiss before hugging her one last time and stepping away. "I'll be back, Kyria. Goodbye."


"Come on! We have to make it across the valley before sunup!" called Inushuk, running ahead of the rest of his tribe a bit, Asungaq circling his feet. She was a young wolf, but once she picked up a scent, she would never drop it until it was found. But how would she act when faced with a mammoth.

Before long, Asungaq had her nose in the melting snow, scraping at it with a paw. Then, she lifted her head and howled, indicating that she had found something. Inushuk rushed up to his wolf, bending down and squinting in the darkness to see what it was. It wasn't a mammoth track, but something much more deadly. A saber tooth tiger had been through. Maybe a pack of them. In any case, they would have to keep their guard up.

"What is it, Inushuk?" called Nanook. "What have you found?"

Inushuk stood and said, "Sabers have been this way, he said, indicating the paw print.

Tuma's frown was apparent on his face. "Sabers are not good, Inushuk. Especially if they are hungry, and especially if they are in packs. One alone is difficult to fight off.

Inushuk nodded in understanding, and motioned to Akalayak. "Scout ahead and see how much more ground we still have to cover. Take Asungaq with you. Come straight back if there's any trouble.

The young man nodded and whistled to Asungaq, running ahead of the rest, the wolf by his side.


"It's been a long time, Tuma. Do you think he's okay?" asked Inushuk, his face lined with worry. They had continued traveling, but had yet to come across Akalayak or Asungaq.

"I'm sure he's…" began the elderly man, but stopped before finishing, listening to what seemed like nothing.

Sure enough. a barking echoed in the distance, barely audible at first. "Asungaq!" cried Inushuk, breaking into a spring to meet his dog. The wolf didn't want a pat on the back, though. She seemed frantic and frightened, turning and running off in the opposite direction the minute she saw Inushuk.

"Wait!" he called, running after her. He ran for a good five minutes, often losing sight of Asungaq, before the wolf stopped. "What is it, girl?"

"Inushuk!" came the voice of his friend.

"Akalayak? Where are you?"

"Inushuk, help me!"

The hunter frantically searched for his friend, and it didn't take long to find him. The winter had only just passed, and spring had yet to completely replace it. Akalayak had been sprinting across what he thought was a frozen plane, when really it was a frozen lake, with thin, breakable ice in the middle.

"I'm coming! Try to relax!" he shouted to his friend, who was thrashing about in the small, human-sized hole he had made in the ice. He would have to be careful. He was heavier than Akalayak, and could easily fall through as well.

Not wasting a minute, he pulled the travel sack from his shoulder and dug out a thick piece of rope. He made a quick, crude harness and slipped it onto Asungaq. He lay down flat on his stomach and held tight to the rope, lips pursed, ready to signal Asungaq to pull him from the deadly waters if need be. He slid along the ice until he was about two feet from Akalayak. There, he stretched his arm out, handing the end of the rope to his friend. It was then that he felt the ice begin to crack underneath his weight. He whistled, and Asungaq trotted forward a bit, pulling him easily along the frictionless ice. The moment he was out of danger, Inushuk grabbed the rope and pulled, and before long, with some help from Tuma and Nanook when they arrived, Akalayak was sitting by a fire, still frozen to the bone.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," said Akalayak, his words shivering along with his body. "You could have fallen in, too, and then what? You could have died trying to save me."

Looking up, Inushuk took a breath and replied, "That's what you do in a herd. You look out for each other."


AN: Well, there you have it! The second chapter to my story! To be honest, I'm not real excited about this chapter. I just felt that it would be best to explain Inushuk and his problems before getting into the real plot-line of the story. Please R&R! More to be up soon! Until then! SteelersGrl36