Chapter 2

About an hour or so later, the group came upon a small valley inhabited with colorful, miniature sloths. Diego saw Sid immediately. He was the big one, at the front, being waited on. A couple of attractive female sloths were on either side of him, shading and fanning him with giant leaves. Diego felt his claws dig into the earth. What right did these little twits have to kidnap Sid and worship him? Diego had spoken to them directly, just a few days ago.

Sid was considering joining their herd. They called him 'Fire King.' Sid liked that. Diego did not. He couldn't help feeling a certain...loathing...for these creatures. Maybe it was a feeling he felt specifically toward sloths. He hadn't exactly liked Sid when he first met him, either. But these weird ones were different. They weren't pathetic in a cute way, like Sid. They were just really annoying and made Diego's flesh crawl with anger. First of all, Sid's name wasn't 'Fire King.' It was 'Lord of the Flame.' How could they mess something like that up? Second, what right did they have to just walk up and kidnap Sid back to their place whenever they wanted? Sid didn't belong to them. He wasn't part of their pack. He was part of Diego's pack. That was the way it should be.

But the third thing was even worse. They could see Sid, from where they were standing on top of a hill. He was surrounded by other sloths, most of them attractive females. They were brining him food and water, doing anything he desired. And Sid was laughing. Sid was enjoying himself. Sid liked the attention. Sid didn't mind being kidnapped by them. Sid didn't miss his herd.

Diego growled in his throat. He felt his sharp claws prick the ground. It had been so long, so long, since he'd made a kill. It would be so nice to go down there, face one of the little sloths by Sid, and give it a good swipe. Maybe even eat it.

"You'd deserve it too, you little..." Diego muttered.

"Hey, what's your problem?"

Diego looked up. Manny was looking at him.

"What?"

"You seem upset about something."

Diego shook his head. "Whatever. So what, are we gonna go down there? Get our rotting ball of fur back?"

"Come on, look," Ellie said, pointing with her trunk. Sid was being fed some grapes by one of the she-sloths next to him. Diego felt his claws prick the ground again. "When does Sid get that kind of attention from us? Look at him. He's enjoying himself."

"What, are you suggesting we just leave him?" Diego looked up at her, shocked. "He's part of our herd, he's our friend."

"Ellie has a point, though," Manny said. "Sid's happy here. Those things like him. If he'd wanted to come back, he would have done so. Maybe he will come back, later. But he's our friend. We care about him. If he's happy here, and he wants to stay with them, why force him away?"

"But..." Diego said, annoyed, and tried to think of an argument.

"I'm surprised at you, Diego," Manny said. "For someone who's always complaining about Sid, making fun of him, laughing at him, complaining whenever he touches you, you're certainly very insistent on trying to get him back."

Diego felt embarrassed and angry.

"Let him be, hon," Ellie said gently. "Maybe he'll come back later. But if this kind of pack is what he wants, you wouldn't be too good a friend by taking it away from him."

She and Manny turned around to leave, and Diego sat down on the ledge, crestfallen and baffled. It was like the world had been turned upside-down.

"Sid..." he whispered. He looked down and watched his friend for a minute. He probably would have stayed longer. He probably would have stayed there watching, until nightfall, when he could steal Sid back.

But Manny called him.

"Diego, you coming?"

"Uh, yeah," Diego said, regaining his composure. He turned his back on the sloths and began to follow the mammoths. Diego looked back at Sid one more time and saw the girl feeding him again. His insides lurched, and he forced himself to turn away. Slowly, he followed after the mammoths, back to the camp.