Chapter 3

The twins and Ellie were running around, playing, joined soon by Manny. Diego lied down by the riverbank, half-watching some birds. Thinking about Sid.

Diego sighed, and felt something tap his back. He looked over and saw Manny.

"Diego, what's up with you lately?" Manny asked.

Diego shrugged.

"Come on. We're playing your favorite game, 'eat the possums.' "

"It's not funny," Diego snapped.

Manny sighed.

"What right does he have, just leaving us like that?" Diego asked angrily. "Why would he want to live with those overgrown rats? After all we've done for him, how can he betray us like that?"

"Why are you so sensitive about this?" Manny asked exasperatedly. "So Sid found a new herd. He's happy there, Diego. You saw him. Maybe we should have given Sid more attention when he was with us."

"We've helped him out so many times! Those things tried to sacrifice him last time he was with them. I just want to...tear their little heads off."

Manny raised his eyebrows and looked down at Diego. "You don't need to be so touchy, you know. The rest of us aren't overreacting. Do we miss having Sid around? Yeah. But are we happy that he's happy in his new herd? Yeah. You seem to be the only outsider there."

"I'm not overreacting. You guys are under-reacting. Sid…those sloths…" Diego sighed. There was just no convincing the rest of them. If he wanted to get Sid back (which he really, really did, he realized with a painful twinge), he would have to do it himself.

That night, after the rest were asleep, Diego crept off into the night. He moved stealthily and silently, and snuck into the sloths' little valley. There were some sloths still awake and alert, but Diego had always been a great hunter, and part of hunting was knowing how to keep quiet and practically invisible. Fortunately, Sid was asleep, and he was a heavy sleeper. Diego carefully picked Sid up and positioned him on his back.

But even for Diego, capturing and escaping with the most guarded member of the sloth pack was no easy task. He had almost gotten away when someone noticed him.

"Tiger has the Fire King!" someone shouted. The next thing he knew, Diego had a dozen little sloths coming after him. Diego reared his head and growled loudly at them. He couldn't attack the sloths with Sid on his back, but as he had planned, the growl scared them enough to keep them from coming any closer.

Unfortunately, it also woke up Sid, who couldn't figure out where he was at first.

"Diego?" he said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving you," Diego muttered, slowly back away from the sloths.

"Fire King! Run! Save yourself!" a sloth yelled.

Diego felt his back paw make contact with something, and realized he had backed into a wall. The sloths had cornered him. He looked around. He really didn't want to have to attack. Sid might get upset with him.

"Hang on tight, Sid," Diego said.

"Why, what are you gonna…ahh!"

Diego felt Sid's furry arms clamp around his neck as he leapt over the sloths and took off at full speed.

A few more sloths tried to come after them, but Diego took a swipe at anyone who came close and kept running.

"Where are we going, Diego?"

"Back," Diego said, wishing Sid wouldn't talk. This was difficult enough without him asking questions. "Back to Manny, and Ellie, and the possums. Back to our herd, Sid."

"Oh, now it's our herd."

"It's always been our herd. Our herd that you betrayed."

"I didn't leave! They took me!"

"Then why didn't you come back?"

Sid shouted and clenched Diego tight as he made another jump over something.

"I liked that herd," Sid said. "They were good. They reshpected me."

"We respect you too, Sid. We've saved your fuzzy behind from certain death a few times. What have they done for you?"

"They like me, Diego! They gave me attention. They never made fun of me, or…or made sarcastic comments about me, or laughed at me. They liked me. I liked living with them."

Diego stopped running. He shook himself so Sid fell off.

"Whoa," Sid said, and got back to his feet. "You didn't need to do that."

"Fine," Diego said, glaring at Sid.

"What?"

"Fine! Go back to your precious sloth herd! Let them worship you! Let the girls wait on you every minute! Fine! Go! Get out of here!"

"Diego, I—"

"What?" Diego realized his breathing was heavy. "What?"

Sid looked out at the horizon, where the sun was starting to come up. They could see their herd from here, the mammoths stood out very well. "I didn't say I wanted to leave. You guys were the first herd that ever accepted me. You're my friends. You're my family. If you want me back, I'll stay. I just…didn't expect you to come sneaking in in the dead of night and attacking all my friends." Slowly he approached Diego, and tenderly laid a hand on his back.

"Don't touch me," Diego said softly.

"But I did miss you," Sid said. "I…I guess I'm glad you came back for me. Just…next time, don't be so angry about the whole thing."

"Yeah, whatever," Diego said. "Just please get your hand off my back."

"Fine," Sid said, letting go. Neither of them moved for a minute; they just sat there, looking at the sun.

"So," Diego said briskly. "Can you walk back or are you so used to being pampered that you need me to carry you?"

"I can walk," Sid said, and the two of them headed down to the camp, where the other members of their herd were just awakening.