Ice Age: Collision Course

by Mysticrose2217

With Peaches engaged, Diego now mated and Manny and Ellie celebrating their anniversary, it seems everyone in the herd has somebody to love. Everyone except Sid and Sassy that is. And when a deadly asteroid threatens the entire earths survival Sid wonders if he'll ever find love and Sassy begins to question her place in the herd. T for language and discussion of rape.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC's. Everything belongs to Blue Sky Studios.

The universe...a vast expanse of space and matter. It includes all that we see and all that we know. Since the beginning of time, we've wondered how it came to be. A gloriously orchestrated plan? A chance series of events? Or something much, much...dumber?

And so it begins...

Sassy watched Manny play hockey with Peaches from a distance. She enjoyed observing the father and daughter. Peaches had grown so much. It was hard to believe she was going to be married in a few weeks. She laughed to herself as she watched her niece beat Manny at his own game. She was so much more mature than she had been when they'd first come to their new home. Thank God the rage teenage hormones and obsession over boys was over. Sassy cringed just at the thought. That had been a very rough time for not only Manny and Ellie but the entire herd. It didn't help that a deranged monkey with a pirate crew was trying to kill them either.

Sassy cringed and shook that memory away as she walked through the woods and toward the pleasure pools where the animals went to relax. She was more than happy to never relive any of that escapade ever again. The only good thing that had come out of it was Shira. Sassy smirked and nearly laughed out loud at the thought of Diego's new mate. The day he and Shira had finally announced that they were a couple was one Sassy would never forget in a million years.

(Flashback) Diego came crashing through the forest and emerged in the clearing, panting hard. Sassy and the rest of the herd looked at him like he was crazy.

"What's got you running for your life?" Sassy asked her best friend.

"Take a wild guess!" Diego replied and looked behind him in a panic just in time to see the silver sabress leap out of the bushes and tackle the male to the ground.

"The next time you say males are stronger than females, I'll give you something to remember my strength by!" Shira said and growled down at the golden saber. Sassy's brow arched.

"He said that?" She glowered at him for a moment and then turned, flicking her tail in the air.

"Diego could you and your girlfriend have this out somewhere else please? Peaches met another delinquent that she wants to date."

"Dad! Jullian is not a delinquent!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Diego hollered out and Shira's jaw dropped.

"Oh I'm not huh!?" She smirked evilly and casting a secret look to Sassy, leaned down to his ear and whispered just loud enough for the whole herd to hear. "You sure fooled me last night tiger." Then she pushed off him and went to sit prettily by a smug Sassy, leaving a very flushed, embarrassed and angry Diego on the ground. Diego stood abruptly and marched straight for the female, seeming to gain confidence.

"If that's how you're going to play it then maybe you should just be my mate for real!" He all but shouted.

"Maybe I should!" Shira shot back.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"..."

"Um...What just happened?"

Of course Sassy had taken great pleasure in teasing the saber for weeks afterwards. For all his grief about never wanting to find a mate and never giving into the charms of a female, he sure fell hard fast for Shira. Sassy entered the clearing and saw that many mammals were enjoying the pools today. She looked around and saw the very saber couple that had just been on her mind in one smaller pool that was just big enough and deep enough for the two of them to swim around in a little. Apparently, Diego was teaching his mate how to swim. Sassy chuckled as she watched Shira flounder and go under only for Diego to shoulder her up and lick her cheek comfortingly and the female got more and more frustrated.

Eventually, Shira seemed to get the hang of it and the two exited the pool as Manny came into the clearing. Shira ran off after something in the bushes and Diego went to join Manny for a drink. Sassy made her way over to them, startling when an antelope cane charging out of the bushes in a panic with a very determined and growling Shira on his hooves.

"Please don't eat me!" He yelped and Shira roared. Sassy shook her head in amusement and approached the boys.

"Women." Diego sighed.

"Women." Manny echoed.

"Women." The hyrax bartender chimed in in his squeaky voice.

"Excuse me, what about women?" Sassy asked pointedly, her brow arching quizzically and a dare in her voice. The hyrax eeped and scurried away while Manny and Diego looked at her guiltily.

"Nothing!" They said in unison.

"Mmmhmm." Sassy hummed sarcastically. Just then Sid came waddling blindly up to the group, his eyes and nose red and swollen.

"Hello?"

"And speaking of weird." Diego said absently and Sassy eyed him warningly.

"Anybody there! Marco! Polo!" Sid stumbled straight in Manny's backside. "Oh hey Manny! Ew your breath smells awful!"

"What happened to you?" Diego asked.

"Oh nothing. Everything's great! Fabulous! Zippidy dippidy!"

"Lemme guess...she dumped you." Diego said, referring to the insane plan Sid had to propose to his girlfriend of one date.

"What is wrong with me!?" Sid cried and downed the last of the saber's drink. "Everybody has somebody, and all I've got are my boyish good looks and This mariachi band!" A mariachi band started playing, seeming to appear from nowhere. Sid sobbed and blew his nose in what looked like poison ivy. Sassy rolled her eyes.

"Sid you're over reacting. There's nothing wrong with you and there is a girl out there for you. You just haven't found her yet. And you're forgetting that you're not the only one in this herd who doesn't have a mate."

"But I'm not a strong and independent woman like you! I need love!" Sid cried and blew his nose again. Then started scratching it. "Oh so ichy!" Manny sighed, exasperated.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up." He wrapped his trunk around Sid's neck and picked him up. They started to walk away when Shira came bounding up to them.

"What happened to him? Wait, she dumped him?"

"Bingo." Sassy said.

"We're gonna take care of him like the nurse maids that we are." Diego snarked. Shira rolled her eyes and started to follow the boys when Sassy stopped her.

"Wait Shira! The thing! We forgot the thing!" Shira's eyes widened in horror.

"Oh shoot the thing!"

"What thing?" All three males asked in unison.

"Nothing!" The females yelled and then turned on their tails and ran off. The boys looked at each other.

"Women."

"Are you positive he forgot?" Shira asked Sassy as they fled through the woods to put their plan into motion.

"Believe me, Manny is not a romantic. He wouldn't remember a thing like his wedding anniversary. Plus he's a male." Shira nodded.

"Yeah ok you got me there." They reached the spot and moved quietly so Ellie and Peaches a few hundred feet away wouldn't hear them. They were busy setting up the surprise party. Sassy moved their bags sulfer, charcoal and potassium nitrate mixed with different colored salts and metals into a makeshift catapult. She made sure the fuses stuck out and they quickly made a small campfire and stuck a torch in. One might ask how a wolf and sabress were so knowledgeable. (Its a story just go with it) "Are we sure this is going to work?" Shira asked her wolf friend. Sassy shrugged.

"I guess we'll find out." Shira studied Sassy for a moment.

"You know, I've noticed that you seem to have kind of a strong dislike of men." Sassy looked up at Shira questioningly.

"Where did this come from? My best friends are males."

"I just mean in general. Whenever you talk about them, you usually only have negative things to say. Why?" Sassy was quiet for a moment and then sighed.

"I don't have a good history with men Shira." Her ears perked up and she heard Manny and Diego's voices over Sid's wailing. "I'll tell you about it later. The boys are coming and we need to make sure Ellie's ready." They ran over to warn Ellie and the crowd and then slunk back to be ready to act. Sassy waited by the strings of the catapult and Shira stood huddled in the bushes closer to the party so she could signal Sassy when it was time.

Ellie shouted out a surprise to Manny while hanging by her tail and the party people cheered for her.

"Happy anniversary Honey!" She exclaimed and Sassy smiled at Ellie's enthusiasm. And as Sassy had predicted, when they asked what Manny got Ellie, he tried to cover it up and it was revealed that he had forgotten. Shira gave Sassy the signal and Sassy grabbed the torch and lit the fuses then cut the ropes, sending the bags launching into the sky and exploding in a dazzle of light and color. The females ran back to the party to observe the reactions as everyone oohed and ahhed at the fireworks.

"Awe he didn't forget! That's how big Manny's love is for her!" A mammal said.

"Nice aim with the fireworks." Manny and Sid said together and started to fistbump when they realized what they'd just said. "Wait you didn't do this? Then who did?" The again asked in unison. Sassy and Shira fistbumped. As Ellie fawned over her gift Diego approached the female predators with a knowing look in his eye.

"I take it you two are responsible for this." The females both gave him wide eyed, innocent expressions.

"Who, us?" They asked. Diego chuckled and touched foreheads with Shira.

"Looking out for us dumb boys like always, huh?" Sassy smirked and stood.

"I'll leave you two alone." She said and winked at Shira before trotting off to get some food.

Sassy walked around, mingling with the party guests. It almost seemed like the entire continent had shown up, there were so many mammals. Suddenly a scent drifted across her nose and her senses went on high alert. She turned toward the scent and raised her nose in the air, sniffing cautiously. A faint snarl worked its way onto her maw. It was the scent of another wolf, male she guessed. The smell wasn't very strong but it was there none the less, which meant the wolf was in the general vicinity.

Sassy lowered her nose and slowly turned back towards the party. Chances were it was just a loner passing through. She didn't smell any others so he was definitely alone. She decided to let it go but keep her guard up. She padded back to where Sid, Diego and Shira were enjoying the drinks and food. Manny and Ellie seemed to be in a very heated conversation with Peaches and Jullian. Sassy rolled her eyes. Manny was so overprotective of Peaches it was ridiculous. She grabbed a mango and had only taken a few bites when Sid tapped her and Diego on the shoulder.

"Uh, does that look like a problem to you guys?" He pointed up to the sky. Sassy followed his finger and her eyes widened. She looked at Diego in horror and the saber had much the same reaction.

"A ball of fire headed directly for us? Why would that be a problem?" Diego snarked and hurried over to Manny, Sassy right on his heel.

"What if you fall in a ditch and get amnesia? What then?" Manny was asking Peaches, rather distressed.

"Manny, we have a problem." Diego said, jumping up and placing his front paws on the rocks where the mammoths were standing.

"Not now, I have a problem."

"This ones a little bigger."

"Don't think so!"

"Manny!"

"What!?" The mammoth finally turned to the predators after they scolded him in unison. Diego grabbed Manny's tusk and turned his head up towards the sky so he could see the fireball. Manny gasped and fell over onto his back.

"Manny?" Ellie asked, concerned about her mate. Manny righted himself and looked around in a panic.

"Uh ok! Party's over everyone! Thank you for coming! Have a good night and leave right now!"

"What are you talking about? The party just got started." Ellie chided.

"Yeah just...yaaaaaawwww! Just getting kinda sleepy!" Manny yawed dramatically. "Everyone should go and duck, possibly cover!" He grabbed Ellie by the trunk and tried to pull her away. Ellie separated herself from him.

"Hey, what's gotten into you?" She turned toward the sky and gasped when she saw the fireball fly over the trees and plummet straight into the forest not too far away.

"There's more coming!" Someone cried as dozens more cane raining down, hurtling straight for the group.

"Meteor shower!" Someone else yelled as the animals scattered, running from the fireballs.

"Meteor!?" Eddie gasped in horror. Crash sniffed his arm pit.

"Shower?"

"Would you two move!" Sassy yelled and picked the two up in her mouth and flung them toward the mammoths. She looked up just in time to see a Meteor hit the hyrax stone statue and the debris cave down in her direction. She jumped out of the way and skittered across the ground, her paws sliding in the dirt.

"I suppose this is all part of your magic show for me!?" Ellie asked Manny angrily.

"Heh heh, abracadabra?" Manny said sheepishly.

"Ellie this isn't Manny's fault, it's nature throwing a tantrum!" Sassy said.

"Can't you guys do this later?!" Peaches asked.

"Come on! We need to take cover!" Diego exclaimed and the herd ran for the lake where there was a cave. Animals ran around frantically, in a total panic. Another meteor hit the ground, sending two screeching marsupials into the air.

"Incoming!" Ellie yelled.

"Those are ours!" Manny identified the airborne mammals. He continued to run with Granny on his back as he held out his trunk and caught the two opossums. "You ok!? How many tusks do you see?"

"Tree!"

"Three!?"

"No, tree!" Eddie cried and pointed behind the herd. A redwood cane crashing down behind them, narrowly missing the fleeing herd. A ginormous Meteor was right behind it as it landed and rolled after them in a fiery trail. They reached the pond.

"Everybody jump!" Manny exclaimed and they did, jumping onto the ice and ducking as the meteor flew over their heads and landed smack dab in the middle of the pond. The ice cracked and sizzled with the heat as the ran around it to get to the other side. "The cave! Get inside! Move! Move!" Manny ordered, taking charge. Sassy rushed in last right before Manny, just like him making sure that everyone was safely inside. The herd huddled together against the cave wall, cowering at every blow and explosion outside as the meteors continued to rain down. Sid clung to Ellie's leg and the opossums played dead as they tended to do when they were frightened.

A particularly large one landed very close, shaking the cave and causing rocks and dust to fall. Peaches yelped and ran for Jullian, who wrapped his trunk securely around his fiancé.

"It's ok sweetheart. Daddy's...," Manny trailed off when he saw the two and Sassy caught the look of sadness cross his face. Peaches was running for someone else to comfort her now. Another one hit and Manny and Ellie huddled their heads together and Diego and Shira curled into each other as well, Diego's body slightly in front of Shira's just in case something got through. Had it been different circumstances, Sassy would've smiled. After a few moments no more meteors hit and the herd looked up.

"Hey it sounds like it's slowing down! Yup, it's definitely over!" Sid said, hurrying to the entrance to look out. Before anyone could tell him to get back, one more hit, sending ash and sparks flying to the cave. When the dust cleared Ellie turned Sid around, who was completely crispy and covered with ash save for two little embers that glowed on his chest like...

Sassy shook her head. "Except for that one." Sid said stiffly.

"We might want to think about moving under ground for a while." Manny suggested.

—

Deep down, underneath the ice, in the land of the dinosaurs, a particularly one-eyed weasel stood under a small, cliff waterfall, rinsing his fur out when he heard the sound of a mommy triceratops wailing in agony. He peaked out from behind his leaf cover and saw the three dino-birds were at it again. He sighed and then grinned crazily. Time to have some fun.

"Figaro! Figaro Figaro Figaro Fiiiiiiiiiigarooooo!" He sang in opera. "With you in a minute! I'll hav' to uh, rinse and repeat!" He yelled to the Dino-birds and stuck his head back under the water.

"Oh that weasel is such a buzzkill! Let's go kids!" The father of the other two feathery reptiles said. Buck threw back his leaf curtain and dried off with another palm.

"Don' worry ma'am. I'll catch the crew tha' poached your egg!" He assured the distressed mommy. He took a sip of his coconut and threw it over his shoulder, laughing. "It's a pun! I'm winkin' under the eyepatch!" He fell backwards and freefell off the cliff as he continued his opera. "A mother is crying, a damsel in distress!" He threw the exploding berries into the father and his daughters eyes, rendering them temporarily blind. He landed on the skinny little son that had the egg and plucked a feather from his head. "Foreboding intruders you'll find such a mess! What I detect is a lack of respect, for all that is precious and dear!" He tickled the bird's foot until he let go of the egg and made him bite his own tail when Buck snatched it up. He jumped and rocketed upward. "I am the pint-sized protector of this lost world! But my friends call me Buck!"

One of them rammed him into the cliff face, causing him to let go of the egg. "Well played guys!" He commended then started singing again as he shot off a rock and grabbed the egg out of the father's beak. "I have a message! Bullies not welcome! Return what you've stolen! Go back where you came from!" He stabbed his tooth knife into the cliff and slid down at incredible speeds with the egg still in his arms as the Dino-birds rushed after him. "Lalalalalalalalala! You know I'm greater so don't be a hater! You may be Jurassic but I am fantastic! Figaro!" He jumped into a crevice and flung his knife into the stone for dramatic effect as the father snapped angrily at him, his beak wedged in between the rocks and in able to reach the weasel.

"Figaro Figaro Figaro fiiiiiiiigarooooo!" Came the echo. Buck sighed happily and leaned against the bird's beak.

"Ah, love that bit!" He grabbed his knife and charged down the crevice slide till he came out of the cliff. "Running and climbing and spinning and gritting and dashing and diving and dodging and sliding and staying alive these are a few of the things that I do before lunch! Death defying! Danger denying! Look I'm flying! You might think I'm mad but hey! You only live once!" He landed smoothly on the ground after falling and taunting the Dino-birds. He kept singing as he dodged the birds arial attacks. "No need to thank me! But if you insist I won't resist. Who smells like fish!?" The Dino-birds hesitated, closing their once wide open beaks in preparation to eat the weasel and the egg. "Hold onto your butts! Class...diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis...," the earth began to shake and the cliff behind them crumbled, sending an avalanche of rocks down that the Dino-birds couldn't get away from fast enough, unlike Buck who just rolled down the hill on the egg, still holding his opera high note the whole time. He jumped up on a rock once he knew the birds were buried. "...miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissed!" The coconut landed in his hand. He drank, then threw it behind him, causing an explosion behind him.

The mommy triceratops roared and came running up to Buck. He grinned and presented her the egg.

"Here you are my lady." She chortled happily and licked Buck's cheek. Then the baby popped out of her egg and kissed Buck before popping back down. Buck chuckled but then gasped as the rocks began to shift. "Go! I'll lead them away!" He told the mommy, who took her egg and ran off quickly. Buck his their retreat with palm branches and grabbed a vine as the Dino-birds poked their heads out of the rocks. "Well that was fun! Same time same place next week?" He asked the reptiles as he pushed a rock that the vine was tethered to off the cliff. "Toodles!" He called as the rock falling sent the vine upward and Buck flying through the air.

"Congratulations weasel. You just signed your death warrant!" The father said after him. Buck didn't hear the threat very well so he chose to ignore it as he sailed through the air. He leisurely placed his arms behind his head and relaxed.

"Weaseled my way out of that one." He said to himself. He looked up and saw flashing lights hitting the ice sky above. "What's al' that flash an' dazzle about?" He again asked himself before sailing straight, headfirst into a tall rock. Buck groaned. "Who puts a rock in the middle of the jungle!?" He cried out as he fell and plummeted straight down a narrow hold in the ground. He slid down it at high speeds, screaming all the way until he finally reached the bottom and got tangled in a vine, the vine breaking his fall. He opened his eyes and hmmed quietly. Getting to his feet, he walked down a pinkish hallway, the light getting brighter the further he went. Pretty soon his stealth reflexes kicked in and he was slinking around, tying not to be seen by anything that might be lurking.

"Gah!" He yelled, wielding his knife at...nothing. He cautiously stepped forward and moved aside a couple hangin vines to reveal a room of sorts, with stone pillars and steps that were overgrown by vines and ivy. Buck's eyes grew wide. "Blimey!" He said in awe. "Whot is this place?" He walked in, looking around at the place until stepping on something that gave way slightly under him. "Whoops!" He looked down and lifted his foot up. The stone with peculiar markings sank in and a giant, stone, triangular pillar rose up from the floor, reaching towards the sky. It also had odd markings on it. Buck stepped forward, squinting as he tried to analyze the images. He gasped at what he saw.

Back up in the land of ice, the herd remained huddled further in the cave, waiting until they thought the meteor shower might be over. Sassy, against her own common sense, had crept further into the cave while no one was looking. She smelled him again. The wolf from earlier. He was in the cave with them. She needed to find him, she wanted to know who he was and why he was here, alone, without a pack. She sighed and was just about to turn back when a ray of light caught her eye. She nosed her way through the loose rocks until her head poked out. The shower was over, and devastation was everywhere. Her ears pulled back and she ducked back into the cave and ran back to the others. They went out of the cave by way of entrance, Manny and Ellie pushing aside the boulders and trees that had fallen across the entrance. They walked out and to the edge of the cliff, where they looked out across the valley. Or at least, what used to be the valley.

Glowing purple, gigantic holes in the earth were a clear sign of how big the meteors had been. They were everywhere. It was a complete mess. A roaring sound came from the north of them and they all turned their heads toward the purple light coming from the earth, illuminated by steam and smoke. The herd started walking toward the noise and Sassy brought up the rear. Suddenly her ears perked straight up and her fur stood on end. She crouched down and snarled at in the direction of some smoldering bushes.

"Sassy?" Diego called. Ignoring her friend's call, Sassy barked angrily and dove for the bush. She collided with another furry animal and they tumbled back a few feet until halting, Sassy on top of the mammal. She growled down at the male wolf, who looked surprised but just as angry as she was.

"I knew I smelled you! Who are you and why are you following my herd?" She pinned him down harder into the ground.

"Get a grip missy I wasn't following anyone! I ran from that meteor shower and just happened to end up in the same cave as you and your so called "herd!" He snarled back at her.

"Sassy! What's going on!?" Diego yelled and leaped over the bushes to join her, Shira by his side and the rest of the herd right behind them. Diego stared down at the male wolf and then looked back at Sassy. "Who's that?"

"I was just asking him the same question." Sassy answered, keeping her attention fixed on the wolf. "What's your name?"

"My name is I wish you'd get off me!" The wolf pushed at Sassy's chest, his powerful form counteracting hers. She grunted, not wanting to relinquish her hold but he was very strong. She was forced off him and the two came to a stand off, each glaring the other down.

"Ok ok everybody calm down." Manny said. "We don't have the time for this right now. So just go back to your pack or whatever and we'll forget this ever happened."

"He doesn't have a pack. Not with him at least." Sassy said. The strange wolf glared at her.

"I take it you could smell that too?" She smirked smugly. The wolf rolled his eyes. "The name's Denali. Miss smarty tail over here is right, I have no pack. I'm a loner." Sassy bristled slightly but remained silent.

"Were you following us?" Diego asked directly. Denali shook his large head. He dwarfed Sassy by a good couple inches in overall body mass.

"Like I told her, I got caught in this mess and ended up in the same cave as you guys. I knew she smelled me and didn't want to encounter another of my kind so I stayed hidden. The only reason she caught me was because I had just come out when you guys were moving past the entrance."

"So you say." Sassy remarked. It was clear she didn't believe the male. Another roar echoed from the north and they all turned toward it.

"Look we gotta go see what's going on." An idea began to form in Diego's head and he tried to hold back a smirk. "Why don't you join us?" Both Denali and Sassy looked at him like he was crazy.

"Shira has Diego been feeling alright? Cause I think he's gone a little insane!" She said harshly, making her point very clear to the Saber. Diego shrugged and they all started walking.

"Do what you want. Maybe we might find some answers down here though." Sassy glared after her friends tail and then looked back at Denali, a scowl still on her maw. Denali sighed and stared her straight in the eyes, his glowing amber reflecting her own.

"Look, I don't relish the thought of being near you any more than you do me, but it's not good for mammals to be separate in a situation like this. Surely you understand that."

"Are asking if I'll let you stay with us until this is over?" Sassy asked incredulously. Denali shrugged.

"I don't really wanna be on my own while all of this is going on. I'm not afraid to admit that." Sassy didn't say anything for a moment. Then she turned and stalked off on her tail.

"Whatever." She muttered. She caught up with her herd and wasn't surprised when Denali followed her. He seemed to be genuinely afraid of what had happened. And who in their right mind wouldn't be? Normally wolf pride prevented assertion of that fact to others. It was...interesting. They approached the hole where the roar was coming from and Manny braved going to the edge.

"Uh, hello?" He called. A moment of silence and then a huge shadow reared up and more roaring sounded, louder this time. Manny yelled and jumped back, standing next to Ellie. The shadow continued to move like something was trying to climb up through the hole. The roaring turned into what sounded like deep angry grunts. Sid yelled and clambered onto Diego and Manny wrapped his trunk around Ellie, pulling her closer. Sassy's fur bristled and she growled...and was shocked when Denali's hackles rose as well. The shadow came closer and closer until finally...

"Rahhh! Oh! Hello Mammals!" Buck said happily as he appeared at the edge of the hole, holding something up by a vine, his knife digging into the earth. Sassy breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her hackles. Denali kept his up but didn't growl, just looked around quizzically.

"Hi Buck!" Crash said, waving. Buck stood, struggling with the vine.

"Hi! Ahhhhhhh!" He let go of the vine with one hand to wave back and it pulled him back into the hole with lightening speed.

"Bye Buck!" Eddie waved. The vine swung up and hooked around Buck's knife handle.

"Uh, a lil' help!?" He called. Manny grasped the knife and groaned as he pulled. Buck He it stuck good. He yanked hard enough that the whatever was attached to the vine came flying up and a screaming Buck with it. A large pillar landed in the snow and Buck smashed into the top, then fell to the ground with a thud. He stood and groaned, twisting his long body around itself. "Oh right on the spleen! Utterly useless but it totally hurts!" He poked the organ that seemed to be sticking out and Sassy cringed. The herd walked toward the weasel.

"Hey Buck! Welcome back buddy!"

"Wait, this half a snack is a dinosaur whisperer?" Shira asked her mate. Buck skittered over to her and grabbed her paw.

"And expert salsa dancer! Ya da da da dada, bah bah da do whoo!" He did a little dance with Shira's paw acting as his partner. "I have one eye, but all my original teeth. Would you like to count them? Ahh!" He opened his mouth wide to the sabress. Shira's ears flattened.

"No thank you!" She said hurriedly and leaned away from the weasel. Diego just stood there grinning. Buck closed his mouth and grinned wildly at Sassy, who smirked back. The weasel sauntered over to her.

"How are ya doin' wolf?" He asked and before she could answer his attention turned to Denali and he smirked and winked at Sassy. "Finally land yourself a mate there mate?" Sassy's eyes grew wide.

"What!?"

"Whoa buddy you got it all wrong. We're just...acquaintances." Denali said, struggling to find the right word. Buck nodded slowly and continued to smirk.

"Sure wolf. You keep tellin' yourself that. By th' way, ya found one hell of a female." Buck turned away from the flustered wolves and hurried onto Jullian's back.

"And this must be...Nectarine!" He said, beaming at Peaches. The female blushed.

"Uh, Peaches." She gently corrected the weasel.

"Semantics my dear. I am deeply honored." He took Peaches trunk and kissed it, making the mammoth blush again.

"Nice eyepatch! Very gangsta'!" Jullian said.

"Thank you! I like this kid!" He said, winking at Peaches.

"Buck what are you doing here?" Manny asked.

"Well I...I'm trying! But how do you tell someone they're doomed?!" Buck asked a tree stump down on the ground. He turned back towards the herd. "He's stumped. Hahaha!"

"We're not doomed Buck. It was just a meteor shower and the show's over." Buck leaped onto Manny's face.

"Oh quite the contrary ole' chap...it's just beginning. Ye see, I found a prophecy!" Out of nowhere suspenseful drumming got louder and louder until Manny grabbed the sticks out of the opossum brothers hands that they were using to beat against hollow logs.

"Do you mind?" He asked. The brothers pouted.

"Boy he really sucks the fun out of everything." Crash complained.

"Fun sucker!" Eddie accused!

"I've read this tablet front to back and the story it tells is very disturbing." Buck told the group and gestured to the large stone tablet. "Every hundred million years or so, the world gets a cosmic cleansing. Before the dinosaurs there were these horseshoe...crab looking thingies...blagh! Yuck! Then at the bottom this mountain range, an asteroid hit. Boom! Bye bye! Next: dinosaurs. Mountain range, asteroid. Boom! Bye bye! Next: mammals. Mountain range, asteroid, boom. Buh bye!" He said mournfully.

"Ha! Stupid mammals!"

"That's us!"

"..." Eddie screamed. Buck looked up.

"And there she is! The mother of all asteroids, screaming towards us! Even going under ground won't save us this time!"

"Hey that wasn't there before. And look what it's doing to the sky." Diego said.

"No worries! Cause I got a plan!" Buck exclaimed.

"Really? To stop an asteroid? How exactly are we going to do that?" Manny asked.

"Look," Buck scurried back to the tablet and pointed. "The last two asteroids have pummeled the earth in the same exact spot and it's abou' to do it again! We got to go ther' and figure out why it's going there, we can figure out how to send it somewhere else!"

"That plan is so dumb I wish it had a face so I could smack it!" Granny said.

"So lemme get this straight. Instead of running away from a deadly asteroid you want us to run directly towards it?"

"I know it sounds suboptimal. But the good news is it'd kill us no matta' where we went!" Buck told Manny.

"Well, that's reassuring." Sassy snarked.

"Ok even if we get to the crash sight, how are we supposed to change what is literally written in stone?" Manny questioned.

"Ah my cynical friend. The Dinos were wiped off the face of the earth but some escaped!" Buck hopped on top of the pillar. "They changed our fate and we can change ours too! Who's with me!?" The herd blinked and then silently gathered around in a circle, heads close together.

"So? What do ya think?" Manny asked the group.

"Honestly, I'm worried the weasel is right." Ellie said.

"No! Don't listen to the weasel, he's a ravin loon!" Buck called in a high pitched voice, a vine wrapped around his fashionably and a leaf hat with a pink flower on his head. "Heh heh sorry! I just live playing devils advocate. And looking faaaaabbuuloussss!" He sang and then sauntered away, hips swinging.

"Well Buck has saved our lives before right?" Diego asked.

"But what if he can't this time?" Shira countered.

"I don't know what to think. But I'm worried our lives will be over before they even begin." Peaches said sadly. Jullian encircled her trunk with his in comfort.

"I trust Buck. He knows what he's doing." Sassy piped up. The herd looked to her. "Look he might be crazy and reckless, but how are we any different? We all decided to be just as crazy by becoming a herd and we've survived this long. I don't plan to go down without a fight." She glanced at Denali, who was looking at her. He didn't seem surprised or confused or anything really. He just looked at her. Manny nodded and walked over to Buck, who was prying the pillar's tablets out with his knife.

"Ok! I guess we're in." He told the weasel.

"Crash and Eddie reporting for duty!" The twins said in unison, saluting. "Haha...doody." Eddie snickered and they broke up laughing.

"Excellent! And dirty word processed! Now, we better get on the road because time till impact is roughly two days, four hours, one minute and 16 seconds...15 seconds...14 seconds...,"

"I think we get it." Diego said, halting his countdown.

"I think we're all gonna get it." Manny said as the herd started walking and immediately went through a patch of fog. Jullian laughed.

"We look so cool!" He said to Manny and then promptly tripped over a branch and went sprawling. Manny snickered to himself. Sassy shook her head.

"Do we really know what this weasel is talking about?" Denali asked. Sassy looked at him and shrugged.

"Buck and this herd go way back. Back to when Peaches was just being born. We trust him with our lives." Denali nodded, like that was good enough for him. "Are you coming on this crazy trip when you don't even know if you'll end up living?" Sassy asked.

"Hey I'll end up dying anyway so I might as well see the adventure. If you don't mind that is." He looked her in the eye. "If you really want me to I'll leave." Sassy was taken aback and at a loss for words.

"N-no it's fine." She stammered and then looked back at the road quickly. She didn't like the way her heart had just begun to flutter. She didn't like it one bit.

—

Sassy trotted along with Denali at the back of the herd, watching her family in front of her. Manny and Ellie were walking together, ahead of them Jullian and Peaches paired together, and the opossum twins scoured after Buck, repeating everything the crazy weasel did in hopes it would make them as awesome as he was. Sid walked around, mingling with everybody and then headed up for the younger mammoth couple. Diego and Shira padded along just ahead of the wolves, their heads close together and their bodies nearly touching. Sassy couldn't hold back a smile.

"How long have you been in this...herd?" Denali asked out of the blue. Sassy looked at him.

"A long time. A very long time." She considered it for a while and found herself stumped. "When this herd started it was just me, Diego, Manny and Sid."

"What about Manny's mate and everyone else?"

"Manny met Ellie a little while after we'd been a herd. She thought she was a opossum." Denali looked at her like she had three heads. Sassy chuckled.

"Long story short, she was separated from her family when she was a baby and was taken in by a mother opossum and her idiot sons." She rolled her eyes. "I guess it kinda just got engrained on her physique." Denali shrugged.

"Makes sense. So what about the other two mammoths and the sabress? And what's with that weasel?" Sassy laughed.

"I guess we are an interesting bunch aren't we?" Denali appraised her whole form, then came back to her eyes.

"Definitely interesting." She felt her throat tighten. That comment didn't feel directed at the herd.

"A-anyway...Peaches is Manny and Ellie's daughter and Jullian is her fiancé. We met Buck when Ellie was still pregnant with Peaches. That is a very long story that I will tell you about later. And Shira is the newest member of our herd. She's Diego's mate."

"Obviously. Those two can't stay away from each other." Sassy smiled at the sabers.

"No they can't can they?" She studied them and noticed Shira was swaying slightly on her paws and her back was arching oddly. Alarm bells went off in Sassy's brain in concern for the tigress. "Do me a favor?" She asked Denali.

"Do I have to?" She glared at him and he rolled his eyes. "Yeah what?"

"Distract Diego."

"What how?"

"I don't know. But keep him away from Shira!" Sassy bounded off and hoped Denali knew how to do that simple task. She slunk near the sabers and Denali surprisingly came through.

"Hey do you two smell something odd?" He asked, running up to the sabers. Now that Sassy could see them fully, she found Shira turning an odd color under her fur and a glaze come over her eyes. She looked like she was about to be sick. Diego moved with Denali over to the other side of the path and Sassy jumped at the chance.

"Shira!" She hissed and the sabress looked over in her direction in alarm but then it quickly changed to relief.

"Sassy...theres something wrong...," she said weakly and stumbled a little. Sassy quickly moved to her side and helped her behind a boulder just in time for Shira to empty the contents of her stomach. Sassy waited and kept her fur on Shira's, giving her the extra warmth for strength.

"Are you ok?" Sassy asked after she had finished. Shira nodded, her color returning.

"Yeah. This happened a few days ago too. I think I've got a stomach bug or something." Sassy arched her brows.

"How many days ago?"

"Day before last. Why?" Sassy was silent for a moment then shrugged it off.

"Oh nothing. You're probably right."

"Don't tell Diego. He'll just worry about me." She said. Sassy nodded.

"Don't worry it's our secret." Shira smiled and the two nuzzled briefly in friendship and then Shira moved back on the path to meet Diego. Denali came up to Sassy.

"Well? What was that about?"

"Shira. She's sick. Or so she says. But don't mention it to any of the others."

"What do you mean so she says?" Sassy looked after the departing sabers and studied Shira, the way she walked and carried herself. Her weight seemed to be slightly off. Sassy's eyes narrowed.

"I've got a hunch...but it'll take a few more days for me to be sure." She said. "Thanks for distracting him for me." Denali nodded and the two ran ahead to catch up with the others.

"Found it!" Buck hollered and held up a rock. "Behold mammals! A sneak preview of the asteroid to come! A space rock! Fresh from the cosmos!" He licked the rock and hummed a bit. "Mmm mm I taste iron, carbon...oh! And a hint of nickel! Ah...space tastes lonely..," he said, petting the rock.

"Hey look I found another one!" Crash called, picking up a rock.

"Me too!" Eddie echoed. Suddenly the two were flung together, the rocks squishing them together. Another one flew up and attached to Buck's, which the weasel looked at curiously. "Hey, yours is attracted to me!"

"No yours is attracted to me!" The brothers argues as they tried to separate themselves from the rocks. They screamed when a whole bunch of them came flying around them, encasing the twins in a space rock bubble. "Ohh! We're just too attractive!"

"Stupendous. Now we have something to play with during our final hours." Diego remarked sarcastically.

"You're missing the point tiger! They're magnets!" He pulled them apart and they came back together. Then he threw one up in the air and it immediately flew back down to attach to its mate. "And if these space rocks are magnetic, then so is that!" He pointed toward the glowing asteroid in the sky. "This can only mean one thing!" Buck declared.

"And that would be...?" Crash asked. Buck appeared behind the twins and licked both of his index digits and placed them in their foreheads.

"Allow me." The two got a weird look on their faces as Buck continued to grin and after a while they came out of it. Sassy and Denali looked at each other and Sassy shook her head.

"Don't ask." She muttered, as much to herself as to Denali.

"Oh so we just need to go to the crash site and launch a bunch of rocks into space. That's easy right?" Eddie asked nonchalantly.

"Oh yeah, sounds like a real piece of cake." Manny drawled.

"This is progress! Now we know exactly what we don't know how to do!" Buck encouraged as he picked up rocks and put them in his little bag. He marched off, and the herd followed, extremely skeptical but still choosing to trust the weasel. "This trail will take us directly to the crash sight! Alright everyone? Follow the trail! Never leave the trail!"

"Is he always like this?" Denali asked Sassy. She nodded.

"Yup this is normal Buck."

"Ok everyone! Leave the trail!" Buck suddenly shouted and pointed towards a forest path. "Into the forest! Chop chop!"

"But you just said-,"

"Ah bup bup bup!" Buck jumped and slid over to Shira and Diego, grabbing the two by the fangs. "You know I'm crazy! Come on!" He jumped back up and gestured to the path. The herd shrugged in unison and once again followed Buck blindly, walking into the forest among the cover of the trees. Suddenly Buck came crashing down in front of them and the predators startled, going on defense. They relaxed when they realized it was just Buck. The weasel coughed and righted himself. "I love the shade, don't you?" He asked casually. Sassy and Diego looked at each other skeptically. Something was amiss here. They kept waking until they came to a river.

"Hey Buck, do you have a solution for getting around the river?" Diego asked.

"Let's see if the tablets ancient wisdom will guide us!" Buck answered, pulling out the tablet from his bag. He looked at it then looked back at the river. He stepped forward and raised his arms to the sky. "Let thy mammals pass!" He yelled, the sound echoing through the valley.

"Thats never gonna work." Diego said, looking at Shira. The sabress nodded in agreement with her mate. Suddenly a giant ball came hurtling over them in the air and the waters lifted, creating an archway in the river where there was dry land. Diego and Shira's mouths fell open. Crash smirked and shut Diego's gaping mouth.

"The ancients grant us safe passage." Buck said with a sweeping motion of his arms.

"Ha! Sweet!" Jullian exclaimed and they walked under the water arch and over to the other shore line. Denali fell into step with Sassy and the sky began to darken.

"Sassy?" She turned to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"You don't still hate me right?" Sassy's eyes widened slightly.

"I never hated you Denali. I was just wary of you. My protective instincts kicked in and I didn't know what you were up to." She allowed a brief smile. "You're not too bad actually." Denali smirked.

"So you like me then?" Denali asked. Sassy stiffened slightly and her smile faded.

"You're fine." She mumbled and hurried away from him. Her heart was racing. No. She couldn't allow this. She wouldn't. She wouldn't let her heart get broken again. She had to keep her walls up.

As the herd continued through the forest, the sky gradually grew darker and darker and an odd purple haze settled over the woods. Lightening flashed in the sky and Sassy held in a whimper, cowering slightly but not enough for anyone to notice. At least, she didn't think anyone did. Denali picked up on her skittish behavior very quickly. He didn't know Sassy hardly at all, but she was acting very odd. The air began to take on a thick feeling, and electricity crackled among the trees.

"The air feels...strange." Diego observed. Shira started to nod and then looked down at her foreleg.

"Uhh...Diego?" She asked, holding her paw out. Static electricity was running through her fur, causing the fur to puff up and crackle. Diego held up his own leg to see the same thing happening. Sid tapped him on the shoulder and snickered, pointing upward at Manny's head. Both the sloth and saber tooth burst out laughing at the puffball growing on Manny's head fur due to the static electricity. Within seconds, all of Manny's fur puffed out with electricity. Diego kept laughing until a spark shocked his fur and he puffed out just like Manny. Sid fell on his back, dying of laughter until both Manny and Diego shocked him, making the sloth join them. The opossum brothers were cackling at the sight until the kept shocking each other but didn't puff up.

"Finally! We have superpowers!" Crash yelled excitedly. He and Eddie kept on shocking each other.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have run into an electrical storm. Ah...I suggest we all stay away from the trees." Buck announced.

"Sure no problem. It's not like we're in a forest." Diego remarked sarcastically. Denali looked at Sassy. In the little time he'd known her, she seemed to have a sarcastic remark and an eye roll for every occasion. Now, she was stepping very cautiously and staying low to the ground. Every time lightning flashed she flinched and Denali could hear slight whimpers coming from her throat. He hurried to her side.

"Sassy?" The former female alpha visibly jumped and skittered away from him. When she looked behind her at him, Denali saw genuine fear in her amber eyes. "Are you afraid of lightning?" He asked her flat out, in a gentle voice. There was no sense in beating around the bush. It wasn't Denali's style. Sassy's maw opened as if to contradict him but Buck spoke up again.

"Everyone, try not to create any sort of friction!" He warned, pointing at the electricity tail that was now teasing him from the ground, where two rocks had collided.

"No friction. Got it."

"Yup cool beans. Friction is what now?" The twins asked from on top of Jullian's fur. Their feet were scurrying though the hair and when they laid back they reached for each other to shock the other again, purple electricity running though them to their finger tips. Sassy's eyes grew wide and so did Diego's.

"Oh no...!" Diego said, backing up. The brothers touched fingers and a bolt of lightning shot up into the sky, booming and causing the static to erupt around them. Sassy let out a terrified whine and Denali stayed by her side, helping her to avoid the electricity in her terror.

"Com' on! Let's get outta 'ere!" Buck called.

"Hurry Granny!" A still puffy Sid said as he tried to waddle out of the maze of electricity.

"Don't you hurry me! I've been struck by lightning more times-,"

"Granny!"

"-than you've had hot breakfasts!" Another bolt of lightning struck right in front of Sassy and Denali and the former screamed. She started to run but Denali blocked her path and growled at the female.

"Snap out of it Sassy! Look! Your friends are in trouble!" He gestured with his large head towards Manny and Ellie now trapped under a static electricity field. She turned her head and seemed to regain some of her sense back. Denali shouldered her in that direction and she ran with no more encouragement. Sassy ran up to Shira and watched as Diego got Manny and Ellie free by using Crash and Eddie to attract the electricity. Once the mammoths were free, everybody ran out of the woods and dove into a clearing. Shira stumbled slightly, about to go down when Sassy shouldered her up and they continued to run. Finally in the clearing, away from the electricity field, the herd looked around at each other.

"Did everyone make it?" Diego asked.

"Shira, Manny, Crash, Eddie, Ellie, Granny...ah shoot I'm out of fingers!" Sid panicked.

"Buck! Where's Buck?" Diego asked and looked behind him. Buck was standing at the edge of the woods, looking back at the electricity field that was threatening to explode with energy at any moment.

"Do you hear that? A baby! There's a baby in there!" Buck yelled and dove right back into the forest.

"Buck wait it's too dangerous!" Eddie called. Sassy's instincts kicked in and she started to run back for the forest but was tackled by Denali, who held her pinned to the ground.

"Get off me!" Sassy snarled, trying to push him off her but he was too strong, even for Sassy. Suddenly there was an explosion in the forest as the electricity built up and finally reached its limit. All went silent for a moment and Buck's tooth knife landed right in front of the opossum brothers. The herd let out a collective gasp.

"He's gone?" Ellie asked sadly.

"He's really gone!" Sid yelled in a panicked voice.

"I don't know how we'll go on without you Buck! Alright let's go." Granny said. Sassy growled and used all her strength to shove Denali up and pin him on his back.

"Why didn't you let me go in!?"

"Sassy it was too late you know it!" Sassy snarled but was interrupted by a screaming log that was hurtling straight for them through the air, still crackling with electricity.

"It's Buck!" Ellie said happily. The log crashed to the ground and Diego immediately ran over and sliced the top off with his claws. Sassy got off Denali and everyone gathered around to see Buck huddled in the log, clutching something.

"I gotcha. Don' worry I gotcha. Shhh." He stood up, still holding the thing wrapped in a leaf. "Say hi everyone!" He held out the object and the herd blinked. "Isn't she gorgeous!" Buck said proudly, holding out a small, plump, orange pumpkin.

"How can he tell it's a she?" Sid whispered to Diego. The stem of the pumpkin snapped off. "Oh...," Buck cooed to the pumpkin and started kissing it.

"just to be clear that's a pumpkin, right?" Both Shira and Denali asked at the same time, one to Diego and one to Sassy.

"Oh she's got a lil' jaundice, but I think she'll be alrigh'. Yes you will! I think I'll call you...Braunwin!" Buck cooed in a baby voice.

"Uh little buddy? We need you back on planet earth while it's still here." Manny said to Buck as the herd started on their way again.

"Right you are mammal! Who wants to save the world from the fiery asteroid?" Buck cooed again. The herd walked for a few more hours and Sassy and Denali remained silent, refusing to talk to each other. Sassy was still mad at Denali for holding her down...but she was more mad at herself. She did know that it would've been to late. She would've just killed herself. She was also mad that he had only known her for a day and yet he knew her fear that she had kept hidden from her herd for years. It irritated her. Was she that transparent? Or was he just that good? They stopped for a moment and Buck looked at the sky, measuring the asteroid with his thumb.

"Ok mammals! Let's stop here for tonight!

"Stop? What about the whole end of the world collision thing?" Manny asked.

"Oh the asteroid's still a day off! And like my grandfather used to say..."Red sky at night, sailors delight! Purple sky at night-who moved my foot cream!? I need my foot cream!" Buck hunched over and imitated his old grandfather. "Grampy was a confused and angry weasel." Sassy had heard enough. She was exhausted. She trudged off and found a small overhang in a cliff. She curled under it and rested her head down. She wasn't surprised when Denali came and laid down beside her.

"What are you doing?" She asked, almost accusingly.

"Can't I lay here?" He asked. She didn't answer. "Look Sassy I know you don't like me, for reasons I do not know, but I like you. I want to know you better. You intrigue me. And I know you're afraid of lightning." Sassy stiffened but then sighed in defeat.

"Look I'm sorry. It's not that I don't like you. I actually...I'm actually intrigued by you too. I just don't have a good history with males wolves and...well I'm wary. But you're a good guy. You deserve a chance."

"Thank you." He said.

"No, thank you." She countered. She offered him a genuine smile, which he returned. Sassy looked over at the mammoths and saw the parents conversing...or scheming...and Peaches and Jullian near the fire.

"So light em up up up, light em up up up, light em up up up I'm on fire!" Jullian sang in a rock voice. They watched Manny offer to take Jullian hockey playing and Ellie stayed behind with Peaches. Yup, scheming. Diego went to join Manny and Jullian and Sassy saw Shira walking off alone. She knew she needed to talk with the sabress.

"Excuse me Denali I need to speak to Shira." She said and ran after her. She caught up to Shira on a rocky cliff that over looked the valley. They were alone but could see everything happening below them with the herd. "Hey." Sassy said in greeting.

"Hey." Shira smiled and sat down gingerly. She gave a little grunt and Sassy cocked her head.

"You ok?"

"Yeah. My back's been a little sore lately. Probably from all the walking." Sassy held back a grin and sat down next to Shira.

"Shira, you weren't having problems with anything a week ago. Now suddenly within a few days you're throwing up multiple times, you're back is hurting and your walk is unsteady. Surely you can see that." Shira sighed.

"Yes I do. But what could be wrong with me? I'm having morning sickness too-wait...morning sickness?" She looked over at Sassy as understanding began to dawn. Sassy smirked.

"You're ankles are swelling up a bit too. When was the last time you and Diego...um...played?" Shira blushed under her fur and then her eyes grew wide as she began to fully understand.

"Sassy...am I...could I be...?"

"Pregnant? Yes Shira I do believe you are. You're showing every sign of pregnancy." Shira simply stared out into space for a moment, her face registering shock. "Shira, you're happy aren't you?"

"I...yes. Yes I am. But Sassy I'm scared." She looked at the wolf with tear filled eyes. Yup definitely pregnant. Shira never showed that much emotion. "What if I'm not a good mother? What if Diego isn't happy?" Sassy sighed and nuzzled Shira's neck for comfort.

"One thing you don't have to worry about is Diego. He is going to be ecstatic and you know it. And Shira you're going to make a wonderful mother. I'd be willing to bet on it."

"But kids are afraid of us!"

"Kids that are a different species than you. Remember Shira this will be your own cubs, not other kids that are completely different than you."

"Cubs?" Sassy rolled her eyes.

"Don't tell me you were only expecting one child? Shira use your brain. Sabers and wolves tend to have multiple babies in a litter. To only have one is exceedingly rare. And by the way you're holding your weight and how you've been eating lately, I'd say you're carrying at least 3." Shira blanched slightly.

"How are we going to manage 3 kids right off the bat!?" Sassy chuckled.

"It's in our DNA. Your instincts will carry you through. Plus, you have me and Ellie and the whole herd to help you." Shira smiled slightly.

"Yeah I guess you're right." They were silent for a few minutes before Shira said something that left Sassy completely thunderstruck. "So...Denali likes you a lot." Sassy nearly choked on air.

"What!? No. We've only know each other for a day."

"So? Diego and I only knew each other for 2 days when he asked me to come with him personally and you guys. We knew then we were meant for each other. And from what I hear Manny and Ellie were only 3 days."

"Yeah but...," Sassy trailed off. She had no argument.

"Sassy why does the thought of a man liking you terrify you so much?" Sassy was quiet for a while before answering.

"When I was a young pup, new to the alpha position and still very naive and wet behind the ears, I met a wolf from a neighboring pack in the next territory. He was a little older than me, handsome, charming and very sweet. I fell for him instantly. His name was Lone Star." Sassy's voice crackled slightly but she kept talking.

"I was so in love with him, and I thought he felt the same about me. I was wrong. He sweet talked me and brought me gifts and went on adventures with me, but was using me the whole time. One night he decided we'd been too casual for too long and started licking me suggestively. I wanted to but I knew I had an obligation to my age and my pack first. I was too young and my pack would lose their respect for me if I slept with a wolf at such a young age. I would be setting a poor example for the pups. I was just a pup myself."

"I refused him, told him I needed to wait till I was older and he tried to take me anyway. I got scared and clawed at him and ran back to my pack. He caught me though and well...anyway the next night as I was hunting I caught him in the act. He was mating with my beta." She shuddered at the memory and shook her furry head. "I demoted my beta on a different charge but as alpha I was allowed to set the rules for my territory. I declared that if Lone Star ever set paw on my territory again I'd rip his throat out."

"Oh Sassy." Shira said sadly, her expression drooping. "I'm so sorry. He didn't know how good he had it."

"It gets worse. He got me pregnant. I was terrified of my pack finding out and so sad about what he'd done to me but at the same time I couldn't help but be excited about becoming a mother as such a young age. But I didn't have to worry about hiding it from my pack for very long. Before they took real notice I had a miscarriage." Shira's face turned horrified. "I think some of the older females knew but they seemed to understand what had happened and respected me still."

"So that's why you don't trust male wolves." Sassy nodded. "But Sassy, not every wolf is going to do what Lone Star did. I think Denali is a good wolf."

"So do i...," Sassy mumbled quietly. "None of the boys know this. And neither do Ellie or Peaches. Please let me tell them in my own time." Shira nodded and nudged Sassy's head in comfort. Sassy returned it and let one solitary tear slide down her fluffy cheek.

Off in the bushes, Denali slowly backed up, trying not to alert the girls to his presence. He'd heard every word. And it only made him want to show Sassy the kind of wolf he was even more. He could never hurt her. Not in a million years.

Sassy and Shira made their way back to camp as the herd started to settle down for the night. Sassy observed that Peaches was consoling a shivering Jullian by the fire and looking nastily at her parents. She looked at Diego.

"Do I wanna know?"

"Nope."

"Manny and Ellie meddling again?"

"Always." Sassy sighed and left Shira with her mate and walked over to the many holes in the cliff side where they were bedding down for the night. She spotted Denali in one of the holes, the one they had been in earlier. She hesitated, wondering if she should join him or sleep in one of the other holes. A cool breeze ruffled the fur on her back, making up her mind for her. She needed the extra warmth. At least, that's what she told herself. Sassy padded to the hole and laid down next to Denali, their backs dangerously close to touching as they lay side by side, back to back.

"You ok?" Denali asked. Sassy startled a little at his voice. She thought he was asleep.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine." He sat up and Sassy's eyes wandered slightly as she watched his muscles flex under his fur. He was a very attractive wolf. Gray coloring on his back with a white underbelly and brown and black mixed with gray muddled into his neck fur, which puffed out in a full mane, drawing Sassy's attention. He was very well built as well. Bigger than Sassy and obviously stronger. Even Diego couldn't pin her down. It had taken all her strength to even budge Denali. She suddenly snapped back to reality and her eyes flew to his. He had a small smirk on his maw but his eyes were kind and warm and intense. She felt her stomach do a flip. Maybe she was just hungry.

"I...um...no really I'm f-fine." She wanted to bite herself. She never stumbled over her words. She'd seen plenty a male wolf in her life and none had ever attracted her like Denali. Not even Lone Star, she had to admit. But they were just pups. And his memory had long since been tainted foul. Another breeze ruffled Sassy's fur and she shivered slightly, even though she wasn't cold. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Denali noticed.

"Are you cold?"

"No-," Sassy started but Denali didn't wait for her to finish. He moved against her and wrapped his bigger, powerful form around her body, curling her into his chest. Sassy felt electricity shoot through her and it wasn't left over from the storm. This was different. She liked this. Denali didn't say another word, just rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. Sassy looked at him a moment, before mustering her courage and leaning forward to give him a light lick on the cheek. Then she quickly put her massive head down, resting it on his paws that her overlapping hers. She felt safe and warm and cared about. She had never felt this way. Not ever. For once in her life since the saber attack on her pack as a pup, she slept peacefully that night.

The next morning Sassy awoke with a start at hearing Buck's rather worried voice. She yawned and started to move but realized she was still being held down by Denali, who was trying to awaken as well.

"Alrigh' mammals! Time to get a move on! Now let's no' linger on this! Ah yes I read the tablet wrong, the asteroid is a lot closa'." Denali looked at Sassy and she avoided his drowsy gaze. His eyes were doing things to her. He got to his paws and she did the same, stretching their limbs out before joining the herd outside.

"Wait a sec, where's granny? Granny! Oh Granny!" Sid called for his cranky grandmother.

"Maybe she wandered off?" Manny offered.

"Maybe she got hit in the head with a puck?" Peaches said pointedly. Sassy could now guess what had happened last night among the mammoths.

"Yes and maybe she was abducted by homicidal 30 foot dino birds seeking revenge on me! All good theories! I'm gonna go with the puck!" Buck said in a panicked voice. A red feather fluttered last his head and he grabbed it in a hurry and attempted to hide it by stuffing it in his mouth. Sassy growled but Diego beat her to the punch on confronting the weasel.

"I knew it! So this entire time we've been chased by giant Dino birds!?" Diego challenged.

"Only three! I didn't want to damage moral!"

"Oh right cause before this we were on a carefree pleasure cruise!" Manny said angrily.

"I can't believe I let this happen." Sassy said softly, meaning it to be for herself. Denali overheard her.

"What are you taking about?" She looked up at him.

"Last night...I...uh...(sigh) that was the first night I had ever fallen asleep instead of keeping watch since I was a little tiny pup. I should've known better. I let myself relax for one night and one of my herd gets kidnapped."

"Wait a minute! I've got her scent! Come on!" Diego said and sniffed the air then ran with Shira on his tail. The herd followed close behind. Before Sassy could run after them however, Denali blocked her path.

"This is not your fault Sassy. You didn't let this happen. We were tired and cold and lonely. Nobody knew we were being followed except Buck. This is his fault not yours. I'm not going to allow you to blame yourself." Sassy just stared at him, stunned to say the least. After a moment though, instead of arguing she just nodded quickly and ran after her herd. They didn't go far. The wolves met up with them on a cliff overlooking a smoke filled valley, with a volcano on the horizon. The herd stood in awe at the magnificent sight of the pinkish hue the asteroid light cast on the still valley.

"We made it mammals! The crash sight! This must be whot's left of the previous asteroid!" Buck announced, gesturing down into the valley where a large rock with glowing purple holes rested on the valley floor.

"Uh Buck? Your space rocks!" Eddie pointed to the bag filled with the magnet rocks, that flew off the cliff and straight to the surface of the asteroid. Buck's eyes lit up.

"We could definitely divert the asteroid with a magnet that size! I mean that thing is ginormous! It's massive! It's...it's...,"

"Gonna be impossible to get off the ground!" Manny chimed in.

"It's entirely possible, in a way we just don't know about yet!"

"But what about the Dino birds?" Crash inquired.

"And what about Granny?" Sid asked, obviously nervous about his grandmother. Diego sniffed the ground again and sighed.

"Nothing." Manny came up to Sid and rested his trunk on the sloths drooping shoulders.

"I'm sorry Sid." Sid sniffed and used the trunk to wipe his nose and eyes. Manny didn't even seem to mind.

"Oh Granny! My sweet, malicious Granny! Why does it always have to be the old ones that go first!?" Sid wailed and fell into a blubbering mess. A faint noise echoed in the valley, sounding much like a dying cow in Sassy's opinion. "I can still hear her sweet, shrill voice, shrieking from the afterlife!" Sid said and there cake another noise only this one was clearly a said shriek and it sounded like one of intense pain.

"Granny's alive!" Ellie said excitedly.

"And she's in trouble!" Diego took off down the cliff trail that led right to the asteroid. They called for her repeatedly, continuing to run down the path. The shrieks continued and led them right inside the asteroid. Diego, Shira, Sassy and Denali charged into the giant space rock, ready to rip to shreds whatever was hurting the old sloth, only to skid to an abrupt stop and simply stare at the sight with mouths agape. Sid leaped in between them.

"Is she ok!?"

"Um...I'm not sure." Diego answered honestly. Inside the mouth of the asteroid, a turquoise bunny with a very bushy cotton tail stood massaging Granny's back and rubbing her like a chiropractor. Granny seemed very satisfied with the arrangement as she sighed and moaned in contentment.

"Unhand my Granny!" Sid demanded, marching up to the bunny.

"You do and you don't get a tip." Granny countered to the bunny from the rock which she laid on.

"Making this beautiful sloth happy, is all the payment I need." The bunny said, picking Granny up in his arms and walking down the asteroid's hall.

"See! Hunky bunny gets it!" Granny shouted back.

"But Granny!?" Sid called after her.

"There's a bunny living in the asteroid? I did not see that coming." Manny said as they followed after the bunny and sloth.

"Wait till you see this." Ellie said ahead of him. The herd stepped out of the dark passage way and into the open expanse of the asteroid, which was glittering with crystals of every color, size and shape. It was breathtaking. Animals of all kinds were wandering around the asteroid, all seeming very happy and content. One mammal jumped on a crystal that hovered and took off, using the crystal walls to propel himself up and around on a wild ride, whopping the entire way.

"Yeah! Catching mad air on the half pipe!" Jullian spoke up.

"This is crazy!" Manny said.

"Do you think they know they're living in a magnetic bullseye?" Ellie asked to no one in particular.

"Doesn't look like much doomsday preparation going on in here." Diego countered. Sassy was in complete awe of the place. So was Denali. He's never seen anything like his in his life. He looked over at Sassy's wide amber eyes, looking up at the millions of crystals that covered the asteroid's interior in mountains. His heart swelled for her. She was still so innocent looking in many ways, even though she'd seen hell.

"I can't believe it! Visitors! We've never had visitors!" A British, female voice called. A beautiful sloth with golden hair and a reddish coat that hung in curls around her paws flew towards the mammals on one of the hovering crystal platforms. "Somebody pinch me! Or should I pinch you? I know I'll pinch both of us!" She giggled and pinched Jullian's cheek along with her own. The male laughed heartily with the sloth.

"Did I hit my head? What's happening here?" Manny asked as they observed the floating female.

"I sure hope this isn't a-ahh!" She spun inside down and landed on the ground. She lifted herself up and moved her hair back with a dreamy expression on her face. "-dream!" She sang. The herd looked at her, looked where she was looking, which was at Sid, and then back at her in shock. She whistled and two floating unicorns flew over to Sid and looked him up and down.

"This guy? For real?" One asked.

"Whatever!" The other said, roll in her eyes. She shoved Sid onto her back and carried him to the female sloth and dumped him on his face before her.

"Well hello handsome. I'm Brooke." She said shyly, twisting a lock of her golden hair around her finger. Sid's face dropped into a goofy expression as he stared at Brooke dreamily. "Such exquisite bone structure! Such a strong jaw!" Brooke commented, feeling Sid's flabby face, which was quite the contrary to her descriptions. "I'm getting butterflies!" She sang and flicked her hair. Butterflies flew out.

"I'm getting nauseous." Manny mocked. Sassy choked beside Denali and he leaned close to her.

"You ok?" She snorted back a laugh and nodded.

"A sloth finally in love with Sid. And a gorgeous one at that. Now I've seen everything." Denali chucked and nuzzled Sassy in the neck. She didn't shy away from him or even flinch, just looked up at him and smiled. He smirked down at her with hooded eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt this weirdo love connection-," Sassy's eyes grew wide and she jerked her head to Diego in shock. "-but we're kinda in a hurry." The comment was directed at the sloths. Denali watched as she turned pink under her fur and bent her head lower to try and hide her embarrassment. So she thought Diego had been talking to them huh? He was definitely going to keep that in mind.

"If we don't do something fast, that asteroid is going to blow us all to smithereens!" Buck threw in, turning the sloth's heads to look at the glowing asteroid through the crystal ceiling of the asteroid they were currently in.

"Oh my. That sounds serious! I better take you to him!"

"Who's him? Your leader?" Diego asked.

"He is our everything!"

"He knows all!"

"Sees all!"

"And smells amazing!" The bunny finished for Brooke and the ponies.

"Ok ok he sounds great! Let's go!" Manny said.

"Brilliant! Right this way." Brooke extended a hand and the ponies tapped their hooves against the crystal and the floor dropped out beneath Sid and Brooke and flew down the crystal highway, Sid screaming all the way. One by one in pairs the herd got dropped through the floor, yelling in surprise. Sassy looked at Denali with wide eyes and he gulped.

"Oh no." The floor fell out from beneath them.

"Please keep your arms and legs inside the tram at all times. But, allow your spirit to roam free! In Geotopia!" Brook announced as the herd went gliding through the mountains of crystals.

"Oh I have a good feeling about this! Maybe he'll be able to help us!" Peaches said excitedly up ahead.

"She did say he knows all! And all's a lot!" Jullian echoed. Sassy looked all around her, staring in awe at the millions of crystals and gems. It was breathtaking.

"No wonder they live in here. It's beautiful." She commented absently to Denali, who stood right next to her on their little hover crystal.

"Yeah...beautiful." Denali answered absently. Sassy turned her head to look at him, only to find the male wolf staring at her. She quickly snapped her gaze away and pretended like she hadn't heard him. They reached a platform and all exited their hovering crystals and followed Brooke.

"Here he is. The master of meditation. The supreme serine. The four time heavy golds champion of the world!" She sang as she presented a large mountain of crystals with something reddish and looking oddly like a butt on one leg. A gong rang and a head poked out of the butt. The herd stared and then the thing untwisted itself and swung its limbs around until it stood upright on one leg, and spit into some kind of bowl that an anteater flew up to capture. Sassy took a step back. She'd seen a lot of weird things in her time but this took the cake.

"Is that a llama? I hate llamas! They spit and smell!" Granny cranked and waddled off.

"So does she." Diego muttered to his mate.

"So do we!" The twins exclaimed and high fived. The llama bounced off the mountain and performed a bunch of twists and flips with his legs until he landed on the ground and walked over to an incense burner on his ears, the anteaters vacuuming up the various crystals on the ground in his path and then his fur, which tickled the llama.

"Grrrrrrreetings mammals!" He said jovially, rolling his Rs. "The Shangrillama will see yoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooouuuu now!" He said, looking at them upside down while holding an incense stick.

"Wonderful!" Buck jumped forward and looked around. "So where is he?" He asked the llama when not seeing an animal of importance.

"He is here! Talking to you!" The llama replied.

"Oh I get it! He's a ventriloquist and you're the dummy!" Sid exclaimed, confident he'd figured the whole thing out.

"No you're the dummy." The llama replied cooly, throwing the incense stick away.

"No you're the dummy!" Sid said again. The two went back and forth.

"This is the guy who's going to save us?" Diego asked. Sassy sighed.

"I think I'd rather get hit by the meteor." The llama spit over Sid's head, silencing the argument.

"Disgusting! Loved that. New topic. We're all about to die!" Buck said, making his presence known.

"Well that's no good. Stress is a killer. Let us loosen our limbs and open our minds. Downward dog!" Shangrillama announced and immediately rested his forelegs on the ground with his butt in the air.

"Ok as a wolf and a canine I find that just insulting!" Sassy said pointedly.

"Same goes for me." Denali said in disgust. The llama didn't seem to hear them.

"Uh, seriously?" Manny asked him in disbelief.

"I'll wait. I have all the time in the world!" The Shangrillama said patiently. Manny and Diego groaned and then they and Sid forced themselves into the position. Diego looked at Sassy expectantly and she shook her head.

"Nope sorry. Not doing this one. We're already scheduled to die and I don't intend on killing myself beforehand." Denali chuckled and Diego glared.

"Actually, you don't have all the time in the world. None of us do. See there's this thing in the sky." Buck explained, gesturing up through the crystal ceiling where the glowing light of the asteroid was clearly visible.

"Oh you mean that blinding light that seems to get bigger by the minute? What about it it seems fine to me!" The Shangrillama said happily and then twisted himself into another position.

"With all due respect your twistiness, that is an asteroid! It's magnetically attracted to this place an' it's headed straight for us!" The llama spit again.

"Ahhhh it must desire our magnetic crystals. And well who can blame it they really are quite something." The llama said, rubbing against the crystals. "Did you know their power grants eternal youth!? I am over 400 years old! Mhmmm!"

"That's not possible." Diego countered.

"Sure it is! I'm 326!" The bunny said, jogging in place and then moving to spinning pushups.

"No way! You don't look a day over 275!" Granny commented.

"We are happy, young and safe, and we always will be. Thanks to...Geotopia!" The Shangrillama said, the last word echoing throughout the place.

"Kudos! It is lovely! Now let's figure out how to launch it into space!" Buck suggested with a grin.

"I'm sorry you want to destroy our home?" The Shangrillama asked distressed.

"It'll be destroyed either way! But, if we propel this magnetic substance into the atmosphere, we can divert the asteroids path and save everyone! Waddaya say!?" The Shangrillama just grinned at Buck a moment.

"Caterpillar!" He yelled and flopped onto his back, curling his legs into himself.

"So is that a yes or-," Diego didn't have time to finish before the llama grabbed his and started stretching the saber out with his legs.

"You are storing a lot of hostility in your lower spine!" He said and once he was done Diego landed on his hooves in the namaste position.

"Shangrillama how are going to-,"

"Monkey Chicken! Jiggy jelly! Mashed Potato!" The llama interrupted Manny and started bouncing all over the place.

"Your flexibly is a sight to behold. Now how th' devil are we goin' to launch these crystals!?" Back demanded.

"You can't! It's impossible!" The Shangrillama announced innocently. "Phew I am bushed." He hopped back onto his mountain and twisted himself into the same position they saw him in. "Great meeting you guys. Feel free to hang or you know, whatever." He offered while talking out of his butt. He spit one more time then stuck his head all the way back in.

"That's it! He was our last hope! We're doomed." Peaches said, close to tears.

"Yeah and all we got was a free yoga class." Diego said bitterly.

"On that note, could somebody help me please? My nose is dangerously close to my butt!" Sid pleaded, hoping over to them on one leg, his body tangled around into a knot.

"Uh Sid? Why do you have two tails?" Diego asked even though it was clear he didn't want to know the reason.

"I'm in here too!" Granny called from the bundle of fur. Sid chuckled nervously. The herd untangled Sid and Granny and then all collectively went their separate ways with their significant other, wanting to spend as much time with the one they loved as they could. Sassy walked through the winding paths of Geotopia, exploring, trying not to think of what was coming in a few hours. She would die. And what had she accomplished in her life? She thought about it...and had to smile. She'd accomplished more than she gave herself credit for. She survived being raped and losing her babies, and made a name for herself as one of the toughest and most feared alpha's across the continent.

She had joined a herd that was crazy and diverse and completely different than anything that was normal in the animal kingdom. But she loved it. She was an aunt to a mammoth, best friend's with two Saber tooth tigers and had survived more dangerous adventures and escapades than most mammals couldn't even have lasted two minutes. She heard footsteps behind her and sniffed the air and allowed a small smile to cross her maw. And she was in love. For once in her life, she was in truly in love.

"Did you want to be alone?" Denali asked from behind her. She shook her head.

"No. Stay." She swung her head around to look at him with soft eyes and a smile. "Please." He smiled back and joined her in step as they walked along the path. They emerged facing a small, sapphire blue pond that several of the other members of the herd were gazing out at. Peaches and Jullian, Diego and Shira, and Manny and Ellie. Sassy smiled and sat down. Denali sat beside her and they just looked out at the peaceful water for a moment before Denali spoke up.

"Sassy...," she looked at him and felt her breath catch at the intensity in Denali's eyes as he gazed down at her. "Chances are we are going to die in a few hours. But even if we weren't in danger, I'd be doing this anyway. I'm not the type to drag things out and dance around." Sassy stared at him, confused.

"Oookkk?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. Denali took a deep breath and then stared directly at her. Amber met amber, both burning with the same intensity and fire that was in their hearts.

"I love you." Denali said. Sassy was silent for a moment...and then she smiled.

"The feelings is mutual." Denali reared back, startling Sassy. "What's wrong!?"

"Are you serous? You love me!?" Denali asked in shock. Sassy chuckled.

"Believe me, it definitely took the end of the world to make me realize it this soon. If our lives weren't about to end, it would've taken me forever to admit to myself that I was in love." Denali continued to stare at her, eyes wide, mouth agape. Sassy began to get annoyed. "Are you going to keep staring at me like a stump or are you going to make the most of out of our last few hours together?" This seemed to shake Denali out of his shock. He shook his head and then looked at her with dark eyes, a smirk creeping its way onto his maw.

Sassy barely had time to say in her head that she was in trouble before the larger wolf tackled the female and pinned her to the ground and slowly, sensually, drug his tongue up her fluffy neck. Sassy shivered in pleasure and grinned at Denali as he pulled away to gaze down at her adoringly. He leaned forward again but they were interrupted by a rumbling sound. The ceiling began to shake and the crystals around them quivered. Suddenly, the top of the meteor they were in collapsed, exposing all inside to the open, outside air. All was quiet for a moment and Denali looked down at Sassy. She sighed.

"Sid."

Sassy and Denali raced to the center of the asteroid where all the animals had gathered in a group to listen to Shangrilama chew out Sid, who had apparently pulled a diamond out of one of the walls which had caused the entire asteroid to collapse. Sassy sighed. Only Sid could accomplish such a feat.

"Now we're all doomed! Doooooooomed!" Everyone gasped in horror. "And now I think I have a fever! Thank you so much doofus!"

"Hey easy there Llama. This is the doofus of my dreams! He meant well." Brooke defended.

"Oh he meant well...who cares!" The angry llama shouted.

"So much for serenity." Peaches muttered and Sassy felt her hackles begin to rise. Sid was an idiot but she didn't like how this llama was talking about him. Denali noticed and brushed his fur against hers to calm her. She relaxed only slightly.

"300 years of peace and harmony undone by one colossally...," his hair turned grey. "Incredibly...," his beard grew grey and thin. "Stupendously stupid sloth!" The llama finally finished and his entire body hunched and all of his fur turned grey, tattered and thin. Everyone gasped and one by one the animals that had been residents of Geotopia began to instantaneously turn old.

"Oh Brooke!" Sid said in distress as the gorgeous sloth's youthful features sagged and her vibrant fur went grey.

"Man, you guys got old!" Granny observed, looking at the bunny, who's incredibly fluffy cotton tail had moved to his chin, forming a long and scraggly beard. "Whatever we had, its over!" She said, leaving him behind with a wave of her hand.

"That's what happens when you date a cougar." The bunny said and then sobbed.

"I'm really sorry Mister Llama."

"Sorry!? Sorry!? Sorry doesn't fix the wall now does it you little...AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Shangrillama screamed in Sid's face. "I need a bubble bath or a massage. Who knows acupuncture!? I need to let my anger out! Let it out! I've been pent up too long. Ahhhhhhhh!" The llama screamed, pulling on his ears in agony.

"And I thought I had emotional problems." Sassy muttered to Denali. He rolled his eyes and licked her on the cheek.

"Yeah but he's an idiot. You're beautiful." Sassy chuckled and nuzzled him briefly before looking back at the distressed mammal.

"I need to hit something. Somebody give me their face!"

"That's it!" Buck suddenly cried, interrupting the dramatization. "Pent up energy! Earth's most powerful propulsion devise is right in front of us!"

"Who? Spitty McGee here?" Granny asked, pointing at the spitting Llama with her cane. Buck shoved the llama to the side.

"The volcano! That's our magnet launcher!" He grabbed Diego by the face and turned him to stare right at the volcano. "All we have to do is seal the vents around it!"

"That's a crazy plan!" Diego said.

"You're a crazy plan!" Buck countered.

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

"And what are you Professor of Logic? Professor Kitty McWhiskers of the University of meowmeowmeowmeow-" Diego interrupted Buck's poking him in the face and mocking him by roaring in his face angrily. "You see! Tremendous energy leads to a tremendous explosion!" Buck smirked and walked away like he had just made a very important point. Sassy walked up to Diego and looked at him. He shook his head and they all turned back to Buck. "Alright, we need all these crystals loaded into the volcano pronto!" Buck said.

"What!?" Shangrillama interjected. "No! I'm not giving you my crystals! We need them to rebuild our sanctuary!" Everyone started tittering and Brooke stuck two fingers in her mouth an whistled. Everyone quieted.

"May I remind you that Geotopia is not yours to keep?"

"No you may not!"

"It came from the sky! And now it's time to give it back!"

"Is not!"

"Is too you old coot! Change isn't easy but it's part of life, and it's time for us to embrace it again whether you like it or not." Brooke pointed at the angry llama.

"Not!" He whined.

"Listen here llama. I will go nuts and granola on your butt, so either get on board or go twist yourself into a pretzel and namaste-out of our way!"

"Remind me not to get on her bad side." Denali muttered. Sassy smirked.

"Alright everyone! Grab every crystal you can find! And remember, lift with your legs!"

"Listen up planetary defense team! Step one, build pressure inside the volcano by sealing the air vents around it. If there's a leak, the pressure is weak. Step two! Get the biggest magnetic crystals into the volcano. They got to be launched sky high to pull the asteroid off course." The animals got to work, sealing the vents with rocks and carrying crystals up the mountain to dump into the volcano. Sassy and Denali as well as Diego and Shira tied crystals to their backs and hurried up the trail so they could get them in and come back down quickly for more. Out of all the animals, they could move the fastest. Jullian and some of the bigger mammals were working on tugging a ginormous bed of crystals up the trail.

"This is it friends! Down the hatch! Every crystal counts!" Brooke encouraged as they all dumbed load after load of crystals into the volcano. The earth tumbled and Sassy could feel the pressure building deep within the mountain.

"Good news everyone!" Buck called. "We're six minutes ahead of schedule!" The animals cheered. "Somebody up there likes us!" Everyone continued on until not twenty seconds later Buck screamed. "Bad news! Somebody up there doesn't like us! We're six minutes behind schedule!" He wailed. Everyone gasped.

"Double time everyone! We need that big crystal!" Manny yelled and they ran to the crystal to help pull it in. Suddenly a roar sounded from the sky and one of the Dino-birds swooped in and broke the rock under the crystal, causing it to tumble down into the ravine below. The other two appeared and circled the scared mammals.

"We got company!" Diego announced.

"Oooh I'll bring out the sponge cake!" Granny said absently. Sassy seriously began to wonder if the old sloth was starting to lose her mind. She saw Buck aim his slingshot at one of them and then get pinned to a rock by the skinny bird. Sassy gasped and took off with Denali, Diego, Shira and Manny on her tail. She could see the Dino's hadn't killed Buck yet and she could only assume he was doing his fancy talking that always seemed to get him out of trouble. Suddenly the fattest bird screamed and ran around like a chicken with its head cut off.

"What's going on up there!?" Denali and Shira asked in unison.

"Buck is what's going on." Diego said and Sassy nodded. The five reached the hill and started to climb over it when the birds flew over their heads and headed back towards the herd.

"Reinforcements have arrived!" Buck announced from on the talons of the skinnier bird. They all tied ropes around the crystal and heaved it out of the ravine. The herd cheered and Manny and Jullian hurried to the top to help them ease the crystal in. Flaming meteors were falling all around them.

"Mom where are they!?" Peaches asked in distress. The males were taking far too long.

"Ellie! We need to get everyone off the volcano!" Diego said and she nodded and they gathered everyone and hurried them back towards the ground.

"Folks I'm outta cake but I got salami!"

"Faster faster!" Shira urged the herd, ignoring Granny.

"Imouttacakebutigotsalami!" Granny hurried her words and Diego scooped her up onto his back and ran with everyone off of the quaking volcano. They all made it to the ground and looked up in horror just in time to see Manny and Jullian push the crystal away from the opening.

"What are they doing!?" Shira asked rhetorically. The crystal gained speed and rolled violently down the volcano's curved path and shot off the crest and flew towards the mouth of the volcano. It landed on the very edge and everyone gasped and held their breath in anticipation. The crystal teetered for a moment and then fell into the volcano, causing the ground to shake. Manny and Jullian came running down the path not seconds later. No one had time to celebrate because the asteroid was now a huge fiery ball taking up the entire sky as huge chunks fell around them, narrowly missing the herd in their fiery path. The volcano glowed with energy for a moment before going dark.

"What happened?" Shira asked dumbly.

"Maybe it's the quiet before the crazy?" Diego offered. Everyone looked at each other and a whistling sound could be heard. Sassy looked over just in time to see Granny plug up a tiny air vent with her cane. A moment later the volcano exploded in a burst, rocketing the crystals into the air in a Smokey cloud of ash and soot. Loved ones huddled together and could only watch and pray as the asteroid flew toward them at unbelievable speeds. It came closer and closer and the animals braced each other for the blow that they were certain was coming. Manny, Diego and Jullian shielded their mates from with their bodies as their protective instincts called upon them to do and Denali tucked Sassy under him and shut his eyes tight.

"I love you." He whispered in her ear.

"I love you too." Sassy said in a shaken voice and clenched her eyes shut. They waited but nothing happened and they looked up to see the magnetic electric currents pull the asteroid away and sent it hurtling back into space. The crowd exploded with joy. Everyone cheered and hugged and kissed and celebrated cheating death. Sassy screamed in happiness and tacked Denali to the ground, laying on him and licking his face everywhere. Denali laughed and could only return the affection in kind. The two laid their foreheads together and sighed in relief.

"Bring it in bro son! Welcome to the family!" Manny exclaimed to Jullian, hugging him in a manly way of course. "And you, ya coconut! I'll never doubt you again." He said to Buck, placing the weasel on his head.

"See! Daddy's always right! Remember that when ya olda!" Buck told his pumpkin daughter. The herd gathered around and continued to celebrate until deciding to journey back home, happy and all very content.

—

"Are you sure you can't come with us?" Sid sadly asked and elderly Brooke. The two sat on a log in the middle of a tropical foliage of trees and ferns and flowers. It was a beautiful place the herd had stumbled upon on their way back to their home, not far from where Geotopia used to stand in all its hidden glory.

"Oh Sidney I wish I could. But we both know this is for the best." Brooks consoled. "You've got your whole life in front of you. Besides, I'll have Granny to keep me company." Sid gasped in horror and sprang to his feet.

"What!? You're staying too!?" He asked his grandmother.

"Are you kiddin'? This place is great! Tonight's the big talent show and tomorrow, naked bingo!" The entire herd visibly cringed not far away, observing the sad scene.

"You comin' Gladis? I ain't gettin' any younger!" The now withered and bushy bearded teal bunny called to the grouchy sloth.

"What? I can't hear you!"

"What? I can't hear you!"

"What? I can't..." Everyone blocked the two out and turned their attention back to Sis and Brooke.

"You'll always be my one true love." Brooke cooed and handed Sid an engraved crystal portrait of herself for him to remember her by.

"Wow!" Sid said in awe and then his eyes lit up. "Oh wait!" He turned his back for a moment and then presented Brooke with the same thing, only his portrait was scrawled and lopsided. Brooke giggled.

"It looks just like you."

"Now we can be together for ever." Sid said as the two exchanged the crystals and Brooke kissed his cheek. Sid walked back to the herd and looked back over his shoulder once more.

"So long handsome!" Brooke called, waving.

"Bye Sidney!" Granny echoed and waved her cane. Sassy saw Sid's face drop in sadness and she left Denali's side to nuzzle into Sid's, licking his cheek comfortingly as Manny placed his trunk on Sid's shoulder. Sid sighed and placed his hand on Sassy's back and they walked away from the two females, leaving the volcano and Sid's heart behind. He was melancholy all the way home, and Sassy's heart broke for her friend. Denali nuzzled her neck.

"You ok?" She nodded solemnly.

"I just hurt for Sid. He finally found love and he had to leave her behind." Denali nodded in understanding.

"He's a tougher mammal than I am."

"Why do you say that?" Denali looked down at Sassy's softly confused expression.

"Because I could never have left you behind, or given you up. It'd kill me." Sassy's eyes widened and then she smiled, love for the make filling her heart. She licked his maw and nuzzled her head under his chin and only his warm fur.

Hours and hours of long preparation and annoyance later, a wedding was minutes away from taking place. Sid had preformed a miracle and had somehow gotten all the flowers and decorations up in record time thanks to the help of his hyrax friends. All the guests were assembled, awaiting the arrival of the bride. Animals tittered and talked and gossiped about one thing or another. Sassy was content to stay away from it all until absolutely necessary, meaning until the exact moment Peaches appeared down the aisle and not one second sooner. She and Denali had found a cluster of bushes not far from the clearing where the wedding would be taking place, and there, they go to know each other just a little bit better. Sassy moaned in contentment as Denali licked her sweet spot just under her ears. He had tucked her into him and had been busy licking her for quite some time. Sassy smirked and finally pushed him away.

"The wedding is about to start. We need to take our seats." Denali groaned and pulled her down again.

"Do we have to?" He muttered in her ear. "We could have so much more fun here." Sassy shoved him playfully.

"Excuse you sir but this is my niece's wedding we're taking about. I wouldn't miss it even if the world were coming to an end." Denali shuddered.

"Ok ok just please never mention this end of the world stuff ever again. I had enough excitement to last me a lifetime." Sassy smirked.

"You won't last long with me then. I'm quite the handful." She winked and trotted off before he could pounce on her and cause a scene. She took her seat and he begrudgingly joined her, but then brightened as everyone shushed and the service started. Sassy looked behind her and smiled. Peaches was beautiful. She was so very proud of her niece. She had picked a good man. She winked at the young mammoth as she passed with Manny and Ellie beside her and Peaches smiled at her favorite aunt. She definitely loved Shira almost as much but Sassy had been there since her birth. No competition there.

Sassy smiled as Manny and Ellie handed their daughter over to Jullian's awaiting trunk and they turned toward the hyrax minister. He babbled off a few words in his language and looked to Peaches.

"I do." She said happily and then the hyrax turned to Jullian and repeated his words.

"Most def!" Jullian said excitedly. The hyrax finished with a few more words and then the crowd erupted in applause as the two mammoths embraced. The celebration then went into full swing as mammals celebrated and and danced and hugged each other. Sassy ignored Denali when he wouldn't join her on the dance floor and began dancing with Buck, a smirk of complete and utter defiance on her maw as she danced with no shame. Denali finally had enough and cut in.

"Excuse me weasel, but that's my girl." Buck looked up and grinned knowingly.

"I figured as much wolf. Ya got yourself a rare gem here." He elbowed Denali in the side with raised eyebrows and gestured to Sassy. She stuck out her tongue at both of them and then pranced around happily. Denali chuckled.

"Buck, you are always right." The weasel nodded.

"I know it." Then he whooped and took off with his pumpkin still tied around his body. Denali smiled at Sassy and she smiled back, inviting him to join her with her eyes and a jerk of her head. He did for a minute until they were interrupted by a voice from the stage.

"Excuse me all!" A british, female voice announced. "But this song is dedicated to my one true love!" Sassy looked up in surprise to see Brooke, younger and more gorgeous than ever, and dedicating a song to Sid, who was standing right in front of her in the crowd.

Oh Sid,

Sid baby, you make me so happy!

The crowd erupted as Brooke broke into a very catchy pop song that had everyone jumping and dancing to the beat.

Oh I, never knew I,

Would make it out and come this far

Oh I, never knew I,

Would see the day we'd come together

It's not like anything I've ever seen

Yeah baby

You, you make me happy

You keep me laughing

You make my world a better place

You, you are my rainbow

You color my day so bright

I want to stay with you forever

My superstar

My superstar

You shine so bright into my heart

My superstar

My superstar

You shine so bright into my heart

Sassy, Denali, Diego, Shira and the entire herd plus guests went absolutely crazy. It was a time of joyous laughter and of living life and loving each other. At one point Sassy and Denali sat back on the sidelines, Sassy's head resting on her new mates shoulder. She sighed contentedly as she watched her family dance and just enjoy this special occasion that had brought them all together in celebration once more.

"Happy?" Denali asked, licking her forehead. She moaned her reply and Denali laughed. "Look Sassy," At his serious tone, Sassy raised her head to look at him. "I know this is going to sound forward and probably very rushed but...," She could see the pinkish hue to his cheeks under his fur and took pity on the male. She licked his cheek and smiled.

"Yes, I'll marry you." His head whipped back to hers so fast they nearly collided.

"How did...how did you know I was going to ask you that?" He questioned, stunned at her words. Sassy played innocent and simply shrugged.

"I'm a female Denali. Females just know these things. I knew you were going to ask me before you did." She winked playfully. Denali stared at her for a moment and then a look of amusement passed over his face and he chuckled.

"I guess I should stop being so surprised with you. I'm never going to be able to predict what you do next."

"Nope! And that's what is going to keep this relationship interesting." She winked again and then snuggled back into his side. He rested his head atop hers and they lapsed into a comfortable silence, just watching the festivities. Sassy looked around and caught sight of Diego and Shira off talking in hushed tones at the edge of the gathering. It looked like Shira was doing most of the talking. Suddenly Diego's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped open. Sassy couldn't suppress a smirk. Seconds later a loud whoop came from the male tiger, drawing everyone's attention. Diego leaped up in stage and spoke in such an excited tone that his words were barely understandable.

"Everyone listen up!" Everyone quieted and turned toward the practically giddy saber tooth. "I'm not meaning to steal the thunder away from Peaches and Jullian's big day, but I can't hold this in! Shira just told me I'm gonna be a dad!" The crowd instantly erupted in applause and congratulations and Diego jumped down and ran over to lick his mates burning but happy face. Everyone awed and Sassy has to smile. It was so good to see Diego like this. So loving and carefree, without the weight of the world on his broad shoulders.

"Well nothing for it now." Denali said and stood up and walked away from her. Sassy looked after him, very confused.

"Denali?" She called and ran after him but he had already made his way into the stage.

"While everyone is announcing good news, I'm gonna do my part. Most of you don't know me but you will, cause your resident whirlwind of a female wolf just agreed to marry me and be my mate." Everyone gasped and turned to Sassy in stunned silence. Sassy rolled her eyes.

"Oh put your eyes back in your sockets and just be happy for me and the wolf you don't know!" They still stared and she glowered and growled out her next words. "This is a happy day. Don't blow it." Everyone seemed to return to their senses and Sassy was immediately bombarded by her questioning herd. Everyone was talking at once and hugging and kissing as if they needed another excuse to do so. Denali shouldered her away and they managed to sneak away from the celebration and then they ran! They didn't stop until they were on the other side of the forest, on a cliff facing the sunset. Sassy was laughing so hard she couldn't run anymore and she collapsed into the dirt, tears streaming down her fluffy cheeks. Her sides hurt. Denali was laughing hard as well as he flopped down next to her. Eventually their laughter fizzled out and they just looked out at the sunset and then back at each other. Denali rested his forehead against Sassy's and sighed.

"I love you." She told him. He grinned but didn't move.

"I love you." He said back. They stayed there until well after dark, reveling in their love and privacy away from the family Sassy so dearly loved, but sometimes needed her privacy from, to be with her new mate properly

Authors note: Hey ice age fans! So the last chapter was officially the end of the movie, Collision Course but with Sassy and Sid just finding mates and Shira pregnant, I couldn't just end it there! So this is my own personal ending to the story. I hope you all enjoy it!

A few weeks later, Sassy begrudgingly have into her herd's demands that she have a proper wedding, just like Peaches did. They weren't going to let her skimp and go the easy route like Diego and Shira had gotten to do. Sassy grumbled as Ellie, Peaches and Shira, now starting to show signs of her first of three month pregnancy, fussed over her coat and mane, trying to make her as pretty as possible.

"Is this really necessary?" Sassy asked, dodging her niece's attempt to put a flower between her ears.

"Of Course it isn't. But that doesn't matter! It's your wedding day Aunt Sassy! Don't you want to be beautiful for Denali?" Sassy huffed and Shira came to the wolf's defense.

"Sassy is the most beautiful wolf any mammal has ever seen and everyone I've talked to has said so. Denali thinks that and much more, even without the flowers and jewels." Sassy gave Shira a grateful smile and the two mammoths seemed to consider this but then went right back to their fussing, turning to pick out more daisies and wild flowers with crystals from the asteroid's remains that hadn't made it into the volcano. When their backs were turned, Shira mouthed the word "run!" To Sassy and the wolf didn't hesitate. She fled silently into the thicket, not stopping until she was well away and hidden from the females sight. At least Shira was on her side.

"Don't tell me you're running away." Said a deep voice. Sassy whirled around to see her groom coming out of the bushes. She smiled.

"Not without you I wouldn't. Ellie and Peaches won't stop fussing with me. Shira helped me give them the slip. Denali chuckled and then looked her over.

"Well, they did a fine job. You're gorgeous. But you always are so it doesn't really matter." Sassy blushed under her fur and looked down at her mane. She supposed the jewels did look kinda pretty, standing out against her white, grey and brown mixed fur. Denali stepped forward and licked her nose. "Do you believe in the bad luck before the wedding thing?" Sassy shook her head and he grinned. "Me neither." He gave her a long, slow lick down the side of her neck and Sassy sighed in contentment.

"Are you sure we can't just elope?" Denali pulled back and looked at her.

"Would the wrath of the herd be worth it?" She winced.

"Well when you put it like that...," Denali gazed at her a moment and then pushed her toward the wedding circle. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Trust me. Come on." He ran and she followed.

"Shira where did she go!?" Ellie practically screeched. Shira shrugged.

"The moment you guys turned your backs she took off. I can't chase her down in this condition. Diego has been doing all the hunting for me lately." Ellie and Peaches eyed her suspiciously but then a bellow rang out through the woods.

"If you're going to be a part of this wedding, I suggest you get over here now!" The three stared at each other, wide eyed at Denali's declaration. They hurried to the wedding circle to see everyone getting situated and the hyrax minister ready to begin. Sassy smirked at them and Peaches pouted. Shira and Sassy exchanged winks and Shira sat next to her mate. He just shook his head, noting what had passed between the females.

"You two are dangerous together." He murmured to her. She smirked and eyed him sensually.

"What's your point tiger?" He playfully growled at her and then they focused their attention on the wedding. Sassy and Denali were in their own world, and when they were declared husband and wife, or mates or whatever it was, they kissed and then announced to the whole herd that they were running away to the mountains for their honeymoon and didn't know and didn't care when they'd be back.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Diego whispered to Sassy, nuzzling his best friend goodbye. She chuckled.

"That's not saying much. Thankfully." He grinned at her and they touched foreheads in parting. Sassy repeated the gesture with her herd and then they left.

"Ey Wolf!" Came a shout from the tree tops and everyone looked up. Denali and Sassy looked over in unison to see Buck hanging from a vine, knife drawn.

"If ya hurt that girl, I'll hang your skin on me wall and make an entire collection out of yer teeth." He gestured to his knife menacingly, his expression completely serious but a slight touch of warmth in his eyes. Sassy couldn't help but smile. Denali smiled too.

"If I do, I'll hand myself over to you." He looked at her and then they continued on their way, excited to explore together, and finally be one.

Two and a half months later...

Sassy burst out of the forest, hearing Shira's cry of pain over a mile away. Denali was on her heals and so was Diego, who had heard his mates scream while hunting and had torn off in the same direction, intercepting the wolves. Sassy skidded into the saber's cave to see Shira on her side, writhing in pain, her stomach swollen and rising. Diego immediately ran to his mate, his eyes wide.

"Shira!" She calmed slightly at his presence and he licked her face comfortingly, then looked up at Sassy, the fear evident in his eyes. Sassy immediately took charge.

"Denali, you and Diego go round up the rest of the herd. Tell them Shira is having her cubs."

"I'm not leaving her!" Diego shouted. Sassy gazed at him calmly.

"Diego you need to trust me." She said simply. He stared at her a moment, his mouth working, unsure of what to say. Shira raised her paw, gently touching him.

"I'm in good paws Diego. Just do what she says. I promise I'll be alright." Diego looked between Shira and Sassy a few times before bending down and licking his mate lovingly one more time. Denali then led him out of the cave. Sassy looked Shira over and analyzed the situation.

"How are you feeling Shira?" The Saber looked at her like she was insane.

"Like I'm trying to give birth! How do you think I feel!?" Sassy rolled her eyes, not bothered by her angry words. It was normal. She felt her belly with her head, testing to size and movement within.

"They're not ready yet Shira. Give it a little time."

"But I want to push!"

"Only because you're in pain! Trust your instincts Shira! What are they saying?" She whimpered a minute before letting out a gasp of air and panting a little.

"To wait a few minutes." She said. Sassy nodded.

"Always trust your instincts. Now let's work on your breathing or you're going to pass out while birthing."

Diego paced outside the cave, wanting to tear something apart every time her heard Shira's cry's of pain. Denali worried he was going to pace a rut right into the rock.

"Relax buddy. Sassy's got her." The others nodded, the males looking very uncomfortable but Ellie sympathetic to Shira. Peaches and Jullian had left to roam about a month ago, and the herd was sorely missing them. But they had adjusted, and had promised to somehow get word to the couple once the cubs were born. Buck suddenly flew in on a vine, screaming as he crashed into the cliff side at full speed, falling splat onto the ground. He quickly righted himself and cleared his throat, looking around, hoping no one had seen.

"So um...how's the tigress?" He asked casually but the worry evident in his eyes, just like everyone else. They kept a brave face on for Diego's sake, but they were all worried about Shira.

"It's gotten awfully quiet in there." Diego said, and stepped toward the entrance. Denali blocked his path.

"Sassy will come and get us when the time is right Diego. You need to be patient." Diego growled.

"You try being patient when your mate is giving birth for the first time to your children. Then tell me how you feel." Just then Sassy appeared behind the two.

"If you two are done arguing, there are some kittens that would love to meet their father." All hostility faded from Diego's expression as he approached Sassy.

"My...kittens?" He asked in shock. Sassy smiled.

"Two boys and one little girl, all very healthy." Diego closed his eyes and his face broke into a huge happy and relieved grin. The herd whistled and congratulated the saber tooth until his eyes suddenly snapped back to Sassy's and his expression fell.

"Shira...is she...?" Sassy shook her head.

"She's just fine Diego. She did excellent. I hardly had to do anything. She managed it all wonderfully." Diego let out a huge sigh of relief and then hesitantly stepped into his cave to see his children and wife. The herd watched the scene from the caves entrance. Diego bent over his mate, who smiled at him and showed him the three, tiny little cubs that were nestled into their mother's fur. Diego smiled and gently licked each one and then kissed his mate passionately. He rested his head on Shira's and sighed.

"Thank you for making me so happy."

"No. Thank you." She returned and licked his cheek. They looked back at the kittens. "What should we name them?" Diego considered this for a moment.

"How about Chase for that one." He said, gesturing to the darkest kitten, with barely noticeable golden stripes along his back. Shira smiled.

"Ok, and Rocky for the other." She nuzzled the other boy, this one golden like his father. She looked up. "What about the girl?" Diego looked at his daughter, the tiniest of the kittens and smiled softly. She would have grey fur like her mother, and eventually sharp green eyes once they opened, creating a beautiful and stark contrast. The tips of her tiny paws were a faint tan and she had a single black stripe running down her spine and to the tip of her tail. She would be a gorgeous saber.

"Rose." Diego said. Shira nodded and they said no more, just looked at their children and nuzzled each other. Sassy smiled gently and then shooed the herd away. They complained about not meeting the kittens but she told them it was too early.

"Their eyes will be open in a few days and they'll be able to stumble around some so you can meet them then. But for now, this family needs their privacy." The herd reluctantly agreed and Manny and Ellie went in search of a bird of some kind that would be willing to find their daughter and her husband and deliver the good news. Sid and Brooke headed off, still planing their soon to be wedding. They had wanted to wait after Sassy and Denali were back but by then Shira was too weak so they decided to wait until after the cubs were born. Buck swung away, hoping no one had seen him wipe away a tear at the sight of the saber family, but Sassy he caught it. She knew Buck was still lonely, even though he had decided to permanently stay with the herd. She and Denali walked to the top of the cliff and laid down next to each other, staring up at the full moon and stars. It was the perfect night for a howl, and they could hear the faint cry's of their own kind, far off in the distant mountains.

"Diego was very worried about Shira. I can't blame him. I'd be just as worried about you if you were in that situation." Denali said, tucking Sassy into him. She nuzzled into his warm fur and sighed.

"Do you want pups Denali?" He was quiet for a minute before responding.

"Yes I do Sassy. I want a family with you someday. It's been my dream for a king time to have a family. But I'm perfectly content with just you as my life long mate." He said and licked the top of her head and her ears. Sassy considered his words and couldn't contain her smirk. She pulled back and grinned at him.

"That's good." He stared at her.

"What is?"

"That you want pups. Because I'm pregnant and we would sure be in a pickle if you didn't want a family." Denali stared at her, stunned, eyes wide. She held back her laughter and broke away from him to sit at the edge of the cliff, getting ready for a howl. "And I'm pretty sure I'm carrying 5 so...you might want to prepare yourself." With that she threw back her head and howled, long and clear into the night. She was immediately answered by other calls and she answered them right back for a few minutes before her ante took up residence beside her and began to howl himself. She stopped and looked at him and when he was finished, he grinned at her and tackled her onto her back, hovering over her.

"I love you." Sassy smiled.

"And I love you."

The end

Authors note: Ice Age: Collision Course is officially finished! I want to cry! I had so much fun writing these stories and I hope you all enjoyed them! Let me know if you have any requests for one shots or future stories you would like! Thank you all so much for your support! Happy reading!