Chapter III : Look where we are now
Welcome back folks ! It's been a long time since the last chapter. I know you've been expecting a new one to come in no time, so I hope it's lenght will help you forget the long wait ! ;)
Personally, I hated the fact that Diego & Shira didn't get a chance to shine alot in the last sequel. I still don't see why we should again waste our time on Manny - a character with an already great Arc - and leave our favourite Saber in the dark. Hope I've done a good impression with that chapter, especially with the pair's dialogue. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this one !
Anyway : Enjoy !
Present
- Soooo …. This is it ?
- Yep
It took them sometime to find the area, but as they finally identified the target, they knew they were there. Diego looked awkwardly concentrated while Shira was displaying a defined frowning expression : it literally meant "what are we doing with this fellow ?" The tigress turned her head with the same plastered expression and silently opened her mouth
"You could have picked up a better target, you know …" she sighted with a provoking smile
His mate expected that thing to be said, hence his reaction, calm and calculated
- Rabbits are tricky. Don't underestimate them …
- I think the one you're underestimating here, is me, 'Mittens'
Diego turned to her, bothered by that name like he always is.
"We're just through our 2nd hunting session" He resumed while trying to keep a straight face "We've only gone past the 'review' of some parts of the island ; this is a step by step lesson we're doing"
His partner shook herself : Shira felt amusing pity for the poor prey
"This is too much Diego, I feel bad for that little fellow" she smiled warmly while staring at the oblivious rabbit
"Remember" he raised the tone for that very word "I'm going first"
The white saber poked Diego amusingly but with small tact
"You never said that !" she whispered loudly, wondering wildly why is he not believing in her capacities. That curiousness was illustrated by a perplex smile. The frown was still on.
Diego sighted lightly and faced her again
- Want me to join you then ?
"We can make this a race if you have your doubts" she proposed after a quick eye roll
His mate considered her for a second, then sighted
- Ok then : on the count of ….
- I'm off.
This was unexpected. She shared that last quote in a flash second before storming towards the target. Seconds after, the rabbit was gone, Shira was gone, and Diego was still trying to get hold of what was happening.
- What the … HEY !
His mind reactivated, and he began running too
"Doggone it !" he panted "Don't spoil all the fun !"
The sun was about to set for dusk. After quenching their first at the nearest river, the two sabers were on their way back to the herd's cave, borrowing the shortcut by the beach to coolly digest their meal.
"You were …. Impressive back there Kitty" he mumbled, embarrassed, while trying to share eye contact with the beautiful tigress
Shira revealed a slight grin as she turned to face him
"Never getting tired of that name, are you ?" she gently pointed out
He followed with the same attitude
- I was about to ask you the same about that wonderful "M" word you gifted me
She chuckled, looking down at the watery sediments as if she was too shy to share her enthusiasm with her new partner.
"That's true" a nod followed "than I guess we're even on one thing for once"
Their difference in distance from the water was interesting to behold : Shira was marching close to the tide, doing back & forth movements diagonally ; Diego was at her side, only trying to avoid any contact with upcoming waves despite how far he was.
She quickly turned to her mate
- You know : I never told you that …. I used to train myself on these very grounds
"No way !" he frowned at her "that should probably explain why you could dodge that crazy plant and I didn't …"
- Aw common, it barely injured your leg
Diego gave a light jerk out of his damaged member as he walked, sign that the pain came back each time he took a new step. The white saber nodded understandably in a way to show that she recognized the labor.
- Okay, maybe it's worse than I thought ….
"Oh no worries anyway" he informed "… Sid will work out a relief to erase this"
Shira whispered to him in the ear in a surprised tone
- I never knew that he was good at something !
Diego burst out laughing
- I was surprised too, that's for sure !
The dialogue that followed sounded like a private conversation
- Between us : maybe he could be able to domesticate that wild flowerpot for us.
Chuckles were shared
"… Make it his pet for all we know !" he joked "I could bet on that to happen"
The male saber smiled, looking at the beautiful sunset ahead of them ; it was slowly reaching for the bottom of the sea.
- So that was … sort of … your personal playground ?
- Yep : anytime Gutt wanted to board on the cove, he would let me run anywhere I wanted.
Diego dropped slightly his head to think a minute
- Anywhere … that means that you got to run near the snow mountain peaks ?
She turned to him, with an obvious tone
- Too chilly ; No way I would that !
He paused to breakdown what she just said. He resumed walking
- So you're telling me : you never – ever in your life – encountered a period of Ice Age before ?
"No" It felt like a mix of innocence and arrogance in that little voice.
He stared at her with a questioning face
- In what kind of place were you born ?
Tough stuff to answer …
"I huh …" she looked all around her then back to Diego "Remember being in a … warm place. Humid but warm …"
- Tropical vibe then ?
"Yeah …." She sounded exhausted after that answer ; Her voice was as dry as if she had just finished an everlasting speech.
Diego turned his green eyes towards the white peaks in the horizon.
"Know what ?" he announced "Maybe we can keep that mountain path as a final test then. Say …" Diego faced her with a smile "…. Since you're not used to cold environments …"
- Well : we'll be quick getting through your "tests" if all we have to do is MOW the whole island
Shira's partner responded to that sarcastic but harmless comment with a smile
- Not only "mowing" ….
He was searching for the thing he wanted to say
- Reckon …. You know some hunting tricks ?
- I do !
- Which ones ?
"Well … not exactly KNOWN tricks : I improvise a lot in my chases ; not really pretty to behold" she could hear herself laugh in her own mind after that.
- You're good with your speed : that's already something I witnessed …
Shira considered Diego with a questioning frown, not that the smile wasn't there too.
- You DON'T like sharp turns : I noticed that.
"You understand me, all right" he joked, chuckles were shared "Gee, now that I think of it : I'm far from knowing every trick" The smile was there, but it was nervous
Shira closed in
- Guess we can help each other out from time to time then. I got my weaknesses, you got yours.
- Yeah.
He felt that he should continue the conversation
- Anyway ... I never witnessed before that claw movement you do on the back of the neck … did you learn it ?
"I don't remember" she frowned "I think it's ... instinct"
- Odd … I rarely see a saber do that …
A light spasm interrupted Shira's walk
Now he was aiming for another angle of the conversation
- You know …. Sorry if this feels random but : I never heard your story before cruising on an iceberg
Tension filled her mouth ; The white coated wonder needed to cough it all out to avoid looking nervous.
- To tell you the truth : I can barely remember the slightest image of those early years
- That's weird …
- The moment I joined the crew, everything vanished behind me
Her legs were stepping even deeper in the tide. Diego took on a questionable tone
"I heard you" those three words took forever to come out "… not long ago …. Telling me that you remember … being in some warm place" he carefully ended this one
The answer didn't sound pretty at all despite how subtle Diego wanted his question to be.
"I don't know !" her voice rose a tone "It may have come from a cave, a place far away for all I know … I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING MORE !"
The male saber quickly regretted his inquiry.
Oddly enough, he wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable :
- S … Sorry … I didn't mean to ….
"No" he interrupted "Its me. I should have never gone that way …"
He turned to her with a comforting smile. It felt slightly weak.
- Why should we linger on the past anyway ? I mean, look where we are now !
For some odd reason, that made Shira chuckle.
"Diego …" she uttered slowly "If I had to tell you sincerely what changed - for me - on this boat …"
Diego was waiting patiently for the answer
- … Everything
He resumed walking, face against the dusky horizon.
- We were separate from this land, and with time it progressively became our enemy ... On the other side we were now friends with the sea – not that I love swimming in it – just … that feeling of being cut off from the rest of the world, opening our fun side to literally everything we could come across …
Her mate nodded comprehensively. The frost coated saber tiger was not at one point bothered by the rising tide.
"10 years at least …" she precised with eyes raised
Shira decelerated her pace. He followed that.
"Now that I think of it" Diego shared a look at that moment as she continued : "I spent most of my early years on a floating ice block … Can you believe that ?"
The orange saber hummed in agreement
- Barely did we meet "stranded" creatures, until that huge storm we had during the "Great Drift" …
"We were found" completed her mate
- Yep …
She paused there ; Shira looked like she was searching for a thing in her head
- Shira ?
Her head dropped to face the sediments ; She shook herself in denial with her own mind then looked back to Diego
- Nah just a silly thought …
The female saber resumed : she was now onto the day where she met the trio on the ice raft :
- … Just to tell you : it's been more than 10 years that I last met someone of my kind …
"It must have been quite a shock" the latter delivered was intentionally humorous
"Oh don't make it sound THAT dramatic, Mr. Mittens " THAT was a friendly warning
Diego followed that little game while sinking a little deeper …
"I got the threat" he joked with a hasty nod "I got the threat …"
After a long laugh, she resumed :
- Ok … lets be serious now …
She intended to face him before continuing
- The first time I got a glance of y …
"Allow me to start with that" that felt ambitious just by the way he said it … that very line hinted for something else …. What is it ?
After a short sight, she responded with a smile
- You're honored to start
- Well, ignoring the very start of the sentence ...
- 'The very first time you got a glance of me' ...
They looked at each other. She predicted the beginning. It slowly came out of her mouth like she was close to deliberating. A brief shudder was a sign that she knew what was coming.
- I could think of dozens of beautiful things at once in my head.
The silence exchanged between the two felt as if an earthquake was bothering their conversation.
To Diego's surprise, Shira's reply was on the edge of oblivion. It still was married to a lovely smile of hers.
- Diego … we promised ourselves to be serious by now on.
"But …" His voice was drying up as he spoke "I AM serious right now, Kitty !"
She tilted her head in interrogation
"That sounded prepared" Diego blushed with embarrass in a corner. "Didn't it ?"
'You need to save yourself, or you'll end up screwed !' that was the legit translation that came out of Diego's expression
- Really, it came out as that. No prep' …
- You really mean it ? 100 % sincerity ?
- I'm more than THAT sincere ! Folks would be crazy to say the contrary about you !
Diego felt exhausted after insisting on his compliment, but it was well worth it : long has he seen a smile warmer than the one displayed on Shira's face. It felt as if he was melting inside by that gift.
- Thank you Diego, from the bottom of my heart, it means A LOT to me, you can't imagine.
He couldn't help it : an embarrassing smile was plastered on his face. Shira couldn't help it too : she was trying to hide her laugh from what was displayed In front of her.
"I'm going to remember that face for the rest of my life" she joked with a shake of her head
"I'm honored" He mumbled with a smile. Shira chuckled at that
However, she could sense the little distress in his mate and decided to give a twist to the conversation : the sight of Diego cornering the water from the tide gave her an Idea.
"You've seen me swim …. Did I ever recall seeing YOU swim ?" the delivery was added to a challenging grin.
Diego looked at her. He knew what she meant and that made him do the same grin in return.
"Don't you dare do what I think you're gonna do to me …" friendly warning, Shira, friendly warning …
- ... Where's the fun in that ?
She missed. The pin was avoided and her face was brushed by salty elements. Diego grinned, and with a small gesture of his paw, mid-air raised, he continued :
"That should be one of the things we could work on, Kitty" with that expression of his, he was borderline daring her to react.
"Hey Mittens : how does THAT work for you ?" the surprise worked beautifully : Diego was sprayed with a fair amount of the tide.
He panicked for a short while, but then the rest of the shortcut's length was completed by a cat & mouse chase between the two.
The moon was settled, and the pair were back at the herd's cave. They were still getting used to it, but anyway it was just the place where everyone could reunite for a dinner together.
You could catch the eye of Manny, with his wife by his side, Ellie. The possums were missing ; it didn't seem to bug them anyway. Granny was making noises with her wood cane as she contemplated the blazing fire. But how come a fire is settled if the Fire lord is absent ? Peaches and Louis were absent too. Are they having some sort of party elsewhere ? We don't know.
As the pair took their respectful place in the circle, Diego could sense Granny's cane drawing his face close to hers.
- Hey Lady ! You're back !
"… And I'm glad you're still here, old crook" he took some risk to deliver that.
To his relief, Granny understood his sense of humor, and laughed loudly.
- I was worried you were eaten alive by my new pet.
"Oh don't you worry, Granny, he's got enough bulk to withstand your crazy plant" that was Manny, always trying to taunt the old sloth. Ellie nudged Manny to hush.
The orange saber raised his eyebrows, perplex. He exchanged a look with his partner ; she nodded and mouthed "maybe", only adding a surprised grin.
- … Only enough bulk to make me forget your cholesterol range, "Poofy" lad.
Nasty remark from Granny. Manny resumed his dinner in silent embarrassment. The veteran resumed with Diego.
- This bulldozer tries to make me turn. I ain't falling for him.
He nodded to make the punchline, then opened up another subject.
- Speaking of that. I'll need a few tweaks on …
It was unexpected. A large thump could be heard at the cave's entrance. After the dust settled, you could see a sloth, tangled in multiple vines, and the chief hyrax accompanied by some others. The whole herd was bracing itself for the explanation behind all of this. Granny strolled towards the body.
- We have a magician as a special guest ? Nobody told m …. Wait a flipping second …
Granny was on to examine one element of the body, the nose, than instantly strolled back.
- That's just Sidney, you fools !
Sid quickly went back to his feet and was twitching his hands in anxiety.
- Hey guys ! You would never believe what I just did !
Manny was ready for a question in his own way
- ... Does that involve the fact that you just - magically - fell from the sky ?
Ellie nudged him
- …. I just came over with a RE-VO-LU-TIO-NA-RY idea !
Diego looked uneasy, so did others.
- I would call that : a LIFT !
The crowd fell silent
"Don't only call me Fire Lord anymore ! Call me …. LIFT LORD !" he looked and sounded like a general as he said that. Some hyraxes were waving firefly-designed torches to Sid's face to intensify the announcement.
Manny raised an eyebrow
- You mean ... you're able to fly to the moon ?
- Manny, hush up !
Ellie Despite that, Sid apparently was now obsessed with what Manny just inquired.
- Hey that's an interesting ide …..
"Okay Sid, I need your expertise" Diego wanted his leg properly back on track, that was his main concern, and Sid's safety too.
Sid seemed glad to see his saber friend
- Hey Tidgey !
Diego was urgently about to say "Excuse me ?" to shut Sid out. Surprinsingly enough, Shira replied the fastest. It gave him shivers, as she sounded questioning. He was far to forget also the quite amused tone that was added to her voice.
- That's quite new ...
Sid, after a quick thinking, tried to catch up to save himself, at least that's what he thought ...
- Oh wait, wrong name ... 'Mittens', isn't it ?
That didn't sound any better. Diego looked menacing but also quite lost. Did Shira & Sid just work out a nickname right behind his back ? Seems so : Shira was nodding in urgent disagreement while staring embarassly.
- She's got pretty good taste in names, I'll give her that !
- Either names, that's the last time you're saying it ...
Sid understood the threat, no doubt : Diego was menacingly exposing his claws to warn the sloth. However, Sid replied to him with a nervous laugh and some quick pats on the saber's neck
- Heyyyy …. Good thing we're best pals, buddy ... Aren't we ?
Shira whispered something to Diego. It felt important ; seeing as Diego instantly gave up the threatening. He rubbed Sid's head for a short while then resumed talking.
"I'll come back to that ... Can you help with this ?" he showed his severed member to the sloth
- Ohhh … that's a nasty looking thing you got there, buddy. I got my bag right here, wait a second.
- Take your time, Sid
Sid fiddled in his bag of wonders, and started mixing herbs with others as he picked them out.
- See, granny, you have different names of herbs …
- Sidney …
Sid looked at his grandmother
- I don't give a flying bee what they're names are. Call them what you want for all I care …
- But Granny, if you see an herb …
- ... I see a dandelion
- But how could you tell …
Granny's stick was reaching Sid's neck
- You've never been wiser than me. Were you ?
"Of course not" he chuckled with a nervous tone .
"Good" the stick was removed "Learn from the Elders, or you'll become the same specie as your father is"
She turned to Sid before going to sleep in the broken trunk outside
- By the minutes …
His grandson sighted with effort before turning back to his patient
- I'll give you a warning : it might sting a little.
- What mixture is ….
He didn't get to finish. The relief was in action : a sharp pepper sting in the beginning, followed by a more pacific feeling in the end.
- How's it going, buddy ?
Diego had his eyes shut because of the intense feeling
"Spirits lifted" he said with a heavy nod "I don't know where the heck I am"
"I'd bet anything that there was pimento in there" Shira wondered while examining the aftermath
As the tigress started searching for something in the back of the cave, Diego could confirm the theory.
- Correct
A icy feeling ran through his whole body, making him jump a little. That little prank amused the others, specially Ellie.
Shira was done, she returned the coconut fragment back to a water source and reexamined her mate : His eyes were now wide open, they were wide open and looked fed up more than anything.
"I must be dreaming" he grumbled. It felt harmless though
"Hello, reality" she shared with a compassionate smile. Her claws were toying with Diego's neck.
A delicate smile replaced the morbid looking one.
- Your good at surprises, no doubt.
- You had a shower, that's already a thing you can tick off your daily agenda …
Sid intentionally coughed to grab their attention
- I would like to make an announcement !
"Wait, I thought you already did …." Wondered Manny
- …. I kept the best for the last !
As he said that, the hyraxes wielding the torches lighted the chief hyrax, descending with a quite big scroll ; sealed with a bamboo string. The mechanisms worked this time around, however the crowd stayed neutral. The hyrax with the blue print patrolled proudly towards Sid, and handed him the precious scroll. The sloth cleared his throat once again.
- It is with great pleasure that I ….
"Go straight to the point, Sid" suggested Ellie
The sloth looked around : everybody had their eyes half open
- …. It's getting really late ...
- Okay guys, okay …. So what I'm announcing is dedicated to a very cute couple that I admire ….
"Come on, Ellie" Manny whispered "That's not our concern"
"For once, I can agree with you" she smiled at him.
They were off to bed
The hyrax untied the knot on the scroll and Sid unfolded it with a brief gesture of his hand. Shira could see a quick glimpse of what looked like a house project. She had to frown a bit to decipher the rest.
- Hey …. Sweet memories.
- Wait, is it ….
- The old prison we held Shira in ? Yep ! That's the one !
After he had a quick look at the scroll, Diego looked back.
- … You sure it hasn't ... broken down when you left it ?
- Trust me : I spent my whole time preparing this !
"It looks great" complimented the white saber
- Thanks ! Well then …. Want me to show it to you ?
"Nah, it's fine thanks" his decision didn't take long
"Okay then ! I'll give you the directions. Listen closely ..." Sid looked excited, Diego on the other hand looked dubious
- So you take the right, then follow the path …
- Follow the path ? …
The saber couldn't understand why he was doubting the sloth, but no time to ask anyway : Sid was already heading joyfully to his bed trunk, whistling with glee.
"Sounds fishy …" frowned Diego
Shira looked around
- I never liked that cave anyway …
He turned to her
- Want to lead the way then ? I'm starting to get accustomed to that.
"Harr Harr" she mocked
His mate showed great signs of drowsiness in a spectacular yawn
- Tired …
- Alright : let's go then. Don't fall asleep halfway though ….
The pair took the right. Then it got really messy. Diego encountered an unnecessary amount of arrows, mounted on a stick. Fire sticks were planted too, but that bothered them less.
- Ok : I'm not liking that …
Some arrows brushed aside along the way, they finally arrived at destination. He was SO ready to slap someone at that very moment (excluding his partner of course)
- I'm SO having a word with that sloth tomorrow ….
A panel, mounted above the tree's entrance, read exactly this
" Sleep tight Lovers ! "
What also decorated the tree were flower garlands all over it, with as a little bonus, sea shells and others added to strings. Icing on the cake, an overly present perfume came from the inside with a smell coming from the earth and the sea. Diego never had face palmed that hard in his whole life. The mark on his face gave him a head ache afterwards.
"What is it ? …." Shira inquired between two dreamy mumbles
He panicked when trying to hide the view from Shira. They quickly laid on what felt like feather rugs and sighted with relief after that long day.
"Tomorrow's going to be a big day yet again …" she had problem building the sentence, as the night was progressively ordering her to go to sleep
- Night' Mittens
He turned urgently to her, but she was already asleep. He sighted ; then step by step fell into a slumber, making a last eye contact with Shira.
- That sounds better anyway ...
"Is Peaches having a great time with her friends ?" inquired Manny
- How can I know ? It's the least of worries to think about anyway. Go to sleep honey.
A light bulb sparked in the Mammoth's head
- Wait a minute … Where are Crash & Eddie ?
- Manny : we gave her 3 days to make the most out of the expedition.
- Yeah, but how come THEY are not back ? They need a briefing
"Oho okay, noted my general" she mocked with a questionable look towards her husband
- Look here: you don't look the least worried about what's happening right now.
"Because there's nothing to worry about" she calmly replied
- How's that ?
Patience grew within Ellie
- You can already tell that If Crash & Eddie are not here, is because they know that she's alright.
- But what if …
- Your taking too much responsibility here. Let her live her life …
Manny was still staring at her
- You said it yourself : she's not our little girl anymore. She can hold her own.
- But can they ? …
- Who ?
- Those preteen hippies …
With a reserved chuckle, she prepared herself to fall asleep
- Well that : I don't know …. Sweet dreams
- You too, Ellie
Why are you dragging that dirt on your coat ?
Little wonder ….
Begin the Games
What do you want from me ?
I think that's impossible to brush off ...
You heard me ?
Begin the games
Wonder
RUN
Where have you been ?
I'll come along, sweet thing
Little wonder ...
RUN
Like the wind …. Come on : RUN
Little Pest !
I'll come along …
NO
A kick woke up Diego. He flinched, looked around him, then sensed a shudder on his back . Shira was looking cold ; her breaths were heavy, spasm were coming back & forth. 'Probably a nightmare' he wondered.
He took a glimpse at his rug, felt its warm touch, and decided to act :
The saber grabbed hold of the feathery rug, then covered Shira with it's warmth.
Diego wanted to make sure that he hasn't woken up his mate. She seemed more calm now.
Stretching himself and yawning in all his might. He decided to get the day started.
Off he went …. Through the entrance ….. Then out …. A shadow eclipsed the rising sun …. It disappeared in the wilderness ….. Gone …..
There ye go ;)
So that was my latest chapter ! Don't hesitate in giving it a review (it helps alot !)
Edit : Modified the chapter to improve it according to criticism