Faithers: *Pops up* ALLO!
Amethyst: SALUT!
Faithers: Sunt eu, un haiduc! *waves and laughs*
Amethyst: Numa Numa XD
Faithers: We were very bored XD
Amethyst: So we decided to work on this chapter. *nod*
Faithers: ALSO we have to feed Buck now. *glances at the weasel who is in the corner* ...I fear for my life.
Amethyst: Even though a few people snuck him food, so he shouldn't be all THAT hungry.
Buck: -.-
Amethyst: *unties Buck's mouth and paw and hands him some eggs from breakfast* there.
Buck: *eats*
Faithers: ...He's being quiet today...
Buck: *GLARE*
Faithers: O.O
Amethyst: It's always the quiet ones. *sigh*
Faithers: So! No more Tomfoolery and Poppycock! (If Fanfiction . net censors that word I'm gonna laugh)
Amethyst: And so without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, I give to you, the seeker of serenity, the protector of Italian virginity, the enforcer of our Lord God, the one, the only, Sir Ulllrrrich von Lichtenstein! ...I mean, chapter ten! PS: Whoever can tell us where that quote is from without using Google gets a cookie.
Faithers: PSS: The meaning of life, is WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE. That is all.
Buck opened his eye wearily, glancing at Peaches again. She had settled down some hours before and was asleep as far as he could tell. Crash and Eddie were (of course) still dead to the world and he knew he was the only one awake.
He sat up and stretched, sliding off of Peaches' back and looking around, trying to figure out where they were and how far they'd gone from the others. He determined that they were close to the middle of the Jungle of Misery. Great. Now they had to go all the way back. And then there was the possibility that Manny and his herd (and, unfortunately, his father) had gone against the first rule of survival and hadn't stayed put.
This adventure was beginning to wear in his last nerves.
He popped his back as he picked up his dagger, relishing in the soft "SNAP" that came from it that let him move around much easier. He grabbed a vine and started up one of the trees, moving toward the tree tops. Surveying the area, he figured that it'd take approximately a little more than half a day to get back to where they'd been. Depending on whether or not Manny and his herd had moved, it may take them even longer to actually regroup. Sighing, he leaned back against the tree and kept watch until dawn, which was when he would wake Peaches and get a move on. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to, as his father would still be with them, but he had to get Peaches and the twins back, right?
It was his duty as a guide to bring them back to where they belonged, he thought. Of course, his first duty was to himself and his survival and (To a lesser extent) protecting what little sanity he had left. He was pretty much throwing that duty away when he focused on getting them back, as seeing his father again would probably throw him the rest of the way over the edge.
Avery was concerned. Although Ellie had made him feel somewhat better, his apprehension did not recede.
He sat up, going to start himself a small fire and just think for a while, as he did most nights. However, unlike most nights, he was certain that Ellie was asleep, and therefore would not be awake to have one of those "meaningful conversations" with him. Not that he really minded. He liked Ellie, and she was an interesting mammal to talk to, but everyone needed a break now and then.
The fire flickered weakly, glowing a soft orange and sending its light around it like a firefly. The flames were seemingly the only thing he could talk to. A soft rustle in the bushes caught his attention. A deep brown furred squirrel ran by with an acorn half in its paws, not pausing at all to glance at him.
He raised an eyebrow as another squirrel, this one grey, ran by. However, unlike the last one, it stopped to look at him.
"Hello." He said simply, watching it glance around worriedly.
Scrat blinked at the weasel, looking around as if looking for who Avery was talking to. Seeing no one, he gestured to himself. 'Me?'
"See anyone else I'd be talkin' to?" The black-furred weasel asked, shrugging.
Scrat shrugged, glancing after Skrit again. He couldn't lose Skrit...he had to get the acorn back for Scratte.
Avery sighed, deciding to just talk to the animal, whether it listened or not. "I mess ev'rythin' up...An' now my son hates me...An' I don' know wot ta do abou' it." He glanced at Scrat. "Wot do you think I shoul' do?"
Scrat was trying to edge toward the bushes where Skrit had disappeared without looking rude. He glanced toward the other mammals, frowning before looking back at Avery. He bit his lip before gesturing with his hands that he had to leave.
Avery nodded. "Yeah, you're righ'. I shoul' fix things." His expression became determined. "And I will." He said decidedly.
Scrat stared at him, wondering how the weasel had come to that conclusion, before shaking his head and continuing to chase Skrit. He had lost enough ground, he needed to catch up again.
With that, Avery put out the fire and went back to the rock that was substituting for a bed, determined to find Buck and set things straight once more.
...After he got some sleep, of course.
Buck glanced over at the sleeping mammals as the twins started to stir. Peaches was still in a deep sleep and didn't look like she'd be waking any time soon.
Teenagers, he thought, amused, up at th' crack o' noon. "Mornin' lads." He greeted from his perch, looking down at them.
Crash stretched and yawned, looking like a rather overgrown teenager himself. He looked like he wanted to go right back to sleep as it was.
"We should be leavin' soon, so don' go back ta sleep." He ordered, knowing that that was just what they were tempted to do. He had been a teenager once, after all. Unfortunately.
Crash leaned against Eddie, who also yawned. They collapsed on top of each other, scrambling back to their feet, now much more awake from the pain of falling. Crash glanced at Peaches before shaking his head, "Hope YOU'RE getting HER up." he mentioned to Buck, "It's nearly impossible for us as it is."
Buck smirked. "Righ' then." He climbed down the tree to greet them properly, stretching. Sitting up in a tree, in the same position, for hours did WONDERS for your back. Really. No sarcasm in that statement at all.
"So." Eddie declared, "What are we gonna do today?"
"We," he started, "are gonna get you three back ta your herd and home."
"What about you?" Crash asked suddenly, looking worried when he noted that Buck didn't say what he was going to do.
Buck shrugged. "I'm gonna stay down here like las' time."
Crash and Eddie shared panicked looks, "You can't!" they said frantically, their panic causing them to talk together, "Buck!" Crash broke off, "Peaches has taken a LIKING to you. She won't let you stay anyway!"
Buck paused, blinking at them questioningly. "...Wot ah you goin' on abou'?"
Eddie bit his lip, "Look, we spent most of her young life telling her stories of you." he admitted, "You became an IDOL to her. She never thought you really existed, though..."
"And well...meeting you...she seems to think we understated the stories."
Buck raised an eyebrow. "She seems pretty skeptic ta me."
"She's been deciding for herself whether or not you were really...you." Crash explained, "Er, the you we told her about. Story-you." he fidgeted, "While you were asleep...she told us she was sorry for never really believing us before."
"And, because o' this..." he started slowly, "...she's no' gonna let me stay here?" He confirmed.
"Whether you were there or not, you were a big part of her childhood, technically." Eddie confirmed, "I don't think she wants to lose that."
Buck frowned. "But I don' wanna leave."
Crash shifted on his feet, "Peaches...isn't the only who wants you to come back with us." He admitted. Eddie nodded guiltily.
Oh, them too? He shifted, considering. He liked his kingdom, his Dino-utopia, but he didn't want to disappoint his friends, as they were the only friends he'd ever had, excluding Rudy who didn't even really count anyway.
Eddie cleared his throat, bringing the attention to him, "Plus, well...You've saved us more times than we can count, and we have no way to repay you." His tone was serious, "That isn't right."
"I don' need repayin'." Buck said, "I'm fine jus' knowin' you guys are alrigh'. And, no', you know, dead."
"How do you think WE feel, when we're up there and you're down there?" Eddie asked, "WE don't know. You could be dead and we would never know."
"Ev'ryone dies ev'ntually. Can' stop tha'." He said uneasily.
Eddie winced, "But..." he looked away, "but we would CARE that you died." he looked back up, "You might not so much, but we would."
Buck was touched by this, but decided to end the conversation with a simple, "I'll think abou' it."
Crash and Eddie shared another silent conversation which ended with a sigh. It was Crash who spoke next, "What about your dad?"
Buck cringed slightly, but hid it with a shrug. "Wot about 'im?"
"What are you gonna do about him?" Crash clarified, "Since...well, that fight looked kinda harsh."
Buck sighed and shrugged again. "Who says I gotta do somethin' about 'im?"
Crash blinked at Buck, "You're just going to let it stand as it is?" he asked slowly, "That's...mean."
"We don' exac'ly have the best past. I's more complicated than ya think." He tried, not wanting them to think badly of him. In his opinion, it WAS complicated. They'd heard what he said, right?
"Well, past is past." Eddie declared, "That doesn't mean you can be mean."
"There's no poin' in makin' up with him." He said, "We're no' gonna be seein' each otha afta this anyway. It'd be fo' nothin'."
"Still!" Crash and Eddie snapped together, "You should at least make up with him!"
Buck rubbed his forehead with his paw, suddenly tired again. "You heard wot I said, didn' ya?" He asked, then mumbled, "He shoul'n' even be down here. He has no righ' ta be," quietly to himself.
"He came down here trying to patch things up. That's what I heard HIM say." Crash stood with his arms crossed, "He's trying."
"Look, can we jus'...drop it?" Buck asked, not wanting to talk about it. If Avery wanted to "patch things up," why hadn't he done it sooner?
"Talk to him." Eddie said slowly, "If nothing else. Just give him another chance."
Buck sighed exasperatedly, not wanting to continue. "Alrigh', fine. I'll talk ta him."
Crash grinned, glancing victoriously at Eddie before both of their eyes widened. They glanced at Buck apprehensively, wondering if he was angry with them.
Buck prodded Peaches repetitively, saying "wake" and then "up" every time he poked her.
Peaches grumbled in annoyance, trying to swat him away with her trunk, "Leeme alo-o-one!" she whined, her eyes determinedly closed.
Buck put his paws on his hips and looked at her determinedly. "Do ya wanna see your parents or no'?"
"Lemme sleep." she grumbled, "See them later."
Buck rolled his eye and continued prodding her, only this time chanting "get up" instead of "wake up," as she was already awake.
Peaches opened her eyes and stared passively at him, frowning. "You are too stubborn."
Buck raised an eyebrow. "An' you're no'?"
"I have an excuse." She smirked, pushing herself to her feet, "I'm a teenager."
"Hardly an excuse..." Buck mumbled, then turned to lead the way. "Now tha' ev'ryone's up, le's go!"
Peaches noted the slight limp Buck was still walking with and rolled her eyes before scooping him up with her trunk and depositing him on her head.
"Ev'ry time..." Buck mumbled. "Jus' keep headin' straight unless I say othawise." He instructed.
"As usual." She replied cheekily, walking.
Ellie prodded Avery, who groaned and cracked an ocean blue eye open. "Wot?"
"You've been asleep for a while, and Manny wants to look for the others." Ellie informed.
Avery sighed and sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Righ'..." He stood up and popped his back before looking around. Everyone else was up, and Manny looked awfully inpatient.
Diego stood near Manny, looking amused at the mammoth's impatience. "Calm down, Manny, we'll find 'em...again."
"He's up," Ellie announced, "we can get going."
"Coulda just carried him..." Manny mumbled before starting in the direction Buck, Peaches and the twins had gone. Hopefully they'd just gone in a straight line.
Ellie rolled her eyes and followed, Avery walking next to her.
Even though they were quite a ways away, the two groups moved toward each other almost without realizing it. There was going to be another encounter twice as fast as either group thought.
Amethyst: DUN DUN DUN DUNNNN!
Faithers: *chuckles* We're evil, aren't we?
Amethyst: Yes. Yes we are. But hey, at least we fed Buck!
Faithers: And he's untied now. We took away his dagger to prevent any maiming to us.
Amethyst: *whispers so only Faithers can hear* though he does still have claws...and teeth...
Faithers: *grins widely* Contract. *holds up contract which has Buck's signature* He will not scratch and/or bite us.
Amethyst: *nods approvingly* joo r genius.
Faithers: Course, he didn't think we'd take away the dagger xD I R smart.
Amethyst: Yes joo r. XD
Faithers: AND JOO READERS R BAD. *wags fingers* Particularly CurrentlyMe and Lunatic Red Eyes. JOO SNUCK FOOD TO BUCK. Bad reviewers, bad.
Amethyst: ALSO: Locrian-Mode has apparently disappeared. =|
Faithers: We will not post.
Amethyst: Until she returns.
Faithers: And reviews for all the chapters she has not reviewed yet. Since, after all, we DID start this for her. ^.^
Amethyst: Exactly. So, until she comes back, NO MORE UPDATES! You will all be left hanging from a cliff. MWUAHAHAHA!!!!
Faithers: *sings* And that's why he's called Cliff Hanger! ... Oh dear god, I did NOT just make a Between the Lions reference. *puts face in hands*
Amethyst: *bursts out laughing* OH MY GOD! YOU DID!
Faithers: *is embarrassed* SHUT UP! That was the first thing that came to mind! ... You know, when I was a kid, I never got the connection for "Cliff Hanger" and "cliffhangers".
Amethyst: Neither did I. Did anyone?
Faithers: That's the question of the chapter, now. So, review and tell us!
Amethyst: If any of you actually WATCHED the show. XD