So... tired...

Hope you enjoy chapter... Don't think it went too well... so sleepy... thank you all for reviews and the wishes... oh man i need to sleep... why am i even still typing this forenote...?

ily all... take care wherever you are in the world, you're awesome people...

Ƭħє ŞąЬяє'ƨ Şħąmє

Chapter Fifteen: Bond

The surreal pursue went on.

It had stopped snowing five minutes ago, some clouds slowly clearing away, moonlight shining down on the ice-cold scenery below. Swift shadows flicked through the light, before vanishing back into the pools of darkness.

For the last ten minutes, a chase had been held between the pack and Ray. Buck had initially tried to get Rudy to follow the others, but the not-exactly-obedient dinosaur had complied by circling the dwelling six times, before sitting down and refusing to move. Now there were just nine sabre-tooth tigers flying through the night, one trying desperately to drag a baby mammoth along with it, the others trying to kill him.

Traitors had to pay, after all…

None of them knew where they were and none of them knew where they were going. They were shaking with the cold and some with fatigue, but they were still working as a pack, Diego having seamlessly slipped into what would have usually been Ray's place. But now the young tiger was at the centre of the chase, all attention focused on him and his captive's warm scent.

And still the chase continued.

After who knew how long, Diego could sense the other scents of his pack fading away, the smells becoming weaker with every painful lope forward he took. He could barely keep going, and yet, he couldn't stop. Manny's forgiveness; Sid's crack about creating fire; Buck and Rudy's reappearance…

Ellie's daughter…

There was some weird bond there; something utterly unique. He'd been there when she'd given birth… when she'd introduced her daughter to the world… When Peaches' had taken her first breath of air and opened her eyes... He had been there.

Diego tried to stop suddenly, realizing he'd fallen into another reverie – and this one might cause his death. He was drowning in shadows, about two meters away from a large ice-covered river that spread out from the white snowy land. Slipping and sliding, he managed to lose about half his momentum before he felt all four paws give way as he hit the slick ice.

The moonlight reflected off the frozen liquid, imbuing it with a beautiful, shining silver quality. Ray was standing in the middle of the river, trying to keep his balance on the ice and failing tragically. Having had slightly more experience in this area, Diego spread out his claws and dug them into the ice, before retracting them, moving forward slightly, extending them again, grabbing hold, waiting, then moving forward. It was a slow process, but one infinitely safer than running a million miles an hour on the spot – like Ray was now – and going nowhere except down, hitting the freezing ice.

Peaches was having much better luck than both of the sabres, but only because of her far more unfortunate situation. She was pressed up against the rocks… that … started … lining … the … cliff … edge …

Key words: CLIFF EDGE!

Diego froze completely, taking in and retaking in the situation. If the tiny mammoth moved even a meter, she would fall to her death. Ray was trying to get to her, but falling over every other moment. Still, the other sabre was a lot closer than Diego was to Peaches, leaving only one option left to his fatigued mind.

Retracting his claws yet again, he pushed himself with a hind leg, flattening his body against the ice and sliding towards Peaches. He started travelling faster across the terribly slippery surface, reaching her before Ray even had a chance to process what was going on.

Then there was just the problem of stopping.

Hooked claws screeched through the ice as Diego used them to drag himself to a stop, panting, in front of Peaches. She whimpered softly, gently touching his nose with her trunk. He whispered urgently "You need to get away from the edge, alright?"

She nodded as best a mammoth could, scuttling back off the riverbank.

Now Diego and Ray were on their own, standing as best they could on the treacherous ice. Ray's glowing eyes were locked onto Diego's as the two sabres carefully manoeuvred into better positions. A cloud drifted over the moon, and by the time it had moved on and let the moon's light shine again, the two sabres could have been carved out of the ice they stood on.

Silver diamonds of radiance reflected off the frozen liquid, two black silhouettes of predatory death the only thing marring the platinum beauty of the night…