Chapter 8: Bad traveling

The next morning, Ellie woke up, but not just because it was time, but because the heat got more intense then usual. She opened her eyes, and noticed that she was sweating, and so were the rest of the herd. But she managed to get up and look at Manny, who was sound asleep, and also her brothers who were sound asleep.

Ellie suddenly looked at Sid, who was sleeping, yet looked pretty beaten up. She gasped when she saw the poor sloth sleeping on his back. She was thinking that the weather did that, but he looked too injured for that. He looked as if he got attacked by some animal. But she tried to not worry about it, and walked toward Manny.

"Manny?" she asked. "Manny?"

"Huh?" Manny replied, trying to wake up.

"It's morning; time to wake up."

Manny moaned, but controlled himself, and soon opened his eyes.

"Great! You're awake!" Ellie started to walk toward the tree, and as she passed by, Sid looked as if he was miserable of the heat, and started to move around.

"Crash, Eddie," Ellie said to her brothers, who calmly, yet quickly woke up.

"Ellie?" Eddie responded. He then blinked and looked at his brother. "Crash, it's morning."

Crash opened his eyes and looked around. He then rubbed his face. "It's so hot. Are we gonna get a drink?"

Ellie then felt horrible. She really didn't want to travel in the heat since her brothers were one of the sensitive ones in the herd. But maybe they would find water if they traveled.

Sid woke up from the voices, and lay on his belly, as he looked in mid-air with his eyes half open.

Manny then walked by Diego, and hit him with his trunk. "Get up, Diego."

Diego then rose his head, and realized it was morning. He yawned viciously, stretched, and then got up.

Sandy didn't struggle to get up. In fact, all possums were ready to go, and Diego was getting ready, and the mammoths were all ready to go, even though one of them didn't like the feeling of going. Sid on the other hand wasn't ready at all, even though he was awake.

"Do we have to go?" he asked, as his face fell on the ground, as well as the rest of his body on a piece of bark.

"Yes Sid. Now get up," Manny said in an impatient voice.

Sid moaned. "I can't. I don't...feel right.

"Manny," Ellie started, "he's right. It's way too hot out."

"He's just going to suffer if he lays in the sun, Ellie," Manny replied.

"Yeah, but if we traveled last night, we could have found more water, and then rested during the day, WITH water." Ellie's face turned from concern to anger.

"But it would be much easier if we rested at night."

"But Crash and Eddie hate the heat! They do and so do I."

"They're going to have to live!"

Ellie gasped in surprise after the words that Manny just said.

"It's ok, Ellie," Sid started as he stood. "I'm up. I can go now." The sloth was only trying to save the argument that the mammoths had, and hoped that Ellie was no longer angry. He waited for a reply.

"No," Ellie then turned back to Manny. "I...I don't..."

"Ellie, if we travel at night, it won't give too much time," Manny finally said. "The day is longer, and we need to travel longer. Your idea doesn't work."

"It does too work!"

"You have to stick with my idea!"

"I hate your idea!"

Manny struggled to say another word, and became furious.

"Hey!" Diego exclaimed. "Stop fighting, and lets get a move on!"

Ellie looked at the tiger curiously, and only got angrier when she knew that Diego agreed with Manny. "I don't want to leave right now! I want to leave at night!"

"Ellie," a calm voice finally came. Sandy walked closer to the female mammoth, and looked at her curiously. "Can't you just agree with him?"

Ellie gasped. "Do YOU agree with him?"

"Well, I..."

"So you rather travel during the day in the hot weather, causing Crash and Eddie to suffer, then travel in the cooler night."

"Honey, we have to escape that volcano. It could..."

"But I want to travel at night! It's much safer, much cooler, and Crash, Eddie, or Sid won't suffer! And neither would you or I."

"Ellie, we have to travel at day."

Sid couldn't take the fighting anymore. "Guys, can't we just...?"

"Ellie, we have to get moving!" Manny interrupted.

Ellie just kept an angry look on her face, refusing the idea.

"That's it!" Diego exclaimed, growing inpatient. "Now we're going to settle this my way. Who ever wants to travel at day, go with Manny, and who ever wants to travel at night, go with Ellie."

Everybody became silent, shocked of what Diego suggested.

"But, we're suppose to travel together," Eddie said in a sad voice.

Sid didn't know what to say. He just looked at Manny, then looked at Ellie curiously.

"Fine," Ellie replied to Diego.

"What?" Crash and Eddie were shocked, as Manny's eyes widened, also shocked.

"If we're not going to agree to this, then let's just travel at our separate times."

"You're not serious?" Manny asked the female, curiously.

Ellie turned to Manny. "I am."

Manny was still shocked, and couldn't say anything else.

Crash and Eddie gave a sad look, and Sandy gave a disappointed look. It was done, they could not do anything about it.

Unusual for Sid, he couldn't think of anything to say. He knew that he couldn't control anybody in the herd, so he just went along with it.

"Fine," Diego continued, "those of you who agree with Ellie, go over there with her."

It wasn't that hard for Crash and Eddie to decided that, even though they were upset. They slowly walked toward Ellie. Sandy wasn't happy at all. She didn't want to leave her kids behind. What could she do?

"It's ok, mom," Ellie finally said. "Go with Manny. We'll be ok."

Sandy was still a little upset, but she could tell that Ellie really wanted her to go with Manny. Crash and Eddie said nothing, and weren't really concerned about their mother since they were close in relationship to their sister. Sandy finally walked toward Manny.

Diego knew right away what he wanted to do, and he quickly walked toward Manny.

Last was Sid, who seemed to be struggling with what he wanted to do. Everybody looked at him curiously, waiting for him to choose.

"Hurry up, Sid," Diego said impatiently.

Sid still struggled. He knew that traveling Ellie's way was more calmer for him, yet it could be dark, and anything could happen. But it wouldn't be as miserable. But...

Manny looked at Sid angrily, obvious that he wanted him to choose his idea.

Sid always followed Manny's way, since he was like a brother to him, and knew that Manny was right. But Ellie's seem much nicer. This was just as bad during the geysers when they had to escape the flood. "I..."

"Sid, hurry up!" Manny exclaimed.

Manny's harsh voice did the work for him. Sid ran toward Ellie and the possums, leaving Manny in shock.

Manny sighed, knowing that it was done. Everybody knew where they wanted to go. "Alright. Diego, Sandy, and I will leave now. The rest of you can leave at night." Manny looked at Ellie, who looked sad. "Ellie?"

She said nothing, and felt like she couldn't even look at him.

"Hopefully, you'll met up with us," Manny concluded.

Sandy gave a sad look, still unsure of the plan. But she liked Manny's idea, and went with him.

Manny and Sandy took off, and Diego took one look back, and headed off.

Sid looked at Diego, as if he was never gonna see him again. But he stayed with Ellie.

"Are you guys sure about this?" Ellie asked all of them.

They all nodded.

"Ok. We'll be ok."

Manny, Diego, and Sandy suffered during their journey, but they kept walking. Sandy was actually sitting on Manny's head, suffering in the heat, as well as the mammoth and tiger.

"We have to keep going," Manny said in a loud voice, knowing that the other two were suffering.

"I need water," Sandy said in a weak voice.

"In order to find water, we have to keep walking. You ok up there?"

"I think I'll be alright."

Manny kept going, with Diego by his side, who was also suffering from the heat which was way worse then the day before.

"Alright, is everybody ok?" Ellie asked the possums and sloth kindly.

"Yeah, we're good," the words came out from them.

"Are you sure you're not thirsty?"

"Of course we are," Sid replied. "But this is much better than walking in the heat."

Ellie sighed. "Alright then. We'll try to stay around this area. Then when night comes, we can travel. Everybody alright with that?" Ellie seemed to give the herd more choices then Manny would ever do.

"Yep," they all answered.

"Alright. Let's try to stay relaxed as possible."

SP- what will happen to the herd next? Read the next chapter which will be posted as soon as possible. Hope you liked it so far!