Kyra gave a growl like yawn as she stretched awake, followed by a groan of pain. It felt like every muscle in her body was sore. She shook it off the best she could and sat up. she took in the odd group still sleeping smiling as she saw Sid laying on his back, tongue lopped out. She watched them for a while longer before slowly standing up with a sigh (which sounded more like a groan). She started walking off, going far too slowly for her taste but stopped when she heard a voice.

"You're just going to leave with out saying good bye?" Diego asked with a raised eyebrow. Kyra grinned but it held no humor.

"Man, and I was hoping to make a quick getaway"

Diego added a smirk to his raised eyebrow "in your condition? I bet Sid could getaway faster"

She smiled and looked down at the ground before looking back up at Diego.

"I really should go—"she got cut off by a greenish brown fur ball lunging it's self at her and attaching to her leg.

"Don't go!" Sid said loudly, waking Manny. Kyra couldn't help but to roll her eyes and smile at the same time.

"I have to." She told him then looked up at Manny "is there a lake or river around here?"

"A few miles up ahead."

Kyra nodded, pried Sid gently off her leg, and started off once again. Kyra walked as best as she could and as fast as she could but she still limped along at a slow pace. When she heard footsteps behind her, though, she stopped all together and turned around.

"Why are you following me?" she asked irritation starting to crawl into her tone.

"We were going this way before we even met you." Manny said innocently. Sid and Diego nodded just as innocently. Kyra rolled her eyes but turned around and continued to walk -limp- away. It wasn't after too much time that Sid came over to her side and started talking to her.

"So what's your favorite color?"

Kyra looked at him wondering why he was talking to her and why he had asked a stupid question.

"You know just because we're going the same way doesn't mean that you have to talk to me

"But I want to. So what's your favorite color?"

She sighed but found herself answering anyway "um I don't know…" she really didn't know. She never thought about it so she decided to answer with the color she was currently staring at; which happened to be the brown trail she was walking on

"Brown."

"Brown? Why brown? It's such a boring color."

"Manny's brown" she pointed out

"He's a boring guy." He answered back, earning a 'hey!' from Manny. Kyra chuckled.

"Fine then what's yours"

"Yellow because it's the color of the sun and dandelions and it's bright and happy"

"It's also the color of pee" Kyra told him in amusement.

"Well pee's warm" Sid countered trying to defend his choice in colors

"It also smells"

"It helps clear out you system!"

"It's a waste of valuable time"

"Fine my new favorite color is green"

"Which is the color of snot"

"Not all snot is green!"

"Yes, only the most disgusting"

"Snot help keep your nose safe"

"Once again yes but it's also sticky, slimy and gross."

Sid huffed and crossed his arms, not really mad but frustrated that she was countering everything with negative things

"Fine then orange."

"Throw up"

"White"

"Luggies"

"Gray"

"Mold"

Sid smiled, an idea coming to mind. If she was going to say a negative thing for each color why not use her own?

"Brown."

"Poop"

"Ha! But that's your favorite color!"

"So? Just because it's the color of poop doesn't mean I can't like it"

Sid sighed and admitted his defeat. As they were arguing Manny and Diego watched on amused and slightly annoyed that they wouldn't just shut up.

Sid had just asked her if she really did have a pack when she noticed, with relief, that they were close the lake now.

"Oh! Well look at that, there's the lake!" she said in an almost nervous voice before forcing her legs to carry her forward at a trot, leaving her to ignore the screams of protest her legs were sending her. She came to a grateful stop at the water's edge and bent down to drank, unintentionally giving the other three time to catch up. Once her thirst was quenched, she put one paw in the water followed by the other.

"You're not actually going in are you?" Diego asked, his voice a mix between disbelief, disgust, and slight fear.

"I don't really have a choice now do I?" she pointed a paw to her still blood and dirt matted fur.

"You can swim then?" Diego asked this time his voice full of doubt.

"Of course not, water's for drinking not swimming. Don't be ridulous." She said airily, a smile tugging at her lips.

"You're the ridulous one. Why are you go to go into a lake when you don't even know how to swim?"

"Well there's no better time then now to learn. Besides if I start to drown I'll just get back into shallower water." She answered him as if she was telling him the weather. Without waiting any longer she plunged herself into the cold water, sinking instantly. Trying to keep as calm as possible she started to kick her legs like she'd seen other mammals do. Though it didn't seem to work for her too well. She had to admit that she was now panicked. Her sink or swim theory hadn't worked as well as she had hoped. Or maybe better yet, it was working too well considering she was proving to be very good at sinking. Her lungs burned, begging her to breath. She felt the panic build as her throat felt tight, as if it was going to explode. Her body was about to give into its needs, despite the apparent lack of oxygen, when something wrapped it's self around her middle and pulling her out of the water. She choked and breathed in a deep gulp of air, sighing afterwards.

"What happened to going to the shallow water?" Manny asked in an amused tone though his eyes showed her that he had been worried. She was still panting lightly her body trying to get its need of air.

"It seems that I'm only good for sinking... Thanks by the way."

"What would you have done if we weren't here?" Diego asked strangely angry. Kyra realized that he must be angry because after all the trouble they went through to save her and she went and almost got herself killed again. Despite the small guilt she felt she wasn't going to say sorry.

"I would have most likely would have died."

Diego sighed, frustrated and rolled his eyes. By this time Manny had already place Kyra back on the ground, and she made her way back to the water this time keeping in the shallow water. She tried her best to scrape and lick the blood and grime of her fur but she could only reach so far. She sighed. Leave it to her luck to come all the way here, almost die, and not be able to do what she'd come for. She was about to get out when she felt a scratching on her back. She turned her head and saw Sid scrub her back with a tree branch.

"You don't have to do that you know."

Sid shrugged and grinned with what Kyra felt was his 'Sid grin'

"What are buddies for?"

Kyra's eyes softened at the Sloth's kindness. She gave a deep purr of thanks and nudged Sid's side with her head. Sid looked shocked.

"Saber tooth tigers can purr?" he looked straight at Diego. And Diego shrugged, looking away.

"As if I'd purr" Kyra thought she heard him mumble. She chuckled.

"We only purr if we're happy. Diego just must not be a happy cat." She said in a teasing mater-of-fact voice.

"That's for sure." Sid said joining in on the teasing, laughing. He stopped shortly after starting, by the roar Diego gave. Sid turned back to scrubbing Kyra's fur, hurriedly.

"There done!" Sid said proudly and tossing the branch to the side. "I didn't even know your fur was this color!" he said looking at the pale sandy fur. Kyra laughed and walked back onto land where she shook violently, getting the water off her body but making herself look like a puff ball. Sid, Manny, and Diego laughed at her openly and loudly.

"Ha-ha." She said dryly as she shook more gently this time, making her fur go back down sleek and shiny. The guys were still laughing so Kyra just started walking off. Noticing her leaving the boys stopped laughing and gapped at her

"Your really not going to leave are you?" Sid asked; looking almost cute with the lost puppy look he was sending her. Her mind wrilled quickly. Did she dare stay with them? Was she going to potentionally put their lives in danger? She looked at them all of them wearing varying faces that told her not to go, though Sid's still outmatching the other two's. She let out a breath, which was unnoticeable. She smiled at the three mammals in front of her.

"I thought this was the way we were going?"

Sid smiled and barraged into Kyra side, knocking her over.

"Yeah Sid still injured." She gasped, though playfully.

"Oh! Sorry."

She chuckled and stood up looking at the Mammoth and Saber.

"Well you coming?"

They grinned and went over to her, and started off back down the trail. This time though their herd a little bigger

Ok so sorry for taking so long to update but i didn't think anyone one was going to find in intresting *shrugs*. i want to say thanks to everyone who took the time to read this. i also want to ask you guys if you think that Kyra going with them was too sudden and if i should slow it down some more. most likely i will because i think it'll make the story more intresting ;)