Sid could hear the footsteps rapidly approaching him, but he was too frightened to turn around. He decided that the best option would be to stay by the water since he figured that sabers don't like it.. And can't swim. He knew that the time for action and contact was rapidly approaching, and this only made his heart pound faster. In his arms, Cody had decided to be the lookout, watching Sid's back to alert him.
"OH HOW I LOVE THE CHASE!" Raj yelled out, darting between the trees in an attempt to make the already easy meal a bit more difficult for him.
"Uuuhh... SID!" Cody whimpered in fear at the saber quickly closing in behind them. In a rather quick response, Sid shifted, darting into a thicker patch of trees. Ahead he saw a downed one and slid in the mud underneath it, avoiding it by mere inches. Raj quickly followed behind, jumping over the log.
"COME ON SLOTH! LET'S SEE WHAT YA GOT!"
Sid heard the sound of rushing water ahead, and stopped at the sight of the waterfall. "Oh no..."
"There's no where to run. Give up the child, and I might just let you live." Sid quickly turned to see Raj crouching, ready to attack.
HEY! Turn around! Lemme see!" Cody quickly shifted his position, now sitting on Sids hand leaning on his chest. "Oh... Can I turn around now?"
"The child isn't a meal. You can't have him."
"I don't think you understand what's happening here.. You're a sloth, I'm a saber. I need to eat, and you two would make a great meal. Now hand it over tubby."
Sid hugged the cub in his hands. "No." He turned around towards the waterfall and looked down, noticing the massive fall to Icy cold waters below.
"Hang on Cody..." He gripped the cub tight, and felt the large saber hit his back as the collided.
Sid turned in the air, with Cody now gripping his back with his claws. Sid grabbed a hold of Raj's paw and bit into it hard, stopping him from reaching the cub. Raj recoiled in pain and swatted Sid with his other paw, dazing him a bit and giving Raj enough time to bite into Sids shoulder and claw his belly. Sid quickly regained his focus and grabbed both of raj's paws, flipping him over so that Sid was on top of him.
They all hit the water. Sid's vision went, and he gave in to the nothingness.
Diego and Shira ran through the forest, trying to get back to Sid. After smelling the smoke, they knew something bad had happened. "This is why I don't trust him Shira! This is why I wouldn't let him watch Cody!"
"We don't even know what happened yet! It may not have been him! Have a little faith." She said through her pants as she raced back with him.
"Yea.. I've had faith.. HAD being the key word here!"
*SPLASH*
Both of them stopped in their tracks, next to them they heard the sound of bodies hitting water. "Come on... Let's check it out." Diego was the first to get a closer look. The water was raging in front of him, Diego scanned the water, waiting to see if anything would come up, and almost gave up until he heard splashing come from a little down wind. He looked to his right to see Sid clambering his way out of the water with an unconscious... "CODY!" He leaped into the water and quickly made his way to the other side, his muscles worked their way through the water with little issue. Shira tailed behind him, her ability to swim proved to be adroit as well.
"Diego?" Sid said weakly. His fur was matted and heavy, and he was losing blood fast. Sid lifted his hand from his wound to take a look. Along the length of his body there were three deep gash marks, and a piece of his shoulder was exposed from the bite. He put down Cody and went to get back up, but was pinned to the ground by the saber.
"I NEVER SHOULD HAVE TRUSTED YOU! I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!" Sid looked into Diego's eyes with fear in his own, and saw only rage.
"Diego!" Shira protested.
"I- I was chas-"
"YOU HAD ONE JOB! ONE..JOB! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!? THIS IS UNMARKED TERRITORY! OUT HERE YOU'RE FAIR GAME!" Diego's teeth were mere inches from the sloths throat, if Sid didn't know any better he would have thought that Diego was going to kill him right there. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes, but didn't let them fall.. Not yet. It wasn't over..
"Die-"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! What am I saying.. I TOTALLY EXPECTED THIS TO HAPPEN, BUT IT WAS SHIRA WHO STOOD UP FOR YOU!"
"Diego you're hurting him!"
"Diego, BEH-"
"You know what, Sid? I..I don't even know why you're in this herd. You're nothing but a useless clutz."
"DIEGO! BEHIND YOU!" Diego Shira quickly turned to see a horribly battered saber behind them. One of his claws broke off, and one of his sabers were broken as well. Diego noticed that his left paw was broken.
"Back off.. Whoever you are, you don't want to do this." Diego eyed the saber, ready for any attack that may occur. He backed up a bit, showing his dominance over the sloth and the cub.
"They're yours?" The saber spit out blood and several teeth on the ground. He limped as he closed the distance a bit.
"Yea... Leave." Diego lowered himself a bit. It was obvious that his enemy was not in any condition to fight, but he was bigger than Diego so he took no chances.
"Relax... I'm busted as it is. Just don't follow me. I'm going home, you can keep the stupid sloth, he stinks anyway." Diego watched the saber limp off into the forest, leaving a slight blood trail behind him. Diego figured he wouldn't be a problem, and that blood trail wouldn't help him much as there were many predators out and about who would kill for their own pound of flesh.
"Diego?" He whirled his head around to see Sid holding Cody in his arms, cradling him. Diego didn't see him breathing, which only angered him more.
"Give him to me...Now." The words escaped the saber, emitted in a low, threatening tone. This made the sloth break, and he instantly began to sob. He looked down at the loose limbed cub sullenly, not knowing what to do. Then it hit him.
"D-did you mean that? What you said?"
Diego took the cub away from Sid, holding it by the scruff of its neck. He didn't respond, but he laid down on the ground and began to clean off the seemingly lifeless body that was his son. Sid sat there, waiting for a response from the silent animal, and after several minutes of no reply, he tried again.
"Diego... Please.. Talk to me." No reply. Sid got up walked over to him and was instantly met with resistance. Diego got up and growled at the weeping sloth, surprising him with a full row of teeth exposed. Shira said nothing, currently in disbelief at the sight of her son.
Sid stood there for a moment, and found something inside him sort of tick.. A sort of strength that had been dormant forever now released itself, giving him exactly what he needed to handle the situation. He was done. Done with everything. The years of nothing but insults, put downs, distrust, and preconceptions has wreaked havoc on his mind.
He punched Diego in the face. Diego of course was taken by surprise at the sudden action, and cried out. He began to rub his nose from the hard punch, soothing the sensitive nerves in it.
"Do you want to know why I stay? You want to know why I'm still here? I'm here because I thought... THOUGHT Diego, that this herd would be nothing but good. That I could spend the rest of my days with people who cared and loved me. I can see I was wrong."
"You-"
"I don't get it how its alright for Sid the sloth to be picked on by everyone in the herd 24/7...It's because I seem weak and defenseless, doesn't it?"
"Well.. You are always complaining about doing things, and you aren't exactly built."
"Yea? News flash... I JUST SAVED YOUR SON FROM BECOMING A MEAL! And all you can do is stand there and comment on my weaknesses."
"I..."
"Do you ever see me do that to you?"
Diego didn't respond, he only stared.
"It hurts, Diego. It really does. I stay because I care.. Because I love you guys. Sure, in the beginning it was just so I could I have protection, but it became more than that. I stay because I want to help, anyway I can. I try, and no matter how hard I do... I still get no respect from any of you." Sid huffed, wobbling a bit from the loss of blood.
"Sid... Are you okay?" Diego walked towards him but was stopped. Sid held out his hand and pushed Diego's face away from him. Diego watched in shock as Sid denied his offer to help him.
"Don't talk to me." Sid said to him in a low, despairing voice. It was darker than normal, which frightened Diego the most. He realized that what he said he wouldn't be able to take back.
"Sid.."
Sid began to walk away in the opposite direction, paying no attention to the person he used to regard as family.
Diego ran up in front of him, blocking Sids way. "I'm sorry, Sid." His tone was soft and soothing, no longer the rough and tumble kind of voice he usually used when the sloths presence was known. This was a side of Diego he had gotten used to over the years of being in a herd, and he found it to work out better than his old cold self.
"You don't need to apologize Diego. I completely understand. I AM a clutz...I AM weak.."
"You may be a clutz Sid but you're not weak. You managed to keep that saber away from Cody.. That was pretty brave of you Sid."
"Dad?" Both of them stopped talking, a quiet, innocent voice arose from behind Sid. Diego looked over his shoulder to see Cody, standing upright and very much alive. Diego let out a tiny huff of breath and ran towards him, stopping inches from his tiny body to lick him and hug him.
Sid smiled and sighed in relief at knowing that Cody was alright. "Are you hurt Cody?"
"No Uncle Sid, are we fine now?"
"Yea.. Yea we are, thanks to Sid."
"Awe, am I interrupting something?" All three animals turned to see Terra standing on top of a rock beside the waterfall. Diego stood his ground, blocking Cody from the saber.
Chapter four complete! My blockage sort of lifted a bit. I hope you enjoy :)