Chapter 6
I do not own 'Ice Age'. I only own the characters you don't recognize from the movies.
The next morning, Roshan was the first to wake as he opened his eyes and slightly sat up as he looked around. At first he almost forgot where he was but he quickly remembered the events that occurred yesterday and he quietly sighted as he ran a tired hand through his tangled hair. Everyone else was still asleep as Roshan was used to having to get up early because that's when village duties would start. Even though there didn't seem to be any duties to be done out here, Roshan decided to get up nonetheless as he quietly moved from his sleeping spot and placed his cloak back inside his bag. Roshan looked out the cave entrance and found that it was yet another sunny day and he smiled as he grabbed his spear and headed outside towards the creek.
The sun was just beginning to creep over the trees as it beamed at him through the tree branches and Roshan stopped by the edge of the creek as he reached his free hand into the water for a refreshing morning drink. With that done, Roshan dried his face with his sleeve and stood as he removed his first outer layer shirt and a thin fur vest remained on him with his pants and boots as he stepped into the creek hoping to catch a few fish for breakfast or something. Roshan didn't mind having to eat berries and apples but it was good to get some protein in once in awhile. Roshan stepped deeper into the water until it was about almost mid-calf deep and he stood almost unmoving with his spear angled towards the water and he waited and watched for the perfect moment.
After a few moments, an unsuspecting fish swam close to Roshan's feet and when it came close enough, Roshan quickly jabbed the spear into the water and stabbed the fish. Roshan lifted his spear out of the water with the fish now unmoving at the end of his spear as he grabbed hold of the fish's tail and pulled it off of the spear, tossing it to the side on the creek's edge.
Back in the cave, everyone else was just beginning to wake as Diego and Manny woke first and Diego yawned as he stood and stretched.
"Morning, Diego." Manny said as he stood.
"Morning, Manny" Diego replied and he looked over to where Peaches and Roshan would be sleeping but only saw Peaches as Roshan was nowhere in sight. "Where's Roshan?"
Now it was Manny's turn to look as he followed Diego's gaze, "I don't know. Do you think he left?"
"I doubt it, his things are still here. The only thing missing is his spear."
"He couldn't have gone far then."
"I'll go look for him, I need to go out and hunt anyways."
Manny nodded as Diego headed out of the cave to search for Roshan. He stepped out of the cave and then realized that he didn't have to look far when he spotted Roshan mid-calf deep into the creek with his spear in hand and angled towards the water. The boy was almost unmoving as he scanned the water waiting for the right time. Diego walked up to the edge of the creek as he sat down and he spotted two other fish on the bank that Roshan had already caught and at that point, Roshan turned and spotted Diego.
"Oh, hey Diego" Roshan said, "What are you doing?"
"I was looking for you" Diego answered, "Manny and I thought you might have run off on us."
"Why would I do that?"
"I don't know."
Roshan shrugged as he resumed to his fishing and Diego watched as the boy moved silently through the water and then stopped and waited. After a few moments, the right time suddenly came as Roshan quickly jabbed his spear into the water and pulled up a fish, now dead, another short moment later.
"You ever tasted a fish, Diego?" Roshan asked as he took hold of the fish at the end of his spear and pulled it off.
"No" Diego answered, "I don't do water, therefore I don't fish"
"C'mon, try it you might like it."
Roshan tossed the fish to Diego and it landed right in front of the saber. Might as well Diego thought, it's free food after all.
Diego sniffed the fish in front of him for a short moment before taking a bite out of the fish.
"Hey, that is good." Diego said as he took another bite out of the fish and Roshan smiled.
"You might like yours raw but I prefer to have them cooked" Roshan said, "and that's even better."
"You willing to share?"
Roshan laughed, "Sure."
Diego took another bite out of the fish as Roshan resumed to doing his own fishing. After some time, Roshan finally stepped out of the creek with four fish lying on the bank and bits of one fish skeleton from the fish Diego had eaten. Roshan set down his spear as he grabbed his shirt and put it back on and he picked up his spear as he headed back to the cave to retrieve his bag. When Roshan reached the cave, he found that everyone else was finally awake and many turned to Roshan.
"Hey, where were you this morning?" Manny asked.
"I was fishing" Roshan answered as he set down his spear by his bow and arrows and grabbed his bag. "I just needed a few of my tools so I can have breakfast."
Manny nodded as Roshan slung his shoulder bag over his shoulder and headed back outside to where the four dead fish were waiting to be cleaned. Roshan sat down near Diego as he dug into his bag for his knife and he picked up one of the dead fish and began cleaning it as Diego watched him.
"You've become quite the grown man since the last time we saw you." Diego said and Roshan smiled as he continued to clean the fish.
"Thanks" Roshan replied, "Now that I know those 'dreams' were real, I never really realized how much you did for me… thanks for that."
"No problem, kid."
Roshan soon had all four fish cleaned as he and Diego moved closer to the cave and Roshan made up a small cooking fire to cook a fish on for breakfast with Diego sitting near him a few feet away. Everyone else began to come out of the cave to enjoy the day as Crash and Eddie climbed into the trees and began chasing each other while Peaches headed over to the creek for a drink. Manny and Ellie weren't too far away as they grazed on grass patches and the occasional leaves on the tree branches. Sid soon came out of the cave and stopped when he spotted Roshan's small cooking fire.
"Hey whatcha doing there, Pinky?" Sid asked as he walked over to them.
"Okay Sid, enough with the 'Pinky' name" Roshan said, "I'm not very fond of it."
"Why not? I like it."
"Sid" Diego said, "Think about it, would you rather have Roshan not hunt you or would you rather be hunted and eaten by little 'Pinky' and his human friends?"
Sid thought for a second and then his face turned to slight fear, "Roshan it is then." he said and Roshan quietly snickered as he returned to cooking the fish. "So what are you doing exactly?"
"I'm cooking my breakfast; it's how humans sometimes like their food."
"Ah, good times. I remember when I first started a fire; I was so appreciated for my work I was known as 'Lord of the Flame'!"
As Sid said this, he did dramatic arm movements and moved around the fire until his rear was close to the fire and the tip of Sid's tail began to smoke.
"Uh, Sid?" Roshan said, "You should probably move away from the fire."
"Why?" Sid asked.
Diego answered for him, "Lord of the Flame… Your tail's on fire."
Sid looked behind him and sure enough his tail was slightly smoking with a small flame on the end and Sid screeched as he ran around arms flailing in the air hoping that the fire would eventually go out. This got the attention of everybody else as Manny casually walked over, grabbed hold of Sid with his trunk, and tossed him towards the creek. Peaches moved out of the way just in time before Sid landed in the creek with a splash and the fire on his tail slightly sizzled as it was doused.
"Ahhh" Sid breathed as he finally calmed, "thanks, Manny!"
"The things I do for him and he still doesn't learn." Manny muttered and Roshan smiled in amusement.
Peaches reached her trunk out as she picked up the now drenched sloth and she plopped Sid down on the ground. Sid thanked her as he stood and shook himself splattering water everywhere and on everyone near him and Peaches backed up so as not to get splashed by Sid's shaking. When Sid finally stopped shaking, he was dry once again but his fur was now puffed up like a fuzzy ball and Roshan couldn't help himself as he, Diego, Crash, Eddie, and Peaches burst out laughing at the sight of Sid.
"This isn't funny, you know!" Sid said as he attempted to walk but ended up waddling from side to side.
"Sorry, Sid" Peaches said as she continued to laugh, "You just look so… funny."
"I ain't making fun of any of you guys."
"You're just too easy to make fun of, Sid." Diego stated and Sid attempted to flatten his puffed up fur.
While Sid did that, Roshan's fish was finally fully cooked as he took it off of the fire and placed it on a flat rock which he used as a 'plate'. Roshan ripped the pieces of fish into chunks so that it was easier for him to eat and he let the fire slowly die down as he began to eat the chunks of cooked fish. Sid was finally able to flatten all of his puffed up fur and he sighed in relief but then cringed as a pinecone dropped from the tree branches, courtesy of Crash and Eddie, as it bounced off of Sid's head and Crash and Eddied laughed as they took off through the tree branches once more.