Alrighty, this chapter may be annoying for anyone who didn't like how over-protective Diego was of Shira last chapter, because he actually gets worse in this one. But as you can guess from the title, Shira gets back at him, lols. :)
Taz: I belong to MusicRocks807!
Me: She's just kidding. She belongs to scoobs5601, and she's from IARN (Inside A Red Notebook). Oh, and speaking of scoobs5601, she and Blumacaw13 both get shout-out's for the awesome villain ideas they sent in!
Okay, onto the story! :D
"Sid!"
"Shira!" Sid mimicked the sabre's tone of voice "You know you're not allowed out of the cave!"
"Oh c'mon Sid, I'm not a cub!" whined Shira "Just let me go for a walk!"
"No, Diego told me to keep an eye on you while he had a 'guy talk' with Manny, and he said that under no circumstances were you to leave the cave!"
"Okay so, you're saying that if this cave caught on fire, or was being destroyed by an earthquake, I'd have to stay here?" asked Shira, raising an eyebrow. Sid didn't have an answer to that.
"Just don't leave until I tell you to," he sighed, trying to maintain his dignity.
"Until you tell me to do what?"
"Leave," explained Sid, wondering why Shira didn't get it and falling right into her trap.
"Well okay, if you say so," replied Shira with a shrug, getting up and beginning to walk out of the cave.
"No!" exclaimed Sid, grabbing Shira and pulling her back "You know I wasn't telling you to leave!"
Shira sighed and eventually allowed him to shove her back onto the rock beside her cubs, even though she was extremely happy, she was glad that Sid hadn't tied her up at least. She wasn't best pleased when he sat on her back, obviously thinking he was heavy enough to keep her down.
"Why does everyone want to sit on me today?" muttered Shira. Sid shrugged.
"Y'know, you're actually a pretty comfortable seat."
She didn't say anything in return, she just growled. Not long after, Diego came back, and was somewhat amused to find Sid sat on Shira's back. That aside, he pushed Sid off instantly, cuddling his mate close.
"Hey, Kitty," he greeted her, licking her ears.
"Where were you?" she asked curiously, tucking her head into his neck. Diego chewed his lip, unsure whether to tell her the truth. Well, he knew he couldn't, but he just hated lying to her. So, he told her part of the truth.
"I was talking to Manny."
He wasn't exactly lying, just not telling her the full truth. He was talking to Manny, he just didn't tell her why. She cuddled into his chest, accepting that as an answer for now, because she was only asking out of politeness, and anyway she just wanted to be with him. Diego couldn't help feeling bad as she buried her head in his neck, knowing what his plan was.
Gutt lead Mikayla back to his new hide-out, a cave behind a waterfall.
"So, pretty cool place, huh?" he asked, but it was more of a statement than a question.
"Actually, it's more of a good-guy lair than a bad-guy lair," Mikayla shrugged. Gutt growled, but ignored it because he knew she would be helpful to his plan.
"Difference of opinions. Would a good-guy lair have these guys in it?" Gutt turned to the blackness of the cave and yelled "ARMY! ASSEMBLE!"
A variety of animals, including a group of sabres and a gazelle, confusing Mikayla, as sabres often ate gazelles, advanced to the mouth of the cave. They moved sort of like one, but this was ruined when the gazelle shrieked.
"Eep! Sabre!" she squealed, running away and cowering behind the other animals. One of the sabres rolled their eyes.
"Alex, we're sabres!" the small, scrawny tiger pointed out. 'Alex' scowled, and clopped back over to the main group. A female Lynx, presumably Alex's friend, grinned.
"Bit of a fail there, Alex," she said, giving her the 'way-to-make-a-fool-of-yourself' look. Alex mumbled something, but Mikayla didn't hear what it was, nor did she care. Gutt however, did.
"Alexandra! You've completely ruined the image of the fearful crew we are! Can't you see the sabre standing beside me?" Gutt paused to catch his breath, while Mikayla thought, If she hadn't seen me, why would she have been screaming? Man, this guy's nuts..., before continuing "She might be joining our group, but what kind of impression are we going to give if we're running around screaming like idiots?!"
"Excuse me, Captain Gutt?" interrupted Mikayla "It's okay, that herd made a worse first impression. At the time, Diego was drowning and Sid was panicking."
She rolled her eyes - how had she become aquainted with such a ridiculous bunch of animals? Gutt attempted a chuckle, but he was too busy thinking about slicing open that pathetic excuse of a sabre he once called First Mate.
"Anyway, you might as well meet the rest of the new crew," sighed the ape, gesturing to the various animals.
Manny entered the cave, and was somewhat happy and somewhat regretful to see Shira pressed into Diego. He was happy that they were cuddled up close together, but he was regretful because of the plan he had made with Diego.
"Hey Shira, see you've recovered from the vine," Manny greeted the sabre with a smile. She nodded, or at least attempted to, but she had her head against Diego's neck and he was holding her very tight, so she couldn't move much.
"Hey Manny, we ready to go?" asked Diego, gently unwinding his forelegs, as they had been holding Shira close.
"Ready to go where?" Shira lifted her head, eyes wide and alert. Diego kissed her forehead, and smiled down at her.
"Don't worry, me, Manny and Sid are just going out for a guy's day," explained Diego, ruffling her fur. Shira still looked concerned.
"So, am I allowed to go outside, or do I have to stay in here?"
"You're staying in here," said Diego firmly. Shira sighed.
"Okay, am I going to be tied up again, or not?" She hoped he was going to say no, and he did.
"No, you won't be tied up again, we've learned that it doesn't work too well," Diego promised her, tugging lightly on one of her earrings.
"So, you're trusting me to stay here without being restrained?" asked Shira, sounding hopeful. Diego bit his lip.
"Uhm... not exactly..."
Shira suddenly seemed concerned. "What do you mean?"
"Just come over here," Diego offered her his paw, and she hesitantly took it, letting him lead her to wherever he was going. She noticed a faint 'X' on the floor, and suddenly realised what was happening when she saw Manny holding a large wooden structure over her.
"Diego, you wouldn't dare!" she snapped, but Diego must've signalled Manny, because the mammoth dropped the wooden box and the orange sabre jumped out of the way, leaving Shira to be trapped underneath. The box was solid, no gaps, apart from a reasonable sized slot for food, water and just general conversation.
"Sorry Shira, but it's for your own good! Now lie down quietly and don't try and push it over, it's so heavy only a mammoth could lift it!" said Diego smugly.
"So, what's supposed to stop me calling for Ellie to come let me out?" Shira raised one eyebrow, but Diego just smirked.
"Nothing, but Ellie knows we've arranged a special healing facility for you."
"And that special healing facility is a wooden box?" Shira questioned him. Diego didn't answer, he just gathered up the cubs and slipped them through the slot. Shira growled at him, but snuggled her cubs close, allowing them to nurse again, despite her irritation at Diego. Diego tried to talk to her, but she kept ignoring him. Eventually, he gave up.
"Okay, fine, ignore me," he sighed "Look, I'll be back soon, like tonight or something."
Shira's eyes grew wide. "Wait, you're just gonna leave me in a cage all day?"
"I have to! You'll go out if I don't, and you're prone to danger, you will get injured, I just know it!" Diego tried to fight for his point, but instead he got shunned again "Ugh, I officially give up. I'll be back later, love you Kitty."
He waited for a response, but deciding he wasn't going to get one, he left, Manny and Sid following. When they had left, Shira allowed her tears to seep down her cheeks and drip onto the ground.
"I love you too, Softie..." she whispered, licking Kendall, who reminded her so much of her Softie.
Mikayla surveyed the new crew, wondering what had brought them together, and what importance Gutt could see in them. Suddenly, a ferret pushed to the front of the crew, chewing on a rubbery berry for no particular reason.
"So, what good is she? I mean, she looks like just another sabre," she shrugged, then gestured to the four male sabres behind her "We already got a bunch of 'em."
Gutt rolled his eyes. "Rebecca, you know that Soto and his pack are only working with us for the one job, no more, no less."
'Rebecca' nodded, and chewed on the berry again before speaking. "Whatever, I still think we don't need anymore sabres. 'Sides, Alex'll be screamin' every five minutes."
"No I won't..." mumbled Alex, but she was so quiet only Kenzie could hear her. Mikayla couldn't help wondering how a little ferret could stand up to such a giant ape without fear, and without punishment. She didn't get any answer though, just a cherry bomb (like Buck used in Ice Age 3) to the face.
"Hey, what was that for?!" growled Mikayla. Rebecca snarled.
"I asked ya a question, sabretooth!"
Mikayla groaned. "Fine, what did you ask?"
"I asked where didja come from?" snapped Rebecca, biting down hard on the berry out of anger. Mikayla groaned. Man, this rat is getting on my nerves!
I. Am. Bored., thought Shira, drumming on the cave floor with her claws, So, so bored. The nerve of Diego, locking me up in here, treating me like trash, thinking he can trap me in a cage and then say "Love you Kitty!" and I'll just forget about everything! I hate how he just expects me to not get mad at him for tying me up, trapping me in this dumb box, and just being a jerk! I also hate how I'm not mad at him, how I want him around still, even after this! And that lame excuse he keeps pulling - "It's all for your health, Shira! It's for your own good, Shira!" Man, it's so annoying! I just wanna-
The female sabre's thoughts were interrupted by her sister and brothers as they returned.
"Hey, vhat's vith the box?" she heard Gupta ask. She couldn't be bothered to get up and look out of the slot, and anyway she knew her brother's voice.
"Where is our soeur?" asked Silas. Shira rolled her eyes, and judging by Raz's tone of voice, the kangaroo was too.
"Seriously, guys? If a random box appears, an' our Sheila's nowhere ta be found, wha do ya think's goin' on?" she waited a few seconds, and apparantly the others didn't catch her drift, because she added "Ah'm pretty sure Shira's in the random box, guys."
There was a chorus of "Oh, right.", and Shira didn't need to luck up to know what Raz was doing; rolling her eyes at her siblings and shaking her head slowly, like she always did when the others were being silly. Raz was one of the oldest, so she liked to look out for the younger ones, like Gupta and Shira. Suddenly, she heard a slight tapping on the wall of her wooden prison.
"Sheila? Ya in there?" Raz asked gently. Shira sighed.
"Yeah."
"But, vhy?" came Gupta's voice.
"Diego," she answered, kissing one of her cubs on the head. Gupta's face appeared at the slot, a concerned look on his face. Shira soon realised Raz was holding him up, so that he could see her, which she didn't particularly want, but she wasn't about to complain.
"Come here, Shira," he said softly, motioning her forward. She did as he wanted, walking forward to the slot where her siblings were waiting.
"Hey guys," she mumbled, embarrassed. Gupta playfully tugged on one of his sister's earrings to try and lighten the mood a little.
"Now, since vhen are you the type to stay in a cage?"
"Since Diego and his rank-smelling friend forced me to stay still while the mammoth dropped this stupid box on me," she replied miserably, nuzzling her brother's paw as he played gently with her earrings. "Now off my ears!"
She swatted at Gupta with her paw, but only playfully. Raz carefully slipped her hand into the cage, still struggling to hold Gupta properly, and petted her younger sister on the head.
"Relax Sheila, Ah'll get ya out of there," she said kindly "Jus' hang on a sec."
Shira shook her head. "No, Diego said only a mammoth could move, or lift, it," she explained "You wouldn't be able to get me out. Anyway, Diego said he'd be back tonight, so he'll let me out then."
"Shira, you can't stay in there all day!" protested Boris "What if we all tried to move it? Then you'd probably be able to get out!"
The other pirates murmured their agreement, but Shira shook her head.
"Thanks guys, but I don't want to get out, Diego'll only coop me up in some other trap, so what I really need to do is," she paused for effect, an evil grin on her face "Teach him a lesson."
"Alright," Gutt began introducing the new crew "Obviously you've already met Alex, and that Lynx there is Kenzie. Over there are Dex - the wolverine - and Bronson, the musk ox. The little molehog there is Lauren, and the Mountain Lion cub next to her is Kath."
"Kate..." mumbled the small cub, only to be ignored.
"Kath, Kate, same difference," Gutt dismissed it and continued introducing the crew "Anyway, the leopard is Ashling, and-"
He was interrupted by a Hummingbird chirping "Jasper's on his way!"
Gutt rolled his eyes. "And that Hummingbird is Hollie. Jasper's a shark (if anyone has a better way to describe those shark-things that Gutt had push the ice floe he was on in Switchback cove please tell me!), which is useful because unlike Flynn, Jasper can remember that he is actually a sea creature!"
Mikayla nodded; she'd gotten a fair idea of the pirates' personalities in the few days she'd known them.
"Anyway, this is Rebecca-" he pointed to the ferret "-my old childhood friend whom I have been reuinted with recently. Mikayla smiled.
"That's great news!" she said, but in her head she added, Finally, something normal about this guy!
"Now, onto the sabres. This is Soto, Oscar, Lenny and Zeke," he pointed to each sabre as he introduced them "They are only here for this mission, after that they are planning to go their seperate way to us. They also have a bone to pick with Shira."
"Actually," interrupted Soto "Our fight is with Diego. But we figured that killing his beloved mate would be as good a way to torment him as any."
Despite her hatred at Shira, Mikayla was beginning to see just how bloodlust these guys were. She suddenly wondered if she'd made the right choice teaming up with them...
That night
Diego headed into the cave, Manny behind him, and was surprised to see the wooden structure without any visible bodily damage what-so-ever. He knocked lightly on the side of the box, calling his mate's name softly.
"Shira? I'm back," he repeated, but no reply. He sighed "Okay, okay, I deserve the silent treatment. But c'mon, it can't have been that bad!"
"Oh really?" snapped Shira, standing up and walking over to the slot, scowling at him "I'd like to see you try it! Ha, you'd never even fit in here anyway!"
Diego suddenly realised she'd called him fat. "Hey, I would so!"
"Prove it," said Shira casually. Diego growled.
"Fine, I will!" he turned to his mammoth friend "Manny, lift up the cage."
Manny hesitated. "Uhm, Diego? I'm not so sure..."
"Just lift up the cage!" Diego interrupted him, angrily. Manny did as he was told, sighing as he did so, knowing it was a bad idea, but not wanting to disagree with his sabre friend. Diego had already had his meal, and he'd left Shira's waiting by the rock, so if this went the way Manny thought at least nobody would starve.
Diego prepared to slip inside, but what he didn't realise was Shira had Kendall, Hope, Ranger, Lightning and Jade on her back, Casper on her head, and Tina in her mouth. As soon as Diego slipped into the cage, Shira quickly exited it, slamming her shoulder into the contraption so Diego was trapped underneath instead.
"Ha, ha, very funny," he muttered sarcastically "Now let me out."
Shira shook her head. "No. You made me stay in there all day, now you have to stay in there all night."
"Wait, you're not seriously gonna-"
"You betcha," she interrupted him, grinning like crazy.
"Manny, let me out!" demanded Diego. Manny shook his head.
"Sorry buddy, but you've been smothering her lately. You need to learn what it's like for her," Manny told him firmly. Diego retreated to the back of the cage, muttering darkly under his breath.
Mikayla lay on the floor of Gutt's cave, awkwardly observing the crew before her. They were waiting on the arrival of the last member of Gutt's crew, who had gone out for something, and Alex was getting even more nervous by the second, not just because of Mikayla's presence, but also because she was afraid for her friend's safety.
Most of the group had tried to comfort her, but the only one who actually got through to her was Kenzie. Mikayla had figured out that they were very close, and she longed to know the story of why. She couldn't wait to meet the final member, as Kate had confided that she was very nice, but she hoped that whoever it was would show up soon, because it was getting late and she didn't want to stay the night.
"So..." Mikayla tried to strike up a conversation with the shy mountain lion child "Who are you're favourite animals in the crew?"
Kate blushed, unused to being allowed to share her opinion. "Uhm... well, the girl I've been telling you about..."
"The one we're waiting for?" asked Mikayla, and Kate nodded "Okay, so who else?"
"Well... I like Oscar a lot," admitted Kate, embarrassed "He's kinda sweet to me, but he's cruel to most animals, so I don't know whether he really likes me or not..."
"I'm sure he does," Mikayla ruffled the cub's fur. She wasn't generally the kindest of souls, but this poor child brought out her better side "You're a very lovable little girl."
Kate blushed again. "Thank-you, Mikayla... thanks a lot. Y'know, there is someone else I really like on this crew."
"There is? Who?"
"You."
Mikayla could almost feel her heart melting as she looked into the cub's eyes and saw the how serious she was. Just as she was about to thank Kate, Gutt punched the wall.
"Where is that useless, good for nothing..." he trailed off, still fuming. There was an awkward pause, until...
"So, you said earlier that you were glad Shira left?" Mikayla attempted to make conversation. Probably wasn't the best topic to bring up. Gutt scoffed.
"Yes, that stupid sabre was soft, it's much better that she left, and took that dumb crew with her!"
"Yeah, she's such a moron. So are the rest of that crew, as a matter of fact, especially Squint. Y'know, just the other day he-"
"Squint?!" came a voice from outside the cave "Oh my goodness, is he okay? He's still alive?"
"Uhm... yes..." Mikayla raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering who in the heavens she was talking to "He's on this island..."
The owner of the voice screamed in joy. "He's alive! He's alive! He's alive!" chanted whoever it was.
"Who are you?" she asked firmly.
"Oh, right, sorry," apologised the voice. A rabbit with honey coloured-fur and glittery lime eyes rushed into the cave, flipping her long ears back behind her head. "I'm Izabella."
WOO, CLIFFHANGER! Izzy's alive! *le gasp!* Y'know, this chapter was going to be a lot longer, but I decided against it as I have to pack my laptop soon. Yes, I said pack. I'm going to Liverpool again this weekend, to see my Gran, so I will have no Wi-Fi :( But I will have a lot of time to work on stories! I have a few one-shot's planned, but I'm not sure how many I'll finish... anyway, wish me luck!
Oh, and before I forget, Rebecca belongs to Blumacaw13, and Dex and Bronson belong to scoobs5601. I probably won't put that at the start of every chapter, as I am forgetful, but then again I do that with Taz so it's not too much of a biggie. *shrugs*
Thanks for reading and please review! XD