ICE AGE JOURNEYS: RAISING A CUB
Chapter V: The Light after the Storm
The following day was cold and weary. Knowing their parents might come following them, Eli and Peaches continued to journey without sleep or rest. Their uncles, Crash and Eddie, lay softly on Peaches head, snoring to the swaying motion of Peaches' body as she walked.
"We have to keep going. I bet my parents are worried sick by now," said Peaches as they climbed up a mountain.
"If we stop, they might find us, and it'll be too late," replied Eli in agreement. The two helped each other hike the steep mountain trail. The narrow road made it hard to keep his uncles from tumbling off of her head. When the twins said they'd follow them instead, they instantly let them, for their own good knowing just how much they might need them.
Going up and down the mountain was the only choice they had, since the open plains around the mountain could make their tracks conspicuous. The white wolf learned that much from his hunting lessons. But he never thought he'd ever use them like this.
At the peak of the mountain, the band took a breather before continuing on. Eli looked back at the high horizon. "I have to do this, dad," he thought determinedly. After a few minutes of hiking, they found themselves back down in the forest. Eli smelled the air and noticed the different cool sensation. "Looks like it's gonna rain," he informed the others.
"I know that we're in a hurry, but we should probably look for shelter," said Peaches. "We won't be able to keep this up anyways. And if they are following right now, they'd probably do the same thing."
"I… suppose…" Eli said though with shade of doubt. "I think I see a cave over there. Let's hope it's not too obvious"
The group made their way towards it. It reached in a few meters, a fairly large space. It might even be big enough for a full-grown mammoth or two. Eli went ahead inside to check up on it, and came back to find it clear of anything else.
"This is perfect!" exclaimed Peaches. "We can stay clear of the rain in here."
"I'm still not sure this is a good idea." Eli doubted. "My dad can be pretty persistent. I think we should just keep going."
"We're too tired, Eli", Peaches persuaded. She already went ahead and placed herself in a side and leaned down. "Our chances of being able to rest is in this rain. If we keep going, we'll just tire ourselves eventually, and they'll find us in no time."
Eli was skeptical. However after thinking about it, she was right. He was exhausted. And they needed a rest. Though he remained reluctant, the two of them rested inside their cozy shelter. Looking up at the darkening sky, he could only hope for the best.
Their worried family parents continued on following them. Diego told them to go up the mountain. He himself taught Eli about the tricks of being a predator, and he knew exactly what course of action they'd make. "Diego!" shouted Manny amidst the heavy pouring rain. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm not stopping!" Diego yelled, continuing his hike on the mountain. A few rocks rolled down the mountain. The mammoths were trying their best to help each other up.
"Are you crazy? In a storm like this? Don't be stupid!" shouted Ellie. "No animal would stay out with rain like this!"
"I'm not really one for hiking either," mumbled Sid. "Or getting wet…"
"That's exactly why I'm not stopping!" shouted Diego. "Those kids will have to stop somewhere! If we keep going now, we'll be able to catch up with them!"
Manny and Ellie looked at each other. They both thought that Diego lost his mind, but in a sense he was right. This was their opportunity to get them back; both Peaches and Eli. They were surprisingly caught aback. These past few years, Diego seemed to be a much different person. He was more caring, in a sense.
A grand flash of light raced throughout the plains. It broke the heavens apart for a single moment. Followed after was a loud deafening crackling sound, so loud that the very earth shook. It was as if a god had slammed his own foot down.
"Aah!" Eli cried as he covered his ears from the shock. He awoke from his slumber. He shivered inside the cave and kept his ears closed till he was sure the sound ended.
"Don't like thunder?" asked Crash, now awake on top of Peaches. She and Eddie were also looking at him, who also woken up by the commotion made in his sleep.
"I guess…" the white wolf muttered,"I just… really hate it." He had nightmares every time a storm was around. It reminded him of significant points of life that he didn't really fancy remembering.
Another sudden flash of light erupted in the sky and got Eli covering his ears, expecting the loud banging sound of thunder echoing through sky. And it came, just as he expected. No matter how hard he pushed his paws down his ears, he could still feel the fear and horror trembling around him.
"Why are you so scared about it?" asked Peaches.
"Well… it reminds of the day... the day that-. " Eli was interrupted by the sudden stroke of light and once again attempted to block out all the sound he heard. After a few moments, he was finally able to continue. "The day my parents – my wolf parents – died. It was like a storm like this. We didn't expect it, but lightning struck near our forest and… it… burned everything. Even the rain couldn't stop it. I-it took my parents, and left me alone that day. I've hated both lightning and thunder since then."
Another crash of thunder rang across and got Eli shaking once again in fear. "I remember the day when Diego saved me. It was storm like this too. The thunder just beamed across my ears and I couldn't move. That's why I couldn't run from that landslide."
"So, that's why…" Peaches sympathized. She stood up and went beside him. The warm comfort he felt was a bit nostalgic. Warmth he may have felt when Diego was around during a storm like this.
"Well, it's not as pleasant as the time they told us how you were born, huh?" smirked Eli.
"I don't really think I could believe them," Peaches asserted. "They're just stories."
"But it's true, Peaches!" Crash said suddenly. "From the part where Sid adopted dinosaur kids, to the part where the amazing Buck saved our lives! You have to believe it!"
"I wonder how Buck's doing" Eddie reminisced. "Well, it's not like anything can kill that weasel."
"It just seems so unlikely for a weasel hermit to live in a dinosaur roaming world, conquering every dino he sees", Peaches explained. "It makes believing a herd like us even exists"
"You could always ask them to tell you the truth," suggested Eli sarcastically. "It works with my dad."
Peaches giggled. "Hey, I guess I could try that"
Their little abode was interrupted by a loud trumpeting sound. Eli and Peaches both cast a look at each other. They leaned out of the cave to see Diego grasping on to the slippery terrain on the mountain, helping Manny and Ellie make their way down.
"Uh oh," muttered Eli. "We'd better move fast."
But unexpectedly, one of them cast out a loud voice of alarm. "Diego! We're over here!" shouted Eddie.
"Eddie!" scolded the other three.
In an instant Diego heard him, he met eye to eye with Eli. A pause that lasted like a lifetime happened between them within the moment before Eli started to run. Peaches started to run as well and Diego rushed off down the mountain to catch up with them.
"You traitor!" angered Crash as he choked Eddie. "How could you do this!"
"I bet you were thinking that too you know!" uttered Eddie while being choked.
"Enough, you guys!" scolded Peaches as they fought on her crown. "Don't make me come up there!"
"Hurry up!" shouted Eli as they ran. "My dad is faster than he looks! Even I can't outrun him!"
"We should throw Eddie off to slow him down!" yelled Crash in the deafening rain.
"You would do that to your twin brother?" uttered Eddie in disbelief.
"I'm here to help them. If you're not, then you might as well get off now!" shouted Crash. "So, are you in, or not?"
Eddie stared into Crash's furious eyes. He gulped and nodded. "Good," said Crash as he slowly let go of his twin brother's neck.
The group went to a curve. Eli turned his head to tell them an idea "We should be able to lose him if-" he stopped in mid-sentence the moment he saw a huge mountain wall in front of them. "Just our luck…"
"We can't go back now!" shouted Peaches as the situation became more dire.. "Climb!" The four immediately started climbig up the slippery stack of stones. Some rocks and pebbles tumbled down to the ground. Diego caught sight of them as they neared the top of the mountain.
"Kids!" he shouted.
They began to hurry up even more. But suddenly, a bright light flashed out and the sound of thunder soon came roaring in. Eli immediately lost his focus, making him lose his footing and was about to tumble down. But just before he could, Peaches caught his paw with her trunk and pulled him up back up. The white wolf regained his focus as she clamped on his paw.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Eli took footing in his hind legs. "Y-yeah, I'm good."
He took a moment to look back caught sight of Diego getting closer. The twins were now at the top, while Peaches was helping him up to climb faster. Peaches made it up to the top while Eli was still climbing. With Diego nearing, he frantically tried to get to the top as quickly as possible. Unsuspectingly, he stepped on a tipped rock that loosened as he stepped on it. Just as Diego was at the foot of the wall of rocks, boulders started rolling downhill.
Eli looked back in terror to see all the rocks fall down. "Dad!" he cried. Though he had goals to fulfill, he didn't want to lose his one and only father.
"Eli stop!" shouted Crash, catching his tail as he stopped him in mid-stride. "He'll be fine. Diego always has been." Eli felt guilty about it, but he trusted in what Crash had to say.
"Let's go!" shouted Peaches as she started to run off. Eli took one last good look at the wreckage before following the others.
The storm died out just after a while, and Manny and the others caught up in the wreckage thinking it was too late. The clouds remained grey in the sky. Miraculously, Diego emerged out of the wreckage.
"Diego!" shouted everyone as they ran towards him.
"Are you okay?" worried Sid, who was lagging behind all of them.
Diego limped towards them and was about to collapse on the ground until Manny caught him with his trunk in the nick of time. "Yeah… just a bit bruised and a few sprains, but I'll be fine" he groaned.
"Did you see them?" asked Ellie.
"Yeah, but they're pretty stubborn. If this keeps up, they could get themselves killed" explained Diego.
"Can you walk?" asked Manny.
"I guess…" groaned Diego as he tried standing properly on all fours; taking proper footing with one paw and the next. A bit shaky, but he was fine. "But I'm still worried about how we'll get them back," he said. "No way will we be able to climb that wreck now. We'd probably be too late if we go around it"
"Then how about we go through it?" shouted Sid off in a distance. The others went towards him and found the revelation they were looking for.
"A tunnel?" asked Diego.
"Good eye, Sid," Manny praised, for once.
Sid basked in his moment of triumph. "If we go through here, we'll catch up with them in no time!" Sid beamed.
"Wait, we're not even sure that's where it'll take us, but we don't have much choice," Ellie mentioned.
"It's not like we do have any other choice than this," Diego repeated.
"Well, what are you guys waiting for then?" teased Sid, already going off into the tunnel. "Hmmm.. weird… there are glowing mushrooms in here."
"Don't eat 'em Sid," Manny quickly added.
"That was close," said Peaches, breathing heavily. Her fur and theirs were drenching wet.
"Looks like we gave them the slip… for now" said Eli, collapsing his belly on the ground, exhausted from running in the storm.
"Well, we wouldn't have had to run if it wasn't for old tattle-tail here" Crash instigated on Eddie.
"Alright alright I'm a tattle-tail! I'm sorry, okay?" Eddie apologized, "I just thought it was the best course of action for all of us."
"You mean for you", Crash clarified.
"Yeah, I get it. I was a jerk. I won't do that again" Eddie repeated.
Crash gave his brother a mean stern look. "Promise?" he asked.
"Promise," answered Eddie wholeheartedly. Crash looked at him suspiciously before hugging him dearly.
"I'm glad I can count on you again bro!" said Crash a bit misty-eyed. Eddie would instinctively break their hug apart, but for once he didn't want and just let him.
Peaches let out a nice deep breath. "Well… this brings us back to our first problem," she said after watching the twins' dramatic play. "Where do we go now?"
"More like... where are we?" said Crash as he the sun shone upon a dark depressing landscape. Everything seemed to be frozen in time, even life seemed nonexistent. Under the thin layer of sleet, the land was dry, and a few shoots of grass grew in crevices.
"No idea," replied Eli, who himself was just as clueless as everyone else. "But… we'll figure it out on the way."
Then, out of nowhere, a voice rang out from nearby. "Perhaps I could be of assistance?" said the voice. They all looked around to see where the voice came from.
"Above you," it said. They all looked up to see the shadow of a bird trailed in the sun, circling around them and it started to soar down towards them. It scared the twins so much that it made them play dead. But it simply flapped it's wings in mid-air with ease. The bird, particularly an osprey, perched on Peaches developing tusks. "Greetings," it said. "My name is Flik."
Peaches trusted him within first glance. "Nice to meet you!" she greeted.
"Don't talk to it Peaches!" whispered Crash softly as he continued to lie on the ground playing dead. "It's a bird-of-prey."
"Pardon me good sir, but I can audibly hear you as well and I have a strict fish-only diet, so you don't have to worry of me making lunch out of her," Flik said hastily as he turned towards them with a cross tone before going back to face the mammoth. "So I suppose you are the one they call Peaches," he continued with a smile. "And what might your names be?" he asked, looking left and right between the white wolf and the twins.
"My name is Eli," he introduced. "And these are my uncles Crash and Eddie. Crash is the one with the blue eyes, and Eddie's the one with brown eyes."
"Good to meet you," Flik said as he bowed down in a bit of courtesy. "Now, I presume that you are lost and have no idea where to go?"
"Yes. We're looking for other mammoths and wolves alike. Have you seen any?" asked Peaches.
Flik cast an intriguing look on them. "I haven't seen mammoths during my travels, but I have encountered a pack of wolves", answered Flik.
Peaches felt down after hearing that there probably weren't other mammoths, however it piqued Eli's interest as he went to approach him.
"You've met a pack before?" Eli asked enthusiastically.
"Err.. more like just seen. They were hunting some elk together, and all I did was watch from my high vantage point in the sky," Flik answered. "If I recall, they were at Birch Plains. A wonderful place, most likely named after the numerous birch trees.
Eli's tail wagged incessantly out of excitement. "Hey, can you bring us there?" he continued to ask.
"Well, its easier flying there, but unless you lot can grow wings in the following minutes, we'll need to cross some vast landscapes," Flik explained, "But I'm sure we'll be fine.
Then, one of the possums stepped up and waved his hands around. "Woah now! Are you trying to say that we're supposed to trust this bird that's claiming that he's here to help us?" Eddie bewildered. "We don't just randomly trust strangers-"
"Yes, I suppose that you're all better off traveling without any idea where you're going" chattered Flik. "It's not like I should just leave two kids wandering off alone with two possums guiding them as their elders."
"He is pretty suspicious," Crash said. "I mean, what were you doing just before you came down? It seems a bit nonchalant that you'd be helping someone out"
The osprey chuckled. "I was just feeling the sky in my wings," he mused. "I don't really have anything better to do."
"Well, its not like we have any other leads, so I say we should trust him" said Peaches.
"I agree. He doesn't really look that suspicious, doesn't he?" Eli added.
"Well then! Let's be off! I know this place quite well, and I believe Cliff Bridge will be our first stop," said Flik as he immediately flapped off into the air.
"Are you guys sure we should be listening to this guy?" Eddie protested.
"If you're not coming with us, you can always turn around and go back," Eli suggested sarcastically. Eddie made a face, as he knew there was no turning back from this point out. He just didn't feel like being an uncle as he was the one following them. He wondered if his brother was feeling the same way.
"That was… quite a walk" panted Manny after seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
"There's the exit! I told you guys this was a good idea!" smiled Sid.
The rest of the herd got out and covered their eyes from the sudden burst of light. After their dazzled state of finally seeing light after the dark tunnel, they couldn't believe their eyes from what they saw.
"Yup. This really was a good idea Sid," Manny said in a sarcastic tone.
An enormous landscape filled with giant dinosaurs and high waterfalls and added with a touch of different tropical plants and fauna. Welcome back, to Dinosaur Valley.
Xion the Author: Here's the new version of the chapter, and I hope you guys enjoyed it. There's gonna be striking similarities to my first fanfic where the herd is divided into groups and will now have to journey through epic impossible places.
Flik: Remember me old readers?
Xion the Author: I used Flik again! I really loved him in my previous story that I brought him back with his usual repulsive self! However, I am not planning on using my old wolf OC. Too bad, lol. And the story is never complete without Buck! Last time on my first fanfic, it was Peaches in dinoland and Manny in the world above. This time I switched their places so let's just see how fun this'll go!