Book 3: Breaking the Ice
Me: Hi! Well, I just started school today. I'm officially an 8th grader now! Now with school in the mix, I'm going to try to update every Friday, or Sunday. If that doesn't work out, then I guess whenever I have the time. With that out of the way, let's start the chapter!
Chapter 8: The Deal
In his blue eye, was anger and everlasting fortitude. The fortitude to keep her safe from the male that tried to take advantage of her. Was there any way to stop this madness before it gets worse? Buck looked up from his fighting stance. There, in front of him, stood his opponent. On his left, was the female he was fighting for. Jenna.
With worried, light blue eyes, she watched. She felt butterflies fluttering inside of her. Her heart was pounding like a mammoth stampede as she waited for someone to make a move. Her eyes gazed over at Buck, his knife in hand and ready for the attack. He wore a scowl across his face, his fangs giving the frown a menacing touch. Her eyes then scanned over at Ben, who had no weapon, but still had the courage to fight him.
"Well, make a move, mate." He challenged him, a smirk replacing the frown on his face. Just when Ben charged at Buck, Jenna ran in front of the one-eyed weasel and took the tackle instead of him. The female let out a grunt once her body hit the ground. She tried to regain her vision, but after the back of her head hit the rough earth, she couldn't focus.
However, she did hear Buck call her name. With a small groan, Jenna tried to sit up, only to be held down by Ben. He had her pinned. With a yelp of fear, the she-weasel kicked him off of her, got up, and ran to Buck. She enveloped him in an embrace, quivering slightly.
"Jen, are you all right?"
"I'm fine." The female replied, her eyes gazing at the unconscious Ben behind them. It turns out that she kicked him against the left side of the cave entrance, knocking him out. Her attention went back to the male. She sighed, "Let's give him a good place to rest."
"If you mean in his deathbed, then I approve of that."
"No. Besides, he's just unconscious. I got this." Buck watched as Jenna vanished through the foliage. She quickly returned with a few, large leaves in her paws. Her face was hard to see, but with the sun hitting leaves' green hue, it left a shadow the shape of her upper torso and head.
Jenna jumped when she heard Rosalina and Celine gasp. She felt Buck's arms brushing through hers as he took the leaves from her, leaving goosebumps from her shoulders to her paws and a light blush on her cheeks. Then, the female's attention turned back to the girls.
She followed their gazes and saw that they were staring at Ben's unconscious form. That's when Rosalina got mad. She thought that Buck knocked him out by beating him senseless. With an upset scowl and mean glare, she walked over to him and knocked the leaves out of his paws.
Buck looked at her in shock. "Wot did I do?" He asked with the gape still on his face.
"Oh, don't act like you don't know what you've done. Why did you hit him?" The teen she-weasel asked angrily with her paws resting on her sides. She thinks I did it? Buck wondered. He looked at Rosalina's once-cerulean-now-ice blue eyes and began to feel a little intimidated. She is really onto me, isn't she? The male looked over at Jenna, pleading her to help him out. Luckily, she saw his troubled expression and stepped in.
"Rosalina, Buck didn't do it. I did. Before you hit me, let me explain. Ben was about to tackle Buck, but I ran in front of him and took it. My vision was a little blurry until I finally gained it back and I saw Ben on top of me, pinning me. I got a little scared and kicked him off, only getting knocked out by getting a blow to the head. Okay, now I told you. Please, don't hit me too hard."
Jenna closed her eyes tight, preparing for Rosalina's fist to collide with her face. Instead, she just heard her scoff. She opened one of her eyes to see Rosalina's paws resting at her sides. "I'm not going to hit you. I just have one thing to say. That is a load of bull!"
"Rosalina, would I ever lie to you?" The light brown female calmly asked her, trying hard not to raise her voice at the teen. Jenna saw Rosalina's eyes soften and turn back into the warm cerulean blue they were before she got mad. Rosalina returned to her calm state. She sheepishly let an apologetic smile etch across her face.
"I'm sorry. Is my dad going to be okay?" Ben's groan could be heard right after Rosalina asked. Everyone turned their attention to him. Ben propped himself up with his elbows and groaned, "What happened?" Rosalina went to help him up, as did Jenna.
"Thank you, Rosalina." Ben smiled once he was standing back up. His vision teased him a bit, but once it cleared, he was staring back at Jenna. Those eyes…funny, they seem lighter the last time I saw her. He thought as he stared into the she-weasel's baby blue eyes. He let his paw retract from his daughter's, leaving his paw holding Jenna's. "Thank you, too, Jenna." The female began to feel uncomfortable when he gripped her paw tightly.
Buck felt an urge to attack the male right then and there. Don't do it, Buckminster. Don't do it, for the sake of Rosalina and Roxanne. Just don't do it. He sighed, defeated by his conscience. If the twins' father so happens to touch Jenna inappropriately or look at her wrong, Buck was definitely do more than attack Ben.
"Hey, dad, guess what? Roxanne and I are leaving to go on a quest to find our mates now!" Ben smiled at Rosalina's enthusiasm. He was glad that he had followed them. His heart broke because he wished that he was there to watch them grow up to be beautiful teenagers.
He was happy Rosalina was glad to finally meet him after so many years. Then, there's Roxanne. Ah, Roxanne. She still kept her distance from him. Who could blame her? He left their mother when she was expecting them. And for that, Roxanne never forgave him, or so he thought.
"Dad, are you okay?" Rosalina was waving her paw in front of Ben's face. Her face fell. She knew what he was thinking about. "Hey, dad, the past is the past. I forgive you and I love you. Now, come in and get some rest. It must've taken you almost all morning to find us." Jenna had this look of protest, but Rosalina fortunately didn't see it.
Jenna began to feel intruded. She didn't want Ben in their home, but she thought if she said something to Rosalina, she would lash out at her. A paw on her shoulder startled her and she turned her head to see who it was. She sighed in relief. It was just Buck, who had an understanding look on his face.
"Jen, if he stares at or touches you inappropriately; makes suggestive gestures at you, or tries to flirt with you, just let me know so I can deal with him." Jenna sighed. Great, so now Buck's going to be overprotective over her while Ben is staying here. More stress to add on to her already stressed shoulders. Suddenly, a thought came to mind.
Maybe now will be the good time for Buck to teach me how to defend myself. No, I've got to teach myself. I should stop relying on Buck to come and save me every time I get into situations or help me. It's time that I man up! Buck, no more worrying about protecting me because I'm going to save myself! Jenna lowered her head; her hair hid the bold look on her face.
Buck stared at her, concerned. He didn't know if she crying or hiding her tears. When she finally looked back up, she didn't have tears trailing down her cheek to her chin. "Buck, I'm going to go on a walk. If I'm not back in half an hour or more, feel free to search for me." That was half a lie, Jenna declared. As much as she hated lying to him, she couldn't let Buck know that she was learning to fight and defend herself on her own.
Before she was on her way, she gave Rosalina and Roxanne hugs as they were about to leave as well, but for their mate quest. She found Celine asleep on the moss couch with Remy in her arms. She smiled softly at her foster-daughter and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. "I'll be back, sweetie." With a sigh, she turned to face Buck.
He hesitantly walked over to her and cupped her cheek. "Jennifer, are you mad at me or something?"
"No, I'm just going for a walk. I'll be back in one piece. I promise. Just stay here and take care of Celine." Jenna gave Buck a kiss goodbye then turned on her heel and left, leaving a concerned Buck and a sleeping Celine and Remy behind.
Chloe and the male weasels have delved for Maryanne and Leah for two hours, and they still couldn't find them. That is, until Rico pointed to some paw prints in the snow. "Good eye, Rico! Come on, let's go find my older sister and my annoying friend."
"Your blonde friend's that bad?" Lars asked with a wheezy laugh. The she-ferret rolled her eyes. Boys. She thought irritably. She turned her head in his direction and nodded. "Don't ever speak of her." Lars decided to push her buttons and asked another question about Maryanne. Chloe growled lowly. This is going to be a long day.
After what seemed about an hour, Maryanne and Leah finally said goodbye to the herd and watched them walk back to the village. They were out of sight when Maryanne asked, "So, Leah, where to? I really think we should head back, but I don't want you flirting with whoever you were flirting with this morning."
"You can't control me, you bloody maggot!" Maryanne's balled paw collided with Leah's face, stopping her from yelling at her anymore. The ferret's body twisted and fell hard to the ground, the impact was so powerful. She was out of it for a few seconds until she could hear the blonde chuckling darkly.
"Just like your sister, except this time, it's you that defending yourself and not her. Not a surprise since you had lost your ability to talk until now. Maybe because of a certain ferret and her sister's parents being captured and killed by the humans."
"Don't you dare speak about them, you rasberry cuttle puff!" Leah shouted angrily, her eyes in purplish-bluish flames. Maryanne, not knowing what she just called her, began laughing uncontrollably, angering the ferret more.
"Wow, Leah, is that all you got? Name calling?" Leah had it. She threw a medium-sized stone at Maryanne. Her honey-colored eyes widened in surprise. The force of the throw was enough to make Maryanne fly backwards into the glittery white snow. The she-weasel began to whimper in pain. A gasp escaped her lips. Leah was slowly approaching her with a heavy, thick stick. "No, Leah, don't!" She ignored her plea and with no emotion, swung the stick downwards.
Thump! The stick came down on the blonde so hard that she started screaming. Leah continued to beat her with her weapon. She didn't stop, even if Maryanne felt the pain. She ignored Maryanne's cries and screams in agony. After one last blow, the ferret stopped. She looked down at her darkly.
Finally, she spoke again, but in a very low tone, "Maryanne, shut up and listen to what I'm about to say. Since you thought of me as your favorite and supposedly your best friend, I dealt with it for a while. However, I'm almost at the edge when it comes to your arrogant tone of yours. The next time you decide to try to hurt me by saying anything about me and my little sister's parents, I won't hear any of your excuses. Are we clear?"
The she-ferret looked down at the bruised Maryanne at her feet. Her body was shaking like a leaf on a windy day and in a ball. Her bottom lip quivered as she tried to hold back anymore screams in pain. Part of her heart broke for her and felt guilty for what she had done, but at least she got to do what she wanted to do to Maryanne after all those years living with her and her parents.
"Leah, Maryanne! We found you! Thank goodness you're okay!" Anger melted back into calmness, eyes softened back to light lavender, and the stick dropped from Leah's paws at the sound of her sister's voice. She greeted Chloe with a small smile.
"C-Chloe…down here." The ferret looked down and her eyes widened. Maryanne was on the ground, still shivering with hot tears streaming down her face. Chloe, Jason, Lars, and Rico knelt down on either side of her. Upcoming bruises could barely be seen under Maryanne's light blonde fur. "What happened?" Lars asked, lightly touching one on her side.
"One, don't touch me! Two, Leah did this to me." The she-weasel shot a glare at the ferret's sister. You're not getting away with this, you little brat! She took in the sounds of gasping and Chloe's scoff. Her hazel eyes looked up at Chloe.
Chloe shook her head in disbelief. "There is no way that she could have done that! You're making this up! You just beat yourself up with that stick so that you could attract attention to yourself!" The blonde's eyes widened. She doesn't believe me?
"I did not hit myself with a stick! I'm not making this up! Leah really did do this!" For once, the she-weasel felt sincerely hurt, but that didn't stop her from acting the way she does. Leah sighed, catching the small crowd's attention. She nodded at them, telling them that it was true. Chloe shook her head and ran off, leaving the rest behind.
Hot tears flowed down Leah's face, much to Maryanne's delight. "Look what you've done. First, you beat me up, only causing your sister to run away and cry like she always does." A smirk grew on Maryanne's face, irking the ferret. With a low growl, she ran after her sister, as did Lars and Rico, leaving Maryanne and her mate-to-be alone.
Jenna walked along a dirt path. The sound of the pterodactyls screeching from above, dinosaurs from near and far roaring and growling filled the air. She looked at the lush greenery around her until she heard a rustling sound coming from somewhere. Panic rose within her. Did Ben follow her? He couldn't have. He's still at the cave with Buck and Celine, so she hoped.
She yelped when something heavy forced her on the ground. No! No, no, no, no! Please, don't let it be him! I'd rather it be a guanlong than him! She waited for him to make a move, but whoever she thought it was, chirped happily. Part of her calmed down, but the other part stayed tense. Jenna looked up with a shaky breath and looked up to see who it was.
Relief washed over her. Who she thought was Ben, it was actually Eggbert. His dark brown eyes stared back at hers then went to Momma. "Eggbert, don't scare me like that." A nervous laugh escaped her lips as she petted his head. Shelly and Yoko went over to her and nuzzled her in greeting.
Then, their eyes pondered when they didn't see Celine standing next to the brunette. Jenna followed their gaze and looked at them sadly. "Celine couldn't come today. She got hurt very badly last night. Don't worry, she's fine. Buck's taking care of her. Momma, would you like it if I hanged out with you today? So much has happened this morning. I need someone to talk to, just to get it off my chest."
The T-Rex nodded then offered her a ride on her back, which the she-weasel politely obliged. She smiled down at the baby tyrannosaurus rexes as they ran to catch up with their mother.
Momma turned her head slightly at Jenna's direction, waiting for her to say what she had to say, but the female seemed distracted by the sounds of Momma's stomps that echoed from the ground and sight of pterodactyls soaring in the sky. To get her attention, the dinosaur let out a small growl.
Jenna was startled back to reality and looked back at Momma. "Oh, I'm sorry. Hmm, where do I begin? Well, I woke up this morning, being careful not to wake Buck since he and I share a room, to paint of picture of Celine. She ran away last night because I told her about her parents being mauled by sabers. She overreacted, but who could blame her? I told her at the wrong time, but I couldn't keep the truth inside much longer. So, I decided to paint of picture of her as an apology gift."
The female paused for a breath and took in Momma's expression. Her golden eyes were widened in surprise and interest. The tyrannosaur nodded her head, signaling her to continue. Jenna nodded back. "After that, Buck woke up and saw my painting after thirty minutes went by. I work fast when it comes to art. Anyway, after staring at it for a while, Rosalina came out of her and her sisters' room looking like a hot mess. The poor thing went through so much to get her home. She told me that she had to fight a huge snake that Celine was hiding in with a baby pterodactyl she named Remy.
"When I saw her laying with Roxanne in their bed, my heart broke. She had cuts, scratches, and bruises all over her. The animal kingdom knows how bad I felt when I saw her battered up. When we finally got her to wake up, she was apologizing in her sweet little voice, I couldn't help but start crying and holding her close to me. There's more, but I'm going to save my breath before I lose it." Momma nodded understandingly at Jenna and turned her head back to the path ahead.
Wow! Family drama is a thing with Buck's family, isn't it? Jenna seems so stressed out. I know a good place where she can relax and my children can play. Momma smiled to herself. She knew just the place.
"So, Benny…"
"Don't call me that."
"All right. So, Ben, wot are you doing down here? Trying ta' make Jenna's stress level increase?" Buck glared at the hazel-eyed male angrily. He wanted his true answer. His attention went back to Ben's when he heard him clear his throat.
"I'm not here to make Jenna more stressed out. I'm here to make a deal with you." Buck raised an eyebrow. What deal? Buck pondered this for a moment before Ben started speaking again. "Here's the deal. If you let me have Jenna for a few days, at least two or three days, I'll leave and go back up there. If you don't agree, I'll take your precious little daughter instead. If you have any ideas trying to rescue Jenna from me, you'll pay the painful consequences, same goes for if you try to take Celine from me."
Buck gasped. He wasn't expecting something like that for a deal. What should he do? He loved both of them so much; he couldn't let him get his paws on them. If he agreed, Jenna would probably hate him for it and she would be a scared wreck. If he disagreed, Celine wouldn't know why she would be with him in the Ice Age. He had to make a choice.
Sighing sadly, Buck asked, "How long will you have Celine if I choose to disagree? I haven't decided yet. I'm just wondering."
"Forever. If you choose to disagree, it will be a great opportunity for me to start over as a parent." Ben smirked at Buck's troubled face. He was enjoying this. Seeing how puzzled the red-brown male was made him chuckle softly.
Forever? No, he had his chance to be a parent, and he lost it. What fool would put Celine in the middle of this when she hasn't done a thing to him? I guess he got acquainted with the little kit well. I can't do this to her. Jennifer, I love you and I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. Buck finally made his decision.
"I agree, but wait. Can she stay here one more night?" He asked.
"Yes, she can stay one more night. I'm not always that bad in person. You care for Jenna and the girls a lot. The least I can do is be generous and let you have Jenna one last time before I take her with me." Ben extended his paw towards Buck and asked, "So, do we have ourselves a deal?" Buck stared down at the male's paw. Jennifer, please forgive me for this. Sighing in defeat, the one-eyed weasel shook Ben's paw.
"Pleasure doing business with you. I'll take care of Jenna. Oh, don't you worry about that." Ben gave Buck a smirk.
Celine gasped softly. She had heard everything, especially the deal. Before either male saw her, she quickly flung herself against the wall in the room she and the twins used to share, causing her to wince. Even though she was now healed, her body still hurt.
Buck decided to not punish her. Instead, he told her what she had done, getting attacked by a snake, was her punishment and taught her to never run away again. It may have sounded harsh, but Celine took it well. She was told to rest, but when she heard the two males conversing with each other, she had to eavesdrop on what they were talking about. She was glad she did.
Suddenly, she heard clicking sounds and knew that her foster-dad was coming. She ran to Roxanne's bed, hopped in it, and covered herself up sloppily. She felt Buck's paw on her shoulder and slowly turned her head. "Goodnight, daddy."
"Have a nice nap, lass. Try ta' get some sleep, all right?" He set Remy next to his foster-daughter before giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead and left. When he was out of her sight, she turned her head to where she staring at the cave wall then cried softly.
"Mommy, I don't want you to leave me." Remy heard his companion crying and crawled to the other side of Roxanne's bed to nuzzle Celine's tears away carefully with the side of his beak. The kit looked down sadly with her forest green eyes still producing tears that flowed down her face.
"Remy, I need to tell mom about Ben's deal, but I'm scared to go out there after what happened to me last night. I don't want to make dad upset again. I guess all I can do is pray for my foster-mom." Remy curled up next to Celine like a cat would with its owner, and fell asleep.
Celine felt her paw leave her side as she gently began to pet the baby dactyl's scaly head. "Thanks for listening, Remy. You're a good friend, you know that?" With one last smile, she closed her eyes and let her mind wander from reality to dreamland.
Me: Ooh! We got some drama. If you're wondering what the heck a rasberry cuttle puff is, it is another name for a...um...bratty girl, if you will. It's originally the b-word, but I don't want to swear. Found this on Urban dictionary, and that's how they spelled raspberry. Anyway, about Celine's punishment. That was kind of harsh, but I couldn't focus the day I was working on this chapter. Don't throw spears at me!
The part with Leah and Chloe was inspired by this: /Tm_iIzuHkoM
Leave out the other girls that were with Satoko. I made my version of it, except with my characters, of course. Like I said before, I'm going to try to update every Friday or Sunday, or maybe once a week, depends on how much homework I have those days. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Buh-Bye!
Sweethalo90 :)