Book 3: Breaking the Ice
Me: Hi! Well, I went to watch Glee 3-D...again, but this time with my mom. We're both Gleeks! Had some technical difficulties at first, but they got the manager and they fixed it. Mom and I were singing a few songs. Not very many people were there. I guess some people aren't into Glee. Oh, well. At least we liked it.
Maryanne: Want to know why some people don't like Glee? It's because it is for losers like you.
Me: *smacks her* Don't mess with me, chika! That's what you think. If you're trying to call me a loser, why don't you say something. *gets cleaver out and gives Maryanne an evil look* I dare you.
Maryanne: *eyes widen in fear*
Me: *chuckles darkly* I love doing that. *clears throat* Anyway, let's start the chapter. *gives Maryanne an eerie smirk*
Chapter 12: Celine Meets Chloe
Rosalina's POV
I heard everyone's calls for me to get out of the water, but I paid them no mind. I admit it, what I just did was stupid of me. I just didn't want anyone to die, especially Maryanne. Sure, she was a snob, but she doesn't deserve to die in her watery grave.
My feet kicked behind me as I frantically tried to catch up to the female. Suddenly, something slimy wrapped around my ankle and pulled me under. My eyes widened in horror. A tentacle managed to grab me. I tried to fight it, but it was no use. The last thing I heard before I was completely submerged was my sister and the ferrets screaming.
I closed my eyes, waiting for my heart to stop beating. They snapped back open. I can not admit defeat, now! I have to fight, even though I thought it was no use, I had to fight! If I didn't, Roxanne wouldn't be able to defend herself. I'm her shield, her protector, as well as the others'. I can't give up now! They need me.
With the remaining oxygen in my lungs, I swam down further with the tentacle still wrapped around my ankles. My vision began to get blurry, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I glared at the tentacle then, as hard as I could, I bit into it. Relief washed over me as it let go of me, allowing me to swim back up to the surface.
I gasped for air. Sweet, fresh air, oh have I missed you! I knew I wasn't away from danger yet. I swiftly turned my head to the crowd on the branch. "Roxanne, get everyone across! I'll get Maryanne! Go, now!" I panted heavily. Luckily, she heard me and did what was asked of her.
I briefly watched them swing from above before getting back to my task in perfect timing to see my target being pulled under. "Oh, ay caramba!" I groaned again. I dove underwater again, the lukewarm water meeting my face. Even though my ears were filled with water, I managed to hear a scream then a small splash.
My eyes squinted as I tried to see who else fell in this death lake. I almost lost my held-in breath. Chloe fell in and she was trying to save Maryanne. I thought she despised her! Then, there may be only one reason why she did this: she must have the same heart as I. She didn't want her to die either. Nodding in approval, and with an unsure feeling, I let her help me.
Maryanne, who was trying so hard not to lose her breath, was screaming inside her mouth. I gave her a somewhat look of assurance. Chloe gave me a few signals for what she was planning to do. She pointed to me and then the tentacle. I understood her plot. She wanted me to bite down on the tentacle while she pulled Maryanne away from its grasp.
I did as she told me and, once again, bit into another tentacle. I wanted to throw up. The taste in my mouth was vile, it was so gross! Again, it released its victim. We held either side of the blonde as we swam back up to the surface.
Through the coughing and gasping for air, I saw everyone's scared and hopeful gazes turn into relief and happiness and barely heard them cheering, due to the water in my ears. I kept rushing Chloe to swim as fast as she could before more tentacles could grab us.
When we got closer to shore, Jason had his paw extended for me to grab. I took it, blushing madly. I don't know why I did, but he's bringing out the girl in me. Ugh, having feelings for him is not good! Why do I have them for him?
I got on all fours to shake the water off my fur, much like a dog would do after getting drenched, and thanked Jason for pulling me out of the lake. Roxanne and Chloe gasped. I turned to them to see what was wrong. What else could go wrong after saving an ignorant female from her watery grave? Oh yeah, she's unconscious!
"Don't worry, ladies, I got this." Lars said calmly.
"Hey! That's my mate-to-be, buddy!" Jason poked him in the chest. Roxanne, Chloe, and I laughed at their teasing quarrel until Maryanne suddenly came to. We heard her groans. I guess the brief laughter was over, for now. It was nice to have a small laugh among the group. If only Maryanne would lighten up, it could be like that during our adventure.
"What happened?" She asked, her honey-colored eyes searching ours for answers. I turned to Chloe, who had a hopeful look on her face as she answered, "Rosalina and I saved your life." I beamed at Chloe's bright smile.
Then, my smile went to a frown. She said that as if she was asking for Maryanne to pay attention to her. Could she possibly be trying to impress her for attention? Oh, Chloe. She was going to be disappointed by what Maryanne was about to say.
I was right. "Oh, thank you so much for saving me, Rosalina! I was stupid for trying to swim across. You were right. I have to listen to you if I want to get home in one piece." She said in vain. I wanted to growl at and punch that brat, but I kept up with the phony smile, my claws biting into the palm of my paws as they were in fists. All I thought about after she said that was Chloe.
My gaze went to the ferret again. Her sky blue eyes were glassy with suppressed tears and she was biting on her bottom lip to keep from crying. I stared sadly at her. My hate for Maryanne grew at the sight. Why is she so mean to her? She hasn't done anything wrong. So, there can't be any reason for her to make her upset like this, right?
"Chloe helped, too! In fact, she purposely let go of a vine to help Rosalina save you." Roxanne piped up. She must have read my mind. I smiled a sincere smile at her. What would I do without her? Once again, my smile disappeared. There was no use telling that wretch. She wouldn't care, I mean, she doesn't care.
"She did, did she? I didn't think she was brave enough to do something like that." My claws dug deeper into my palms. I don't how much anger I can hold in until I finally lash out at her. Perhaps, Chloe has already done that for me.
"I am sick and tired of you ignoring me! You pretend I'm not here when you're around others! You complain about everything from my head to my feet! Why do you hate me? Do you think it's funny to see me hurting inside and out everyday because of you? That's it! I can't take it anymore! I…I'm." Chloe burst into tears as she began to run off, leaving us in the dust.
My heart broke for her. I couldn't contain my anger anymore either. Finding my voice, I spoke, "Maryanne, tell me, why do you make Chloe suffer?"
"Because, she's weak! I can get through her easily. She's easy to make upset. I've been doing this to her since my parents and I found her and Leah." My ebony claws dug even further into my palms until I felt blood. Shoot! I pierced my own paws! I searched around for a few small leaves to wrap my paws in.
When I found some, I carefully wrapped the leaves around my paws with Leah helping me. "You know what? Until you learn some manners and some respect, you are no longer coming with us. You're going to find your own way home! That's what you wanted to do, right? Then, do it! I'd like to see you try!" I gaped at Roxanne, not believing what she just said.
She didn't mean that, did she? Leah was wearing the same look of worry as we stared at Roxanne. She was serious. I debated whether or not to oppose to what Roxanne had just said, but I decided that this would be best for the blonde. If she was going to be disrespectful to everyone, she might as well find her own way back. No one wanted to hear her complaints and insults.
"Well, now that that's said and done, let's go shall we?" I whimpered softly before Roxanne and Leah walked beside me. We left Maryanne behind, but I was afraid for her fate.
End of POV
Back at Ben's home, Celine was scanning her surroundings, searching for something sharp to cut the vine that was tied around her wrists. Her searching eyes landed on a stone shaped like a knife. Underneath her leaf gag, she smiled victoriously. She looked around her again, but saw no one. She figured that he lived somewhere unknown to dinosaurs and Buck.
Celine felt her eyes stinging with tears at the thought of him. She blinked them back. Now was not the time for crying. She had to escape and find Buck. Celine laid down on her back and extended one of her legs so that the stone would be in between her toes. Suddenly, she heard a twig snap.
Fear crept into the kit. Celine was afraid that a dinosaur was coming this way, but she was wrong. When the creature showed itself, she was surprised to see a teenage ferret with fur like snow and short hair, almost like hers, red like fire. Her light blue eyes, that were puffy from crying, went wide-eyed. She saw her, tied to the tree as well as gagged.
"Oh, my gosh! Are you all right? Who did this to you? I'm going to get you out." The female ran over to Celine and began untying her. Chloe groaned. The vine was tied up in so many knots. She knew she couldn't just leave the girl here to be food for the dinosaurs. So, she continued doing her best to free the kit.
Celine felt unsure around the stranger. "What is your name?" She asked, but her voice was muffled by the gag in her mouth. Chloe heard her muffled voice. She stopped her progress to remove the leaf from her mouth. "What did you say, sweetie?"
"I asked what your name was." Celine replied, inhaling and exhaling the air desperately. She was so ecstatic to be out of that gag. She didn't care if she was frightening the ferret because of her heavy breathing. She was just happy to be able to breathe without that stuffy gag in her mouth.
"The name's Chloe! You don't know how much has happened since we fell down here. First, I was trying to find my sister and my horrible friend back at home. Then, I ended up running away with the others following me. Now, we're down here, trying to get home. We ran into these two girls named Rosalina and Roxanne."
Celine's bored forest green eyes brightened with interest. "Wait! First, who's 'we'? Second, you found Rosalina and Roxanne? Where are they?" Chloe gasped. Apparently, the girl also knew the twins. Was she…their foster-sister that they've been talking about? She then remembered Celine asking her a question.
She answered, "By 'we', I mean my sister, friend, and my friend's mate-to-be along with his brother and cousin. Second, we first met Rosalina and Roxanne when they saved our tails from being devoured by starving dinosaurs, and kind of along the way…I ran away from them, to answer your third question. They're at some place called the Lake of Death, but they're probably looking for me, now. Hey, aren't you the twins' foster-sister?"
"Oh. Yes, I'm their foster-sister. Please, do me a favor. Leave me here and find my foster parents. Where Ben lives is safe, so don't worry about me. When you find them, tell them that Ben has me."
Chloe nodded. She was about to be on her way, but she stopped. "Um, how will I know if it's your foster parents?"
"If you find a male with an eyepatch, that's my dad. If you find a female with him and she's a light brunette, that's my mom." Celine described her adoptive parents and gave their names to the ferret so that she knew who to look for and keep an eye out for. Chloe nodded again and began her search.
"Hey, Buck, I know I shouldn't be thinking about this, but, did Ben even give you the choice to think about the deal?" Jenna asked the male. That question was running through her head all day, and she was glad she finally got it out of her chest. Buck looked down shamefully.
"No, I don't think so. By the way he looked at me back at our home, he wanted a straightforward answer." His face fell when he saw Jenna's do the same.
The female all or a sudden felt sick. She clamped a paw in front of her mouth. Buck's eye widened. Oh, no, no, no, no! He screamed in his mind. "J-Jennifer, go, go, go!" She didn't need to be told twice. The light brown weasel ran towards a small shrub and began to vomit and cough violently.
Buck got on his knees to comfort Jenna as she continued to throw up. His paw ran up and down on her upper back while the other pulled the female's medium-brown shoulder-length hair back so that nothing would get on the silky strands. Once she was done, Jenna looked back at Buck. Her cheeks were flushed and her baby blue eyes were watery.
"Jennifer, wot happened, lass?" Buck held the she-weasel close to him, looking down at her for a response. She was panting so much that she couldn't answer him. "Jen, are you all right?" The female finally calmed down. She gulped the lump in her throat before groaning, "I don't feel so good."
"Do you want ta' take a break?" Buck was concerned about her. She's been fainting and now vomiting all morning. He was worried that she was sick and decided that what she needed now is more rest. Jenna seemed to have read his mind. She smiled softly.
"Hey, I'll be okay. Just didn't feel good for a moment there." She gave him a brighter smile.
"It's been more than a moment. Jennifer, you've been fainting and getting sick eva' since we go' up. I think I should carry you to Momma. Besides, that's where we are heading and you need to rest a bit." Buck advised.
Jenna frowned sympathetically. She felt as if she was stressing him out more. She didn't want that for him. He was worried about her enough as it is. She then began to feel lightheaded for the sixth time today, stopping her train of thoughts in its tracks.
Buck caught her before her slender body touched the ground. "See wot I mean? Let me carry you."
The female came to again and sighed, "No, don't. I'm fine. Honest."
"Don't argue with me, Jennifer." Buck told her sternly. Jenna pressed her ears against her skull in quick defeat. Whenever he used that tone of voice with her, she knew when to just suck it up and let him have his way. She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder as he lifted her into his arms.
"You know, I believe I forgot to thank you for last night. It was definitely the best one I have ever had." Jenna murmured, her eyelids growing heavy once she got comfortable in his warmth. She felt Buck's chest rumble as he chuckled.
"No need ta' thank me, lass. Now, get some shut-eye. We should arrive at Momma's location at any time now." Jenna nodded absentmindedly and closed her eyes to fall in a deep slumber.
Roxanne batted the ferns out of their way angrily, startling Rosalina slightly. "You know, hitting plants with your paws isn't going to make things better." The cerulean-eyed female was trying to lift some of the tension by amusing the group. No one laughed, not one giggle or chuckle could be heard. Rosalina sighed. It was worth a try.
Silence engulfed them again, except for the screeches of pterodactyls from above. Rosalina understood that everyone, including her, was worried about Chloe. Instantly after meeting her, Rosalina grew fond of the ferret and thought of her as her second little sister. She wondered if Chloe thought the same way. She shook her head.
It would take a while for the redhead to get used to her and Roxanne. The first time the twins saved the group, she saw the look of fright on Chloe's face. Rosalina sighed sadly. She really missed her, to tell the truth, but once they find her, they would be reunited again, hopefully.
Leah was the one that was worried about Chloe the most, with her being her older sister. She, as well as everyone else, knew how dangerous this world was. It wasn't like the Ice Age world at all. Up there, all they had was snow, pine trees, and some weird-looking animals. Here, they had dinosaurs, bunch of them, tropical plants and trees, amazing scenery, and danger at every turn.
They had to be careful and stay close to their guides, Rosalina and Roxanne. Leah frowned. She so much wanted to go home, but at the same time, she wanted to stay. She couldn't do that, though. This world was meant for Rosalina, Roxanne, and their family that they had to leave to rescue them and return to where they belong. Leah was in a mix of emotions at the moment and Rico noticed.
"Hey, are you all right?" At the sound of the male's voice, everyone's heads turned to face Leah and Rico. "Do you mind?" Rico asked kindly. He nodded in approval as they shrugged and looked at their surroundings.
Jason's brother stared into the dark violet eyes of Leah and found worry, sadness, and pain in them. What has Maryanne done to her and her sister over the years, besides insulting them? He wondered about this for a moment before placing a paw on Leah's shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Leah stared at the ground. She didn't want to admit that she was afraid for her sister, but she couldn't lie to him. She trusted him. With a brief sigh, Leah murmured, "I'm scared. I fear that Chloe will be killed. Look around you. There's no way that she could possibly still be alive."
Rico and Leah's ears pressed against their skulls. Rico felt horrible for the ferret. He pulled her into a reassuring hug, startling the female. His nuzzled his cheek against Leah's dark red hair; his paws ran up and down her back, trying to comfort her.
"Hey, lovebirds, catch up!" The two stopped hugging to see the twins and the rest were ahead of them and Roxanne was nudging her head to the side, signaling them to hurry up. Rico nodded. He didn't want to let go of her, but alas. The ferret felt his arms loosen around her shoulders.
Her light lilac eyes turned back into the miserable dark purple they once were. She felt like she was on cloud nine in his arms, but when he released her, she felt empty. She did have feelings for him and has had them every since she first saw him. The ferret wondered if he felt the same way. She looked at the twins' backs, their shiny black hair bouncing behind them. Sighing sadly, she ran to catch up with them.
After finally finding Momma, Eggbert, Shelly, and Yoko near a stream, Buck gave a still sleeping Jenna to her and explained what happened. Momma nodded her head understandingly. She gently coiled her scaly tail around the female's waist and placed her on her back. "Thanks, Momma. You won't happen ta' know wot happened to Celine, do you?"
The tyrannosaurus's golden eyes widened. She remembered that one of her kids fell in a shallow puddle and went to help him out. She had kept an eye on the kit, but when she turned her head back to her kid, she was gone. Momma didn't understand. How could she tend to her kids' needs without Celine running off? Guilt washed over her.
In her language, she told Buck that Celine had sneaked out of her sight while getting Yoko out of a puddle that day. Buck, who understood dinosaur language, held his breath as he was trying not to yell at Momma. He counted to ten in his mind before exhaling out of his nose.
"All right, Mummy dino, I guess I'll go look for her. Take care of Jenna for me." Buck waved goodbye to them, but didn't leave without climbing on Momma's back to give Jenna a peck on the forehead. He was glad that she wasn't awake. If she had heard everything they said, she would have said she told him so. He chuckled. She would definitely say that.
His half-hearted chuckling stopped when he heard rustling coming from behind the stringy ferns. Instinctively, he got in his defense stance, the grip on his knife tightening. "I…hate…running!" The male's eyebrow rose. He didn't recognize that voice, but it was feminine and whoever the female was, she was panting heavily.
"Come out!" Buck commanded, getting back to his stance. His body relaxed itself as the female showed herself. The ferret stared at him fearfully until she realized that this male was Celine's foster-father. Chloe was about to say something, but the weasel began to circle around her, sniffing her snow-white fur and examining every detail that was found on her.
Once he was finished, Chloe gave him a slightly cheesed off look. "There's this thing called personal space. Ever heard of it?" She spat grouchily. After running for who knows how long, she was pretty cranky, and having a male she never met before sniff her didn't lighten her mood.
"The name's Buck! Short for…"
"I know. Your daughter requested me to find you." The ferret cut him off. She saw the look of shock on the weasel's face.
"You know where Celine is?" Buck asked hopefully. He threw his knife to the ground; the tip of his rival's tooth went through the dirt. His electric blue eye brightened with happiness as relief came over him. Buck let out an excited 'ye haw'. That was something he hasn't done in a long time.
"Yes. She's at some guy's cave. She said she was kidnapped by some dude named Ben. She's all right. No bruises, cuts, or scrapes. She's just fine, but her paws are tied to a tree with a vine and she was gagged." Chloe reassured the ecstatic male with a pleasant smile.
At the mentioning of Ben's name, Buck quickly changed from contented to infuriated. His grip returned to the hilt of his knife like many times before. The blue fire in his eye didn't die down. He was going to make Ben pay for what he was doing to his family. He then remembered that Chloe was still here and exhaled sharply. "All right, ferret, if you, too, think that she's at Ben's, do you think you can take me ta' her and prove it?"
"My name is Chloe, and, yes, I will lead the way." The female waited for Buck to lift his knife from the ground before they went off.
Jenna groaned. Momma looked down at the she-weasel and saw that she was waking up. She used her tail to help Jenna sit up. Baby blue eyes slowly fluttered open until they were wide open. She felt something scaly holding her up and decided to look up to see who it was.
"Momma, have you seen Celine?" Jenna asked, her face brightening with hope, but fell when the t-rex shook her head no. I knew it. Celine did sneak out of Momma's sight! I'm not going to get mad at Momma, though. Maybe, Celine sensed that I was in danger and went to stop Ben, like in my vision. She pondered for a while until she felt her throat filling up with things that violently wanted to come out.
Hurrying to get on her feet, Jenna ran towards a small bush, as she did before, and vomited. Momma wore a concerned look on her face, but then she smiled. When Jenna's upset stomach finally calmed down, the she-weasel looked up at Momma, who was smiling at her. She raised an eyebrow. Was she thinking what she thought she was thinking?
"Momma, what is with the look?" Momma lowered her head to the female's stomach and gently began to nuzzle it. Jenna gasped, both in horror and surprise. Was Momma trying to say that she was…..pregnant? "M-Momma, are you sure? Do you not think that I could be just sick?" She stuttered. Scared tears rolled down Jenna's face. Was this some kind of joke?
The tyrannosaurus nodded, smiling wider. A soft exhale escaped her throat. Her paws covered her mouth while more tears ran down her tan cheeks. Jenna let out a nervous and excited laugh. "Momma, you're joking, right?" Jenna's voiced cracked as she laughed. Momma shook her head.
"Ben can't see me like this, Momma! Please, tell me you're lying. As much as I want to have Buck's kids, this is not the right time. Momma, Ben can't see me like this. He…just…can't." That's when Jenna fell to her knees and sobbed. She knew that she should be happy, but with Ben lurking around, she didn't feel safe. The male would try to claim her kits as his.
Jenna knew she couldn't hide it from Buck and Ben for long, for her stomach would begin to grow big and the signs would show. What could she do? She was going to be a biological mother, as well as a foster-mother to Celine. There was nothing she could do about it.
Actually, there was one thing she could do about this, but it would cause her so much depression and pain. She was going to keep these kits that she was carrying in her stomach because they belonged to her and the one she loved. Jenna wasn't going to let Ben get anywhere near her kits, and she was going to make sure of that.
Momma carefully wrapped her tail around the female's waist and sat her down on her back again. "Well, looks like I'm carrying precious cargo now." Jenna sighed, calming down as she lightly stroked her soon-to-be-big abdomen. She let her eyes scan her surroundings while Momma and her kids began to walk back to their home.
Me: Poor Jenna and Chloe. In the midst of tension, more fuel is added to the fire, if I said something like that right. *looks over at a tied up Maryanne* How do you feel about being left behind, Blondie?
Maryanne: I will die!
Me: With me being a nice girl, that's not going to happen. As much as I would love to kill you off, I could never do that unfortunately. I tried with Roxanne in the second book, but I wanted Roxanne to be at Rosalina's side. Sorry, Roxanne, but let that be a warning. Don't get too sassy with me, same goes for you, Blondie.
Maryanne: Stop calling me that!
Roxanne and I: Okay, Blondie.
Maryanne: *tries to attack us, but is restrained by a weasel-sized straightjacket*
Me: *chuckles evilly* I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to leave a review!