Book 3: Breaking the Ice
Me: Hi, everybody! Well, I'm so happy to have more time to work on this story. It is almost done. Maybe a few more chapters and that should do 'er (don't have an exact count of how many chapters left, but it will end soon). Hope you enjoy this chapter! I did repeat a few things in this chapter. My bad! -_-
Chapter 20: The Canyon of Your Worst Nightmare
"Buck, how close are we getting now?" Chloe asked through puffs. The male decided the poor ferret needed to catch her breath and they slowed down to a walk. Buck watched as the female wiped the sweat off her forehead.
"We're getting close. I believe we have sixteen miles to go befo' we get there. Need ta' take a break?" Buck asked. He stopped in his tracks just in case she did. Instead, Chloe shook her head. "Are you sure?" Chloe nodded.
Her sky blue eyes met Buck's single cerulean eye as she said, "I want to see my sister again. I don't want to waste any time trying to get back to them. I want to keep going! I miss my sister! I…" Before she got too carried away, the female stopped talking and fought the tears that were burning her eyes and blurring her vision.
Chloe's breathing began to catch, her body began to tremble with approaching sobs, and her heart ached with longing. She longed to be at Leah's side again. Why did she have to run away from them over something Maryanne said? She knew it was an immature move and now Rosalina, Roxanne, and all the rest were worried about her, excluding Maryanne. They're probably thinking she was dead by now, but she would prove them wrong once she comes back to them.
The thought of Leah's arms around her in a tight, protective embrace finally made the red-headed female ferret break down into tears. "Leah, Leah, Leah, Leah…" Chloe repeated her sister's name in loud whimpers as she cried. She soon felt Buck's paw on her shoulder, his voice trying its best to sound comforting.
"Hey, lass, come on. Don't cry your eyes out. We're almost there." The male reassured her. Chloe looked up at him with puffy, red eyes before wiping her tears away with the back of her paws. Her cheeks flushed with mortification for crying in front of him. She trusted Buck to get her back with her sister and the others, and he did tell her they were getting closer. So, why was she crying?
The ferret gently moved some of her hair away from her face and whispered an apology for her sudden emotional breakdown. Buck patted the female's shoulder with a knowing smile. "I'm ready now." Chloe mumbled and picked herself off the ground. She followed behind Buck once he was ready and had his knife in hand.
Leah quickly lifted her head when she heard someone screaming her name from a distance. Rico looked at her, afraid something was wrong. Instead, the ferret got excited and whispered in his ear. Once she finished telling him, Rico hugged the violet-eyed female close, happy that Leah was going to reunite with her sister soon.
"Hey, Rosalinda, how much longer until we get to the Canyon of Your Worst Nightmare?" Maryanne shouted, wanting to break the silence among the group. Jason corrected the blond, only to end up being yelled at and smacked in the back of his head, hard. He was about to start a dispute, but decided not to fight with this female he had to call his mate once he returned home unless he decided to persuade the twins into coming up to the Ice Age with them to beg his parents to reconsider him being with Maryanne.
No. They probably wouldn't allow it. They don't want a female from a Jurassic world. They want one that is in the Ice Age and is snooty and demanding. If they don't like Rosalina, then I will not hesitate to go back to this world with her. If they do accept her, then I will give her a choice to either stay there or stay where she is now.
Jason smacked his forehead when he realized he was thinking about wanting to be Rosalina's boyfriend. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He harshly murmured to himself only to catch the cerulean-eyed female's attention. She wore an expression showing her confusion and apprehension.
He rubbed his neck, not knowing how to reply. Rosalina gave him a reassuring smile as if telling him he didn't need to explain. "Sorry." Jason said quietly, only making the she-weasel's smile grow a little more until Maryanne repeated her question with more starkness in her tone.
Rosalina replied as patiently as she could. "We just have five more miles to travel and we should be there. It's not much longer. I promise." Roxanne glared at Maryanne, her hazel eyes silently threatening the blond to watch how she spoke to her twin or she would suffer the consequences like before. I'm so glad that we're getting one step closer to bringing them home. I'm getting sick and tired of Maryanne and Lars both. I have never hated somebody so much before, but Maryanne is definitely on my 'Hate List'. She's a…
"Roxanne, calm down. You look as if you're going to kill somebody and throw them in a pit filled with other dead bodies." When Roxanne heard her sister's voice, interrupting her thoughts, she realized that her paws were balled in fists and her body was tense with anger. Embarrassed, she marched ahead of the group and grumbled to herself.
"Um, is Roxanne okay? She's been crabby ever since we left the den." Lars asked, concerned about Rosalina's sister's moody state. Rosalina simply told him Roxanne was just in a really bad mood today and to not worry. If only Roxanne would admit she does like him… She thought, but knew how obstinate her twin could be.
Roxanne jerked Rosalina's arm, causing a loud yelp to escape the cerulean-eyed weasel's lips and her body to slightly bump into hers. "Don't talk to him. He's just wanting your attention. Besides, we're already here." Rosalina looked up to see Roxanne was right. She felt Jason and Leah bump into her. She smiled, amused, before turning around to face the group.
"Well, here we are. Now, I think I should remind you to stay close, don't look at the silhouettes, as that will cause you to be killed by one of those new dinos if you stand there too long. And don't, I mean don't, scream, for that will get the dinosaurs' attention. Any questions?" Rosalina waited for someone to say something, but not a single word was spoken.
Buck and Chloe had gone from a little jog to a sprint through the jungle a while ago, trying to get to the other side of the Canyon of Your Worst Nightmare. The many shrubs, plants, and trees were like green blurs as Chloe ran faster than Buck, much to her surprise. She figured she was just excited to reunite with her sister again and didn't want to waste any time walking. This time, it was the ferret dragging Buck. His blue eye went wide-eyed, but he was determined to catch up.
"We're making great time, ferret. We only have a few miles to go." He shouted, but Chloe ignored him. She was so enthusiastic to be with her sister, Rosalina, Roxanne and the others that she let go of Buck's paw to get on all fours and began running as fast as she could with Buck now doing the same thing.
"Don't tire yourself out, lass." Once again, Chloe didn't listen to him. She wasn't about to let anything or anyone slow her down. Not even Buck's voice stopped her from running faster than she ever did before. After running the rest of the way to the group's destination, Buck and Chloe finally arrived. During their race to the canyon, the ferret had tripped. She was lucky she didn't sprain anything.
Chloe was now on the ground, panting hard from all the running she and the weasel did. Buck sat on a stone next to the worn out ferret, panting as well. "I…told you…you would grow exhausted and sweaty…by running…the way you did." Buck said between breaths. Chloe groaned softly. Her short, red hair was messy, her white and salmon-colored fur was moist with sweat, and her sky blue eyes were half-lidded with fatigue. She thought she was going to pass out, but she told herself she wasn't going to.
Regaining some of her breath, Chloe asked in a husky voice, "What do we do now?"
"We…wait." Buck replied, still panting a little. He saw the disappointment in Chloe's face and reassured her they would be to the other side in no time. Chloe nodded without a word spoken and sat down, thankful she was finally going to take a break.
Leah clung to Rico as they and the others walked through the canyon silently. The violet-eyed ferret looked up to see a silhouette beginning to form. She watched with tiny whimpers as she watched her nightmare reveal itself. When she realized her nightmare was the day her mother and father died, she buried her face into Rico's chest to hide her tears and muffle her quiet sobs.
Jason turned around slightly at the sound of her crying. His ears pressed against his skull, feeling bad for the female. It didn't take long for Rosalina to be the next one. He watched her nightmare with the blue-eyed female. Rosalina was sure it was her past life where she and Roxanne lived with Tim, but it was a different nightmare, much to her surprise. What she saw made her cheeks burn and her heart beat against her chest like a hummingbird's wings.
Jason watched as the silhouettes were formed into two females and one male who seemed to be asleep. The silhouettes appeared to be arguing about something. The first female silhouette soon had a sharp weapon in its hand and threatened the second female. The second one took a few paces backwards until the first silhouette charged at the second silhouette with the sharp object and began to stab the female until it seemed to be dead.
Rosalina looked at Jason with an expression that said she was going to explain this nightmare to him later. To the male, she didn't look scared after seeing this. She seemed…mortified. I didn't think the Canyon of Your Worst Nightmare would show this. This isn't my worst nightmare, though it was one at the time. Oh, well.
Rosalina urged the others to keep walking, which they did. She looked over at Roxanne, who looked at the thick cloud of fog above her. That's when she knew it was her twin's turn to see her nightmare. She whispered to Rico, Leah, Jason, and Lars to go ahead of her, but Lars didn't listen.
Roxanne and Lars stopped walking once they saw the silhouettes reveal themselves. Horrified at what she was seeing, Roxanne quickly turned to face Lars, her hazel eyes watching the male's reaction as her nightmare was shown before his very eyes. The silhouettes were of a little kit and a figure of a male weasel. As the scene continued, Lars's eyes widened in dreadfulness and fright while his jaw dropped in disbelief.
Once the nightmare was over, Lars turned to Roxanne and yelled, "You didn't tell me you got raped?" Rosalina shushed him noisily with a look of fret on her face. Her ears twitched and moved side-to-side, waiting to hear the intimidating hisses of the hidden dinosaurs. Calming down slightly, she pushed Lars and Roxanne ahead of her just in case they would come out to attack.
"Roxanne, I want to talk to you tonight after we get out of here." Lars whispered to Rosalina's twin, his harsh voice causing a pang of edginess to hit Roxanne. She didn't respond. She kept her gaze on the ground as she struggled to hold back the tears that burned her hazel eyes.
Rosalina saw the hurt her sister felt after the truth had been exposed to Lars. She walked towards her sister with her arms opened. Her arms enveloped around her sister, sending a jolt of anxiety to Roxanne. "Sis, it'll be all right. Come on, let's catch up with the…"
"No! It is not okay! Lars just found out about my past and you're saying it's going to be okay? You try being raped almost every night when our mom isn't home and I'm struggling to sleep! How would that make you feel?" Roxanne shouted, her paws balling into fists and her cheeks burning with rage.
"Roxanne, please quiet down. You're going to alarm the dinosaurs in here!" Rosalina murmured as she looked around in alarm. Her twin didn't listen to her. She continued to vent her frustrations to the blue-eyed female until a low growl stopped her yelling.
Rosalina wore a fierce look on her face and was glaring at Roxanne angrily. She tried to warn her, but she didn't listen. Her hazel-eyed sister stared at her before grabbing Rosalina's paw in hers and bee-line sprinted through the canyon. Sensing one of the dinosaurs' appearances, Rosalina screamed, "Run!"
They didn't need to be told twice. As the weasels and ferret ran to the end of the cave, the dinosaurs came out of their shadows and chased after them. Rico lifted Leah off her feet and ran ahead of the others, desperate to get the ferret to the other side where she would be safe. Unfortunately, a dinosaur with black and white scales throughout its body except for its belly, which was a pearl color, leaped on Rico, causing him to drop Leah.
Chloe stared at Buck, begging him to save them. She could hear Rosalina and Roxanne's screams echo through the canyon. This made her more worried about her older sister than she already was. "Buck, I'm going to have to use your knife. I'm going in! Oh, and I suggest you hide somewhere since you want to surprise Rosalina and Roxanne." Chloe turned to the one-eyed male, her sky blue eyes meeting Buck's single blue eye. Before Buck could protest, the ferret grabbed the handle of his knife and ran inside the canyon.
Rico struggled against the dinosaur's weight on his body. The reptile had him pinned against the cold ground and opened its wide jaws. The weasel stared in terror at the three rows of razor-sharp teeth in the dino's mouth. He tore his gaze away from his killer to stare at Leah one last time.
I won't be able to say goodbye. No, I don't want to say goodbye! It's too late for me to confess my love to her. I don't want to die yet! Not without telling her how much I really love her. Please, let it all be a dream. Please! Rico felt moisture in his eyes. That's when he realized he was crying.
The reptile's malodorous breath soon hit Rico's face. This is it, isn't it? The male thought sadly before the dinosaur roared in pain and fell to the ground, dead. Panting heavily, he looked up to see Chloe standing over him with a bloody knife in hand. "Get my sister out of here! Go!"
Rosalina felt her lips curve into an insane and happy smile once she saw Chloe. Thank the animal kingdom she's alive and here with us once again! Her thoughts soon vanished when she heard a vociferous, high-pitched screech come from behind her. Chloe and Rosalina turned around to see Maryanne on the ground with dinosaurs clawing at her.
Just let her die. She's been mean to me ever since I and Leah lived with her. No, I'm too nice to let those reptiles kill her. I've saved her before, and I am willing enough to save her again. This time, she will notice me. I just know she will. I hope. Once Chloe finished debating whether she should save Maryanne or not, she got back into action and ran in the blonde's direction.
Rosalina happened to catch Chloe going back for the attacked female. She couldn't just leave her in here to fight the dinosaurs alone. She knew what to do. Rosalina turned to Jason and whispered, "Jason, get to the other side with the others. I'm going to help Chloe."
"What? No, I'm not going to let you get killed!" The male objected.
"Hey, I've lived down here longer than you. I can take care of myself. I'll be fine. Go." Rosalina reassured him. She was about to turn to help Chloe, but she didn't move. It was as if her feet were glued to the canyon floor. She just stood there, staring into Jason's beautiful green eyes. Part of her wanted to kiss him right then and there, but she knew it would only mean trouble for her in near future.
Forcing her gaze away from Jason's eyes, Rosalina cleared her throat and reminded the weasel of what she asked for him to do. "Be careful." The female nodded before turning back and letting out a battle cry.
Roxanne waited anxiously for her twin and Chloe to come out with Maryanne with them. Lars seemed to notice this as he came her way. "Don't worry. By the looks of your sister, she can withstand anything. I never knew Chloe could fight, but I guess I can kind of say the same thing about her."
The female jolted at the sound of his voice. What did he want? Was he trying to assure her that Rosalina would come out alive? After Lars found out about her past, she still didn't feel like talking to him nor did she want to look at him. He knew now that she was tainted by the fiend of the past, her step-father, and she couldn't bear to stare at his handsome face with beseeching eyes.
Roxanne didn't respond, just stood there as still as a statue on a pedestal. She then felt Lars's arms around her, pulling her closer to his front. Realizing he was hugging her from behind, Roxanne felt her cheeks heat up, her heartbeat pounded against her chest, and her breathing got ragged. What was he doing to her?
Lars placed his head on Roxanne's shoulder only to make the hazel-eyed female blush harder. "I know you may still be upset that I saw that nightmare of yours, and I know you may still hate me, but just know that I do care about you."
Roxanne thought her eyes were going to pop out of their sockets when she heard him say this. Here she thought, all this time, that he was a perverted, aggravating, and seductive male. But she saw that there was also a sympathetic and lenient side of him.
Turning slightly, she murmured, "Thanks. And, hey, I don't hate you. I never hated you. You're just annoying that's all. That fun song you sang almost had me up to the point I would have done more damage to you than I did that day." Roxanne felt her lips curve into a smile as Lars began to chuckle.
"I must be grateful I didn't get you to that point, then. So, feeling a little better, Roxy?" The male began to cackle when Roxanne began to shove him off of her to punch him in the arm. To the female's surprise, she found herself laughing along with him. What was happening to her? She was laughing with Jason's cousin whom she got annoyed with most of the time.
The two weasels stopped their laughing fit when they saw Jason run out of the canyon. "No need to worry, Roxanne, your sister is helping Chloe fight of the dinosaurs that are attacking Maryanne. They'll be all right. Besides, Chloe's got a knife and Rosalina can fight physically." The male reassured her. Roxanne thanked him and sat down, wanting to take a moment to calm down and relax.
Leah plopped down next to her. Roxanne smiled, but then frowned. Something seemed to be troubling her. She wondered whether she should ask or just sit there with her and say nothing. Roxanne stared at Leah again, her hazel eyes meeting a light lavender pair. "Something wrong?"
The ferret stared for a while before answering, "I really like Jason's brother, but I'm afraid of what his parents might say about me being his mate, if he wants me to be his. I've been into him ever since we first met, and I really want to be more than friends with him. What should I do?"
Roxanne could only smirk in victory. She knew Leah had a crush on Rico by the way they interacted with each other. Now that she admitted it, Roxanne couldn't be more than happy to help Leah out. She leaned over to whisper in the ferret's ear. "Try talking to him in private tonight. I'll tell Rosalina to pretend she doesn't hear you two chat while she keeps watch. If necessary, I'll hogtie Maryanne with vines and gag her so that she won't interrupt your moment."
Leah shook her head with a small laugh, amused at the thought of Maryanne tied up in an uncomfortable position and screaming curses muffled by a gag. "Thank you, Roxanne. I needed the laugh. Well, I guess I'll talk to him tonight." She grinned sincerely at the twin. Roxanne replied with a thumb up.
"Hey, girls, guys, Rosalina and Chloe are coming out with Maryanne!" Jason shouted in relief. The two females got up quickly to reunite with their sisters as they exited the canyon. Roxanne helped Rosalina lay a passed out Maryanne on a stone before hugging her tightly. Leah did the same to Chloe, but her hug was much tighter.
"My Chloe! You're alive! Thank goodness! I thought I lost you." Leah held her sister closer, nearly squeezing the life out of her. Tears poured out of her beautiful dark amethyst eyes as she nuzzled her sister's red hair. Chloe hugged her sister back, crying into Leah's shoulder.
Everyone, except Maryanne, smiled at the scene. It was so heartwarming to see the sisters who have worried about each other find each other again. The two ferrets pulled away from their tight embrace a few minutes later. Chloe's gaze met the twins' as she said, "I couldn't have found you guys without a certain someone you two girls might know."
Chloe turned to a shrub and signaled the mystery savior to show himself. Rosalina and Roxanne's jaws dropped in awe and shock. There he stood, his right eye covered by a leaf used as an eye-patch, his sides wrapped with a bandage, and his single eye gleaming with happiness. It was Buck.
"Dad!" Rosalina and Roxanne ran into his arms without any hesitation, the force nearly causing the one-eyed weasel to fall over. The two girls began to sob tears of joy as they hugged Buck, afraid to let go.
Buck hugged them close, glad to have them back in his arms again. It felt like three or four, maybe even more days than that to him since he last saw his foster daughters. Pulling away slightly, he smiled, "Surprise!" The two females began to laugh and hugged him one more time before releasing him.
"How did you find us?" Roxanne asked.
"Your friend told me about Tentacle Lake, and I happened to have traveled the same path you're leading these mammals through. It was a long time ago, though. Anyway, I really missed you girls, but Celine and Jenna miss you two just as much as I do. Celine even told me to tell you that she loves and misses you two." Buck explained to them.
Rosalina and Roxanne smiled as they thought about Celine and Jenna. "Well, you tell Celine and Jenna that we love and miss them, too. Also, tell them that we're all right. That's an order, sir." Roxanne playfully poked Buck's chest. The male chuckled at her and ruffled her shoulder-length hair in the same manner.
Their fun seemed to go on for a while until Lars cleared his throat. Taking this as a signal to introduce Buck to the group, Rosalina grinned, a tad uneasily but happily. "Buck, this is Jason. Next to him, is his cousin, Lars. See that couple beside Chloe? That's Jason's brother, Rico, and Chloe's older sister, Leah. Oh, and the unconscious one is Maryanne." Like a child, the female pointed at everyone she introduced Buck to so that he would know who was who.
Leah walked up to Buck, gratefulness filling her light violet eyes. She took Buck's paw and shook it. "Thank you for finding my sister. I'm forever grateful." Buck smiled with a nod. He noticed that the female ferret almost had the same accent as his, but hers was more British than a mix of British/Australian, like his accent. Hiding the fact that they went through some trouble to reunite Chloe with the gang, Buck simply said that it was no problem.
If Maryanne doesn't acknowledge the fact that Chloe risked her life to save hers once she wakes up, I'm gonna kill her while she's sleeping. Roxanne thought angrily without knowing a low growl was rumbling in her throat, attracting the others' and Buck's attention. Once she saw everyone's eyes on her, she smiled sheepishly and lied, "A fly was flying around my head and it was making me mad."
No one laughed at this, but they smiled at her. Buck looked at Jason and Lars, who were chatting with Rosalina and Chloe. Those two lads look like the right mates for my girls. Of course, time will tell. I can't make any predictions. Besides, it their choice, not mine. Buck cleared his throat and sighed sadly, "Well, I guess now that Chloe is safe and sound with you all now, I guess I should be headin' back."
Rosalina and Roxanne felt the pangs of homesickness and sadness hit their hearts. They didn't want him to leave just yet. Unfortunately, he had to go back to wherever Celine and Jenna were as to not get them worried. Whimpering softly, Rosalina slowly entered Buck's embrace and cried into his shoulder. "Please, don't leave. I missed you so much, and I don't want you to leave."
Buck's heart broke when he heard that. His arms enveloped around Rosalina's small figure. He hated to see and hear Rosalina, as well as Roxanne every once in a while, cry. It hurt him. Buck placed a gentle kiss on Rosalina's forehead. He whispered, "Don't cry, lass. You'll see me, Celine, and Jennifer again soon. Jen's got one heck of a surprise for you two once you come back with your mates. That's for her and me to know and for you two to find out."
"Come on, sis. Toughen up. Like he said, we'll see him, Celine, and Jenna again. For now, we just need to be strong and get our new friends out of here." Rosalina stared at her twin in defeat, knowing she was right. Wiping her tears away with the back of her paw, the cerulean-eyed female gave Buck one last hug with Roxanne doing the same.
"We'll see you soon. And, lads, don't do anything suggestive with my girls, or I might just have ta' slay you." Buck joked in a stern tone. He smirked at their rapid nods and cowering stances. With a chuckle, he retrieved his now bloodstained knife from Chloe before leaving the group behind.
Rosalina felt the reminiscence hit her again. She concealed more of her tears with a cough and turned to everyone, "Well, you just met our foster dad. Now, who will…carry Maryanne until she comes to?" Her left eye twitched when she saw Roxanne lift the knocked out blond from the ground. If this has to be on my list of 'The Most Awkward Things I've Seen', this would have to be number thirty-three. She thought with a shudder.
Me: Ha! I was going to add more to this chapter, but I decided to leave it at that. I am thinking about doing a Christmas Special with Buck, Jenna, Celine, the twins, and maybe even Buck and Jenna's kits if I decide to. I still don't know yet. I've got two female names for their kits. Anybody got some good boy names? If so, PM me whenever you have the chance. Hope you liked the chapter. See you on chapter twenty-one!
Sweethalo90 :)