Chapter 13: Cave Ledges and Squirrels.
"Gagaboo!"
Shorty waved his hands about as he toddled around the tunnel. Peaches had allowed him to wave a little run to stretch his legs while she and Louis decided which way to go.
They were faced with two decisions: One tunnel went upwards, while the other sloped down.
"I think she should try to go as high as possible after going down that water slide." Louis suggested. Peaches considered it quietly.
"Yeah...I guess we did get really far down. Maybe going up's the best idea..." She turned and picked Shorty up, who gurgled happily upon seeing her.
"C'mon Shorty. We're going up!"
As they began walking towards the tunnel entrance, Louis hurried over to the wall and drew and arrow pointing the way they were about to go. "Just encase." He said to himself.
He turned and hurried after Peaches and Shorty, who were already making their way up the tunnel.
"Hey look! here's another one!"
Crash and Eddie jumped up and down beside yet another arrow in the tunnels. The rest of the group caught up, and Manny nodded in determination.
"We're getting close, I can feel it!"
Ellie looked over ta her husband and nodded. "It's definitely a good lead. We're bound to catch up ti them eventually."
"We'll have to pick up the pace otherwise we'll be chasing them through this place for years!" Diego said, coming up beside the mammoths.
"What Granny? she won't be able to run so fast..." Sid said. Suddenly the heard was looking at him in a very smug matter.
"Uh...guys? what are you..."
"Ow! Granny, stop hitting me!"
Granny sloth was now positioned on Sid's shoulders as they traveled through the caves. The herd had all agreed that Sid, being the devoted grandson he was, should carry Granny through the caves as they hurried on.
They were going quicker this time and had gotten through quite a few tunnels already, passing more and more arrows as they did. But Sid couldn't take much more.
"Oh, quite your whining for once, Sidney, and get movie! we're falling behind!"
"But-ouch!"
He quickened his pace until he was trotting alongside Diego and Shira, who couldn't help but grin. Sid ignored them.
Soon they came to yet another cavern, again different from all the others they had seen. The ceiling was very, very high and more tunnels entrances were scattered around the place.
"This place is so confusing!" Eddie moaned from his position- that is, dangling from Ellie's trunk upside down by his tail beside his brother. "Which one did they go in?"
"We haven't seen another arrow for a while. You don't think we're getting off trail do you?" Diego asked while glancing between the many tunnel entrances.
"Better hope not." Ellie sighed.
Scratt scurried over a ledge that was looking over another cavern down below. It was very high up- too high to survive should he fall. Gulping the squirrel scurried along the ledge, letting off anxious, chattering noises.
Suddenly he heard something down below. Turning, he spotted the two mammoths, two sloths, two possums and two sabers from before down below. He scratched his head at all the pairs. Shrugging, he continued running across the the ledge and into next tunnel, and was running along it when he bumped into something familiar.
"Owch! not you again!"
Louis jumped back from the crazed squirrel who was waving his fist at him in hatred. Peaches groaned upon seeing him. "Not you again! Y'know, what are you even doing in here?!"
Scratt growled at the teens angrily- and then stopped. Wait a minute.
Louis and Peaches watched uneasily as the squirrel looked back they way he had come- the way they were heading- and then back at them. He did this again and again.
"Er...do you think he's stuck on a loop or something?" Louis asked reluctantly, and eyebrow raised.
Peaches snorted "Something like that anyway. It's getting real annoying!"
"Aga!" Shorty added for good measure.
Suddenly the rodent began hopping up and down on madly, pointed back the way he had come.
"Er, you wanna show us something?" Louis suggested. The squirrel nodded quickly, rushing back to the mouth of the cave, looking back at them and gesturing frantically.
Scratt stared over the high ledge, making sure the other mammoths and the rest where still there. The mammoth, molehog and little furless creature they had finally approached the tunnel exit.
"What are you..." Peaches gasped at what the squirrel was pointing at. There, down below, was her father and her herd!
She rushed out to the edge, yelling at the top of her voice down towards them, Louis gasping and running up beside her.
"DAD!"
Manny jumped, looking around frantically "Peaches? where are you, sweetie?"
"Up here, Dad!"
The herd all looked up and spotted them. The possums gave a joyful whoop as the Sabers breathed as sigh of both relief and exhaustion.
Sid gasped happily as Ellie stepped forward "Peaches! honey are you alright?! we've been looking for you everywhere!"
"I'm okay, Mom, and so's Lous!" She gestured over at the molehog, who waved.
"Oh, we're so glad you're okay!" Her mother said.
"Do you think you can get down somehow?" Diego called up to her.
"We got up here from where you are! through the tunnel!" Louis pointed at one of the tunnels below.
"Um...I think I might have forgotten to put an arrow..."
"We've been following those arrows coming after you, you know!" Sid called up, still struggling with his Granny on his shoulders.
"The arrows!" Peaches turned to Louis jubilantly "Louis, you are a genius!"
"Actually I didn't think of that...haha..." Louis replied bashful, rubbing his neck.
"Stay there!" Manny called up "We'll come up!"
"No, I don't think this ledge is strong enough to hold us all! we'll come down!" Peaches replied, turning around and making her way back the way they'd come. Louis followed behind.
"Alright, but hurry!" she heard her father call "Don't get lost on the way down!"
As they made their way back down, everyone had completely forgotten (in their excitement of finding each other again) about the small figure still siting happily in curled Peaches' trunk.
It was only untill they had gotten back inside the tunnel when Peaches remembered.
"What're we gonna tell them?" she asked, turning to Louis worriedly. Shorty gabled, unaware of what they were discussing.
"I'm sure they'll understand- they did it themselves once, right?"
"Hm...I guess you're right there. C'mon, let's get down to them! I can't wait to see them again- oh, but Dad'll be so mad..."
Their voices trailed away as they disappeared around the corner. Scratt, who had also been completely forgotten, was running through a different tunnel from them. He soon found a small opening leading into a tiny cave with a roof barely higher than his long head.
There, he spotted a nice hole in the ground, perfect for his nut.
He immediately, and without thinking, slammed the nut into the space, and paused.
Nothing happened. Sighing in relief the saber- squirrel turned to leave- when reality stabbed him in the back.
CRACK.
FOR GODS SAKE SCRATT.
Are you getting tired of these cave-ins? too bad.
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