Chapter 15: Cave savings and old friends.
Sid walked along, carrying little Shorty with him. He couldn't believe how much the baby looked like Pinky- though there where a few noticable differences: His eyes were not as round and were a darker shade of brown than his had been.
"You know kid, you're really lucky ya got us. We're professionals when it comes to people loosing their herds. I got lost down in a place with dinosaurs..."
Manny rolled his eyes as Sid prattled on about that particular incident. "Sid, I doubt he can understand you."
"Oh come on, Manny..."
"Hey guys, look, there's more light coming in from here!" Ellie called back. The herd looked up to find that the cracks through the ceiling were letting in an ever brighter light. Shira smiled.
"I guess we're near the surface."
"Yeah. I think I can smell the woods from here" Diego agreed, raising a brow considerably.
"That means we're almost outa here!" Louis exclaimed excitedly as they continued going forward.
"Yeah, and after this we'll be able to find Shorty's herd, right Dad?"
Manny nodded a little. "Yeah. Wherever it is."
They continued on, hopeful.
As they navigated their way down a white tunnel they found the ground was gradually become more dirt-filled as they went up a slope.
"We're getting closer- I think we're nearly there!" Peaches exclaimed.
Sid poked Shorty's nose affectionately as Granny came up beside him. "Ya here that, lil' fella? we're almost there!"
Shorty babbled adorable while Granny rolled her eyes.
"Ah, that kid's cute alright, but he's uglier than you had been when you were a baby, Sidney."
"Granny, that's not nice..."
The herd came into another open cave, a wide one. The tunnel continued on the other side of the curved cavern, and there was a bridge above them at the side.
"Alright, let's get going. I gotta bad feeling about this place." Manny said.
Ellie rolled her eyes teasingly. "You're such a worry wort, Manny."
It turned out that Manny had a good reason to be worried. And that reason was Scratt.
The saber squirrel was standing on the tip of a long, pointed rock that was balancing dangerously like a seesaw over a deep chasm, trying to reach his nut, that had been caught on a straying root sticking out of the wall.
He leaned as paw over, grumbling with effort, bulging eyes screwed shut. But he leaned too far and slowly, ever-so slowly, the rock began to tip forwards.
His eyes snapped open and he scurried back, restoring the balance. Breathing out shakily, he tried again, reaching as far as he could...
Cr-a-a-ck..
"Do-ee..." He cringed slightly as the rock tipped over and fell down, taking him with it.
He managed to gran onto another root before it collided with the ground, shaking the cavern and sending more cracks up the walls.
He hung there and gave a frustrated scream- for he was too far down from the nut to possibly reach it.
"Whoa-"
Manny stumbled as the ground gave another jolt.
"Run!" Diego shouted- and soon Manny saw exactly why. Above, rocks the size of his head were falling towards the ground like hailstones.
Giant, sharp hailstones. Some of them weren't that big- but the distance between the roof and the ground would surely make the impact deadly.
Manny turned to start moving, too- when he saw Sid trip with the baby. Shorty slid across the ground, crying out in surprise. Manny saw a shadow cast itself over the infant and looked up to see a rock coming straight for him.
"MANNY!" Sid screamed.
The mammoth rushed forward and plucked the baby away from the spot just before the rocks hit it, breaking into pieces on impact. Sid ran around the fragments, gasping.
"Good one, Manny- that was close!"
"Move you idiot!" Manny shoved the baby in his arms and shoved Sid in the back with the edge of his tusk, sending the sloth running towards the next tunnel opening.
Ellie and Peaches were already there. Manny frowned in determination and hurried towards them.
The rest of the herd called encouragingly when suddenly Peaches heard a louder crack from above.
Looking up she saw a sharp rock break off the roof and fall- straight towards her father.
"DAD!" She screamed "Look out!"
Roshan had taken another tunnel in his hast to get away from the cave-in, and found himself taking a completely different track. Still limping, he glanced around for any sign of an arrow and found none.
Sighing, Roshan scolded himself mentally for getting off track as he limped quickly through the tunnel. As he exited it into another cavern, trying to keep his balance with the trembling ground, the man found he was standing on a low bridge at the side of another cavern.
He frowned in concentration when he spotted something- or some things- in the cavern, avoid the rockfall.
His eyes widened when he saw some tigers, one of them very familair- a sloth, and a mammoth. The ones he had seen before.
He almost dropped his stick. It...it was...
Before he could finish the mental sentence, Suddenly he spotted something in the arms of the sloth, who was stumbling as he ran. His heart skipped a beat.
His son!
His mouth parted in a joyful and relieved smile- only to vanish in horror as the sloth tripped, dropping the baby.
His son was about to get hit by a falling rock- and he had been about to leap off the bridge when the mammoth turned back and snatched him away, shoving him back into the sloth's arms and pushing them both forward.
He smiled again, gratefully. That mammoth...he defiantly was the one who had saved him all those years ago- him, the sloth and the saber.
Suddenly he heard another mammoth's trumpet- a young one, who was gesturing with her trunk at something above. The elder mammoth turned, and his eyes widened as he saw a smaller but sharper rock coming straight for him.
Roshan knew what he had to do.
Manny screwed his eyes shut as the rock came inches away from his skull- but they snapped open when he heard a yell from the side.
A stick came flying from the side, knocking the sharp boulder away from him and sending it crashing to the side.
Holding his breath, Manny turned to see who had just saved his life.
A human was climbing down from the low bridge they'd seen earlier. When he reached he ground he turned to him, and Manny stared even more.
Panting, them man stepped forward, limping slightly, and stopped. They stared at each other for a while.
It was like being back in Glaciar Pass, surrounded by snow and icy walls, staring at the tribe leader who had been the baby's father.
Then, very slowly, the human raised his hand to his eyes, covering them, then moved them away.
Large, light browns eyes that were so familiar were filled with gratitude and happiness. His eyes misting over with the happyness of an old memory, Manny raised his trunk and rested it against the man's palm.
"Hey there, squirt."
Pinky obviously didn't understand him anymore, but smiled wider all the same. As The rest of the herd held back, confused, Diego and Sid made their way over, both jaws hanging open slightly and eyes widening with every step.
Sid stared up at the human, recognizing him almost immediately.
"Oh my gosh...I can't believe it!" He ran over, bundling him in a bone crushing hug.
"It's you! It's you, Oh gosh, we never thought we'd see you again, pal!"
"Hey squirt. Guess you can't stay out of trouble after all..." Diego said quietly.
Though he couldn't understand, Pinky turned to him and placed one hand over his eyes, then moved it away, just like Diego had done so many years ago. The memory was still fresh in their minds after all this time.
The saber repeated the action with a soft smile. Sid jumped about. "Yeah- that's right! where's the baby!"
"Aga!"
Pinky's eyes widened and he smiled in amazement. Looking over the trio saw Peaches and Louis had come over, Peaches carrying Shorty with her.
She placed him on the ground before her, smiling at Pinky gently.
The man bent down the best he could, for it seemed his leg was injured badly.
He stretched his arms out slowly. Shorty, babbling happily, toddled closer, and into his arms.
Just like his father had done all those years ago, Pinky wrapped his arms around him and held him tight, as Peaches smiled kindly and Sid wiped a tear away.
His son touched his face gently, gurgling happily. Pinky smiled at Louis and Peaches gratefully,
nodding his head. She and Louis did the same in response.
"Is getting lost in babyhood an on-going thing in his family?" Crash asked behind from behind them as the rest of the herd approached them. Eddie shrugged.
"Probably."
The rest of the herd surrounded Pinky and Shorty, smiling.
"Huh. Guess he turned out okay." Shira commented. Ellie came up to stand beside Manny, smiling gently.
"He got himself a family." She said.
She didn't though that Roshan was thinking the exact same thing as he looked at the father mammoth, only he said added 'again' to the end.
Heading towards the end, I'm sorry to say, people.
More to come, though.
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