Author's note: Hey guys! Sorry for the late update but hey! Better late than never right?

And so I give you...

THE SPECIAL ONESHOT CHAPPIE!

I'm excited to see what you guys think about it and I tried to incorporate in it as many of your OCs as possible! For those who were excited for a cannon chapter, SORRY! I promise that the rest of the chapters will ONLY be dedicated to finishing Ice Age 2!

Italics means telepathic communication

Warning: OC pairing, Don't like, DON'T READ!

Disclaimer: Don't own the Ice Age franchise or any of the characters in it; that all belongs to Blue Sky

The green hills were coated in a deep golden haze as the sun lazily rolled above towards their tips and loewr into the sky, retreating the last of it's luscious rays of light slowly over the lush valleys below the hills. There were trees with leaves that stretched to attention, as if waiting patiently for this very moment, that grew from the bottom of the hill; after a few acres there was a river that flowed across its perimeter. It wasn't a particularly large one, but it was big enough so that animals nearby could hear the tinkling sounds of its sluggish current.

Parallel to the river was a path embedded into the ground by creatures who tread across this same direction many times, including a particular pair of sabers who were walking across the same path. One of them was a small, grayish-white female with one or two black streaks running across her back. She had emerald eyes and a green scarf that one of her pack members managed to get her, although she was suspicious as to WHERE this scarf came from (especially if it came from a HUMAN source). The other had a black coat with white stripes running across his flank; he had amber eyes and was very large compared to the female. He had a notch missing from one of his ears and his paws were covered in grey fur.

Zephyr ( the male) was having a nice chat with Unika until...

"YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME!"

Both sabers felt something wiz past them from behind in a blur of dark brown and both nearly tripped from the sudden wind that followed the projectile creature! The two sabers looked bewilderingly at what flew past them to find a cub sprinting ahead of them!

"Where did that little guy come from?" Unika asked, tilting her head curiously.

Zephyr grunted while suspiciously sniffing the air, "I dunno, but if there's a neighboring pack, then we oughta be-"

"KRAX! COME BACK HERE!"

Suddenly, another white blur zoomed past the pair, this time making them spin in their place from the force of it's speed. The two sabers looked incredulously at the two speeding cubs running away; HOW can two young cubs run so FAST?!

Krax looked behind him with a confidant smirk while he sprinted with all his might, his sister was barely catching up with him. His coat was a dark tawny shade with a beige underbelly and a few tawny spots, including one darker tawny spot on his right eye. His eyes were pale gold with flecks of brown around the pupil; his muzzle and face were both the same color of his coat and he had cute tiny sabers that were just beginning to poke out from his lips. He also had cute little sideburns starting to grow on the sides of his face.

"Havin' fun eatin' my dust Zora?!" Krax shouted at his sister with a mischievous smirk.

His sister was a few meters behind him, but still in sight. Her coat was a very pale shade of fawn which reached down to her legs and muzzle, which were both completely white. Her eyes were bright hazel and she had three chestnut streaks along her back. Unlike her brother, her sabers had yet to grow.

Zora was panting heavily and her paws were aching painfully from the effort of trying to stay within a reasonable distance near her brother.

"Krax! Mum said we're not allowed to leave the den at sunset!" Zora yelled at her brother between heavy breaths.

Krax rolled his eyes and yelled back "Aw c'mon Zora! Ya gotta learn to live a littl-OOMPH!"

"UGFF!"

While both were conversing in their race, they failed to see a pair of legs that were heading right towards them; Krax and Zora both crashed headfirst onto a different leg each. Both mewled in pain and tried to gently rub off the pain from their heads, but when both looked up...their hearts dropped to their stomachs in fear...

"He he...h-hey dad, how're you doin'?" Krax chuckled nervously; Zora was staring up at the owner of the legs anxiously while swallowing hard.

Diego looked down at the two cubs with a raised eyebrow, his mouth just barely avoiding the amused smirk he felt coming on.

Taura was sitting in front of the den, a hollow old burrow dug into a cliff side with lush bushes and moss growing on either side. She looked very furious and her mouth was set into an angry scowl that furrowed both her eyebrows and the end of her scar on her muzzle. Taura tapped her paw impatiently while waiting for Diego to come back with the cubs.

"I swear, one of these days these cubs are going to be the death of me!" Taura sighed exasperatedly in her mind. She let out a frustrated huff and looked behind her at the little cub sleeping in the den. Seeing the cute little bundle of bronze fur cuddling into an adorable ball while sucking on his thumb, Taura couldn't help but let the tips of her lips curl upwards into a small smile and letting out a little giggle.

Out of the triplets, Xander was probably the largest. He had a bronze coat with a white underbelly and muzzle, quite similar to his fathers only a shade darker. His eyes were russet brown and he had a tuft of spiky fur growing on his head. He is the same height as Krax and he also had his sabers growing out of his lips, only his were longer. Although Xander has features similar to his dad, he has grown have a more...chubby complexion compared to his brother and sisters, which shows in his bump of a belly and chubby cheeks. Taura can remember with fond nostalgia how only a few days after the triplets were born, their characteristics were already starting to show.

Krax was the first born by only a few seconds and Taura could tell that he definitely took after his father's arrogance. By the time all of them could run, Krax was always wrestling both his siblings around and bragging about how he will get a bison as his first kill or a juicy antelope; Taura sometimes finds herself rolling her eyes at the similar ways in which Diego used to also talk now that she thought back to the old days of Half Peak. Krax was also the biggest trouble-maker out of the three, which Taura couldn't deny that...it probably came from her side of the gene pool. The little imp was always either playing pranks on poor Sid when he comes to babysit or he finds a way to sneak out of the den to explore and sometimes drags his siblings along too! But... she could not deny that sometimes his fun attitude reminded her of her brother and the same shade of fur made it all the more similar. But Diego said that he didn't want to name their son after Kraz in case they would end up in a confusing situation of naming the two apart. Hence the name Krax, instead of Kraz.

While Krax was the trouble-maker, Xander was probably the laziest cub out of the three! ... Now that Taura thought about it, he could probably be the laziest cub in the history of lazy cubs! Even before when the three were still drinking milk, Xander would always shove both his siblings away so that he can have the first drink. Sometimes he would even use his sister's and brother's heads as stools to while drinking! Taura thought that maybe it was just a fetish that would die out when the cubs would get their first taste of meat...boy was she wrong! Taura had never seen a cub eat so much of a carcass and finish the rest in seconds! By the time Xander's done, he would just curl up and take a nap that could last for centuries unless Taura forced him to go play. When playing with his siblings, Xander was always a neutral party and mostly complaining about when was the next meal coming.

And then there was sweet Zora. Zora, to be described in a few words, was a big momma's girl. Both Diego and Taura were a little worried about her when she was little, since she seemed to be the smallest and weakest of the triplets when she was born last. Taura felt her heart break from the mere possibility that she may not make it, but luckily she was just as stubborn as her mother and made it through so far. Because of her genetics, she sometimes gets bullied and teased by Krax about her shortness, but it's always in good fun in the end. At night, she always rushes to cuddle tightly in between her mum and dad's paws and she always listens to what her parents say. Unfortunately, she sometimes ends up into trouble when Krax drags her into one of his shenanigans.

"And speak of the devil..." Taura chuckled when she saw Diego coming up from behind a tree. He was holding both Zora and Krax by their necks with his teeth and both cubs had their arms crossed and were heatedly avoiding each others eyes. Krax was pouting dejectedly with his ears drooped while Zora was glaring at the ground, wondering how her brother even got her in this mess in the first place.

Diego walked towards them until he was directly facing his mate and dropped Krax and Zora, both letting out a yelp of pain when landing on their cabooses. Both cubs slowly looked up and winced when they found their mother glaring at them. Diego let out a small chortle, but instantly regretted it when the glare was directed at him.

"Why did you take so long?! You said that they were only going to head for the river!" Taura demanded, her ear twitching in irritation. Diego rolled his eyes in annoyance; while her big, mothering tempering was sometimes alluring and sexy, it can be a little bit frustrating when it is aimed at him. In his defense, he was only late by a few minutes!

"Kyoko and Loki were passing by," Diego explained and shrugged his shoulders "You know how playful her brother can be."

And he certainly was. Kyoko is a sweet female saber whom Taura met one day when it turned out that both were hunting the same gazelle. Kyoko was so shy however, that she didn't fight for the kill but instead insisted that Taura took it for the growing babies when she noticed her bulging stomach! Taura was so shocked by her kindness, that she insisted that they both shared the meal and spend the rest of the day together, which they did. She was the same height as Taura and has a similar color pelt as Shira, only her paws were a dark shade of grey. Kyoko also has a pair of earings, but purple and has blue cerulean eyes. Taura would sometimes get a little frustrated with her shyness, but they got along well.

Her brother however, was an entirely different story.

Taura thought that he was adorable at first because of his timid behavior, but when he met her kids... It was like a switch was flipped! He was very mischievous and an equally skilled prankster as Krax! It was no wonder those two got along so well! Loki had the same eyes as his sister and a similar grey pelt, but had dark stripes covering most of his back.

Taura simply raised an eyebrow and let out a frustrated breath. She looked down at the two quaking cubs beneath her and put on her angry mum face again. Both Krax and Zora swallowed loudly and lowered themselves further into the ground.

Krax suddenly sat up and pointed at Zora, "It was Zora's fault!" He shouted, Zora started and stared at him incredulously.

"What?!" She yelled, "YOU'RE the one who chased me outta the den!"

Krax turned to Zora and shoved his nose directly to hers, glaring heatedly at her. "'Cause YOU kicked me out!"

Zora shoved her nose against his just as hard and glared back "Because YOU kicked me outta the bed first!"

"'Cause your butt was in my face!"

"'Well your stinky breath was in MY face!"

"ENOUGH!"

Both cubs started and looked behind them in frozen fear. Diego was glaring at them and his nostrils were flaring in frustration. The cubs' bicker was beginning to give him a headache and honestly, all Diego wanted was to get a good night's sleep with his mate without those two keeping him up all day!

"Both of you are in trouble and you both are grounded for a week!" Diego growled and let out one last huff as if to say 'and that's final'. Krax and Zora both looked at the ground dejectedly and their ears drooped sadly.

"Yes Daddy..." They both meekly replied.

Diego nodded in approval and continued more calmly "Now you both apologize to your mother and then go to bed."

The two cubs nodded and turned to look at their mother with the biggest, sad and most adorable eyes they could muster while pouting.

"We're sorry Mummy..." They both apologized with quivering lips. Taura stared at them both with expressionless eyes for quite a while, both cubs starting to get nervous that their apology wouldn't be accepted and they'd get grounded forever! Until their mum's lips broke into a gentle smile and she nodded in approval. Taura knew that they meant no harm and she could never stay angry at her cubs for long... And no, it had nothing to do with their absolutely adorable faces looking up at her with love and adoration.

She bent down and licked both of their heads with a loving purr, Krax and Zora purring along with her and mewling with happiness at the new attention their mum was giving them. Taura nuzzled their heads with hers before she nudged them towards the cave, both cubs now happy and bouncing off to bed.

Taura stared after their bouncing figures before looking back at her mate lovingly with a soft smile. Diego smiled back and gently pressed his forehead against hers, licking her nose affectionately.

"So...how was your day?" Diego asked, not really able to think of anything else to ask when already the sweet aroma of his mate was enveloping him. Taura chuckled softly and licked his cheek in return before leaving their warm embrace and laying down in the entrance of the den.

"It was fine...had help tracking down some deer this morning from Angeline," Taura shrugged, Diego laying down beside her. Taura then laid her head on his shoulder and started to groom his neck, Diego purring gently from the pleasant sensation.

"And I take it she's still a bit grouchy from the nest incident?" Diego smirked, making Taura roll her eyes while her cheeks started to flush a bit.

"Well how would YOU like it if a stinky sloth crashed into our den?" Taura sighed exasperatedly.

Angeline was a mountain eagle who was a neighbor of theirs; her nest was on the same cliff side as their den and wasn't that far away. One day, Sid was taking their kids for a little walk and somehow (god knows how they managed to do it) Krax and Xander managed to tie Sid up to the end of a bent tree...which flung him all the way back to the cliff side. Fortunately, he safely landed on a nest which happened to belong to Angeline. Unfortunately, Angeline didn't take kindly to the fact that there was a sloth threatening the safety of her baby sister who was in the nest at the time. Even after she kicked him out of the nest, she chased him all the way back to their den and Taura had to explain that it was all a misunderstanding. Needless to say, Angeline was still weary of Taura's kids and their babysitter.

Diego scoffed and frowned a bit "I still don't agree with the idea of Sid babysitting our kids..."

"Oh shush! You know after that incident that I'm always nearby to keep an eye on 'em," Taura giggled and bumped her shoulder with his playfully, Diego nipping her ear gently in retaliation with a playful growl. She then went back to grooming his neck, to which Diego thoroughly enjoyed since he started to purr again and his eyes closed in content.

"Not that I'm not enjoying this," Diego breathed, "But what's the occasion for this special treatment?"

Taura put on a mock-offended expression and asked "Oh? You don't remember what a certain special female saber agreed to on a certain special day?"

Diego looked at Taura with a confused look before his eyes widened with sudden realization; today was the last day of spring...they were together...at the same spot, when...

"Today's the day when I..." Diego whispered softly, Taura nodding her head in confirmation with an amused grin. She licked his nose playfully and nuzzled her head against his neck.

"Happy anniversary babe...love ya..." Taura purred and closed her eyes with a happy smile. Diego however had a thoughtful expression on his face and he made sure that Taura wasn't looking before he let out a secret smile. Who would've thought...it's already been a year, an ENTIRE year, since they were finally together and after everything they've been through. Diego had to admit though while he was looking lovingly at Taura cuddling up to him, that it was all worth it in the end. He ended up with a perfect mate and he absolutely loved his cubs, even though they could be quite a handful, Taura and him kept them in line at the end of every day.

Although, he quickly manned up and covered his small smile with a disgusted frown.

"Do you have any idea how cheesy that sounds?" Diego deadpanned with a raised eyebrow to which Taura giggled loudly and playfully shoved his shoulder again.

"Oh don't pretend you're not happy about it too!" Taura continued chortling, but then her smile turned thoughtful, "An entire year...and before that it was you being tempted by my seductive and womanly wiles..."

Diego's eyes widened incredulously and stared down at his mate, who was now trying to keep a mock-serious expression but was failing badly.

"Oh really? As I seemed to recall, it was you who couldn't seem to keep her paws to herself..." Diego wryly retorted with a sly smirk before he licked Taura's neck very seductively, making her purr from the wonderful sensation before she tried to wriggle away from his enticing charm.

"Just shut up and say it back!" Taura huffed with a half annoyed, half amused smirk while pretending to be looking out to the sunset. Diego took a moment to look at his beautiful mate before he smiled softly and placed his forehead against her head.

"...love ya too..."