I stashed the necklace in my burrow and now I'm sitting right outside it, trying to think of a way to tell Peaches. I can't just tell her, can I? Should I tell her when I give her the necklace? I don't know if that's a good idea; I think it might just make me look shallow. I want to tell her, and I have a chance to do it right. I have to do it right. No one else knows... Who am I kidding!? I'm pretty sure everyone knows by now. I guess I could tell Peaches in front of them, but I don't know if I could get myself to. I don't know if Manny knows, yet he acts like he does. I wish I could just hug Peaches and tell her that I love her anywhere. I don't care if she likes me that way back. I just really want to tell her without the fear of it blowing up in my face.
Peaches is probably awake by now. If she is, she'll be here any minute. I lay back against the mound around my burrow and look at the clouds. They're small and puffy and white. There's very few clouds out this morning, but off in the horizon I can see more. These clouds are darker; it's probably going to rain sometime today. I've always loved the rain. It gets muddy and wet and cool. The ground gets kind of hard to dig through, but the smell of the rain is awesome. Plus, who doesn't love an excuse to be soaking wet and covered with mud.
Within my day-dream I realise that it's hot. It's really hot, but it's calm enough that I don't really care. I spread out, laying on my back and thinking about nothing in particular. I'm dozing off. I take a long breath in. The air is hot and heavy in my lungs.
To my surprise, I hear someone else exhale as I do so. I'm a bit startled at first, but I realize that it must be Peaches, harmlessly sitting beside me. I decide to wait and see what she does; I don't even bother to open my eyes. I feel so calm and I just keep breathing in and out, waiting for Peaches to do or say something. Nothing happens for at least thirty seconds. Confused, I open my eyes to see what Peaches is doing. Much to my horror, I don't see Peaches. I see a scrawny, crazy-eyed saber-tooth with matted, wild hair and gnarly teeth licking his chops and looking at me like I'm his morning snack. Is this the same saber-tooth from last night? Louis, there's no time for questions! Run!
I jump up and into my tunnel, but I only get a little way in before I feel a paw grab onto my leg. I'm yanked from the ground backwards. My spines dig into the hard earth as the saber pulls me toward the mouth of the hole.
"Ow!" I shout in pain as he hoists me into the air, letting me dangle a few inches above the ground. He chuckles evilly as I moan; it feels like my entire back side is on fire. My stomach churns and I just about puke. The saber drops me on my head in disgust, and I fall onto my back. My puny, little body is numb and aching. When the saber sees that I'm not going to puke, he puts his paw down, much too hard, across my stomach and chest. He's pushing so hard that I gasp for air, feeling the contents of my stomach trying to escape through the closed off air-way. I throw my arms up and attempt to scratch the paw, but that only makes him push even harder. I scratch harder, and he laughs maliciously before removing his paw. Then I puke. I don't even bother to get up or anything. I puke, and everything that was in my stomach is either pooling in the dirt or soaking into my fur. I try to stand and brush off what I can, but that saber simply knocks me back down with a hard jab to the face. I fall down again, on my belly. My eye hurts; my legs and my stomach and my head and my back are throbbing. Why is he toying with me? He answers, but I wish he'd have just eaten me instead.
He says, "I wouldn't worry about myself if I were you. You're not what we want." As if on cue, two other saber-toothes emerge behind him- both male, one with a scheming face and the other with a broad, bulky build. Did they plan this? Like, literally sit down and plan that line? Sadistic much...
"So, here's the deal," He says, giddy to have his plan going so well. "We're really hungry," He laughs hysterically before continuing, "and you're going to help us get some food."
"Wha- what do you need me for?" I ask sheepishly, terrified by what he might say. I lean up on one arm, and he pushes me back down angrily.
"Did I say you could get up?" He says controlling. "No, I didn't. So stay down shrimp!"
One of the saber's companions whines. He quickly chastises the outburst, "Hey! Can't you see I'm trying to explain something to our little friend here?"
The big one pipes up, "But Zeke, we're starving here. Can't we just eat this kid?" His voice is rough but whiny. I'd be concerned, but he is obviously not the one whose calling any shots.
"No!" The saber who's apparently named Zeke says, annoyed. "We need him to do a little job for us."
He looks down at me. I know I have at least one black eye, and I can feel snot, or maybe it's blood, trickling from my nose. My fur must be covered in dried dirt and bile. The larger saber continues to whine, "But I'm hungry..."
Zeke begins to go off on his companion, screaming at him for ruining their plan. I realize that none of them are looking at me. I can escape! I slowly crawl to my burrow's entrance and begin to start to slide in. I make too much noise and they notice me. I try to pull myself into the burrow, but I'm not fast enough. I feel a fire rush from my leg into the rest of me body as the saber's sharp teeth entrap it. He's got his whole head in the hole, and he angrily up-tills the entire thing while freeing himself from it.
"You stupid little worm. You actually thought you could get away?" He says. I don't really hear most of it. My leg is burning; I can feel each individual hole where his teeth punctured me. He grabs my head and turns it so I'm looking at him. I listen for the sake of not being eaten.
"Okay, runt. You know that mammoth girl you hang around with?" I nod my head, hoping he's not going where I think he's going. "She seems to like you. So, you're going to get her alone and far away from that little camp, and then we'll..."
"No." I state plainly, refusing and unwilling to hear the rest of his sentence.
"No?" He questions.
"No, I won't help you hurt her." I repeat firmly.
He looks at me, his eyes a-flame, and shouts, "You've got to be kidding me! I let you live, and you refuse to help me!?"
"Yes," I say, "you'll have to eat me, because I am not going to help you hurt anybody." He glares at me, but his ears perk up. I can hear it too, something swinging through the trees. It's getting closer.
"Whatever." Zeke says. "This isn't worth my time. Let's go." His companions turn and run, but he stays behind. "Listen, kid. Either she's out alone by next week, or we come and kill you and her and all your little friends." He flees just before Peaches swings in.
At first she's exited to see me, but it only takes her a second to see how hurt I am. I can't stand. I try to talk to her, but my voice is so quiet that I can't even hear it.
This chapter's song is "Brave" by Sara Bareilles.