And now here is pt 2 of my two-parter "Half a Mammoth" to start off Cruel Intentions! Reviews/comments of all sorts sincerely appreciated if you do read. :)
The cow at the sidelines blasted two short trumpets, signalling the game was beginning again as Manny took his place as the forward. He glanced back at Diego to check on how the tiger was doing. It soothed him to see Diego smile in response. Watching the other team use any manoeuvre they could to trip up his friend or potentially injure him didn't sit well with him at all, and he was beginning to regret his insistence that Diego should accompany him to the sport.
But he's part mammoth, Manny told himself, trying to calm down the anger raging inside him like lava bubbling underneath the ice. Even Peaches can see that, and she's barely old enough to understand anything about the invisible line dividing all of us.
"Manny!" Diego's shout woke him up. "Look alive. They're bringing the ball down the field!"
Manny's head shot upright as he narrowed his eyes at the mammals barreling down the field towards him, the ball bouncing lightly back and forth between them. He saw them exchange a pointed glance at Diego before whacking the ball over to their teammate.
Manny threw a quick glance over his shoulder, watching Diego grimace as he anticipated what the boorish Imperials on the other team might do to him next. His paw scraped the ground, tearing open the dark brown dirt underneath the grasses. Manny gritted his teeth.
Seeing his friend stand alone, dwarfed by the massive beasts of his own kind flanking him, made Manny realise just how small Diego must feel in comparison, and how easily he could get injured in the midst of the play, especially since Manny suspected most of it was intentional.
Manny exchanged a brief look with William, who read his anxiety about Diego from the expression in his eyes. William nodded, inclining his head to alert the other team members to bunch closer around the tiger. Manny sighed, relieved that Diego's safety wasn't paramount on only his mind, but that of his old friend.
The ground shook as the Imperial team thundered down the field, the ball bouncing in the space between them as they sent it back and forth with their trunks and their hooves. Manny watched the two forwards pass a look of menace between them, their mouths turning up slightly in sneers of pleasure.
These are the kind of mammals whose desire is to kill for pleasure, Manny realised as the ground trembled underneath his feet. He shot a glance over his shoulder at Diego.
The tiger was standing in the middle right between the posts that designated the goal, his green eyes alive with defiance. He narrowed his eyes as the low rumble of a roar emitted from his mouth.
His defiance wasn't enough to save him; however, as the leaders of the Imperials rushed past him, he was sandwiched on both sides as the ball flew past the posts of the goal. In the confusion of the forest of forelegs searching for the ball, Manny noticed Diego fall again as the Imperials continued to buffet him.
Hot rage filled Manny's head as he hurried over to the melee, whacking aside the much taller mammoths with his tusks. The cow's blasts sounded from the sidelines to alert everyone to the penalty and award the Imperials with a second win, placing them ahead of Elder William's team.
The avian messengers hovering at the sidelines sang out, "Imperials of the Regent Elder, three! And the mammoths representing the Three Fjords diocese, two!"
"That wasn't a fair play at all!" Manny heard William protest as he came up next to the sabre. Diego was lying on the ground, biting back groans of pain. Bumps of bruises were starting to form through his fur.
"Are you all right, mate?" William asked, his eyes dark with fury. Diego nodded his head wearily but when William inquired if he wanted to sit out, the tiger hurried to shake his head.
"I'm fine," Diego said, although the dimness of his expression betrayed his pain, "and I can't go out of the game now. Peaches is going to come watch. I want her to be proud of me."
William raised an eyebrow at Manny, clearly wondering who Peaches was.
"My daughter," Manny mouthed at his old friend.
"Ah, that makes perfect sense," William said, his mouth widening in a genuine smile. "She really loves your friend here, doesn't she?"
Manny was about to speak but Diego broke in, his eyes brightening,
"Yeah," was his laconic response but the enthusiasm in his voice indicated he couldn't wait to see her. The fluttering of wings overhead made all three animals glance upward. Noa smiled at them, favouring Diego with a long glance.
"In that case, brave tiger, you don't have long to wait," she said to the trio. "Because I just got word from Manfred, son of Clovis's, mate, that your herd is on the way here to join the other spectators. Ellie and Peaches wanted to tell you to play hard."
Diego grinned up at Noa,
"Well, tell them I say thanks and that I can't wait to see them," he replied. "Especially Peaches."
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?" Manny grumbled, fixing a glare on the grey bird.
William exchanged a probing glance with Diego. The sabre raised his eyebrows as he shrugged in reply, not knowing what to say.
"It's only proper protocol," Noa said, narrowing her eyes. "And you of all mammoths should realise that. Why, you taught me it years ago."
Manny gaped in disbelief at the messenger avian, vaguely hearing Diego chuckle at his look of surprise next to him. He shot a glare at Diego, making the sabre's chuckle dribble away. He recognised the hint of inquiry in the sabre's eyes but instead turned away, his mouth still tightened in a grimace.
Noa's pointed words revived images and times he thought he'd forgotten. It had been Catherine and himself who had been present at Noa's hatching and entrusted to her training with her mother, Sonia's, guidance, before Sonia defected to Cortez and his tiger packs.
He recalled how Catherine had mentioned this was similar to parenting as they'd looked down into Sonia's nest as the adult messenger gave them a tiny smile, watching the two yearlings twine their trunks around each other's.
Manny shook his head. He hoped to fling off the painful memories flooding his mind by the action of moving around, but it didn't work.
He found himself wishing that they could just return to the game, but a quick glance out of the corner of his eye revealed to him that Will was speaking with the judges. A few snippets of their talk reached him. Will was discussing lengthening the timeout so Diego could have more time to recover before the game started again.
"Manny?" he heard Diego asking as he swivelled his head to face his friend's gaze. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Manny said, knowing he wasn't fooling the sabre as he turned away. He fixed his gaze on the laughing Imperial mammoths on the other side of the field. Diego knit his brows together worriedly as he stared at him. The next moment he felt Diego's paw touch his foreleg, almost as if to say "It'll be all right."
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be off," Noa mentioned, giving a polite cough to focus Manny and Diego's attention on her again.
Out of the corner of his eye, Manny saw Elder William come to a stop alongside Diego. "Good day to you, Manfred son of Clovis, sir, and Elder William, son of Abelard. Brede be with you."
"Please stop calling me that!" Manny exploded, finally unable to contain his frustration. Diego glanced back and forth at the two mammoth bulls, his mouth tightening slightly as he trailed his paw along the ground, attempting to hide his embarrassment as William eyed Manny, curiosity evident in his expression.
Manny barely noticed Diego slip away from him and William, falling back to the centre of the field, his gaze still pinpointed on Manny.
Manny snuck a glance back at his friend, seeing the confusion on the sabre's face. Diego nodded at him before he turned his face away.
Manny tried to ignore the guilt nagging at him as he attempted to make sense of Diego's behaviour, wondering why the sabre had left him alone with his old friend. He found Will's gaze probing him, not liking it at all since it made him wonder whether the Elder – of the herd he, by all rights, was intended to lead – was judging him.
"Manny, I can't believe that you'd treat Noa that way," said Will, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "It's not like you. Especially when you campaigned alongside your father so that the avians have more freedom." He levelled a stern gaze at Manny. "I don't see why her terms of respect bother you so…"
Damn William for always being so perceptive about me. "Since any mammoth who undertook a voluntary exile would value the usage of our old traditions again by our lieges from various species. She's only doing because it's all she knows, and because," Will paused. He sought out Manny's eyes. Manny looked away. "It's who you are, Manny. If anything, you should welcome returning to the fold of our fellow kind and the responsibilities that come with it."
Manny swivelled his head to stare at Diego, who was standing forlornly in the goalposts, levelling a glare at William.
"I left that life behind." He ground his teeth. "I remember Noa and training her alongside… alongside… Catherine…" He wasn't able to prevent the short sob from escaping. "And I'm glad to hear that the avians are happy living with us, but all that I've seen here on this field is how the Imperials ganged up on my friend."
He indicated Diego with his trunk, "It has only made me more certain that I want little to do with our kind anymore. I want to remain with my herd. Sure, it's a bit of a motley group, but to all of us, it's home."
William looked thoughtful. He glanced at Diego and then back to Manny, his large brown eyes brimming with sympathy,
"I understand, old friend," he sighed. "I've seen your tiger's bravery out there on the field, despite his injuries."
Manny frowned,
"His name's Diego, Will. Respect him enough to call him by his name and not just put him into the box of his species."
"My apologies," Will hastened to say, extending his trunk to touch Manny's shoulder. "However, old friend, let me tell you this: I want to be Diego's friend as well. When I told him earlier that he will always be welcome in the herd of the Three Fjords, I meant it." The cow's blasts from the sidelines interrupted their conversation. "Ah, it looks like the game's starting again. Let's kick the Imperial team's butts and show them that how they've hurt Diego has crossed the wrong herd and they're going to pay!"
Manny smiled grimly at Will,
"Yes, let's."
The game progressed onwards. The Imperials' team rapidly gained ground from William's, with the score now eight to five. Manny punted the ball forward in an assist, helping William thrust it through the posts, making their score now six, but the Imperials shoved their way across the field and scored a ninth goal.
Manny and William exchanged glances, panting. They tried to keep the misery from showing on their faces as they watched the beaver etch a nine into a slab of wood. Manny's heart was sinking; he hadn't realised the game was so important to him…
"Manny, don't worry," a familiar voice said from his side. Manny could hear the smile in the sabre's tone. "I've got your back. Trust me, we're going to win."
Diego pawed at the ground as he stood in between the two Woollies, his gaze fastened on the little beaver busily working a five for the Imperial's team onto the large wooden slab. Already, his team was falling behind. He blamed himself for it because the Imperials' barrage against him had only intensified as the game began its next half-hour of time allotment before the winning team made the final goal that would take home the match.
Diego saw Manny's disappointment in the tightness of his mouth and the narrowing of his brown eyes. Diego guessed it wasn't only because their team – the one representing Manny's mammothian tribe – was losing.
That was important to Manny, but not that important. Something else was bothering him: his species' treatment of Diego. However, the mammoth refused to give up. He acted as a bulwark for Diego whenever he was able, but his sacrifice was slowing their team down.
The sabre gritted his teeth, remembering the confident words he'd said to Manny before the game had entered its last half-hour in an attempt to encourage his resolve.
And we won't lose, he told himself, exchanging a brief smile with his friend, not if I have anything to say about it.
The ball came rolling up to his paws. He thrust himself forward to punt it away and into Manny's. He watched as Manny and the Elder continued passing back and forth until they sent the ball flying into the goal to raucous cheers from the sidelines.
Diego smiled, realising the teams were now even, but after a moment his heart thudded in his chest as he glanced over at the clusters of animals watching the game. There was no sign of Ellie, Peaches, Sid, or the rest of the herd anywhere in the crowd. Diego found himself wondering if they'd been delayed.
If Sid or the possums were causing Ellie trouble, this was likely. He felt sure Peaches would want to come immediately to see him and her dad in the mammoth's game of ball. He grinned, imagining her consternation at her family's slowness.
He turned away to focus his attention to the game again, which was coming into its final quarter. Diego stepped into the centre mid, the position William had named him to be in, and met the dark eyes of the Imperial bobbing the ball up and down with his right foreleg. A vicious smile curved the edges of the Imperial's mouth and Diego gritted his teeth in anticipation.
The sabre cocked his head. He caught the faintest sound of a cry reaching his ears. It sounded like his name. He looked up, his gaze happening to fall upon the spectators' area, which he noticed had grown larger.
His sharp eyesight spotted two figures, quickly resolving into calves – one a warm russet brown, the other a brown so dark it verged on black – playing with each other as their mothers stood nearby, chatting as they waited for the game to resume.
One of the mothers had a sloth riding on her back and two possums resting on her tusks. Ellie. The other cow she was speaking with was unknown to him, as was the calf. He noticed she was a chestnut-furred mammoth who towered over Ellie.
He blinked, realising she was another Imperial and that she and her calf must be rooting for the team who hated him.
Oh well, it was just like Ellie to be friendly, he decided. Just then, a sweet berry scent assailed his mind, making him inhale a sharp breath as his mind worked to determine why it was so familiar. He blinked, not sure he believed his eyes. Theo? Is it really her?
Manny tore him away from his ruminations,
"Diego, they're here!" he shouted, having recognised them amongst the crowd at the same time. "Ellie, Peaches! Over here!"
Manny waved his trunk with excitement.
"Diego, they came! Just like they said they would." The sabre heard the pride in his voice.
"They sure did, Buddy," Diego agreed, his gaze fastening on Peaches. The little calf sent him one of her biggest smiles, the kind that lit up her whole face.
"You're gonna win, Unca Diego!" She yelled. She jumped up and down with excitement and he found himself slowly smiling back at her.
You're right, Peaches, he thought at her, we're gonna win. I'm gonna make sure we win, for you… and Manny, my brother.
Already he could feel his confidence returning in short bursts. With it came the determination that he wouldn't let the opposing team beat him up again, especially not in front of the little girl he thought of as more than a niece.
Peaches was the daughter that he'd never had, and apparently everyone else saw it too, going by how Sid pointed out that Peaches enjoyed spending time with Manny and Diego equally. He realised, that in a way, his friend's little girl had accepted him as another father to her. Nothing made him happier than the knowledge that she loved him.
Diego glanced again at the calf she was playing with, the tendrils of an idea forming in his mind, one that wouldn't come to fruition for a long while, but he was content to wait, knowing that Manny was probably thinking the same thing.
You've spent too much time with Manny, the sabre-honed facet of his psyche scolded him, to already be considering if those two are a good match. Heh, no wonder most of the valley agrees with Peaches' statement that you're 'part mammoth.'
Diego ignored the voice and scraped his paw alongside the ground irritably, anxious for the game to start again. One of the fresh bruises on his right foreleg sent pain racing throughout his leg at the pressure.
He nodded at William and Manny. He told them how he believed they all should play the second half. William listened attentively, and at the end of Diego's proposition, nodded his head gravely in assent, although he told Diego to be careful, since the idea of hitting the ball into the goal with one's head wasn't a tactic often used by the mammoths. Manny looked nervous at the audacity of the plan, but he agreed as well.
The cow signalling the start of each half let out a loud trumpet. It was so loud, Diego felt it shuddering through his bones.
Once the trumpet died away, the cow explained this was her last and the loudest trumpet since it was the end of game trumpet, and wished both teams good luck, with a wink at Diego, before she trumpeted again to announce the game's last half.
The ball swept into the middle of the field as the Woollies and the Imperials stampeded across the grasses, attempting to catch it with their hooves and dribble it down to the opponents' goal.
The Imperial team was out for blood now. They tried to push or shove Diego any chance they could, but Diego either evaded them or Manny and William flanked him and kept the ball away from the Imperials as best they could as the trio of two Woollies and a sabre struggled their way down the field.
The posts of the goal loomed above them, and Diego exulted, knowing they were so close. He scrambled up Manny's tree trunk legs and then leapt up into the air. The shouts of the crowd stilled into a hushed murmur. William bounced the ball high on his right foreleg into the air. It was in perfect position as it hung in the air for a few endless seconds before Diego's head thudded against it. He remembered to keep his eyes open, thinking of the couple of times he'd practised the football game with Manny before…
"You're a natural at this!"
"Yeah, Manny. Sure. I can barely even 'dribble,' as you call it - that ball with my paws."
"There's another method, Bud. Use your head."
"Will it hurt that way?"
The ball clunked up against his head as Manny shot him a sly grin.
"Really funny, Manny."
"You just meet the ball with your head. That's how you do it. End of story. Want to try again?"
A sigh from Diego.
"All right."
This time he leapt up into the air as Manny tossed it at him, thrusting his head forward to meet the ball. It thudded off his head and landed near Manny's hooves as he caught it neatly.
Diego glanced up at his friend, glad his head wasn't even throbbing from the ball's hard contact with his head, and found Manny smiling at him, happiness brightening his eyes. Diego grinned back at him.
This game wasn't so bad after all.
… Diego pushed his head forward, directing the ball through the posts. Diego landed on his feet back on the ground. The entire area had gone quiet with shocked silence. Then cheers erupted from Ellie and the herd.
After a moment, the rest of the Woollies – and the chestnut cow from the Imperials' side – started cheering too.
Peaches raced through the maze of mammoths idling in the field to Diego, throwing herself onto him to give him a big hug.
Diego was thrown backwards by the intensity of her affection, lying on his back as he saw Manny's fond smile and William's kind glance but all that and the cheers faded away as his niece whispered in his ear,
"I always knew you could do it, Unca Diego." She smiled at him. "Because you're part mammoth, and I'm part tiger, remember?"
Diego gulped inwardly at her words, hoping none of the mammoths nearby with their sharp hearing had caught what Peaches was saying. He glanced up anxiously.
A formidable black Imperial bull had just joined the spectators, his eyes narrowing at Diego and Peaches.
Diego hurriedly clapped his paw over Peaches' mouth, muffling her exclamations. Peaches' eyes widened in surprise at his grip as Diego waited for a few interminable seconds for the Imperial to lose interest in them, moving through the crowd to join the chestnut cow he'd seen Ellie talking with.
He removed his paw from Peaches' mouth, surprised to find her tongue brushing against his cheek. Peaches, you're going to blow our cover…
Peaches scrambled off him as he quickly stood up, shooting a nervous smile at the startled onlookers.
"I'm going to go tell Daddy now!" the calf called back over her shoulder as she ran across the field.
Kid, he knows already, the sabre thought at her, watching as Peaches grabbed at Manny's trunk as he scooped her up into a hug. Diego heard her babbling her excitement to Manny and repeating what she'd just said to him.
He sighed, glad the game had ended well and that he'd made Peaches and Manny happy. He'd turned away to saunter back to the cave when a loud trumpet bellowed.
"WHAT IS THAT SABRE DOING HERE IN THE PRESENCE OF YOUR MOST NOBLE REGENT ELDER TITAN?!"
Diego pivoted to face the shouter, his ears flattened against his head. He shrank back slightly, wondering what had gone wrong.
"WHO ALLOWED THIS MONSTER TO PLAY IN ONE OF THE MAMMOTHS' SACRED GAMES THAT BREDE GAVE TO US?" The speaker continued ranting.
Diego watched all the mammoths present swivel their heads to look at him, casting anxious glances amongst themselves. Diego was still nonplussed as to who the Imperial was that the mammoths would pay such heed to his words. The older members in the crowd started shooting hostile glances at him and whispering amongst themselves.
Elder William raised his head, giving the black Imperial an annoyed glare,
"Regent Elder Titan," he addressed the huge mammoth, respect in his voice.
So that's who he is. The current Regent Elder of the Bredelands. I feel like I've seen him before, long ago, in the past. The words flew unbidden to Diego's mind with a frightening sense of recognition.
"The tiger means no harm to anyone. He is here at my request along with our old friend, Manfred, son of Clovis."
At the mention of Manny's full name, a hushed silence fell over the crowd. Apparently, the mammoth crowd couldn't yet comprehend the fact. Regent Elder Titan's dark eyes dilated with astonishment, which he made sure to hide. The Regent Elder turned to Manny, ignoring Diego entirely.
"Manfred," he said in a much quieter voice. "For years we have thought you, our dear brother, was dead. It does my heart good to see you back amongst our kind," he continued, shooting a suspicious glance at Diego. "I have worried the tigers had destroyed you as they are becoming more of a threat to us."
"Yeah, real likely," Manny scoffed, narrowing his eyes at Titan as Peaches snuggled into his trunk, glancing at Diego. The sabre intercepted her gaze. He realised all the commotion had frightened her. Her glance told him everything. Hell, she seemed afraid for him more than anything.
"That sabre over there saved me," Manny was saying. "His name's Diego, Titan. He's my friend, and he deserves your respect."
"Tigers like him are a peril to the Bredelands," the Regent Elder argued. "Yes, we've all heard the tales of you and your 'friend's' exploits before you found your way back here, but the truth is you just can't trust tigers. You never know when they might turn on you. Maybe even eat your child."
Manny's eyes widened in fear momentarily and he glanced at Diego. Apprehension covered his broad face but after a moment his features resettled into a calm mask as he narrowed his eyes at the Regent Elder.
"Hey!" Diego growled, unable to listen to these allegations against him much longer. "That's where you're wrong, Regent Elder. Peaches is like a daughter to me and I would never harm her. Ever."
He hurried to Manny and Peaches, standing beside them like a bulwark. He hoped if the crowd – in particular the Regent Elder - saw him as protective and friendly, they'd lose their suspicion of him.
Peaches sat up in Manny's trunk, crossing her forelegs together,
"I'm part tiger!" she announced. "Unca Diego teaches me how to hunt and I like it better than being a mammoth!"
Oh, crap.
Exclamations of disbelief whistled through the crowd. Titan's mouth curled in disgust.
"You see?" he declared. He indicated the small group of Manny, Peaches, and Diego standing in the centre of the playing field. "This is what happens when you let a monster into a safe place such as a herd, no matter how motley it is… it blurs the boundaries of the laws Brede set down for us in time immemorial."
Ellie and Sid both looked confused.
"Who's Brede?" Ellie whispered to Sid. The little sloth held up his hands in bemusement before whispering in the cow's ear. After a moment, Ellie nodded in understanding though she still didn't seem to recognise Her name. Diego rationalised that Sid's head was always too full of frivolous topics to acknowledge the Goddess who'd formed the Bredelands. For Diego, though, his relationship with Theo in the past had taught him something of Her.
Crash and Eddie blithely began swinging back and forth on Ellie's tusks, oblivious to the tension snapping in the air.
The Regent Elder turned to Manny; disapproval etched on his features. He nodded at Ellie, giving her a large smile before he said,
"Manfred, do you mean to say that your mate and your herd," as his mouth formed the words Titan sneered. Diego noticed he barely restrained himself from spitting the word herd out in derision, "have no idea about the creator goddess?"
Manny looked embarrassed.
"Listen, I can explain about Ellie," he hurried to say. "She doesn't know because she got separated from the mammoth herds as a kid and grew up not knowing of Brede. Cut her some slack."
Ellie directed a grateful look at Manny.
"Well and good," RE Titan agreed, but Diego heard the displeasure in his voice. The Regent Elder disliked conceding to the truth of Manny's statements. It had momentarily given the herd an upper paw in the situation. Diego smirked, feeling sure he had an idea as to why.
He wondered if he should speak up and refute the Elder's declaration that he knew nothing of Brede, but decided against it, thinking it would only give more fodder for the Regent to use as ammunition to humiliate Manny further.
"And you, tiger," the Regent Elder continued. His tone made his words sound like a threat. "I think it would be best if you leave this valley permanently. You are dangerous to all who dwell within it."
His words, whilst simply phrased, sent a shudder through Diego. Without thinking, he let out a loud snarl. Fur brushed against his legs as he realised Peaches was beside him, growling in her own way as Manny shouted, "But that's exile!"
The Regent Elder's eyes narrowed as he scooped up Peaches with his trunk, removing her from Diego's side.
"Put me down, I'm part tiger!" she rumbled as she struggled within his grip. Diego made a move to leap for her, only for Titan's large tusks to swat him away.
Dimly, he heard Manny yelling, as if from far away…
"He's my friend, and you're not exiling him, Titan!"
He found the strength to rise to his feet again, his flanks heaving as he stared at the Regent Elder balefully.
Titan glared back at him, still holding tiny Peaches in his trunk. The two held each other's gaze for a long moment. Titan's eyes sparked with dislike whilst Diego's flamed with defiance.
Finally, Titan uttered the words he'd been waiting to say as he set Peaches down alongside Diego.
"Dangerous, yes… but most of all to this one…" he said, indicating Peaches with his trunk as his gaze trailed over to Manny and Ellie. Ellie stood with Sid still riding on her back, his arms crossed with annoyance and the possum brothers staring at the Regent Elder in disbelief, their jaws slack with shock. Manny and Ellie wore twin scowls on their faces. Manny looked about ready to throttle the Regent Elder. "And… these ones."
"He's not dangerous," Manny insisted. He glanced at Peaches. "If my daughter wants to be close with him, then so be it. I know he'll keep her safe; even at the cost of his life."
Ellie tossed her head, her voice hollowly cheerful,
"You know guys, this was a great game, but I think it's time we all head home now!"
She hurried forward to scoop up Peaches as the calf pleaded to stay with Diego as she, Sid and the possums made their exit as the crowd began to disperse, still talking animatedly about the day's events. Thankfully, the Regent Elder was one of the first to leave.
William was talking in a low voice with Manny over the actions of the RE when Diego noticed the chestnut cow was eyeing him as her small dark brown calf twined himself around her ankles.
Her mouth was quirked in a curious smile but within a few seconds another cow went up to her, distracting her attention from him, and the moment was broken.
Manny finished his talk with William. He hoped that this would be the last time that anyone in the herd heard about the incident and they could return to their life of peace and quiet, unbothered by any Bredelands politics, and that Diego would be left alone.
The sinking feeling in his heart as he glanced over at the massive sabre only made his apprehensions rise when he saw how beaten the sabre looked.
If he had his way, he'd want their herd to leave the Valley of Brede and Her other corresponding lands, but he knew that would be unwise, given the rumours whispering throughout the Valley that new human camps had been sighted beyond Glacier Pass. Humans had returned to the Bredelands, creating, as before, an atmosphere of underlying danger.
He fell into step with Diego as the two silently left the football field. Manny saw the tightness of the sabre's jaw and so he kept to his own thoughts, knowing Diego would speak when he felt like it but at the same time worry nagged at him.
Titan… Brede, he's the Regent Elder now! He wants to exile Diego! He fretted, shooting anxious glances at the sabre, who was padding along quietly next to him, his movements stiff despite their agility.
Diego caught Manny staring at him worriedly, turning his face away with a small growl as he kept pace with the mammoth despite the pangs of the bruises and welts making walking difficult for him but he wouldn't show the pain, knowing it would only concern his friend. I can't let that happen to him… Diego told me his story and I've heard how hard it is for a sabre to survive alone. I know. I'll go before the Council or contact them in some way to make sure Diego stays here. Our herd needs him. Brede, I need him. It's possible even this valley needs him…
Diego's sigh ripped the mammoth away from his planning.
"Manny."
Manny turned to look at him, giving the sabre the tiniest of smiles. Diego wasn't fooled,
"Manny, I'm fine," he said but as the words passed his lips Manny saw him bite back on the pain he was experiencing.
Manny stared at him, his mouth broadening in a genuine smile this time though the anxiety was still underneath it. He nudged up against him, their shoulders rubbing against each other's. Diego managed a grin – a real grin – before batting one of Manny's tusks away from him as Manny shoved him away, being careful not to touch any of the welts visible amongst Diego's fur.
"So… Peaches telling everyone she's part tiger," Manny said, keeping his voice reflective as he continued the play-fight, "Well, that really makes you part mammoth, now doesn't it?"
Diego chuckled, his whole face brightening at the mention of Peaches,
"So, her saying that to everyone made me proud…" Diego said, trailing off. He turned away from Manny, his shoulders hunching. After a moment he glanced back at Manny. Manny met his gaze, seeing his own fear mirrored there. He's frightened for Peaches.
"But, still, does that bother you, Diego?"
Diego's crooked half-smile made an appearance before he shook his head,
"Not particularly, big guy…" his chest heaved in a sigh and his head drooped. "I'm just… worried for Peaches." His voice emerged in a whisper. "Much as I'm glad she likes being around me, it's not safe for her."
"It's perfectly okay for her to want to spend time with you!" Manny insisted, but his words didn't work on Diego. The sabre glanced up at him before withdrawing into a melancholy silence, clearly unwilling to talk.
"You're only my best friend, come on, Diego!" He punched the sabre lightly on the shoulder, finally making Diego smile slightly at him. "Anyway, Diego, if you were a mammoth… don't try and tell me that you haven't at least thought about it…" He winked at the tiger, who nodded in reply, "What would your name be? Diego? Like it is right now? Or something completely different?"
A grin spread over Diego's face and he batted at one of Manny's tusks again, encouraging him to tussle with him again.
"No, not Diego," Diego said, his face bright with excitement. "To your kind, the name closest to mine is… James." He paused, and then continued thoughtfully. "Maybe if I was called James and because of that treated like one of your kind… Elder Titan would treat me… better…"
Manny began strolling forward through the trees again; the name Diego had said fitted him as a mammoth rolling over and over in his mind pleasantly, his footsteps drowning out Diego's last sentences as the sabre hurried to catch up with him.
"James. Your name within my kind… James… that's a good name…"
"I'm glad you like it," Diego said, with a chuckle, a barbed undertone underneath his laughter. His footsteps began receding from the main path as Manny's gaze followed him, still mulling over referring to Diego as James instead of Diego. It took some time getting used to, but he already liked the idea. Within a few minutes, he'd found his words again to yell after his friend.
"Diego, where are you going?"
"Just to take a walk on the wild side," Diego shot back over his shoulder. "Don't worry; I'll meet you back home at the cave!"
"All right…" Manny said, keeping his eyes fastened on Diego until he became only a tiny spot in the distance. "Be careful!"
"Manny, stop worrying so much!" Diego's laughter was the last thing he heard before the sabre vanished into the horizon. Manny remained behind, staring after him, wondering where his friend was going. He had no idea why his friend was suddenly so happy, and, ironically, the notion Diego was in such high spirits seemed somehow ominous. Manny shook his head, cursing himself for his pessimism. He continued on the path leading homeward, keeping an eye out for his friend.
Two days later, Diego returned to the herd's expansive cave, located on the outskirts of the mammothian Bredelands, but the slump of his shoulders indicated that whatever he'd done those two days apart from the herd had left him broken. Manny worried, but didn't feel it was right to pry. After all, Diego would open up to him eventually about it, wouldn't he? *
* You can find the next installment to my "Five Times Manny Hugged Diego" 5+1 fic in that this one-shot is the "+1" part where Manny doesn't hug Diego but Diego hugs him instead (to save his life!) in my 8k one-shot called "Tiger's Heart" - which I will be crossposting from ao3 to ffn soon - since Tiger's Heart is a liminal story that exists as the "+1" ficlet/ending to Five Times whilst being a part of CI bk 1's timeline, that is, set in between chapters 2 and 3.
The next chapters of "Cruel Intentions" - expect chapter 3 in the next month or two, along with the crosspost of "Tiger's Heart" - will pick up the story in the aftermath of that incident - whilst taking a deeper look into Diego's relationship with Peaches and also why he runs off from Manny at the end of this chapter to reunite with an old flame - which will ultimately force Manny to take action in defence of his friend Diego...
