The mammals were frozen in place long after the sabress disappeared with their tower of rocks. The crash of stone hitting the bottom of the chasm startled Manny out of his trance, the mammoth seizing the attention of the others with dull eyes, his movements sluggish. Ellie shifted first, her green eyes glistening with unshed tears of loss and guilt. Akira's demise had essentially been her fault and there was nothing that could stop her from blaming herself.
Diego was next, his expression blank and closed off as he slowly backed away from the ledge. He should've pressed harder for them to rest for the night. If he had, regardless, he and the sabress could've travelled by themselves at their own pace and would've still been able to catch up with the herd later.
Sid was no better off than the rest, his paws trembling and his eyes wide as he struggled to comprehend that his friend was gone. One moment she had been there by his side, a reassuring warmth and a soothing voice that indulged all of his habits, and another moment, she was gone. In a blink, just like that. It left him shivering in the chill of the night.
The possums expressed their grief the most, quiet as they dragged themselves along, tails drooping with their sorrow. Much like Ellie, they blamed themselves. Akira hadn't the strength to jump, and the very strength she had, she'd used to ensure they were safe. She'd saved their lives at the expense of her own. Diego and Sid shared the sentiment for the injury that had restricted her and had been obtained saving them.
The odd assemble of grieving mammals re-entered the forest and the air surrounding them was sombre. The rocky plains were now behind them but what—or rather who they had lost was not.
A northern sabre lay motionless on rough terrain, the stone beneath it stained burgundy. The pale pelt of the sabre was matted with grime and blood, the once beautiful coat marred with the presence of death. Vultures cackled with ill intent as they landed around it, pink, featherless heads vibrant against their onyx bodies. Their razor-sharp beaks tugged at the thick pelt, desperate for the generous meal when a black blur pounced and landed by the sabre, taking a defensive stance, teeth bared.
The vultures cawed in alarm, taking flight with haste. The panther shooed the more daring vultures, ensuring the scavengers were gone before focusing glowing amber eyes on the still form of the sabress. His eyes gleamed with recognition and though he knew the definite risks she posed, dead weight at the very top of the list, the panther lowered himself to the ground. Gently latching onto the northern sabress's scruff, he shifted her onto his back before standing straight. The panther disappeared into the night, slinking through the terrain like a thief in the night.
Akira's eyes fluttered open from a bout of unconsciousness for the second time that day but this time, her body ached something awful. The soreness in her body drowned out the agony in her legs, the pain blending together into a ruthless affliction. She groaned upon the slightest shift of her body though the crane of her neck was necessary as she looked around, finding herself in a cave, the air cool and the walls and ground sporting soft moss.
Akira was baffled that she had even managed to survive but the ache in her muscles told her that it wasn't without a scratch. The sabress was sure she'd have more than a few—assuming she survived the flood to see the extent of her old and new injuries. The wounded predator pushed herself into a sitting position with great difficulty as the scent of fresh meat invaded her senses. Finding the object itself was relatively easy. A severed leg of a deer lay inches away, fresh and promising.
Under any other circumstances, Akira wouldn't have delved into the meat without hesitation but she was hungry and in pain. If someone was going to kill her through offering food, they would've just sunk their teeth into her throat when they found her unconscious and hurting.
"What if that was poisoned?" She sensed the presence as they joined her and so the voice didn't startle her. Briefly, green eyes flickered up to see a Nigrae, a rare species of a pure, black panther.
The sabress returned to her meal. "It hurts to breathe, I can't walk on my own and I'm seeing double. I think being poisoned is the least of my worries. I'm a dead sabre walking."
The panther exhaled audibly. "Literally speaking, you're. . ." Akira followed his pointed gaze, glancing down at her coat with a grimace. It looked horrible, the worst it had ever been.
"Well, thanks, that's the first thing a girl likes to hear when she wakes up." Akira took another bite of the near-clean leg bone beneath her. "Why did you save me?"
The question was inevitable but it seemed as if it was the last thing the panther wanted to do was answer it. "Would you believe me if I said I was going to eat you?"
The sabress scoffed. "No." She said, her voice flat and eyes expectant.
The Nigrae sighed. "So similar," he whispered under his breath. Louder, he stated, "You look like someone I've met before and it piqued my interest."
Green eyes narrowed in bewilderment with a tinge of curiosity. "Who?"
Amber eyes were guarded for a moment, the predator hesitant but complying nonetheless. Curse his sentiments but he wouldn't be able to leave the sabress behind. The resemblance was too closely matched. "Her name was Calora." He murmured.
Akira picked it up with a flick of her ear and her eyes widened. "You know my mother?"
The panther's body jerked at the revelation that the sabress was certainly related to the sabre of his past. It was a bit too real for him and he wasted no time changing the subject. "We've got only a couple hours to get to the boat. With your condition, it's barely enough time."
Northern sabre and Nigrae journeyed past the remaining rocky terrain and through the thermal geysers. The difficulty of the trip was felt in the very marrow of the bones of the sabress as her ribs ached and her leg pulsed, the journey all-around a painful one though she had made it to the boat. Said boat was an oversized bark of a rather large tree that had once stood tall. Akira settled, exhausted before a thought occurred to her. There were still two mammoths, two possums, a sabre and a sloth to look for.
As a hopeful smile graced her lips, it fell just as quickly as an earth-rumbling tremble sounded. All the mammals, herself included, looked back to see a series of cracks run down along the glacier wall. Volumes of water pushed through and the thinned wall crumbled under pressure. Animals screamed and began hurrying their pace to get onto the boat and escape the rushing water as it flooded into the basin of land. Worried, Akira propped herself up on the rim of the boat, managing to do wonders with the higher vantage point.
Easily, she spotted Manny but to her absolute confusion, he was running against the crowd, Diego and Sid by his side. Akira itched to go after them despite the protesting of her muscles. Anxious, her eyes flicked to water flooding in, to the mammals she'd swiftly grown attached to.
"You will risk your life for them?" The panther appeared beside her, his expression showing a hint of wonder.
Akira looked back to the herd as they grew farther away. "Wouldn't be the first time."
The sabress propelled herself out of the boat, barely managing to avoid the frantic crowd of mammals. "Thank you for everything—even if it wasn't for me," Akira said, throwing a backward glance over her shoulder to the panther she left in her wake. He gave an imperceptible nod and she gave him a small smile, turning around and running through the crowd as well and fast as her three legs allowed her to.
The Nigrae's kindness really hadn't been out of the good of his heart but more for the love he had sabress she resembled. Had Akira voiced it aloud, the panther would've denied it outright but the reaction he had had when he'd mentioned her mother, the look in his eyes when she had confirmed and when he occasionally looked at her. . . he'd been in love with her. The panther looked at her with a hint of that adoration but also a tinge of bitterness as Akira was also proof and a reminder that his once love had moved on.
Akira burst through the last of the panicked animals, muscles straining in protest. She skidded to a stop as she saw the wave of water burst over the expanse of rocky terrain. She could make it to the boat if she turned around now with the last of her strength but still, Akira pushed forward. Knowing her friends were running to the face of danger sat uncomfortably in her stomach and Akira had already given them so much that walking away now made her previous sacrifices meaningless.
The volumes of water crashed down, breaking the weak stone that gave little resistance. The possums and Manny fell into the water, Sid and Diego estranged on a small rock island. Akira was running right to them when she heard a desperate wail.
For the second time, she halted abruptly, a brief whine as her leg objected. There was a cub struggling to keep its head above the surface, crying out for someone.
Akira glanced between her unconventional herd and the cub, painfully conflicted. Another cry from the cub made her decision for her and she was rushing to the edge, hovering over the fast-flowing river where the sabre held on for dear life.
"Over here! Swim this way!" It frantically looked around before its blue eyes found her and it began paddling awkwardly toward her, using the current in its favour.
The cub was getting closer but there was another break in the rocks that allowed more water to rush in. As a result, the current worked against the cub and its wails grew more desperate. Akira couldn't jump in. She just couldn't. Knowing what lurked inside, it would be a death sentence and with her leg. . . she'd attract more trouble than do any good. Desperate, the sabress ran along the ledge as the cub rushed past and swiped him up into her jaws before he could be pushed into dangerous, rocky territory or be snatched by a less savoury being.
The water was now rising as the crevices got much too full. Akira's heart stuttered, the sabress worried for herself and the cub—her herd as well. The boat had already dislodged itself, on the move, and so there was no turning back. Knowing there was an incline to the land leading to the boat, Akira began to make her way back only for the ground underneath her paws to break, forcing her to jump back and avoid falling into the growing river. The height of the water was increasing at an alarming rate now and the only way left to go was up but the strong current could easily push the jutting rock to topple over.
Akira was at an impasse and if she didn't make a decision fast, it would cost them both their lives. The water grazed her paws and within seconds, they were completely covered. Soon, she'd be under and any lurking predators would be free to have her and the cub for dinner. The sabress finally made a decision to go up, no matter what it cost, when a dead carcass of a beaver brushed her leg. There was a chunk taken out of it meaning one of the said predators had already started enjoying their feast.
Akira was positioned upright against the jutting rock, ready to stave off the pain from her overstressed muscles and leg when there was a loud breaking, ripples forming in the water from the vibrations. There was a long, jagged fracture in the glacier wall only no water poured out this one. Instead, the water seemed to be receding and Akira lowered herself to stand flatly against her platform, nearly collapsing as she watched the water drain into the newly-formed ravine.