A whole new world.
They had been living above a completely different environment their entire lives. A world of dinosaurs stretched on for hundreds of miles. With the new world came several new revelations. Just like up top, there were dangers. The strange herd discovered that quickly. They were sure goners when they were rescued by a weasel of all things.
Buckminster or Buck for short. He was odd but Diego had taken a quick liking to him.
The sabre had joined the mammoths and possums during their first encounter with a dinosaur in the world underneath the ice. He had seen, or rather heard, Sid being taken away by the dinosaur after he narrowly avoided being flattened. When he had joined his herd, Manny had told him Akira had been taken too when he noticed her absence. At Percy's as well, he feared the worst but Ellie assured him that the sabre was safe above ground, tasked with protecting the village in their absence.
"What are you doing here?" Buck questioned as he leapt down from Manny's tusk.
"Our friends were taken by a dinosaur." Ellie supplied.
The weasel spared them nothing. "Well! They're dead. Welcome to my world. Now go home." The mood darkened a bit before Buck brightened, "Off you pop." He turned, already walking away when he was halted by the following words.
"Not without Sid and Akira." The female mammoth said, Diego nodding as he gestured his head pointedly to a line of tracks.
"If you go in there, you'll find your friends," The weasel paused, "In the afterlife."
The possums were entranced by the aura of the weasel but not at all subtly like Diego was. Subtle was never a word to describe Crash or Eddie. "How do you know, O Great and Wisely Weasely One?"
The nimble mammal scurried over to the track and the herd watched with mild concern as he licked the print left by Momma Dino. "Mommy dinosaur carrying her three babies, some floppy green thing and a. . . oh. . . snow?"
Manny nodded, the others perking up. "Yeah, we're friends with the floppy green thing and. . . snow."
"You got all that from the tracks?" Diego questioned and Buck glanced up as he caressed the blade of his knife. "No. Not really. I saw them come through here earlier. She's headed for Lava Falls. That's where they care for the newborns. To get there, you've got to go through the Jungle of Misery, across the Chasm of Death through the Plates of Woe."
Manny hummed, turning around with the others following suit. "Okay! Good luck with the slow descent into madness. We're gonna go now."
Buck stared open-mouthed before scrambling to the front of the herd, stopping Manny and the others. "What, you think this is some sort of tropical getaway? You can't protect your mate, mate. What are you gonna do with those flimsy tusks when you run into the beast? I call him Rudy." The weasel had wanted to come off as menancing, to inject some fear of Rudy into the herd. He hadn't quite succeded.
Buck huffed a sigh as they continued past him without a care. Well, he had nothing better to do.
When Akira regained consciousness, it was to Sid's shrill screams. That woke her up almost instantly, her muscles protesting as she leapt to her feet. She stumbled at her quick rise, her vision blurring slightly. She was taken aback seeing the sloth dangling inches off the ground, limbs tangled in vines. In her sudden conscious state, she had attracted the attention of the mother dinosaur. Her claws dug into the soft ground, her fur bristling and she snarled, ready to pounce.
Of course, she was nowhere near a match for the mother—she had bigger claws and sharper teeth on her side but Akira was quicker and alert. The towering reptile stepped forward, mouth lowered dangerously close when the miniature versions of the dinosaur leapt in the line of attack, growling cutely.
Akira, despite the dangerous situation, snorted as Sid grinned. "Score one for the sloth and sabre." Sid's grin was smug though, not for long. Akira and the hatchlings winced as a tail gave a resounding smack to the clustering of vines. The ropes coiled around a branch, Sid stretched thin. "And now we're all tied up." He wheezed out.
The sabress sighed, scurrying up the tree, Momma Dinosaur in her peripheral. With a quick swipe, she snapped the vines, freeing Sid and catching him before he hit the ground. "Phew, thanks, A." She nodded though, her attention wasn't on Sid but the tropical environment around them. She saw the vast, colourful landscape and couldn't help but stare in awe. Avian creatures flew high above, sunlight streaming through where the ice was thin. Where the earth rose up in the sky it was met with jagged icicles; where the two worlds collided.
There were mixed calls of the surrounding reptiles and it all just seemed peaceful in a strange way. "You live here?" She murmured quietly, Momma Dino glancing up at her before shrugging in an odd way. Between them, despite the hostility before, it was a bit domestic. She supposed the kids were the reason for that difference. "It's beautiful."
The reptile snorted, leaning down to usher her babies along. Akira had nearly lost sight of them in the thick vegetation and reluctantly, she jumped back down, snorting as Sid fell down less gracefully beside her.
"Hey, wait up!" She sighed as Sid ran ahead, looking back before trailing after him.
So far, their best bet was to follow Momma until they eventually found a way back up.
Manny couldn't wait to find Akira and Sid and hightail it out of there. It wasn't just for the fact that this place was unfamiliar, but that there was danger around every corner. Carnivorous dinosaurs and plants, aggressive herbivores. . . and then there was the in-between.
"So you're just living down here by your wits, all on your own, no responsibilities," Diego said, his tone a slight question as they travelled along the trail.
"Not one. It's incredible. No dependents, no limits. It's the greatest life a single guy could have." Buck said as he walked up front, looking over his shoulder with a feral grin.
The sabre looked over at Manny pointedly, "Hear that? This is my kind of place."
The mammoth raised an eyebrow, snorting, "Yeah, if somehow Akira's miraculously dead then, yeah, it's the perfect place for you."
Diego glanced at Manny, startled. "Wha—"
"Hello?" The weasel was holding a rock to his ear, stopped a little ways ahead of them. "Yeah. . . no, look, I can't talk right now. Yeah. No, I'm trying to recover a dead sloth and some snow. Yeah." The weasel lodged his knife in the trunk of a tree, turning away from them and whispering though they could still hear him. He hadn't ventured far. "No, they're following me! I know! They think I'm crazy. No. . ." He glanced back at them and in seeing the bewilderment and mild concern, he turned back around, holding the rock closer, "Okay, we're going into the Chasm of Death. I'm. . . I'm going to lose you. Yeah, I love you, too. All right, goodbye. Goodbye! Goodbye."
Buck tossed the rock aside and whirled around to face the mammals, "Okay! Follow me." He grinned, swiping his knife from the trunk and continuing on.
"That's you in three weeks," Manny said to Diego, following at his own pace after the weasel. Diego was too distracted by the mammoth's previous comment about Akira to really acknowledge the more recent jab at him and his quest for solitude. The thought of the sabress lying still, heart no longer beating, eyes no longer shining made him feel nauseous and with much difficulty, he rid his mind of those thoughts, running to catch up with the group.
They followed Buck into a winding cave and eventually out onto a rock ledge in a ravine, the bottom obscured by a dense virescent vapour. "So, why do they call it the Chasm of Death?" Crash questioned as he and Eddie peaked over the edge. They were oddly cautious, a distant memory of the last time they were at a dangerous height with no guarantee of surviving the fall. There was no Akira to save them this time and they weren't willing to risk it again even if the sabress was here.
"Well, we tried 'Big Smelly Crack', but that just made everybody giggle." The words hung in the air as Manny and Diego glanced at each other.
"Well, now what?" The mammoth questioned. Buck hopped onto a dangling vine, swinging his knife above his head.
An obscenely large rib cage fell down, supported by the thick intertwined vines running across the chasm. The destination was veiled by the thick green fumes but Buck reassured there was one.
"Madame," Ellie stepped forward, willing but was intercepted by Manny.
"She is not doing that!"
Buck grinned, hopping onto Manny's tusk with a pointed gaze. "Rule number one?"
Crash raised his hand, jumping in place in an effort to be picked. Buck shook a finger at him before turning to Manny, "Come on, mammoth! You're supposed to have a good memory."
Ellie looked at the rib cage, a little uneasy until she remembered who they travelled this far for. "Always listen to Buck." She stepped onto the array of bones, steeling herself for the ride.
Buck grinned, hopping onto the spinal cord. "Now, eyes forward, back straight, and. . . oh, yes, breathe in the toxic fumes and you'll probably die."
Ellie nodded before the last words registered. "Toxic fumes?!" Her exclamation went unanswered.
"Just another day in paradise." The weasel sighed softly.
"Wait!" Manny called out but Buck had already cut the vine holding them in place. Ellie had seconds to draw a deep breath as they fell forward at an alarming speed into the viscous haze.
"Ellie, you okay?" Manny yelled as gradually, the rib cage climbed the descent, swaying gently as it was devoid of their guide and his wife.
"You have to try this!" The shemmoth called back from across the cave, laughing, reassuring them of her state.
"All right, now pile on, everyone!" Buck called up and the remaining mammals complied, glancing uneasily at each other.
They were descending at an almost leisure pace before their ride came to an abrupt stop. A minute or two passed before Buck's voice travelled to them. "Don't panic! Just some technical difficulties. Keep holding it in, boys!"
Crash and Eddie breathed as soon as the words left his mouth, making a dramatic scene of dying before it dawned on them they were still alive. "We're not dead!" Crash sat up from where he was draped over a rib, grinning at his brother's high-pitched voice. "You sound ridiculous!" Crash's voice was no different.
"Me? You should hear you!" They giggled, each supporting the other in their laughing fit. "All right, all right. And a one, and a two. . ," They spun to face Manny and Diego, grinning maniacally, "Christmas, Christmas time is here." They burst into a fit of giggles.
"Stop! Are you crazy?" Manny managed through barely parted lips, refraining from breathing.
Diego watched the possums warily, breathing out slowly before inhaling. He didn't feel any pain. "It's not poison." Diego's voice had risen several octaves.
It was silent before the four before the three that had breathed the virescent vapour began laughing, pointing at each other. "That is so disturbing!" Eddie giggled.
"Stop laughing! All of you!" Buck yelled from where he struggled with the rope wrapped around a stump.
The four, especially the mammoth, were quite heavy to pull for his small size and he was struggling some. "Stop laughing, all of you!" Crash mocked.
At this point, Manny had given in and breathed, joining the chorus of high-pitched voices and wild laughter. "What's rule number one?" Manny mocked with a grin, poking his head out of the rib cage before pulling back in, snickering with the sabre and possums.
"They're just laughing. What's so bad about that?" Ellie questioned.
Buck pointed down, Ellie following his paw with a gasp, "They died laughing!" Skeletons of ancient reptiles lightly veiled by the fumes. Their mouths were open, cold grins on their bony faces; even in death, they were forever laughing.
"Stop laughing!" She cried, voice pleading.
"You know what's funny, though? We're trying to save Sid an-and Akira, and now we're all gonna die!" Manny said before breaking down into insane laughter.
"And I don't even like Sid!" Eddie giggled. Crash grinned manically at his brother, "Who does? He's an idiot!"
"Thanks for getting me into this mess. It's the most fun I've had in years!" Diego fell into a fit of giggles.
"Thank you for deserting the herd! That was totally super!" Manny snickered, trying to catch his breath to speak again. "And, and you know what's really funny?" He paused for dramatic effect, tears of mirth in his eyes. "Diego's in love with Akira!"
There was a long pause before the mad laughter began again, Diego laughing the hardest as he nodded, multi-coloured eyes glistening with unshed tears. Buck heaved a heavy sigh, scrambling along the vines to the rib cage. The spinal cord had gotten stuck and pulling would get them nowhere and had to be dislodged himself. "Stop that!" The weasel hissed through his teeth as a trunk tickled his stomach. "Don't you see? We're all gonna die!" His voice developed a high-pitched squeak as he continued talking. He realized his mistake too late.
The weasel joined the giggling bunch. Ellie sighed from the safe side, glancing down at her bulging stomach. "We gotta do everything, huh? Just wait until we tell Akira about this." She tugged on a tree trunk until the plant gave way and fell onto the rope with enough force to jostle the rib cage and send the laughing mammals careening down.
"Sometimes I wet my bed!"
"That's all right! Sometimes I wet your bed!"
The array of bones finally arrived, slamming against the rock ledge and sending the mammals inside onto the solid ground and fresh air. Slowly, their laughter subsided until they were gasping desperately for air. Manny stood slowly, recovering quickly in the fresher air, "I'm not sure how much of that you could hear."
Ellie gave him an unimpressed look, "I heard all of it."
The mammoth looked rightfully embarrassed, "Right. Yeah."
"You wet my bed?" Crash questioned, glancing at his brother.
"That was gas talk, dude."
Diego was quiet as he recapped what had been said in the haze.
"Well, better get moving," Manny said awkwardly, clearing his throat as he glanced at the sabre guiltily.
"Aren't we forgetting something?" Ellie asked.
"Here, Rudy, Rudy, Rudy!" Buck was missing from their five-mammal show, slowly descending the rope as he giggled to himself. "I'm so lonely."
Akira couldn't help but gnaw on the rock table as the hatchlings did. She was as hungry as they were and they had made an honest mistake of entrusting Sid to get food for them. Momma had wandered off somewhere and the four hoped where Sid failed, she succeeded.
"Okay. Here you go, guys." The four perked up only rear back in disgust at the assault on their noses. Vegetables. Akira gagged as the babies glared at the food in disgust. "What? You're not gonna eat your vegetables? Akira set a better example," He said to her before turning back to the kids. "How are you gonna become big, strong dinosaurs?"
The sabress groaned, making the flat table into a slope, the hatchlings joining in. The vegetables tumbled off the table and onto Sid. "Sid, we eat meat, nothing green." There was a flash of colours and with a thud, there was a vibrant red bird on the table. Akira's mouth watered at the sight but it was thin and just barely enough for the babies.
Stepping back and sitting on her haunches, shifting uncomfortably as her stomach growled, she was startled by the slab of meat that was deposited in front of her. She grinned toothily, glancing up at Momma gratefully before digging in. She was careful not to be messy, mindful of Sid a few feet over squabbling with Momma on the hatchlings being vegetarians.
"It's a healthier lifestyle. I mean, look at me. I have the pelt of a much younger sloth." Akira snickered to herself, enjoying her form of entertainment as she ate. She snorted, amused, as Momma turned the table with her tail to bring the bird back to her hatchlings and Sid was turned away from them. "Excuse me! I'm trying to have a conversation here." The sloth exclaimed, affronted, waving the broccoli around.
Fed up with the sloth, Momma picked him up by the broccoli and tossed Sid into a shallow pond, his broccoli accompanying him. Akira had already inhaled half her meal and just as the hatchlings were about to dig into theirs, Sid bounded back—as he always did. "No, no, no." The sabress watched, mildly interested as Sid rushed forward, waving away the hungry mouths from the dead bird. "That's not for us, kids. It's way too feathery and fleshy and. . ." The bird raised its head abruptly with an indignant squawk. Akira was a little surprised to see it was still alive but that was how hunting prey went, usually. "And alive!"
The still-living bird latched itself onto a startled Sid. He screamed in surprise before he was taking the bird away from the carnivores to the cliff's edge. "We do not eat live animals, period! Now, go! Fly! Be free, little. . . flightless bird." He had tossed it over the edge, for sure killing the bird that time and wasting a perfectly good meal. Akira sighed softly, nudging her meal over to the hatchlings. Sid sent her a disapproving look to which she innocently shrugged. The babies settled down beside her, gobbling down the half slab of meat hungrily as Momma dipped her head behind an array of trees and bushes.
"Hey, where are you going? This is how you resolve conflict? No wonder you're single!"
Akira snorted as the female glared at the sloth, a colossal leg held in her mouth. As the hatchlings gulped down the remaining slab, they pounced on the leg, dragging it over to the sabress before digging in. Akira took a few bites but nothing more than that, beginning the process of grooming her bloody fur.
"Come on. Am I talking to myself here? I say, 'They're vegetarian.' You say, 'Grrr.' I say, 'Can we talk about talk this?' You say, 'Grrr.' I don't call that communication." Sid complained, Momma responded with her signature growl. "See? That's your answer to everything." There was a distant roar no more than a few miles away. It sent a shiver down her spine seeing Momma glance in the direction of the emitted roar with wariness before ushering her babies along.
"What are you afraid of? You're the biggest thing on Earth! Aren't you?"
Akira glanced over her shoulder seeing the trees shuffled as something large moved through. "I don't think so, Sid." She latched on to Sid's neck and launched him high in the air where he hurriedly grasped onto Momma's tail. Akira, making a slight expression of disgust at the taste in her mouth, followed closely on the female reptile's heels.