"Hey, Perce, you okay?" The sabre huffed, throwing a glance at the molehog that was still settled on his back. He, Louis and Peaches had agreed it was a safer way for him to travel, the likeliness of him getting lost and left behind slim as Percy was more likely to notice his absence or any issues due to his sharper senses. "Yeah, Louis, I'm good."
The molehog snorted above him as he scrambled forward, settling on top of his head, between his ears. "That's exactly what someone who's not okay would say. You're allowed to say no, you know?" Percy paused in his steps, his snout wrinkled in thought before he heaved a sigh, continuing on before he lost Ellie and Peaches in the crowd. "No, then. I'm not okay. They're gone—my mom and Diego. . . they're out at sea and the likeliness of them making it back are slim. Uncle Sid's got half a brain cell on a good day, Uncle Manny and Diego will find a way but they can only do so much. Mom's due any day now—we were ready with food and furs so she'd be warm and comfortable but now, they've got nothing."
Louis frowned, this fact dawning on him as well. He'd worried for Akira but he hadn't thought as far as he should've about the safety of herself and the cubs. The sabress was capable and resourceful, strong and a force to be reckoned with but she was also three and a half months along. This time in her pregnancy was not the time for a disaster like this. And to be stranded at sea, no food, no furs. . . Percy was right. It was a dangerous feat they could only hope the herd overcame. "Well," the molehog frowned, "She's not got nothing. She has Manny, Diego and Sid and I bet they'll find land somewhere. When they do, Diego can hunt for food and Manny and Sid can find a place for her stay."
Percy huffed, seeing the truth in Louis' words but worried nonetheless. "There's a whole ocean between us and them. Mom and the cubs. What if. . ." they don't make it? The thought made his chest constrict. He couldn't lose Akira. He had to hope to any god out there listening that she would come back to him, with or without the cubs, with Diego, Manny and Sid by her side.
Louis' claw gently tapping his head for his attention drew him from his thoughts. "They'll be fine, Perce."
A soft trunk brushed his flank. Percy turned his head, chuffing quietly. Peaches had fallen back to walk with him and Louis, leaving her mother taking up the head of the group. "Auntie Kira is gonna be okay. We'll see her, the cubs, Dad, Uncle Sid and Diego at the land bridge like they promised. Mom had me in the Plates of Woe. It's only, like, tradition. She's strong, Percy, she'll make it back home with those cubs."
One could only hope their journey would have as few complications as possible.
"Shh!" A shrill voice urged from the white mound curled up in the hollow.
Diego, Sid and Manny exchanged a look before peering closer, "Granny?"
A paw shot out, a stick in hand, and promptly walloped Diego in the head. "Dagnabbit, I'm tryna sleep."
The sabre grunted, glaring at the offending sloth. "Would've thought the storm would've kept you up." Diego huffed, taking notice that his mate, curled around the older sloth, was trembling. Worry spiked within him for a moment before eyelids peeled back to reveal green eyes sparkling with amusement.
Sid extracted his Granny from Akira's coil, grinning obliviously. "Granny, I'm so glad you're alive!"
Diego stepped around the sloth, nuzzling Akira into wakefulness. "And can we say how thrilled we are to see you?" The sabre muttered as Akira shuffled out of her hollow, stretching her limbs as she rolled onto her side, yawning toothily.
"Rain's actually really calming, storm was a great lullaby," The sabress settled back down, her exhaustion prominent in the way she held herself, even as she smiled.
Manny hummed absently, staring off in the direction they'd come, land no longer visible to them. "We're still heading away from home." Everyone followed his gaze, only the remains of the storm apparent.
"Yeah, but we survived and we still have each other. Things could be worse, right?" Sid offered a reassuring grin. Diego glanced at him before looking down at Akira, finally meeting Manny's gaze. "For once, he's actually right. We made it through storms and tidal waves and a vicious assortment of seafood. What more can they hit us with?"
Akira let her eyes flutter shut, craving another nap but they flew open at startled yells. She rose unsteadily, alarmed, but huffed as she saw Granny had simply decided to dunk herself, now floating contently in the ocean. Had it been Sid, she would've been right beside them with worry but she knew the older sloth had survived worse and wouldn't put herself in danger she couldn't handle. . . although, she had to admit that Granny had the same carelessness as Sid at times. The difference it held was that one was purposeful and the other was unintentionally obtuse.
"Thanks for drawing my bath, Sidney." Not to mention, as sick Akira was of the smell of the salty ocean, she'd rather smell that on the elder sloth than whatever nauseating scent she was carrying around now. The sabress had only managed to stomach it because, on a good day, Sid was no better.
"Granny, grab my paw." Sid hovered precariously on the edge, paw outstretched but Granny paid him no mind as she floated about.
"No, this my first bath in decades." And if her scent alone didn't speak volumes, the viscous liquid that oozed from her scraggly fur and the traumatized fish that surfaced as a result did.
"There's your proof," Diego muttered. "I don't know how you slept with her in that enclosed space."
Akira wasn't entirely sure where she had gone wrong but it was a wonder she'd made it this far, sense of smell as perfect as ever. "You and me both. The salt is overwhelming," She added the latter as a thoughtful murmur, watching Sid run around like a headless chicken, worried that his grandmother was going to drown.
"Quick! Somebody do something!" Akira was about to reassure the sloth when Manny abruptly tossed Sid overboard, sending him colliding with the unfortunate, old mammal.
"Manny," she chastised.
The mammoth gave her an innocent expression, "What? Sid's the best swimmer here." The sabress huffed, the trio watching as Sid struggled to swim back to their drifting float, Granny fighting him with a vengeance, displeased by the disruption of her "bath". Sid scrambled back up onto their float, barely managing to take his grandmother all the way up before he collapsed, exhausted.
His grandmother huffed, her displeasure radiating from her frail body as she suddenly turned a critical eye to them, Manny and Diego, in particular. "What are you peeping toms all looking at?" Akira nearly cackled at how quickly sabre and mammoth whipped in the other direction, postures straight as a rod. "A lady can't take a bath in peace? Eyeballing me like a rump roast."
Akira couldn't help her snickers as she inched back into the tree hollow, tired eyes gleaming fondly as Granny hobbled along on her cane until she reached her. The older mammal gave her a clumsy pat on the head before she crawled in and made herself comfortable. As the pair settled, Akira's ear twitched as she picked up Diego's voice, just within range, muttering to Manny. "What's the life expectancy for a female sloth?" She did her best to hold back her laughter.
"She'll outlive us all, you know that, right? The spiteful ones live the longest." The sabress hid her grin in her hind leg as she curled up as tightly as she was allowed, purposely blocking out the faint cramps.
They had been drifting for hours now, each mammal gradually approaching exhaustion and thirst. Akira was sheltered somewhat, out of the drying sun and ocean air tucked away in the hollowed-out tree but that did nothing to take away from her growing hunger and thirst. This wasn't taking her exhaustion into account as every blink of sleep she got was sucked away by the cubs writhing inside her, due at any given moment. "HOW BIG IS THIS OCEAN?!" Manny's voice boomed just outside of her tree, the sabress flicking an ear in acknowledgement. He'd been yelling for some time now, growing steadily restless as the surrounding horizon remained empty.
"Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink." Sid groaned as he staggered by, tripping over his own paws and falling onto the low, icy ledge closer to the ocean.
Akira raised her head, frowning as she watched the sloth perk up at the sight of the ocean. "Sid, don't—" He had already slurped a large gulp and swallowed, satisfied for a split second before he processed the overwhelming saltiness of the water, hacking out a series of coughs.
The sabress settled back down with a sigh, shaking her head softly as her eyes settled on Granny. "Precious! Mommy's calling you. Precious! Come here, sweetie."
The sloth had been calling for Precious for some time now, more than convinced this sea creature was real and nearby and though everyone had ignored her, Akira gave her the benefit of the doubt. Where that was going to get her, however, she wasn't sure. "Hey, lady, have you seen Precious?" Akira had believed for a brief moment Granny was talking to her but she gave a quiet laugh as the sloth was nudging an irritable Diego with her cane.
The sabre grunted his displeasure as he glanced down at her from his post next to her hollow. "If you mean the imaginary, or perhaps deceased pet that you keep searching for, no, I haven't."
The northern sabress nudged her mate with a paw, giving him a disapproving look before she looked over an unsatisfied Granny. "Keep calling for him, Gladys. Maybe he's just shy, there's a lot of us and—it has been a while, right?"
The ground sloth hummed before she gave the sabress a gummy grin, reaching out to pat her head. "Been over a decade—I knew there was a reason I kept you around."
Akira hid a smile as she refrained from mentioning there was absolutely no way she could be anywhere else when they were on a small raft such as theirs. "Why do you encourage her?" Diego groaned, glaring half-heartedly at the sloth as she hobbled away, encouraging Precious to surface.
"Because maybe the things she says aren't as crazy as you think? She's old and slightly unhinged, not senile. She's like Sid, just with a steady brain connection."
There was a scandalized gasp to their right and Akira grimaced, Diego grinning like a maniac as they found the source. There was Sid, hunched over due to his thirst and exhaustion, teal eyes blown wide and his bottom lip jutting out, trembling dangerously. "You. . . you think I'm stupid?"
The sabress held back a groan, forgetting how sensitive the sloth could get in high-stress situations. Not to mention he might be a little delirious from whatever he had ingested from the ocean. "That's not what I meant, Sid, come here."
He didn't move an inch, still looking like he was on the verge of releasing a wailing cry any moment. Akira didn't think they needed to call attention to themselves like that. "Sid, please, get over here." His eyes glistened with the onset of tears and his chest heaved with a deep breath that would be released as a yell ay moment now. Akira refrained from losing her temper, particularly with Diego as the sabre's form shook with his silent laughter. "Sid. . ," She frowned before perking up, an idea occurring to her, "Come here, the cubs are kicking." His mouth had parted but the noise that escaped him was a soft and happy exclamation as he stumbled over his paws to get to her, wriggling into the hollow with her to settle his head on her bulging stomach.
In response to the pressure, the cubs answered with their own curious movements and Akira sighed, relaxing her body with a deep huff as her babies shifted around, pressing roughly against her ribs at some points. Soon, Sid was engrossed in telling a story to her unborn cubs and Akira settled to sleep once more, chuffing contently when Diego settled in front of the hollow, nuzzling her affectionately before turning away, standing guard in every way. It warmed her that he did something as unnecessary as that, especially in their situation isolated on a floating raft. It intensified the feeling knowing that Sid was fully included in that protection too. Diego would deny it until his grave but he had an undeniable soft spot for Sid that stretched a little further than it did with the rest of the herd.
A feathered avian settled on a wooden perch, a sinister gleam in his eyes. "It's a huge bounty, four passengers ripe for the taking. Two very smelly, one very plump and a sabre." The seagull, feathers in severe disarray and some missing in spots, hopped onto a black-furred shoulder. A maw twisted in a displeased sneer, revealing yellowed and sharpened teeth. "In my ocean? What a terrible turn of events," The gleam in the bird's eyes brightened as the beast it sat upon rose to its full height. Lips widened into a malicious grin. "I love a terrible turn of events."
The laughter that followed meant nothing good.