The Herd's Growing Family (Ice Age)

The Ambush

The next morning, the herd was approaching half peak. Sid was also cleaning up the baby for a bit. "Let's get you all cleaned up. What's your daddy gonna say if you go back all stinky? Let me just clean that up. That looks good. A little bit here".

"You clean up nice, little fella". Manny says.

"I think he's starting to look like me. Hey Avery, what do you think?", Sid asks her.

Avery pretends to think hard as she answers. "I can see it a bit. What about you, Diego?"

Diego becomes silent for a moment before speaking. "Maybe we shouldn't do this".

"Why not?" Sid asks.

"Because if we save them, they'll grow up to be hunters". Diego explains. "And who do you think they'll hunt?"

"Maybe because we save them, they won't hunt us".

"Yeah, and maybe they'll grow fur and a long skinny neck and call you Mama!" Diego says angrily.

"What's your problem?" Manny asks, feeling concerned about why Diego was acting more aggressive.

"Are you feeling okay?" Avery asks.

The saber hesitates before answering the group. "I'm fine. Let's go. I'm freezing my tail off".

The group continues and heads into Half Peak. However, Diego stops as he sees his pack starting to hide away to get ready to attack. He looks back at his friends and begins to worry. He really grew to care for them, plus Manny saved his life, the baby and Redwood liked him, and Avery and Sid trusted him now. Was he really going to go through with this?

"Diego, you frozen back there?" Manny calls out.

"We're almost there. Come on", Redwood tells him.

It was now that Diego had to choose if he was still going to betray them or not. And with no second thoughts, he quickly ran up to the group to urge them to hide. "Get down!"

Everyone looked at him, feeling confused.

"Shh! Get down and follow me!"

"What's goin' on?" Sid asks.

"At the bottom of Half Peak... there's an ambush waiting for you" Diego confesses.

"What?" Sid, Avery, and Redwood say in shock.

"What do you mean, "ambush"?" Manny asks before he came to a realization about his friend. "You set us up."

"I don't believe this. Why?" Avery asks.

"It was my job! I was supposed to get the baby, but then..."

"You brought us home for dinner!" Manny finishes in anger.

"That's it! You're out of the herd". Sid points.

"Ugh, I should've known better than to trust a saber", Avery crosses her arms.

Diego looks at Redwood, who doesn't say anything and instead turns away from him, feeling very disappointed and heartbroken once again.

"I'm sorry". Diego says shamefully before Manny holds him against the wall by the throat with one of his tusks.

"No, you're not! Not yet".

Diego tries to reason with them. "Listen, I can help you".

"Stay close, everyone". Manny tells the rest of the herd. "We can fight our way out".

"You can't!" Diego tries to reason with them. "The pack's too strong. You have to trust me".

"Trust you?! Why in the world would we trust you?!"