Human of the Herd

Chapter 2

Manny carried a pile of logs in his trunk as the sloth followed behind, dragging a single stick.

"I'm wiped out," The sloth declared.

"That's your shelter?" Manny asked.

"Hey, you're a big guy. You got a lot of wood. I'm a little guy,"

Frostine came over carrying some more wood. "You got half a stick,"

"Yeah, but with my little stick and my highly evolved brain..." the sloth poked himself in the eye with his stick. "Ow! I shall create fire,"

"Fascinating," Manny said as he continued to work on the shelter for the night.

"We'll see if brains triumph over brawn tonight, won't we?"

***

Frostine cuddled closer to Manny as a storm raged outside their shelter.

The sloth was still working on rubbing the sticks together.

"Hey, I think I saw a spark," Manny proclaimed sarcastically.

The sloth looked up with excitement only to frown. "Uh, any chance I could squeeze in there with you, Manny, old pal?"

"Oh, isn't there someone else you can annoy?" Manny asked. "Friends, family, poisonous reptiles?"

"Oh, my family abandoned me," The sloth admitted. "They just kinda migrated without me. You should see what they did last year. They woke up early, and then they quietly tied my hands and feet, and they gagged me with a field mouse..." he began to lay on one of Manny's tusks. "And barricaded the cave door and covered their tracks...and went through water so I'd lose their scent and, and, and..." The sloth covered himself with Manny's trunk as if it were a blanket. "And who needs 'em anyway,"

Manny used his trunk to toss the sloth back into the rain.

"So what about you? You have a family?"

Frostine glanced up at Manny with worry, knowing that the topic of family was a touchy subject.

Manny grabbed Frostine and turned to face the back of the shelter.

"Okay, you're tired. I see. Well, we'll talk in the morning,"

Frostine hugged Manny's trunk.

"Ow! Ow! Ah, ah! Ow! Ow!" the sloth cried in pain as he was pelted with hail. "Uh, Manfred? Manfred? Kid?! Could you scooch over a drop? Manny!"

***

"And then she picked this hair off my shoulder and said, Look, if you're gonna have an extra mating dance, at least pick a female with the same color pelt," The sloth told Frostine as she sat on top of Manny, eating an apple. "Right? And I thought, Whoa, she will go praying mantis on me. You know what I'm sayin',"

"I didn't even say anything," Frostine said. "You just started talking,"

"If you find a mate in life, you should be loyal," Manny pointed out. In your case, grateful. Now, get away from me,"

"Well, I think mating for life is stupid," The sloth claimed. "I mean, there's plenty of Sid to go around, you know?"

Frostine slid off Manny, causing the mammoth to stop moving.

"Frostine?" Sid called out.

Manny used his trunk to keep Frostine close.

Frostine pushed the trunk off her but stayed towards the shore once her feet touched the water's edge.