Ice Age: The Misfit Herd

Nine Lives, Baby!

My head pounded when I came back to reality. My eyes opened and all I saw were the blurry figures of Manny, Sid, and the baby. I had to blink a couple of times before the world cleared up.

"Guys??" I groaned, "Ooo what happened?"

"You were unconscious," Manny stated the obvious with a tiny smirk on his face. His eyes were glossy, sadness held within but still, he smiled.

I rolled my eyes, "I mean outside it." I retorted, "What happened to Soto?"

"He was taken down by icicles," Sid said,

I sighed, closing my eyes for a brief second, "Always knew ice would be the thing that killed him." I then looked around, "Where's Diego?" Manny and Sid's happy looks fell as did silence. The baby looked down, tears filling his eyes. I looked at them, fear starting to grow inside me, "G-Guys?"

Manny turned his head away, visibly struggling to keep the tears from falling, "He didn't make it..." My eyes widen as my heart stopped. Diego... he was dead? "Soto had injured him too much... he didn't have enough strength..." My vision wavered and I knew I was seconds away from crying. I closed my eyes and choked back a sob as I got back to my feet with Sid's help.

"At least he died heroically," I muttered, my voice cracking ever so slightly. The baby gurgled and I looked down at the worried human, "Don't worry about me..." I said, mustering a sad smile, "I'll be alright." I then turned back to my companions, "How far are we from Half Peak?"

"Not far" The mammoth answered,

I nodded, "Alright." I began to walk though I stumbled a bit.

"You sure you're good enough to walk?" He then asked,

"I'm fine, Manny." I repeated, "I'll be alright." 

Reluctantly, he nodded, taking my word for it, "Alright," as we resumed our walk. We all kept our heads hanging and the silence filling the air. It was hard for me to believe Diego was gone. He was so strong... so... unbeatable. Yet Soto made it so. At least, in the end, he got what he deserved. God...

"Was it because of me?" I asked, suddenly and softly.

"Huh?" Manny asked, looking at me,

"Was it because of me Diego died?" I asked again with my voice cracking at the mention of the saber's name and the word died, my heart falling heavy and my eyes becoming blurred with tears. The mammoth fell silent for a second as he glanced to the side and Sid and the baby looked between me and him.

"Maybe..." He finally said, "I don't know for sure. All I know is that when you went down, he went forward... attacking Soto with every bit of fiber he had in his body. Both of us... we tried." I looked up at him. Regret was in his eyes, guilt, and sadness being close behind. "I tried to help you but they held me back. I couldn't do anything. Diego did... He did everything and anything he could. Eventually, he saved all of us." I exchanged looks with Sid, who gave me a nod, backing up Manny's story, "I'll be honest, though..." We looked back at him, "In the short time I've known him, I never seen him become so..." He paused, not able to say the word,

"I know," I muttered, looking down. I then sighed, shaking my head, "Let's get the baby to his family before we can't... for Diego's sake." They nodded their heads and we continued our silent walk. It wasn't long before we reached Half Peak where, I assumed, the human leader stood. Sid walked behind me and Manny as we headed up to him, stopping just a few feet away. 

Keeping his eyes on the human, the mammoth reached behind his head to grabbed the baby though the human held up with his spear in an attack position. His eyes held fear but still he held his ground. Sid gasped slightly as all of our eyes widened.