Ice Age: Life On Thin Ice

Chapter 6

After recovering from the shock of the ride, they all began again, walking away from a icy cavern into a dark cave, the air been filled with silence, minus the babbles from the baby. Even Sid, whom usually talk like there is no tomorrow was quiet.

When in entered the cave, they found a bunch of paintings, from animals to humans covering nearly every inch of the brown wall.

Hazel was intrigued with it all as she pounced from one drawing to another until she stopped in front of one that had a couple of antelopes been hunted and eaten by tigers.

"Look look, tigers!!" Sid walked up with the baby, pointing at the painting.

"You think this is good for pinky?" Hazel commented as Sid grimaced at the paintin as the baby whimpered in the sloths arms.

"Oh no, it's okay it's okay-" Sid comforted it quickly. "Look, the tigers are just playing tag with the antelope..."

"That's one way to put it." Hazel replied with her gaze at the painting tilting her head slightly.

"With their teeth." Sid gritted his.

"Come on Sid." Diego slinked behind him with a low voice. "Lets play tag.." He closed in on Sid. "You're it."

Sid just backed away as he chuckled nervously, going away to look at more drawings.

"You sure know how to scare." Hazel slyly commented.

"That's what sabers are known for." Diego replied. "We not exactly known for been friendly."

Hazel nodded, silently agreeing with him before following the sloth who was stammering with his words.

"OK, where are the sloths?" He finally questioned. "You know, you never see any sloths on these things, have you ever noticed?"

"I wonder why." Hazel rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

"Oh look Manny, a mammoth!!" Sid pointed out, getting Hazel to walk back with interest.

"Ooh, somebody pinch me." Manny replied, not caring about the sloths' findings.

"H-hey, this fat one looks just like you," Sid continued, placing the baby down as Diego joined them.

"Aw, he's got a family-" Hazel noticed Manny stop in his tracks. She remembered thinking this subject was sensitive for him, and it seemed like now she found out why.

Sid went on about the smallest of details in the painting like how happy the family was as Manny made his way back to the group.

"Look, he's playing with his kid!" Sid turned his attention back to the mammoth. "See Manny, that's your problem!" He babbled on, "That's what mammoths are supposed to do!"

The sabers noticed sorrow grew in the mammoths eyes as he stared at the painting. Not moving her gaze, Hazel lowly murmured; "Sid," hoping the sloth would stop, but he didn't hear.

"Find a she-mmoth." Sid hit one of his claws as he listed hies sentences, "have little baby mammoths,"

"Sid." Diego muttered louder, this time getting Sid to stutter his words.

"What?"

"Shut up." The sabers both growled.

"But-" Sid protested, but he followed their gaze up at the mammoth, only a small "oh," escaped his lips, and he went silent.

Hazel turned over to look at the painting, than at Manny and felt her heart sank. The sorrow look in his eyes just grew. He looked like he was trapped in a trance, reliving a memory as he stared at the painting wide-eyed.

While she'll never understand the depths of what he was seeing, she could briefly picture the events;

He had a mate and a kid he dearly loved and embraced, it was probably one of the happiest times for the mammoth.

But then, during the midst of their happiness, they were ambushed. Whether that be by humans or predators, they came in packs, and they weren't holding back.

Manny pushed his family away, wanting them to run to safety as he tried fighting them off, but to no avail as they surrounded the family and trapped his wife and child against a cliff.

Hazel soon realized what have happened to the mammot and felt her heart shatter as she understood the pain.

She looked over at Diego and Sid who both wore the same sorrow expression. Sid has watery eyes, but was less obvious than Hazels', who's vision was blurred by tears.

Still in his trance, Manny moved his trunk towards the painting of his child, and move it down slowly until he made contact with the human baby's hand.

This brought Manny out of his trance as he retreated his trunk and glanced down at him who looked back up at him and made a small, sad gurgle not wanting the mammoth to be sad.

He stood on his two feet and about to walk only to stumble and Manny caught his fall. He moved the baby closer towards him, and a smile grew on his face, tears welling up in his eyes as he pulled the baby close for them to embrace a hug.

Hazel had been watching, tears still streaming down her fur as she felt more emotional. When she looked over towards the others, Sid wiped his noses with his claw and wiped it on Diego, who looked at him in disgust, but didn't react.

That took her out of the moment as she was now heaving, trying not to laugh.

Manny pulled baby away from the embrace and placed him on top of him before he walked away, with Hazel following suit, taking deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Wow, someone's emotional." She looked over at Sid who paced beside her.

"Oh as if you didn't." She remarked lowly.

She noticed Diego still lingering behind. She turned around to check with him, but he got up and went back towards the herd.

"You alright?" She questioned once Diego was close.

"Huh?" He looked up, not catching what she said. Hazel just nodded to his response.

"I shouldn't blame you too much." She sighed, beginning to follow others. "What happened to him is tragic."

Diego just watch the her run back towards the others, thinking over what he was doing to the mammals he walked with for the past two days. He tried ignoring the feeling and continued, catching up with the rest of the herd.

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Sorry for late update but now it's here!~
Hope you enjoy! :D