Nothingness never lasts long.

As I returned from non-existence, my brain started to reconnect to my body and I was suddenly aware of a pain in my arms as small sharp stones on the ground beneath me pricked my fair skin. As they adjusted, my ears picked up on a male voice that sounded as though he had a lisp.

"Why is it bleeding, Diego?"

"Not 'it', 'she'".

"Fine, why is 'she' bleeding then?"

"How should I know?"

"Grrr".

I could hear grass and leaves rustle as one of them moved closer to me, I noticed then that the footsteps were irregular, as if they were walking on four legs. I could then feel his warm breath on my face and that was when I realised that my cheeks were burning from the heat of it.

"I feel like I've seen her before...".

As my cheeks flamed on I felt something as soft as fur skim down my left cheek, the soft tingling sensation moved slowly down the left side of my neck. As it moved I could hear a faint sniffing sound. After a moment the tickling sensation disappeared abruptly and I was left feeling strangely disappointed.

"Sid, get Manny, NOW!"

"Why, who is it?"

"Not 'it', Sid, 'she' and 'she' is Pinkie!"

I heard a sharp intake of breathe and then rapidly retreating footfalls. That was the last sound I heard as unconsciousness took me into her welcoming embrace once more.

...

I awoke to a pulsing, rough wetness on my forehead. I had no idea what it was, the feeling wasn't unpleasant, it was intoxicatingly slow and thorough. A slight shiver ran down the length of my spine as the sensation moved slowly down to my collar bone, it was almost unbearable. A small moan left my lips and as soon as it did the sweet torture ceased and was replaced by a deep animalistic growl. It was so deep that it made the air around me vibrate, causing another slight moan to escape my lips. The growling ceased then, and I felt heat return to my cheeks as warm breath blew over my face. The warmth stopped however, as a loud stomping noise approached and made the earth beneath me shake, then I heard a loud whooshing sound, like the rustling of leaves.

"Diego, are you all right, what's goi..." I heard a sharp intake of breathe and the shuffling of feet.

In a demanding whisper, the booming voice sounded again. "Diego, get away from it".

Diego's voice replied calmly. "Relax Manny, she's unconscious" .

"Well, did the human attack you?"

Diego took a deep breath. "Manny, this human is Pinkie".

That's all I was able to hear as I slipped back into unconsciousness...

...

My eyes shot open which made the pain in my head return. After a couple of seconds I noticed that I wasn't lying on the ground, but on what felt like leaves. I rolled onto my side, the leaves rustled beneath me as I moved. I was lying on a huge pile of soft, dry leaves. I pushed my chest up and leaned on my elbows, my mouth gaped slightly when I realised that I must have been placed there by someone.

My peripheral vision picked up a flicker of light to my left, I turned towards it and realised that it was a small campfire burning happily away in the setting afternoon sun. Desperately seeking warmth, I slid my legs out in front of me and crawled hastily towards the fire, the resonating warmth felt like a continuous hot summers' breeze on my skin, I smiled dreamily as I basked in the glow of the warm fire.

As I sat there, I listened to the trees and the wind, the breeze was light and it made the leaves rustle as it blew through the trees. As I listened harder I picked up on two faint voices.

"Wow, Manny wasn't lying, they really do have patchy fur...it looks appalling"

"Maybe you should style your fur like that, Crash. It would match your personality"

A burst of laughter escaped my lips, but I quickly muffled it, fearing that whoever the voices belonged to had heard me.

"Why is it laughing? Do...do you think it heard us, Eddie?"

'By the sounds of their voices, I guess they are children'. I thought to myself.

I turned towards the sound and I found myself facing a giant shrub-bush.

"You can come out, I know you're there."

...

"You...you just...spoke!"

I cocked an eyebrow, "Umm, thanks for pointing that out Chief Obvious".

"Hahaha! Yeah, 'obvious', that's you in a nutshell Crash, hahaha!"

"Grrrrrr!"

At that moment a grey ball of fur tumbled out of the bush and came to a stop almost two feet in front of me. I then realised that it was a small grey possum. It lay on its stomach as it looked up at me with large, fearful blue eyes, the possum was frozen in fear.

I just stared at him, he couldn't be one of the two that was talking? I heard a sudden panicked cry from the bush.

"Eddie! "

At that moment, another grey fur-ball raced out from under the bush and stopped between me and who I assumed to be Eddie, he stood in a defiance stance, tall and with a set jaw.

I was completely shocked, in front of me was an animal that I had heard speak moments before. My head started to feel light and I was sure I was going to pass out again until suddenly a soothing female voice spoke up.

"Crash, Eddie. Come here."

My head whipped around to the left where the noise had come from and standing there was a big, female mammoth. At first glance, a person would have been terrified, but if they looked closer, like I was doing, they would have noticed her kind green eyes. It was those eyes that kept me seated instead of running away in terror.

The fallen possum at my feet rose and they both scampered quickly over to the mammoth and climbed upon her back via her tusks.

I stared at her, "How is it that you can speak?"

The she-mammoth let out a throaty laugh and said "I was about to ask you the same question."

I smiled at her then. One of the possums on the mammoths back suddenly called out behind him.

"Ok, it's safe. Come out one at a time"

A sudden rustling sounded and before I knew it a large male mammoth walked out slowly from behind the bushes. I recognized him immediately.

"Ugh...You might not remember, but ugh... I mean you were a baby at the time...but"

"I remember", I said before a small smile appeared on my face, he seemed to be relieved that he didn't have to explain because he smiled also.

"Well, that's Ellie" he said as he nodded towards the she-mammoth "And I'm Manfred, or Manny for short"

Before I could give him my name a floppy sloth popped out of the bushes besides Manny's leg.
"And I'm Sid, Lord of the Flames"

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing at the look of the sloth, he had his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out as if he was trying to look mighty. I definitely remembered him. As I was laughing at Sid a husky male voice sounded from the bush.

"Yeah, yeah. Settle down sparky". From out of the bushes strode a stocky, crème saber. I could only stare as I took him in. As I looked at the predator in front of me, I immediately thought back to that day. I remembered his ears and his fur but it was his eyes that stood out in the memory, his eyes that were filled with intense rage that day, that horrible day near the river, the day he drove my mother over the falls.

"I'm Diego" he gave me a small, kind smile as I continued to stare in shock.

When I didn't answer, Manny broke me out of my awkward silence by clearing his throat.

"Oh, um... I'm Roshan" I quickly answered.
"Well, since the reintroductions are over...How did you get to be out here all by yourself?" asked Manny.

I dragged my eyes away from the confused looking feline and planted them on Manny's face.

"Well my 'herd', as you put it, drove me away" I looked down at my hands.

"Whatever for?" asked Ellie, concern was written all over her face.

I looked her in the eyes while I gave her my explanation.

"They thought I would disrupt the order of things and become a threat".

The confused looking sloth spoke then.

"How, though? I'm sorry, but you don't look that threatening to me", he gave me an eye squinting quizzical look.

I laughed a little at the sloths forwardness.

"They think my ability to speak to animals, and the fact that I like being alone rather than hang around other humans is a sign of bad things to come", I shook my head at how stupid it sounded. "But really, it's just there insecurity towards anything that's different from them."

They all exchanged glances while letting that bit of information sink in.

Sid was the first one to speak.
"Since you have no herd anymore, you can join ours!"His smile grew bright as he looked at me.
Manny's eyes grew wide at this suggestion.
"Ugh, Sid?".
"Oh, come on Manny! It'll be just like the old days, except now we don't have to change any diapers"
Manny rolled his brown eyes and looked at Ellie for guidance, he was clearly confused as to what to do.
"It's fine with me, it would be nice to have another female to talk to in the herd". Ellie beamed.
Manny then turned to a strangely silent Diego.
"Ugh, yeah. It's cool." He shrugged his muscular shoulders nonchalantly.
Sid walked closer to me, hi eyes were bright and hopeful.
"How about it, Roshan? You wanna join our herd... again?"
I considered the proposition. I had no tribe to go back to, if I did return Atka would surely have me thrown off the cliff into the ravine. I might have killed someone when I left the tents to burn and the penalty for killing another tribe member is to have your life taken as well, an eye for an eye so to speak. I did get along strangely too well with animals than I do with other human beings, besides Ulma. So, maybe it wouldn't be so bad, besides these guys have helped me as a child. The feline is a little awkward to be around, but other than that, I feel myself favouring them already.
I gave a nervous laugh.
"Ok, this is the strangest herd I have ever seen, but I'm gonna go with my gut and join it anyway"
Sid let out a laugh, his eyes were full of amusement.
"Yeah, I mean, how weirder can it get?"