Chapter 1: Cave Paintings

"Where's the baby?"

The infant sat before his father burst into happy chortles, mimicking the elder by covering his eyes with his chubby hands, waiting jubilantly for the game to continue.

"There he is!"

He uncovered his eyes immediately and giggled, reached out for his parent. The adult human scooped him and in his arms and gently held him up to the sky, causing the baby to laugh even more.

"Really, Roshan, you're over-exiting him."

Roshan turned to see his wife, Nida, wandering over to them. The scolding had apparently been humorous for she didn't seem angry. With a smile he held the baby out for her to take. She cradled him lovingly in her arms, watching as he sucked his tiny thumb.

"I bet you looked like that once..." She said quietly. Roshan's smile faded a little.

He had looked like that once. A very long time ago... Albeit a lot louder.

"Please make it stop! I can't take it anymore!"

"You're holding it wrong!"

"Watch his head!"

"Just put him down!"

"Jeez, pick 'im up, put 'im down, ninininininin..."

He shook them memory away. He wasn't even sure know if it was a memory anymore...

"Roshan, are you coming to the tent? it's getting dark!" His wife called from inside their tent. She was probably putting their baby to bed now as the sun was setting, tuning the sky a light shade of pink and purple.

With a sigh he headed back to the cave.

The morning silence was broken by a teenager's aggravated groan.

"Seriously, Dad!"

"Peaches, I know you're older now, and you're growing up, but you're still not old enough to go all the way over to the caves. No one knows what's in there!"

Ever since arriving to their new island home, the animals had found peace and shelter from the ever-changing environment. Nothing dangerous seemed to inhabit the place.

Still, Manfred the Mammoth was always slightly paranoid about his daughter's whereabouts, though less so since the pirate fiasco where she had proved that she could handle things a bit more than he expected. The other teenagers had discovered some caves quite far away from where most of the animals lived- a bit too far in Manny's mind.

But Peaches still persisted.

"C'mon Dad, it's only to look around! And if I see anything wierd I'll come back and tell you and Mom, 'kay?"

"But-"

"Come on, Manny."

Ellie appeared beside him, smiling happily. "You saw for yourself that our daughter can take care of herself, and plus, Louis will be there."

"Oh joy."

"Dad!"

"Okay, okay, you can go and look around, but If you see anything"

"Yes Dad, I promise! see ya!"

Manny and Ellie watched as Peaches hurried off through the trees. Her father sighed.

"My daughter's all grown up."

"Oh Manny," Ellie said with a shake of her head "She'll always be your little girl. And don't worry! She can handle herself."

At that exact moment, Crash and Eddie swooped from a vine out of nowhere, promptly colliding with Manny's tusk.

"Y-yeah." Crash choked as he slid off the hard tusk and onto the dirt floor.

"She's p-art possum. Oh my neck!" added Eddie, flopping on the ground beside him.

The baby loved to practice walking.

He toddled through the camp, smelling the smell of burnt wood from the burney-red stuff, climbed over the baskets and made his way over to the dogs.

He petted one of them on the head and laughed when it licked his hand.

Then, he decided to go even farther. He waddled away from camp, towards the big hard tent-place where his father sometimes took him, were the little animals were stuck on the sides.

He waddled into the big, round rocky place, gurgling at all the animals he recognised.

He went on for a while, looking at the big doggies on the walls, and the big cats with long teeth.

He looked up at the pictures on the ceilings, babbling:
"Bah-bah-bah!"

He toddled on, completely unaware that his camp were waking up to find he'd gone.

"Whoa..."

Peaches gazed around the cave in awe and amazement. "Louis, you've got to see this!"

The molehog popped out of the ground beside her. "What is it- Wooooow..."

Decorated the smooth walls were cave-paintings.

Her Dad had talked about them once a long time ago, explaining how humans seemed to like to remember certain events by drawing them on the walls. Louis began walking along the wall, running a paw over the paintings.

"Look, I see some antelope! Oh, and some tigers! Ouch, that looks like it hurts..."

Peaches looked over the pictures in hopes of perhaps finding a mammoth. No such luck.

She only saw a bunch of humans wielding spears. She nearly shuddered at the thought. Her Dad had a very bad experience with humans a long time ago, something he really didn't like to talk about.

Peaches and Louis continued on through the cave. As they went the pictures changed, becoming brighter and more noticeable And...what was the word, less smudged?

Just as she thought that, Louis spoke out "Hey, do you think these kinda look...new?"

New. That meant...

"Bah-bah-bah!"

Second Ice age Story's up! Reviews are always appreciated.