DISCLAIMER!!!!

I do NOT own Ice Age, Ice Age the Meltdown, or its Original Characters.

Ice Age & Ice Age the Meltdown © Twentieth Century Fox Animation & Blue Sky Studios.

All OC's © meggie6

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The young tiger went slowly through the dark winding cave, following his elder brother.

"What news do you have, Damian?" His brother whispered.

The younger shook his head, "News of Nelida." He answered gravely.

"Did he send you to follow her?" He asked as he led his younger brother to the great chamber.

"Yes. Although it kills me to let that monster--"

"Shush!" the other growled, "It's bad enough that this pack doesn't trust us."

"Only because they don't understand, Aidan. If they would just listen,"

Aidan stopped and faced his brother angrily, "Don't jinx what we have." He said. "I also feel horrible about this, but we can't do anything about it."

The elder tiger received the same glare from Damian as he growled lightly.

With a turn toward the chamber he breathed, "You'll think differently when you hear the news."

Pondering his brothers meaning he followed him as he sat promptly beside him in front of a great saber.

His size was enormous, but it was only a small detail compared to his large, sharp sabers he had. His muzzle was speckled with grey from ageing, but his eyes held the youth of a strong and envied warrior. His yellow eyes gleamed as he glared at the younger tigers.

"Report." He said coldly, causing Damian's golden fur to stand on end.

Although scared out of his wits, the young tiger sat proudly. Taking a deep breath he said, "Matchitehew, the witch is heading south. She's accompanied with a group--"

He was interrupted by the great saber's echoing growl. "Which pack is allowing that thing stay with them!?"

Damian twitched as he addressed the female in question in a foul way. Resisting the urge to swipe his face off with his claws, he lowered his head.

"Sir, she is not staying with a pack. She is traveling with a herd of some sort…"

"A herd?" He confirmed. "A herd of what?"

"That's the thing sir." Damian said unsurely, "She is traveling with three mammoths, a sloth, two opossums, and…" He paused.

The saber clawed the earth impatiently. "And?"

"A-another saber sir. One from the valley that opened a year ago."

"Indeed?" Matchitehew grumbled.

"Yes sir. But his color… his color is of one from the mountains. Our mountains."

Aidan raised a brow. Surly his brother had to be joking. But he was not allowed to say his thought to Matchitehew at the moment. The larger saber hummed in thought.

"I have heard of a story that a saber from the mountains was traveling with a mammoth and a sloth." He murmured, "But now three mammoths, two possums, a female saber, and a sloth?"

Matchitehew eyed Damian suspiciously; he was obviously thinking the same as Aidan as he leaned in to get some truth from the smaller saber, "Not trying to help out that evil spirit, are you?" He asked.

"No, I --"

"Don't try to lie to me; I know your connection with the parasite."

Damian flinched, "Its true sir. I would never try to lie to you."

The larger saber grunted, slowly he backed away from the young tiger and sat on his haunches idly.

"Anything else?" He said.

"Yes sir. Nelida, she's…"

"Yes, Damian?" Matchitehew pressed.

"S-she, she's expecting… sir."

Aidan's eyes grew wide as he thought this over and over in his head. Nelida? Pregnant? He glanced nervously at Matchitehew, who looked about ready to explode.

"What!?" he thundered. "What idiotic, pathetic, lowlife would dare impregnate that witch?"

Damian swallowed his growl and faced him, "The saber that is with her, sir. I… I think he is a cousin of yours…"

"I have 27 cousins Damian." He grumbled, "What is the sabers name?"

"Diego." He said, "His name is Diego."

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Nelida woke with a yelp as she felt a movement against her stomach. Careful not to wake Diego, she went to the stream. Glancing at the moon she sighed.

"Almost full." She whispered to herself.

Listening to the river flow she closed her eyes, thinking of the vision she had a year ago. The young saber that was destined to be her daughter; the saber with Diego's look and her gift. Earlier in her pregnancy she didn't want a child to bear the burden of the curse. She'd walk off on her own, thinking of how she could possibly help the cub in her womb at that moment. After so much thinking she figured all she could really do is give words of advice.

She lapped up the freezing cold water from the melted snow, momentarily looking ever so often at the mark on her forehead.

"How comes you isn't sleepin'?" a small voice said.

Nelida turned to the small mammoth behind her. She shook her head as she was reminded of Manny's comment of her when she was first born.

"Once she gets as tall as us she might be mistaken as me."

And it was true; she looked so much like Manny, the only difference was the eyes were a lighter color of brown and the feminine touches she naturally had.

"I can't sleep." She replied, "Why aren't you asleep, Mina?"

The mammoth shrugged, "I don' know."

Nelida closed her eyes and heaved a sigh, "Why don't you go back to sleep, okay?"

Mina nodded her head and tumbled back between her parents. After a few squeaky mumbles she fell asleep just as quickly as Sid would.

Nelida smiled and slinked off into the woods. As she walked through the trees noiselessly, she felt that she was being watched. Thinking that it was just her nerves acting up, she continued slowly around. She couldn't help but to glance about every once in a while though. After looking around for the fifth time she heard a twig crack beside her.

Immediately she turned to the source, but didn't see much of anything as she doubled over in pain. A sharp, sudden feeling surged through her stomach causing pain in almost every vain in her body.

"Crap!" She yelled.

Without thinking she turned and ran as fast as she could, past the others and into a small cave that was in the side of a mountain.

Outside the cave and in the nearby trees; a saber observed everything, careful not to step on any twigs this time.

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Okay, let's see how this story turns out! Enjoy!