New Additions

Chapter Five: Family Life

The months following the cubs' birth seemed to pass by in a flash. Under Diego and Shira's watch, they grew into strong young sabres.

One morning, as the light of the rising sun filtered into the cave, the cubs awakened, and immediately starting jumping on their parents, frantically trying to wake them up.

"Wake up, mom/dad!" They chorused. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

"Your kids are awake." Shira mumbled to Diego.

"Before noon, they're your kids." The bleary-eyed Diego replied.

"Come on!"

"Rise and shine!"

Grudgingly, the parents got up.

"Finally!" Cheered the largest cub. He had his father's tan coat, but with his mother's black markings. This coloration had earned him the name "Stripes."

"Mornin' sleepy-heads!" Sniggered a pure white cub, christened "Snowfall."

"What are we doing today, dad?" Asked a tiny male version of Shira, who had been named "Dennis", after Diego's father.

"We're going to... nap." Diego said, in a vain attempt to go back to sleep.

"Boring!" Snorted Dawn, a pure tan cub who had been named after Shira's mother. "Let's do something fun!"

"Breakfast first, fun later." Shira said firmly.

"Okay, mom." The cubs chorused obediantly.

"How do you do that?" Diego asked bewilderedly.

"It's a gift." Shira smirked.

After a quick breakfast of leftover gazelle carcass, the sabre family left their cave. As the cubs explored, Stripes caught a familar scent in the air. Smirking, he dipped low to the ground, as he had seen his father do. Hiding behind a bush, he waited until the prey was close enough, then leapt through the shrubbery at it, pinning it to the ground.

Stripes opened his jaws in triumph... and said "Hi, Louis!"

"Morning, Stripes." The molehog chuckled. "You really got me good this time!"

A furry tube suddenly wrapped around Stripes and lifted him off the ground.

"Where's my hug?" Peaches grinned, holding the embarrassed cub close.

"Hey, cousin Peaches!" Snowfall called, as she and her siblings entered through the bush.

"Having fun, Stripes?" Dawn sarcastically asked her brother.

"No!" Stripes groaned, struggling to free himself. "Can I go down now?"

"I remember when you used to love my hugs." Peaches mock-pouted.

"That was when I was a little cub!" Stripes clarified. "I'm a big sabre now. Why, I'm practically all grown up."

As the first born, Stripes felt it was his duty to be the most "mature" of the cubs... not that anyone ever believed it, though.

"Anything you say, Stripsey-wipsey." Peaches pinched Stripes' cheek with her trunk. "But to me, you'll always be that sweet little cub I used to sit for."

Stripes' face glowed bright red, but he couldn't help smiling a little at the same time.

Peaches had babysat for Diego and Shira when the latter needed to get back into shape, and the former had taken upon himself to supervise her exercise regiment. She had dragged a reluctant Louis along too. Although skittish around the cubs at first, Louis quickly bonded with them; In the present, they were nuzzling and licking him.

"Easy, guys!" Louis giggled. "I'm ticklish!"

As the cubs gave the molehog room to breathe, Dawn and Snowfall felt a familar weight on their backs.

"Well, if it isn't our favorite sabre-ettes!" Crash chuckled.

"Who's for a quick once around the valley?" Eddie asked.

"Me!" Dawn sniggered.

"We'll beat you guys this time!" Snowfall smirked.

As the two sabres took off, Dennis was left to greet his uncle Sid and Granny.

"Hey, little buddy!" Sid smiled. "How ya doing?"

"I'm doing great, uncle Sid." Dennis replied, before taking a quick sniff. "Did you, uh, forget to wash this morning?"

"No, I just stepped in somethin' brown and gooey." Sid shrugged.

"Ooh, look at you, li'l kitty-cat!" Granny cooed. "You're the spittin' image of your beautiful mother. Strong teeth, sharp claws... Speakin' of which, could you scratch Granny's back? I got an itch, and Sidney's claws are way too dull for this job!"

"Um, okay." Dennis agreed. He quickly regretted this, as mangy fur and dead skin got caught between his claws.

"Ooh yeah, that's the stuff." Granny sighed. "I just might make you my go-to backscratcher from now on, kid!"

"Great..." Dennis grimaced, shaking his paw.

Meanwhile, Diego and Shira were talking with Manny and Ellie.

"Look at you two." Manny grinned. "You've become mom and dad. The transformation is complete."

"No kidding." Diego smiled. "Those cubs may be a trial sometimes, but we couldn't imagine life without 'em."

"Is this how you felt about Peaches?" Shira asked.

"Without a doubt." Ellie replied.

"I know I've never been happier." Diego nudged Shira. "How 'bout you, kitty?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth, softy." Shira nudged him back.

After a long day of carefully-supervised fun, the cubs and their parents returned to their cave home. During their supper, Dawn spoke up.

"Mom, can I ask a question?" She inquired.

"Sure, honey." Shira smiled. "What is it?"

"I was talking to Suzy the shellback earlier, and she said me and the others should be in a pack." Dawn explained. "What's a 'pack'?"

"A pack is a big group of sabres, Dawn." Shira explained.

"Just sabres?" Stripes said through a mouthful of meat. "Talk about dull!"

"Got that right." Dennis agreed."There's no variety."

"Doesn't it get boring for them, with everyone they know being the same species?" Snowfall asked.

"Not exactly." Diego interjected. "In fact, most sabres do live in packs."

"Then why don't we?" Dawn asked.

"Because packs are vicious and selfish." Diego explained. "Your mother and I used to be in packs, but we left them, and joined the herd."

"Well, your father joined the herd first." Shira elaborated. "I hooked up with a bunch of mean and nasty pirates for a while... then I met your father."

"What happened then?" Asked Snowfall.

"Well, it wasn't exactly love at first sight." Diego remembered. "But I did think your mother was pretty cute."

"And I remember thinking how handsome your father was." Shira smiled.

"How romantic." Dawn sighed.

"Eww, yuck!" Stripes grimaced.

"I didn't think much of the herd at first, but your father won me over in the end." Shira chuckled. "He helped me see that a herd always has each other's backs, something packs and pirates don't do."

"Yeah!" Dennis cheered. "Herds forever!"

"Okay, I think that's enough stories for one night." Diego smiled. "Time for bed, kids."

"But we're not tired." Stripes protested, barely stifling a yawn.

"Nice try." Shira grinned. "Now, come on. Growing cubs need their sleep if they want to become big, strong sabres."

"Okay!" Stripes smiled, suggling in beside her.

The sabre family huddled together, Stripes and Dawn on Shira's side, and Dennis and Snowfall on the other. Diego and Shira nuzzled each other's cheeks.

"Goodnight, kids." Diego said to his offspring softly, before turning to his mate. "Goodnight, beautiful."

"Goodnight, handsome." Shira gave Diego's cheek a quick lick. "Love you."

"Love you, too." Diego rubbed her nose with his own.

They all fell asleep together, as close and cosy as any other family. Diego and Shira had mastered parenthood, and were now experiencing one of the many rewards that came with it. There was no doubt in either's mind that they were the luckiest sabres in the world.

The End.

(Ice Age and all associated characters are the property of 20th Century Fox and Bluesky Studios.)