Happy summer! Review?

Sid blinked away the sun from his watery eyes, afraid to look down. Last time, he'd been worshipped by pyromaniac mini-sloths. With his luck, it'd probably be a group of blood-thirsty mini-sabers preparing for a summer feast. He lowered his head.

Dang.

He was, in fact, surrounded by hundreds of tiny cats. They blinked in unison.

Whywhywhywhywhywhywhy? Why am I always right when I should be wrong?

He held his hands up (or would it be down? His positioning made it hard to determine...) in a gesture of helplessness, hoping to keep peace...Maybe Diego could come and sort this out...Or Manny...Or anyone, really.

The kitty nearest to him, with fuzzy grey stripes decorating her pelt, widened her blue eyes and meowed. He nodded his head at her.

"Hey, little lady, how's it g-goin'?" Sid lisped.

She flicked her tail and purred. Her fangs glinted in the morning light. Around her, Sid could feel anticipation building, a low hum that seemed to emanate from the crowd as heat waves from fire. Something was off about this, very off. Even he could tell.

The felines began to groom themselves, and against his instincts, Sid relaxed. They were rather cute...Then again, he'd said that not too long before being prepared for sacrifice.

"So...what's all the fuss about? Any chance you could...let me down?"

The small cat snapped her head up, meeting his gaze.

"No." The voice startled him. He hadn't been expecting such a tinny, innocent voice. "Winter is coming."

"Winter is coming," the kindle recited as one.

"The master expects you."

"The...master?"

No response.

"He couldn't be expecting me specifically, could he? There's probably a mix up, wrong sloth, time to go, bye!" Sid wriggled. There was a faint but audible paper-shuffling noise as every present mini-saber extracted his or her claws. The tension grew.

Sid gulped.

Peaches lifted the writhing body high from the ground, the smaller creature visibly shivering in her clutch. The trees shone as glistening icicles melted, dripping onto her pelt. She fought back an instinct to shudder. Briars clung to her fur, their barbed edges latching on as she maneuvered the ill victim.

"Diego," she flicked an ear toward her.

"Are we taking him home?"

Buck snapped awake from the dizzied stupor he'd fallen into. "No!" he shouted, slipping almost completely from the mammoth's grasp. She gasped and played a desperate game of hot potato in an effort to get a firm hold on him. He wheezed and fell still. "No."

Peaches looked to her uncle, fierce and carved away by wind and age. As if feeling her helpless gaze, he answered her.

"We'll take him for tonight. Sid can light the fire." His commanding tone had never ceased to surprise her. As a small child, she'd grown used to his softer side, the warmth of his fur and his witty commentary. Years flew by, and more and more often she'd seen the side of him that withstood trials, pain, betrayal, that gave her family backbone and support. The warrior.

They traversed in silence broken only by the soft tread of paws, the crunch of snow, the tense breathing of the unfortunate weasel, and her heartbeat. She thought of what would lie ahead, and her aching heart fluttered, a spark of hope igniting within.

Manny stared forlornly at the twisted tree before him, the snow falling in patches all around. Diego hadn't returned; had been gone for what seemed like years, and Sid...His thoughts crowded, danced, and fell in a muggy haze. He turned, facing the direction from which he'd come. Footprints stretched on, far into the west. He could just make out the hillock, a tiny green blur. He thought again of Peaches and choked on a well of emotions. He began the trek back, every step a pain. He was lost, far away from anyone he loved. Memories that had been buried far away, forgotten in his love for Ellie arose, striking him over and over again. He breathed in, gathering himself. Diego had taken it in stride, had worn the pants of their trio for the past few days.

He steeled himself, vowing to hold himself together for as long as it took to reunite his family.

Diego slowed, the empty camp coming as an unforeseen surprise.

"Sid?"

No answer. The wind swayed the pines.

"Manny?"

Silence.

Behind, he heard Peaches trudge hurriedly, and he could hear the hope in her trod. He masked himself and motioned to a nest of needles. "Set him down."

"Where's..?" Her question portrayed the crashing feelings of a teenager's bitter disappointment, and he grimaced inside.

"Manny went to the village; Sid's the only one we need to worry about," he laced his comment with humour. She smiled, a little at the edges. Buck cried out as his ankle touched the earth.

"Shhh," Peaches shushed him. Diego saw the years ahead, when someday she'd hush her own children, and a bittersweet warmth bubbled up inside him knowing she possessed already many of her mother's qualities.

"Buck," Diego stood over him, addressing him for the first time in hours, "Buck."

The weasel flickered open a watery eye, bloodshot and desolate. "Cold."

"Buck, we need to take you home," seeing the panic, Diego rushed on, "you're in shock. Your family can help you."

Buck shook his head. "No."

Diego caught sight of a small, leaping figure at the base of the hill. Diego eyed the dwindling campfire, their lack of supplies.

"Peaches, move." She backed away, his deep tone offering no leeway.

He struck out with his paw, pinning the weasel to the ground. A growl formed in the back of his throat as he eyes the blood and dirt coating the guest.

Buck's eyes widened, the instinct to flee shining bright behind them. Before a cry could form, the saber's head dived towards his body. His eyes shut involuntarily.