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only you	By : MadameMika Category: G through L > Ice Age Views: 478 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Ice Age. The series was created by Blue Sky, and now it belongs to Disney. It's a shame, but oh well - probably for the best I have no ownership.

Chapter List
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I shouldn’t be here.
Those were Shira’s first thoughts as she woke up in her cave. She shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t be on this island — not when she was close to the herd that she nearly…
She stood on shaky legs. So many thoughts went through her mind. So much had happened since yesterday. The last three days had been like experiencing a landside, or going down a waterfall — turbulent, hellish and quite frankly, too conflicting.
Four days ago, she was Captain Gutt’s first mate. His most trusted companion. His equal, almost. Together, they terrorized the seas and all that dwelled in it. Over two decades of plundering, slaughtering — piracy at its finest — were had, and it seemed like they were unstoppable. They had gone to fight all kinds of enemies. Herbivore, carnivore, omnivore — what did it matter? Anybody who stood in their way were struck down. Wolves, foxes, birds of all kinds, darwinius, bisons, horses — rival crews of all kinds of animals had their ships seized, crewmates slaughtered or forced to surrender, and all their goods stolen.
Not a life a normal mammal would want to live by, but for Shira, it was the best. Or at least, it had been. Certainly more ideal than pack life, which she would never go back to under any circumstances. For all the ups and downs she had faced during her time as a pirate, it was heavenly compared to the hell of her old pack. Cruel, barbaric, cold and unfeeling — little to no regard for the lives of the lower-ranking members, the outcasts and the “undesired.” Like her father, who gave his life up for a pack that gave him nothing in return. Spat in his face, even when he was dead—when he sacrificed his life to save the lieutenant. And then, she and her mother… they were left to… she was left to…
Shira’s claws dug into the ground. No, that life is far behind you now, she told herself. You’re…free now. She thought she was free, but didn’t feel so sure. She wasn’t used to life on land. She hadn’t been for … a long time. Since she was a young adult. Now she was nearing the end of her prime, and had to readjust. Had to adapt, just as she had with the seas. It would take years, like it had been with the seas.
Ironic, how it wasn't just the injustice of pack life that drove her to the seas, but the betrayal of her mother on top of that — or what she had deemed as a betrayal, at least. A betrayal on her father. And now, what made her choose the land was the betrayal from Gutt. Two betrayals from those that had once been closest to her, both of which had affected her greatly, though she considered Gutt's betrayal more of a loss than her mother's. It had been so long since she had last seen her mother, and she had long since been over mourning their broken bond. The hurtful things had been said, choices had been made, and so on and so forth. Rosa was long discarded, more so an afterthought than a regret. An aspect of the past where Shira acknowledged that in the end, it was best left in the dust.
But Gutt? That was something else entirely. He saved her, gave her a better life after she left her pack. They were a team. Closer than a pair of bananas. They fought battles together, spent days and nights together, spoke of things to each other that no one else knew — he was like a missing part of her. And so his betrayal hurt more. When he turned on her, her heart felt like it'd been stabbed. She felt like she was walking on daggers. She mourned over the loss of their bond, even now as she tried settling into her new life. She couldn't help but hold onto the memories, for they were so recent — a reminder of all that had been, days ago. Before everything changed so quickly. Too quickly for her own tastes.
They were supposed to rule the seas together. That's what he told her. So why did everything have to change? One ice berg landed in their direction, and the passengers of this one somehow changed their fate unlike all the others. It was bizarre and unfair, at all once. But there was no use in complaining, nor any use in dwelling on it. Not now.
Shira stepped out of the cave, taking a breath of the fresh summer air. It was a nice morning, she would admit. The trees and other sorts of plants growing around were nothing short of beautiful. The view of the sea from her hill was also quite a sight, always soothing her nerves when she would sit at the edge to listen to the waves and the birds flying by — mainly at sunset. No doubt there would be some nice catches to be had.
She faltered slightly, remembering how she came to live here. Diego had tried to get her a place in the herd, but of course, there was much protest and wariness. Not that she blamed anybody, especially not Manny. She had been on the side of the pirates at the start — his distrust of her was understood. The mammoth had lost a family prior, from what she had been told by the tiger. To hunters, no less — bipedal creatures, much like Gutt. So that coupled with her dubious past... it was clear why she wasn't welcomed into the herd. That, and it seemed the others besides Sid were just as apprehensive. Ellie didn't want to be near her— and she understood why very well— and Peaches, well, seemed scared at the prospect. The possum twins shouted taunts.
It was clear she was better off alone, so when the ice berg arrived at the Switchback Cove, she took off to an empty cave. She made herself a ‘home’ there, though it wouldn’t feel like one for a while—she knew it would take a long time before she truly became adjusted to the land. To call this place home. Just as she knew the herd wouldn’t trust her, that they would always have their reservations, and she didn’t feel hurt. She understood everything clearly.
So here Shira was now. On land. Alone.
The tigress wondered how things could turn out this way. Once, she had been a part of a group of barbaric animals who she once called friends, her own screwed up little group—one may call it similar to a pack, but she considered it more homely. They hadn’t been entirely close, but they all knew each other well, well enough to fight alongside one another and keep each other from dying. Her pack hadn’t done that for her or her father, not even when the latter had been ambushed during a hunt—no, she wouldn’t think of that. Not now.
The pirates were all misfits, and misfits stuck together. But she and Gutt were the closest. They looked out for each other. If one staggered behind, the other helped them get back on track. If one was cornered in a battle, the other jumped in to help. They had each other’s backs, ever since they were two teenagers on their own, with no one but each other for company. For companionship. Forced together by the cruel world they once lived in, the world they had to fight to survive in.
"You know, it's not good for tigresses such as yourself to stray from their packs. Especially since you're pretty young."
The teenage smilodon scoffed at the gigantopithecus' comment. Young, her ass. "I'm not a cub. I can handle myself just fine, thank you very much. And for your information, I didn't stray from my pack—I left it altogether." He didn't know what had happened to her in her pack, and how it had been far from loving. On the contrary, it had been so ruthless, devoid of any care for the lower ranking members, seeking to treat them like they were worthless. She had merely escaped when it got too rough, when her father… when they tried to— she shuddered briefly, but tried to remain firm. "I'm almost an adult. Besides, by your logic, you shouldn't be away from your troop either, monkey boy. You don't look much older than I am, after all."
It was true. He appeared to be a teenager too, from the looks of it. A bit smaller than a regular gigantopithecus, at least from what she'd heard of the apes. This guy was the first of his kind that she had actually encountered. Near a lake, no less. She had honestly expected a rather brutal confrontation, but instead was met with this, being babied by someone around her age.
"Easy there, tigress," the gigantopithecus chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "No need to get on the high defense here. It was a small comment, that's all." He winced when the saber gave him a glare. "Okay, maybe it was a bit in poor taste, and hypocritical… I think we're only two years apart, so your guess of my age can't be far off. And hey, I left my troop too." He puffed his chest up. "I can handle being on my own as well."
"Uh-huh." Shira backed away, rolling her eyes. "Don't you have your own monkey business to attend to? I'd reckon it's more fun than messing with a feline like me. Herbivores and carnivores aren't supposed to be making chit-chat, you know — rules of nature and all that."
The young ape spread his arms hopelessly. "So I can't check up on someone clearly seems to be alone, maybe offer her some company? Something exciting in her seemingly tiresome life, if the way you look at the waters says anything?"
Shira blinked. How did he sense her melancholy, her frustrations and her secret wants from just her looking at the waters alone? Perhaps the saying that gigantopithecus were amongst the most intelligent, besides mammoths, wasn't completely false after all. "You—you guessed that just from…?"
He gave a small smile, not really happy. "I know how it is from experience…"
She glanced down at her paws. "I'm sorry."
He shrugged. "It's fine. Troops, packs—they're all worthless in the end."
Shira nodded silently, flicking a pebble into the waters. "Sometimes, I wonder what it's like to live out at sea," she murmured softly. "Out at sea, you're not restricted… no one can treat you like you're worth nothing… and—and there's a chance of finding someone who'll have your back."
The ape hesitated. "Maybe…we could try that."
Shira's movements froze. "What?" She faced him with a strange look in her eyes, as if trying to figure him out.
"You know, life on the seas." The gigantopithecus shifted under the saber's gaze.
"We'll have to travel far, and we'll need a ship."
"We can manage. We're, what, fifteen and seventeen? And we'll find an iceberg."
"I don't even know your name," Shira said, in disbelief of how quickly this boy's plan had formed.
"Pasquale," the gigantopithecus introduced himself, extending out a hand.
She stared at his hand for a moment, before slowly placing one of her paws in it. "Shira."
"Shira…that's a fine name, for a fine pirate in the making." Pasquale smirked. "I think, if we work together, this could be the start of a great journey."
Shira hummed, thinking about it. "Hmm, I don't know…" She repeated his name silently in her mind. It sounded nice. His idea was beginning to sound even better, though, the more she thought of it. It'd need some work, but the chance to start a life anew, out at sea—it was all too tempting for the teenage tigress. "Can you promise thrills? Nothing holding us back?"
"Oh there'll be many thrills awaiting," Pasquale chuckled again. "And if anybody tries holding us back, they'll answer to our claws." He held out his own sharp ones, glistening in the moonlight, for emphasis.
Shira smirked. "Alright then, Pasquale… consider me your first crew member."
But that was the past. Now it was just her, and the guilt she carried. The lack of closure. The bitter sweetness of it all. She lost him, and she had to deal with the consequences of it all. The consequences of her choices and the path she took.
To try and dwell from this depressing thought, Shira set her sights upon an antelope. Immediately, she raced after it, letting instinct kick in. She still remembered her father's hunting lessons. She had experience from some of her old bloody battles as a pirate, involving taking down Captain Zirgs, a large horse, and Captain Buvalo, a bison. Though in those cases, she had help from Gutt... but still, she knew how to handle these type of creatures. Sort of.
It proved to be much easier in comparison, mainly due to its size. Antelopes were much smaller than horses or bisons. It helped that this one wasn't as cautious or defensive as well — it actually made the error of slowing down; a big mistake that cost it its life. It lay at her mercy as she dug her claws and fangs in, acquiring her breakfast.
But for a moment, she made her own error afterward. As she was about to dine, she remembered the look of horror in Zirgs' eyes, the fear in Buvalo's, and the way both of them had lay at her mercy. The way she had carelessly lay the killing blow on the first, and watched as Gutt did the final blow on the second. The way she had taken care of the bodies by... devouring them... and the rationalizations she had made, telling herself, "It's the best food you'll get aside from fish and dead gulls Silas brings in." Now though, she felt ill at the very idea. The memory of her past sins weighed in, taunting her as she tried to dig into the antelope's corpse, reminding her of the last cries of her old victims.
"So how's the food for ya, ¿señorita pirata?"
She looked up, ahead to see Diego standing across. She wiped her muzzle clean of her kill's blood and responded, "Bueno." She chose not to address his little nickname for her, no matter how recently outdated it was.
“And life on land?” Diego pressed on, taking a step closer.
Shira paused, hesitant. She would sound insane to even hint that she was mourning her old life, so she spoke slowly, carefully, “It’s a bit hard, but I’ll manage.” She shrugged. “I haven’t been on land in over two decades… but eventually, I’ll get the hang of it, like how I got hang of life on the sea.” Which was smooth as the breeze, in comparison. There were no restrictions in the sea, and there was a sense of belonging. On land, she felt… lost. Confused. Without a place.
But if a tiger could live amongst mammoths, sloths and possums, then a sea-tigress could try to live on solid ground, right? Somehow, as cheerful and whimsy of a question that sounded, she knew it was too idealistic. She knew that a life amongst herbivores wasn’t easy, especially not for their kind — she had lived amongst several while out at sea.
Food had been a subject of concern for the first five years. Even when the others got used to her presence, they still often brought up questions such as how a tigress’ hunger could be resolved. How does a predator hunt prey whilst coexisting with prey? So she knew Diego’s life couldn’t have been that drastically different. The difference was… Manny probably wasn’t as ruthless when helping Diego acquire food. Not like how Gutt was—
“You don’t sound so sure of your own words,” the tiger remarked, eyebrows furrowed.
Shira’s eyes trailed to the ground. “So? Doesn’t matter. I’ll live,” she said, trying to wave him off. “Left my pack, left my crew — I think being alone will do me some good. Better than constant betrayal,” she sighed.
Diego stared for a moment. “Look… I know that Gu— that he,” he corrected himself quickly, “meant something to you. Whether it was the same as Manny means to me or not, it’s clearly bothering you.”
“It was the same as what your friend means to you,” Shira affirmed, looking up. “But it was more to it than that. It was…complicated.” She felt her front legs tremble, almost ready to collapse. She remembered sweet words, whispered into her ears. Moments stolen at night where it be sharing quarters or rubbing on each other. Warm embraces, promises they tried to keep, oaths made, him holding her and— and telling her that she— it was so wrong, so unspeakably wrong. None of these memories were making her happy the way they once had, before her life had changed drastically for the second time. Far from it. These memories were slowly choking her, strangling her, stealing something that had been precious and rare… “We had each other’s backs, but apparently he didn’t mean it. He didn’t keep his promise like your big wooly friend did for you. He—he let me—”
“Shira.”
“…I’m sorry.” It wasn’t enough to say that, not after all she did, but it was all she could muster. A weak apology, she knew — another thing she hated herself for. But pirates rarely apologized, and she was used to never owning up to her faults. She had bathed in them for so long, encouraged by him. Now she had to re-learn, start over, and it was rough. But she would try, even if it meant failures were guaranteed. “I shouldn’t burden you.”
“It’s—no, you’re not a burden. I think I understand,” Diego spoke softly, slowly. “He didn’t keep his word.” He shifted his paws, looking away. “I don’t know what I’d do if Manny…” he paused, taking a breath in. “But he isn’t like that, so I suppose I got lucky.” A bittersweet smile formed on his face. “I had a pack, but when I left it, I gained a herd — a family.” Now it was his turn to sigh. “But, listen…I promise, it’ll get better eventually.”
She raised a brow. “And how do you know?”
“For every miserable experience, there’s something good that awaits,” Diego responded simply. “Every loss has a gain.” He turned to walk away.
Shira tried to think of his words, what they meant. Diego lost his old pack, but he gained Manny and his herd. When Shira lost her father— and in the process, lost the bond she had with her mother shortly after— she had gained Gutt, and a life on the high seas with him. So what did she have to gain now after losing that life, after losing Gutt?
Life was so confusing. Its twist and turns were so bittersweet, strange and quite frankly, a bit frightening. That was certain. But in the end, she gave up trying to wrap her head around it and simply padded off, trying to figure out how to start the day.
A day into her new life.
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Zirgs is a word for 'horse' in Latvian, and Buvalo means 'buffalo' in Czech. These OCs will appear later on in more detailed flashbacks/recollections, I can assure you that. Alongside with Shira's parents, of course.
Spanish words and their meanings:
Bueno - "good"
Señorita pirata - "Miss Pirate"
By the way, regarding the Diego and Shira interaction: it's weird. I know. I'm genuinely sorry if this throws whoever reads this off but like, I was trying to get across that Diego & Manny will parallel as a more...idyllic dynamic in comparison to Gutt & Shira, given the situations are different. Vastly different. And to try and set up the Manny and Diego bromance being a secondary thing while Gutt and Shira romance is the forefront and - well, everyone else's roles fall into place eventually. You'll see.
Praying this was a decent second chapter? We'll get to Gutt again shortly, I promise. Just trying to set up stuff. Trust me, please.
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