Ice Age: Unwanted Melting of Fate [Sequel to The Misfit Herd]

Chapter 8: Separated When The Danger Rises

A/N: I know it has been a while since I last updated, and this time, I thankfully have good news to share. The sickness that hit me hard, it was getting worse as the months went on to where it was hard to even eat and sadly I had lost someone very important in my life during that time as well. It has been a really rough year especially when 2023 started because of all of that, but I thankfully got approved for the surgery I needed and it was a success. It took quite a bit of time to recover for me and even now I still have some days of weakness but I'm doing so much better now.

I apologize for taking so long, as my health and life were up, down, and all around, and it's only just recently been stabilizing again. I wanted to get back to writing again, even if my brain and body haven't felt 100% up to it but I wanted to give something to you guys instead of making you wait again any longer. The chapter, again, is shorter than usual and not my usual style of writing, It'll probably feel forced, rushed, and lacking in some areas so there's that heads-up, and again I am sorry for it.

Anyway, I hope you guys like the next part of Jade's story~!------------------------------

To say the Plates of Woe were dangerous would be an understatement, to say the least. I couldn't almost believe that something like this existed. Every single step I took made it feel like the earth would give out right underneath us. The land around us made that tower incident from before that had us all wobbling for dear life look tame and like child's play honestly.

I could feel the tremor in my legs with each step I took, fearing that it would be the last one I took from just how much the land would shift and wobble underneath my paws.

"Don't look down Jade, don't look down. Whatever you do, don't look down." I had to keep repeating to myself, not wanting to repeat that incident either after learning my lesson from the last time and not wanting to be paralyzed with fear again.

"Jade? You doing okay?" I heard the call and it made my eyes look away from Ellie who I was walking behind to meet Andreas's gaze, who was way up in front leading the pack with Buck.

"F-Fine! F-Fine... I'm doing fine!" I replied, calling back out to the dark-fur saber though my voice stuttered a bit.

Andreas stared at me for a moment, as if debating whether or not I was telling the truth but he seemed to cave in last second and started walking again when the possums had passed by him alongside Buck.

However just as he went to put a paw down, the surface of the rock beside the four broke and crumbled to the long drop-down, making me gulp with the paralyzing fear threatening to grip me tight as I had to force myself to look away from the sight.

My heart was beating rapidly in my chest, it felt nearly impossible to breathe to a degree that I thought I would get light-headed and just faint right then and there, leaving my fate to topple off the side and fall the long way down.

I kept looking at Ellie, making sure she was okay and forcing myself to be distracted by talking to her once I saw her looking down as well.

"Y-You... you doing okay, Ellie?" I asked her in a small gentle voice. "You're not feeling bad or anything?"

The mammoth shook her head, swallowing a bit of fear that was evident in her eyes as she turned her head to look back at me. "No... no I'm doing okay, Jade. Thanks. Are you-?"

But her question was cut off as sure enough, she started wincing and groaning in pain right then and there on the spot, her eyes shut tight as she curled inward on herself while hugging her abdomen tightly. That expression of pain said it all and I was starting to fear the worst for even though I wasn't well-educated on pregnancies and stuff, I knew that it was possible that Ellie could either be a) ready to deliver her baby or b) all the stress of everything was getting to her and it would be forcing her baby to come earlier than they were supposed to.