"My UNCLE?!" Rac said hoarsely, her greenish gold eyes wide with shock. "We were told our aunt and uncle were dead...how can he be alive? Is she alive, too?"

Her mother sighed greatly, Bai's spotted head hanging low. Rac could tell it pained her to retell a story that must have been buried for a long time. "When your father was young, he had a great temper that got him into much trouble. It made his sister, Raja, sick with worry. Many a time Dingo came home with a new cut or a twisted paw from a scrap he most likely started. Every once in awhile, Ravi would be limping at his side with blood smeared somewhere on his striped pelt.

One day, Ravi was being carried between Dingo and Raja, who decided to look out for her young brother. That was the last straw. Once Ravi was conscious, Borjin, their father, heard his part of the story and snapped. He gave Dingo a lesson he wasn't going to forget easily.

This is the reason Dingo never showed his temper again, and the reason it flared up today."

The young she-cat asked, "What happened?" right before roars of different levels erupted in front of the huddle of sabers. Heads shot up or whipped around in sudden fear and shock. "Ravi!"

Blood spilled on the snow from a deep wound in the shoulder of the striped male saber, his brother's canines red and gleaming. Ravi screamed in rage once more, the pain evident in his eyes. He fell hard on his injured side, the limb no longer being able to support his weight.

"Ravi!" roared Rac in panic and attempted to help him. Bai and Rahman latched onto her, pressing her into the cold snow. "Dad is going to kill him!" she shouted, trying to get loose.

Dingo slowly stalked toward his brother, his spotted fur bristling. His lips were drawn back in a terrible snarl, golden eyes bright with a fire that made Rac fight against her brother and mother all the more.

"Let me go! Let me go!" she continued to growl and hiss, taking great care not to hurt Bai and Rahman in the process.

"Why?" The word cut through the air, pushed by a power that made every saber shiver in their fur. It came from the rapidly fading Ravi; he was losing much blood from the great wound on his shoulder. The soaked snow around him grew as it seeped farther away.

Paw steps halted a few inches away from Ravi. "Because," began Dingo in a chilling whisper, "you ruined my cubhood. You told Father about the fight after promising you wouldn't. It was me who was punished even though I saved your life. It was me who suffered for five moons while you recovered, being pampered by Raja, while I had hunting duty alone."

Coughing up blood, Ravi managed a rough purr. "Father had a right to know. Our allies were in trouble, dire wolves were after their cubs and elders."

"But you made it sound like it was my fault Peeka died!" growled the spotted saber savagely. Dingo pressed his claws into his brother's bleeding chest. Ravi growled softly in agony.

"I didn't mean to, brother." The striped saber's eyes were a dull gold from pain and blood loss. Yet, the fire of life could still be seen past the glaze. "Please help me."

"Dingo, help your brother. He saved your hide that day," pleaded Bai with a small whine. "I know what he did wasn't fair, but don't risk his life for it. The pack needs him..."

The saber in question whipped around with a snarl. Dingo snapped his jaws close to his mate's face, causing her to stumble backwards in shock. "He abandoned the pack, Bai! My own brother left us for some she-cat he barely knew!" roared the spotted male. Birds took flight quickly at the sudden noise, and the sound of hooves disappeared out of hearing range.