"Sid, take Cody and hide." Diego said as he pushed the little cub towards Sid, who picked it up and began to back up slowly while keeping an eye on the parents. He knew that at any moment things were going to blow up, and wanted to do everything he could to help.

"Diego, let me help." Such strange foreign words coming from the sloths mouth, Diego thought for a moment that it wasn't even Sid talking but someone else.

"Sid.. Do as I say." Diego said.

"Come on, I can-"

Diego wasn't having it. "SID!"

"DAD!" Yelled Cody, and after very little afterthought Sid began to distance himself from the Sabers. He ran, not knowing where to go or where to hide. Cody trembled in his arms, and began to sob at the thought of what was about to happen to his parents.

Diego moved closer to Shira, keeping his eye on the enemy saberes in front of them. He held a threatening stare, curling his lips into a snarl and letting out a low growl in an attempt to frighten the smaller one.

"Go take care of Sid. He has no idea where he's going." He said to Shira in a low tone.

"Are you kidding? I'm fighting with you, we can take her easily."

"I won't risk harm coming to you. Go." He pawed at her chest with his hind leg, pushing her away. She resisted, but knew that if she didn't lead Sid to safety that it would take hours to find him. She stepped away begrudgingly, letting out a sharp breath, indicating her distaste at the idea. When they mated she made a promise to stay by his side, and she felt that by leaving him she was breaking it, but knew it was for the greater good.

"Just stay alive." That was the only thing she said to him. She was going to add "Softie" at the end, but figured that the saberess would only use that name as ammo. She turned and ran, tracking down the sloth.

"How cute, protecting your family like that." Terra mocked at Diego. She began to pace, letting loose a low growl from her throat as she said it.

Diego watched her move, moving his eyes in unison with her body. "I try." He said coyly. He contracted his claws, digging them into the dirt a bit. He showed a slight hint of anxiety, and instantly cursed himself for doing it. All he wanted to do was leave, to get back home to his family and forget that this ever happened, but knew that thoughts like these weren't going to help him.

"Why go out of your way to protect that pitiful creature? The sloth is food, not family."

"He's family to me." Diego snapped back quickly.

"Pft, a bit of a sofie aren't we?"

Diego growled at the taunt, and cursed himself again. Why couldn't he keep control of himself?

"Is there any way we can avoid this?" There he goes again. Diego scorned himself internally at the comment. Had his time spent with the herd really softened him up like that? He knew it was inevitable but.. Really?

"Hmm.." Terra lunged at him, claws pointed at his throat. Diego turned, quickly dodging the quick move and jump on her right flank, scratching it up with his own claws. Terra let loose a quick roar and refocused herself, and charged Diego. Diego attempted a parry, but was a bit too slow, earning a gash from Terra's claw on his own leg.

He let show a slight tremble, quickly realizing that the saberess had sharper claws and was faster in her movements. He looked at his leg, quickly assessing the damage and, seeing it as being treatable, continued his defense.

Terra made a quick swipe to his left flank, and Diego dashed away, barely scratching him. With a single push Diego managed to put his weight into knocking Terra onto her side. He was about to pin her when he felt a sharp stinging pain in his right leg. He roared in pain and, with the couple second distraction, turned back right into Terra's claw, scarring his right eye.

"How do you like that!?" She yelled. She paced a bit, panting.

Blood began to pour from his wound, hindering his vision. He growled as the stinging from the blood in his eye began to intensify. He shook his head quickly and zeroed in on the fast approaching tiger. He growled and jumped out of the way, landing awkwardly on his injured leg. He was about to counterattack when he was caught by surprise by his enemy, feeling her jaws clamp down on his front leg.

She had jumped him when he was recuperating from his landing. He learned something new; she was relentless.

"Come ON!" She complained, "This is all you have? I'm gonna kill you, AND that stupid sloth.. It would be more than enough to feed me.."

"Screw you.." Diego retorted. He jumped her and slashed her eye, returning what he had been given. The mere force exerted from his powerful and obviously more robust arm had been enough to violently knock back her head. Blood spewed from the wound and her mouth, caking the ground somewhere a few feet away.

He smiled, but it was short lived. She quickly snapped her head back and stared at him. She then did something he didn't expect... Not from a female anyway. She opened her mouth and revealed a loose tooth. She wiggled it with her tongue, playing with it a bit..mocking him, then proceeded to open up her mouth and pull it out. Diego cringed in disgust from the act, it was one of her teeth right beside her canine. She rolled it in her paw and threw it at him.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you not to hit girls?" She said, still mocking him.

"Self defense, kitty."

"DON'T.. call me kitty.."

Every time..he thought.

She lunged, spitting blood at him. The distraction worked, he quickly raised his paw to deflect the liquid and paid the price instantly..

She pushed him on his side and bit through his paw, impaling it with her smaller but still considerably oversized saber.

Diego yowled and pushed her off. He struggled, wincing at the pain as he raised himself up. He knew that the time for holding back was over. Sid had probably gotten some good distance away from the fight, and no doubt with Shira by his side he figured they were safe. It was at this moment that Diego seemed to shift his own mindset. It was almost like a burning rage kept buried beneath the softened core had let itself loose, a cold bloodedness long let go since Soto.. The time for distraction was over.. He was going to kill her.

She attempted to jump him again, and with swift movement he parried. He wouldn't give her a moment to ready herself. He ran towards her and body slammed her.

Terra yelped in surprise from the amount of force hitting her body. She brought a claw down upon Diego's belly, and both of them hit the raging water.

Shira sighed in disappointment. She found it to be rather easy tracking Sid. In less than a minute she had managed to catch his scent, and his footprints were less than covered. She felt like killing him when she found him, but found that in this moment thoughts like this weren't helpful.

She tracked him to a cave less than a mile away from the waterfall. Not what he meant when he said take him and hide..

She caught his and Cody's scent and walked up to the mouth of it. The cave itself was dark and cold, but didn't seem to be deep. It held a cold, unsettling silence that chilled her to the bone. "Cody?"

"Mom?" She heard in the darkness.

"Yes, are you alright?"

"Yea.. I'm scared.." Cody said as he came out. He nuzzled Shira, who wasn't paying attention, as she found him to be the only one there. this raised concerns.. Angry, deep concerns.

"Honey.. Where is Sid?"

"He told me that you were coming, and that I should wait for you."

"Okay.. But where is he?"

"He said he was going back to help Diego. We could hear everything.. Even from here. He said it didn't sound good, and that he was going to help."

The words made Shira's heart sink. She felt a lump form in her throat, and found herself unable to spell. Sid.. The weakest link.. Was going back to help Diego fight another saber? What had gotten into him?

She wanted to go back, to stop him... But who would stay and watch over Cody? As much as she hated to admit it, she now realized with fright that she had only one option:

Let Sid go.

Another chapter for you guys! I started getting a little bit of writers block again, but finally worked through it.. Just needed a beer :3

Anywho, hope you enjoy it and work on my other fics shall continue.