Chapter 37. I think I have about 3 or 4 more chapters to go until I finish Love Through Hate. It will depend on how much time I have. Once again, short, but to the point.

"This should do it." Bobby stacked all the leaves that he, Sam and Flora brought back as well.

"How will they help Cash again? Sandy didn't exactly tell us what she's gonna do with all this." said Flora.

"Probably make an ointment out of it?" suggested Sam. "That's what my mom used to do. There's supposed to be some special juice in it or something that works good on cuts and scratches. And it doesn't sting at all."

"Wow, you really know a lot about medicines." pointed out Bobby.

"Yeah, my mom would always spend time with stuff like this and I would always help her, so I know a thing or two." admitted Sam shyly.

"That's a lot more than a thing or two," said Flora. "You're a natural in this!"

"I guess. I was always more calm and a mama's boy, while Tori, well she was more of a fighter, but we were super close."

Sam told Bobby the story of how he lost his family and how he ended up getting roped into Soto and the pack.

"Tori sounded like a great sister." he smiled. "I am so sorry that this happened to you."

"It's okay, it happened a long time ago, and I eventually had to move on, but Tori is still with me. I'll never forget her."

Flora took another look at Sam's scratch mark. Even though the scar was healing, it was still noticeable and it was still probably able to be treated.

"Flora, you don't have to worry about the scar, it's healing." Sam assured her, but Flora ignored it.

"I think it still needs to be treated."

"Flora-"

"Wait here. I'll go get more leaves."

"Flora, you don't have to-"

Flora already walked away to get more leaves.

"You've got a stubborn sister there." Sam pointed out to Bobby.

"Yeah, it runs in the family." Bobby recalled what his parents told him about their stubbornness.

"Bobby, Sam!" Sandy ran to the duo, followed by Peaches who was carrying Cash on her back.

"Sandy, what's wrong?" asked Bobby seeing her worried face.

"Where's Flora?" asked Peaches.

"She went to get more leaves." replied Sam.

"She did?!" gasped Sandy. "Oh no!"

"What?" asked Sam concerned. "What is it?"

"Oscar went into the woods after he attacked us!"

"Oh no! We gotta go get Flora. Knowing Oscar, he's probably catching up to her by now!"

The five of them ran deeper into the forest.

Meanwhile, Flora decided that she had enough leaves for Sam's ointment. She carried them in her mouth as gently as she could. She didn't want to crush them and have a hideous after taste in her mouth.

When Flora started walking, she heard rustling. Flora merely shrugged and carried on with her walk. But if there was one thing she clearly wasn't thinking about happening was an ambush. Oscar jumped out and pinned Flora to the ground.

"Bet you weren't expecting to see me again, were you Flora?" he smirked.

"Get off me!" growled Flora trying to squirm out of his grip. "Leave me alone!"

"Never happening."

"Dad! Mom! Anyone, help!"

Oscar silenced Flora by putting a paw on her mouth. He whispered to her,

"You might have gotten away from Soto, but that doesn't mean that I can't finish you off."

"Never!" without thinking, Flora bit Oscar's paw as hard as she could. He roared in pain, giving Flora the chance to escape, running as fast as she could.

Painful even without fangs. Mused Flora, still focusing on getting away from Oscar and once again cried out for help.

"Had enough Diego?" hissed Soto still in the middle of a fight with his rival.

"I'm just getting warmed up." replied Diego with an icy tone. He was covered with scratch marks, courtesy of Soto, as Soto wore a scar on his nose."You should know why I'm still not backing down."

"Ah yes, your daughter. Quite a feisty little thing isn't she? I knew that you would come back for her. But one thing that I've been thinking about while she was with us was, how could you love her?"

Diego tensed up. If there was one thing he would never tolerate, it was when somebody discriminated his children.

"Such an abomination. Even if she is your own."

"Don't, you, say, a, word, about, my, DAUGHTER!" roared Diego as he kicked Soto off him with full might, hitting his enemy on a tree.

"Dad, Mom, HELP!" Diego immediately turned his attention away from his enemy and ran to answer his daughter's cry for help, with Shira following him.

"Get back here and fight like a real male!" exploded Soto. As soon as he went after the two concerned parents, Manny grabbed him by the trunk and pinned him against the big tree with his tusks. Diego and Shira ran to help Manny out, but he seemed to be managing well on his own.

"You two go on!" Manny called out to them. "Go help Flora, we'll take care of him!"

Diego and Shira nodded and went to find their distressed child.

"You get back here right now!" roared Oscar to Flora chasing her. Flora was panting and breathing heavily, but that didn't stop her from running away as fast as she could.

"You'll never take me alive!" screamed out Flora.

Proving her wrong, Oscar pounced on Flora, keeping a fierce grip on her.

"Now say good bye." the evil saber raised his drawn claws at the frightened teenager. When they were an inch away, something hit Oscar quick and he rolled down laying motionlessly. Flora looked to see Peaches hit him with a solid log.

"That takes care of Bad Attitude here." she smirked, still having her charm. The mammoth embraced her cousin tightly with her trunk.

"Are you okay Flora, did he do any other harm to you?" asked Peaches.

"I'm okay Peaches, no he didn't hurt me anymore."

"Flora, are you okay?" asked Sandy helping Flora get up by nudging her side.

"I'm fine Sandy, thanks." replied Flora appreciating Sandy's concern over her.

Cash jumped off of Peaches' back not caring about his wound, following Bobby who circled their sister lovingly.

"We were so worried about you." whispered Bobby touching his nose against her cheek.

"I'm so glad that you're still alive." Cash sounded like he was about to break out in tears.

"Cash, Bobby, I'm so sorry for freaking out on you like that. It wasn't-" Flora attempted to apologize but got cut off by Cash.

"It's okay Flora, we're just glad that you're safe."

"We missed you so much." Bobby and Cash snuggled even closer to Flora.

"You guys are really sweet and all, but you're smothering me." said Flora.

"Oh, sorry sis. We're just glad that you're okay."

"Flora!" Sam ran up to her to check on her. "I really thought that Oscar was going to hurt you! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Sam, don't worry about me."

Sam and Flora said nothing. Instead they looked each other with soft smiles and moved their faces a little more closer to each other. They were about to touch their noses, but someone stopped them.

"Flora!" Sam scooted back when we saw Diego and Shira approaching Flora and snuggling her just like her brothers did.

"Mom! Dad!" Flora sobbed tears of joy that she saw her parents again. She licked her mother's cheek and buried her face in her father's shoulder.

"Shh. It's okay Flora, you're safe now. It's okay." Diego comforted his sobbing daughter.

"I was so worried that you guys wouldn't find me."

"Don't you ever bring that up Flora, we would never stop looking for you." Shira placed her chin on Flora's head.

Bobby glanced at Oscar who was barely moving a paw.

"Is he dead?" he asked.

"Nah, just unconscious." Replied Peaches.

Sandy slapped Oscar's face with no effect. "Yep, he's out cold."

Diego then turned his attention on Cash who was still holding his shoulder in pain.

"Let me see it Cash." Diego said to him.

"Dad, it's no big deal, it's just a scratch." but Cash hissed in pain as he touched it.

"Honey, that's a serious wound, we gotta treat that right now." decided Shira. "Let's get a little further away, for all we know, the other sabers could be waiting to ambush us."

The mammoth and the seven sabers went to the edge of the cliff, but kept their distance to prevent the accident with Cash and Sandy from happening again.

"Here they are Lenny!" snarled Zeke who was waiting near the edge of a cliff with his comrade. "Let's get them!"

The two sabers charged at the group, but it was an easy win for them. Finding a broken tree trunk in front of her, Peaches picked it up, swung it at the two sabers with might, and they plummeted down the cliff, screaming.

"Home run!" cheered Sam. Everyone laughed at Sam's joke. Even Diego let out a little chuckle.

"AHH!" they suddenly heard someone yell in the distance.

"Manny!" Diego recognized the yell.

"You go help him Diego." said Shira. "Meet us here when you're done."

Flora gasped.

"You mean that you're gonna fight Soto?"

"I do got to help your uncle." said Diego.

"Dad, you got hurt enough already, let me come with you, I'll help you."

"Flora, no, that monster scarred you enough already. I'll take him."

"But Dad-"

"No buts! You're staying here and waiting until I get back. My choice is final."

"Flora, he's right." Sam agreed with Diego. "It's too dangerous for you."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Flora nodded and watched as Diego ran off to help Manny.

Seeing that everyone was treating Cash's wounds now, Flora was faced with the decision to stay and treat her brother, or to ditch him and help her father. Quickly deciding, she ran the same direction Diego was heading, disappearing undetected. At least that's what she thought.

"Flora!" Sam called to her only to be ignored by her.

So Oscar's out cold, Zeke and Lenny fell of a cliff, and now Diego went to help out Manny, followed by Flora going without Diego knowing to help him help Manny. What's gonna happen in the next chapter?