Sabor smiled her sardonic smile.

"Oh Kerchak," she sneered, picking up a stick, "We could do this the easy way or the hard way."

Kerchak's eyes widened in annoyance.

"Did you just say what I thought you said," he asked, "You stay away from my family. That is not a request."

"Like you could stop me," Sabor snarled.

She spotted Moonlight in her nest. With the stick in her paw, she broke through Kerchak but Kerchek had her in his grip in seconds."

"This (scratch) is going to (bite) happen whether you (hiss) object or not so you might as well let me through."

Sabor scratched at Kerchek's face causing blood to pour out, but Kerchek continued to hold her in his grip.

The fight continued for a few more moments. Then a young ape named Tazirina saw what Sabor was doing. He took a huge rock and lifted it. He smashed Sabor's head in.

Kerchak hugged the young Ape.

"Well done Tazrina," he said, "Well done."

He heard Sabor gasp one last garbled breath and witnessed the light go out in her eyes.

Sabor was dead.

"Are we going to eat her for dinner," Tazrina asked.

"She's too evil," Karchak replied, "She'd probably poison us out of spite."

Kala came out of her nest. Seeing Karchak's injuries and Sabor dead on the ground her heart jumped into her throat. She reached for Kerchak holding him close.

"How bad were you hurt," she asked him."

Kerchak felt his wounds. He sighed inwardly. They weren't fatal but they hurt a lot.

"It hurts pretty badly," he admitted, "She was trying to get to Moonlight."

Kerchak could see the look on Kala's face. He had only seen that look one time before now.

"I'll watch her," a 3-year-old ape named Culo offered, "You take care of Kerchak."

Kala brought Moonlight to Culo and went to the trees. She took care of applying the leaves gently to his wounds, but he nearly hissed with pain.

"It's worth it," he said, "Moonlight would never have survived this."

"Kerchek," Terk asked when they got back, "Why did Sabor hate us?"

"Well, a long time ago," Kerchak began, "When I was a young Ape I was playing. I went too far and nearly fell off a cliff. Hatchite, Sabor's mother, grabbed me just in time but she went over the cliff herself. This was when Apes and Leopards were friends. Sabor vowed to hurt every member of my family when she watched her mother fall."

"Are we safe now," Terk asked.

"Hey," Kerchak said with a paw on her shoulder, "As long as I'm here you'll always be safe."