"Ujare-" Zamara mumbled. "Ujare!"
"I am Ujare!" he corrected. "I am Ujare you fool! I am Ujare, firstborn of Ramnez' wolf safe haven! I am the first and the last, the alpha and the omega, and you will all die before me, and Ramnez my leader!"
"Lies!" Zamara shouted to him. "Lies! Lies! Lies! You, Ujare, are a traitor to wolfkind!" Veram walked in just then.
"What's going on?" he asked, clueless.
"Your death!" Ujare yelled out. "Hunters, abandon your hiding spots!" Hair-heavy heads poked out of mud patches in the ground. Ujare cried, "Prepare to fire!" stepping behind the hunters. "They shall be made into the finest fur coats!"
"You cannot do this!" screamed Veram. "We cannot let this happen!" He turned to Zamara. "Zamara!" he cried. "Do something!"
"Our powers," Zamara muttered.
Ujare said loudly, "Don't you forget? My secret power?" He pressed his paw into the ground. "My secret power is the ability to remove any wolf around me of their power. You said it yourself. 'In case all hail storms break loose,' you know?"
"When the horse hoof did you give him powers?" Veram asked harshly.
"I gave him powers because-" Zamara said, pausing. "I gave him-" She scratched herself with her claws. "I never gave you powers," she realized, to Ujare's delight.
"You didn't," said Veram, correcting himself. "Your father did. And his father gave it to him, and his father gave it to him. I am your brother, Zamara. I, being the firstborn son of Hawe, inherited the power to remove powers. Including-" He inhaled deeply, exhaling merely a snort of wind. "-yours," he finished. "Now, let the taking begin."
Rena's squeaky voice could be heard, shouting, "I wouldn't be too sure about that!" Rena leaped into the scene, biting and kicking. "We are wolves!" she howled. "Let's fight like them!"
"We are wolves," Zamara repeated. "Let's fight like them." Zamara pounced at Ujare, who shifted to the left just as she landed. Growling at each other madly. "A standoff," Ramnez said to himself, watching them fight. "A deadly standoff, at that."
"You betrayed your own kind." Zamara said, accusatory in tone. "You betrayed the wolves- you betrayed us all…" Ujare hissed, flaunting his teeth. Zamara reciprocated. "Like the son of a barking-wolf you are, you never told us about the hunters' scheme until now!"
"Son of a barking-wolf…" Ujare muttered. "Nice euphemism- dumb child!" Ujare struck the ground with his battered feet, kicking dust into the air with his bruised leg. "You are but a mere speck in this universe. Five universes actually."
Zamara asked, "What do you mean- five?" She gave Ujare a look sharper than a blade, prodding the answer out of him.
Ujare explained with, "This universe was actually five combined. Matta, a celestial being with a spirit that is neither of a god or a mortal, merged these five to protect them from the hunters. They came anyway, and created us."
"And how did they get here?" asked Zamara.
"Glad you asked," said Ujare. "Please- indulge in this story- it's a long one." Zamara and Ujare took seats. "The hunters came here from a planet named Tahon, a planet where all wolves went extinct but three. They bred two of these wolves to create me: the first natural-born citizen of this planet. Their plan was to grow the wolf population enough so they could continue their killings. Of course, they will still spare me and you. But the others-" He made a clicking sound with his tongue. "-not so much sweetie."
"My father called me that," Zamara cried. "I will not let you call me what my father calls me!"
"Too bad," said Ujare. "You'll be called that a lot under my rule- sweetie-" THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. The repeated thumping distracted him. Both Ujare and Zamara slowly turned around. Zamara sighed with disbelief. Ujare, nervous, inside and outside. The hunters stood behind them, their weapons now pointed not only at Zamara, but also at Ujare.