"They will kill them and eat them, if they encounter them now. They will bear our scents, since we have been tending them. Shurlups' Stripetail paused as he began performing the autopsy, " give off a certain scent, as do other creatures. Dogs, cats, humans, all give off scents. They use that scent, as do other creatures, to identify themselves. Often, a Shurlup group will kill those from another group, and will isolate them by scent. We must protect the cubs, they are dependent on us now...Their mother would have ensured their protection and acceptance by the others, but since she is dead, we must fulfill her duties for them."