When the cubs don’t develop according to her expectations, she realizes that they are probably not as sapient-minded as her. She flies into a rage, attacking Bonechewer, biting and crippling the female cub, Thistle-Chaser and abandoning her mate and the litter.
In exile among the Un-Named, Ratha meets a lone male and truly discovers that the clan is wrong about some of the Un-Named - he speaks the language of the Named very well and is as bright as any Named clan member. She dubs him "Bonechewer".