Rata was torn...he wanted to protect this nicheling, but why? That wasn't going to elevate his status in the tribe. In fact, it would lower their respect for him if he ran off with her. But he felt a kin-ship with her that came from them bth being at the bottom of the totem-pole, and perhaps something else too... You've been down that road before, all it brings is pain. Yet he wanted so much to be loved, and to love. The tribe could defend themselves for a bit, he had to make sure she was OK. Even if she never loved him back, he had to protect her. He couldn't endure a loss like that again, knowing he could've prevented it. While the rest of the tribe was deciding who would do what, he slipped away into the grasses after her. [Also if anyone is wondering, Rata's picker is really broken.....so yeah....]