"Okay, only check a small portion since most of our borders are pretty strong, got it?" Origanum said to the group of Scouters- plus Storm, who signed up to join them, filling the requirement of having at least one warrior on a patrol. "If I find out that any cat decided to take a step outside of the territory, you'll get kicked out of the tribe!" The fire in her eyes tripled and she staggered, facing the patrol with a menacing smile.

     The scouters and Storm became quiet. Origanum nodded, returning back to the tame kitty she was; no longer the furious and ferocious lion. Wildflower let out an exhale in her head. 

     Maybe if she would be like that more often, it would make more sense she's the Alpha. If only. Wildflower felt herself smile.

     "And!" Origanum snapped, causing that smile to snap back into a stoic expression. The Alpha's eyes landed on Wildflower directly. "Make sure that Wildflower's first patrol goes perfectly."

     Once again, each cat nodded in sync, respecting her wishes. Thunder was in charge of the patrol this time. Crow and Brook sat beside Wildflower and they gave her a reassuring look, calming her down the slightest. Storm took her position in the back of the group to defend. The rest of the patrol was silent as Origanum went on.

     I swear this isn't our Alpha.

     Thunder twitched his tail and the rest of the Scouters all lined up. By the ranks, it was Thunder, Brook, Crow, Wildflower, and then Storm. Just as the tom set off, her eyes dropped to the ground and quickly scanned the march before applying it herself. Down the hill, the patrol marched in a line, keeping pace and even steps. If she was off by a second or two, the warrior didn't tell her.

     The second hunting patrol came up from the foot of the mountain. Wildflower caught sight of the prey in their jaws. The head hunter, Shade, held a massive hare proudly while the rest of the patrol seemed to have a small finch or bird in their jaws. They passed by without a word or sharing a friendly look. 

     As the patrol left the mountain, Thunder turned and directed the patrol into their territory. She took notice of the scenery, getting a feel to her new home. The trees stood high and proud, their leaves branching out to absorb any ounce of sunlight that should come their way. Wildflower felt at peace around here, knowing nothing would come out and attack them - at least, an Imperfect wouldn't. Even if they were attacked, she was confident that Storm could hold them off. 

     Storm was quick to spot every inch of movement around her. When the patrol circled up to take a certain section of the land they were patrolling, her eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, scanning the area as if a fox or badger were to fall out of the sky. Her eyes darted and her tail whisked across the dirt clearing, ready to pounce at any given danger. The scouters hardly noticed and continued their assignment. 

     "Wildflower, I want you to patrol with Crow today," Thunder ordered, pointing his tail at the black tom. Crow nodded and got up to sit behind Wildflower. "That way, you'll get used to how things go around."

     Wildflower nodded, determined to prove herself as her heart elevated with excitement. But what's the purpose of this? I've been training for a while and I still can't do anything by myself. She didn't say her frustration out loud but did glance at Storm. The she-cat didn't look over and waited for Thunder's next orders.

     "I'll be taking the north side. Brook, take the south, and then you two." Thunder looked at both of the lower-ranking scouters. "Take the west and east side. Only go as far as the Fallen Tree."

     Fallen Tree? Wildflower wondered. What's this all about?

     "And Storm," Thunder mentioned the young warrior, who jumped up and spiked her fur out. Storm gulped and forced her fur to lie flat, and the orange scouter dipped his head. "I want you to keep an eye out on the younger scouters."

     She raised her tail to speak. Thunder nodded at her briskly. "What about you and Brook?"

     "We're able to handle ourselves," Brook reassured in Thunder's place. "After all, we've been a warrior before; it won't be a big deal if we end up attacked," the tabby tom explained. "We are perfect, after all." He grinned at Storm, who didn't reply to him. 

     "Brook's correct, Storm. Since Wildflower just joined us yesterday, we want her to get use to the Scouter's job. I do believe that she has the capability to fight, but that's not the case." Thunder locked eyes with Wildflower. "We want you to know that as a scouter, you're only allowed to patrol, not fight."

     Then why do you get to fight? Wildflower questioned, irritated. Her thought didn't reach Thunder. Is it because you were already a warrior before? Same as Brook?

     "And Crow has stayed a scouter ever since he joined," Thunder finished the lecture. "I don't want him to engage in any close combat."

     Storm got up, ready to take action. Something about the she-cat made her feel safe. Where it would've taken moons to lighten up, she felt comfortable around her. Almost as if she'd known the cat for a while. Wildflower couldn't help but eye the white and silver cat.

     "Now, return here once everything has been checked properly," Thunder commanded. "No mistakes."

     My first patrol is happening soon. Oh, this is going to be amazing! The only thing that bothered her was Thunder wouldn't stop explaining out information she already knew - not that Maple or Blaze ever did that to her before.

     With a flick of his tail, the patrol split up. Wildflower, right behind Crow, tried to contain her fidgeting as he lead the patrol. Storm followed behind them like a lamb, becoming alert once again. At first, they headed east to check the scents out.

     To Wildflower, it was a normal forest. The trees were healthy and fresh, except for the ones on the bottom - of course. Birds flew overhead, signing their soft melodies into the wind. The song drifted across the territory and into her ears, relaxing her tense muscles. Crow was by a tree, sniffing the base and plants around before he slipped behind. 

     Storm, despite not marking the borders, checked the area, pointing out to her where the scent wasn't as strong. As she waited, her eyes twitched uncontrollably, refusing to let single leaf go unnoticed. When Wildflower moved onto the next section, the gray and white she-cat moved on ahead as Crow moved onto the next tree, watching the two carefully.

     The snap of a twig sounded.

     Storm jumped up and flung herself at the sound in a matter of seconds. Crow and Wildflower jumped, tensing up as their fur rose and claws slid out. Hissing and snarling erupted from where the warrior left off. She looked at Crow and the tom shared the same expression and question. 

     How an intruder got in was a question. The scent around them was fresh and it reeked all over the place. Whoever couldn't smell the scent was stupid or lost their sense of smell. All Wildflower hoped it was this cat lost their sense of smell. 

     In this tribe, if we find an intruder, we're ordered to kill them. No questions asked. My first day and a possible first kill. Wildflower grinned. It's almost too good to be true. 

     Wildflower burst into the clearing and found a rabbit. 

     Storm sat up triumphantly, the rabbit dangling in her jaws. Her eyes shined happily at her catch. Crow pushed his way in, spotted the prey, and stopped like Wildflower. They both exchanged looks with each other.

     Storm rolled her eyes, spitting out the prey. "I know I'm no hunter but its prey. We should be thankful," she persisted. 

     Crow cleared his throat. "Well, yes," he said, trailing his eyes to the ground. Studying his paws a little too much. "We should be thankful, but if Origanum finds out..."

     "I wouldn't think she'd care," Storm quickly replied and abruptly. "Anyway, I can carry this. You guys done already?"

     "Almost!" Wildflower chirped, finishing the last tree. It wasn't much since they only marked a little bit from the mountainside. She peered up at the high figure, watching as the sun rose from the ground.

     Rising into the sky. Just like a butterfly.

     The sunlight's rays dressed Wildflower, making her close her eyes from its warm light. She let out a sigh of relief, tasting the light. Once done, she turned around to follow Crow, who just passed by Storm, who held her prey happily.

     What Wildflower couldn't understand was why she looked so much like Cherry. Their eyes lit up the same way and how happy they were when they caught something. Even though she felt safe around Storm, she couldn't quite be at peace. Something about her screamed innocence and trust. 

     What's it I feel now? She gritted her teeth and followed after Crow.

     Storm didn't take any notice to Wildflower's changed emotion.

     Wildflower frowned, thinking about something that Thunder mentioned, deciding that would take her mind off Storm. The Fallen Tree. What exactly is that? There are plenty of trees that have fallen because they couldn't stand anymore. What's so special about this one?

     "Crow," Wildflower said. His right ear flicked, giving her permission. Storm moved out of the way, keeping her head low. "I'd like to know about this 'Fallen Tree' if you don't mind."

     Crow sighed and sat down, which she followed. Storm continued to remain still and silent. The black tom looked up at her. "The Fallen Tree is a sign from the Tribe of Endless Stars. It was a reminder of imperfection."

     Imperfection. Who messed up?

     "From what I know, a cat many moons ago tried to escape. Origanum wasn't the Alpha yet, another cat was, but this cat had kits. The cat tried to escape but was caught by the tribe. Instead, she climbed up the Fallen Tree and hoped to escape with her kits."

     Why would you bring kits with you? Unless they were trained. Wait. Wildflower raised her tail. Crow stopped his speech. "How old were the kits?"

     Storm raised her tail. Crow flicked his ear at her. "From what I know, she had four kits. Two of them were able to walk, another was a newborn, and another was still in her stomach."

     "Anyway, she climbed up the tree, desperate to save her kits. From there, the Tribe of Endless Stars sent a lightning bolt, striking the tree where the cat had climbed." Crow pointed to the east. "I'll show you, but the tree fell, killing the cat and her kits along with it."

     "And... what did the tribe do about that?" Wildflower questioned, feeling her fur rise on her back. 

     "They never found the bodies," Storm answered. "Though a few days later, they said they found something strange going on. We sent spies after them but they were gone. We believe the Fallen Tree killed them."

     "How could they not find the body?" Wildflower asked.

     Crow shrugged at her. "I only know the basics. A cat tried to escape, failed, and killed herself and her kits."

     Storm looked at Wildflower. "If you desire to know, I'd ask an ancient. Maybe they would know."

     Wildflower forced herself to nod. Looking satisfied, Crow took off. The rest followed after him as they went towards the Fallen Tree to remark the scents. Her mind was already wandering off now. 

     That doesn't make sense. A cat always leaves a body when they die. Since we can pick up the scents well, it shouldn't have been hard to find the bodies. Wildflower looked at her paws as they marched on.

     My other question, which could be like how those other Imperfects are all siblings and related. Wildflower growled at the thought of those disgusting cats.

     How can a cat have two kits that can walk, a newborn, and expect another at the same time?