I've only ever heard of stories where a mother and father never care about their kits. Hurricane felt lost, knowing that such tales existed and she refused to take them seriously. I've never really thought of it... Maybe when I thought about that, I just imagined a mother and father shoving prey in their face and then leaving.

     "This is why you were born in the perfect world," her mind recalled. "Imperfects have abusive parents. You, born in the perfect world, had everything good. Isn't that great?"

     Hurricane felt a cold grin stretch across her face. Something was stirring inside of her, urging her to attack. The Storm Sibling lifted her darkened eyes on Wildfire. In front of her, the little she-cat was jumping happily beside Blizzard.

     "Go ahead, kill her," the voice urged.

     "Hurricane?" Tsunami asked worriedly, her blue eyes casting a soft glow into her. The golden she-cat shook her head, now just snapping back into the world. "What's going on?"

     "Does it concern you?" she hissed through gritted teeth and a pounding headache. "Why are you even watching me?"

     "I wasn't watching you!" Tsunami claimed, attracting the rest of the Storm Siblings attention. "I just sensed something!"

     "Tsunami's hard to get to." Firestorm stepped in. "Try not to let it get to you. I'm sure you'll have your own share of backlash from the rest of us."

     "Stop!" Tsunami roared. "I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't trust her! Even after I told myself I have to let her join the Storm Siblings! It's not normal!"

     "Stop being so tight and acting like a spoiled kit," Lightning growled, turning hostile. "We can't do anything about it now."

     "And let's see you!" Tsunami snarled. The black and white she-cat growled and stomped her foot on the ground. "I know you don't trust her."

     "That's right, I don't." The words cut deep into Hurricane. "But at least I'm mature enough to not say what's on my mind all the time." Lightning lifted his head, snorting in disgust. 

     "Tsunami," Firestorm growled. "Just let it go for now. None of us are used to it but you still have a job to complete."

     "Fine!" Tsunami snapped, her pelt spiked out. "Just give me a few minutes." She stormed off in front of them, leaving without a trace. 

     Blizzard didn't get up to chase after her, and Lightning snorted again, avoiding eye contact with the rest of his siblings. Firestorm stepped forward, taking them in the direction of the path. Seeing how the rest of them left, she followed quietly, hoping that there weren't any cats out exploring when they came out of the bushes. If that did happen, she could see a battle unfold and that could result in her death along with the Storm Siblings.

     Hurricane was left in silence until Wildfire spoke up, looking sad. The golden she-cat bounced over and nudged her, getting her attention on the she-cat. 

     "It's not her fault. She just doesn't trust cats very easily," she explained, hoping it would lift Hurricane's spirits.

     "What?" she asked, looking down at the little she-cat.

     "There was a time when Tsunami was a completely different cat," Blizzard explained, looking after Tsunami's trail longingly. "Her main problem is being naive and sensitive, even though she doesn't want to admit it.

     "Her first friend was Mint. Then she tried to kill Tsunami. She nearly succeeded, slaughtering our sister. The next cat was called Pepper and she joined her team, becoming very close and a reliable ally to her. The day came when Pepper betrayed Tsunami for something little, and our sister began to change ever so slowly.

     "Peppermint was the last friend Tsunami ever got along with from the start. When she found out she was being used, Tsunami was the one who killed her. She became friends with Berry and Drizzle afterward, but it took moons for her to finally open up and lean on them. Ever since, she doesn't like seeing mint or welcoming a cat that everyone else seems so keen on trusting." Blizzard locked eyes with Hurricane. 

     She swallowed the bile in her mouth. "Do you all have tragic backstories like her?" Hurricane asked, wrinkling her nose.

     "No," Lightning growled. "Unless having a mother that never loved you counted."

     "Not tragic," Hurricane replied.

     "Shut up," Lightning grumbled.

     On cue, Tsunami leapt down a tree, causing Hurricane to jump back in surprise. The rest of the patrol stopped she looked over to the leaf the calico brushed away, heart momentarily stopping. The very trail she traveled once to reach the Tribe of Shining Suns stretched before her, taunting her. Her legs shook, ready to break.

     The rest of the territory was painted over her eyes, down to each twig and leaf. She saw the Fallen Tree and the Training Den. Faint pawprints of cats on the dusty trail marked the shifts and the prey scurried across the forest, looking for a berry to nibble on. It was the Tribe of Shining Sun's territory. Hurricane felt the bile begin to rise up in her throat.

     Her heart pounded against her chest like a woodpecker on a tree, her legs made up from flimsy twigs. Standing took too much energy as her body switched gears. Again, Hurricane fell into another world that blared flashing lights. Painful icicles rained down on her, thorns as long as her leg fired out at her, and a menacing grin towered over her.

     "What's this? Too scared?"

     "...attack on my signal." Blizzard whispered. Hurricane threw herself against the walls caging her like a bird. The walls shattered to pieces and she stepped over the shards. Her eyes met Tsunami, who was up in the trees, waiting impatiently for her to join.

     Hurricane, not knowing what was happening, leapt onto a tree nearby Tsunami, clutching the trunk as Firestorm, Blizzard, Lightning, and Wildfire gathered in a circle. The Imperfect climbed the tree, grunting. She latched her claws into the bark of the tree and scaled it swiftly, weaving between the branches. The highest branch came into view and she set her eyes on that, paws extended for it. She swung herself up, cautiously keeping her eyes on its swaying. 

     "Come on," Tsunami hissed, bunching her muscles together. "They'll follow us. We just have to find the den and get out." The she-cat leaped to another nearby branch. The branch moaned as it fell under her weight. Hurricane leaped beside her, her branch crying out as well when she landed on it successfully - and in perfect form, to her joy.

     The golden she-cat clung onto the skinny branch, wishing that it wouldn't snap as she patiently waited for it to stop moving so she could balance herself. Despite the swaying branch, Tsunami readied herself, hopping branch to branch. Hurricane's eyes widened as the end of the branch tipped down. The calico launched herself, barely gathering the required energy in her hind legs.

     In seconds, Hurricane raced across her branch, gathered her strength in her legs and leapt. Tsunami's leap was short, just as she predicted it would be. Like last time, the Storm Sibling fell and panicked, reaching out to catch something to hold onto, the ground coming closer. 

     She aimed for the she-cat and reached her front paws out, latching herself onto Tsunami's pelt. The calico sputtered in disbelief, struggling to twist as they fell. Hurricane scrambled to adjust the fall, letting herself dive underneath the Imperfect, bracing her legs and body for the impact. They hit the ground and her knees wobbled, falling over a second later with the black and white cat rolling off her back and into the forest, eyes facing the sky as her chest heaved. 

     "What happened?!" Blizzard cried, rushing towards the both of them. Right in the middle of the trail, Tsunami had her back faced away from her sister but gave Hurricane a look that either meant she wasn't sure whether to thank her or berate her. 

     "It's all good," Hurricane whispered to the younger she-cat. She flinched as she pushed herself back up. 

     "Thanks," Tsunami muttered softly, only meant for Hurricane's ears. A sense of relief flowed through her like a river. 

     The rest of the Storm Siblings ran into the clearing, eyes scanned for danger. 

     "Did something---" Firestorm was cut off by his sister.

     "It's okay," Tsunami replied. "I got eager and messed up my footing."

     "But---"

     "It's fine," insisted Tsunami, growling. "You're really stubborn, Brother."

     Nobody spoke to Hurricane, which made her a little bit disappointed that they didn't look out for her, but she shook it off, glad to see Tsunami was fine. She looked at the path and held her breath, unsure if she could step onto it.

     After seeing the two were fine, the rest of the group passed through the borderline freely and bled into the forest in front of them. Hurricane stood at the end of the territory, taking a deep breath but still couldn't set her paw down.

     It was like an invisible border was blocking her entrance. Gulping down her anxiety, she pushed herself forward, squeezing her eyes shut. Her ears were on alert, twitching and flicking at each given sound. She couldn't help but peer her eyes open, wishing there was something in the right side that she didn't recognize. 

     The only thing that was different was the destroyed path of mint and she knew that Heather would freak out at the sight of the dirted leaves. Hurricane silently plucked one leaf that wasn't as smashed as the others and placed it in the center, knowing that a spy or healer would be able to find it and replant it somewhere else. 

     She followed the Storm Siblings through the territory, keeping herself focused on their scent rather than the familiar territory. After some time, she finally ran into Lightning, who had his ears perked as he sketched a map in his head. 

     "We found it!" Wildfire squeaked happily, poking her head out from a bush to Hurricane's left. She jumped back in surprise, back legs stopping her fall. "The fox's den! There's only one, so we should be able to fix up this error quickly!"

     "Are you going to---"

     A yelp from the distance gave her the answer she sought out. Another yowl came afterward, this one belonging to a cat. Growls and snarls rose up from the distance and Lightning whirled around, eyes on alert as he stepped back, ready to run. Hurricane swirled around, catching sight of the mountain that stood high above her. 

     If a patrol comes here, we're dead! Hurricane spun back around, following Wildfire as she ran towards the small battle. Hurricane broke through the bushes to see Firestorm on top of the fox and Blizzard was challenging it head-on, barely standing a chance against the savage animal's attacks. Hurricane barely had any time to figure out what was going on before Tsunami fell out of the sky, landing squarely on the fox's tiny head, digging her claws into its face.

     Lightning was quick to join the battle against Wildfire's plan, diving below the fox just as it reared up from Tsunami's attack, lashing its paw out and clamped it against the she-cat's side, causing her to growl in pain. Blizzard lunged for the open paw and locked herself around it, holding it down just as her younger brother thrust his legs into the fox's underbelly, making it yowl. Firestorm held tight, keeping himself on the animal's back even when it reared up.

     For Imperfects... Hurricane watched, capturing each moment of the fight. They're strong. Why did they seem so weak before? 

     "Hurricane," Wildfire said, pointing her tail next to Lightning. "Can you manage to push it over? By yourself?"

     "Uh..." I've never battled a fox head to head, but it shouldn't be that hard... "I can try," she assured, unleashing her claws. 

     "We don't need failure. On these kinds of tasks, we can't accept that," Wildfire pushed, voice hardening. Hurricane hesitated, her nerves starting to infect her mind. "If you can't throw the fox over, then the plan will go up in flames. If you can, I'm ordering the rest of the group to back off. When you throw it onto the ground, we'll all attack."

     "Are you sure about this?" Hurricane asked as Lightning tore away, ripping tufts of white fur with him. The fox let out a yelp, but Firestorm grabbed its attention by biting its ear. Even without her help, the four of them seemed to handle the fight better than what she could. Tsunami dove for its hind legs, knocking it onto its rear. The fox fell down, leaving an opening for Blizzard to unlatch herself and swipe. 

     "Hurricane, do it," Wildfire ordered, getting impatient. "Now!"

     "What?!"

     "Nah! We just lost it!" she scowled, cursing to herself. She glared at Hurricane, eyes flashing with a sense of rage she hadn't seen before. "Trust me!" Wildfire screeched. "If you want to become a Storm Sibling, you have to listen and trust me! Go on my signal!"

     Lightning was kicked in the underbelly by a clawed back paw. He scrambled back on his paws and leaped forward after he recovered with Tsunami behind him, eyes planted on the fox. Blizzard and Firestorm teamed up and pinned the fox down in the front, keeping its head down as it struggled to get up. The two cats struggled to keep it pinned, and their younger siblings rushed into battle, taking their place just as the fox broke free. 

     Hurricane flinched as Blizzard adjusted herself and took the fall damage for both her and Firestorm. Lightning dove under the fox again, getting it to rear up again and Tsunami lunged, wrapping herself around the fox's neck like a snake. She was shaken loose like a cobweb and the tan-colored tom beneath it barely escaped as the fox got back down. 

     Firestorm took the lead and slashed a paw across the fox's face, making it yelp and Lightning spun around, climbing onto its back. The two toms teamed up and the fox growled, lashing out just as Tsunami and Blizzard got to their paws. 

     Then the fox reared up again, stabbing Blizzard in the cheek as it did so. 

     "Get back!" Wildfire roared. "Ready, set, and go! Get away now!"

     Hurricane charged forward as Firestorm, Blizzard, Lightning, and Tsunami ran, their pelts flying past her as she went for the weakened animal. Hurricane threw herself at the fox. The impact threw the fox back on the ground and she slammed her paws down on its underbelly, hoping she was strong enough to hold it.

     She sunk her front paws into its chest, seeing the scarlet liquid run down. The fox leaned over, lashing a paw out on her pelt. Hurricane flinched but stayed rooted where she was, clenching her teeth to endure the whips. It let out yelps as she tore away some of its fur to reach its neck.

     Come on already! Give the signal! Hurricane thought, receiving a bloody slash that trailed down her right shoulder, making her stumble. Switching her weight onto her left side, she pushed harder, letting out a ferocious snarl in hopes of frightening the wild animal.

     "Storm Siblings, attack!" Wildfire cried and Hurricane and the fox were blown over at the incoming force of four cats. The fox let out a yelp at the new wave, while she was squashed under the weight, claws pushing further into its chest. 

     The attempts of the struggling fox were soon weakening. Hurricane didn't know who was being attacked - her or the fox. From the weight pressing against her back like a mountain, she assumed that Lightning and Blizzard were putting everything they could muster into pushing her down all the while reaching for the throat. Wildfire was rapidly slashing at its hind legs, obviously weaker than the others but was nimble and quick, able to avoid the random kicks from it. Firestorm and Tsunami circled around the pile, waiting for resistance.

     Through all of the chaos, Hurricane felt the fox going limp. It lost its strength and the battle. She was ready to get off, but the rest of the group said otherwise. She could only hold her breath and wait for the havoc to end while Blizzard and Lightning pressed against her back. 

     Stop, it lost already, Hurricane weakly thought, gasping for breath. The fox was whimpering now, knowing it lost. The cries reached her ears and pulled the heartstrings. The Storm Sibling looked down at its pleading, black eyes. She froze, not knowing what to as the weight on her back increased.

     "Kill! Kill it!" screeched her mind. 

     "I---" Hurricane barely had enough time to utter her words out before claws forcefully yanked her away, allowing Firestorm to slash at its exposed neck. A howl of pain shook the trees. Wildfire was at her side, watching as her brother went for the killing blow. The fox gave one last cry and then fell still, its neck locked in the jaws of the oldest Storm Sibling. 

     They just killed it... she thought, finally letting out her breath and sinking to the ground beside Wildfire, who gave her a curious look. 

     "Was that the only one?" Lightning growled, sounding like he was ready for another fight.

     "Yes, Tsunami?" Blizzard asked for confirmation. Her sister nodded and stared at the den, and to Hurricane's dismay, began to stomp on it, ripping it to shreds, throwing branches aside carelessly.

     Hurricane whirled around in horror as the rest joined in destroying its home. Nothing she did could help. Seeing the den get destroyed made it feel like it was her suffering the kicks, slashes, and bitings. She shut her eyes and closed her ears.

     "See? This is awesome! You can take out your anger on perfection!" Her mind cried triumphantly. It seemed to be rejoicing and she was still in her shock.

     I know this isn't like the Tribe of Shining Suns, but do they have any sense of compassion? Hurricane swallowed the lump in her throat, gritting her teeth as she heard Blizzard heave out another branch and toss it aside.

     "Oh come on," her mind groaned at her, sneering at her doubt. "Take all of your anger towards destroying the den."

     "Move out," Firestorm announced suddenly. Hurricane's eyes snapped open and saw the once-standing den in complete shreds. She swallowed the lump in her throat, turning away from the ruined den, and followed the rest of the Storm Siblings numbly.

     She turned around once. A chilling but familiar presence fell upon her. The golden she-cat looked over her shoulder. What caught her eye like a cardinal in the coldwind was a pair of gleaming, amber eyes.

     Hurricane didn't need to stop and cry. She knew what the words were based on the eyes. Happiness, pain, all written and printed very carefully in them. She nodded briskly and then turned her tail, jumping across the path, and left her mother.