[Eight moons later]

"Jump!" Hurricane commanded and sprang alongside Summit and Lizard. All three of them landed on the tree effectively, keeping their balance as the branch moaned and swung. She gripped the bark tightly, gritting her teeth as she gritted her teeth, almost willing the tree to stop moving. She motioned her tail forward once it stopped and the two cats snaked their way forward, aiming for the next tree.

     They jumped to the next branch and she followed, watching her back if a cat like Wasp was hanging in the branches. Summit was first, wrapping herself around the branch just as the gray tom followed, eyes planted on the she-cat more than the tree. He landed squarely and pulled himself up, casually smiling at the ginger she-cat, who shook her head. Hurricane shot forward, keeping her body still as she crashed beside them, back legs dangling in the air. 

     She kept her growl under her breath and pushed herself up, ignoring her sneering mind. In the past moons, she had slowly gotten used to her new life, allowing herself to be less tense when she slipped on her paws. While she stared at the cobwebs that still clung onto her, she did her best to keep her mind occupied, but any time she did mess up, the strings would wrap around her and pull her under its torments. 

     But she still tried to make it through, wishing she could erase her mistakes. 

     Hurricane looked back up at the two cats, cleaning her mind. "Is the prey in sight?" Summit peered below and Lizard leaned forward as well, paying more attention to the ginger she-cat. Seeing this, she snorted and questioned how Firestorm kept the flirtish tom around. 

     "My prey is," Lizard joked, winking at Summit. She scowled and smacked him across the face, causing the branch to wobble. The tom tumbled back, crashing into Hurricane, who lost the balance at the sudden force, falling out of the tree along with him. The she-cat on the branch whirled around and lashed a paw out, trying to grab ahold of her but failed, nearly falling herself. 

     Hurricane fell straight through a blanket of leaves. Rock bottom met her in the face with a painful slam, her back absorbing the impact of both of them. She moaned as a rustle of leaves and branches above told her Summit was making her way down. Lizard, still dazed, didn't get off and the she-cat forced him off her leader, turning on him.

     "Lizard," Summit growled, flattening her fur. "You're lucky that Firestorm isn't here right now. How does he even put up with you? Just pray that Hurricane or I don't spill the beans to him." She gave Hurricane a worried look as she got on her paws, the world still spinning as the two conversed. 

     "But you see that I couldn't help but resist you, my dear Summit..." Lizard flirted, still recovering from the fall as he swayed back and forth. "It's such a shame that no other cat can see your magnificent beauty..."

     "Lizard..." Hurricane groaned, rubbing her head. "We just failed that. Wildfire's team probably is in the lead now. Now, stop flirting."

     "Thank you," Summit sighed. "Hear that Lizard? Wildfire beat us. All thanks to you."

     "Attack!" A screech flashed throughout the forest like lightning. Lizard and Summit let out yelps as two pelts came flying out of the brambles, taking them by surprise. The gray tom didn't stand a chance as he was violently jerked down and the she-cat didn't have enough time to whirl around and defend her back just as another she-cat came barreling out, pinning her down. Hurricane could vaguely pick out two cats and the third cat came for her, jumping on her back. 

     "Wildfire..." she groaned, trying to focus her eyes as her face was shoved into the dirt. 

     "Hi!" Wildfire said innocently, refusing to move. 

     "What. Are. You. Doing?" Hurricane asked, the world beginning to stop spinning. She pushed herself on her paws through Wildfire's paws jamming into her back like a pair of daggers. Getting up, she turned around and shook the she-cat off her back, who tumbled and rolled. On the side, Summit and Lizard were pinned by the tiny she-cat's teammates: Jay and Butterfly. 

     "Blizzard already won this round of the Claw Session," Wildfire meowed sadly. "Looks like she'll be the one who attempts to..." She stopped and looked at her with tears in her eyes. "I don't want---"

     "She won't," Hurricane promised. "Trust me, she won't fail."

     "But no cat has ever---!"

     "I know," Hurricane stated. Even if the Claw Session happens every three moons, that's barely enough time to prepare. Python picks competitions at random and pairs us up randomly, excepting someone to win. I just don't want to win this. I don't want to risk dying as I try to assassinate him. She had purposely failed every test but even that wasn't a safe card to play if her leader suspected traces of doubt or hesitation. 

     Hurricane swallowed her fear down her throat. So far, it seems Blizzard in the lead. Will she try to kill her own father just for leadership position? She risks death by playing that card. In the eyes of Wildfire, she could see the silver she-cat take her last breath as blood poured out of her from a nasty wound slashed across her neck. 

     She blinked the vision away and came up with a plan. "Hey, to cheer you up, we could go on a trip. Just the Storm Siblings." Hurricane suggested.

     Just like that, Wildfire's sun came out. "Oh yes! Let me pick where we go! Please?!" She dropped to the ground in front of Hurricane's paws. Summit, Lizard, Butterfly, and Jay said nothing as Wildfire acted like a spoiled kit.

     Hurricane's eyes softened, pondering about something. We act so high and mighty. We have fun with each other, joke around, and train together. But she's still a kit at heart. Maybe that's why I love her like a sister. 

     "Hey, Hurricane?" Wildfire asked.

     "Yes?" she replied, leaning down to reach her height.

     "You love us, the Storm Siblings, right?" she questioned, eyes pinning her down

     "Of course I do." Suspiuson painted her voice. Hurricane held her breath, waiting for the little she-cat to speak.

     "Then what about those other cats you call family?" Wildfire pressed. "What about them?" Softer, she muttered, "Do you still think about them?"

     The question left her speechless. Her heart pounded in her chest as blurry images of her siblings came to mind. How long had it been since she saw them? The last she could pull out was seeing Blaze's proud eyes shining over her head and Dandelion's heart-broken and proud expression the day they destroyed the fox's den. Surely, Lark and Cherry had to be in that tribe now. Hurricane swallowed, remaining unresponsive. 

     "Do you?" Wildfire cried, pulling her close. "I know it sounds really mean, but I just... I just want to know what you think about them since you've been with us for so long!"

     "I..." Answering the question left a thorn. Her love for both of them was split evenly, seeing Firestorm and Blaze as strong cats she looked up to and fell to when she had a problem, Blizzard and Maple as a depending older sister with the strength to knock down mountains, Lightning and Arrow as reliable and had-working brothers that refused to accept defeat, Tsunami and Lark as tough sisters that always tried to stay brave in front of their family, and then Wildfire and Cherry as two loving, sisters that cared more about family than anything else. 

     Choosing one over the other was like forgetting about their existence entirely, and she didn't want to forget either of them. Hurricane wished there was a world where they could live together, but she knew neither of them would be willing to adapt to perfection or imperfection.

     "And that younger one," Wildfire hissed, "she's like me, you say? The youngest and really loves her family, right? I don't want her to be what you see in me."

     "Cherry..." Hurricane murmured, similarities between the two sisters starting to flood her vision.

     "She does prove a point," a new voice hissed as a shadowy cat appeared from the trees. Summit and Lizard craned their necks up just as Tsunami climbed down herself, her teammates somewhere else. "I don't understand why she brought that up now when you haven't spoken about them in moons." She eyed her sister carefully. "But you claim your family is mirror images of us, so do you see them when you look at us?"

     "What's with the sudden suspicion?" Hurricane demanded, growling at Tsunami. "I thought we were getting along."

     "We are," Tsunami acknowledged, dipping her head respectfully. "But we have no clue what you see. What you say and see are two different things and the only cat who knows the truth is you. Just like that Cherry cat, you say that your other sister, Lark, is like me?"

     "Listen," Hurricane growled, catching Wildfire's attention. "I love you both equally. It's true, you guys are like mirror images of them, but I haven't thought about them in moons. The only time they crossed my mind was today when Wildfire mentioned Cherry. There is---"

     "Then if you had to fight one of them." Summit jumped in this time, shifting under Butterfly's paws. "Would you be able to? Don't get me or Wasp wrong, we'd willingly fight them for you." 

     "I..." Don't know, Hurricane thought.

     "You've lived with them for a while. Why can't you fight them? Answer that. Is it because you're too weak or soft?" Her mind asked curiously, bearing no hate or harm this time. 

     You're back. I thought you were gone.

     "I'm always with you. Whether you like it or not."

     Great. 

     "You need to decide. Perfection or Imperfection?"

     What if there's another way to live together?

     Hurricane answered the question before she got a response. No, even now, I'm still biased towards perfection and I still hate it when I make a small slip-up. Getting the entire tribe to convert is asking for the impossible. Meanwhile, the Storm Siblings are all about imperfection.

     "Hurricane. Tsunami. Wildfire." Lightning broke into the conversation. "Firestorm wants us to go hunting." The group let out a collective sigh and Hurricane thanked the tom for killing the subject before it got any further. Butterfly and Jay released Summit and Lizard and the gray tom immediately whirled around and tried sweet-talking to the other she-cat. 

     She pushed him aside, turning to Wildfire. "Us too?" Butterfly asked. "I could go for five voles right now."

     "Oh Butterfly, always hungry," Wildfire giggled. "Of course you can---"

     "Can't," Lightning replied abruptly, eyes hardening. "Father wants you, Lizard, Summit, and Sheer to go on border patrol."

     "What about Blizzard---"

     "Father already got that Blizzard won. It's time to go back to our normal activities," Lightning answered, cutting off Wildfire, who frowned at him angrily.

     Behind them, Blizzard and Firestorm crawled out of the bushes, the silver she-cat covered in a fair share of wounds. Lizard instantly pulled away from Butterfly at the sight of the orange tom and bounced over, greeting his friend. Summit exchanged a farewell look with Hurricane, the two friends touching noses before they parted. 

     Butterfly and Jay bid Wildfire a farewell and left as well, pulling an infatuated Lizard with them. Blizzard smiled as she watched the allies leave, leaving the Storm Siblings alone in the field again. 

     She tipped her head. "Now that we're alone again, we can go on a hunting patrol," she noted.

     "Blizzard!" Wildfire cheered, running towards her happily. "Can we go sightseeing too? Please?"

     "How old are you again?" Firestorm joked, touching his tail to Wildfire's shoulder, who laughed warmly at her older brother. "Once we finish hunting, we can go sightseeing."

     "Just make it quick, I've got plans to study the Tribe of Shining Suns later," Lightning reported, a spark of energy fueling him. "I recently figured something out and I would love to test it myself." 

     Tsunami didn't say anything, letting their conversation die down and looked at Firestorm worriedly. "Something's up, isn't it?"

     "What do you mean?" Blizzard asked.

     "I don't know... something just doesn't feel right. I mean, when have we ever hunted out of Father's orders?" she questioned, frowning. "And I don't know if it's just me, but I have a strange feeling in my stomach that just won't go away."

     "Did you eat anything funny?" Wildfire pipped up. "I accidentally ate a rotten mouse with Snow a few moons ago and was out for a few days. Maybe you should stay behind." Hurricane shook her head, trying to wipe the memory of a confused and sick Snow stumbling across camp blindly, running into dens left and right.

     "No, I didn't eat anything like that," she confirmed. "It just feels strange, but I'm not staying behind while you guys are out." The calico twitched her whiskers and flicked her tail, trying to think.

     "Don't we always hunt out of Father's orders?" Lightning asked, confused. "That's just what we do to clear our minds."

     "Looks like she got us," Firestorm mentioned. Tsunami, Lightning, and Wildfire pricked their ears up and looked at the orange tabby. 

     "That's my little sister for you, always so tight around her own family. Do you not trust us?" Blizzard wondered, curling her tail around her paws. "Firestorm and I are in a small argument on which one of us knows our siblings better."

     Hurricane stood in place silently, trying not to laugh or snort. Seriously? They're fighting over that? She recalled a few moments with her old family that Blaze started small competitions between them, always resulting in him winning, Maple snapping at him, her uninterested in the argument, Apple trying to compete again, Lark making up excuses, and Cherry running to Dandelion in a wailing mess. She kept her mouth shut about the thought and memories, however.

     "Seriously?" Lightning growled, speaking what was on her mind. "You're fighting over something as silly as that?"

     "It doesn't matter to me, as long as we can go as a family," Wildfire said. "Please? I don't want to lose you, Blizzard."

     Blizzard looked confused and then smiled at her sister. "Don't worry. I'll always be with you." Opening her blue eyes, she added, "We can go to the Fallen Tree if you want."

     "Yes!" Wildfire cheered. "That's a great idea! Let's go now while we still have energy and the sun's out!"

     "We aren't leaving this, are we...?" Tsunami asked her brother. Lightning shook his head and opened his mouth to complain but Blizzard passed him with Firestorm, leaving him speechless. Hurricane shook her head and motioned for the two to follow. They growled at her, but she could detect a trace of happiness spread across their face. 

     Wildfire took off first, looking over her shoulder with a joyful smile, shouting at them to hurry up. Firestorm walked behind her slowly, keeping an eye out on his siblings and Hurricane. Blizzard ran behind her, occasionally looking over for her shoulder. Tsunami and Lightning gave each other one more look before breaking off to run beside them. 

     Finally, she raced towards Wildfire, following the Storms Siblings. "Let's go!"