"She's dead," Hurricane muttered to a horrified Lightning and Firestorm. Wildfire was leaning against her, sucking back tears that threatened to fall. Blizzard looked like a cat with no soul; her eyes dull and lifeless. The two toms remained frozen, trying to process the information. 

     Firestorm struggled to form the words, voice stuck in his throat, almost as if he were trying to wake up from a nightmare. Lightning's lips quivered and his face dropped, staring at his paws. They looked at each other with blank stares and then back at Hurricane, disbelief flooding through them. 

     Finally, the brown tom managed to speak and lashed out, his claws slicing across Hurricane's face. Wildfire let out a yelp and Blizzard snapped away from the trance she was in. She didn't defend herself as Lightning lashed out again, his claws cutting across her jawline as his eyes quivered.

     "You killed her!" he screeched, his rage and sorrow poured out and piled onto her. "She's dead all because of you! You killed my sister!"

     "Stop it!" Wildfire begged weakly, voice unable to get any louder than a whisper, flinching as Lightning let his cold eyes strike her. "Y-you got it all wrong... S-she fought her enemy to the end..."

     "And you!" Lightning accused, anger drawn toward the little she-cat. "Why are you so protective of her?! What made you instantly trust her when she tried to kill you?!"

     "That was moons ago! She saved my life, too!" Wildfire snapped back, clashing heads with him. "I'm sad that Tsunami's gone too, you know! Just because you're mad and sad doesn't mean the rest of us aren't suffering!"

     "Do you not understand?!" he countered, towering over his little sister, who fell onto her back. Lightning stood over her, mimicking the same position Hurricane had seen with the three toms back then. Wildfire saw it too, and her eyes dropped to her stomach, turning into moons. 

     "She. Tried. To. Kill. You," he snarled, venom leaking out of his mouth every word. 

     "L-Lightning... That was moons ago! Let the grudge go!" she cried, a new wave of tears ready to spring from her eyes. "Please..."

     "No!" he roared, causing her to yelp and cower in fear. "Don't even let your guard down once! It'll be the end of you."

     Wildfire swallowed and faced her older brother with tears flooding her vision. With a sobbing voice, she managed to speak. "Lightning... Am I really the y-youngest?" 

     Those words stopped the tom and he stepped away immediately, conflicted. 

     "Wildfire, stop," Hurricane muttered, standing up and pushing her to the side. Her green eyes stared at her, still wet with tears. Facing the tom, she took a breath. Firestorm stepped between them, putting a halt to her speech, amber eyes brimming with tears.

     "Enough of this, all of you," he demanded, claws sinking into the dirt below. His legs shook as he tried to collect his voice. Blizzard collapsed, all of her energy drained out of her. A small puddle of tears began to form under the silver she-cat's head, still grieving over her sister's death.

     An image of Tsunami flashed in her mind; a stab to her heart. Her mind rewound itself and took her back to her days in the Training Den. Cherry and Lark waking her up in the morning, always starting off with an argument and then laughing with her. Arrow and her having a late-night conversation about the tribe she didn't know how to feel about anymore. Blaze and Maple there to pick her up after she fell and Dandelion there to support her, even if she didn't know the entire story.

     Then the day she became a Storm Sibling came to mind, Firestorm, Blizzard, Lightning, Tsunami, and Wildfire's faces painted clear and bright. Meeting Wasp, realizing Imperfect cats were just like cats from the Tribe of Shining Suns. Saving Wildfire from the rogues. Losing to a silver she-cat that fueled her hatred. Realizing that her mother was the kit from the Fallen Tree tale. Cinder and Origanum and how they were separated over perfection and imperfection. Opening her eyes to the morning sun every day when she was younger.

     And then the limp body of Tsunami at her paws.

     Where and when did things go wrong?! All I wanted was to live a life of perfection! I didn't want to be banished and I didn't mean to save Wildfire that day! I want to go back to the Training Den where all of this didn't happen! she wished and prayed, imagining a world where that happened.

     Tsunami would be alive and happy with her siblings. She never would've met Cinder and made that mistake that got her banished. Dandelion would be at her side when she entered the tribe. She'd stay as Wildflower and not become a Storm Sibling and take the name of Hurricane. Her family would be there; Blaze, Maple, Arrow, Lark, and Cherry - whatever their new names were. 

     They'd be together and she wouldn't have brought Tsunami's death on the Storm Siblings.

     "Don't blame yourself," her mind whispered. "You know, maybe all of this happened because something else is waiting for you."

     You don't know anything.

     No, that was a mistake. She didn't know anything. She was blind and born into a world where perfection was the key to survival. The Tribe of Endless Stars was waiting for her and now they shut their doors, and she was falling into the pits of the Tribe of Never-Ending Shadows. Imperfect cats against the Tribe of Shining Suns. She had been born on one side and could never escape the world she lived in.

     If we didn't have to fight over perfection and imperfection... Tsunami might still be alive...

     "Maybe," her mind answered. "Maybe you would've never met the Storm Siblings. You never know what would happen because you've taken a different path."

     We're fighting over different views. Hurricane wanted to shout out to the world, but the words wouldn't come to her and she was left standing where she was as a useless, brainwashed cat. The Tribe of Shining Suns is being brainwashed at a young age to convince us that Imperfects are these evil creatures. We're all the same, but look how long that took me to realize - but do I still accept mistakes? Mistakes are what killed Tsunami... Because we've been brainwashed... She lifted her head to look at the mountain that held her past home.

     The battle will rage on until one side is eliminated.

     "Get out of here," Lightning snarled, eyes seething with rage in the form of tears. "Get out of here!"

     "Lightning!" Blizzard stepped in front of him. "I was there when our sister died. If anything, it's my fault that I let her die. I could've taken on those cats myself, but I was too weak to do anything." Her face sank with regret and her blue eyes shook, wanting to give in. 

     Hurricane shifted her head toward the forest where they had come out from; Tsunami's final resting place in the forest. Free from her father and the Tribe of Shining Suns.

     How are Berry and Drizzle going to react with their team leader gone? Are they going to blame me for it? I don't know what to do anymore... I'm useless... Hurricane glanced at the others, pushing Blizzard out of the way and stood in front of Lightning, firmly locking eyes with him and forcing him away from the other Storm Siblings.

     "Lightning, I'm sorry all of this happened, I---"

     "No, you aren't! You're still a stuck-up, perfect-loving cat from---"

     "If there was any way I could take this back, I would gladly do so. If I could, I'd turn back time to when I was still at the Training Den with my... my family. I'd go back to the day Blaze and Maple came and avoid the fight that started this." She took a breath, facing the tom. "Is that what you want to hear?"

     "But you can't," Lightning protested. "You can't do anything. We can't do anything. Father is only using us to destroy the Tribe of Shining Suns. Was this a plan that your stupid leader had in mind? Take one of the Storm Siblings - the strongest tool Father has in his army? That was it, wasn't it? You followed through with the plan and succeeded."

     "Lightning, this isn't like you," Firestorm declared, shoving the younger tom aside. "I may not be entirely happy with you." Hurricane shivered at the glare emitting from his amber eyes. "But crying isn't going to do us any good. If she were here, she'd tell us to stop arguing and do something."

     "Why don't you just die?" Lightning snarled, causing Hurricane's blood to turn to ice.

     Die. Die. Die. Those words echoed in her head loudly and wouldn't stop. Thunder roared in her ears as rain poured down on her back, dragging her further toward the Tribe of Never-Ending Shadows. 

     A single, brown she-cat stood there smiling as an orange she-cat sprang at her, claws outstretched for the kill as she howled, the rain and thunder crackling around the two. 

     Hurricane snapped her eyes open just as the orange cat crashed onto the other she-cat. Lightning stood there, ears pressed against his skull.

     "Lightning," Wildfire spoke up, stepping over toward her brother. Eyes full of tears, the she-cat cat let loose, screaming into the ground. "T-Tsunami told me you keep your anger contained inside of you until something like this happens! When you do, you lash out in anger at anything and anyone in sight! Please! Just stop already!"

     Wildfire...

     "Enough of this," a cold voice stopped Wildfire, and Hurricane whirled around to face Viper. His cold sneer on his face sent shivers down her spine, and Blizzard stood protectively in front of her younger siblings. Firestorm got in a defensive stance and immediately froze when Python pushed his way through, followed by all the allies of the Tribe of Roaming Spirits. 

     She locked eyes with Wasp, who gave her a small smile of confidence. Then her eyes fell on Berry and Drizzle, who were looking for Tsunami with worried eyes as the rest of the teammates found their respective leaders. 

     Drizzle's large eyes scanned all of them, worry starting to spread across her fragile face. Berry's face morphed into concern from rage, ready to snap had not the massive tom stood in front of him. Python raised an eyebrow at the group, noticing one of his daughter's absence.

     "Where is Tsunami?" he asked the question for Berry and Drizzle. The two looked expectant at them, while the look on Python's face told Hurricane he knew the answer. She gulped, knowing that Viper and the others would want her to speak up.

     "Father." Firestorm cleared his throat. "Tsunami's dead."

     Drizzle's face shattered into a million pieces and she screamed, causing a comotion to stir in the ranks. Berry didn't have the words to speak. His face was frozen with horror and tears began to spring out of the green eyes of the she-cat beside him. Other cats acted, trying to calm the two down. Python didn't look bothered and Blizzard frowned, flattening her ears and marched up to him.

     "Why do you... Not look surprised?" she hissed, bunching herself up to attack. Midnight and Poplar noticed her action and stepped up, only to be stopped by Skull and Phantom. The ginger she-cat growled and raised a paw to attack. The smaller of the two placed her tail over her friend, eyes begging her not to move, but also gave Python's assistants a glare, telling Hurricane that even she wouldn't hesitate to attack.

     "She's nothing more than a pawn," Python replied and Berry let out a snarl, no longer able to hold himself back.

     "She wasn't just a pawn! She was our leader! She was my best friend!" Drizzle shrieked, clawing her way through the mass of cats toward him.

     "She was your daughter," Blizzard snarled, lashing her tail. "Did you not care about her? All the things she did for you? She killed other cats, she starved prisoners when you use to capture them, she tortured them for you without a question. Did you ever feel any love toward her?"

     "As long as she's living and breathing, then she has some use. Now that she's dead, the removes one less mouth to feed," he replied without care, making an angered growl sweep across the tribe.

     "Father!" Wildfire shouted, struggling under Lightning as the tom attempted to keep her down. Eyes wide with rage, she snarled, "She wasn't just another mouth to feed! She was my sister! She loved you! Even after her mother died, she looked up to you as a father! Now you're saying you never cared about her?! Do you even love us or are we just a tool?! Tell me!"

     "I don't have to answer your questions," Python snarled at his daughter. Wildfire growled, her eyes sharp as thorns. "Lightning, kill her."

     "What?!"

     No! Hurricane wanted to cry. The world around her crumbled, leaving her in the center of an eruption, unable to focus as one event happened after another.

     "Father, stop! Do you want to lose two of your daughters in one day?!" Blizzard demanded, panic starting to take control of her.

     "Lightning, you heard me," Python repeated, towering over the tom. Lightning's legs began to shake and Wildfire looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Do it or I'll kill you."

     "Stop this!" Firestorm snarled, standing in front of Lightning. "I won't let you kill either of them!"

     "Do I need to kill you too, Firestorm?"

     "We won't let you lay a paw on our leader!" Scarlet snarled, breaking free from Skull and rushing over to his side. Standing her ground, she faced their leader, using her body as a shield. Firestorm blinked at her appearance and began to protest. Her tail whisked up and touched his jaw, silencing him. Looking behind her shoulder, the cream she-cat gave him a sly grin.

     "If you touch Firestorm, I won't hesitate to kill you, even if it costs my life." Lizard approached the tom from behind, tail snaking across his pelt as he took he place beside Scarlet, giving Firestorm a wink. Then he bared his teeth. "This wouldn't be the first time I've killed someone I called a leader."

     "Hurt Wildfire and we'll both attack!" Jay declared with an angry lash of his tail. Butterfly stepped beside her partner, laying her cold eyes on Python. Wildfire peeked behind Firestorm and Scarlet and her face lit up at the sight of her friends.

     "Same for us!" Poplar snarled, shoving Skull to the side. "If you think you can go around hurting Blizzard like that, then you've got another thing coming! Right, Midnight?!" The black she-cat nodded, jumping over to the silver she-cat's side, claws unleashed.

     "Don't leave me out." Sheer darted over to Scarlet's side. "I like seeing low blows being thrown at each other, but this is on another level with the current situation..." The white tom looked at Lightning and Wildfire. "I guess I'll step in and defend Lightning till my last breath."

     "I'll avenge Tsunami's death. I don't care who killed her. You say that my best friend was nothing more than a pawn when I saw her crying herself to sleep is unforgivable!" Drizzle snarled, raising a paw to strike Skull from the ground. Berry aided her and pinned him down, promising to help her.

     "And don't even think about blaming this on Hurricane." Wasp stepped beside Drizzle. "As a member of her team, I promised to protect her with my life. I plan on doing so with Summit at my side." The other she-cat nodded, crouching down and aiming for Python's open back.

     "Settle down!" Python demanded, silencing the rest of the protests. "As much as I'd like to punish you, we're going to need your strength to fight against the Tribe of Shining Suns."

     "Huh?" Hurricane asked, her voice cracking. Attacking them now?! Is he insane?!

     "Father---"

     "Enough, I'll make sure to kill you when we get back," Python promised, causing Wildfire to bury herself under Lightning for protection. Jay and Butterfly unleashed their claws and Viper spun around, hissing at them. The two cats scowled at him.

     "We're leaving now," Python demanded, shoving Blizzard to the ground. Poplar and Midnight were by her side instantly, helping her up. The two she-cats shot enraged looks at the tom, swearing vengeance.

     "If I catch any of you going against my orders." He kicked Firestorm away and his teammates rushed over to pick him back up. Scarlet looked ready to lunge at him when Lizard grabbed her shoulder, eyes pleading with her not to. The she-cat let out a hiss and returned to her friend's side, keeping her eyes away from Python.

     "I will kill you on the battlefield." He threw Lightning off Wildfire and sent the tom flying. Sheer caught the tom and took the fall for him, hissing a curse in Python's direction.

     "Maybe then you will all stop crying over Tsunami's death, at least you'll see her again." Drizzle and Berry tensed up, their claws sliding out of their paws. The she-cat's entire body shook with fear. Her partner glared at Viper, who smirked with an amused grin.

     "Got that?" He stood directly in front of Hurricane, shadow towering over her. She gulped, trying to regain her confidence. Wasp and Summit were on alert now, ready to attack. Looking at them from the corner of her eyes, she shook her head, and they growled, listening to her warning with great effort.

     "Don't disobey me."