"Hi!" Citrus turned around to see the golden she-cat smile as wide as the sun. She was small but her energy was too much for her little body. "My name's---"

     "Stop! We don't even know her!" The calico hissed and slammed a paw over the tiny she-cat's mouth. "She could be a spy!" Citrus narrowed her eyes, guessing that this cat would be the most troubling. Judging by her look, the she-cat assumed the same thing, and her gaze darkened. 

     The golden cat batted the paw away, rolling her eyes. "A spy? No, if Lightning could pick her out, she's a pretty lousy spy." The tan-colored tom, she guessed was Lightning, let out a sputter and growl. Citrus kept her tongue down, waiting to see what else would come her way. 

     The calico hissed and shoved the golden she-cat to the ground. Citrus saw two things that surprised her. One, the cat just shoved another cat to the ground without warning, and the golden she-cat didn't land on all four paws. She landed on her side in the dirt, and she laughed at her mistake. Her failure.

     "Don't be rude, Tsunami!" She broke out laughing once again. She rolled on her side, getting up slowly, and not properly at all. The golden she-cat smiled at Citrus, and she jumped, backing away from the joyful mask. "My sister can be a pain but don't worry! I'm not! Back to where I left off, my name is---"

     "Stop," hissed Lightning. Citrus turned around once again to face the tom. He rolled his tail out and planted it at her paws, giving her a disgusting look. "It's one of those cats." The golden she-cat shrugged, brushing him aside and he silently hissed at her, but the silver cat stopped him from protesting. 

     "So? Friends are friends, no matter what!" the little cat declared.

     "Wildfire, do us a favor and try to listen to us for once." The older tom sighed. The golden she-cat, Wildfire, looked like a younger version of him - except that her fur might've been burnt and resulted in the light, golden pelt. The energetic she-cat refused to listen to him and stepped on the calico's paw, who growled and lifted her other paw to strike.

     "What's your name?" Wildfire's eyes were wide. "I can tell you---"

     "Stop please." This time, the white and silver spotted she-cat come closer. She pushed passed Citrus and she landed on her four paws perfectly, trying to intimidate them. The trick failed and the five cats didn't pay attention to it. "Until we know who she is---"

     "She's from the tribe," Lightning growled. The silver she-cat whirled around at Citrus. The light in Wildfire's eyes didn't die out.

     "Oh, wow! This is the first time I've met someone from that place! Tell me all about it!" Wildfire begged. Citrus saw Tsunami jump and crash onto Wildfire's back, pressing both paws on the tiny cat's head. "Hmph!" Was the only response that she gave.

     "Relax, brother, it's only a kit." Citrus turned to see the largest cat, the orange cat step forward. "Thankfully, we can save her. Blizzard?"

     The silver she-cat sprang, snatching Citrus up with one jump. She thrashed around in Blizzard's grip, unable to free himself.

     "Let me go! Now! What do you mean by saving? I'm perfectly fine! You better not hope my siblings arrive!" Citrus tried making threats but they seemed powerless. Lightning grunted, turning to run after the orange tom. Blizzard looked at Tsunami and she released Wildfire. She sprang up eagerly, brushing off small dirt specks on her head.

     "Don't you hate it over there?" Tsunami asked like she was bored. "Rules rules rules. Who needs them anyway?" She let out a sigh. "Anyways, we're taking you away from there---"

     "Away from my siblings?! No, that's my home!" Citrus failed to sway their opinion. Her tiny paws did nothing against Blizzard. Wildfire began to laugh once again, walking beside her as she was dragged around like prey. 

     "You're funny, you know that?" She bounced up beside them. "Who needs a tribe anyway?"

     "All of us!" Citrus snapped. "That's what a tribe is meant for!"

     "Yeah, but that doesn't affect us." Tsunami shrugged. "I, personally, don't care."

     "You should!" Citrus snapped. "Put me down now! I'm old enough to walk by myself!"

     "And run away? No thanks," Tsunami growled. "Listen, you may not know it, but we're saving your life."

     "How are you saving my life? Taking me away from my family! The tribe! Everything I knew!" Citrus demanded. At that, Blizzard and the orange tom shared a glance and the she-cat looked at her prisoner. For a moment, the orange she-cat felt the grip loosen the slightest, hope surging through her body. Those feelings were crushed when Tsunami spoke up.

     "We're saving you from perfection," Tsunami replied without any trace of emotion in her voice. "Why do you want to be perfect?"

     "That's what every cat needs, to be perfect so that we can enter The Tribe of Endless Stars. Don't you know that cats made so many mistakes, some ended up dying themselves from it? Or died from an ambush? That's what perfection is used for, if we're perfect, no cat will die in vain!"

     "You really are brainwashed," Wildfire mused and Lightning nodded. 

     "I'm not!" Citrus argued.

     "Too bad, you're coming with us," Tsunami growled. "You'll be happy, away from them. You could join us; become part of our family, you know, since our father is in charge of this. Wildfire would love that." she offered. 

     They're siblings, all of them? Citrus swept her gaze across the five cats, eyeing them to see any kind similarities. Wildfire and the orange tom shared blazing, amber eyes, but their pelts were the colors of fire and golden sun. Lightning didn't resemble any of his siblings with his pale, green eyes or his tan pelt. The brown tips on his front paws and ear tips did look like the same shade of stripes on the orange tom, but she couldn't tell if they were the exact color from where she was. Tsunami stood out with her black and white fur and striking blue eyes that reminded her of Lark, and Blizzard's silver pelt and green eyes didn't resemble any of her siblings, possibly her brother's eyes were the only thing that connected them together, but even those shades were drastically different. 

     Then again, I don't really look like any of my siblings, but we're family, she thought, thinking back to her multi-colored siblings and mother.  

     "Yes!" Wildfire shouted, practically hanging over Blizzard. "You can join us! Family doesn't have to be blood." Her eyes flashed with pain. "We all came from different mothers and were the only kits to survive, or we were only kits. Firestorm, he was an only kit, Blizzard, she was from a family of four, but two died at birth and the other one was killed during an attack."

     That's why we need perfection! Without perfection, we will all die! If they had been perfect, Blizzard wouldn't have lost her three siblings! The Healers would've healed the two kits, and the whole Tribe would have fought together to defend the other one! Why can't they see that! Citrus bared her teeth and Lightning cast her a glare, silencing her, but the two shared nasty glowers at one another as Wildfire rambled. 

      "Lightning had a younger sister, but she didn't make it due to sickness," Wildfire added. "Tsunami was an only kit, and I came from a family of two, my younger sister and I. She died in an attack. Now, Father only has Firestorm, Blizzard, Lightning, Tsunami, and I."

     "See? If your tribe had perfection, none of those kits would've died. Don't you see that?" Citrus pushed. "If you were trying to guilt-trip me into feeling sorry for you just because your siblings died, then it's not going to work. Did you really think I was going to open up just because you told me your tragic backstories?"

     "Why can't you see all of those rules?" Tsunami snapped. "Having to live by that all the time, march evenly, swing your tail properly, look a certain way - how can you live like that?" Tsunami paused. "Have you ever gotten punished for making a mistake?"

     "Yes---"

     "We haven't. None of us had, and we've made lots of mistakes. Watch," Tsunami shoved her little sister to the ground. Like before, she crashed into the ground with a thud. Wildfire rolled on her back, smiling up at them. "See? No cat punished her, and no cat will punish her for that mistake."

     "So she's not perfect. You're not even part of the Tribe! Why?! The tribe---"

     "Being in a tribe like that doesn't mean it's perfect. Ever wonder what happens if you aren't perfect?" Tsunami informed.

     "No, since my siblings and I won't be failing, and we will be joining that tribe!" Citrus argued.

     "She's not going to change her mind, Tsunami," Wildfire whined. "I wanna new sibling, Father wouldn't mind, would he?"

     Why is she so quick to trust me and want me into her family? I'm this complete stranger to her, Citrus thought. This could be a way to lure me into a false sense of security. 

     "Who knows?" Tsunami muttered. "She could be welcomed, if the others agree to this, a new Storm Sibling---"

     "Storm Sibling?" Citrus mocked. "That sounds strange, it sounds imperfect and why even have that? The Tribe of Shinning Suns wouldn't allow that---"

     "We aren't that tribe!" Tsunami hissed through gritted teeth. Her fur rose and the tone of her voice got darker and more hostile. "We are the Storm Siblings. There is nothing we can't push through. Nothing." The calico she-cat glared at Citrus, seething hate steaming out of her blue eyes. 

     "Tsunami..." Blizzard warned through Citrus' warm pelt, advancing. Firestorm put a stop to her and held out his paw, whispering something in her ear. The silver she-cat hesitated and let her eyes flutter shut. 

     "Shut it!" Tsunami hissed. "One day you'll realize that being imperfect isn't as bad as you think."

     "No! Perfection is the key!" Citrus yelled.

     "She can't join us," Blizzard sighed. "If she doesn't agree with our terms, she'll never become a part of our tribe."

     "I don't want to be a part of your imperfect tribe! I bet you mess up every single day!" snapped Citrus, gathering more strength to break out. Blizzard's grip tightened and managed to hold both of them even when the cat in her jaws swung back and forth. Firestorm avoided one of her kicks and stepped aside, standing next to Lightning, who had his ears pinned against his skull, eyes shut in annoyance. 

     "We do," Wildfire admitted, "but that's okay!"

     "How is that okay?!"

     "It means we're who we're meant to be, silly!" Wildfire stuck out her tongue. "Why be perfect when you can be yourself?"

     "Perfection saves every cat!"

     "Not my mother," Tsunami growled.

     "She wasn't perfect; she died because she wasn't perfect. If you don't want to meet the same cruel fate as your imperfect mother, I'd start too---"

     "Don't you dare speak anything rude about my mother," Tsunami threatened, crouching into a battle position, back arching. Her claws slid out of her black paws and sunk into the dirt, and her eyes narrowed on her target, despite Blizzard standing in the way. Citrus responded and did her best to get into a defensive position with her back held up. 

     "Say anything wrong about her and I'll kill you. Kill you in the imperfect way- that should bring some shame on your pelt." Tsunami's sides heaved.

     "Tsunami, you're lucky your mother actually loved you," Wildfire pouted, interpreting the silent dual. "All she wanted was Waterlily as she died. She loved Father and her but hardly shared any love for me." Her eyes twitched with sorrow. Her tail dropped to the ground limply. Then she looked at Lightning and Blizzard, who clearly had something to say, but she didn't wait for them to speak up. 

     "Same for the others, Firestorm's mother only wanted to be respected as Father's mate, he was just a pawn in her little game to gain respect in our tribe." As Wildfire rambled on, the older siblings exchanged worried glances and Citrus could easily tell their worry and concern. None of them bothered to shut their sister up, to her disappointment.

     Tsunami rolled her eyes. "Why do you spill out all of this information to her?"

     "Blizzard's mother, even if she had other kits, she only used them as slaves. Her remaining  kits killed some Tribe of the Shinning Suns' cats and did everything for her."

     She never loved me or my sibling," Blizzard claimed with a shrug. "Wildfire, can you please stop though? We don't know her very well and ---" 

     "Lightning's mother never truly loved him or Father; she only had Lightning and his sister to show she could have kits. Since she cared nothing about him, he never loved her back. Tsunami's mother cared but she died." Lightning flattened his ears against his skull and silently barked behind Wildfire's back.

     "Well, my mother cares for all of us," Citrus growled. 

     Blizzard snarled again and silenced her. "This is what perfection does to you, it makes you weak. You are never prepared for a cat to backstab you. They live in some fantasy, while they let us suffer. The Tribe of Shining Suns against our own, the Tribe of Roaming Spirits," she hissed out as politely as she could. 

     "Roaming Spirits? Why haven't I heard of that before?" Citrus demanded. "All of my lessons include territory---"

     "Because we're on the left side of the territory. And since left means imperfection, we're labeled Imperfects but we embrace it. Being imperfect is freedom," Tsunami answered with a long sigh of relief. 

     "You're coming with us and you'll be free from that place. You'll be happy, truly," Blizzard protested, all anger drained out. Her calming voice was like water flowing over pebbles, and Citrus stopped shaking, mind tracing back to her mother. Dandelion and her warm wildflower scent with a voice similar to the silver cat's. She looked up and saw an undescribable look on the she-cat's face. 

     Just then, cats jumped out from the bushes. Wildfire jumped back as two cats hurled themselves at Tsunami and Blizzard.

     Citrus' heart leapt out of her chest. "Blaze! Maple!" Her older siblings were wrestling Tsunami and Blizzard down. Taken by surprise, the two Imperfects snarled and regained their strength, but her siblings had already pinned them down, rendering their attacks useless - as expected of two perfect cats. Wildfire screamed for help and Lightning reared up, taking to the air just to come crashing down on Blaze, locking his paws around the brown-furred tom's shoulders. 

     "Get the others!" Tsunami choked out. Blaze slammed his paw down with enough force to knock her out. Lightning was tossed off his back like a loose cobweb, and he sprang off to chase Wildfire, who yelped. She acted fast, and she took off, faster than Citrus thought she could run. However, it didn't save the petite cat, and her older brother caught up with a single stride, striking her in the back, knocking her off her feet. Tsunami and Blizzard let out a cry and struggled to get to their little sister, but Maple took on both she-cats, preventing them from reaching their family. The golden she-cat yowled as the tom slashed his claws down her pelt, missing her neck by inches. 

     Firestorm sprang, shoving Blaze away from a bloody Wildfire. Bleeding out, she coughed up blood onto the ground. Lightning recovered and made his way to his younger sibling, baring his teeth while standing in a protective position around his sister. The two older toms matched one another strength-wise and carried their battle elsewhere, exposing Maple. Blizzard and Tsunami summoned their strength and began to outweigh Citrus's sister, and her heart lunged, determined to reach her sister.

     Lark and Apple jumped out of the grass as well, both aimed for Lightning. Hearing them, the tan-colored tom braced himself for impact, the two toms colliding and rolling aside, leaving Wildfire in the open. Citrus watched her sister go for the open neck. Before she could assist her family, the skinny she-cat hit her mark on the smaller she-cat's neck, who howled and jerked violently in a vain attempt to move. Blood sprayed out and the golden she-cat was drenched in red, clinging onto life by the tips of her claws. 

     Her last sibling slipped out, Cherry's cream pelt flying toward the most injured cat she could find - which happened to be her enemy. Rushing over to Wildfire's side, her sister inspected the wounds with care, eyeing each strike with horror. She looked around the small field for a leaf to stop the bleeding, gave up, and shoved her paws on the more severe wounds, stopping the flow. Citrus cursed in her head, knowing that no matter what side a cat was on, as long as they were hurt, her soft-hearted sister would always run to their aide. 

     Lark snarled, hitting the ground after her next leap for Blizzard after she dealt with Wildfire. The silver cat batted her out of the sky and the brown she-cat got back up, going for the next cat. Tsunami broke free and the two she-cats slammed into one another, raking their claws down whatever skin and flesh they could grab ahold of. Lightning and Apple engaged in another fight, each one having some kind of advantage over the other. 

     Citrus turned to see Firestorm and Blaze still battling, neither showing signs of defeat. Their strength was even and every blow was absorbed, attacks doing nothing against them. They clashed in a fiery brawl, snarls and growls erupting as they clawed, raked, lashed, and slashed at one another, aiming for the eyes, ears, stomach, chest, anything they could reach. Citrus wanted to help her brother, but the fear of getting sliced up by either - with her brother, it'd most likely be an accident - outweighed the desire to protect her brother. 

     Lark let out a yowl, being the small downfall of their older brother. Hearing her cry, Blaze glanced and saw that her enemy had climbed all the way up onto his sister's back. Tsunami's claws sunk into the brown she-cat's back like thorns and the look on her face was thrilled. The she-cat's legs shook, fighting to stay up and hold the calico's weight as well. Maple dropped the battle with Blizzard and sprang into the air, knocking into the imperfect with such a force that caused her sister to trip as well, who fell on her back. 

     Cherry cried at them to stop battling. Tsunami, tackled by a stronger she-cat, stopped fighting and gave up the struggle, playing dead. Maple didn't fall for the trick and snatched the calico by her neck, causing her to cough and yowl. Without waiting, the cream she-cat ripped away a chunk of fur and flesh, throwing her enemy back to the ground. Blizzard let out a roar and went toward another she-cat, one who couldn't defend herself. Fury ignited in Citrus' stomach and she charged, but Lightning crashed on her, thrown by Apple. 

     Cherry let out a high-pitched scream and fell under Blizzard's claws. At the sound of their little sister, both Maple and Blaze gained an extra surge of strength and tore away from their foes, racing toward the silver she-cat. Citrus tossed Lightning off her and back into her other brother's claws, who gladly dealt with the tom, who didn't have enough time to fight back. She lifted her head and glanced at the battle around her, horror and pride rising in her stomach.

     It's a battle between perfection and imperfection, but they're killing my siblings. I want them gone, but they're picking up a fight. Citrus' shoulders dropped for a fleeting moment before she forced herself to return to the battle. 

     Is this all my fault?