"I'm gonna do it," Hurricane declared, bunching up her muscles as she stalked forward, keeping her body low as she floated through the thick leaves, eyes gleaming.

     Lightning poked his head above the grass and barely caught his breath in his throat before throwing himself back down, praying that the cat didn't hear them. Growling, he slithered forward along with Wasp, who looked after just as he did and followed his lead. The two toms crept up just as Hurricane jumped.

     Quickly and accurately, he slammed a paw on her tail and through a clenched mouth, yowled and frantically jerked and thrashed, yanking it out of his grip. Lightning sputtered, his fur blistering as Wasp looked confused, eyeing the two of them and then the she-cat along the path. His gray eyes lit up and he jumped down, charging forward while they were occupied.

     This time, Hurricane lashed out and cuffed the tom on the shoulder, making him fall over.

     Scrambling back up, Wasp inaudibly hissed, "What was that for?! I could've taken her!"

     "That was my job! She's my target!" Hurricane argued. "Now, Lightning, don't stop me this time! I'm doing it now!"

     "No!" he hissed, flattening his ears and closing his eyes.

     "Knock her out!" Wasp encouraged with a bright smile.

     Ready, set, go! Hurricane gathered the energy in her legs and sprung, bursting out of the bushes like a phantom. The she-cat turned her head and let out a yelp just as she crashed on them. Dazed, she forced herself to throw the two of them across the path, the two rolling until they hit the end of the forest where Lightning and Wasp stood, one with utter disgust and disappointment radiating from them and the other with a kit's face.

     Yowling and lashing out, Hurricane jumped off just as Wasp came crashing down on the calico, making her howl as her stomach pressed against the ground. Then her eyes caught something on her sister's face and her heart froze. She crumbled to eye-level, staring into the set of amber eyes that were full of confusion, anger, and shock.

     "H-Hurricane...?" Maple rasped, giving up the fight. "What the...? What are you doing here?!"

     "This is Imperfect territory," she responded. "I'm allowed on this side."

     "... What are you trying to do to me? I'm not going to join you, and wait a second - where's Serval?!" Maple's strength came back and she pushed herself up, throwing Wasp off. Instead of attacking, her older sister stood up and let her fur rise, curling her lips back as a threat. Hurricane kept herself still as the calico towered over her with a set of menacing, amber eyes.

     Don't back down, don't you dare back down now! Hurricane hissed to herself. This is the only one of your siblings that's willing to listen! Swallowing, she said, "Serval's fine and safe. She's just at my camp."

     "Your camp? Don't tell me you're trying to make your own tribe," her sister groaned. "Is she well at least?"

     "Our sister is doing fine." Maple clenched her teeth and flinched at the words, making Hurricane curious. Then her eyes trailed to her stomach, questioning what happened. Noticing her staring, the calico took a step back and straightened herself up, placing her front paws neatly in front of her. Lifting her head proudly, she looked the opposite way, eyes shut as her lips quivered.

     Wasp slithered by her side and whispered, "Something's not right."

     "Obviously," she responded, pushing him away. Approaching her sister, Hurricane coughed, catching Maple's attention.

     "What's wrong?"

     "I'm in Imperfect territory surrounded by one sister I'm supposed to hate and kill on sight, a cat who I thought I killed moons ago, and..." She looked at Wasp and frowned. The golden tom's face brightened as he awaited his comment. Maple scoffed and replied, "Another Imperfect."

     "Just an Imperfect?! Come on!" Wasp complained. "Why do Lightning and Hurricane get all the praise? I'm just as strong as them!"

     "My remaining sister can't return home," Maple listed without listening to the tom's complaint. "And Eagle doesn't know how to run a tribe correctly."

     "Then... I know you'll think of me poorly, but why are you staying? I really want you, Blaze, Arrow, Serval, and Mother to see that this system isn't right." Hurricane blinked, deciding to take a gamble. "And maybe we could find some herbs for your stomach problem. I don't understand why the tribe would let you wander without going to a healer."

     There was silence, and Maple stared, no answer whatsoever. Then she collapsed on her knees, eyes fluttering shut. Startled, Hurricane ran up to her sister's side and rolled her over, checking for wounds as her heart raced. Wasp came up and then ran away, searching for nearby herbs as Lightning didn't move, sitting in place as he watched the two with cold eyes.

     Not wanting to argue, Hurricane pressed her paw against Maple's neck, feeling for injures that might be hidden under the calico pelt. Finding nothing, she checked other places and then pressed her ear against her stomach, closing her eyes to boost her aural. Her eyes flashed open a moment later and she backed away, attaching herself to Lightning's side like a leech.

     I could just be hearing wrong. I could just be hearing wrong. I'm an Imperfect, after all, she reassured. Maple was out cold, unable to answer her questions. Hurricane exchanged a look at Lightning, but the tom looked away, refusing to talk to her. Angered, she whirled around and marched toward the path, hoping her sneaking skills were still perfect.

     But she didn't need to step into the right side.

     Waiting at the edge of Imperfect territory was a she-cat, her green eyes flashing with worry, yet the gaze was comforting to her. Hurricane stopped and the cream she-cat shook her head, revealing wet moss behind her back. Passing them, she peered over her shoulder, scanning the territory.

     Hurricane eyed the cat, trying to search her mind for a name.

     As if sensing her doubt, the she-cat said, "My name's Spring. You probably don't remember me too well. You were always with your family."

     "Spring...? Oh! Needle!" Hurricane exclaimed, remembering the cream cat during her time at the Training Den - not like she spent most time with her. A she-cat always sitting in the shadows as she watched her and her family dance around, spending time together while ignoring her, Speck, and Pebble.

     The cat in front of her looked just as lonely as she remembered.

     "I'm surprised," she mentioned. "Use the moss to cool her fever."

     "Why don't you do it? It's been a long time since I've healed anyone," she offered. "Unless you try to attack us, then I take no joy killing you."

     Spring shook her head and pushed the moss and Hurricane closer to the imperfect side. "You have to do it. It'll work better."

     "You're still afraid, aren't you?" Hurricane asked, looking over her shoulder as Lightning and Wasp came into view. Spring didn't say anything and continued to push. "It's not---"

     "It's like convincing your siblings to join you," spat the she-cat. "I hate this tribe so much yet I can't just abandon it. It's the only thing I know and I'm not just going to leave." Spring's head lifted and she pulled Hurricane's tail back, catching her attention.

     Placing a paw on her muzzle and with a wink and a twinkle in her eye, Spring giggled. "I have to help this rebellion, after all. I'll let Arrow know I ran into you. He'll hate it, but I don't care." Her gaze flashed with regret and then she looked at Hurricane painfully, adding, "But I'd watch out. Eagle's making all the she-cats expect kits. It's like he's preparing for something. My first guess is the elimination of the Imperfects."

     Before Hurricane could call out or demand that Spring take back her sister, the she-cat ran, her tail waving in the air like a flag. She watched as the cream figure ran up the mountain trail and then disappeared behind a rock. With the moss dripping wet in her jaws, she went back to Maple and rest the herb on her forehead, brushing a paw gently against her pelt.

     Left alone, she rubbed against Maple, whispering, "I can't save you, even if you were to join us." Looking softly at her stomach, Hurricane added, "I hope your future is safe."

     "I've got it," Lightning concluded. "I think I know a way we can make a comeback. However, a part of it will require a little bit of death. Are you willing to do that?"

     Why does everything have to end in death? That's what history teaches us, but even though it looks like that's the only option... Is death really the answer? She thought, not moving.

     "You've killed some, too. Please don't tell me you forgot the cats you killed," her mind scoffed, annoyed.

     Razor, she growled, trying not to think of another cat. It was only out of rage for Cardinal... because I couldn't believe I was the one who killed my little sister.

     "Then imagine every cat you fight is him. That should make it easier or just think of it as Python, Viper, or Skull."

     Wasp nudged her shoulder and scared the thoughts away. Hurricane spun around, trying not to hit Maple. The golden tom gestured to Lightning with heavy, gray eyes. She knew the answer and her ears sank, letting the words flow in one ear and out the other.

     "If you could find one cat you think would make a good leader of the Tribe of Shining Suns, then all we need to do is plan an assassination. Kill a cat once a moon and slowly chip it down until you could sweep a paw across the mountain. Same goes for Father's group. However, all you need to do is cut off the head." Lightning licked his paw and began to groom himself. "And I'd love to fight Viper or Skull myself."

     "And Python goes to me!" Wasp declared.

     "You'll die two seconds later," countered Lightning.

     "But... Every cat that we fight has a life and a family. Just because we see them as an enemy doesn't mean they really are the evil ones," Hurricane expressed, looking at Lightning. "There really is no such thing as a 'bad cat'."

     "Then you're living in a foolish dream," he snapped. "I don't know how to explain it to you when you refuse to raise a paw to kill a cat unless they kill someone close to you."

     Before Wasp could jump in, Lightning turned around and left the three alone. Hurricane let out a loud snarl a moment later, knowing that the snarky tom could hear her. She stomped away from the remaining tom and unleashed her claws, slashing and pulling at a shrub until the roots came flying out, showering her in dirt. She set her eyes on Maple and crumbled down, resting her head on the ground as her claws dug into leaves.

     Wasp came out and crept closer, nudging her. "I like you a lot more than Lightning, but I have to side with him on this side. You have to kill something for change, whether it's another cat or yourself, you have to be willing to fight."

     "I know, but I wish that it didn't just end in death," she growled, unmoving. "I know that stealing Maple will cause more trouble for the Tribe of Shining Suns and they might attack the Imperfects if they feel threatened. Lightning's plan of killing them every moon will surely draw out a war."

     "True," he mumbled, "but what if that's what Lightning wants?"

     "Why would he want---"

     "Because that's how cats listen." Wasp lifted her head with the tip of his tail, forcing her to face his gray eyes. Hurricane held her breath and stared at him, unable to think. The two golden cats did nothing as they waited for the other to do something. She finally sighed and his ears perked up, relieved.

     "You saw how reasoning isn't going to work, but if you remember the aftermath of the war, you saw how Python was able to negotiate with the Tribe of Shining Suns - not in the best way, but he was more lenient to listen back then." A mischievous grin loomed over his face and he snickered. "Besides, I've known Lightning since he was a kit. I can see behind his words."

     Taken back, Hurricane rolled her eyes in a sarcastic manner. "Care to tell me his weakness, then?"

     "Love."

     What?

     Wasp chuckled and pointed his tail at Maple, more importantly, her stomach with newborn kits. "You learned about Tsunami's past and how her flaw was being naive. Betrayed by three so-called friends and then sheltering her heart off to hang around her family because she knew they wouldn't hurt her. Ouch, that's gotta hurt."

     Hurricane imagined if the calico were still alive, Tsunami would come flying out of a bush and tackle the golden tom to the ground without a second thought. Throw him to the ground and shout her side of the story until Wasp and her got sick of her voice and promised to look at it through her eyes. A part of her wanted to see the ghostly figure come flying from a tree and squash the kit-like tom, but the spirit she had seen couldn't interact with the living, no matter how much she desired.

     Puffing out his chest and holding himself like Lightning always did, Hurricane felt a snort escape her. Seeing her laugh, Wasp continued the act.

     "Long story short: Lightning and his older brother were born into the world and then I think Wildfire's mother got really jealous and managed to kill the brother. Lightning only survived because Python arrived. The death went unnoticed."

     What the actual... Hurricane thought, dumbfounded. Do Firestorm, Blizzard, or Wildfire at least have a normal past?!

     "He was really anti-social and hardly talked to anyone. I remember seeing him maybe once or twice out and talking to Blizzard or Firestorm. The rest of the time he stayed by himself. Now, his mother was a real nightmare. I couldn't sleep with her always screaming at him at doing something wrong.

     "There were nights when I'd see him covered in injuries with blood running down his face. I knew about the punishments and abuse he went through but I was still a kit, so I did nothing except watch as Lightning cried out as his mother lashed out. When Python came into the picture, she'd always show him up like he was some kind of prize.

     "Lightning only snapped once. His mother beat him for talking with Tsunami's mother and spending time with his half-sister. When I was about to step in, he sprang at her, claiming all his hate was pure and that she never once shared love for him. I went exploring with my mother one time and found him stuck in a ditch, half-starved and verging on the borderline of life and death.

     "I think that scared him and he just tried to avoid her from then on. She passed away in her sleep and he never cried for her. Free, I could finally become friends with him and I finally got to meet the rest of his family. But he's so awkward around them today, embarrassed to say he loves his siblings."

     Wasp paused his speech, looking at his audience. Hurricane's fur was standing on edge, mouth sealed with her eyes and ears open. Everything in her told her to stop listening, especially if Maple was around, unconscious or not. But she was glued in place and could only listen as the past rewrote itself, a tan-colored kit looking up at the night sky as thorns dug into his pelt as bolts of lightning struck the ditch.

     "He's fully capable of loving, trust me," Wasp said quietly, speaking the truth. "But if he let himself accept that emotion, he knows it might kill him." Speaking softer, he whispered, "Just look at Tsunami."

     "... You know I only asked for his weakness as a joke, right?" she commented, inching closer to Maple.

     "I know," he responded. "But I told you why he makes those choices. Afraid of love yet able to experience it like any other cat. You can see other sides and feel their love where he blocked that river off."

     Laughing, he added, "Maybe that's why you two get along so well."