"I'm so sorry, Serval," Hurricane apologized, refusing to look at her sister's broken face. Wasp fidgeted in place as Serval processed the information, split between lashing out and crying, attacking blindly until her rage settled. The muddy-brown she-cat breathed heavily, claws destroying the nest that Lightning had repaired.

Then she scowled and muttered, "You're lying. This can't be true. You just want me to join you and you'll use whatever ruthless tactics you can get your paws on to make me! I'm my own cat, Hurricane! I make my choices and whatever feather-brained stuff you're telling me is a lie!"

"I---"

"Shut up!" she screamed and lunged across the tiny den, to Wasp's surprise.

Hurricane's back smashed against the wall as Serval pinned her down, thorn-like claws sinking into her shoulders as the she-cat howled, lashing out. Her back claws raked down her underbelly and she flinched, pulling her legs up to keep the lethal blades from her body. The hunter screamed and continued to slash, attacks becoming blind as scarlet liquid flowed out of her.

She tried to endure the burning scars and wounds, but eventually, Hurricane yowled and Serval's fury spilled, continually attacking as she shouted. Wasp took a step forward but the moment the brown she-cat whirled around, her paw flying out and catching him in the cheek, the golden tom stumbled back, gray eyes wide with horror. Her sister panted and looked at her bloody paw, baring her teeth.

"Did you think this was going to be easy? I mean, you were just as bad," her mind reminded, each snide comment she had said to Firestorm or Blizzard coming back and striking her in the stomach.

Don't talk to me right now! Now's not the right time! she snapped, hushing the voice. Hurricane looked at Serval, eyes trembling at the sight of her sister's enraged look, determined to bite into her neck and rip her life from her paws. The hunter's claws dug into her flesh further and she grimaced, trying to break out without claws stabbing her.

Then she felt something fall on her neck, something cold and small.

Hurricane froze as color began to return into her sister's blue eyes, the fire dying out as waves came rushing in, extinguishing the hate. Serval's grip was still iron, refusing to let her prey go, but confliction stabbed her, making her pause - for reasons she didn't know. Unsure if talking would erase the battle, she stayed silent, waiting for a response, even if it would take all night.

From the corner of her eyes, she spotted Fern and Freckle standing in the doorway, worriedly looking at the two she-cats. Hurricane twitched her tail, telling them they could leave. Wasp crawled out of the den and the spotted she-cat rushed over, letting the tom lean on her as she directed him away.

The black she-cat didn't move and entered the den, staring at Serval with wide, green eyes. Hurricane hissed, warning the tiny cat. Fern didn't listen and sat in the corner, her body disappearing in the shadows except for her eyes, watching the interaction, waiting for signs of resistance.

"It's... that was my home, do you understand what it's like to lose it?!" snapped Serval, gripping her tightly. "Everything I worked for was there and now it's gone! You wouldn't understand a thing!"

"How do you think I felt when I had to le---"

"Because you were always an Imperfect! I'm not! All Eagle said was I can't go back just because I entered this territory! That's not fair!" Serval roared, ripping away from Hurricane, tail lashing as a growl escaped her throat. "And there's no way to enter, is there?!"

"They won't see you as---"

"What am I even saying?!" Serval snarled, slamming herself into the wall of the den, making Fern shudder. "Me, Serval of the Tribe of Shining Suns, asking an Imperfect for help! This place's worse than I thought. The longer I stay the worse I'll get!"

"Please stop," begged Fern, stepping in for Hurricane. The tiny she-cat slipped over to the exit, blocking the larger she-cat. With pleading eyes, she whispered, "It'll only kill you if you go back. Trust me."

"You don't know that!" Serval snapped, unleashing her claws. At this, Hurricane jumped, but Fern stood her ground, facing the gleaming claws with wide eyes. "They'll listen to me! They know I... I can't..." Her eyes flashed and she lashed out, slicing into the black she-cat's face, blowing her over.

And the hunter darted out without another word, causing a panic in the camp. Hurricane scrambled to her feet and dashed forward, bursting into the sun, eyes scanning for her sister's muddy pelt. Snow was at her side, looking after a trail and the two met eyes before the white she-cat pointed her tail in the direction of the fleeing cat. Swallow and Vixen got to their paws and exchanged a glance before taking off.

Hurricane dashed after the two with Snow following, managing to keep up with three legs, keeping her pace steady. She pushed ahead of the she-cat and caught sight of Vixen's silver tail whisk behind a tree while Swallow jumped beside her, joining her run, eyes peeled for Serval's path.

"What happened?!" he demanded, jumping over a stump-turned-springboard.

Hurricane jumped on a branch, causing it to snap and fall, giving Snow the chance to wiggle through and follow the tom. "Day five of negotiating didn't work!"

"And she's still running back to that place?!" Swallow shouted back, voice becoming faint. "Does that cat have a death wish?"

She's scared and lonely, she understood, adjusting her position on the tree, aiming for another branch. Hurricane bounced forward, crashing onto the branch and scrambled for the next jump, aiming. She doesn't want to give birth to kits but doesn't want to be an Imperfect. Endless Stars, why did you make this so hard?

"I don't think they're making it hard," her mind answered with a snort. "If anything, I think you're making things harder for yourself."

"Serval...!" She snarled through gritted teeth, landing beside Vixen just as the silver she-cat yowled, crashing on her sister. The hunter snarled and cursed, fighting against the larger cat, unable to sway the Imperfect. Hurricane approached the muddy she-cat, placing a paw on her sister's head to keep her still as Swallow and Snow rushed up, panting.

"Fast," mumbled Snow, stumbling on her back paw. "Runs good but afraid. Of what?" The white she-cat observed, looking at Serval. The hunter narrowed her blue eyes on the kit and they widened at her.

She twisted under Vixen's grip and faced Hurricane. "Is that her? The kit I heard you kidnapped when you became an Imperfect?"

"Yes," she replied. "Her name's Snow. You understand why, right?"

"Don't bother explaining it to her," Vixen reported, squeezing her claws around Serval's shoulder, causing her sister to wither. "I've tried explaining everything and she's still fighting with every claw in her body."

"Why did you kidnap her?!" demanded Serval, figure tensing. "You should've let her stay at the Tribe of Shining Suns! That's where she belongs!" The hunter thrashed and threw Vixen off her back, jumping to her paws. Hurricane and Swallow darted around her, creating a tight circle. Her sister bared her teeth, unleashing her claws as her fur rose in a challenging manner.

"Listen to yourself, Serval!" Hurricane growled, getting strict. "Do you really think killing Snow was the right choice?! She was a kit and had a life ahead of her! Are you willing to kill a kit that is deemed 'useless' all because she was born with three legs?"

"It's. Not. Perfect!" Serval countered, voice cracking. Hurricane blinked and looked at Swallow, signaling him to back away. The white and brown tom looked hesitant, looking at the tribe cat with unreadable, narrowed eyes as his hackles rose the slightest. She growled and he flattened his ears, slowly backing away with his lips peeled back.

Wasp told me Lightning wants a war because that's what makes cats listen. After the storm is the best time to talk, she thought. I wonder how much longer Serval's going to rage on for. Hurricane carefully approached her little sister and knelt down to her height, causing the she-cat to growl, her head pressed against the ground. She ignored the warning and inched forward with her paws, her nose hovering above her forehead.

Serval curled her claws into the dirt, leaving claw marks. "I... I want to be perfect, Sister! Why are you getting in my way?!"

She shook her head, lowering her voice. "I'm not getting in your way, Serval. I'm not saying you join my cause. I'm just trying to open your eyes. You've kept them shut for so long."

The she-cat scoffed. "I'm still perfect! Why won't they let me back?!"

"Because that's the Tribe of Shining Suns, " she answered, her voice shouting in her mind when she clashed heads with the Storm Siblings. Hurricane turned away from the towering mountain with a cold shoulder. "That's how it's always been. This is our world."

And Serval yowled, causing Snow to stumble into Vixen's leg. The silver Imperfect hugged the smaller cat closer and Swallow looked at the hunter, worry replacing the doubt in his blue eyes. Then Hurricane watched her sister jerk her head forward, facing her with tears streaming down her face, dirt and mud streaked around her muzzle.

"It's dumb! It's stupid! Whoever decided there would be two tribes was nothing more than a cat with a stupid idea and goal!" she shouted, throwing herself in Hurricane's embrace, causing all the Imperfects to freeze. Frozen as her little sister cried into her shoulder, the golden she-cat's paws twitched, unsure whether to return the gesture.

Serval choked on her words and coughed, rubbing her dirty face on golden fur. "Why... Why...! Why am I treated like this?! Don't they know nobody can be perfect?!"

So why were you so against imperfection? Hurricane wanted to ask. Her green eyes gleamed as tears of her own started to rise. Vixen and Swallow pretended they weren't in the clearing, trying to drag their attention somewhere else, even if they focused too much on Snow's half hearted dance. When she lifted a paw and placed it on Serval's shoulder, her sister didn't jerk away and instead, sunk her head further, causing her to flinch as her head dug into her shoulder blade.

A purr rose in her throat when she didn't sense energy and adrenaline coursing through the she-cat's body, shaking with the thrill of battle. Serval's moans began to die down and she eventually snuggled into Hurricane's shoulder, just like she did when they were younger.

"I... I've really wanted a shoulder to lean on for the past moons... Cardinal's dead." Hurricane fought the wave of guilt rising in her stomach and ignored the stinging over her right eye. "Maple's expecting kits... Blaze is getting distant... Mother's breaking... And Arrow's so stubborn I can't talk to him anymore... You're an Imperfect and a disgrace... And now I'm crying into your shoulder like a kit."

"It's okay," she comforted, stroking her sister. "I don't care what you think of me... I know I'm an Imperfect and I know this isn't what you want to hear but I've never felt any better, even though I know if I step in the wrong place my life is gone."

Serval whacked her over the head with her tail. "I hate you so much but love you, Hurricane. I want to go back to the training days. Those were perfect."

"They were, weren't they?" she mumbled, pressing her forehead against Serval's. Her sister didn't resist and let herself fall. "Are you willing to listen this time?"

"... I don't know what to do," she cried. "I want to be perfect. I'm still perfect but they're saying I'm Imperfect and it's just confusing and I just..." Serval growled, pressing closer. "Can I just close my eyes and hope to wake up in the past?"

"I wish the same thing," she murmured, hugging her. "I do have a solution for you. In a way, it helps reach our goal. It makes you get back into the tribe."

Hearing this, Serval's ears perked up and she pulled away, looking at Hurricane with keen interest. Then she shook her head, tears dribbling out of her eyes. "H-how can an Imperfect help me? You're my sister but you're still an Imperfect..."

"I want the Tribe of Shining Suns and Roaming Spirits to get along," she explained. "It's going to involve a little bit of fighting, but I'm still going to avoid killing anyone. I learned my lesson with Tsunami and Cardinal."

Vixen and Swallow approached her, the two cats sharing their doubt.

"Are you really trusting her so soon...?" Vixen murmured. "I won't be against your decision, but I don't know because she did attack me once..."

"And she attacked Fern on her way out," noted Swallow, unimpressed. "But... I don't know if I'm going to sleep well."

"I know you won't trust me, ever," Serval growled, facing the two cats with hate. "But I... I don't have anywhere else to go unless I survive by myself."

"You're in?" Snow asked, padding up to the hunter curiously. Serval froze as the white she-cat rubbed against her, a soft purr escaping her throat. Despite being the size of a full-grown rabbit, the three-legged kit stayed true to her playful and innocent nature, always looking on the bright side and saying ambiguous words. The hunter's blue eyes glittered and when the white she-cat touched noses with her, she broke.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she apologized. "I... I... I don't know..."

Snow shook her head. "No need. Words were false comfort."

Serval turned and looked at Hurricane, face matted with mud and tears. "Then tell me... how can I help...?"