"You're so mean, Citrus!" wailed the little tom, glaring at his older sister with disgust as she triumphantly boasted to their guardians. She paid no attention and continued to block him out, smirking at him with those mocking, green eyes. He gritted his teeth and turned around just as Cloud said something, but he ignored it and went back to his den, storming by a sleepy Lark.

     After throwing himself into his nest, there was a soft tap on his shoulder. He whirled around, bared his teeth, raised a paw to strike the cat, and immediately stopped at the sight of his wide-eyed sister. Cherry, her eyes full of worry, love, and fear, backed away at the hostility, afraid of what he'd do next. His paw quivered in the air and he sighed, dropping his head and lowering his paw, retracting his claws.

     The cream she-cat crept closer, no longer afraid and loomed over him, despite the size difference. Sweetly, she encouraged, "It's okay, Apple. There will be a day when you'll beat her."

     "Stop telling me lies, Cherry!" he snapped, keeping his head tucked between his paws. "Stop saying lies to cheer me up - they don't work and all they do is make me even more annoyed."

     "I-I... I-I'm s-sorry," she apologized, sweet voice rising a bit too high and it hurt his ears. "I-I j-just want to h-help..."

     "Well, stop," he repeated, louder. Apple lifted his head and locked eyes with her fearful ones, taking no pity as her fur rose, curling into a small ball. He towered over her, glowering at her tiny, shivering figure. "Stop everything, already. You aren't helping me one bit. If you want to make yourself useful, then stay out of my way. You can't do anything to help me improve."

     "A-Apple..."

     Arrow snapped his eyes open, feeling his fur spike out as his claws sunk into the feathers and moss in his nest. His chest heaved back and forth as the faint image of his sister faded, to his dismay. Cardinal's image completely disappeared and left nothing more than loose memories, leaving a sense of love and wariness. To his own sister. He growled, withdrawing his claws and lowering his fur along his spine, looking around the den.

     The sun was about to set, and here he was, sleeping in his den to avoid Eagle. The Alpha had turned this home into an utter disaster and claimed it was still perfect. Seeing Maple break down and cry over kits he swore she wanted made him want to bang his head against a tree to erase the sounds. Blaze worked night and day to improve his skills so he could overthrow the tom and restore the Tribe of Shining Suns back to its glory.

     And he could finally rest peacefully.

     Arrow padded out of the den, figuring that falling back to sleep was going to do nothing except make him even more stressed. He slipped out of the den and avoided talking to any cat, even if it happened to be his mother, who gave him a curious look. No cat tried to stop him as he made his way down and exited the camp, staring at his paws as he descended the mountain, staring at the sky as the sun dragged the bright colors with it.

     In the far distance, a silver moon began to rise, bringing darker colors of black and blue with it. It gave him a sense of relief, but seeing it coming from the left side of the territory was a bad sign. Something was going to happen and if it had anything to do with those rotten Imperfects, Arrow swore to himself that he was going to march down and take on their fake tribe by himself. After all, as long as he was perfect, then there wasn't any need to worry about losing.

     But seeing Cardinal's tiny body spread out, cold as stone gave him a shock that made his bones shake. His perfect, little sister had fallen to imperfection, slain by a cat that Wildfl--- Hurricane was now allied with. She was out there, he knew. Someone as skilled as her wouldn't have fallen to something like a storm. Besides, he wanted to be the one who brought her down and make her pay the cost of imperfection. Joining an imperfect tribe and then taking on a disgraceful name and replacing her real family was more than enough to deem her a massive traitor.

     So why did I hesitate? When she was beside him that last time... Why didn't I just kill her right then and now? That was his mistake, perhaps, but he wouldn't call it a mistake if the rest of his family did nothing to her.

     Some cat tapped him on the shoulder and he jumped, startled. Behind him, Serval had her paw in the air, looking like she had something on her mind. Arrow bit his tongue and forced himself to calm down, opening his ears to what she had to say.

     "Brother, can I ask you something?" she asked, shuffling in her paws. "There's been something on my mind lately and I don't think Mother would like it if I said it aloud."

     "You can tell me anything," he promised. "You're my little sister, after all."

     "Stop calling me your little sister," Serval snapped, her voice rising. "Never call me that ever again, please. Little sister belongs to Cardinal and I'm not taking her role."

     "Are you ashamed of her? You? Ashamed of a dead cat," he snorted, looking at the left side of the territory. Plenty of cats had to be living there, and somewhere in there, Hurricane was there. She was walking around in Imperfect territory, the stench clinging to her pelt everywhere she walked. The mere thought made his pelt tingle and paws itch.

     Serval was quick to bat him over the head swiftly and accurately, growling. "I'm not ashamed of her, but I'm ashamed that a cat like her fell to an Imperfect. That's not what I came here to discuss, though." 

     "Oh, really?" challenged Arrow. "Spill it."

     "Eagle has offered me an acceptation, a leeway, in a way." Serval padded forward and leapt on a boulder, sitting back down, tail curling around her brown paws. She pointed one paw at the heart of the territory, senses and determination pinpointed in the hidden camp of Imperfects. Arrow twitched his whiskers, knowing something was changing - perhaps that was what he was sensing earlier. His sister's blue eyes were cold and hard, washing away any signs of regret.

     That was something he kept his fur straight for. His siblings would always have some kind of skill that he admired. Whether it was Blaze and his overwhelming strength that could throw at least two cats in the air, Maple's fiery personality that would shelter and protect all that was in danger, Serval's ability to push away her feelings and focus on the task, and then Cardinal's healing skills that made the best healer look weak. All of them had something that set them apart from him, leaving him behind to stare at a shadow.

     The hunter unleashed her claws and suddenly sprang from her spot, twisting in the air, aiming for a nearby rock. Arrow watched with pride as she wrapped her paws around the stone, placing her weight on the surface without hesitation. Serval didn't waste another moment before leaping for another, jumping stone to stone all the way down the mountain. His senses kicked in and he padded after her, keeping her muddy-brown pelt in his sights.

     Finally, the two siblings reached the foot of the mountain, and Serval didn't look exhausted. Arrow hoped she wouldn't notice that his chest was heaving a little bit too much. She didn't seem interested and stood at the invisible line that marked Imperfect territory, staring into the forest with wide eyes. He narrowed his eyes, searching the leaves for movement.

     Then she turned around and said, "Eagle told me that he knows about my utter hate for nursing and having my own kits. He told me that if I didn't want them, there was something I could do. It didn't just extend to me, it can go to you or Blaze."

     We're all connected to Dandelion. More specifically, Hurricane, he thought.

     "He told me if I can go into Imperfect territory and destroy a section of this 'Tribe of Roaming Spirits', I won't be forced to have kits. If I can kill the entire tribe, then he promises to reward me with the Beta rank." Serval's eyes lit up at the thought and he felt his own heart pump with excitement and determination.

     A ticket to freedom in the Tribe of Shining Suns. A way he could live how it should be. Arrow couldn't contain his excitement and Serval, once noticing they were on the same page, turned to the territory and puffed out her chest, tail lashing like an angry snake. Her lips curled back in a threatening snarl, energy coursing through her veins.

     No wonder she couldn't say this in front of Mother; there's always a chance we'd run into Hurricane. She'd be against the thought of attacking her own daughter. But... Arrow's eyes flashed as the thought of facing Hurricane in battle. He was much stronger than her, obviously, but she was always good at hiding behind other cats. Those other cats... these 'Storm Siblings' were protective of her and if his sister was the same cat he knew, then she'd obviously hide behind one of them if her injuries got severe.

     All he had to do was kill them before Hurricane could get to them.

     "Are you with me?" Serval asked. "If possible, I'd like to get this over with by tomorrow. I'll probably have to have a small group of cats, but I'm more than willing to take you with me."

     "Count me in," he answered with a snarl. "It's only necessary. Eliminate the Imperfects and then we can live perfectly." That's the entire purpose of our tribe, isn't it? We just need to find a way to kill them and keep them where they belong. Arrow felt waves of strength flow into him at the idea of clashing with those disgusting cats.

     If we succeed, then that means I don't have to constantly avoid other she-cats desperate to survive. I'll finish this job up quickly.

     "Thank you, Arrow," Serval said with a dip of her head. "With the two of us, I'm sure not even those Storm Siblings can put up a fight."

     "My only question is are you willing to go against Hurricane if we meet her? I know I'm more than ready to fight, but are you?" She hesitated, not saying anything. Arrow smirked. "If you're going to stare at her, then I'll take her on myself."

     "You know, I think I want to battle her again," she suddenly commented. "I never got to battle her during the last fight, and I don't know why I was so open to her. I don't know why I did the things I did back then. This time... I swear by all the stars this is going to be different. I'm not the same cat she thought I was."

     She was surging with a new kind of purpose, he could tell. Serval didn't dwell on their conversation and turned away, heading back up to their home. Arrow didn't do anything to stop her and only followed, saying nothing as the two climbed. He found it strange that even though the brown she-cat claimed she changed and was entirely different, he still found her to be that same annoying cat that wailed for attention until she got it and stayed up all night until she mastered whatever skill she had her mind set to.

     But he knew her so much more than the average cat. Where they saw a determined and strong cat that packed enough energy to run for months without sleep, he saw a she-cat that was driven by fear. He envied her for being able to hide it, where he'd break under the smallest amount of pressure.

     Serval was afraid of setting a single paw out of territory and even getting close to any Imperfect, afraid that she'd end up failing. Everything she did was out of fear. Fighting tooth and nail just to be perfect in fear that she'd end up falling to the Tribe of Never-Ending Shadows. Striving to better herself to make herself seem better in her family's eyes so they could rely on her because she didn't want to lose them like she had with Cardinal. She constantly walked on a path of fear, afraid of what was out there from the little home she grew up in.

     Not that she'd show it. She'd do her best to hide it and push it under with snappish comments or snarls. Before he stepped a paw into the camp, he looked behind his shoulder at the moon, which had risen higher, casting the sky into a dark void. Cats were finally starting to fall asleep and rest, waiting for the bright sun to start the next day.

     "Just wait," he promised. "I'm coming for you."