"Wait... what?!" Wildflower screeched, lunging for the dead she-cat. She was late and only leapt air, the silhouette of Cinder now gone with the scent of overwhelming grief coming from the spot she once stood at. The Tribe twisted their heads towards the newest scouter. 

     Great, this is the perfect first example! Now I'm going to get the stereotype as the insane cat! Wildflower tried not to let it get under her fur, but she couldn't help but peek at the other cats and try to pick up snippets of their whispering.

     But it seems as if her words were correct... But can I... deny a dead cat's word? Wildflower narrowed her eyes, shaking out her ragged pelt. "I-it's nothing!" she claimed frantically. Doubt from the other cats passed throughout the camp, the red scent floating like a cloud. She half-expected Cinder's snarky comment to ring into her ears.

     The silence that Wildflower had welcomed began to spread ice through her organs. Icy claws reached out, snagging what warmth she held precious to her heart. 

     Ahh... better go now before I screw up somehow. Besides, Cinder's long dead, that means she can't have any effect on me. Why didn't I get away from her when I saw her?! Wildflower parted ways with her family and began to tread up towards the Alpha's Den. 

     For Origanum's den, it was a leafy entrance. Leaves that she or others must've collected laid out in the opening like pebbles in a flowing, gentle, river. A welcome sign to perfection and a death threat to imperfection. She hesitated, questioning if spending a few moments with the Alpha would be worth it. Perhaps speaking with someone who knew the Fallen Hero before she died could cure her. 

     Plus, she still had to tell Origanum about the three toms that had cornered Wildfire, taking advantage of her size. 

     Wildflower took a deep breath, lifting her chest as she did so. With one exhale, all of her confidence and courage was sucked away by the wind. She barely had the time to recapture the feeling and throw it back into her system. No, don't think about it. Nerves will get in the way of perfection. I have to be perfect. Especially in front of Origanum. No screwing up or your life is over.

     Wildflower lifted her tail, swaying it evenly as she cleared her throat. Gathering up what little strength left in her drained body, she faced the entrance boldly. "Alpha, I'm here at your request."

     "Wildflower!" Origanum cheered, thrusting her head out of the den suddenly. It gave Wildflower a shock, her back legs did slip by her perfection radar. Her fur spiked out and her back legs parted to catch herself and bit herself to keep her front paws under control.

     This Alpha's a kit, Wildflower sighed after she collected herself. The Alpha's eyesight flickered towards her back legs.

     "Hi! Sorry to scare you, but come on!" With that, her golden pelt was swallowed by the den. 

     Endless Stars that was a mistake! Wildflower slowly trailed her eyes down to her back legs.

     The scouter entered the den, resting her eyes on a massive nest planted in the center. Origanum's little body only took up half when the Alpha jumped in, getting into a comfy position with the moss surrounding her sides. She rolled around like a kit, purring happily until she was on her back, looking at Wildflower upside down. 

     "Like the den? When I became Alpha, I wanted to make this place a bit more welcoming and not so threatening. How did I do?"

     I've never been here. So who knows? "You did a perfect job."

     The Alpha's eyes lit up gleefully. She rolled around in the nest, sprawling out to take up the entire nest. "So... you want to know anything about this tribe before we go into the whole Cinder issue?"

     Wildflower sat down where she was, trying to make herself comfortable. In the presence of her Alpha made her unsure and brought back memories of her and the rest of her siblings hearing about the tribe's system. How much it scared her at first but there was always Dandelion. She was there to comfort them, encouraging them the whole way there.

     "Um... tell me about the Fallen Tree, please." Endless Stars, I sound like I'm a little kit again! 

     "Fallen Tree? Hmm... Not even I know that much about it," she simply stated.

     That threw Wildflower for a surprise. Several words came into her mind. How can she not know? Isn't she supposed to know everything in this tribe's history? Origanum sensed Wildflower's thoughts and responded bluntly.

     "The Fallen Tree was already there before I was born."

     I swear... this is some kind of joke... Origanum cannot be the Alpha.

     "It wasn't there for long, though. Maybe... five moons? Six? Who knows, the Fallen Tree was there when I first entered this tribe," Origanum said. "Maybe your mother would know? Or an ancient or senior member? Any cat older than me."

     And how old are you exactly?

     "Let's see... from what I've heard, one night, a she-cat decided to flee from the Tribe of Shining Suns. I'm pretty sure she had her reasons, but I don't know them. Anyways, a spy spotted her escape and then the tribe sent a group of scouters and warriors after her.

     "They found her and she ended up killing one of the warriors..." Origanum said, flattening her ears. "I think she was deemed an Imperfect by then but she ran with her kits. Before they could walk or the kits at the Training Den were back."

     "Strange," Wildflower murmured. "I guess the time it took for all of the kits to finish their training was enough for her to make her decision. Once all of them were back, though, that's when they'd be forced to leave and train for the twelve moons." Origanum curtly nodded. 

     "But there are exceptions. If one of her kits was too young or wasn't able to eat real prey, they'd stay until they could," she mentioned. Like Cherry and the fact she's four moons younger than me. She couldn't leave and join us until she could eat and stand. Even Lark was able to leave, being two moons older than her. Pebble was the last cat to leave and he was only a moon older than her. 

     "Well, the orders were to take her back along with the kits. Looks like the plan didn't turn out as well as we thought it would go." Origanum looked embarrassed talking about it. "Nevertheless, they only took back one kit."

     Only one? Wildflower raised her tail to speak. "What about the others?"

     "This is the part I don't know so well. The details are scrambled around but from what I heard, she had run away with one only the kits that were alive. She tried to come back but failed because she was an Imperfect. As you should know." Origanum stepped closer, making her ice, blue eyes freeze her in place.

     Wildflower held her breath as the Alpha studied her up close. This side of her she enjoyed seeing - despite the fact knowing Origanum could easily kick her out or spit on her. She was fierce and determined, not the mindless kit running around blindly. When she was serious, that's when she saw the true Alpha.

     "There are two things that separate us, perfection and imperfection..."

     And I want to be perfect, Wildflower answered.

     "She never returned after her thirteenth try," Origanum finished. "She stayed out of our side and we didn't bother her. That's all."

     Then what about the Fallen Tree?

     "Oh! I'm pretty darn sure on her thirteenth try she tried to escape into our territory - horrible mistake, by the way." Origanum snorted. "The roots of the old tree finally gave in and crashed, crushing her entirely."

     Wait a second. Wildflower raised her tail again. "I was told that she tried to climb the tree with her kits to escape."

     "There are so many versions of the story. One is that she killed her kits after losing her other one and then herself. Another says that she climbed in the trees and lived there until the tree fell. No cat really knows the true story behind that," Origanum said. "All I told you was what I heard from others."

     "What about the body? If a cat had been crushed, wouldn't you see her body and bones?" Wildflower asked.

     "Some say she was small like me. Imagine if that tree fell on me."

     Then we might have an actual Alpha?

     "Don't you think it would cover me?"

     "Wouldn't there be blood?"

     "Probably, but blood can dry."

     "Would she be alive now?"

     "If she were alive, she's probably dying this second," Origanum growled. "She was a mother with kits and I wasn't born then. So, she's probably dead now."

     "What about the kits? Wait, better question, who was the kit that you saved?"

     Origanum went silent. Her blue eyes landed on her paws. Wildflower knew she must've struck a nerve or something. The Alpha's lips quivered, about to speak but would hesitate at the last second.

     I have a feeling she knows them. Wildflower narrowed her keen eyes towards the Alpha. Origanum noticed her look she received. In return, she only glared at Wildflower. The Scouter retreated back into her shell.

     "All I will say is that the kit we saved is in the tribe right now," Origanum stated shortly. The fire lit up in her eyes once again. Just from her body language, Wildflower knew she had to bite her tongue just this once. The Alpha turned back to her. "I wouldn't ask every single cat here, either. You never know what might happen. Better yet, you have no idea what secrets lie around this camp."

     You don't worry about it? Some cat might be planning to kill you. Rumors could be spread without you knowing. No, drama could stir up between two cats. Then everything goes downhill from there.

     "What about the other kits? Are they still around?"

     "I would guess that the newborn kit would be around my age," Origanum said, placing a paw on her muzzle curiously. "I've got no idea about the other two."

     "There were four kits?"

     "My memory has four kits."

     So, at least there is something in common. Four kits. One gets kidnapped and that kit is here right now. I wonder who it is but Origanum knows them. A sudden chill raced down her spine. What if that kit was her?

     "Do you happen to have any siblings?"

     Origanum laughed at her. "I'm not the kidnapped kit, Wildflower. I promise you that."

     I'm not like Lark and can tell if a cat's lying. Origanum is an emotional mess. I have no hints or clues on her to identify if she's lying. Looks like I'm going to doubt her more than I thought I would.

     "But, I had a best friend that was like my sister," Origanum replied sadly. "You already know her name, claiming you saw Cinder."

     Wildflower curled her tail around her paws once again. "Can you tell me what happened with her?"

     "I tell every cat about her, so it's no difference for you. It's just once they hear this, they can't act like they heard my story."

     "You make it sound like a tragic backstory," Wildflower reported.

     "I'll keep it short then!" Origanum stated. Her eyes sparkled brightly. "Cinder and I grew up in the Training Den together, we were both outcasts at the time, so we linked together just as easily as you would think. We met another she-cat, Slate. Then our other friends Acorn and Dapple."

     And Heather must be Acorn's daughter?

     "We all made it into the tribe. Things were perfect. Slate was sadly killed in battle. Once that happened, Cinder hung with me more often. Acorn and Dapple went off to find some pretty she-cats leaving us together. It didn't matter. We moved on. The top beta at the time, Spider, just became the newest Alpha."

     Spider, Wildflower's mind echoed. The victim to Cinder's claws. The reason why she was banished and killed at the spot.

     "We lived normally, but she was more suspicious of Spider. Something didn't settle right with him. Cinder told us about her suspicions. We didn't believe her at first. Well, all of them but me."

     Wildflower was on her toes, ears itching for more information. Cinder's small tale was being unfolded now and like when she was younger, she didn't want to miss a single detail. A part of her wanted to back away and stop acting like a star-struck kit. 

     "She told me she wanted Spider to leave. I agreed but I didn't want to take action like her. Cinder would stay up late sometimes just standing, looking at this very den." Origanum shuddered. "Eventually, she tried to kill him outside of camp. I had no idea until Cinder was dragged back here on the verge of death."

     Wildflower remained silent. Sounds like she just wanted attention or something? What could be the reason?

     "I was called in by Spider. He didn't tell me what she did. He just told me to take her outside of camp and kill her. I didn't want to do it, but I took her outside of camp. She told me she was leaving, trying to make something up on that spot. Saying that she was always an Imperfect at the heart."

     That was all feather-brained.

     "I told her that I couldn't kill her. She kept saying it was best for her to be an Imperfect. I lost Slate, Acorn left to stay with his mate, and Dapple would only be around when he was truly needed. If I lost her, I probably would've left or ended my life as well."

     That never happened.

     "So, when I attacked her, I knocked her out instead. Before I could change my mind, I dragged her into Imperfect territory. I covered up my scent and said my last goodbye. I left and never saw her again."

     Wait... Wildflower narrowed her eyes at Origanum, who stayed on her back, a mischievous grin flashing through her eyes at the secret. "Y-you made a mistake?! You could've been kicked out for that!" 

     Origanum didn't flinch. She remained calm as she spat venom. "I know very well that I made a mistake. Almost every cat here that wanted to talk about Cinder knows about my mistake."

     Endless Stars how many cats know about Cinder? Wildflower clenched her teeth together as her heart thumped against her chest, trying to break free.

     "But." Origanum's eyes darkened. Her fur rose slowly like the rising tide. The blue, friendly eyes turning into cold, silted eyes. Her voice lost all friendliness it had, taking away all of her emotions and succeeding at bringing forth a completely new persona. 

     Wildflower's eyes widened at her next words.

     "You can't be kicked out of the tribe when you're the Alpha who bears a mistake."