She hid in the shadow of a den and watched as cats she knew and recognized fought each other. Blizzard fought Crow and Heron, easily dealing with one cat before switching to the other. Her heart had nearly exploded and almost gave herself away when she spotted Maple in the battle, fighting Wasp. She had seen Blaze once, but the last time she had seen him was when he attacked Lightning and Wildfire came to his aid. 

     Seeing the two of them again was enough to make her cry and all the fight in her had been drained out.

     Origanum didn't look like she changed one bit. When Hurricane had seen her easily take on Drizzle and kill her, it had surprised everyone and enraged Berry the most. Watching Lightning take on the Alpha made her heart leap and she did her best not to scream as the tom was bested. Wildfire had run over to her brother without thinking and did her best, eventually their teamwork getting the best of the cat. However, Blaze had jumped in and taken Lightning aside, and the golden Storm Sibling had fled.

     She could've sworn she saw a healer in the group, but she wasn't able to get a closer look before she found somewhere to hide and wait the battle out. 

     Now, she was more worried about herself. If any cat from the Tribe of Shining Suns noticed her, she knew she would be killed on the spot. She didn't want to see Lark or Cherry, knowing her heart would only shatter if she spotted them. Would they welcome her back and smile when they saw her? 

     The last cat she wanted to see was Arrow. If she ever came face to face with her brother, he would gladly fight her without a second thought. His impulsive behavior would be the death of her. Running into him was one of the top things on her list not to do. Luckily, she had slipped by him as he was busy dealing with Summit, leaving her friend behind to deal with her brother, who was too caught up in his own battle to notice his older sister lurking in the corners. 

     It was too late to turn around and warn her. If Arrow was struck down by her, then it was her own fault, and another death by her paws. Hurricane felt sick and wanted to collapse where she was. She wanted to leave, everything in her wanted to leave this place. Away from her family and run away from both tribes. 

     A cat spotted her from the shadows and attacked her. Hurricane whirled and met the cat, a stab in her heart when she spotted the Tribe of Shining Sun's Jay coming after her. Using his speed to her advantage, she jumped at the last second and crashed onto his back, claws locking him in place as he thrashed under her. If she could injure him enough he'd run, then it was good enough for her. Knowing their ways, the tom wouldn't stop fighting her until she was dead.

     And from that look in your eyes, you remember me quite well. She whirled around on him and slammed a paw on his head, sinking her thorn-sharp claws into his skull. Jay withered in pain and kicked out. Her back legs lost their balance for a brief moment and he got the upper hand, getting on his paws abruptly and blowing her away. Landing on her back, the golden tom stood above her, his blood running down his face and splashing onto her pelt. 

     "Filthy Imperfect," he snarled and bit her neck. She yanked upward, scooting up a few inches on the ground and only tore fur, which made her yowl. The tom spat out the chunk of her and tried again. Hurricane smashed her head against his jaw to defend herself. Thinking fast, she reached out and ducked under him, slipping out from his underbelly instead of attacking. Her paws pressed against his flank and pushed him to the side. 

     Advancing, she pounced before her mind could regret her choice. Her teeth locked around a part of Jay's golden neck. Forcing herself to bring her teeth down, she tasted the foul blood of the tom. She gagged but kept sinking her teeth down his throat, tears springing from her eyes at the realization. Jay's struggles became weaker and weaker until he finally fell still.

     She dropped his body and watched it as it hit the ground. His eyes were staring into nothing and the wounds she gave flashed at her. Jaws coated in his blood, she used her paw to wipe most of the blood away, painting her fur red. The dead cat at her paws scared her and she wanted to leave. Legs shaking and already exhausted from the first fight, Hurricane looked around for any sign of Python, hoping he would be giving them the signal to retreat.

     "Well, looks like you killed a cat intentionally."

     Just stop... I killed a cat, okay? We all have! 

     "Not every cat. Snow?"

     Her battle wasn't over yet; other cats were sure to notice Jay's death. She had to leave Jay's side and find another hiding place while avoiding her siblings. That was going to be a challenge, as she didn't know where Maple had disappeared to. Blaze and Lightning were still fighting each other, the golden tom surprisingly keeping up with her brother's attacks. Lark and Cherry weren't anywhere to be seen, making her worry that one of them would come up from behind and attack her. Arrow should be with Summit, but she worried that it was already done.

     Then there was Dandelion. Was her mother looking for her? Was she still alive? Hurricane looked around for her mother's pelt but found no pelt that matched her description. Every cat was busy fighting one another to notice her staring. She gulped, wondering where to head to next. If she was found by the Tribe of Shining Suns or Python, she knew her life would be over. Her breath quickened as she tried to decide what to do next.

     Fighting and killing cats wasn't the right answer; she risked her own death just by standing out here. The battle wouldn't end even if Origanum or Python fell. Perhaps if she killed the Alpha, maybe it would die down without a leader. Then again, her next guess was the top beta would take her place. It was a matter of picking them off one by one. Killing off the Alpha and then all the betas.

     But I would have to fight and kill my own brother. He had to be training while I was gone, meaning he's gotten much stronger. I don't think my entire team would be able to take him down, and I bet I stand no chance if Lightning and Wildfire couldn't take her. I could look around for Summit. Retreating back to her friend was an option, but she'd have to snake her way around without dealing with any cat. There was always the chance the she-cat was no longer fighting Arrow and was in the camp somewhere.

     That risked searching around and getting herself skilled or spotted. Running into her siblings and family would surely be the downfall of her. Hurricane looked left and right hoping to find another hiding place to run to and wait for the battle to end. She was tried and wanted to escape and didn't want to shed any more blood. 

     Move.

     She whirled around just as a cat jumped down from the den. She dodged the attack and her eyes landed on a brown pelt. At first, she thought it was Blaze and didn't move. She was finally able to let her breath go when Bramble came into view. The warrior noticed her in one look and his face morphed into rage. Seeing no way out, she swallowed the fear in her stomach and forced herself to attack him.

     "Wildflower!" he hissed, lashing his tail. "You finally show your face, Imperfect."

     "Yeah," she snarled, spotting Wildfire from the crowd. Their eyes locked and the younger cat instantly figured out the problem. She dashed over through the mess of cats, easily maneuvering her way through pelts. "I'm back," she responded, bracing herself for an attack.

     "Imperfect!" Bramble snarled and pounced. Hurricane unleashed her claws and jumped under him, shoving both cats into the light. Snarling, the warrior began to overpower her. She pushed back and lifted one paw, unleashing her back claws. It was risky, but she jumped off the tom and crashed into another cat. Wildfire sprang, her back legs squarely landing on his throat. Turning around, she smiled at the cat.

     I'm sorry, Bramble.

     "Bye-bye!" Wildfire cheered and whirled around, her claws sinking into his underbelly. Her front paw sliced into his throat and she lunged, her teeth grabbing his neck. After she was done, she lashed out, her other paw digging into the flesh of his neck. The tiny she-cat hopped off the warrior, watching as he struggled to stand. Bramble pushed himself up a few inches and she attacked, knocking him back on the ground.

     "Please, stay on the ground for me," she said with a giggle. She gave Hurricane a solid nod before running away, slipping into the crowd to help another cat from behind. For a fleeting moment, she stood there staring at the dying warrior.

     He was glaring at her and sent all of the hate toward her in his head. It didn't take much to know that he wanted to attack her while she was standing idle. Hurricane forced her view away and stared after Wildfire's trail but her bright pelt had left. Knowing her, she'd probably look around for Blizzard of Firestorm and help them from behind. 

     Wildfire can kill...? she thought, imagining the mutilated warrior's body. 

     "Well, Python is her father..."

     I need a plan. Fighting isn't going to solve anything. All that will happen is one side will collapse. Even if that happens, we aren't going to solve anything. It'll just be run by a tyrannical Python or the Tribe of Shining Suns. I need a voice, one that can overpower each side. Finding cats was another battle all on its own. Her mind went straight to Wildfire, but the chance she'd abandon her only family left to join her plan was slim. Wasp might join and maybe Summit if she convinced her. Hurricane felt her heart beat faster as her plan began to unfold in her head.

     This might be a way to change this world, if it works out, at least. 

     "But will that change anything, Hurricane?"

     What do you mean?

     "If you change the world by that, then you're creating a world you want and think is ideal. What if there are other cats that like the system in place? Just because you think your idea is the best doesn't mean that others will like it."

     I...

     "You can't change the world in a perfect way, even if you remove 'im' from imperfect. The world will forever be imperfectly perfect."

     Hurricane remained silent, the world around her going numb and silent. The only sound that rang in her ears was the sound of her own heart beating. Cats were yowling as they suffered wounds from others, fighting one another to the death. Already, she had seen so many cats fall to the ground. Drizzle, Jay, Bramble, Turtle, and even Viper had been taken down by Origanum in her rage. Python wouldn't stop until he won, and Origanum wouldn't stop until her home was safe once again.

     "What are you going to do, Hurricane? Are you going to be Hurricane? Or Wildflower? Or maybe even Citrus?"

     Hurricane shook her head and marched forward, her thoughts pointing toward one plan. For once, she could finally think clearly in the battle. If she ran into a family member, it didn't matter to her anymore. She'd just have to fight with them with a heavy heart, knowing that her bond with them would never be the same. Whatever the outcome was, she found herself completely unaffected by it. 

     It's my life and my choices. I'm Hurricane, an Imperfect and I want to free the world from this system of perfection and imperfection.