"Cardinal!" Hurricane screamed until her throat became dry. Her sister's limp body rested in her paws like a fragile leaf, her amber eyes shut peacefully. She sunk her head in her little sister, trying to bring her back to life. The healer was gone, struck by her own claws. The Imperfect stared at them horridly, knowing her sister's blood was on them. 

     She lowered her head and prayed to Icicle, begging and pleading for forgiveness. 

      Silently, she thought she could pick out the beta's voice in the wind. "It's okay. I forgive you."

     "Wildflower!" a cold voice snapped on her left. She didn't look over to realize it was Razor. "You show your face here of all places?! And look what an Imperfect like you did."

     Stop... she thought, feeling rage and vengeance bubble up her throat. 

     "You killed your own sister," he spat, ice keeping her in place. "You're no different than the rest of the Imperfects."

     "I said stop it!" snarled Hurricane, a force taking over her actions and erasing any sympathy in her. Razor snapped back into attention and flattened his ears to his skull. Teeth bared, he lunged, claws outstretched. Letting out her rage and sorrow, she threw herself at the gray tom, smashing into him with the force of a mountain. His claws reopened the wounds on her pelt but the adrenaline coursing throughout her numbed the pain.

     She hooked her claws onto Razor's shoulders and attempted to throw him. The warrior adjusted his footing and when she gathered up her strength to toss, his feet stayed planted and his claws slid across her shoulders, making her previous injuries howl. Snarling, Hurricane swiped her paw upward, claws cutting the fur around his eye. He bit her paw and she let out a strangled yowl, her other front paw pushing him.

     The warrior advanced while she struggled to snap loose. His other paw cuffed her in the ear and moments later, he lashed out, making a scar down her side. Flinching, Hurricane yanked back, knocking the warrior off guard. With him now in the ground, she pressed both of her front paws on his shoulders, keeping him down while his back claws scraped against the stone. Her paws shook where the tom had bit her, making her uneasy. 

     Then Cardinal came into her mind and she snarled, sinking her claws into his back.

     She lost all sense in her; her paws began to tear at anything she could touch. She tore the fur away and kept digging further, seeing the pink flesh exposed. Razor let out a snarl and pushed himself up a few inches and took a swipe at her, which sliced across her chest. Hurricane snapped her jaw around his ear, sinking them further down until she bit her lip. His front paws reached up and batted her sides weakly as his strength dwindled. Another slash and a strangled howl. The warrior sank to the ground, chest heaving to catch his breath.

     Releasing the bloody ear, she gagged. Spinning around, she stood over him and clamped her jaws around his neck, ignoring the blows she revived on her face, side, and legs. The adrenaline in her would soon fade away, and she hoped that it would last her a few more moments to finish her job. Blood roared in her ears and she felt no remorse as the gray tom's blood began to flow and drenched her pelt.

     He jerked once, twice, and then he came to a stop. The being that took over her died and Hurricane dropped the limp body, eyes flooding with horror. Slowly, the color began to drain from world, the only color that stood out was the scarlet, red blood left in the camp.

     Glancing around as if she was underwater, the entire camp was painted in the liquid. Bright, blue eyes no longer stood out with golden, yellow pelts like the sun. 

     The sun. 

     Hurricane whipped her head up, the gray rays of the sun blinding her vision. Whirling back to the battle, each cat had a cloak of red, eyes full of murder and hate. The bodies of Cardinal and Icicle laid in a sea of red, floating aimlessly as the quarreling cats struggled to keep their head above, gasping for breath as enemies pounced, dragging them underneath the murky waters.

     Stop!

     Hurricane jerked her head to see a small cat run across the sea, kicking up waves of red. Origanum, dressed in her own injuries, was running through the blood and toward a pile of rocks where an ancient stood. A mass of cats surrounded the old cat, including Summit. Her heart leaped and ignoring the danger, followed her previous leader through the battle. 

     "Stop! Don't do that!" The Alpha screeched at the ancient standing at the top. The old tom's legs shook at the top of the tower. Summit let out a hiss and jumped, attempting to climb the rocks.

     "Summit! Get out of there!" Hurricane yelled, hoping to catch the she-cat's attention. Her friend ignored the request and continued to jump, claws reaching for the cat. The tower shook, about to fall. Crow jumped out from the crowd and knocked the ginger cat out of the way. The she-cat got to her paws and lunged, her focus now on the black tom.

     "Stop it! That's an order!" Origanum demanded. The old tom glanced at her with fearful eyes. Hurricane instantly recognized Mantis, the cat that had told her the truth about her mother. Summit let out a snarl and threw Crow onto the tower of rocks, a satisfying crack echoing in her ears. The tower shook again and the ancient held on tightly. Hurricane's jaw dropped open and her paws glued themselves to the ground. 

     However, the she-cat was struggling to stay up. The wounds she had already suffered began to take their toll on her. Summit shook her head and spotted Hurricane. At once, her eyes lit up but then darkened at the sight of Origanum. 

     The Alpha shook her head, screaming at the ancient. "Get down from there! It's going to fall! Stop this, Mantis!" Hurricane froze, eyes turning toward the small cat. 

     "You can't be kicked out if you're the Alpha who bears a mistake." The words surrounded her, realizing the sole reason why Origanum fought so hard. Then she noticed her blue eyes drift and land directly on her. Breath caught in throat, her heart froze and waited for the Alpha to attack. 

     The reaction on her face took her for a surprise. The sheer hatred she had expected wasn't there and was replaced by a desperate smile, seeming too shocked, but also like she had anticipated her arrival. 

     "Origanum..." she murmured.

     The Alpha lifted her head up just as a black pelt came flying out of the crowd. Hurricane jumped in place and saw Phantom struggling to pin the she-cat down. Origanum snarled and put up a fight, withering under her grip. Summit froze and inched away at the sight of the older she-cat. Like ice, Hurricane felt chills spread across her body and the black she-cat's lips curled into a grin.

     "Get off her!" Shadow came barging through the mess and crashed onto Phantom's back. The retainer let out a yowl and turned around, and screamed when the beta's claws slashed across her face, forcing one of them shut. 

     Origanum took the chance and flipped herself onto her back, sinking her paws into the underbelly of the she-cat. Letting out a yowl, the Alpha leaned up and locked herself around the neck of the she-cat. With Shadow distracting Phantom and the Alpha digging her way out, Hurricane didn't see any chance that the she-cat could escape. 

     She was mistaken when Phantom ducked under Shadow's attack and smashed her head against her chest. A sneer spread across the black she-cat's face and she used her free paw to attack. The blow sliced into her enemy's shoulder, giving her enough time to handle the Alpha. Without waiting, the retainer curled her claws around Origanum's neck, making the golden she-cat cough and wheeze.

     "Origanum!" Mantis cried as the she-cat went limp. Phantom didn't stop there, letting out a laugh and slaughtered the she-cat, her claws easily slicing across her eyes. Origanum let out a yowl, and the Imperfect's eyes gleamed, wanting more fun. However, the Alpha still had strength in her, and she weakly kicked out, tripping the other she-cat. 

     "Origanum!" Mantis screamed again and the rocks began to tumble. Summit let out a yelp and turned tail when a rock fell, smashing onto her back and knocking her to the ground, blood replacing the body of the she-cat. Hurricane jumped back, her scream unheard from the tumbling rocks. Phantom glanced behind her and screamed just before a rock smashed into her body, crushing her along with Origanum. 

     Hurricane stood frozen, unable to mourn for Origanum. Whether her survived or not was a question that remained unanswered and she'd have to find out later. She forced her legs to work and ran from another rock that smashed right beside her which caused her fur to spike out. 

     Teeth grabbed her by the scruff and yanked her away just as the last rock fell with Mantis still clinging to the top. Hurricane and the other cat hit the ground and received a shower of dust to the face. Dirt got caught in her lungs and she coughed to hack the tiny specks out while her eye stung. A tail wrapped around her protectively, the scent unrecognizable from the coat of blood and dust. It didn't take long for her to recognize who it was and her eye fluttered shut.

     "M-Mother... I... Summit!" Hurricane forced herself onto her feet, opening her left eye and craned her next at the fallen tower. The fighting had ceased and every cat was looking through the cloud of dust. 

     When the dust cleared, a pile of rocks remained and there weren't any signs of any survivors. Her eyes first landed on Mantis, his body laid across the top of the rocks with his neck in an unnatural curve. The first one to act was Ember, who pushed his way through and jumped onto the rocks, eyes scanning below his feet.

     "Origanum, Origanum!" he called, desperately looking around for a tuft of her fur. More cats joined in - mainly ones from the Tribe of Shining Suns. Wasp padded up to her and stared at one, blood-soaked rock. Hurricane stared at the rock with trembling eyes. No longer worrying about being seen, the Imperfect and her padded up to it examined the bloodstained rock. 

     Blood was splattered on the bottom of the rock like a smashed berry. Hurricane leaned down and tried to push the rock over while Wasp checked the scent, eyes filling with horror. There wasn't a single trace of Summit underneath the rock except for her blood. The last time she had seen her friend was right before the tower fell, her face full of terror as she tried to run away. It was all over once the rock smashed onto her back, cutting her life short before she knew what happened. 

     "No... Summit!" Wasp cried, aiding her to flip the rock over. The weight was impossible to move with just two cats. The yellow tom desperately began to attack the stone, throwing himself against it and yowling to the sky. Hurricane gave up and fell, her nose pressed against the blood on the rock. 

     "Father, you can't continue fighting," Firestorm's voice snapped but she kept herself planted beside the rock with Wasp. The other tom lifted his head and pressed himself closer to the rock. Other cats lifted their head to face the old tom. The Tribe of Shining Sun cats hissed, preparing themselves to attack.

     "Stop that!" Ember barked, his eyes seething with sorrow. "Where is Origanum?!"

     "Origanum!" Spring cried, causing a bunch of cats to rush to her side. With the help of five other cats, the warrior was able to push away the boulders covering their leader. She grabbed onto the black pelt of Phantom, which no longer held the soul of the hostile she-cat. Hurricane could hear Python growl at the sight of her. Cats screeched when another body was pulled from the debris. 

     Forcing herself up, Hurricane lifted her head and instantly spotted the fragile body of Origanum. Her paws dangled like leaves, her eyes shut, bones crushed from the fall. The Tribe of Shining Suns was silent while the Imperfects stared at the leader of their enemy. No cat said a word as the Alpha's body was revealed. 

     "Origanum's dead."

     The news caused disaster. Tribe cats turned on the Imperfects and demanded justice for their fallen members while the Imperfects stayed defensive and brought up old strifes. Hurricane did her best to scan her eye over the dead bodies dotting the campsite; including the cats who had lost their lives from the falling rocks.

     We lost Drizzle, Berry, Jay, Turtle, Shore, Midnight, Summit, and possibly Wildfire... They lost Origanum, Creek, Turtle, Shadow, Icicle, Razor, Heather, Crow, Bramble, and Cardinal... Hurricane kept her head low as Blizzard spoke up.

     "Father, you need to stop this. You can't fight anymore. We've already lost so much," she begged, stepping up to him. He glared at her and then at the rest of the cats in the area. Hurricane tried to look away when his hateful gaze rested on her. He took one glance at the Tribe of Shining Suns, spending the most time on Origanum's dead body. 

     Letting out a growl, he shoved his daughter aside, who fell. From the crowd, Poplar struggled forward, throwing herself over Blizzard, shielding her friend from any more attacks he would give the silver she-cat.

     "Fine," he growled, stepping down, glaring at Ember. The tom flattened his ears at the glare. "You're dealing with the dead bodies."

     "What?!"

     "Father! Wildfire could'v---"

     "I promised I'd kill her when we got back. The battle did the favor for me," he snarled at Firestorm. Lightning struggled up and tried to strike him, to which Python shoved his son to the side. Blizzard let out a growl and Poplar tried to calm her down.

     "Stop, please!" A voice startled them all. Hurricane turned to see Wildfire standing there, legs shaking and dragging herself over. She fell down and Butterfly came through, picking her back up. 

     The little she-cat didn't give up. "My newest friend just died and I lost Tsunami. I want to go home! Kill me if you want, but I want to die in my home! Then..." She faced the rest of the Storm Siblings. "Then bury me with Tsunami."

     "No, Wildfire!" Blizzard protested, standing up and pushing Poplar away. 

     "Fine!" Python snarled, storming off. "I'm leaving and I'll kill you when we get back. If I find that you're trying to escape, I will find you and make sure to finish it." Wildfire gulped, crashing on her knees and sobbed the name Cardinal over and over. 

     That got Serval's attention and she turned her head around, scanning the area for her sister.

     Hurricane wanted to shove herbs in her ears to avoid hearing the heart-breaking scream that came out of her mouth. Dandelion looked disgusted and then turned, her face instantly turning to horror while Blaze, Maple, and Arrow ran over, eyes wide as they crashed next to their sister. Serval burst beat them all, by jumping on them and slipping under, coming to a halt next to Cardinal and howled, splitting the sky.  

     I... I... Hurricane tried not to look at her claws. 

     "Hurricane," Wasp stepped up to her, locking eyes with her. "You should talk to them before we leave. I'll wait for you with the rest of the Storm Siblings."

     "No, you don't understan----"

     "Do it!" Wasp snarled. "You know deep down that talking to them is a priority!"

     "Wasp, I can---"

     "Listen to me! If you want to have any chance of them---"

     "Let me finish!" Hurricane hissed, silencing the tom. "You don't understand! I was the one who killed Cardinal! I can't tell them that! I have to blame it on Razor... I have to... I killed my own sister!"

     Wasp's ears dropped in horror, eyes widening. He looked at Cardinal's fallen body and then at her claws, gritting his teeth. Then he glared at her with piercing, gray eyes. "You're going to talk with them whether I force you to or not!"

     "Did you not understand a word I said? I said---"

     "Hurricane, you're scared," Wasp muttered, causing her to freeze. "You're still scared of mistakes because of something like that happening." He flicked his tail at her family. "But perfection can't save you, either! You've learned that by now. Unless you haven't, even after eight moons with us."

     "Wasp," she growled, jumping away from the golden tom. She eyed her mourning family, praying that they wouldn't make the connection to their sister's death. Hurricane swallowed, tearing away from the Imperfect. Spinning on her paws, she stated, "Fine, I'll talk to them. You just better wait."

     "Of course," Wasp said with a dramatic bow, trying to lift her spirits. "I'll wait for you."