"I'm going to ask this one more time, but do not make me talk to her," Vixen protested, casting a shady look behind her shoulder. "If I have to hear her spew nonsense one more time I might have to use force." The she-cat barred her fangs just as another one of Serval's outbursts rang in the camp, causing a loud groan to sweep over them. Hurricane pressed her ears to her skull, wishing that Lightning and Wasp weren't around as they both gave her smirks.

     Each cat had gone through their fair share of guarding her little sister, no matter how loud and rebellious the cat was. Lightning spent a few moments with her before ditching the shift and returning to Hurricane's side to discuss plans or ideas on how a world where perfection and imperfection could exist - to which he heartily suggested ridding the Tribe of Shining Suns. All of those ideas were shut down as she continued to stall, trying to come up with an idea that didn't involve the eradication of a tribe.

     While Wildfire wished unrelentingly that she would be allowed to spend the night with Serval, Wasp and Fern were quick to stop her so the tiny she-cat wouldn't meet her end just yet. Sheer offered but Lightning threw out a random mission or patrol - she couldn't remember - and the tom left without complaint. Avoiding her sister the day after they captured her seemed like a reasonable move to her, but she knew the only cat in the hidden camp the sharp-mouthed she-cat would listen to was her.

     Hurricane swallowed and dismissed Vixen, who let out a long sigh of relief as she strode away.

     "I don't get why you want to convert a cat like her," the silver she-cat growled, looking at her paws. "You're the only cat from that tribe I've ever heard of that was strong enough to break free of their chains."

     "Thank you for the compliment," Hurricane said with a dip of her head.

     "Now what? Are you just going to laze around camp all day, stalling your big plan even longer, or are you going to talk to your sister?" Lightning prompted, impatient. "Wasting time is only making both tribes grow stronger, you know. You can't wait forever."

     "I know that," she hissed. "It's just I don't know what to do."

     "You may not like my suggestions," murmured Wasp, shuffling his paws. "But if you really wanted to make a world where we can all live together... I don't really think kidnapping cats and trying to talk to them is going to work. I remember stories my mother told me about how there was an ancient tribe or group of cats that tried that tactic. Look where that got them. Forgotten in history."

     When I really think about things, I don't think Serval's on the top of the list. She's capable of escaping so that's why we need at least one cat with her at all times, even when she's sleeping. Our plan didn't go too well and Arrow escaped. That's not going to go well with the new Alpha, she thought, her pelt pricking with worry about her younger brother. He could've been killed for that mistake, and there's no way he's going rogue.

     "Perhaps you should talk to her," her mind whispered.

     I don't need any advice right now, Hurricane thought, her fur rising. Lightning and Wasp raised an eyebrow at her and she quickly let her fur fall, throwing a fake, reassuring look on her face.

     "I'll try, but there's no guarantee." Hurricane shut her eyes and walked into the den holding her sister, hoping to get away from both toms. She didn't hear Wasp's warning and just as she opened her eyes again, her head smashed face-first into the wall, making her world spin. Her paws tumbled back and hit a lumpy surface, Lightning's scent flooding over her.

     Of course, she thought, hiding her sigh. How can Lightning shut his eyes and walk away without running into something? Please don't tell me he figured out I was trying to mimic him.

     She scrambled back to her paws and gave the tom a forceful kick before he could open his mouth and say anything. There was no doubt that Serval had seen that, so maybe there was a chance her sister would instantly berate her. Hurricane finally got in the den and tripped over her sister's tail, who yowled louder. When she collected herself, a set of piercing, blue eyes chained her down.

     It didn't take long for Serval to lower herself into a crouch. Fur rippling down her spine while her claws slid out, the she-cat barred her teeth. "Citrus, Wildflower, and now what," she spat with all the hate she could conjure. "Hurricane. I guess you live up to that name since you destroyed my life."

     "I wasn't a part of your life after I left the Training Den - how could I ruin it?" Hurricane countered, getting into a comfortable position while blocking the entrance.

     "Don't play dumb!" Serval snarled, throwing herself against the wall in fury. "You made the Tribe of Shining Suns change! I don't know what it is anymore! You somehow escape, break your promises to Cardinal and me, join the Imperfects, find a new family to replace your real one, come back and fight, you kill Cardinal, and then you have the nerve to kidnap me! You really are an Imperfect."

     The words sliced down her pelt like needles, tearing fur and scarring memories. Hurricane stood in the center as they flew over her ears, resurfacing the guilt she thought she had stomped out long ago. It came back as strong as a tsunami, crashing down as she clung on, staying firm.

     But when the wave finally died down, her eyes flashed with pain, knowing that her mind and body wouldn't sway back to the Tribe of Shining Suns ever again, but it didn't tip to the Tribe of Roaming Spirits either. Torn between two worlds, Hurricane could only sit there while Serval lashed out, using flimsy strings as arguments. Standing in place fuming, her sister flattened her ears and growled.

     "I know what you're feeling, okay?" Hurricane protested. "But I can't answer your questions as to why things happened the way things did."

     "I can," Serval spat. "It's because you made a mistake."

     Why... Serval, you're only hurting yourself. That word means nothing to me anymore, she thought with an emotionless expression. Are these really directed to hurt me or yourself?

     "Listen... I don't want to sound like I'm forcing a choice on you, but you know very well that failing a mission is a greater mistake than tripping over your own paws," she started. "If I had to guess, you've been labeled as an Imperfect yourself."

     "No!" Serval yowled, marching closer. "We've all made mistakes! So what if I fail one mission when I've passed so many other missions! Eagle knows that I'm not invincible! They have to let me back! I can't die and lose my only chance of seeing Cardinal!"

     Stop saying her name, Hurricane pleaded. "Do you really want to risk that? Do you really want to go back and risk being executed by the entire tribe or have another chance at life?" She thought to herself. But at least I know who the Alpha is. I don't have very memories of interacting with Eagle, so that makes things harder. I need a spy.

     "I'd rather die the perfect way than rot like you," she confirmed. "I don't know what you did when you left, but whatever it is - it's not going to work on me! I'm perfect and you aren't anymore!"

     "It's the only thing we had to cling on." Hurricane switched gears, hoping she could tap into her little sister's heart. "The moment we opened our eyes we were constantly told that perfection is the key. That's just how we grew up and being naive kits, we just went along with it."

     "What are you playing at? If you're trying to build up emotion just to drop into imperfection, then I'm not going to listen. Maybe if you gave me one Imperfect's name that I would possibly know and you know for certain they're in the Tribe of Endless Stars, maybe I'd listen to you." Serval stopped and bit her lip, tail tightening around herself. A harsh flood washed away the conflict in her eyes and replaced it with a sharp expression.

     "I need you to try to listen," she pleaded. "I know you don't want to hear me spout about imperfection. I know you hate me since I broke all of those promises, but I know there's still a part of you that just wants to sit down and curl into a little ball and hope things would go back to what they were."

     "You don't know anything about me, dearest sister," Serval threatened, voice shifting. "But you aren't wrong there..."

     "Can you listen now that you're a little bit calmed down? I promise you that we'll let you go after a few days, but know if you run back to the Tribe of Shining Suns, you risk death." Hurricane sat down and curled her tail around her paws. "Can you listen and disobey at least?"

     "Give me a reason I should trust a word of an Imperfect."

     "Because an Imperfect will give you the harsh truth rather than a beautiful lie." Serval hesitated and then crumbled down, compressing herself into a tiny ball as she hid her choked cries. Hurricane did nothing and felt a pair of eyes rest on her back, eavesdropping on every word that came out of her mouth. She narrowed her eyes behind her shoulder and uncurled her tail, swaying it to give orders.

     Lightning snorted and stomped away while Wildfire stayed close, peering around her sides to see the prisoner. Serval's ear twitched, notifying Hurricane that she knew there were cats listening to their conversation. She lifted her head and rose to her paws, almost resting against her sister's golden pelt.

     "Then tell and give me a reason to abandon everything I know to something I don't know anything about. I'm still mad at you, for sure. Perfection is still the key, but let's hear you try to sway me with false lies and words why imperfection is suddenly a blessing." Serval gritted her teeth as she hissed them through.

     Hurricane smiled, dissatisfied that Serval would only let her ramble on before springing another rant on her, but at least there was a chance she could talk to her again. A chance to have her sister close and spend a few minutes talking to each other before they were at each other's throats again like they were kits.

     For some reason, she didn't think that was a bad idea.

     As they conversed, Serval continued to shake her head and had a rebuttal for everything Hurricane had to say. Her head would jerk left and right as she continued to fight, even if it meant she repeated herself too much. She tried to talk with her sister, hoping that there would be something she had that would make her shut her mouth and listen for more than five seconds, but the hope died down before it could grow.

     But there was something she found interesting as she spoke.

     Anytime Serval would flick her head or tail, that told her that she was listening. She was fidgeting and moving too much and each time her mouth moved, the twitching only increased. Hurricane never once stopped to ask how she was feeling, as that would smash the rest of the ice holding the she-cat together. A fiery war raged on, her right eye fighting with winds so loud that drowned out her left eye which tried to root itself to the deserted ground. The tribe cat shook her head and kept unleashing her claws, digging into the nest.

     Hurricane smiled as she finished, knowing that there'd be a long speech coming from Serval - that was if she could keep herself calm and not shatter into a million pieces. By the end of her lecture, her little sister was shaking head to toe, constantly trying to find ways to move or tear something apart. The nest she sat on was destroyed and resembled a field after a windstorm, and a part of her was happy to know that Lightning would have to create another one.

     Even though Serval didn't notice it, Hurricane couldn't deny the happiness fluttering in her stomach like a butterfly, knowing that she was finally having a conversation with the little sister she lost.