Imperfect

Chapter 34

"She's dead," Hurricane muttered to a horrified Lightning and Firestorm. Wildfire was leaning against her, sucking back tears that threatened to fall. Blizzard looked like a cat with no soul; her eyes dull and lifeless. The two toms remained frozen, trying to process the information. 

     Firestorm struggled to form the words, voice stuck in his throat, almost as if he were trying to wake up from a nightmare. Lightning's lips quivered and his face dropped, staring at his paws. They looked at each other with blank stares and then back at Hurricane, disbelief flooding through them. 

     Finally, the brown tom managed to speak and lashed out, his claws slicing across Hurricane's face. Wildfire let out a yelp and Blizzard snapped away from the trance she was in. She didn't defend herself as Lightning lashed out again, his claws cutting across her jawline as his eyes quivered.

     "You killed her!" he screeched, his rage and sorrow poured out and piled onto her. "She's dead all because of you! You killed my sister!"

     "Stop it!" Wildfire begged weakly, voice unable to get any louder than a whisper, flinching as Lightning let his cold eyes strike her. "Y-you got it all wrong... S-she fought her enemy to the end..."

     "And you!" Lightning accused, anger drawn toward the little she-cat. "Why are you so protective of her?! What made you instantly trust her when she tried to kill you?!"

     "That was moons ago! She saved my life, too!" Wildfire snapped back, clashing heads with him. "I'm sad that Tsunami's gone too, you know! Just because you're mad and sad doesn't mean the rest of us aren't suffering!"

     "Do you not understand?!" he countered, towering over his little sister, who fell onto her back. Lightning stood over her, mimicking the same position Hurricane had seen with the three toms back then. Wildfire saw it too, and her eyes dropped to her stomach, turning into moons. 

     "She. Tried. To. Kill. You," he snarled, venom leaking out of his mouth every word. 

     "L-Lightning... That was moons ago! Let the grudge go!" she cried, a new wave of tears ready to spring from her eyes. "Please..."

     "No!" he roared, causing her to yelp and cower in fear. "Don't even let your guard down once! It'll be the end of you."

     Wildfire swallowed and faced her older brother with tears flooding her vision. With a sobbing voice, she managed to speak. "Lightning... Am I really the y-youngest?" 

     Those words stopped the tom and he stepped away immediately, conflicted. 

     "Wildfire, stop," Hurricane muttered, standing up and pushing her to the side. Her green eyes stared at her, still wet with tears. Facing the tom, she took a breath. Firestorm stepped between them, putting a halt to her speech, amber eyes brimming with tears.

     "Enough of this, all of you," he demanded, claws sinking into the dirt below. His legs shook as he tried to collect his voice. Blizzard collapsed, all of her energy drained out of her. A small puddle of tears began to form under the silver she-cat's head, still grieving over her sister's death.

     An image of Tsunami flashed in her mind; a stab to her heart. Her mind rewound itself and took her back to her days in the Training Den. Cherry and Lark waking her up in the morning, always starting off with an argument and then laughing with her. Arrow and her having a late-night conversation about the tribe she didn't know how to feel about anymore. Blaze and Maple there to pick her up after she fell and Dandelion there to support her, even if she didn't know the entire story.