Warrior Cat Clans 2 (WCC2 aka Classic) is a roleplay site inspired by the Warrior series by Erin Hunter. Whether you are a fan of the books or new to the Warrior cats world, WCC2 offers a diverse environment with over a decade’s worth of lore for you - and your characters - to explore. Join us today and become a part of our ongoing story!
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The sun was just beginning to color the sky when Rivergale emerged from the warriors den, the golden light gracing his brown and white pelt. Today was the first day he was going to start training with Sparrowpaw. Sticking his head into the apprentice's den, he gave a soft meow in greeting and then ducked back out to wait in the clearing.
Everything was still so strange to Sparrowpaw. He had expected to not be able to sleep all night in anticipation, but he fell asleep much faster than he ever thought he would. Still, things evened out when he found himself waking up early, curling into himself to attempt to fall back asleep to no avail. When he heard the voice of his new mentor, he quickly got up and carefully removed himself from the almost overflowing apprentice den. He almost missed the emptiness of the nursery.
As soon as the grey tabby was safely out, he greeted Rivergale with a smile. "G'morning!"
Rivergale was almost positive that his level of excitement matched the apprentices. "You ready to get going?" he asked, tipping his head to the side. "Or do you want to eat something first? It's going to be a long day and we will be doing lots of walking."
The thought of food, of course, brought a light rumble to his stomach, but Sparrowpaw ignored it. He had to act like a model apprentice on his first day of training! "My cousin told me that apprentices have to hunt before they can eat," he said, puffing his chest out slightly. The pride that he was showing off wasn't for himself, however, as his mind turned to his family. He couldn't let his new mentor think he was a disappointment, otherwise he might reflect badly on his siblings and cousin.
"If you say so," Rivergale said with a shrug. "Don't say I didn't offer though." With a flick of his head, he turned and led the way out of camp at a brisk trot, his tail bobbing behind him.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Sparrowpaw fell into step behind his mentor, struggling slightly with his short legs. As they passed the freshkill pile, he cast a longing gaze at it, before snapping his eyes back to Rivergale's back. Had he already messed up? Was Rivergale upset with him? It seems he would have to work harder to impress his mentor.
"So, uh," he struggled to come up with a topic, the silence beginning to make the smaller apprentice uncomfortable. "Have you ever had an apprentice before?" It wasn't that great of a question, but Sparrowpaw didn't know what else to say.
"Nope!" Rivergale called back cheerily over his shoulder, tail waving happily behind him. "You're my first. So when you're confused, I also am probably confused." The brown and white tom continued along, humming quietly to himself. "We are headed north first, you know what Clan that is?" he asked, already starting to feel the chill coming off the mountains.
Well, at least Rivergale held no standards for him to live up to. Somehow, it was comforting to know that they would both be learning from this. The tom's question snapped Sparrowpaw's attention back to him, before he attempted to imagine a map of the territory - based only on what the nursery aids had explained to him. It was only when the chill hit him that his memory gave an answer. "WinterClan, right?"
"Good job!" Rivergale said with a grin, angling his path more northwest so they would hit the outer border first. "What Clans do we actually share a border with?" he asked over his shoulder, still keeping a brisk pace. Cardio was good, it would help the apprentice in the long run.
The praise pulled a smile out of the new apprentice, and he held his high slightly higher as he regained some sliver of confidence. "WinterClan, of course," he started, "and SummerClan." Was there a third one? Sparrowpaw wasn't quite sure. There were four Mountain Clans, but he couldn't remember if all of their borders touched. The nursery aids didn't really talk about that near him, and he never really paid attention when warriors talked about border patrols. He was only confident in SummerClan as an answer because his cousin had talked about the clan rather recently.
"Correct," Rivergale threw over his shoulder, keeping his brisk pace. The terrain grew rocky and sparse, the wind blowing coldy from the north. "The only Clan we don't share a true border with is SpringClan, we only see them when it's time for a gathering, unless they for some reason they are tresspassing."
Sparrowpaw let out a small breath, relieved that he had answered correctly. He glanced to his side, towards where he assumed SpringClan would be - but probably wasn't. "What's SpringClan like?" he asked. He honestly didn't know too much about the other clans, outside of nursery aid gossip. WinterClan was obviously cold, the chill on his fur told him that much. He had heard that SummerClan was beautiful. But what about SpringClan?
"They're an ally of ours," Rivergale began explaining. "Our opposite in many ways, yet not in others. SpringClan is very open and welcoming. They take in a lot more non-clan cats than the rest of the MountainClans. Spring is the season of new growth and rebirth after all."
Sparrowpaw found himself nodding at his mentor's explanation, but otherwise staying silent. The closer they got to WinterClan, the more he was grateful about his fluffy coat. For just a moment, he imagined Hystericstar dealing with the cold, and had to suppress a laugh. It took a few moments for a thought to occur to him. "What is fall the season of?" he asked. If spring was growth and rebirth, and fall was its opposite, did that mean that it was the season of death? That sounded ominous.
"Well," Rivergale meowed with a small smile, "fall shows us that yes, some things may die, but they always come back better. Fall is the season of rest. All the trees go to sleep, prey hibernates, and we struggle, but come out better at the end for it. It teaches us patience and perseverance." It had always been his favorite season when he was younger, loving the colors and the scents of the season.
As Sparrowpaw was fully expecting 'death' to be the answer, his mentor's explanation was a surprise. Death was a part of it, yes, but it wasn't all. He had been born in the winter, and now the brilliant heat of summer was in full swing, despite the chill in his pelt from being so close to the WinterClan border, and so he knew nothing of the season that his clan was named after. "Will I experience fall soon?" he asked, rather stupidly.
"You will, and it will be the best yet," Rivergale meowed with a broad smile, touching his nose to the young cats ear for a moment. "It's in the fall when you learn who you are, what strengths you carry and what you can bring to the world. Through the winter you harbor it, and the spring you birth it."
Sparrowpaw's brows furrowed, not understanding what his mentor was saying. "Sounds painful," he said. Birthing something didn't sound pleasant to the grey tabby. Learning who he was sounded much more fun. Perhaps that was why Rivergale seemed to like the fall so much?
