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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Pinepaw stretched himself out, pushing the sleep from his bones. He was new to SwiftClan, but eager to begin his journey through the ranks. The tom glanced around, watching other cats stir and begin their days. Perhaps he would go out hunting. Surely bringing back a haul of freshkill would do the Clan well. He wanted to earn a good name for himself here.
Breezestep stood in the center of camp, her voice steady as she sent out patrol teams to check the borders and start gathering prey. After a few moons of work, the deputy thought she finally had a good handle on her job. She was nearly done assigning patrols when she spotted Pinepaw and immediately she felt a flash of guilt. She had forgotten about their new apprentice! They only had one other 'paw, Dingopaw, and they had already left with the dawn patrol.
Thinking quickly, she asked Shatteredshine to take her place on patrol, then headed over to meet the apprentice. "Pinepaw, good morning," the deputy greeted. Breezestep was on the smaller side, and she was surprised to see Pinepaw nearing her height already. "You'll be working with me today. Take some time to get ready."
The eager apprentice jumped at the deputy's words. In an instant he was on his paws and ready to go. "I'm ready whenever you are. What sort of thing did you have planned?" Pinepaw tried to hide some of his eagerness, though it didn't work very well. He was going to try his hardest to leave an impression on Breezestep and be a productive member of his clan.
Breezestep smiled, pleased to see his excitement. It made her guilt worse, knowing he was so eager to contribute to the clan, but she pushed that away; this was her chance to make it up to Pinepaw. "The fresh-kill pile needs attending," she told him, flicking a glance towards the meager supply. "I'd like to fill it. Once that's remedied, we can focus on anything else you'd like to learn. Is that suitable?"
A surge of pride ran through him. "Yes, I had been thinking that as well," Pinepaw responded, pleased he had been on the right track. He considered what he really needed to learn otherwise, and realized he didn't know the territory well. "Maybe while we are out you can show me around the territory a bit?"
Her smile grew. She turned toward the exit from the camp, indicating he should follow with a twitch of her ears, and led the way out. It had been a long time since she trained an apprentice, and it would take her time to fall into the rhythm of it. As she thought on his question, she found herself nodding and searching for the right level of praise.
"That's a fine idea, Pinepaw. You're in luck. I know this land better than most of the clan -- in fact, I grew up here." SwiftClan had only arrived at this corner of the landscape a moon ago, but long before that, clans had lived there. She had grown up in one of them and lived there until it was destroyed.
Excitement rippled through him as he followed her out of camp. He listened intently to her words. Pinepaw had not known the deputy had lived here her entire life, though he didn't know much about anyone in the clan. The apprentice was happy that he was finally getting to know some his clanmates he had chosen to live among-- even happier that he felt mostly accepted by the group.
After a moment he spoke. "From the little I know of this Clan, I know that they only settled here recently. In fact, I arrived here shortly after," Pinepaw was nothing but curious, and hoped he wasn't overstepping himself. "Did you join SwiftClan after they arrived?"
"I joined before that, several moon ago," she corrected with a gentle shake of her head. She didn't let her thoughts drift back in time, keeping her tone brisk as they walked; it was more important to keep aware of their surroundings than get lost in reverie. "My clan, EarthClan, lived in this territory for many moons. We were broken apart by floods that destroyed all of this land; I lived elsewhere for a while," her tone shifted, implying she had no desire to talk about that time, "and eventually found my way to SwiftClan."
She scanned the land around them, then veered from the path, heading to their left. A few paces away was a short drop-off, two tail-lengths deep. "The land is recovering from the floods, but you can still see it here," she told Pinepaw, brushing her tail along the stacked edge of the drop-off. "This cliff wasn't here when I was young, but the water flowing through it cut this path."
Pinepaw nodded as she spoke, taking notice that she didn't really want to get into the past. Even so, he was grateful to learn a bit of history about the she-cat, and about the territory he now dwelled in.
His gaze looked at the edge she directed him too, a little in awe. "I'm always amazed at what the elements can do to the earth," He commented quietly, imagining the roaring water that must have pulsed through the area. "It's beautiful, but sometimes scary." Pinepaw let his mind wander off the topic of the disaster that must have impacted the deputy's life. Instead he brought the topic back to prey. "Do you have a favorite hunting spot around here?"
Breezestep had no response. Running her paw along the layers of dirt, it felt so stiff and sure, and it was hard to imagine it could ever break away, that even a river could cut a path here so swiftly. She didn't want to believe it was possible, it was true, but the temptation was there to close her eyes and remember. If she did, she knew she would feel the water yanking on her fur again, she would fall right back into the terror of the floods, and she couldn't do that.
Once again, she firmly pushed the memories away, and shook her head once to keep them away.
"I used to have one," she considered, slipping into a concentrating frown. Had she returned since the floods? Had the prey changed since back then? "It isn't far, and there were always plenty of mice sneaking around." Breezestep raised her head and skimmed the earth around them, thinking back. It had been a long time since she walked these trails, but this was her home, she could never forget it.
The grey-and-white she-cat rose to her paws and shook out her fur. "This way," she mewed confidently, and started to lead the way again.
Excitement once again ran through him as they began moving. He loved to be out and about, always wanting to stay busy. It helped his thoughts stay on track. As he followed her he kept his ears pricked for prey, opening his jaws slightly from time to time. Pinepaw felt a bit nervous thinking about the deputy watching his moves as he hunted, but he swiftly push the feelings aside. He had always been a good hunter and refused to let his anxieties mess that up for him.
She led him around the path of the flood and down into the fen. The water was low and stagnant here, higher than she remembered back in the old days of sticky mud that clung to her legs, but the cypress and maple still grew tall and sparse around them. They circled around to higher ground and climbed up through the water to an elevated dry patch.
"Here," Breezestep murmured, softening her step. "If memory serves, there should be plenty of mice here."
Pinepaw mimicked her ease into silence, stopping and straining his ears to hear around them rather than respond. His jaw parted slightly as he scented for any sign of nearby life, hoping for a chance to prove his competence. A sudden rustling caused his ears to prick. Slowly he crept towards the source, holding his body close to the ground and eyes firmly where the suspected prey roamed. Pinepaw froze suddenly, eyes widening as he prepared his leap; he pounced then, soaring through the air before slapping his paw down on the culprit and killing it swiftly. With a jolt of pride he lifted the small mouse into the air, tail lashing.
Her ear twitched at a rustling and she turned to see Pinepaw's eyes were on the prey as well. Breezestep sank into a lower crouch, hiding herself in the undergrowth to keep herself out of sight and lower the chances she would spoil his hunt. Her eyes roved back and forth over the terrain around them, keeping an eye out for any other prey.
She glanced back in his direction at the sound of a pounce and smiled as she spotted the prey in his mouth. Breezestep straightened up as well and nodded to Pinepaw.
The tom dipped his head in thanks, grateful he had managed to catch the little mouse without fumbling. Admittedly he was a bit nervous about performing duties under her gaze; though he knew with time that would disappear. Pinepaw dropped his small piece of prey before speaking softly, "I got quite good at hunting while I was alone, before I came here. When prey is so scarce, and you're hungry, it leaves little room for error." His eyes held a distant look for a moment before he gave a miniscule headshake and a small smile played on his maw.
Breezestep watched him in silence. Some cats might recognize the loneliness he'd experienced, but the deputy was not one of them. She had never been alone in her life. Her parents were healthy young warriors, her brother a rising star, and she'd found the love of her life early on; by the time they had all passed away, she had her kittens to look after, and she had never lived more than a few days without the support of a clan.
"That must have been difficult," she murmured. "How long were you alone?"
The apprentice frowned and attempted to think back. "I guess then it had felt like so long, but.." He paused briefly before speaking again, tail tip twitching slightly. "Maybe six moons. I don't have any clue where my family is, if they're still out there; I don't remember them at all." Pinepaw reflected for a small moment before shaking his pelt out, slightly embarrassed at his oversharing with the deputy.
He cleared his throat then and gave a small smile. "Well, anyway, I'm sure I scared away the nearby prey with my jabbering."
Six moons! Breezestep's eyes widened. That was a long time to be alone, especially for a then-unskilled young cat. It was remarkable that he had survived; he must have a strong spirit. As Pinepaw cleared his throat, she decided it was best she drop the subject before he got too uncomfortable.
"Good thing you caught the mouse beforehand, then," she replied lightly. She looked around their surroundings thoughtfully. "Let's head a little further west and see if we can't find another piece of prey before we head back. You aren't too tired, are you?"
The large tom shook his head in response. "Of course not. I'm eager to find more prey for the clan." With this he gave his pelt a hefty shake and stretched his legs out before picking up his catch. Pinepaw turned his gaze to Breezestep and gave a swift nod, showing he was ready to move along if she was.
Breezestep gave him a searching look; then, satisfied he didn't seem too tired, she nodded and turned to lead the way again. "We'll head toward the old bridge, if it still stands. The edges of the territory were higher than the center, so there should be less damage there," she reasoned. She wasn't sure she wanted to see the devastated camp up close, even if it had started to recover.
