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!
News & Updates
11.06.2022 The site has been transformed into an archive. Thank you for all the memories here!
Here on Classic we understand that sometimes life can get difficult and we struggle. We may need to receive advice, vent, know that we are not alone in our difficult times, or even just have someone listen to what's going on in our lives. In light of these times, we have created the support threads below that are open to all of our members at any time.
Life had moved so fast lately that he sometimes felt a little dizzy — NightClan to BrookClan, BrookClan to SummerClan, voiny to deputy; more often not, he woke up still expecting to see the roof of the his old apprentice's den creaking softly above him. There were times the longing to go home, or to belong, or to settle made his heart ache with an old, wistful sort of sadness that was all rainwater and idealism and frail hope; there were times when it still felt strange to prance around in broad daylight instead of waiting for the coolness of the shadows and the night; there were times when he wondered if this hadn't all simply been a string of bad mistakes that were leading no where, instead of the somewhere that he had always hoped.
And then there were days like today. His chest prickled with the pleasant, restless sort of nerves that were always there at the start — the sort that came before the rejection and the fall. Doefreckle was here, and he was deputy, somehow, for some reason that he still didn't quite understand — and he wanted to fit in. All sorts of scenarios skipped around his head like the dreams of faeries and nymphs — they wouldn't like him, they wouldn't accept him, they would like him, they would welcome him, they would hate him. All the new faces made his head swim, but this part was a challenge that he'd always enjoyed, ever since he was a kit in the nursery.
He half-trotted, half-limped up to the first cat he saw and stopped in front of them with a big, cheerful purr. "Hi!"
Pantherclaw had gotten up early this morning and had already been to the small stream near the camp to get a drink. Her cheerful attitude sometimes grated on her clanmates but she never let it bother her. Upon entering the camp, she saw the new deputy approaching her and wondered if she was going to be put on a patrol today. "Good morning!" she greeted him back. "So how are you doing today?"
Just about then, Graythorn left his den to check on the elders. In his mouth was a small bundle of herbs. He saw his overly happy sister talking with the new tom, who for some reason Ravenstar had made deputy. His eyes narrowed as he watched the two conversing. He was never in agreement with his leader over her choice of deputy. Why would she choose some newcomer to the clan instead of a cat who has been here for a long time? He decided he'd keep his eye on Doefreckle to make sure he didn't have any ulterior plans for coming to SummerClan.
"Yes!" Doefreckle chirped back the moment the she-cat replied to him, relieved that he hadn't been snubbed. He grinned and let out a frail little giggle, dancing delightedly on his forepaws without fully realising he was doing it. "Yes, thank you, I'm good! Wonderful, actually! I'm Doefreckle — and you're... you're..." He stared at her with wide eyes for a long moment, expression passing through every emotion from shock to grief to horror, before he finally let out the breath he'd been holding and offered an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry, I can't remember. But you do look lovely today, cat-whose-name-I-have-forgotten!"
As he was talking, his eyes drifted over to the medicine cat watching him distrustfully from his den. Doefreckle's smile slipped a little as he stared back at him, uncertainty making his chest prickle with the familiar sensation of not belonging, before he forced a sunny smile and flicked his tail-tip in greeting. "Morning!" he called, before scooting closer to She-Cat-Whose-Name-He-Had-Forgotten and murmuring in her ear, grin still plastered on his face, "is he always like that?"
Graythorn raised his tail up in greeting but said nothing as he made his way over to the elder's den.
"My name's Pantherclaw," the black she cat meowed. "Oh, don't mind him. He's always been grumpy especially ever since he was chosen to be a medicine cat. We're littermates, you know. Gentlebreeze is our mother but our father's in StarClan now." She paused to take a breath and then continued. "I bet it's hard to learn every cats' name all at once. That was Graythorn, by the way." She wanted to ask Doefreckle why he came to SummerClan but she didn't want to sound nosy. "My family's been in Summerclan for generations. I can trace my linage back as far as Graystar. He was a famous leader, you know." Suddenly she looked embarrassed and raised a paw in front of her mouth. "Sorry, sometimes I have a tendency to ramble."
"Pantherclaw!" he purred, curling his tail in the air and offering a bright, open-mouthed smile. "What a lovely name." Doefreckle sat and listened contentedly as she babbled, happy to have so quickly found someone else that rambled on almost as much as he did; he flicked his tail-tip against his paws calmly, nodding along and smiling or ah!ing whenever he thought it was needed.
When she finished, he half-rose out of his sitting position, just as eager to show he was interested as he was for her to continue. "No, no," he answered quickly, "I love it! Truly, I do. I've never really met anyone who talks quite as much as I do — and about such nice things! All the other cats I've known only liked to give their speeches to crowds, and the subjects were... really more about devotion to noble bloodlines and bloodsport and blood— basically, a lot about blood." He laughed nervously, a sound far more like an effeminate giggle than anything else. "But—no, yes, I really do love it. And—Graystar!" He let out an excited, faltering breath, mouth open like he was trying to think of what to say. "Wow! I— don't know who that is but it certainly does sound impressive!"
Most likely a deputy shouldn't be this eager to earn the friendship of the cats who were now supposed to be in his care, but he brushed the thought aside.
Post by Whitemuzzle on Jul 4, 2019 18:44:36 GMT -5
The black she cat was very much pleased by Doefreckle's words and flattered that he liked her name. She hadn't felt this good for a long time. And best of all, he seemed to be a fun-loving cat just like herself! Graythorn's all wet! she thought. He had confided with her the night before while they ate together that he didn't trust the new deputy. She doubted his words then and even more so now.
"Cats say Graystar was one of the best, maybe even the best, leader SummerClan ever had. I'd love to tell you the stories I've heard about him but first I'd really like to hear about how you lived before you came here. What you already said sounds so exciting!" She looked at Doefreckle with genuine interest showing in her eyes. "Why was your clan so obsessed over 'blood'? Were they all great fighters? You seem to be a strong cat. I bet that's why Ravenstar chose you to be deputy." She wasn't afraid to talk so much since he revealed his feelings on that subject.
[ i had this whole post written and then i went to post it and my wifi connection cut out LMAO, life is pain :') ]
Doefreckle purred at the she-cat's enthusiasm, sitting back and raising his chin proudly; in truth, he was caught somewhere between the joy of a natural-born storyteller at being thrust into the spotlight and asked to weave tales, and the self-consciousness of a cat who had been running from his own failings since he was an apprentice, across borders, through marshes and forests and meadows, far from home and still not happy. But he smiled wide, and the pain vanished beneath a cloud of artificial joy, just as it always did. There was no need to tell the whole story, with all the violence and heartache and broken promises - the pretty parts would suffice. Truth be told, he had no clue why Ravenstar had chosen to make him her deputy - surely there were countless others smarter, stronger, more qualified in every way imaginable; he was just a useless, bumbling, lovesick fool. He would never be able to handle it; he was going to lead SummerClan into ruin. But he didn't say that either.
"Well," he began, with a showman's smile and a glint in his eye, "a long time ago - like, a few seasons ago - I was born aaaaall the way over in NightClan. I grew up in darkness, hunting and training and sharing tongues beneath the moon, just like generations of my Clan had always done and always will do. We lived our whole lives by night - the sunrise was the sunset, and the dusk was the dawn. And it was lovely. But, eventually, just after I'd earned my warrior name, I realised that my destiny didn't lie there - at least, not yet. I wanted to see the world, to travel and meet other Clans and be able to truthfully say I'd experienced as much of life as a cat possibly could. And so, that took me to BrookClan. I was taken in and accepted as one of the voiny, after I'd proven my allegiance - and you don't want to know what that entailed." His eyes glittered mischievously. "Truth be told, I wasn't in BrookClan terribly long - just long enough to see the damage their obsession with pure blood and noble lineage and power can do. Family can be cast out, schemes and coups can tear bloodlines apart, and power is kept in the ruling family - the medicine cats, the deputy, nobility; if you aren't related to the Tsar by blood, the only way to advance is through deposition. Doesn't matter if you're talented, doesn't matter if you deserve it - if you aren't royal, it's not yours for the taking." He let out a rumbling purr and shook himself out. "And the Arena games! Oh! Cat against cat until one victor was left alive - grizzly stuff. Plenty of blood, but I never spilled much myself." He smiled, oddly nostalgic for the home that had never felt like one. "Anyway, after a particularly rough day, Ravenstar found me and welcomed me into SummerClan. Suits me much better, I think. Less blood, more kindness. And you! Anything is sunnier with you around." He purred and flicked her shoulder with the tip of his tail.
Doefreckle didn't mention all the times he'd been left bleeding and broken at the border; he didn't mention all the cruelty, and the pain, and the torment; he didn't mention the brother he'd left behind in NightClan, or the friend he'd been half-in love with in BrookClan, or the wandering healer who'd plied him with medicine and taken more than he could give. He didn't mention any of the ugly truths, any of the abuse and emptiness and longing, or love-sick devotion, or late-night betrayals — just the pretty novelties that would made for nice stories soon forgotten. He’d deserved all of it, really. What is a trusting thing for if not to be used and broken? What is naïvity’s purpose if not to be taken advantage of?
Smiling wider, he stood and tilted his head towards the camp entrance. "Did you want to show me around a little?"
Post by Whitemuzzle on Jul 5, 2019 19:12:38 GMT -5
(Oh man! And it's a really long post too! >.< Thanks for redoing it.)
Pantherclaw sat down toward the beginning of his story. He had her rapt attention the whole time. She had heard stories about the strange changes BrookClan had made and the odd way the cats acted at gatherings. To her, the warriors seemed more or less subdued compared to other clans. But that's her own perception. How any cat could live the way Doefreckle described was beyond her. Why would any cat even want to compete in bloody battle just for sport? Wasn't real battles bad enough? Granted, she had yet to face another cat in an actual battle but she fought two foxes at different times. And she hardly considered that as being 'fun'. She was very pleased to hear that Doefreckle didn't spill much blood in those games. But as she thought about it, did that mean he didn't participate much or was it his blood that was being spilled?
And then there was NightClan. She never knew they lived their lives in the dark rather than the light. How strange! How much beauty in the world they miss! They'd never see how the sun dances off the flowing water of a bubbling stream, or the way the pretty butterflies flit from one open blossom to another. And those were just two examples she could think of right off the top of her head.
Pantherclaw felt her facial fur grow warm after his comment about things being sunnier with her around. Did he really mean that or was he just teasing her? "Uh... er.... thank you," she replied shyly. No cat had ever said anything like that to her before and she was caught off her guard. She rose to her paws and focused on his question. "Yeah, sure! That'll be great!" she meowed, pleased she was asked to show the new deputy around. She began to move toward the entrance. "I can show you all the good hunting places I know and where the foxes had set up dens in the rabbit meadow." Then she quickly added, "But we destroyed them after we drove them out. But patrols are sent there occasionally to make sure they don't come back."
Pantherclaw was a lovely audience and Doefreckle felt himself warming to her even more than he already had. He let out a purr when she began to lead him towards the entrance, hurrying after her to trot along at her side. Though he was confident in most situations and was so naturally sociable that he instinctively liked most cats, to the point he falsely believed he had a special connection with them and rarely caught himself before the damage was done and he was once again shown how naive he truly was, it was rare that he felt so immediately comfortable with someone else. It was a nice feeling, warm and buttery. It filled him with a burst of hope that had been sorely lacking in recent moons.
"Foxes?" he echoed, ears pricking up. He tilted his head to look at her as they ducked out of the camp and into the open sunshine. "Were you one of the ones who drove them out? Did you see them up close? Did they smell awful? I've only seen them from a distance and, lemme tell ya, they look all cute and soft and fuzzy but I think I'd rather face a monster on a thunderpath than a fox in a meadow." He shivered theatrically at the thought, the fur rising and falling along his body in a wave. Shaking himself out, he trotted on, enjoying the smells and sounds of his new home - it was as different as a territory could get from the Clan he grew up in, but he had already grown to love it deeply. The sunshine, the wildflowers, the songs of the birds in the trees; it was beautiful, and he was utterly smitten.
Almost forgetting what they'd been speaking about a moment before, Doefreckle pranced ahead, far more cheerful apprentice than deputy, scattering butterflies that had been resting on the long grass into the air as he went. He leaped onto a fallen log and turned back to look down at the warrior with a playful grin, tail curled above his head. When she drew closer, he dropped into a crouch with a playful purr and and leaped, bowling her over with his claws sheathed and his paws soft.
Post by Whitemuzzle on Jul 17, 2019 19:07:04 GMT -5
"So many questions!" Pantherclaw purred. She, herself, was feeling like a giddy apprentice in Doefreckle's company. And actually it wasn't all that long ago she was one. "I was an apprentice then and yes I was asked to accompany the patrol that drove out..." It was then when he leaped upon her and knocked her over. "Hey!" she meowed not realizing at first the deputy was playing until she heard his purr. "Two can play at this!" She was delighted! The black she cat hadn't played like this ever since becoming a warrior. Rolling quickly, she was on her feet again in an instant. With a feint to Doefreckle's head to distract his attention, she dropped low with a leg sweep, knocking him from his feet.
