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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Bloodyrondo probably could have just passed him by and never noticed Nikkopaw just hanging out in the camp. It was weird because even though he said he would be joining SunClan after the gathering he didn't follow after him. Now the blue grey and white tom was leisurely lying in the sunlight, his gaze fixated off into space as though trying to memorize something. He seemed to break out of his trance either not recalling it or completing whatever memory he was looking for. His crystalline blue gaze was still frosted over like a thick layer of ice. Although his eyes were a harsh blue color there was no coldness when he looked at the promised, there wasn't any warmth either, just the usual blank stare like he was a corpse.
"Are you here to help me study?" He asked, as though he had been in SunClan for weeks now and there was little need for explanation as to when or why he was here.
"Tsk." Bloodyrondo didn't think that Nikkopaw had noticed him yet. He'd been planning to make some kind of grand entrance. Thwarted, he padded over to the Initiate and stood over him, blocking the sunlight from his basking position, "Later, yes. I hear you tried to initiate before and backed out, which is unprecedented, so Littlestar wants me to help you get back in the Sun god's grace with extra lessons."
He still did not understand exactly what he was supposed to do, though. All he'd been told to do was to help Nikkopaw out, one-on-one. Bloodyrondo would not have normally minded the chore had it not been this tom in particular. He hadn't liked him even before he'd found out he was Mistyrose's son. And he really did not care for Mistyrose, either. It was like Littlestar was intentionally testing his patience. Luckily, he did not easily back down from a challenge.
"First we have got to do something with how you look. Your body is a temple that will someday...," he paused, narrowing his eyes, "...if you are lucky, be a vessel for the Sun god."
Nikkopaw nodded along, although honestly he was confused. He had literally just walked in with his mom, spent a night in SunClan and then left. Like, he never even got an initiate name and somehow SunClan felt he was one during that less than 24 hour time period? This was why when Littlestar offered to make him appear more flattering he declined. These cats were way too obsessive , he did not need that kind of crowd around him.
His ears perked up as Bloodyrondo ventured on. He never had any type of mentor or study buddy who wanted to study with him. The closest he had gotten to a friend was that one league cat who attempted to kidnap him. But his entire form seemed to deflate, he needed to work on his looks? He knew his dad never looked really good and his mom was off color, he probably wasn't attractive looking. He gingerly rubbed his right front leg that was covered in small pale scars, "My mom says I'm not allowed to be possessed by anyone or be used as a sacrifice. That's how my older sister died."
(woops well let's just say Bloody heard rumors that weren't quite the truth lol)
"The grass soaks in the Sun's rays to give it strength to grow. The mouse eats the grass, then we eat the mouse. The Sun is not only in our hearts, but also our bodies." Bloodyrondo explained with a surprising amount of patience, sitting down next to Nikkopaw. He lifted his fiery paw and ran it across the other tom's flank, claws unsheathed but not touching the skin, breaking up a few tangles. The ginger tom then leaned forward to begin the tradition of sharing tongues, "Thus, you are a vessel, and a vessel needs to be well-groomed and proper."
He stroked Nikkopaw's fur a few times and, in-between licks, said ,"Besides, the Sun God isn't going to possess someone like you anyways." Bloodyrondo had good moments, but he would always be a bit of a judgmental jerk.
(Oh no, it's okay, Littlestar confirmed that she told everyone Nikkopaw was an initiate. Turns out SunClan really jumps the gun and can spread news within a matter of hours so I guess that's how everyone knew and also how everyone became disappointed within a few hours)
That was the stupidest thing I've ever heard.
"Wow Bloodyrondo, those are some wise words," Nikkopaw said.
He instantly flinched away from Bloodyrondo's touch before remembering he was not in WinterClan, this was probably normal. In fact a lot of things were different in SunClan than from WinterClan. No one was afraid of natural disasters on a daily basis, herbs and plants grew regularly, and the fresh kill pile was so huge! Mountain life was a lot different and while he hadn't noticed because he had fit right into WinterClan culture, WinterClan cats were a lot more mean than SunClan. Maybe that was why he didn't really mind their inflated egos or stuck up attitudes, it was a step up from the cruel language and selfish ambitious nature of WinterClan born cats like himself.
"Sorry, you can go ahead, we don't have that tradition in WinterClan, but many other mountain clans have it like SpringClan," Nikkopaw explained. His ears perked up at Bloodyrondo's tone, things really were different. In WinterClan possession was something apocalyptic, awful, and feared. His mom was one of the few who knew how to get rid of a spirit that plagued a persons body. But here was essentially the deputy of a clan talking about possession like it were an honorable thing.
When Bloodyrondo finished he wasn't look at the same cat anymore, his scruffy fur was smooth and the untamed curtain of fur he never bothered to move out from his eyes now showed his robin egg blue gaze. It was still pale, but seeing the whole picture made his eyes look less zombie like, still not alive, but not dead either. His blue grey fur shined an actual blue shade in the sunlight, the top of his pelt darker, but bloomed brighter the further the fur went down. His legs, chest, muzzle, and tail tip were a shiny white like wintry snow in January. But his blue fur by far was the most dazzling. While most SunClan cats had flaming pelts like angelic fires his was like a blue cosmos. His fur as midnight blue as a sky on a bright moon night basking against his wiry body. He had cooler colors making him look more MoonClan, but he was stunning to look at in a way that most SunClan cats could never appear.
"Do I look the part yet?" Nikkopaw asked and while he tried not to break from his numb personality the embarrassment of possibly not looking nice shined through making him blush. (We're just gonna pretend cats can blush, it's totally normal LOL)
(okay that works too! my biggest struggle on WCC2 is keeping up with lore / Clan history. So please correct me any time I get something wrong. Bloodyrondo is kind of stupid partially because it allows me to also be stupid LOL)
"Almost. You know, you're pretty good-looking." Bloodyrondo said with a grin, proud of himself for doing such a good job. The Priest Promised was a neat freak and loved nothing more than to bring organization to chaos. Now that the other tom's pelt was smoothed down and tidy, its blue sheen was more apparent than ever, like a piece of a brewing storm in the night sky. For a moment, Bloodyrondo was even jealous; his own ginger fur was very normal and erred on the side of lusterless. He worked hard to keep it healthy and neat, harder than most she-cats even, but it would never draw the eye the same way Nikkopaw's did with the most minimal of efforts. There were also his robin-egg blue eyes to consider, slightly hazy but certainly another attractive trait this tom was blessed with yet did not appreciate, "You would be a real heart-breaker if you took better care of yourself. Confidence goes a long way too. All will come with time under the Sun's blessing and my help, of course!"
Bloodyrondo stood up and stretched, showing off an impressive, flowery body paint design, rippling over his fluffy long pelt. Sure, Nikkopaw's fur was prettier, but Bloodyrondo's was much more pampered and the way it laid against his robust frame made him look positively regal. He glanced at Nikkopaw's scars around his legs with mild distaste, reminded that there was nothing he could do about it right now, since tradition stated initiates were not allowed to wear body paint. Yet, he was dying to cover them up with an elegant design, lighting as an inspiration for sure, since the customary color for a Warrior would be yellow. It was be very striking against this pelt. Maybe he would talk to Littlestar later about adjusting that tradition.
"Today I would like to show you around the territory. Just general stuff, the same patrol we take apprentices on for their first time. We will be back before evening prayer."
"Sure, actually it's funny, in WinterClan the tour would be like, "Over there is the brown rock, most are grey. Oh no wait, there's another brown rock, nevermind." Or, "Here's a pine tree, and another. There's pine trees here." Most lifeless territory in all the lands, I can see why Littlestar and my mom wanted to move out. I mean, they had more dramatic reasons than just the scenery, but I get it now," He said with a shrug. In truth he recognized a few ex WinterClan cats in WinterClan that he heard from lore and tales, usually bitterly mentioned as being deserters. It was hard to understand why they chose SunClan, he chose it for the same reason his mom did, there would people he could actually tolerate here. But still the Sun God was scary... He knew the reason many WinterClan cats left was because they were mistreated, but there was also a time that old Gods came back and demanded live sacrifices, his mom even theorized that the Gods unleashed ghostly beings known as White Cats onto WinterClan's land. Deities were never a positive thing, only few WinterClan cats remembered and those who did never uttered a word about what happened to them. The old Gods lived because they remembered, as soon as cats like himself died off the faster the deities would too. Still he wanted to mention it to Bloodyrondo and honestly explain why he was a bit hesitant about Sun God, but if he did he might unleash the Gods back onto WinterClan. They literally had to remain those who could not be named.
Instead he decided to change the topic onto the subject of prayers as it was always a bit odd to him, "I've memorized the rules, but I don't really have the prayers down. I guess I find it silly to pray because it won't change anything, it's just wishful thinking and in my family optimism is a losers game. Does prayer actually work here?" He asked, after all things seemed way happier in the Forest Clans than they ever did up in the mountains.
Nikkopaw sure was getting familiar with him, that much he could tell. The initiate just shared more than Bloodyrondo ever really wanted to know about him, although the information was useful. He had somehow missed that this tom was WinterClan-born. He hadn't known Mistyrose was, either. A frigid wasteland absent of the Sun's warmth, yet ironically closer to the Sun than any of the Clans, WinterClan was a group he definitely looked down upon. It was annoying that cats so near the Sun deity ignored his influence in favor of old Gods. Perhaps that was the reason why their homeland was so barren and unforgiving. It would have been so easy to just believe those WinterClan cats cursed for some ancient sin, but he could not do that when he so respected his own leader of the same origin.
Having been silent for awhile, Bloodyrondo cleared his mind of such thoughts and headed toward the camp's exit, beckoning Nikkopaw with his fluffy tail. He aught to focus on Nikkopaw's future, not his past. They had only been together a short time and already the initiate was speaking heretically, "Of course prayer works, the Sun God speaks directly to our Soothsayer and occasionally to other cats. Littlestar can see him as real as you stand next to me. I myself have never had a prayer that was not answered."
That statement was true, at least: Bloodyrondo had prayed and prayed and prayed to someday be High Priest, and here he was, well on his way. A bright and shining example of the power of true devotion.
Nikkopaw nudged Bloodyrondo, "Wait. But if he can hear your prayers doesn't that mean nothing is stopping him from hearing you at all times? Like, that's kind of gross right? What if you're making dirt or sharing an intimate moment with someone. I mean, think about it, if he has to listen to prayers to give you what you want he's not all knowing. So he can't know if he's listening in on you during a bad time or not."
He doubted there was an actual God, but truthfully he was pretty sure there was one. When the deities showed up in WinterClan there was a change in the force. The mountain seemed to come alive for better and for worse, here the land seemed more lively and brimming with energy. If they had a God, he seemed pleased with them, but he was also worried that if thy did have a God it could also turn on everyone. Maybe the people who lived here had lived with the Sun God for so long that they had never seen his bad side so they didn't fear him or question anything about what they were told about him. But for Nikkopaw this was pretty intimidating.
"Ugh, really, Nikkopaw?" Bloodyrondo had never thought of the Sun god watching him at all times, the mere concept of that would make anyone uncomfortable. Not that he ever did anything he was ashamed of, of course. The ginger tom physically shook his head to dismiss such thoughts, "A proper SunClan cat would never concern himself with that and continue to strive for perfection, always. I don't know a lot about other religions but I'm sure whatever you followed before had a deity with similar omnipotence. Are you just trying to get a rise out of me or something? I don't have to help you, you know."
Bloodyrondo was a little on edge, mainly because he was annoyed, and the only way he knew how to respond to that was to get angry. Perhaps Nikkopaw's comments had been honest and true to him, but to the Priest Promised, who was among the most devoted in the Clan, it was offensive. The Sun god was not a joke to him. He would not tolerate anyone who thought any differently.
Nikkopaw tried to put a paw forward, solemn emotion glinted in his eyes, "No whe-"
"I don't have to help you, you know."
In this moment there were three things to consider. He was fourteen moons old and never had any friends, just one and it was Bloodyrondo. Two, the unfortunate thing about having a friend is they don't kill you, but are supposed to make life feel worth living. Three, he was going to lose his only friend that would give him any sentiment towards life at all and also wasn't going to kill him if he lost him as a friend. Nikkopaw forced his mouth shut, maybe he was weak to silence how he felt in exchange for being able to call him his friend, but at the same time friends true friends were supposed to shut up when they were making the other uncomfortable.
"No, I'm sorry, I'll treat you like the priest promised you are and not the apprentice that refused to murder me, which by the way was apparently against your code here. Did you have a soft spot for me or only kill people who beg for their lives?" Nikkopaw asked walking beside Bloodyrondo. He was trying, but his inability to really grasp what was acceptable to discuss socially was dragging him down.
Bloodyrondo felt his blood boil. Now Nikkopaw was going to accuse him for breaking the code? He'd never done anything like that and never would. The ginger tom did not at all buy Nikkopaw's apology and instead felt targeted, and, of course, defended himself, "You were spared because of the Sun's influence, nothing more. He guides my pawsteps in every action that I take. I... Well, now I see the reason I let you live was because you were destined to become a SunClan cat someday. So no, I do not have a soft spot for you."
Why did that last sentence feel like a lie? The rest of it mostly was, but he said it easily enough. The conflicting emotions did take some of the heat from his anger but he was still very annoyed. In the past he probably would have drug this out into a full-on fight, but he knew Littlestar would have his pelt if the two of the returned to camp covered in scratches with bad attitudes. Sighing, he decided to change the subject in an act of uncharacteristic maturity, "Anyway." He paused on the word to mark the transition, giving Nikkopaw a sharp look when he did, "The first place we will go is the sunflower fields."
I was the first place Littlestar had taken him when he had been promoted; he figured it would work well in this instance, too. A beautiful place with a lot of spiritual significance. Hopefully this would help Nikkopaw see the light and stop talking about death all the time.
"Wow, even off that cliff, huh? Impressive," Nikkopaw said, while his other words were typically numb and emotionless this one had a bit more sass. Unfortunately his expression never carried any sign of him being playful so it only came off as rude. He gave Bloodyrondo an uncertain look when he said he was always destined to be a SunClan cat, thus why he wasn't killed. But whatever, it was a specific super power Bloodyrondo claimed to have, but sure, why not? His mom could feel peoples emotions, the God was a sun, why couldn't Bloodyrondo predict the future? His ears perked up at the sunflower field, sure, why not? He followed along beside Bloodyrondo, his gaze looking up and down at every tree, cloud, and blade of grass, "For initiation do I get cut until I pass out or is it like you assess my hunting or maybe a memorization quiz?" Nikkopaw asked. WinterClan had lots of tests, so many that they kept inventing new ones for apprentices practically every season. Not that WinterClan would ever know the seasons changed since it was always winter and then warmer winter up in the mountains. When his time came around there were different squads and it would rotate on what they learned, but he consistently ditched class as well as the rest of the apprentices, only one guy ever showed up anyways.
"Enough about that stupid cliff already," Bloodyrondo replied, although his tone was not aggressive, mostly exasperated. Autumngossamer had given him no such premonition, so he did not even entertain the though that Nikkopaw knew something that the Sun god himself did not. He was happy that Nikkopaw changed the subject to something a little less touchy, "Initiation is pretty simple. You get to study and train in the ways of SunClan until you are ready to become a full member. When that time comes, you will select a sunflower from the field that we are going to visit, and present it to me or Littlestar, whoever does ceremonies that day. Then the Sun god judges your heart and, if he welcomes you, the flower will go ablaze and you will gain a Warrior name. If he does not welcome you then the flower will not catch fire and then the Janus will kill you. Like I said, pretty simple."
"Are you really going to make me repeat myself?" Bloodyrondo replied harshly, not realizing at all that he had slipped and given the Initiate a little too much information, "You train until you are ready to be judged by the Sun God. He decides if you pass or fail. No other tests or evaluations needed. Anyway, we are here."
The toms entered a clearing full of sunflowers. They were not as glorious as they were in summer months, but they were still impressive, most flowers the size of a cat's head. There were some that were smaller, too, all of them wearing the same brilliant yellow petals that so resembled the Sun. He looked to Nikkopaw to see how he would react before he began to explain it.
Nikkopaw seemed to look at the sunflowers confused and then back at Bloodyrondo as if he was going to give an explanation. It seemed to cross his mind that Bloodyrondo wasn’t going to explain this, “Oh okay, we’re going to play the game where you’re going to make me ask you what these are you’re going to act exhausted like I should know. But honestly what even is a sunflower, is it really a flower?” He stared up and down at the sunflowers, really what was this? They were HUGE, he had never seen anything like it. Were these just what flowers looked like when you leave the mountains? There were mayyyybe ten flowers that grew in WinterClan and he had seen six of them. These were massive stalks with bright petals, the flower didn’t feel the same compared to other flowers, more strong and able to support itself, that and they all faced in the same direction, it was almost creepy. He usually liked plants, but not knowing what these were they seemed almost like aliens to him. He poked one with his paw, freaky, it was soft.
"Don't poke them like that!" Bloodyrondo scolded, steadying the swaying flower with his tail. He wanted to be harsh on Nikkopaw for his lack of respect for this place, but then he'd be doing exactly what the blue-gray tom had said. Was he that predictable? Surely not. He sighed, more towards himself than Nikkopaw, his anger fading, "Sunflowers hold special significance for cats to SunClan. When a SunClan cat dies, he is buried here, and a sunflower is planted above his body. Not every one of these flowers is above a deceased clanmate, obviously, but many of them are. I spoke earlier about how all life is connected through the Sun, right? Well, this is part of it too."
Bloodyrondo knew his explanation was not quite as good as Littlestar's - it was impossible for him to top her pathos - but he was still pretty proud of himself. He learned close to one of the flowers as if to smell it and added, just a little sheepishly, "I also thought you would like this place, since you are so obsessed with dying and all. Everything is connected, so I at least don't think anyone ever really, really dies. The Sun just has a different use for you in death."
Nikkopaw looked surprised, a new expression, but it dulled quickly, "Nothing can’t stay nothing forever," He responded loosely, but he seemed bothered by Bloodyrondo's statement. Why was he so okay with someone taking his soul, owning it, even when he exited the land of the living? "I'm actually very afraid of death. I look at my claws and I can see how deep they cut," He looked at his leg that he wounded time and again, "I think of doing the job myself, but I flinch every time. For me death is a release into nothingness. I don’t need a heaven, before I was born I was nothing and when I die my afterlife may also be nothing. It is natural to fear nothingness, it is a scary thought and while most cats live their lives hailing a God or praying to a heaven I find I use my life finding acceptance in the empty void that lies beyond my life. I have no doubt in your God, but I do believe he was created from a desperate need for something better than this world offers.”
His ears flicked, “It sounds like a somber statement, but it also means that this world, no matter how awful it gets, this will be the only heaven I ever receive.”
He gave a nod of approval, “It is beautiful though.”
It was weird how Nikkopaw could both agree and disagree at the same time. It left Bloodyrondo at a loss for words. He wanted to get angry, but that did not seem appropriate. He found his eyes drawn to the scratches on Nikkopaw's legs and for the second time today felt the strong desire to cover them with body paint. Maybe if Nikkopaw's reminder of his morbid desire for death was gone, or at least obscured, he would not feel quite so lonely. That was what he had to be feeling at heart. Lonely. No one is ever really alone if they have faith in anything at all.
"You need to get out of your own head. You're just chasing your own tail in circles when you'd be much better off looking ahead for a change." Bloodyrondo replied, his gaze turning to focus on Nikkopaw's eyes, smoldering in his powerful conviction, "The Sun God will not let you disappear into nothingness. Any cat who says they want that is a liar."
