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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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 is a lot, and I'm sorry for how much it impacts me here
1,453 posts
Post by neverstarstar on Nov 24, 2018 12:57:35 GMT -5
She was running, faster and faster, frantically calling the names of her loved ones. Fawnlight, Beelift, Sootwhisker. Her paws couldn't seem to carry her to them fast enough. The beach, she knew they'd be there, and it caused her to push herself harder, her claws ripping up grass and dirt as she flew through the territory. Surely she'd see them just around this bend, when the full beach was visible. But they weren't there. The realization had her skidding to a halt, sides heaving. Desperately, she sniffed around in the sand for their scents, but there were none. Her family wasn't here. With a yowl of frustration and despair she flopped down onto the sand, staring out numbly and wishing with every fiber of her being that she had found them on this beach. Where were they? Why was she here alone?
Safe in her nest, Dawnpaw woke with a cry. The other apprentices slept around her, a few shifting at Dawnpaw's frightened yowl. Several heartbeats passed before she was able to collect herself enough to get her breathing under control. Her dream, the same dream, had once again robbed her of a good night's sleep. And after it was over it always left her feeling disoriented and missing cats she'd never heard of. Tonight, like many others, she'd be awake and alone. With a sigh the young she-cat got up and stretched, exiting the den quietly and sitting beside. The stars above her sparkled, somehow both calming and worrisome at the same time. What did her dream mean? So many times she'd tried to figure it out, but there seemed nothing in it that made any sort of sense. When she was dreaming like that, she didn't even feel like Dawnpaw. With a shuddering sigh she laid down on her back, face turned to the stars, and willed the answer to write itself in them.
His mentor didn't understand why he wanted to fight. She didn't understand why he had refused to speak words for the majority of his kithood, and relied on angry war cries; why he fought with the other apprentices and kittens so often; why he insisted on battle every time they trained; why he had helped chase down a fox; why he refused to just sit still and wait patiently for her to be ready to train him. The truth was, he wasn't sure either. All he knew was that his paws felt wrong. He was impulsive because he knew his instincts were right, he just knew it, but his paws were too small and clumsy and they didn't work they way they were supposed to. His muscle memory told him how to duck and dodge and fight, but his paws didn't obey, like they didn't understand the training the same way his instinct did. He wanted to fight because he knew he could, and every time he practiced it was just a little bit easier, a little bit more eerie familiar.
It was dark when he returned from his latest training session. Dust ruffled his solid dark gray fur and his head hung low, exhausted from the day's work. A thin stream of blood flowed around his eye and down his cheek, a scratch from a stick or a rock he'd run into, though the apprentice had yet to notice it. Though he was tired, he still moved quickly, paws restless as ever. He could see in the dark by the light of the stars, and he stumbled to a halt a whisker-length from a dark mound he suddenly realized was another cat laying on her back.
life is a lot, and I'm sorry for how much it impacts me here
1,453 posts
Post by neverstarstar on Nov 25, 2018 0:03:32 GMT -5
Though the stars remained cold and silent, Dawnpaw felt herself relax. In the quiet of camp she felt more herself, or what she assumed she would one day be. When she was alone there wasn't a strange sense of otherness that she was plagued with, she just got to feel like Dawnpaw. Except her name never felt right either. Perhaps all apprentices went through that because one day they'd receive their warrior names, maybe all apprentices felt like their name was temporary and wrong somehow. Lost in her thoughts she didn't even notice Sootpaw until he was speaking.
Embarrassed by her vulnerable and awkward position she twisted and sat up, wrapping her tail around her paws self-consciously, "Sootpaw, hi. I couldn't get back to sleep." She studied him a moment, struck by the familiar feeling that she knew him, though they'd never been close. "Why are you up? And where did you come from?"
She forgot her questions when her eyes finally found his scratch, something in her cried out that he was hurt and that should upset her deeply. "You're bleeding!" Stepping forward, she went to lick the cut near his eyes.
A lack of sleep was never a problem he had wrestled with. He was usually tired enough he fell into his nest and slept like a stone, and not once in his life had he dreamed - at least, never a dream he could recall by the time he woke. Sleep was not to be avoided or sought; it was simply necessary at the end of the day, so he would have more energy ready for the next. His head cocked at her comment and shrugged his shoulders. "I was train--"
Sootpaw stopped, startled, as she suddenly stepped forward and licked his cut. The apprentice froze, suddenly hyperaware of how close they were, and completely unsure how to address the feeling. Other than in the heat of battle, he never interacted with other cats; he hadn't even grown up with a mother that would have tried to groom his fur flat. His voice faltered as he stared at her, counting his own heartbeats as they suddenly spiked, his mouth dry.
"I-I was.... um..." He couldn't even remember what he had been about to say.
life is a lot, and I'm sorry for how much it impacts me here
1,453 posts
Post by neverstarstar on Nov 25, 2018 1:07:46 GMT -5
i haven't been obsessively refreshing the update page or anything
Dawnpaw licked his cut, surprising herself with the need to comfort the other apprentice, her heart fluttered and she couldn't seem to meet his eye. Once she was satisfied the cut was clean, which took several moments that stretched into forever, Dawnpaw withdrew. Still avoiding his gaze she stepped back a few paces more than she'd originally been, unsure of what to say now. Sorry? Why would she say that? Clanmates groomed each other all the time. But this hadn't been a clanmate helping another clanmate. This had been compulsive, practiced, and seemly just an instinct Dawnpaw had to comfort Sootpaw. Did she always feel like that towards her clanmates? She couldn't seem to remember at the moment.
But something in her heart ached, something that she wasn't familiar with. The pain of it caused Dawnpaw to lift her head and meet his eyes, "I, um, should have asked first." She'd been raised in the same den as he, she knew that Sootpaw wasn't particularly social. In fact, when they'd been kits she'd tried to befriend him but to no avail. "Sootpaw," she said his name impulsively, softly, and experienced the same wrongness that her own name gave her. Almost like that wasn't truly his name.
then i'm sorry it took so long before i hadn't realized that you replied
The cut was no big deal; he got them all the time. That was partially because his paws were clumsy, but he was starting to realize it was something else as well. It hadn't been so obvious when he was young, because then it was expected that he wouldn't be able to walk and pounce properly; it wasn't until just recently they had come to the conclusion that his left eye, the one with the slight haze, was partially blind. He had never felt that there anything wrong with it, but it made his hunting undeniably harder, and more frustrating. He had one-and-a-half working eyes, so he couldn't understand why just missing a little bit of his vision would be such a big deal, but more and more of his clumsiness had been attributed to it. The snares and cuts in his pelt were often because he hadn't been able to see them coming for him.
He just looked at her, bewildered, as she cleaned him. Once again, he felt words abandon him, and he wanted to just make a noise - but he wasn't sure what strangled cry or scream could explain the strange bubbling of emotions within him. It was foreign, and he wondered if this was what it felt like to be sick. He had never gotten sick as a kitten, but there had to be something to explain the painful twisting deep inside. He opened his mouth to say something in response to her, to answer to his name, then stopped. Instead, he wheeled about and took a few steps to the side then dropped his head, gagging and choking on the air. He shook his head a few times until it cleared, and the strange feeling inside of his was gone. Then, guiltily, he looked back up at her.
life is a lot, and I'm sorry for how much it impacts me here
1,453 posts
Post by neverstarstar on Nov 25, 2018 1:43:08 GMT -5
im laughing so hard omg
Dawnpaw's eyes widened in concern for him and she took one step closer to him but before she could anything to help him he was looking at her again. Like a rabbit staring into the face of a fox, she paused, frozen by his gaze. But instead of lowering her gaze she stared at him greedily, realizing with a shock that she'd never really seen him before, they were never close like that. But now she had an excuse to look at him. Dawnpaw noticed the haziness in one eye that meant he was partially blind, that rumor had been circulating for sometime, and also a few marks that seemed to be cuts and scraps like the the one that was still oozing blood slowly around his eyes.
"You should really stop the bleeding," she finally managed, seizing the opportunity to care for him in a way that wasn't a breech of his personal space. The cut wasn't bad and would probably stop bleeding momentarily anyway but it felt like a normal thing to fuss over. Like fog in the sun, her strange feelings disappeared and instead a protectiveness for her clanmate flared up. Suddenly business like, she stood and motioned for him to follow, "let's get you cleaned up. No way are you going to sleep like that." Her bossiness seemed normal at least and that comforted Dawnpaw. The strange nature of tonight had unnerved her and she grasped onto any familiar feelings she had. And her overly protective attitude was something she knew very well.
"It's not that bad," Sootpaw protested, but followed her anyway. It was rare for him to be obedient, but this situation was already strange, so he didn't think it would hurt any. "Where are we going? You can't wake Graythorn." He wrinkled his muzzle. The tom was grumpy at the best of times, and he doubted he would appreciate being woken just for a little scratch. Besides, Sootpaw didn't like their medicine cat, he'd gotten yelled at one too many times by him and had soured on the tom. As long as they stayed out of each other's way, they'd both be happy, so during his apprenticeship he'd taken every stride to avoid him.
He stopped for a moment to raise his paw and wipe away the blood from his face, where it was beginning to drip down into his eye, then hurried to catch up to her again. He left a few crimson smudges in the camp behind him from his now-bloodied paw, but the little specks of color weren't enough to make anyone worried, just upset that he'd tracked blood around the clearing. Well, the queens had been looking for enough excuse to yell at him anyway.
life is a lot, and I'm sorry for how much it impacts me here
1,453 posts
Post by neverstarstar on Nov 25, 2018 2:15:51 GMT -5
i love him tho, they are the cutest
"I'm not going to," she replied breezily, the tight feeling in her chest disappeared completely and she felt herself returning to normal. At the entrance to the medicine den she turned to face him, ignoring the skip of her heart when her gaze met his. Throwing caution to the wind she stepped forward and studied the cut, so close to him that their fur brushed and she could see that the cut wasn't deep. Feeling unbelievably weird she realized that Sootpaw smelled comforting, not just like SummerClan but something deeper, more meaningful. As soon as she thought it she carefully buried that thought away, unwilling to analyze what that was supposed to mean. Tonight made no sense and it was making Dawnpaw uneasy, she told herself firmly that that was the reason for her obviously unhinged train of thought. Clearing her throat to remind herself to act like a reasonable and sane she-cat Dawnpaw whispered, "wait here. I'll get some cobweb."
Away from Sootpaw the air seemed lighter but colder, like she could think clearer but didn't particularly welcome that. Creeping around Graythorn, Dawnpaw pawed around his herb store until a wad of sticky cobweb tangled itself around her paw. Hopping awkwardly, she left the den and went back to Sootpaw. Dawnpaw paused, one paw ensnared with web and her tail flicking nervously, and asked, "can... can I clean it again? I don't want to trap any dirt in it, you really would have to go see Graythorn then."
He sat down at the entrance to the medicine cat den to wait, staring down at his paws. It was late, and they should both be stealing, but instead she was stealing herbs and he was just sitting here, keeping watch. She didn't even know him, but she seemed insistent that he needed to be looked after. And... it was nice. Maybe that was why he let her lead him around; nobody ever really looked after him as a kit, and just once he wanted to know what it was like. It was warm and comforting to know someone else cared, and was paying attention to him for a reason other than that he got into trouble again.
He fidgeted as he waited for her to return, and was relieved when she finally reappeared. He hesitated, then nodded, bowing his head slightly forward so she could clean out the scrape. His whiskers brushed against her and tingled. "Thanks, Dawnpaw," he murmured quietly as she worked. It felt so inadequate, just saying two quick words, as if that made up for the time she spent taking care of him. It was one of the reasons he disliked words. They never captured his feelings quite right. But then, he wasn't used to feeling such complicated feelings, either. A part of him was drawn toward her, and he wanted to just stare into her eyes and embrace when he might find there... but the stronger half of him was rigid and inflexible, and warned him against it, told him it was somehow wrong to look another cat in the eyes like that.
life is a lot, and I'm sorry for how much it impacts me here
1,453 posts
Post by neverstarstar on Nov 25, 2018 2:34:49 GMT -5
Dawnpaw let herself sink into caring for him because it was easier than being mature and trying to process her feelings. So, she cleaned his cut and gently stuck cobweb over it, "anytime, Sootpaw." Once her work was done she led Sootpaw back towards the center of camp and away from the sleeping medicine cat, not eager to wake the grumpy tom. The sky above them was black except for the twinkling stars and the utter lack of movement in camp meant it was very late and Dawnpaw knew that they should both be asleep but still she didn't suggest it.
Because, truthfully, Dawnpaw didn't want to go back to sleep. Surely in the morning Sootpaw would be silent towards her again and she'd be okay with that because they'd always been comfortable simply as clanmates, one of the many they never really spoke to. The thought of that made Dawnpaw shiver and frown. As the seconds crawled by Dawnpaw remained silent, letting her eyes wander around camp and carefully avoid Sootpaw's, she didn't want to see his usual look of polite disinterest bleeding back into his gaze. Part of her didn't think she could stand it.
When she finished, he shot a furtive glance her way, then looked away just as quickly. He didn't look at her as they made their way back toward the center of the camp, strangely uncomfortable and comfortable at the same time. It was familiar, and he didn't understand why they felt like a bad thing. It was easier to just ignore her, but he didn't want to. He was silent as he struggled with himself. Sootpaw lived in the moment, he never thought ahead, but he usually didn't stop to wonder about his own feelings either. He just acted on a whim, and it was unlike him to do anything else.
He was tired. He really was, but he didn't want to leave. It felt like he had a rare chance to make friends with someone, and he didn't want to pass that up. "If you're not tired, maybe we should do something? We could... well, I don't know..." he trailed away as he suppressed a yawn, leaning against her a little as he felt another wave of exhaustion crash over him. He really should go to bed, but he resisted. "It's too dark go hunting." He was a poor hunter in the best of times, and he didn't want to embarrass himself blundering about in the dark.
life is a lot, and I'm sorry for how much it impacts me here
1,453 posts
Post by neverstarstar on Nov 26, 2018 23:41:13 GMT -5
Sootpaw really was a different cat than she'd thought. He was kind and quiet in a way that made Dawnpaw comfortable with the silence, instead of worried about it. She felt no need to say anything as they settled away from the medicine den and that hadn't really ever happened to her before.
Dawnpaw didn't let herself ponder the reason her heart flipped a little when he leaned against her. She was tired and could see that he was about a second from passing so with a sigh, "no", Dawnpaw slyly turned her head so her muzzle was partially buried in his fur, "we should go to sleep." But she made no move to go lay down, instead Dawnpaw took a deep breath and added, "Sootpaw, do you think you could make me a promise?"
An owl hooted somewhere close to them and Dawnpaw jumped fully burying her face now in a mix of nervousness for Sootpaw's response and surprise that an owl would be so close to them.
Sootpaw made a low sound of protest in his throat as she told him no; he wasn't used to that, and he didn't like the idea of appearing tired of weak in front of her, either. He wasn't tired, he could keep going if she could, no problem. He could keep going for days, he just needed to get up and stretch his legs. There was always something to be done. Even as an apprentice, he could keep himself preoccupied, and he was already starting to feel the burden of looking after his clan. He wasn't a warrior yet, wasn't taking extra patrols or stretching himself to the absolute limit, but the trajectory was clear.
He was preparing to rise to his paws when she buried her face in his fur. His ears pinned back and he snarled at the owl, sharp eyes scanning for a sign of it, daring it to come near their camp. He could use some owl feathers to line his nest, and he'd impress Dawnpaw to boot... but as his hackles settled, he felt his exhaustion even more. Keeping a meaningful eye out for the bird, he looked down at her, then sighed. "I guess if you're tired, we can go to sleep," he muttered reluctantly, "but not because I'm tired." He curled his tail around them both, then cocked his head. "What promise?"
life is a lot, and I'm sorry for how much it impacts me here
1,453 posts
Post by neverstarstar on Nov 28, 2018 14:03:44 GMT -5
he is the most adorable ever
His snarl gave her a very intense feeling of safety and she thought maybe she could stay just like this forever. Though she wouldn't mind watching Sootpaw fight an owl, he'd undoubtedly win and probably share the feathers with her. Dawnpaw glanced up at the sky but the owl didn't fly overhead.
When Sootpaw spoke again Dawnpaw laughed softly, "I am tired but I know you'd go for a walk with me if I was up to it." He looked ready to pass out but Dawnpaw said nothing of that because she was charmed by his attempt to hide his exhaustion. That would make him a great warrior someday. Most every warrior she knew worked themselves as hard as Sootpaw did, committed so much to SummerClan. Dawnpaw had never had that drive but she respected it whenever she saw it and even envied it a little.
His question made her hide her face in his fur again, breathing deeply. When she looked up and spoke it came out in a jumbled rush, "I want you to promise me you will still be here tomorrow."
she is too pure,,, also he's just as much of a mess as last time oops
Still be here? He had been planning on going to his nest as soon as she headed toward hers... but no, she didn't really mean to stay sitting right here, did she? His head cocked as the puzzled tom looked at her, not understanding what it was she wanted. He searched for another solution, but couldn't find one. Should he agree? He couldn't think of a good reason for her to have asked him that... but Sootpaw wasn't known for worrying too much or thinking ahead, either.
"Mkay," he answered with an amiable shrug after a second had passed, deciding it didn't really matter what he was agreeing to. It would make her feel better, so he'd figure out what he was agreeing to in the future. He wasn't planning on any drastic changes besides maybe going to bed, so he thought he was probably safe.
life is a lot, and I'm sorry for how much it impacts me here
1,453 posts
Post by neverstarstar on Nov 30, 2018 0:10:39 GMT -5
i LOVE him
"Sootpaw," Dawnpaw meowed, sounding stern but extremely fond of him and the situation. She liked his apparent inability to read the situation, it was cute to her. "I mean..." she looked for the right words to explain, "okay, do you remember when we were kits? We weren't friends. And even as apprentices this has been the first time I felt close to you so I..." she moved away from him, shifting her paws nervously, "I don't want to wake up and we be strangers again."
Her gaze flitted around camp desperately, looking for something other than his face, and settled on the nursery. "I think I'd miss you, Sootpaw." Those last words were a whisper she kinda hoped the wind carried away. She'd never had a real friend before and found herself begging StarClan to help her and Sootpaw be friends.
"Oh." Sootpaw blinked. He definitely had not picked up on that was what he was promising the first time around, but it didn't really matter. He didn't see how it was possible for them to go back to being strangers; did she think he'd just pretend this had never happened? She helped him clean up his wound and even though she didn't need to, it really was a nice touch, and he appreciated it. Sootpaw couldn't imagine ignoring her, and couldn't understand why anyone would do that... oh, maybe she just meant she wanted to be friends? That's why she said she didn't want to be strangers - not because she thought he'd forget about her, but because she wanted to be his friend.
Sootpaw smiled, quite pleased with himself. He leaned in and nudged her shoulder to catch her attention, then pulled back to give her a cheerful nod. "Of course we can be friends, Dawnpaw!"
life is a lot, and I'm sorry for how much it impacts me here
1,453 posts
Post by neverstarstar on Dec 10, 2018 20:28:30 GMT -5
sorry for the absence I've worked 93 hours in the last two weeks
Dawnpaw looked up when he nudged her and couldn't help her contented purr at his words. "Thank you, Sootpaw." She stifled a yawn and stood, stretching lazily. "And now to sleep, come on you." She led the way into the den and paused, glancing at her nest ansd then his, they were across the den from each other and her tail flicked with frustration. Feeling brave - she would later blame her exhaustion - she turned to look at Sootpaw, "want to move closer to me? Or me closer to you?"
and then I wrote a useless and short reply im the worst im so sorry
