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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Opalpaw shuffled anxiously in the apprentice den, up far too early for his own good. His training was suppose to start just past Dawn, but it was still pretty dark outside. The sleep wasn't terrible, but it was lonely. Sure, he had a friend, Stellerpaw, sleeping in the moss bed beside him, but he was alone for once. Having been so used to sleeping in the warmth of his mother, it was odd to wake up to an empty nest and a room full of sleeping apprentices.
The short-haired orange tabby made yet another quiet pace around the den before finally stepping out of the den. And of course, no one else was up this early. He felt his nerves grow more at the sight of a barren clearing. He had already been up for some time now, leaving his eye lids heavy with exhaustion. There was so much on his mind, he couldn't decipher what was the cause of his nerves. Was it the change of dens? Could it have been the pressure to be a great apprentice? It might have been one of the apprentice's loud snoring. His mind reeled to find an excuse, but in the end, he settled on the idea that it was all of the above that kept him up. Opalpaw padded forward towards a flat stone near the side of the clearing that cats used to sun bathe on and chose to lay down on it. The cool surface of the rock felt nice against his belly, lulling him into a state of peace as he laid quietly, watching the dark sky for any hints of light.
Viperstream's eyes opened slowly, his body's alarm clock going off. Today's the day. He rose from his nest and started with his morning ritual of stretching before his day began. Despite the many apprentices he had taught over the moons, each one brought with them a new challenge of their own. His "mentor's anxiety" never seemed to disappear with experience. Perhaps he would try something different this time? He exhaled deeply as he finished his last stretch and exited his den.
Out in the camp clearing, dawn was just breaking, the sky turning to a brilliant mix of orange and dark blue. He took in a deep breath and exhaled, the air was cool and there was a slight breeze that came with it. His stomach growled, urging him to eat something. He padded toward the fresh-kill pile but something out the corner of his eye caught his attention. He looked in that direction and saw the outline of young cat that looked familiar. Stepping closer, he recognized that it was Opalpaw. A small smile presented itself. What's he doing out here? Using a paw, he gently rocked the apprentice awake.
The gentle rocking snapped the orange cat out of his sleepy abyss, leaving him laying up right on his stomach, his amber eyes blinking rapidly in a moment of deep confusion. He stared around, for a moment, unaware of his surroundings. How did he get out here? He thought to himself, looking around until he met the striking blue gaze of the Springclan Deputy, his mentor. More confusion filled his mind until finally, the sleep spell wore off, allowing his mind to register the situation at hand. He had fallen back asleep without realizing it.
Opalpaw looked up at the sky, his brows furrowing as he noted the break of daylight that began to light up the sky above. Finally, it all hit him and he jumped to his four paws in embarassment "Oh! Viperstream-um I-I got up and- well I am ready for training!" He stumbled over his words for a moment before straightening up, staring into his mentor's eyes for only a short moment before looking away in embarrassment.
A light chuckle rumbled in his chest amused by Opalpaw's embarrassment. "You're fine, Opalpaw. It's not a problem with me. We're not starting your training just yet. I was thinking that we would begin by having breakfast together actually. It will also give me a chance to talk to you about what we're going to be doing today and moving forward, if that's alright with you." Viperstream toward the fresh-kill pile, motioning for the apprentice to follow.
It was in the following moment that a loud, powerful growl erupted from the apprentice's stomach. He winced in embarrassment, looking away with a small laugh "That is a good idea." He mumbled, jumping off the rock and following close behind his mentor.
"So, Opalpaw, tell me a little bit about yourself," he started to say over his shoulder. "What are your interests, what do you do in your free time, what are your dreams and aspirations?" He asked these questions with every other apprentice he mentored. Their answers were mostly the same like "become the best warrior in SpringClan" or "I like swimming", but something about Opal gave him the felling that his response will be different. "But before you answer, I want to go on record and say that I will view you as my partner rather than just a generic mentorship. With that being said, on certain matters, I will come to you for your opinion. But there is no pressure," he said with a reassuring smile. "What do you say?"
The personal question took the orange apprentice by surprise, his ears perked high as his mind began to reel. It wasn't something he really had asked before let alone asked himself. Growing up, it was just him and his parents. Having been the most influenced by his mother, she never was one to talk about dreams, aspirations or goals, it was more of being a good follower than anything else and making sure you leave a good impression with others. Embarrassment hit him as he struggled to come up with words that would satisfy his mentor's mind. He knew that the easy route would be to say he wanted to be the best warrior in Springclan, but truth be told, he didn't feel that way completely. Yes, he wanted to be the best, but it was so surface leveled and he knew he should feel more, strive for more, but what he didn't know. This was the first time he ever truly thought about it.
Viperstream's supportive follow up statement quieted the fears and insecurities in his head for a moment, a moment long enough to make him realize that he needed to be honest with Viperstream no matter how stupid the answer was.
"I think...I think I like the idea... alot." Opalpaw purred quietly, a small smile growing across his muzzle. It was a strange feeling to think he could be on the same page as a deputy. He was always raised on the notion that he was below his elders and should follow their every command with respect and never attempt to overstep making him careful with his actions and words. The notion that he could truly voice his opinions without fear of overstepping was something that was going to take a while to get used to. "I want to be honest..." He blurted bluntly, his voice a little louder than normal as he forced the words to come out. His heart dropped. There was no going back now.
The silver tom nodded his approval of his apprentices's of his response. This would be his first time trying this method of teaching in hope that it would help him build his own interpersonal skills but from what it seems, Opalpaw could surely benefit from this style as well. The young one was a bit on the timid side, apparently afraid to speak his mind. Could it be that he was just nervous that he was assigned to the deputy to recieve his training or was it how he was raised? Or maybe a mixture of both? Viperstream's thoughts were put aside when he was surprised by Opalpaw's sudden increase in volume. He looked at him with concern. "Tell me. What's on your mind?"
"I- I feel like I should know what I want to be." Opalpaw spoke quietly, his gaze falling to the ground, his pace slowly as he thought deeply on his upcoming words "Everyone talks about it in the apprentice's den, how they want to be one of the strongest, or the fastest or the best hunter. My mother always talks about how she expects me to be the best and that if I put my mind to it, I can grow to be the next leader of Springclan in the future. And my father agrees..." His brows furrowed slightly. He was conflicted. As common as the feeling was, it was just as uncommon to voice his inner conflicts out. He stared up, finding an ounce of courage to face his mentor before pushing out the last of his words "I grew up hearing everyone else's dreams and expectations. They were louder than my own thoughts so I never really could think of what I wanted- or what role I feel I should have in the clan...." Hearing his words out loud disappointed himself and his drooped ears revealed his true emotions. It wasn't an answer he knew a apprentice should have, but he didn't have the ability to falsify a decent enough lie to tell his mentor.
Viperstream frowned, but quickly put on a soft smile. "That's okay, Opalpaw. I can understand if you don't have an answer right now," he assured him, seeing his disappointment. "You may not know what you what you want to be right now, but over the course of this mentorship, I hope to give you some inspiration." A part of him could sympathize with the young apprentice. But another part was slightly envious that he had something, the Deputy lacked - the support of friends and family at a young age. He shook the thoughts from his head as they came closer to the freshkill pile. "In due time, you will know."
His mentor's words gave him immediate relief, a small sigh escaping his mouth as he listened on, his gaze watching his mentor with quiet intensity. It was odd. Viperstream spoke so differently than his mother. Unlike his mother, Viperstream was gentle and reassuring. His answer would have got him an earful had he spoke it to his mother but Viperstream was different. If felt like a wrong answer, but Viperstream made it feel okay about it. The reassuring support was like a breath of fresh air. It made the apprentice smile to himself.
His eyes scanned the pile for a small mouse. It had been a while since he ate so he should have been more hungry, but his stomach felt small, probably shrinking due to the nerves and excitement of what the day would bring. Finally, after a moment of scanning, he located a fairly sized mouse, grabbing it tight in his jaw before looking up at Viperstream, waiting patiently for the next order.
Spotting a small vole, he looked back to see his apprentice staring at him as if waiting for his next words. He let out a small chuckle. "Its okay, Opalpaw. You don't have to wait on me to eat." Picking up his decided prey, he moved off to the side of the pile and laid down. Motioning with his head, he prompted the apprentice to come closer and take a seat. It was still relatively early so they had plenty of time to plan for today's activities. Since Opalpaw wasn't too sure of what he wanted to be just yet, it left many opportunities open for discussion. But, now that he was thinking about it, there was only so much he could teach him. Despite the tom's timid manner, Viperstream could see potential in him. Perhaps he could be chosen as one of the Trusted in the future...
his mentor's words brought confusion to the apprentice's expression. He couldn't imagine eating before his elders simply because he was raised not to, so to hear an older cat chide him kindly on it left him in a momentary state of awe. "Oh, okay yeah!" He finally spoke up after a few, long pauses, his words flowing out quickly as he dug into his mouse. As he ate, he quietly took in his mentor, his amber eyes bright with interest. Viperstream was definitely not what Opalpaw had imagined. His limited experience dealing with elders left him assuming all warriors were like this mother, stern and overbearing, but Viperstream was nothing like that. He was thoughtful in a quiet way. The level of intimidation that the deputy held was very different from that of his own parents. The apprentice was frankly unsure of how to act around him.
The silver tom offered a small smile satisfied smile to the apprentice before taking a bite of his own prey. He sat in silence,periodically taking bites out of his food and planning out the rest of their day. Deep in thought, he spaced out for a moment. Opalpaw mentioned his parents earlier..., he thought to himself. If he remembered anything about Cardinalcastle and Crimsoncrown, it was their strong bond with one another and their unwavering love for their kits. Crimsoncrown and Cardinalcastle were probably the most formal cats he had ever talked to so it makes sense why Opalpaw turned out the way he did - not that that was a bad thing. I can work with this. From what he could tell, the young tom was still nervous around despite all the reassurance Viperstream had given him. With that in mind, his first task would be to break him out of his shell and get him to talk more. If he could get that done by the end of the day, they could move onto the next step.
It didn't take long for Opalpaw and his mentor to finish their meal. Though there was uncertainty racking up within him, the shared meal time was oddly calming. As soon as he took the last of his bite, Opalpaw was quickly to groom himself, his mother's stern words filled his mind instinctively as he frantically made sure to appear presentable. "Are we going to start any training today? Like hunting or fighting?" He asked curiously, though the words were forced. He would have much rather stayed quiet and wait patiently for his elder to speak, but Viperstream was observant, enough to call him out for his unspoken question and Opalpaw would have much rather faced the discomfort of being blunt than to be called out again for his cowardliness.
Viperstream took one final bite of his prey, considering the apprentice's words. "Hmm...that is a good question, Opalpaw." He's making progress, at least, even if its reluctant progress he thought to himself as he regarded Opalpaw. "We won't start training just yet, but today will be a learning lesson." Standing and discarding the food carcass, he motioned for the tom to follow him outside of the camp entrance and into the woods. He had to get more of a feel of what he was working with and didn't want him to worry about his parents distracting him. He attributed Opalpaw's lack of confidence in himself to his parents' teachings. It will be a tough task, but Viperstream believed he could boost his confidence enough that he could speak up for himself and his own decisions. But what would be the best way to go about that? Would he have him prepare a speech for the older warriors? He shook his head of the thought. One step at a time. He's still unsure of what he wants to be when he grows up...
Opalpaw stared off in quiet confusion, but he was quick to follow his mentor's actions. Following orders came easy to the young tom. He took his own remains and discarded them quickly before following his mentor closely. "A learning lesson? Like... mindset?" Opalpaw questioned, again feeling uncomfortable in speaking up, enough to dim his voice down a few volumes to order to combat the discomfort that burst through him.
Vioerstream tilted his head from side to side "Mmm...something like that." he responded as started walking. "Well, it's more so something for me to learn about you and, hopefully, and an opportunity for you to learn about yourself." He led them through the forest until they were a good distance away from camp before stopping and sitting down. "Alright, Opalpaw, here is your first task: go and catch a rabbit. It doesn't matter how long it takes you, but do not come back until you have caught one."
His mentor's words only confused him further, and like a riddle, tried to decipher the meaning behind the words as they traveled deeper into the territory. Suddenly, Viperstream sat down. In his confusion, Opalpaw mimicked his mentor, staring after him with wide, confused amber eyes. The following words brought an visible flinch to the apprentice. "Catch a rabbit?" He repeated, almost unsure that he even heard the correct words. He stared out into the wilderness for a moment, blinking in confusion before looking back at Viperstream "By myself?" He asked, hoping he had misheard the Deputy.
It shouldnt have come as surprise that he had confused the young one. Viperstream had a bad habit of speaking aloud exactly what he was thinking in the moment rather than choosing the right wording that was easy to understand. Evan after all this time, he still hadn't broken it. But hopefully, this lesson will better clarify what he expects from Opalpaw. He nodded. "That is correct. This is a test to gauge your hunting ability and it will also test your confidence," he explained. "I believe you can do it with little to no problems at all. BUT if you feel like you can't do it, I'll understand and we can find something else to do. The day is still young."
