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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Her paws were sore, and she had lost track of time. She left behind her home in the desert and near the Clans to do... something. She wasn't quite sure yet what she'd do when she found Ghostcrown. But it certainly wasn't going to be fun for him. Her anger the day that she met Crow after the fire was palpable and explosive, and it had only festered since their meeting. Over the trek she had the time delve into her emotions, and she did. It only made her anger worse, and she hoped for his sake that he found her little Ray. If he didn't... he'd need whatever gods he believed in to protect him.
As she came over a ridgeline the camp suddenly came into view. The bengal narrowed her eyes and ran down the slope towards the hole that they called home. She scanned the camp for a sign of the black and white tom, but found nothing. Instead, she settled down to wait for him.
His companions didn't look up once as they entered the camp, and Ghostcrown couldn't fathom why. He knew this clan was relaxed about intruders, but the foreign scent drifting over the camp was enough to make him uneasy, and his gaze skimmed the ridge of the camp to see who it was. He had been anticipating her arrival, but not once they moved away, and when he finally spotted the bengal his eyes widened in shock.
He set down his prey and hurried to meet her, offering a hesitant smile he doubted she would return. "Have you come to visit Desertpaw and Spiritpaw? They might be out training right now," he began apologetically.
Igziq slowly turned to meet the tom, and she had to restrain herself from leaping at him right then and there. Her claws unsheathed and dug into the soil as she took a deep breath. Not yet. His clanmates would probably frown upon her attacking him right now. "No. They're aren't why I'm here. It's better that they don't know. But you should know." Her lip curled up. "I found Ray."
She paused to let the emotion build up for a moment. "I found her ash pile in SunClan's medicine den. It got so hot in that cave that it cremated her. Now what I want to know is why you left that camp without knowing where all your kits were. Why did you leave your child to burn?" It was clear what she was saying. Why shouldn't I kill you where you stand?
The words were a staggering blow that left him gaping at her, speechless. Raypaw was dead? His daughter couldn't be dead, he would have felt it, right? He would have felt her absence from this earth, the moment she was torn away from him. A hollow, numbing shock spread through him from nose to tail-tip, and he sat down hard, staring at her with a vacant expression. It never occurred to him to ask how she identified the remains - her mother had no reason to lie, no reason to seek him out if it wasn't the truth.
"I didn't know she was in the camp," Ghostcrown whispered. His eyes closed and he was transported back into the camp then: flames springing up around him, scorching his heels as he dragged his friend to safety, blinding him as he escorted his family out of the camp, his paws aching from the hot ground. Had he seen a glimpse of her fur? Did he hear her screams? Was she burning while he was out there, arguing with his son? He felt sick. "I--- the others didn't mention her, I assumed she must have left and that's why they weren't worried."
Igziq let him finish, but only barely. The moment he finished she slapped him across the face. "You didn't know she was in camp!? Are you an idiot or just dumb!? They laid a siege on the place, and you didn't know that she was in camp!? Gods!! Ughhhhh!!" Her claws scored the earth beneath her as her festering anger started to come to a boil, and it wasn't going to come down any time soon. "All I'm hearing is excuses--- excuses for letting your daughter, your blood, burn alive!"
She paused. "Let me rephrase. Not burned alive. Cooked. The blaze trapped her in the medicine cave. She had nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. The smoke filled the cave first. It tore apart and singed her lungs with every desperate breath she took. As everyone abandoned the camp, the fire made its way into the den. Do you know what happened next? The heat got trapped in the cave. Then she died, after the heat from the flames burned her from the inside. I want to know something. How did you know to go there to save some of your children? What distracted you from saving your daughter from certain death?"
His head jerked back from the force of the blow, but the sting came as a relief. It rooted him to the moment, forced him to stay here and look her in the eye.
"I was working with the Fire Nation. After they attacked, they warned us the camp wasn't full; the first fight was in the middle of the day, while patrols were out and mentors were training. They wanted to divide the camp and face less opposition while they liberated the prisoners in secret. Any cat outside of camp when the siege began was stuck there. I saw our other three kids, and I thought she was outside of camp. Maybe I was wrong," his voice trembled on the verge of breaking, full of fresh pain as he agonized over every moment that day, "but I was working with the information I had."
Ghostcrown shook his head vehemently at her terrible description. He didn't want to hear how she died. He didn't want to imagine his daughter caught in the flames, terrified and trying to find a way out, the heat and the flames eating away at her from the inside. Could I have saved her? He had no answer for himself.
Bleakly, he met her gaze again. It sapped a great deal of his remaining strength, but he owed her this much after his failure. "I was working with the Fire Nation. They planned the fight, and they told my brother and I when we could come in. I went for our kittens immediately. Desertpaw was throwing stones, Crowpaw by his side, and then we found Spiritpaw. I made sure all of them made it out - even Crowpaw, even though he hates me, I made sure he survived." He couldn't blame Crowpaw for his hatred. Not then, and certainly not now. "I thought they were all safe. I did, Huntress, I really thought they were safe."
Oh, really? His words only pushed her closer to the edge. "Liar. I talked the Crow. I found her ashes with him. Do you know what he told me? He said that when you came to the Clan, your first move was to save some queen named Jetfire." She lashed her tail and her voice became something like a roar. "How sick are you? You went doting after some she-cat before you saved your kits!" She hissed and glared at the nursery, and he would have no doubts about the dark thoughts forming in her head. She wanted to kill whoever this Jetfire was, and let him feel the pain she felt when she ran her paws through her daughter's ashes.
"You were a mistake. Not my kits, but you. I don't understand how such perfect things could come from a cat as disgusting as you. I don't understand why you decided to play hero to some she-cat and make your own kits an afterthought. But I do understand that you are a terrible father, and whatever kits you have with that filthy, destitute she-cat will be just like you. Failures." Her eyes glinted with what Ghostcrown had seen a glimpse of in Crowpaw: unconquerable anger. It was a tide, and tides were a force of nature.
She had talked to Crowpaw. For just a second, he saw a light through this new darkness: his son had escaped, he had confirmation of it now. But his daughter hadn't.
"No. No," he insisted forcefully, "I saw our kits before I ever went after her. I made sure they were safe and ready to go before the fire ever started." It was a weak excuse even to his own ears. He had encountered them first by luck; if Desertpaw hadn't been slinging rocks his way, would he have sought them out first? Would he have left them behind when he rescued Jetfire? They weren't kittens anymore, they could look after themselves, that's what he told himself, but Raypaw... he had been so wrong.
Ghostcrown followed her gaze to the nursery and just stared at it, wondering for the first time if saving her had truly been worth it. It was an ugly thought. After everything that she had been through, Jetfire deserved a peaceful recovery, at the very least. She needed someone at her side who believed in her, who trusted her - not someone like him, someone who had hurt her once and now questioned if she should have been rescued at all. Firetooth told him he had to say her side now, but would he still think that if he knew the offensive thoughts in Ghostcrown's head?
He hated himself for choosing her over his own children. When she had been the cause of his exile, when she had made him a murderer, he thought he had hit rock bottom. But losing Raypaw was so much worse than that. And he couldn't blame her for that, the blame was entirely his own. The Huntress is right. What kind of father chooses being a hero over saving his own family?
"They're not mine," he heard himself saying, his tone flat and empty. He looked back at her, full of self-loathing. "Her kits aren't mine." Could he have justified saving his unborn litter if it meant sacrificing Raypaw? He doubted it, but it was never an option. Jetfire's family wasn't his. He had lost his daughter for nothing. "I'm sorry. You're right. You're right." Ghostcrown slumped to the ground, his chin striking the dirt as he stared up at The Huntress. "What are you going to do?" he asked quietly.
I saw our kits before I ever went after her. I made sure they were safe and ready to go before the fire ever started. That was another lie, but she chose not to address it. This tom was pathetic. She told him that she talked to Crowpaw, yet he still went on how he tried to help them. She could see his stubbornness giving way to grief in his eyes as he broke down further and further. It was what she wanted to see. She wanted him to doubt himself, and leave this Jetfire behind. No, she didn't want him to with her. But she wanted him to feel alone.
They're not mine. This made Igziq's lip curl again. "You're telling me that you sacrificed your kits for someone else's? Some random queen's kits!? Gods help me. I should just kill you where you stand." She stopped. Probably shouldn't say that in the middle of camp. She looked around at the rest of the cats around, and they didn't give a damn. Huh. Maybe she could live here. She turned her attention back to Ghostcrown. "Here's what you're going to do. When Spirit and Desert get back, you're going to explain to them how their sister died, and why she died. Clear?" She held his head to the ground and curled her claws into his head. "If your group returns to the Clans, you will find Crow and apologize to him for being a terrible, selfish father. If any one of them says it is their fault, you will tell them it is not. You are the only one to blame."
Ghostcrown didn't respond to that. He did not want to die, but could he truly be angry with her if she thought it was just? Would that be repentance, a life for a life? His death wouldn't bring her back, but he still had two kits here that wanted him. She couldn't rip him away from them, or they would never forgive her either.
He jerked as she dug her claws into his skin and tilted his head back, forcefully against her grip. His eyes narrowed as a little bit more fight camp into him. "I made a mistake," he agreed bleakly, "and I can't fix that now. But I was going to tell them either way. Raypaw was their sister, they deserve to know what happened to her, and they should know why. I wouldn't keep that from them."
Was that all she wanted? For him to share this horrid truth? Ghostcrown would never keep that from them. The only secret he kept was for Jetfire, to protect her; keeping their sister's death a secret protected no one but himself. He was a selfish cat, but not that selfish, not that stupid.
Gathering just a bit more strength, he added firmly, "but I want you there when I tell them. They deserve to see their mother again."
She narrowed her eyes as he spoke. "I was planning on it, I don't want you to skimp on the details." She paused. " And I do mean give them all of the details. I want you to tell them what the smoke made her lungs feel like, and what the heat did to her flesh before she died." Aside from outright murdering his kits, this was about as heinous of an act he could have committed against her. "I want them to understand how their sister suffered right up until her death."
She curled her claws deeper into Ghostcrown's head and lifted it off the ground. "Then after explaining how you left your daughter to cook alive to your kits, you're going to explain to this Jetfire what saving her life cost you." A sickening smile spread across her face. "I won't go in there with you, but I will stick around to make sure you say the right things." Did he really think that the punishment would be a simple apology to his kits? No, that would be too merciful.
He was so, so tempted to give in. To do exactly as she asked. His daughter's death drained all of the energy from his body, the numbness had settled into his toes so permanently he was already starting to believe it would never leave him. He was in too much shock to shed a tear for her, that would come later, but he despaired to think how heavy that weight would be when his heart was already crushed against his ribcage in the most ancient ache. He just wanted to give up and curl in a ball and be alone, to wail to the sky and beg for forgiveness, and maybe then the tears would come, and maybe some merciful god would take pity on him. But he still had a family to fight for here. His life felt so insignificant, but theirs weren't, and he had to be strong for them, for just a little while longer.
He dug his claws into the ground and climbed back onto his paws, jerking his head back and forth until her claws came free with tufts of jet black fur. He pulled together every last scrap of dignity he had and looked her in the eye.
"I won't make my kits suffer like that," he insisted. "Knowing she's dead will hurt them enough. What good does it do to tell them how she suffered? Her blood isn't on their paws, it's on mine, so gut me if you must but leave them alone. They've been through enough already." He paused, then added with finality, "that goes for all of them. Jetfire included."
Ghostcrown had stabbed her in the back once since they'd arrived, he wasn't going to hurt the queen any further. She didn't ask for him to save her, she didn't ask to be treated that way. He couldn't imagine looking her in the eye right now... didn't want to face how much it would hurt to see his daughter every time he looked at her... he wouldn't put her through more suffering without a good reason.
Interesting, so he had some fight left in him after all. She twisted and turned her claws as he rose to inflict as much pain as she possibly could. As he spoke, she returned his gaze. He would recognize the same anger that he saw in his son in all its burning ferocity. But, unlike him, she knew how to get what she wanted. She wanted him to truly suffer for what he had done, and to understand what kind of pain he had caused her, and she had more than one way of doing that. "Fine, but you still have to tell them that she burned alive. You don't have to go into all the details on how she cooked, but you must still take all the blame." It would break her heart to see Spirit and Desert tear themselves apart like Crow did. It wasn't their fault, it was all Ghostcrown's.
A sickening smile formed on her lips. "Because you aren't describing how she died so, so painfully, you will do something else for me. After you tell them about your mistake, you will come with me to the top of that ridge." She chuckled and put a paw on his cheek. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. I wouldn't want to take you away from your guilt." And it will get so much worse. He was going to suffer more, one way or another.
Ghostcrown felt a trickle of blood weeping down the side of his neck, almost invisible as it soaked through his dark fur. Her claws had left their mark, but the pain was negligible, and he didn't flinch once. Not even at the hatred and anger that he perceived in her gaze. She had every right to want him to suffer, but how could she not comprehend that the grief tearing her apart was ravaging him as well? He lost his daughter, and it was his fault.
"Fine," he agreed, not moving as she held his cheek. He didn't want to think about what she wanted from him next. As much as he wanted to say he owed her nothing, he knew that wasn't exactly true; he would do almost anything that she asked. It was his repentance. There was nothing he could do to make up for his mistake, so if she wanted to draw out his suffering just a bit more, he couldn't deny her.
Ghostcrown pulled away and led the way back through the camp, his paws confident and knowing. Shatteredshine had offered to take both apprentices out with her today, and he guessed they hadn't made it far. "Desertpaw, Spiritpaw," he called as he led the way after their scents.
If you want to shine like the sun, first you must burn like the sun ~ SunClan High Priestess
6,904 posts
Post by racer on Dec 12, 2020 18:27:24 GMT -5
Desertpaw groaned in protest "Look all this warrior training is boring, I just want to get back to my experiment" They young gray tom's tail lashing from one side to the other "Frog slime is only good for so long, if I don't get back soon its going to dry up and then I will have to find another one" he stopped, a little smiled appearing on his face "correction, YOU will have to find me another one"
"Ah, look who it is: the waste of space and breath herself, ladies and gentlemen." Firetooth wasn't a fool; he knew that this she-cat being here meant trouble, and had been following the pair from the shadows, eavesdropping on every word between his brother and Ghostcrown's former mate. To be completely honest, after the first time she had struck his brother the Medicine Cat had been ready to kill the Huntress on the spot, regardless of the fact he had no fighting experience or skills to speak of and how she'd probably decimate him on the spot. But he forced himself to remain quiet; letting his own anger overwhelm him here would only make things worse. Though he'd certainly try and commune with Starclan soon, in the hopes of seeing his niece's spirit at peace.
With a growl, he leaned forward and whispered in the Huntress's ear, just loud enough for them and maybe Ghostcrown to hear. "I understand your fury and vengeance, but if there must be blame, do not blame my brother alone. I was right by his side that night, in the fire. Blame the both of us if you must, but where were you, I wonder?" Without waiting for a reply, he marched past her with a disdainful glare, before glancing down at Desertpaw curiously. "What is it with you and frogs? Sliprabbit tells me that's all you ever talk about."
She smiled as he agreed to the terms. He would wish he gave them all the gory details by the time she was finished with him. "Good. I expect you to come alone. If there's anyone else with you, I'll come back here and give them the details myself." With that she followed wordlessly after him, and soon enough the smell of SwiftClan became overpowering, but she could still pick out the most important ones. They were near.
"Desert... nothing has changed, has it? Except this place has given you new materials." Igziq purred as she watched her son approach them. She opened her mouth to say something when that brash tom decided to waste his breath. She closed it and glared at the tom as he walked by and said what he needed to say. She didn't care if Desert heard what she had to say. He could hear every word of it. "They're not your responsibility because you aren't their father, so I don't blame you at all. As for me, I was meeting my other kits because I trusted Ghostcrown to do his job. Anyway, kits can't grow strong with just their mother. They need others around to push them, so they can't stay with me." She could smell the aroma of herbs wafting off Firetooth. She then dropped her voice so only Firetooth and Ghostcrown could hear. "Ghostcrown, maybe you should have been a medicine cat. Then you would never have had my kits, and never killed one of them. But, then what would happen to Jetfire's? Maybe she'd get what she deserves..."
If you want to shine like the sun, first you must burn like the sun ~ SunClan High Priestess
6,904 posts
Post by racer on Dec 14, 2020 11:02:44 GMT -5
Desertpaw turned from the warrior that had been taking him and his sister out hunting, his eyes brightening as the mother came into view "Hi mom!" he purred, not picking up on the intense atmosphere surrounding them. He never had been good at picking up on social cues "I can't wait to tell you all about my experiments, oh and I have a new name. I'm Captain Desert now!!" he puffed out his chest proudly "A lot of cats came to hurt SunClan and they let me set traps for them. I set up cave ins, hot water to pour on the cats coming out of the tunnels, and a flinger to throw mud and rocks at the warriors coming into our camp" he was rather proud of himself even if it hadn't really been super effective "I also have been working on breathing underwater!! I almost was able to do it, then I let go of the pumpkin and almost drown... BBBBUUUTTT I learned that there is a cat here that can breathe underwater so I am going to find them and make them teach me their secrets. Im using frogs because I want to see what happens when you put slime on a cats fur. It should be able to keep the water off your fur, and then we can swim like fish!"
The Medicine Cat froze mid-step as the words reached his ears. Unseen by anyone, a flurry of emotions crossed his features, before settling on rage, pure and simple. That was it. Consequences be damned, Firetooth wasn't about to let that stand. In one swift motion, he turned on his heel to face the Huntress again, growl rumbling in his throat as he stared down the she-cat face-to-face. But as he stared into her face, his fury wavered. Wasn't she herself a mother, a Queen, just like those he had sworn to protect? What was the difference? He paused, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Listen to me," he meowed with a sigh. "You're in mourning. I get that. You have every right to be angry; at the world, at Sunclan, at my brother. Believe me, I've been there - I lost both my clan and my father in a single day - but neither of those comes even close to the loss you've experienced. My oath as a Medicine Cat is to help and protect all Queens and kits who are in need; but regardless of whether it was my responsibility, I still failed you. I failed to protect my own family, and there's nothing any of us can do to make up for what you've lost..."
"But," his eyes narrowed slightly, voice growing colder. "I will not allow you to blame Jetfire or her kits for what happened. They are innocent in all of this; they were abused, mistreated, and slowly starving to death - that's why I had Ghostcrown take me back to Sunclan during the fire. They were my priority, not his. He went to his kits first; I only had him go in to rescue her because I'm unable to lift any cat on my own. That is the absolute truth. If you still want to blame my brother, fine. You have the right to do so. But leave Jetfire out of this. And Starclan as my witness, if you ever say that she deserved anything that happened to her ever again...I will make you regret it."
(racer summoned me while I was at work, you get a rare moment of rule breaking Jadie)
A rare smile settled on Spiritpaw's face when she first set eyes on her bengal mother. It had been many moons since she'd last seen the Huntress and to say she missed her mother's presence was an understatement. They both had that same stark, no-nonsense disposition, really the only difference between the two was that Spiritpaw had a sense of humor and probably a bigger heart, at least in regards to non-family members. As soon as she realized she was grinned she did away with it and distracted herself by putting her paw in front of Desertpaw and trying to trip him up. Bullying him had always been her go-to when emotions ran a little bit too high.
Eventually she made her way over and gave the Huntress a very mature nod. She was looking more and more like Ghostcrown as she aged, in fact had her eyes not been a different color it would be hard for even family to tell them apart, "I'm so happy to see you, mother. Did you come to join SwiftClan?"
It was a hopeful question but she already knew the answer. If her mother were than type of cat, she would have never left them alone to begin with, "Just kidding... anyways... is something wrong? You look like you'd about to shred someone's ears."
