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.
For most of the last few days, Crow's group rested in brief intervals, hunted sparingly, but conversed jovially among each other with few moments of silence in between. Everyone-- even Rose and Cygnus-- were relaxed in the camaraderie. Though they stayed on alert, most dangers gave the band of wanderers a wide berth; it would take numbers close to theirs to give any distempered rogue or predator the courage to take on nine cats at once. Between Hawthorne's menacing stature and Orchid's battle prowess, Crow felt optimistic about the journey, more than he had in his whole lifetime. While his face was a mask of focus, eyes ahead and gait as steady as it could be, there was a serenity in the way he moved that anyone could recognize.
Crow once had the courage of a quivering mouse, but now he was the pointed end of an arrow. He didn't look like the baby-faced boy who had stalked out of SunClan and into the unknown. The fire-bellied beast that spat flames instead of words, who attacked his own as if they were enemies. The lost soul who'd sat at the SummerClan border that day, looking at the world as if he'd never seen it before. Now, bravery brewed in his belly and hope harbored in his heart. He didn't see the world as this titan that towered in front of him; he saw it as snow white fur and eyes bluer than the farthest end of the sea, but unlike the ocean Crow knew every treasure beneath the surface.
Shoot, he was staring again.
Pelt burning, he shuffled his paws and glanced away, pretending to have been taking stock of everyone's whereabouts. SummerClan was distant behind them, and with it also went the shores; instead, the area they were in now was lightly forested. He'd chosen this spot for them to break for a rest as it offered shelter and shade. The earth was cut through by trickling brooks that would lead to a lake somewhere beyond the trees, and he could faintly discern the sound of a waterfall. He then decided it had been too long since he'd gotten to speak with Orchid alone. Crow drew in a stabilizing breath and ambled over to where she lay, conversing with her sister. He nodded a greeting to Rose, but his firebright eyes noticeably softened as he turned to address his friend. "Hey, uhh, I was gonna go check out the area. Maybe try my paw at hunting out here, if you'd maybe wanna come?"
sunlight i wasn't sure if you wanted to refer to orchid and rose as apps or warriors in this thread so I played it safe xD
(apprentices is good! I appreciate the caution heh)
Orchidpaw had been taking this journey step by step, and had been surprised at how much good it had caused in her relationship with her sister. There was no space for Rosepaw to avoid her out here, so they had been talking more. They still had not addressed that night, nor the feelings that still lingered, but they were talking, at least.
And the other members of the gang were fun to get to know, even if Orchidpaw was shier around them than she was around Crow and her sister. When she thought Crow wasn't looking, she often found herself gazing at him in response, marveling at the change and the newfound strength in his silhouette. If she noticed him looking at her, she dismissed it as friendly concern or a simple check-in.
Still, she was pleased when he approached her with a hunting offer. After a glance at Rosepaw, who gave her tail a permissive flick and laid her head down for a nap, she stood and stretched, moving to follow Crow. "Sounds great," she purred, sapphire eyes brightening over the faded scar on her cheek. "Lead the way." There was some news she had for him, that coincided with her upcoming warrior ceremony.
His tail curled in a delighted manner as he turned and guided her towards the overgrowth, following the sound of the waterfalls siren call. Falling into step next to Orchidpaw felt easy, normal, like he'd done it his whole life and knew the precise way she would move. "I've really enjoyed the past few days. I know that sounds weird considering the circumstances, but it's nice to not worry about the sun setting." He felt like he was exposing some secret truth, his ears hot and voice sounding utterly meek.
He wanted to say more. To say "I wish it could be like this forever." To say "I wish you could stay." To say what he felt, but instead he said, "Rosepaw seems to be opening up a little. I see her laughing more each day. It's been nice getting to know her." Crow wished she would have the opportunity to know his family the same, but with how far apart they continued to grow, that dream was slowly slipping away from him.
Orchidpaw smiled at the sentiment, but it only made the news she had to tell him harder. Soon, even dreading sunset would be a positive memory. "I agree- everyone in your group is so nice. Hardly seems appropriate to call it a rogue gang." The white-furred she-cat objected to the idea of them being rogues at first, preferring to call them loners. Rogues left a bad taste in her mouth.
The calm apprentice didn't voice her feelings either, about how she felt tempted to leave Summerclan sometimes- not because they had wronged her, but because she hated leaving Crow every day. Instead, she just responded to his comment. "Rosepaw's doing well. She's always done well with strangers, though. But out here even we're getting closer again."
It was a nice afternoon, and Orchidpaw could sense that they were approaching a small lake or pond of sorts. With the leaffall sun streaming through the trees, warming her shoulders, it felt wrong to tell him her news. But it had to come out sooner or later. "I'll be getting my warrior name soon- Rosepaw too. And... in just a week or two Summerclan is closing their borders for a few moons," she said slowly, into the congenial quiet between them. "No one comes in- or out- for all of leaf-bare, Ratstar says." She left it there, giving Crow the task of deciphering what that meant for them.
He emitted a soft, genuine chuckle. "I've taken less to calling it a gang for that same reason. I like to call it a family," he told her. They'd been a unit for a short time but he knew each of his friends on a personal level, and to simply call them members of a gang did not do justice to the bonds developing between them.
Crow lapsed back into silence as Orchidpaw continued, detailing her sister's growth and then beginning to fill him in on the clan news, per their usual routine. There was a brief pause in between her acknowledgment of the ceremonies-- which made him wonder again what his own warrior name might have been-- and the blow that struck him hard in the chest, and he stumbled around for a decent response that wouldn't expose the gaping wound he suddenly felt. "I...Oh." His first attempt failed, and for several long moments, he floundered in the desolation of his innermost thoughts, limping along with few words. The shrubbery began to thin and ahead they could catch glimpses of the waterfall tumbling into a lake, but he was far too consumed in his head to marvel in it just yet.
"So what will this mean?" When will I see you? That's what he meant to say, but Crow feared the answer to that. In truth Crow feared a lot about this situation. Mostly, he wondered what would change if they couldn't meet as often. Would she forget him? Would she decide life in clan was better than consorting with some rogue? Would she meet someone el--
Orchidpaw felt a rush of guilt for being the bearer of bad news, though she had had no hand in the decision. His reaction was similar to what hers had been- disbelief, unhappiness, and unease. She had similar worries about Crow. Maybe he'd wander off with his gang at some point during the long leafbare, and find someone unscarred, unburdened. Someone who was bright and cheerful and sociable like Rosepaw. Maybe he'd prefer that to her meditative and calm disposition.
"I don't know exactly." She admitted, slowing to a stop beside the lake's edge. "The good news is that I'll be on the patrol that guards the border where we usually meet. So I'm certain I'll be able to slip in and out sometimes. I can say I was chasing off stray clan cats. But I can't do that every night, like we used to. It may be... once a week? And it'd have to be for a shorter period of time." The white apprentice's voice was heavy with unspoken worries.
"But the good news is that it should only be for the leaf-bare. Then the borders will open again and we can meet like usual. Though I wish..." She wished she could stay with the group- she had seriously considered it. She wished she didn't have to leave Crow ever. She wished he'd give her assurance of his affection for her. She wished he'd admit that he loved- well, she didn't wish that, because she didn't feel worthy of his love. She wasn't sure if she was in a place she could return it in a healthy way. "I wish it wasn't like this," she finished lamely.
Crow considered her words for a long, quiet moment. His eyes were transfixed on the water rippling in front of them, but it was Orchidpaw's shaky reflection that held his gaze. Selfishly, he thought about what lengths he would be willing to go through for her, what he'd be willing to leave behind. Who he would be willing to leave behind. He hazarded a glance over his shoulder as if to look past the way they'd come and see the faces of his friends who'd followed him all this way. He didn't deserve them if he was having these thoughts.
Shaking himself, Crow allowed the faintest smile that lacked the optimism he tried to exude. "Yeah... We can make it work, right? We'll have plenty to talk about and if I can't take you out to the places I find, I'll find something there and take it back for you." That was a sorry supplement, but it was all he had at the moment. Absently, he found himself leaning into her side as she crouched next to him, drawing comfort from her touch.
"Of course we'll make it work. We've been through too much to let this shake us," Orchidpaw said softly, leaning back into Crow. As usual, his touch and his presence brought a deep comfort that no one else could. If only they could stay there forever, drawing strength from each other, gazing out over a beautiful lake, with no worries for the future.
There were dreams, hidden dreams, that danced in the back of Orchidpaw's mind. Dreams she wouldn't speak aloud to anyone, including herself. In them glowed a tender love, born from friendship and trust, a safe space she could always return to, a family. They seemed so far off, with the bitterness still hard on her heart and the constant worries about when and where she could see Crow. She had similar thoughts to Crow about abandoning her clan, but something prevented her from doing so, leaving her in this intolerable limbo. So the dreams she dreamed remained out of reach.
"Let's go explore the waterfall," she said brightly after a moment, trying to force the gloom from their minds. "I think there's a cave back there."
With anyone else he found silence to be disconcerting, but, his body leaned into her and their breathing in sync, Crow couldn't imagine breaking the moment with anything other than the unspoken truths that were heavy in his heart. He longed to admit everything he felt, to pull her against him, and to never let go. He longed to break the silence not with trivial conversation but a profession of his feelings, an admittance of how he followed no God but one: Love.
But it was Orchidpaw who broke the silence, and it was not with the confession they both knew in their hearts. "You think?" He rose and gently stretched his legs as he glimpsed across to the cascades, wondering if she might be right and there was some secret behind the curtains of thundering water. "What are we waiting for then? I'll bet you three mice that there's at least two rocks in there," he challenged, breaking away to head 'round the curve of the lake, following it until he could feel the mist cling to his whiskers.
