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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Tall, with fur feathered out at length and eyes of chipped emerald, Goldenshadow was a head turner wherever he went-- and though his composure never faltered, he knew it. SummerClan may as well have been in his very paws. He was the widowed warrior that worked past his heartache, the sun-threaded stud that still provided for his three children, who carried the weight of his duties on top of fatherhood. His voice crooned silvered promises and sweet nothings, but it was the thrill that kept them coming. The thrill of vying for eyes that would never settle on just one.
Until it did.
He'd seen her in passing before: On patrols, at the ceremonies, slipping away from camp in the night. He'd seen, but it had interested him little before. Now, however, she was earning esteem back in the clan after her disappearance and the subsequent chewing out Ratstar had given her and her sister. Few others could begin to say they joined as many patrols or hunted half as often as Orchiddrop-- and that was what gave Goldenshadow pause, what had his dark eyes considering her. He had a perfect daughter, two hardworking sons, and a sterling reputation among clanmates, but there had always been something-- or someone-- missing.
Deciding to act on this train of thought, he swiftly glided across camp to catch up with her right as she exited the camp on what he assumed to be a solo patrol. "Orchiddrop," he purred, "mind some company tonight?"
Orchiddrop had actually been on her way to try to see Crow again- she was well aware that it was dangerous, and they would undoubtedly get caught by someone sooner or later. But even as she gained friends and esteem in the clan, she found a certain peace with Crow that she found nowhere else.
She had noticed Goldenshadow before- he was hard to ignore- but he had never remained in her mind for longer than he was in her sight. He was handsome, but he was a father and a widower and paled in comparison to the youthful love that she had for her black-furred friend. Still, she could hardly ignore him. With a soundless exhale of resignation, she turned to the tom.
"Certainly, Goldenshadow," she said politely, giving him a faint smile. Orchiddrop was objectively the less attractive sister, compared to unscarred, bubbly, and flippant Rosethorn, but there was a steady draw to her composed, loyal nature and carefully groomed white fur. "I was going to patrol the northern border." She had been heading to the rogue border, but Crow would have to wait another night.
"That sounds like a plan," was his silk-laden return, and the golden warrior fell into step beside her. He was not too close that she might be uncomfortable in his presence but he was closer than an average patrol member would be. He had certainly come across Rosethorn on several occasions, and while it was true she was the more remarkable of the pair as far as appearances went, Goldenshadow didn't see her brazen outspokenness as the winning trait he needed in his idyllic family life. Orchiddrop's unassuming, quiet demeanor worked handedly for that.
Casually, he spoke up in the quiet between them. "Have you been enjoying warrior life? I've noticed you patrolling and hunting quite a bit. You don't see that type of commitment in many new warriors like yourself, not anymore anyway. It's an admirable quality to have." His compliments rolled more smoothly off his tongue than water would repel off a duck's feathers, seeming genuine with the thoughtful undertone.
Had Orchiddrop known Goldenshadow's intentions and the reasoning behind them, she would have been properly disgusted. As it was, she simply felt faintly awkward. Why were his compliments so sudden? They were certainly flattering, but they'd never spoken before. "Thank you," the white-furred warrior responded, another cordial smile on her features. It was a nice smile, but a far cry from the overflowing joy that was present in the smiles she gave Crow.
"I've been enjoying it immensely. My sister and I took a trip to resolve some... family issues. But now we're back for good, and I'm starting to feel really settled in Summerclan. I think that's why I'm so devoted. You are... certainly an attentive father." Orchiddrop fished in her mind for a compliment before saying the one thing she knew about this tom. "Your kits are cute. I like watching them around camp. I've always liked kits myself."
He could detect her unease rippling in the atmosphere, a mental note to himself to adjust his manners. "I appreciate that. They are an active brood for sure. Dahliakit reminds me of her mother more with each passing day." His tone began to inflect a bitter loss, suggesting a wound that was not yet healed, despite that Goldenshadow really felt nothing of the sort. His mate had been a fixture, nothing more. As for his daughter, however, he would move mountains and lasso the sun out the sky for her, whereas his sons did not receive such doting care.
"So you are not from SummerClan?" This was not a fact he had been aware of, though it was a trivial detail. He and his kits had only been in the clan a few moons now, joining shortly before Orchiddrop and Rosethorn found themselves here, but he was intrigued about what coerced them to seek out a clan and what would drive them away from said clan not long after their arrival. That scar that gleamed silver in the frosted starlight was another mystery he desired an answer to.
Orchiddrop seemed to relax faintly, sympathizing with the grieving tom. "I'm sorry for your loss," she said quietly, listening with the pride with which he spoke about his daughter- she was not attentive enough to his treatment of his kits to compare it to the way he acted with his sons.
"No, my sister and I were taken in after our parents were killed. We were loners. It was a difficult adjustment at first, but Summerclan has been nothing but good to us," she said, glancing up at the silver constellations that were painted across the night sky. "I find myself more enamored with clan life with each passing moon I spend here. And the clan seems to appreciate my skills. What about you? Where did you come from?"
He did not listen with the same intent eagerness that a certain ebony-clad cat would; rather, he listened only for what might supply him the answers he sought. "I am sorry to hear about your parents." Now was not the appropriate time to probe for more on that, so he rumbled a languid response to her own questioning. "My family hails from past the mountains. We were not quite a clan but not as pathetic as the so-called rogue 'gangs' that seem to populate outside the borders. I left with my kits after their mother passed, hoping that a more structured upbringing and fresh perspective would help them move past it. It seems to have done them well so far. Perhaps you may find yourself a mentor to one of them in the future," he mused, ever so introspective.
Orchiddrop flicked an ear back at the mention of rogue gangs, careful not to let her defensiveness about Crow's gang rise to the surface. She brushed past the comment, answering his last sentence. "I would love to be," she said with a faint smile. "I'm not sure when I'll be given my first apprentice, but it would be nice to have it be one of them."
They wouldn't truly be her first, considering Crow, but Orchiddrop thought of that more of sharing knowledge with a peer than as actual mentoring. The thought of Crow made her ache to see him again, and remember the danger they were inviting by meeting up.
They chattered about trivial things as they patrolled- the falling temperatures, the lack of prey, the increased patrols. Orchiddrop was not aware of the fact that her collected, polite behavior was solidifying her as a candidate for Goldenshadow's mate. If she had known, she would have been a little coarser, like her sister. As they reached camp again, she looked up at the moon, wondering if Crow was looking at the same moon. "It was a lovely patrol, Goldenshadow. Hopefully we can talk again soon." She was sincere in that manner, wanting to make more friends within the clan.
"Orchiddrop." His voice stopped her before she could depart, Goldenshadow sensing the conclusion of their company. Up until now his responses during their mindless conversation had been practiced, nothing more than acknowledgements when it felt appropriate, but there was some new quality in the manner with which he spoke that was raw. The moon cast an ethereal glow to the depths of his dark eyes, emeralds glittering wildly. "I thoroughly enjoyed being with you tonight. Perhaps we could hunt together tomorrow, then have a meal in the meadows?"
Despite herself, Orchiddrop felt a little flattered by the whole thing- the combination of moonlight and the way he looked at her caught her off guard and made her flustered. Not in the way that she felt around Crow- that was due to her own feelings for him. This was simply the universal pleasure of being pursued by someone attractive and older.
"That sounds nice," she said, reassuring herself that it would be a friendly afternoon and that she would see the one she really loved that evening. "I enjoyed our walk as well. I'll meet you by the camp exit tomorrow afternoon?"
"Yes, tomorrow evening. Until then," he dipped his head in a cordial farewell before stepping past towards the nursery, close enough that his pelt would brush hers. For the first time in many days, his kits would fall asleep curled against their father, but it was just for show where Goldenshadow was concerned, the intensity of their clanmates' eyes burning into his back.
There was nothing of interest to him the next day; he handled his morning patrol with ease, and spent the midmorning sunbathing and preening his coat. Pikekit and Bramblekit frolicked nearby, hoping to catch a praise from him during their play fights, but a distracted Goldenshadow only had one thing on his mind, and with scarcely a nod to his children, he approached the camp entrance as the sun's rays grew a deeper gold and streaked the camp. When he spied Orchiddrop approaching on cue, he simpered at her with that stunning smile. "Ready to go, I see?"
It was unfortunate that Orchiddrop didn't know how much of Goldenshadow was just for show- she tended to think the best of cats, and it was leading her false this time around. As it was, she still enjoyed the attention of this charming family tom. "Yes, I'm ready. How was your morning?" She asked cordially as they turned and left camp, giving him a small smile.
"Nothing too out of the ordinary today. There were some strong rogue scents on the border, so we will keep a tighter check on that border." Had he known the rogue whose scent traced along the borderline was the rogue whose heart lived in SummerClan, Goldenshadow's pursuit would have been ruthless and known no bounds. It would certainly shatter his illusion of Orchiddrop that was being formed in his mind-- and that, he could not have. But he didn't know this, so to him his report was no different than any other. He would ask the same of her, and listen politely, but it was the same mindless chatter of the previous day that broke the silence in between kills.
"I see the rumors hold some truth after all," acknowledged Goldenshadow as she finished off another clean kill, interest visibly piqued.
Rogue scents. That meant Crow. Orchiddrop kept an impassive face at the mention, but her chest tightened at the mention of more stringent security. It was only a matter of time until they were caught- she only hoped it would be a discreet affair instead of her shame being broadcast to the clan.
His praise ruffled her slightly, as self-conscious as she was. "Oh, thank you," she said, scraping dirt over the fresh-kill to keep it covered until she could return for it. "I just... you know, do the, ah, thing. I had a really good mentor." Orchiddrop tried to salvage her sentence, frustrated at her lack of composure. It might have come off as humility to others, but it was just a reflection of not being used to speaking to Goldenshadow. He seemed to have a high opinion of her, and seeing as he was a respected clan member, it was difficult to measure up to the image he seemed to see her as. "Would you like to eat now? That should be enough prey for a good hunting session."
He didn't know what 'the thing' was, evidenced in his blank expression and the confused blink of his eyes, but Goldenshadow glossed over that without comment. "Now is fine. We can collect some of our kills and head to the meadows." He wasted no time in doing so, gliding through the territory back the way they'd come and guiding Orchiddrop towards the spot he'd mentally selected for their meal. The wildflower meadows weren't as vibrant as in the prime of new-leaf, most of their colors wan and fading, but there was a new beauty in the way the field was studded by particularly stubborn flowers, resisting the kiss of death puckered on winter's lips.
Goldenshadow moved to the center of the field where the tall grass yielded and settled down facing her. For the most part their meal didn't dive deeper than the topics unacquaintanced clanmates would ask, but when the prey was half-eaten and a chill snaked through the meadow, he found himself unable to hold his tongue. "Some say scars tell the story of one's past. So I have to ask: What does yours tell about you?" He'd been curious; not for selfless reasons, but because this would decide if Orchiddrop really was suitable to play the part he was auditioning her for. Was there some gallantry behind it or was it just as it looked: a blemish?
His skin was not unmarked, and to say his scars were medals of honor would be a lie. If the breeze lifted his pelt in just the right places, one might catch a glimpse of the jagged cuts ridding his body, in particular the deeper ones across his shoulders and chest. Claw marks left by his brother on the day that Goldenshadow held him down and slit his throat.
Crow would have laughed good-naturedly at her verbal blunder, Orchiddrop thought wistfully. Though maybe it was preferable to make no mistakes rather than make ones you could laugh at. At least the meadow was still uniquely beautiful in the frigid air, and the prey was warm and not yet skinny like the leafbare pickings.
The question came up, as it invariably did with people she befriended. That, or asking where she came from- they both led to the same story. Where the details had come pouring out for Crow, who understood her pain, she was more laconic with Goldenshadow. "This one does tell a story, though it is not a happy one," she said, looking over at her companion.
"I lost my parents when I was around seven moons old, and was nearly killed myself. I got this scar defending my sister, Rosethorn, from the rogues that decided it would be a fun game to annihilate a family. We fled afterwards, and Summerclan took us in while my wound healed." To most who knew her story, the scar reflected her selflessness, but to her it only reminded her of the loss of her parents and her inability to save them. It was not a terrible scar to have- thin, silvery lines against white fur- but it still marred her appearance in her own eyes.
"I am very sorry to hear about your parents. I have also suffered grave losses in my family. My father and brother were killed within a moon of one another, and my mother died of a broken heart soon after." There were...trivial details he excluded, well aware that the ritual in his bloodline would not be acceptable by SummerClan's standards. Ever the compelling actor, Goldenshadow glanced away from her and stared grimly into the distance, seeming to draw back into his grief.
Clearing his throat, he turned back to the white warrior whose scar was suddenly his favorite part of her. "Ratstar is lucky to have a warrior so devoted to protecting her family. Isn't SummerClan just a large family? I've always thought so," he mused thoughtfully.
"Thank you," Orchiddrop said, with a faint, sad smile. "I'm sorry for your losses as well. It's touching how much you've persevered for the sake of your children after the loss of your family." The long-furred warrior truly believed that, being as ignorant of his plans for his sons as everyone else.
"Summerclan has certainly become my family. It took a while, but I feel that I belong in Summerclan now," she agreed, rolling back her shoulders. "I'm glad I have a place to call home again, where I can settle down."
Something sparked under his mask but Goldenshadow reigned in his self control and bit down on whatever leading question manifested on his tongue. Instead, he redirected the conversation to casual topics once more, though always attentive to the insinuations rather than the details. Their evening continued this way, with his probing and Orchiddrop's replying, until the sun began to sink and she finally excused herself of the company of the too-tall golden tom with eyes resembling the shade-dappled forest rather than the wildfire that would consume it, a controlled simper upon tight lips as he carefully veiled his ire, watching her depart.
Future days went similarly, with Goldenshadow often intercepting Orchiddrop whenever she approached the camp exit and inviting himself on patrols with her. He had quickly learned she preferred to go near dusk, when the sun scarcely hovered over the horizon, and had adjusted his routine accordingly. Most of their time together was filled by his doctored questions and her polite answers, until his patience began to wear thin and the few threads of control he had snapped in two.
"Orchiddrop," he purred, a honeyed but empty sound, "It has been one of my greatest pleasures to spend this time with you. You said something recently that resonated with me. I have been a member of SummerClan for a pawful of moons now and have, truthfully, struggled to feel at home here, despite my kits seeming to have assimilated themselves. I have not felt at ease and like myself-- my truest self-- until now. At the risk of seeming sudden, there's something I've been hoping to ask you." Bashful was not a color that complemented Goldenshadow, stark against his cunning and barbed charm. He shuffled his paws and looked away from her for several moments, gazing across the freshly fallen snow dappling camp.
Finally, he looked not at her eyes but fixated his gaze onto her scar, the mark that had sealed her fate into his plans. "I would love to ask if you would consider settling down...with me?" She had rebuffed his comments and advances before, moving away when he would step close or misinterpreting a veiled remark, but this time he chose to be direct. He waited, impatiently, for her reply, something dark lurking in his expression.
(i'm going to say this is shortly after Ratstar catches Orchid and Rat now heh so she's ~pregnant~ but unaware)
Orchiddrop couldn't say she was surprised, as she'd seen the signs, but she'd hoped it wouldn't come to this. She was already confused about what to do with her feelings for Crow, in the aftermath of being caught by Ratstar and the events afterwards that made her cheeks warm. She didn't want to be an exception to the rules, didn't want to be known as the she-cat who had a mate outside of the clan. She had been avoiding the border since that night, trying to process what had happened and what to do about it.
And now this... friend?... of hers was professing feelings. Orchiddrop was not great at seeing deception, and she was in the midst of emotional turmoil, so she could not see the insincerity behind his words. The white-furred warrior took a long moment to think, cursing her own retinence, before responding. "Goldenshadow, I'm flattered." This wasn't a lie, but it was more of an overwhelmed, awkward flattery than a heart-warming one. "That's a big decision, stepping into something of a stepmother role and taking on a new family. Could you... could you give me a few days to think it over? I don't want to be hasty in my decision." She hoped this would not break his heart, and she delivered the question in a delicate tone.
