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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It had been three moons since he'd last seen Orchiddrop.
If Crow claimed that his hope never wavered, he'd be lying. If he said he spent every evening at that border, ebony fur dusted with little white flakes and his pads turning blue, and never once considered breaking his promise and leaving, it'd be untrue. The leaf-bare was harsh and brutal, especially when the daylight turned to dusk, but at the same time every day he wojld arrive to the border and lay there for two, maybe three hours at a time. Sometimes, he was accompanied by one of the Syndicate members. Other times, his mother would come and offer warmth or sharp reminder to be brave. But mostly, Crow sat there alone, frozen to the spot and quiet as winds gusted around him.
And yet no matter how many days passed without a sign from his love, he was always there.
Rosethorn, when he'd seen her, had assured him that Orchiddrop still loved him-- and had passed on the news of her pregnancy. He'd wanted to break his vow every night since then, to storm into SummerClan and dare Ratstar to separate him from his growing family. Fear did not hold him back anymore; Igziq's gift had eradicated it from his heart. But bravery did not override honor, and that's what kept Crow from marching right on into the SummerClan camp and standing nose-to-nose with the leader. Ratstar had spoken of love that last night, gave his blessing to the star-crossed pair, and extended an offer for the bright-eyed rogue to become a full-fledged warrior of SummerClan. He'd given Crow someone to respect. So he wouldn't cross the border, no matter how violently his nerves screamed, and would sit there each and every night until the moon reached its zenith, firebright eyes alert for the smallest wisp of white that would indicate Orchiddrop was, finally, coming to see him.
He nearly leaped out of his fur when the shadows coalesced into a scrappy tabby cat, and he scrambled to his paws and dipped his head. "Good evening, Ratstar," he greeted breathlessly. "It's been a while."
After taking Rosethorn's words to heart, the two of them had tried everything they could; every possible avenue within their power to dissuade the charade of love between Orchiddrop and Goldenshadow. But to no avail. Orchiddrop had shrunk into herself, the once confident warrior now as timid and skittish as a field mouse. There had been a bit of progress in getting through to Goldenshadow, but there was only so much the leader could do without revealing the truth to the blissfully ignorant warrior - that he was not the father of his mate's kits. Now, with the weather warming and Orchiddrop's due date drawing near, Ratstar was left with no other choice: he would have to tell Crow everything, and let the blindsided tom decide on how to proceed.
His eye widened slightly upon taking in the ebony tom's form, waiting dutifully at the very edge of the border; but not a single toe or hair crossing it. The rouge had been true to his word after all.
Oh, he really wasn't looking forward to this. But the kid deserved to know.
"Crow," he meowed with a small smile, genuinely happy to see the familiar scrappy face. The tabby knew from experience how unforgiving Leafbares in the twolegplace could be, but it looked like Crow had managed. "I'm glad t' see ya doin' well." He paused, a solemn shadow crossing over his face. Better to get this over with quickly, like pulling out a thorn. "I have 'ta talk t' ya 'bout Orchiddrop." Before Crow could say anything, his lifted his tail to silence the younger feline. "She's fine an' healthy, and 'er kits are due soon. But ya gal's got 'erself in a real fine mess. Rosethorn an' I have tried talkin' 'er out o' it, tried everythin' we could to get 'er t' just tell the truth, but she won't." Sighing in frustration, he shook his head. "It's my own fault, Crow, I didn't think it was my place t' tell the clan your secret. But I was wrong. I should 'a jus' nipped this in the bud the second she duped Goldenshadow. Take pity on that poor tom, I beg ya; he's been tricked through an' through...Orchiddrop's convinced 'im, an' the whole clan, that your kits are his."
His closed his single eye and turned away, unable to bring himself to face the look of heartbreak on Crow's face.
After moons of silent sentry, here was Ratstar before him as he'd anticipated all those many nights. The leader wasn't the one he really desired to see, but, in Orchiddrop's absence, he was enough. He was a reminder that that night had happened and wasn't a delusion brought on by malnutrition. His eyes tracked every movement Ratstar made up until they were standing a foot apart from each other, and then his dark chin tilted up to look into Ratstar's single eye. There was only the innocence of hope in Crow's gaze, transparent like glass and just as fragile.
The cracks splintered the surface slowly at first, then all at once the hope dwindled down until it was extinguished. Denial sprang up instead. "N-no, you're lying." His mother's warning rang in the back of his mind, her insistence that clan leaders were all of the same mold and that even Ratstar, who'd shown Crow a leadership starkly contrasted to the one he'd grown up under, was not exempt from that rule. Ratstar had given no impression of being underhanded nor conniving, and he most certainly did not seem callous.
But The Huntres was his mother, who'd never steered him wrong before. She walked with him through fire and held him when he cried. She gave him the strength to carry on and shone light in his darkest times. If she said that this cat-- this leader-- cared for nothing over his clan, and that his intentions weren't as pure as he claimed, then Crow would believe it. "You're lying," he said again, this time with more conviction.
Ratstar didn't respond at first. He had expected this kind of reaction from Crow - he would've reacted quite similarly himself, were he in the rouge's paws - but that didn't make the accusation hurt any less. He personally hated liars, through and through. But wasn't he himself guilty of lying by omission, by allowing Orchiddrop's story to be seen by the clan as truth? It was times like these he wished to speak to his warrior ancestors for advice, but he had a feeling that they would just say this was something he needed to face, to own up to, on his own.
When Crow repeated the words again, with far more conviction, the Summerclan leader lifted his head again, meeting the younger feline's gaze. Seeing the raw, unfiltered pain on the other tom's face, Ratstar flinched away slightly, his own regret and empathy on clear display. He took a breath, steeling himself better this time, and stared Crow down. "That's a bold claim, an' one I don' take lightly," he meowed evenly. "Ya look me in the eye first, an' then tell me if I'm lying. If it means anythin', I ain't tellin' ya this t' scare ya off; I'm 'ere t' invite ya t' join Summerclan early, before the borders properly open. Rosethorn an' I have tried everythin' t' make 'er admit the truth t' everyone, but she's either more stubborn than I thought or too scared to tell Goldenshadow now. Goldenshadow's a good an' fine warrior," he continued with a dismissive snort. "But he's too prideful for 'is own good, an' can be a right jerk at times. They don' love each other by any stretch o' the imagination, but fer some reason or another she won't leave. But if you join...she'll have no choice but t' face the hole she's dug fer 'erself."
He battled within himself for several moments, the earnest glint in Ratstar's gaze warring with Crow's trust in his mother. "I want to see for myself before I decide to believe you," he finally said. He was loathe to admit that something about the leader endeared him to think that maybe, just this once, Igziq was not all-knowing-- but he would reserve that judgment until he had irrefutable evidence. He needed to confirm it for himself. Beyond the fact that trusting Ratstar meant the foundation on which Crow built his belief was shaky, it also meant he had to accept that Orchiddrop had elected to stray from their nightly meetings to further pass off a charade that his children belonged to someone else. The thought caused bile to seep into his throat and his jaw clenched harshly.
