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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11.06.2022 The site has been transformed into an archive. Thank you for all the memories here!
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Just one more ridge. Just one more separating him and home, and he felt like his paws were soaring, flying him ever closer to home. The trips to SwiftClan were long and grueling, leaving him worn and exhausted when he arrived, but the trips back were invigorating. He ran farther, faster, strengthened by the knowledge that both friends and family alike would be waiting to welcome him back.
Crow crested that last hilltop just as the sun hit the horizon, smoldering against the sharp ebony line of it. It was darker and deeper, as of bearing some sinister knowledge the deputy was not privy to, but his eyes were forward, taking in the sight of the border below and his home beyond it. There truly was nothing quite like SummerClan anywhere else on earth, and for the first time since he left his kin behind in their own camp, his steps were slow and languid, taking in his surroundings with an appreciative glimmer in his sunbright eyes, brightening at the sight of a familiar face crossing by the border just then. "Rosethorn! I'm home!" He called out, jovial and lighthearted, too far away to glimpse the haunted expression on her face or the other cat walking in her shadow.
Rosethorn had been focused on the ground in front of her, walking slowly along while trying to ignore the cat she knew lurked behind her. It wasn't until a familiar voice from across the border that she stopped, lifting a wide-eyed gaze to the black tom that was approaching. "Crow- turn back!" She called, waving her tail frantically.
Starclan, why was it always her and Crow at the border while a pregnant Orchiddrop was locked in camp? Was the universe playing some cruel trick on her? She stepped forward, cracking a stick under her foot by accident. "Go, Crow! You have to leave." It wasn't that she didn't want him back. Her brother-in-law was a welcome sight, but she knew what lie in store for him if he crossed that border.
Wow, Rosethorn was sure happy to see him! Too far away to heed her warning, Crow quickened his pace to a bound to close the distance between them. It was reassuring to him that she was all the way out here, as it meant Orchiddrop wasn't in labor and he wasn't missing it again, and he was just always pleased to see his sister-in-law now that they'd reconciled. He didn't register the urgency in her hiss until he was already too close to her, to danger, to shattering the fragile reality of peace this evening offered him. "Rose.... what's wrong? What's going on?"
"Crow, go-" she hissed, aware she was too late. She could sense Aspenstar in the trees to their left. "Nightclan-" Before she could say any more, she was cut off by their guest.
"Why, look who we have here!" came the voice of the intruder who had been following Rosethorn. She had had a meeting earlier in the evening, and when she saw Rosethorn slip out by herself, she'd taken it upon herself to try to figure out what the feline was doing. She had made it perfectly clear that anyone related to Crow in any way shouldn't be let out of camp alone, so she didn't consider her stalking to be well, stalking.
"I just knew there was a reason that I came to SummerClan today. I was wondering when you'd show up. However, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I think it would be best if you listen to Rosethorn. For once, she knows what she's talking about, and it's best if you leave now. Much less complicated, I think, for me to tell you you're unwelcome instead of you wandering much further and coming across Stormstar or any of the other new additions to the colony. They're under orders to... do away with you in whatever way they deem fit. But, since I came across you first, and since we're friends, I'll let you turn around now without injury."
"NightClan?" The fur along his spine rose, a chill sweeping through the tom, but before Rose had a chance to say more, the devil solidified herself in pale fur and divided eyes. instead of you wandering much further and coming across Stormstar. "Stormstar? What's this about, Aspenstar? Who's Stormstar and why are you here?"
He searched her gaze for signs of something but found nothing, not a glimmer of humanity within it. It looked so... so different than the last time he and Aspenstar had come face to face like this, when he was freshly welcomed into SummerClan and went storming into NightClan's camp. Back then, she'd at least resembled something mortal, but now... Crow wasn't sure what she was but he knew that her presence here didn't bode well. His tail lashed and he stood marginally straighter.
She looked offended at his question; the one eye'd leaders eyes narrowed into slits. "Why, Stormstar is the new SummerClan leader! He and I are old friends, so I came in to pay him a visit, to see how things were going. You see, Ratstar got himself in... quite the accident while you were gone, and because of the crisis that left SummerClan in, Stormstar stepped in to provide his assistance." That wasn't... exactly how things had happened, or even really that close to how things had happened, but what Crow didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
"He was a bit afraid of your return, so he made it clear that you wouldn't be allowed to come back. After all, what kind of deputy abandons their clan in its time of need to visit family? No, Stormstar just wouldn't allow that, not when he has had to so graciously pick up the slack."
His fears confirmed, a tight hand squeezed his heart and Crow released a gasp, trying to breathe. It wasn't possible; there was no way this would have been allowed. SummerClan wasn't the same fearsome clan as others but they surely weren't pushovers like Aspenstar seemed to be insinuating... right? "Aspenstar, you can't be serious. This... you can't do this; if something happened to Ratstar, someone should have come to get me or someone from SummerClan should have been chosen in the interim." The fact that a rival leader knew all these ongoings while he'd been oblivious until the aftermath infuriated and confused him. Why hadn't someone sent for him?
And even if he didn't want to lean into the insecurity Aspenstar was indirectly feeding, he couldn't help but wonder if his clan really did see him as a deserter in their time of need.
"I'm not going anywhere," he growled, "I'm SummerClan's true deputy. I'm the rightful leader. This is my clan and my family is in there, my mate and kits. You'll have to kill me if you think I'm just going to turn away and let you get away with this." He was at an extreme disadvantage he knew, wearied after days of travel and hindered by a permanent disfigurement, but Devotedcrow wasn't going to just roll over and surrender. He couldn't fail his clan twice.
"Do what?" she asked innocently, tipping her head to the side. "You think I did this?" Her lips twisted into a grin. "Wow, Crow, you must think a whole lot of me, hmmm? That I could march right into your camp, take over your clan, and put in a replacement, and still make it in time to see your great return to the clan?" She let out a cold laugh. "I'm honored, love. I really am."
Aspenstar shrugged her shoulders. "Well, since you're not named Devotedstar, or Crowstar, or whatever you'd be named by now, I happen to doubt that you're the rightful leader. Wouldn't... StarClan have prevented this if they really wanted you to lead? They let a lot of things go wrong for this to ever be even remotely possible, so they must have some doubts about you, no?"
She then blinked as he continued, all of the amusement disappearing from her gaze. "Well, I guess that leaves me no choice, hmm? You seem to know the inevitable outcome of the little war you want to declare, so we might as well make it quick, no?"
With that, the leader lunged, her claws intercepting with Devotedcrow's flesh.
Wouldn't... StarClan have prevented this if they really wanted you to lead?
He had just enough time to lift his burning eyes to the sky, not for the first time wishing the fire in his soul could scorch through the heavens and burn them all to the ground, if there was anything beyond that bleak, black curtain. He opened his mouth to say just that - denounce the notion of StarClan in their and Aspenstar's audience - when she lunged, the sleek ebony of Devotedcrow marred by his own crimson blood.
He hissed sharply, the pain hot but his resolve hotter, and yanked himself free of her claws, feeling the searing rip of his skin. Immediately, he rushed forward and dive beneath her, twisting so the soft, vulnerable expanse of her underbelly was subjected to the pummel of his hind paws.
