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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Howlingheart looked... rough, to put it nicely. It had been two weeks since Phantomfox had nearly killed him; only a divine intervention (a desperate ploy to hope his brother thought he was dead) had saved his life. Then, of course, the tom had to go into hiding. If Phantomfox would have seen him again, he figured he would have been as good as dead. Which meant that he had stayed gone as long as NightClan had been in residence, and then a day later than that. He had run into Foxpaw on his way out of the territory, another divine intervention, so he'd sent the young tom to tell Rosethorn and Sunpaw that he'd come back, as soon as things had cleared up and the danger was gone. He resented the idea he'd probably never be able to go to a gathering again, but not as much as he resented the fact that he had to hobble into the camp. He let out a groan as he collapsed to the earth; finally, Howlingheart was home.
“Oh, Howlingheart!” Cinderflower exclaimed, from where she was sitting by the nearly empty flowerbed. She ran over, examining him quickly for fresh injuries. “Are you okay? I’ll get aunt Rose for you…” She paused poignantly, remembering the physical condition of Rosethorn that had just started to show.
After she disappeared, it took Rosethorn only a moment to materialize. Howlingheart hadn’t been gone that long, but there had still been plenty that he’d missed- her promotion, her announcement of the kits in her belly that were now quite apparent. “Glad to see you made it back in one piece,” she said, mostly in an attempt to be casual, but the shakiness in her breath betrayed her overwhelming relief.
Howlingheart was relieved to see that it was Cinderflower that found him. It gave him just a moment longer to get himself together before he saw her. “I’m okay,” he assured her, before offering her a thanks as she took off. Watching her leave, the tom shook himself once, before pulling himself into a more presentable seated position. She would worry too much if he still looked half-dead, and he couldn’t have that. He was sure she already had too much on her mind. Even without knowing exactly what had gone on while he was gone, the tom knew that he was sure Rosethorn had had a rough few days.
When she padded up to him, the relief in his eyes was tangible. The last time he had seen her, he’d watched Phantomfox almost kill her. He had jumped in the line of fire to protect her, but that hasn’t necessarily meant that she had been okay. Seeing her for the first time made him realize she was. His strategy had worked. She had lived.
His relief was complicated, though, as as soon as he settled his silver eyes on her, he noticed her frame. She was pregnant? He wanted to ask so many questions, but this wasn’t the time. If he knew the father, after all, there was a part of him that knew that he would be jealous. In the moment that he went after Phantomfox, he had realized that there was at least a part of him that was deeply in love with Rosethorn. Of course, he wanted her to be happy, even if the feelings were not the same. Still, it would be hard for him to watch her raise a family with someone else. Because of that, the tom said nothing, blocked the confusion from welling in his eyes. That would be something he would deal with later. For now, he just wanted to enjoy her presence.
“It was a close one, that was for sure,” he meowed, his voice scratchy after not using it in weeks. “I wish I could have come back sooner. It was … horrible, wondering how things turned out. I knew that if anyone could get through it, though, it was you.” He smiled softly at her, reaching over to touch his tail with her shoulder. “It’s good to be home.”
"Well if I didn't get through something, I'd be letting everyone down. I'm known as the tragedy survivor in these parts, and drowning is definitely a new one to add to the list." Rosethorn laughed tremulously, her shoulders relaxing as she took in the sight of Howlingheart. He was really here, and really okay- it had been horrific, to leave him floating in the water as she had, but she'd had no other choice. Phantomfox would've come for her next.
She paused to take a breath, pushing away the images of that night. They still gave her nightmares. Impulsively she moved forward, pressing the soft length of her fur into Howlingheart's side. Rosethorn knew how she felt about the tom, though the romantic side of their relationship had been quieter and more subdued- the knowledge of his family hadn't changed her feelings for him. "I'm so sorry," she said hoarsely, before clearing her throat. "Leaving you there was the hardest thing I've ever done. You don't know how much I wish I was stronger, so I could've done something to stop him..."
A sadness wafted through his eyes as she spoke, tinting their silvery glow. How he wished that this was not the case, that Rosethorn wasn't known for what she was known for. She deserved so much more, and the protective part of him wanted to make sure nothing ever happened to her again. "That's the spirit," he mewed in response, the corners of his lips trying to twitch into a smile despite the look in his eye.
When she pressed against him, Howlingheart felt his eyes widen. He'd imaged how their reunion would be in the time he was away. Part of him had expected her to want absolutely nothing to do with him; after all, it was his own kin who had caused her so much misfortune. He still hated the realization that Coyotewild had been Phantomfox, and hated himself for not realizing it. She had known his story, the night they first met. The only cat who knew the story was Coyotewild. Why had his brother's name change made him completely oblivious to the reality? Her embracing him, then, was a shock, but a welcome comfort. He let his tail wrap around her slightly, just as instinctive of a motion as her own.
"Hey, hey, shh," he meowed, his tone gentle. "You don't have anything to apologize for," he assured her, feeling a pang of guilt that she had been suffering through that by herself. Should he have come home sooner? To prove to her that he was okay? "Alls well that ends well, right? We both made it out, and that's the best ending I could have asked for."
"You're right," Rosethorn said quietly, pressing her cheek into his shoulder and breathing deeply. He was right- everything could've ended much, much worse than it had. She had almost died, he had almost died, her son had almost died, but all three of them were still here. "I'm just glad you're okay."
She pulled back reluctantly after a moment, summoning a small smile. "I'm not sure if Cinder told you the good news, but it seems the clan wanted me back as deputy. I've been re-instated."
He chuckled softly. "It seems I often am," he mused, letting his chin rest gently on her head. "I am, really," he then promised, pulling away slightly to flex his muscles to show that he was in peak physical shape. He... wasn't, but hopefully Rosethorn would have been gracious enough to ignore that and play into the fantasy for a moment. "I've never been healthier in my life."
When she smiled, he found himself smiling too, his eyes lighting at the good news. No, Cinder hadn't told him anything. She'd barely even asked if he was okay before she went to fetch her aunt, which unsurprisingly didn't leave much time for clan updates. When she continued, the small smile turned into a proud grin, a purr coming from deep within his furry chest. "Congratulations, Rose," he purred before letting out a celebratory whoop, the pride on his face echoed clearly in his eyes. "You were a perfect fit for the position then," he meowed, absently referencing a period of time prior to her return, "just as you are now. I'm glad someone had the sense to know the deputy needed to be you." There was a palpable relief to his words, too, hidden beneath the pride. SummerClan had recovery to do, and there was no cat in the forest he thought could facilitate that recovery better than Rosethorn. After all, she had facilitated his recovery. When they had met, he was still deep within himself, consumed by the past. She had drawn him out again, drawn out the cat that had once been Ravenpaw. Even though she probably didn't know it, her friendship and care had been more than cats had shown him for a while. That care had allowed him to recover. He was confident she'd be able to do the same for SummerClan as a whole.
"Truly a paragon of fitness," she said, patting his shoulder with her tail playfully. His praise made her smile wider, whiskers twitching. "It happened just a few days after you left." It had been one of the proudest moments of her life, realizing that her clan still loved her, still trusted her to lead them after everything she, and they, had been through. It did suck in the aftermath, realizing she was taking over from her still-gone brother-in-law, but she liked to think he'd understand.
"That's not all, either. Clearly," she said, with a nod down at her expanded middle. "I expect to be caring for Foxfable's siblings within the next moon. I'm not sure how I'm going to juggle all the new responsibility." Despite the cheerful expression on her face, there was a hint of real fear in her voice. It had been this way last time, with a deputy position and a coming litter; then everything had gone wrong and she'd lost nearly everything. She didn't mention how many times she'd been to Vulturemalice, asking him to check for heartbeats, begging him to tell her nothing was going wrong so far.
He let out a purr as she spoke, touching his tail to her shoulder. Things would be alright, after all, wouldn't they?
When she spoke of the kits, Howlingheart found himself tensing every so slightly. He knew that inevitably they would have had to have the conversation, but he felt... awkward. Of course, there was the possibility that they were his, but there was just as much of a possibility that they weren't. He would have been delighted at the former, but the latter would sting.
"Congratulations," he meowed, his voice genuine despite the internal anxiety that was rising in his body. He blinked twice, before centering himself. "You'll have plenty of help with the kits if you need it," he promised her. No matter whose they were, they would be provided for. His relationship to Sunpaw demonstrated that blood kinship didn't mean everything to him. No matter who the father was, these kits were Rose's, and he loved Rose, so he'd love those kits in whatever role he would play. "Sunny, Foxfable, Orchiddrop, hell, I'm sure even I can move things around in my super busy exhilerating schedule to pitch in," he meowed with a chuckle and a wink. "All jokes aside, though, you have plenty of support. None of us would let you struggle."
He noticed the fear, and a wave of sorrow passed in his gaze. Her last pregnancy was, from what he could remember, not particularly pleasant. Even the singleton who survived had problems, even to this day. "Are you getting everything you need?" he asked, concern in his voice.
"I would hope you have time in your schedule for your own children," Rosethorn said, whiskers twitching with both amusement and nerves as she spoke. There was still that part of her that was nervous, that remembered how the father of her last litter had treated her in the post-partum months. Not to mention that that tom was Howlingheart's brother- but Howlingheart wasn't Phantomfox. He'd never had that rough edge, and she highly doubted that he could ever treat her as horribly.
She watched him closely, gauging his reaction to the news. Rose knew she would have help this time around- no way in hell would she be separated from her support system again- that her sister, her son, her nieces, and other friends and acquaintances would be glad to pitch in. But she didn't know how Howlingheart would feel, as the litter was unexpected and rather poorly timed, all things considered.
His eyes widened into saucers, the silver swirling like molten lava. Your own children. The words repeated several times in his head, shock registering in his gaze. This was ... unexpected. In the moments just prior to her saying that, he had decided that no matter what, he would take care of the kittens. He didn't know who he had expected to father them, but it was a surprise enough that for the first moments after she spoke, the tom was shocked into silence. He was going to be a dad? Before long, a grin passed his lips. He was going to be a dad. The kits were his. After all of the horrible things that had happened in the last few months, was something good actually happening for once? The tom reached over and pressed his nose into her shoulder affectionately.
"I'm sorry that I wasn't here when you found out. I promise I won't miss anything big again," he murmured, before pulling away from her slightly. "How many are you..." he started, before quickly correcting himself, "are we expecting?" There was a soft giddiness in his voice, an excitement. He was going to build a family with Rosethorn, and he couldn't help but imagine the life the duo would soon have.
