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!
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.
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Post by achromatic on Feb 12, 2022 20:03:45 GMT -5
Sunpaw knew it was almost time that she took over the medicine cat post. They had been preparing her for this for moons, and yet she still felt so unprepared, still so out of her depth. It was fortunate that the winter was without any outbreaks; there was only a few coughs here and there, and no injuries, thank StarClan. She wasn't so sure it'd last forever, but it was easier to train when there weren't a lot of incidents.
The light frost that covered SummerClan's territory seemed to turn the world into a picture of glass, the delicate snowdrops were the only flowers still blooming, the world covered in faded greens and browns, dusted with white. There was no reason to collect these flowers–they weren't useful for medicine–but here she was, still brushing the snow off of them to keep them looking nice.
Maybe Cypresspaw wasn't best suited for Summerclan, considering how much he skipped out on what little duties he did. Often, he found himself more interested in the curiosities of their territory than socializing with the clan, and he was mostly known as the hermit who had simply shown up one day, not elaborating on anything, and he could always be found in strange parts of the territory at even stranger times. One would think that, with his background of isolation and deprivation, he would jump at the opportunity to do something other than lay around. Cypresspaw would argue he was doing something, it simply wasn't what he was supposed to do (though he struggled arguing at all, so maybe he would just politely state it instead).
He skipped around in the snow, watching with interest as the flurries and flakes whirled around, and eventually it turned into a cycle. Walk. Jump. Watch. Walk. Jump. Watch. Until he was so engrossed in his task that he didn't exactly realize where he was. He only looked up when, instead of landing on a simple mound of snow, his paw crushes a flower instead. He pulled it back suddenly, like it burned. Looking up, his eyes met the very own of Sunpaw, midway through brushing off a similar flower, her paws much gentler than his own. He went to say something, mouth hanging open for a moment, before he shrunk back, lifting his paw and ignoring the petals that fell off of it.
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Post by achromatic on Feb 15, 2022 18:35:37 GMT -5
Sunpaw was still busy, brushing the snow off of the petals as the faint flakes turned into slight flurries. She always did love the snow, the way it just felt so cold on her skin, how the world felt so hushed and silent for a few moments, as if she was sitting in a cushion of clouds...the world was only white, the sound only the fluttering of rhythmic winds, blowing past for a few seconds, before stopping, a tap, tap, tap noise of branches sounding the faint beat of winter's tune...
Then there were steps. Faint, but in the softer silence of this frosty cold, she could hear them. A small smile appeared on her face; she wouldn't mind the company sometimes, especially in a moment like this. "What brings out out he–"
She turned and...oh. Wasn't that the flower she had just brushed snow off of? She blinked, staring at the petals falling from his paws, before looking up to him again. Cricket noise, if any noise could've been heard.
Sunpaw didn't recognize this cat at all, and had it been some of the rare herbs out here, perhaps she would've been a little mad, but they were snowdrops. "Oh," she spoke quietly, staring at the smooshed plant. A sad little smile seemed to appear on her face for a moment, before she turned to him, not really sure what to say about all of that. He looked like a kit caught trying to sneak out of camp. She stared for a couple more moments, before giggling, and then suddenly it was just peels of laughter leaving her mouth.
"I'm sorry, I know I should be angry at you," she managed to get out, "but your face looks like you just killed somebody."
It was the most awkward, blaring silence he had ever encountered. I'm sorry, I know I should be angry at you, but your face looks like you just killed somebody. Like a rising thermometer, from his neck to the tips of his ears, he burned scarlet, lips thinning and eyes widening, and for a moment his words came out a stumbled mess, “I swear I didn’t!” He went to step back, only to trip over his own paws and land ungracefully on his behind.
“I mean —“ he cleared his throat, acting natural, “I kind of killed your flower. Sorry about that, it will never happen again,” he droned like it was a rehearsed apology, like he spent his free time crushing the lives out of snowdrops, “anyway!” He stood up, shook the excess snow off his pelt, though flakes still stuck to the delicate silver and he could already feel the dampness seeping through. He shivered.
Stepping back, he leaned his head forward slightly to take a look at the masscre, “I can’t fix it — but I can help with something else to make up for it?” He offered, eyes wandering to stare back up at the she-cat. Something was almost familiar, like a wiggling worm in the back of his head, like a name on the tip of his tongue, “it’s Cypresspaw, by the way,” he smiled, a reserved, stiff thing but genuine nonetheless.
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Post by achromatic on Feb 19, 2022 10:56:37 GMT -5
She gave a small giggle at that, before giving him a sheepish smile, glancing at the crushed flower again. "It's okay," she replied, nosing the flower a little bit. It seemed like it still had a bit of life in it, even if the petals were all gone. Now that the laughter had faded, Sunpaw couldn't help but feel like she was an awkward company to be in, but then again, Sunpaw had never stood for that.
The medicine cat apprentice looked pensive, as if deep in thought over Cypresspaw's suggestion. "Well, I'm technically still a medicine cat apprentice but I could start practicing being a teacher anytime now," she hummed, before giving him a playful grin, "if you want, you can be my practice apprentice, for when I do become a medicine cat." She gave him a playful grin. "Oh, I'm Sunpaw by the way, I don't think we've met before."
She trotted forward, beckoning him to join. "Can you swim?" she asked.
Oh, I'm Sunpaw by the way, I don't think we've met before. It looked like two gears had connected in his head for a moment, before he sudden had an enlightened look, "oooohhh — Foxfable told me about you! He fixed my paw," he held out his forepaw for display, but there was nothing visually wrong with it, and the only thing that spoke of the previous sprain was an occasional dull ache.
He put his paw down, moving to join Sunpaw on her walk, not quite meeting her gaze. "Swim?" He repeated, "uh. I've never tried it, no. But it's probably not that difficult. . ." he didn't sound convinced at all, in fact he sounded more wary. He didn't know being a practice apprentice entailed quizzes, but perhaps in a land surrounded by the sea, he should have expected swimming.
As they walked, Cypresspaw had his eyes focused on the ground in front of him, taking extra care to avoid the flowers that Sunpaw had so lovingly brushed off.
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Post by achromatic on Feb 19, 2022 18:42:05 GMT -5
Foxfable? She felt her cheeks flush slightly at Cypresspaw's words. Oh, he was talking about her? Of course, Foxfable was her best friend, but it was just a little bit endearing and a teensy bit embarrassing, that Cypresspaw had heard of her through whatever he said. "Did he uh...say anything nice?" she replied, trying not to blush, her eyes now trailing the ground rather than fixing on the other apprentice.
A sigh left her mouth. It would've been nice if the other cat could go pick some seaweed or something for the medicine stores, but alas, she always had Crowflight to persuade if she needed anything from the dreaded sea. She hated swimming, couldn't do it to save her life, but hey, as long as she had a few volunteers, that didn't matter too much.
"Hmmm..." she continued to speak, making her brisk pace towards the forest, before turning to him with a bright-eyed gaze and a smile on her face, "have you been to the deeplands yet? How long have you been an apprentice for? I feel like I don't know the apprentices anymore, it's been a while since I've hung out with apprentices..."
He nodded, "yeah — I mean, he said something like 'I don't think she'll mind us being in the medicine cat's den, I can convince her to not care,' or something like that, but he was joking … I think," he didn't miss the way she heated up and looked away, and it spoke of some longer history that he wasn't privy too, "he called you Sunny," he continued, and maybe there was a slight tease in his voice (he would deny it, of course, he didn't tease). They seemed to hold each other in such a fondness, it was obvious even by the little words they had shared of each other to him, nothing more than a few short, clipped sentences, and yet it was so obvious.
At the sigh, he faltered, deciding then and there that he'd teach himself how to swim just so he could do whatever it was she had waned him to do. Quickly, he bounced back, listening with interest as she suggested something else. "Yes!" He exclaimed, almost too loud, "I mean, yes, I have. I like fields better, though, they're warmer." How long have you been an apprentice for? He laughed quietly at her inquiries, because maybe he was simply the worst cat to ask about the lives of the other apprentices — he hardly spoke to them, after all, and he much preferred being on his own.
"I think, uh, a couple moons? Maybe? Whenever I … got here." He simply shrugged, but carried on, "what are we doing then? I mean, if you need me swimming that bad I think I could figure it out on the spot. Isn't it kind of like walking but underwater?"
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Post by achromatic on Feb 21, 2022 19:49:43 GMT -5
She couldn't hide her blush she knew, but still, she pretended to be oh so nonchalant about all of this. "Oh yeah," she shrugged, trying to hide the small smile on her face, "yeah, a lot of my friends call me Sunny...you can too if you want." She knew this tom was teasing her about him, but still. They were just friends, she told herself. Foxfable was her best friend after all, nothing more and nothing less. "I hope you guys didn't mess up my herb stores though," she gave them a look, her brows raised, "please tell me he behaved himself, or I'm going to have to get him to swim out and fetch more seaweed for me."
Sunpaw nodded at that, the soft smile still on her face. "Yeah, I'm more of a meadows cat too," she agreed, "especially in the spring, you know when the flowers all bloom, and the fields are all white and purple and pink...it's so pretty." She had that dreamy look on her face again. "I can't wait until it's warm again, you know? It's so nice to just sunbathe in the spring...you know when you just soak up the sun enough so your pelt stays warm even when you're in the shade, and you just have the best nap ever? It's my favourite part about SummerClan."
She had heard other territories weren't nearly as warm and lovely as theirs, after all.
Still, Cypresspaw's eagerness was endearing. She chuckled, looking a little apologetic. "I don't think I'd be able to teach you how to," she admitted with a sheepish smile, "I uh...actually can't really swim. I know, SummerClan cats learn from the start but...guess I was never really good at it, you know? That's why I get other cats to do it for me."
Nickname privileges? He almost gasped. "Yes, Sunny," he paused, taking in how it sounded, as if testing, "best behaviour. Again, he was just helping my paw, and he said he knew what he was doing. No need for … seaweed hunting."
He didn't pad ahead, only staying in step beside her, looking around him as if their surroundings were the most peaceful place on earth (they were, weren't they? Not boring, no impending death), nodding along to whatever she was saying even if he was only half-listening. At the barn, most of what he did was lay down and nap, especially after his parents banned him from stepping foot outside in fear he would be picked up by a hawk or a fox, and he always enjoyed the spot on the floor that glimmered with light from the unreachable window at the top, because there was no shade from the open doors like there was at the entrance and he could just lay in the hay. Now, he wasn't sure if he missed the smell of hay and that sunny spot or he was repulsed by it.
I uh...actually can't really swim. He felt instantly relieved no longer being the only Summerclan cat (could he call himself that yet?) who couldn't swim. "Maybe we can teach each other. Or learn together. Do they offer lessons here — wait, of course they do." The land sloped faintly around them, and the trees began to grow thicker, closer together, the ground mustier due to proximity to the river, marking the beginning of the deep lands. He admired a particularly well-spun spiderweb.
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Post by achromatic on Feb 22, 2022 20:24:41 GMT -5
She smiled at that. Sunny didn't sound as nice when it wasn't coming from Foxfable–which was not Cypresspaw's fault at all–but she still liked it. It made them sound like old friends, and Sunpaw had committed to making as many friends as possible. Perhaps someone might look at her and psychoanalyse that as something related to her people-pleasing tendency and her desire for acceptance in the clan, but hey, she liked meeting others. They were always interesting around SummerClan.
"I mean, seaweed hunting isn't really that bad," she giggled, her voice hushed as if it was a secret, "but I mean, some cats really hate it because it's kind of...slimy I guess? Well not all of the seaweed, just a few of them, but luckily we don't need any of those this time around. Actually our seaweed storage isn't running low; Crowflight sort of helped me out with that a couple days ago..."
She really was a rambler at times. At the tom's suggestion, she felt her face flush an even deeper red. "It's not that I don't know and I want to learn," she replied, almost a mumble, before turning to Cypresspaw with a conviction in her eyes. "Don't you think it's kind of creepy? To like...float in the water when you don't know what's underneath all of that? Like, what if there's something there that wants to eat you, and you know when you're swimming and something touches your leg and it's just..."
A visible shudder ran down her spine. "No thank you," she had a grimace on her face, "ugh, don't tell anyone else I told you that. I just...get other cats to help me if I ever need to gather anything from the seaside, you know? They're usually pretty okay with it and I just pretend I'm really busy. It's a trade secret though, so shh!"
"That's nice, then!" At least his inability to help wasn't detrimental, and Sunpaw had other cats to help instead. He was, inexplicably, almost worried his inability to help would be absolutely detrimental, but perhaps it was a simple exaggeration of the mind.
He almost regretted asking the question about lessons at all as her flash flushed, but it immediately halted when she continued, "creepy? I'm not sure. I'm scared your ocean will be upset with me, actually. My ma said you have to respect it, like you respect the earth," he laughed awkwardly, "I guess I'm not doing too good of a job, I didn't even apologize. That was off topic — yes, it also seems scary, I prefer leaving the water things to the water, I'm a land thing."
"Your secret is safe with me," he looked up as the shadows crawled closer, grew darker, and though the leaves were gone, only just beginning to grow back, it still had a darker feel than the meadows or the beach did. Branches stretched across the sky like cracks. He gazed around, "so what are we doing … boss?" His head tilted, like he was genuinely trying to figure out if he should call her boss or not.
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Post by achromatic on Feb 24, 2022 19:02:26 GMT -5
She was intrigued. Thanking the ocean huh? She stifled a giggle at Cypresspaw's little joke. "Well you can always turn into a garden keeper if you really want to thank the earth so much," she teased, but the talk about other religions and cultures always fascinated Sunpaw. There were plenty others in SummerClan that didn't quite believe in anything, and she had been taught to follow StarClan, but she didn't think anything outside out of StarClan was false either. Frankly, all of them felt like they could be true.
"If you don't respect it, what happens?" she asked, eyes bright and curious, "you know, I hear some cats say that there are monsters out there, or...which clan was it that believes in a sun god? SunClan, right? Isn't that weird? They think that big ball up there's named after a cat! If that's true, that means I'm named after some weird god up there who I've never met! You'd think it'd be blasphemous if the sun really was a god and I was named after it, you know?"
She didn't seem to notice how off topic they were; Sunpaw had always been a bit of a rambler too. She was only pulled back to what they were doing when Cypresspaw called her boss. Boss? She...kind of liked it. She gave the apprentice toothy smile as they continued deeper into the forest. "Okay, we're heading to the deeplands...only thing you need to make sure of is if you see a witch, make sure you don't get caught!"
Her voice was hushed as they continued forward. "She grows mint and parsley inside her hut, so we need to sneak in and out without her seeing it. Oh! She also grows catnip and you can have some but don't make me drag you back home! Know your limits!" Her voice was both bright and stern as she continued to trot into the dark swamp merrily.
He nodded along, storing the instructions in a little pocket in his mind. He wasn't aware that Summerclan had witches, but he supposed it would be a rather cool sight — certainly she wasn't that bad if she took care of so many helpful plants. He scoured ahead as if on lookout, though he was really only excited to see the Witch's Hut. He tossed explanations over his shoulder, "well, I didn't live near an ocean — but my 'pa said he visited a lake once. But if you disrespect the water then it gets mad with floods and heavy rains — sucks for flatland," he only shrugged, "but I happens with the earth, too, so I don't think it's very unreasonable." Cypresspaw was indeed a believer in monsters, in magic, in whatever spirits the earth and the sea seemed to hold — how could he not be, when it was what he was raised on? But he didn't discredit the existence of a Sun God he'd never heard of, the same way he couldn't discredit Starclan in the same light. Truthfully, despite death hanging over his head like a loose thread, he had never considered there was something beyond life, something after.
You'd think it'd be blasphemous if the sun really was a god and I was named after it, you know? He snorted, "what if it's a compliment. Maybe it's flattered. I think I would be." He slowed down, crouched a little lower and attempted to step more carefully as the ground loosened with mud and dampness, giving it a clumsy, uneven feel. He nodded again, would have saluted if he had been able too, "I promise, and if I break it you can kill me! Or … not."
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Post by achromatic on Feb 26, 2022 19:43:02 GMT -5
Sunpaw listened carefully, also watching her steps now. Floods and heavy rains huh? That didn't sound pleasant at all; she barely liked the water as it was now, having it cover parts of the territory...now that sounded like a horrible, horrible time. "What does the earth do?" she asked, before gasping, "actually, I've heard a story once, that the earth itself can split open and you can fall in...isn't that scary? I've never seen it before, so maybe they're just exaggerating you know, but that's still kinda terrifying when you think about it. Maybe the ocean is alive...maybe the ground too..."
She giggled. "If it's true, I bet Sunstar would try to fight the sun god," she purred in amusement, "I'm pretty sure the first time we met she tried to fight me because we had the same name."
The ground was getting a bit sludgy now, and that was how Sunpaw knew she was going in the right direction. She lifted her muzzle to scent the air. "Do you smell that? The little bit of wood smoke? That's probably where her nest is." She continued forward, trying to avoid the obvious puddles of mud. "Watch your step!" she called out as Cypresspaw continued forward, "the bits without any grass might be deeper than they look!"
"Yeah — it starts to shake a lot, too. They're called earthquakes, I've never witnessed one, thankfully, but I bet they're terrifying." He hoped the earth wasn't too upset with his carelessness, it would surely be a way to get kicked out of Summerclan if he caused an earthquake with it. I'm pretty sure the first time we met she tried to fight me because we had the same name. He laughed. Truthfully, Sunstar intimidated him, perhaps for the way she regarded the world, or maybe it was just her energy — something confident, something powerful. He simply shriveled under it.
He attempted to shift the weight from his paws, like that would help him not sink in the mud. He sniffed the air, and the gentle smell of burning wood hit his nose. It was almost comforting, in a way. "I will, I will," he attempted to reassure, voice drawling, "what will she do if she catches us?" He was whispering now, regarding the growing hut with hesitation, curiosity, and a tinge of anxiety.
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Post by achromatic on Mar 1, 2022 19:02:01 GMT -5
Sunpaw shuddered at the thought. "Oh StarClan, I hope I never get stuck in one of those," she frowned, unaware that Cypresspaw truly believed that something they could do could affect it. She had partially thought of it as a legend or just something that happened; it was true Sunpaw believed in StarClan just a little bit...but she didn't really think them as powerful as gods who could affect the world she lived in right now.
At the query, she gave Cypresspaw a sheepish shrug. "To be honest, I'm not sure," she admitted, "but I remember a few of us tried to sneak in once to get some herbs, and we kinda got trapped for a bit...but we ended up finding a way out so nothing really happened, but the older apprentices used to say that she'll boil us in soup...though I can't tell if it's real or if they're just trying to scare us when we were fresh out of the nursery."
Still, she moved forward as if nothing's wrong. "I guess if she catches you...maybe she'll be like those other twolegs who have kittypets, you know? I see them do that thing where they purr and wrap around their legs and all...maybe that'll distract her?"
The cabin came into view, an old wooden thing, moss and vines crawling up the sides, stairs leading up to the door. It was old and worn, but there was a certain charm to it, in the way the wild seemed so abundant. Steam rolled from a chimney. He slowed his pace and crouched lower in the grass, peering through the stalks to get a good view. In a strange way, it was familiar, it reminded him of the barn, and he felt a brief tinge of anxiety. He nodded, "yes — I lived on a barn, and there were humans nearby and they were pretty friendly."
He laughed quietly, "I think I can definitely distract her if you need to sneak in — but I'm blaming you if I get turned into soup."
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Post by achromatic on Mar 6, 2022 17:15:59 GMT -5
Sunpaw's eyes brightened at the other cat's words. A barn? "Really?" she looked excited, as if pleasantly surprised someone else had the experience, "oh my gosh, me too! I was either living in a barn when I was a kit or I was born in one, I don't remember, but I remember we stayed at one once! It was really nice, actually...do you think we stayed in the same barn?"
Her grin was warm and wistful. "I think the last time I was there, I met my sister...her name is Charlotte, I think, but I'm not a hundred percent sure...she was really cool though. She told some good stories. What was your barn like?"
It took her a moment to remember to focus on their job ahead. Her eyes scored the scene, noticing the lack of light or smoke from the chimney, and the window that was usually open was shut. "I think the witch isn't home," she murmured, glancing left and right before creeping forward.
He let out an excited cackle, half-way a cheer. Sunpaw seemed almost like the staple Summerclan cat to Cypresspaw — kind, warm, nice, whatever other synonyms of it he could think of — and it was exciting that she, too, had lived like him. And as they spoke, he couldn't help but remember it, in a strange, bittersweet way. He liked the freedom the clan brought him, the new cats he was able to actually talk to, but sometimes he missed it.
He crept after her, keeping pace just behind as he stared up at the house, now talking louder with the reassurance that the witch wasn't there. "It was like ... old, and brown and wooden — I heard of red barns, did you stay in a red barn? I always imagined they looked nice. Oh, and it had a loft with a ladder and hay and that's where I liked to sleep. And there was a fence outside — and my brother was very good at getting up into the rafters. I don't know how." He talked all the way to the steps, finally taking a breath when they reached the base of it, Cypresspaw's legs almost hitting them. He stopped and turned, staring up, suddenly unsure. He nodded upwards.
