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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Orchiddrop had spent the afternoon by a small, isolated pond, gazing out over the water in quiet despair. So many emotions had ravaged her that day- disbelief, fear, worry, doubt, anger.
She was pregnant.
It wasn't that she didn't want or like kits- she enjoyed the small clan members immensely. But she had not expected motherhood now, not in these circumstances. Orchiddrop and Crow were both still young adults, still inexperienced in matters of parenthood. He was an outsider- no doubt the others in the clan would look down on her for that, particularly during the lockdown. And she had just begun to earn their respect.
The idea she had been wrestling with all day resurfaced. She could go to Goldenshadow, accept his proposal to be mates, and raise her kits as if they were his as well. It would be a terrible betrayal of Crow, but it would give their children a father who was a Summerclan cat, who already had experience with raising kittens. She was once again torn between love and duty, bravery and security.
And Orchiddrop had never considered herself brave. Now that her mind was made up, it would be best to get it over with as quickly as possible. Her walk back to camp was flooded with defeat, knowing that she was being a coward by abandoning Crow after the promises she'd made him. Still, perhaps this would give their children a good future... one where they would have the bravery she lacked.
"Goldenshadow," she called, when he came into view. She motioned for him to follow her out of camp, to a more secluded spot. Once they were there, she cleared her throat, forcing a smile to her features. "I've thought about your offer," she said, trying to sound natural. "I think it's a good idea. I'm ready to settle down with you and start a family here in Summerclan." It was hardly a love-sodden acceptance, but their relationship lacked love on either side.
His patience was thinning with every second that ticked away, his temper thundering to the surface each time Orchiddrop found an escape from his approaches. She had asked for a few days to mull over his suggestion, but he never anticipated it would take too terribly long, given his status and reputation. Any cat would have jumped at an opportunity to be with him, but not her. Wasn't that why he wanted her?
He was starting to reconsider, the option of backtracking and withdrawing his offer becoming more desirable the more time went by. If she rejected him, it would be a crack in his facade, something that would rip apart his plans and reveal the truth that his charming guise was no more than an outfit, a costume. They might see him for the hungry wolf, not the sheep. He simply could not have that. He was Goldenshadow, the legendary warrior. He was the father of three, the widower; he was a titan representing perseverance where others would fall, an emblem of strength where others were weak. He was the handsome fox of SummerClan. He was the one they all desired.
So why didn't she?
What exempted her from lusting for him? That was what he troubled himself with figuring out, running through every possible option that would give her pause, hypothesizing what reasons she would have for resisting his lure. Only one made sense and it was the most unconscionable of all: She was in love. That he could not have. He was not a consolation prize. He was not second pick. He was Goldenshadow. He was the gilded prize, the fool's gold. He was not the cat that got overlooked for someone else.
So when he followed her out into the territory, his prowl was predatory and his eyes were whirlpools, but when she turned to address him, he had straightened into his tall, languid poise and sunlight lanced off his emerald gaze. "I am pleased to hear it," he purred, no indication of the turbulent storm that was raging inside him. He was satisfied, for now-- but there would be certain precautions he now knew he had to take to ensure his sterling reputation was not in danger of tarnish. "We should celebrate, don't you think? We should find somewhere private and enjoy the first day of the rest of our lives."
Orchiddrop could deduce what he meant, and it was something she knew would have to happen sooner or later, if he were to ever believe they were his kits. "Of course," she responded, smiling again despite the queasy feeling in her stomach. She missed Crow, the warmth of his black fur when they sat leaning into each other, the way he smiled at her. They were equals, friends, lovers. Goldenshadow inherently felt like her superior, and there was no similar joy in his smile. At his indication, she followed him, resolute in her plan of action despite regretting leaving Crow behind in the process.
The next few weeks were strategic. Orchiddrop stayed away from the border, despite her throat burning at how confused Crow must be about her prolonged absence. She knew she would fold in her plan if she saw him. She spent time alone with Goldenshadow, growing their facade of a relationship, still always discussing surface level things- their days, how his kits were, their vague future plans.
The white-furred warrior was successful in hiding her morning sickness until she had been seen frequently with Goldenshadow and enough time had passed from her acceptance of him. By then, the clan thought of them as an item- though Ratstar frequently gave her strange looks- and she felt confident in pulling Goldenshadow aside one afternoon.
"I have great news, dear." The endearment felt heavy in her mouth, but she smiled through it. She had cried enough on her own to be able to mask it now. "I- We're going to have kits."
He was careful to keep her under his close scrutiny. He knew of her whereabouts whenever she so much as thought of leaving the warriors' den and would intercept any patrol that included his mate, under no circumstances willing to let her escape his watchful eye in case she find herself with whoever it was that truly had her heart. Goldenshadow was suspicious but had no definitive guesses as to which of their clan members had made her hesitate in accepting his proposal. Even her sister, Rosewhatever, could not find a spare moment where he wasn't aware of it.
They were the envy of the clan, and he was pleased to know they'd even caught their leader's notice (though he did not know the true reason for Ratstar's glances). He could not know of her love across the border or of Ratstar's blessing, but he'd have hunted down the vagabond gang leader and put an end to that if he had.
All he knew was that there was the possibility of someone else, which meant his mate did not go anywhere without his knowing. So him following her out, in similar fashion to the day she'd beckoned him into the territory, was not wholly unusual. "That's fantastic, love." It was a hollow word between them. They both knew it. "In light of this I suppose there will be changes that need to be made." By now there was a suggestion of menace invading his tone, and when Goldenshadow stepped towards his mate, the scar upon her face would look so inviting that his claws would slide from their sheaths, aching to add a physical reminder of what he meant but he narrowly restrained himself. "You will move to the nursery immediately. Under no circumstances will you leave camp without my permission throughout your pregnancy with my kits. In fact, from now on, you will never leave camp without my permission again. You are mine and you will act like it."
He wasn't acting anymore. Goldenshadow had the leverage he needed to manipulate her now; at any possibility of her disobedience, she put herself and his children at risk-- and he knew that whether she cared about her own safety, she was a walking reminder of the selflessness that drove her to stand between her sister and death.
Orchiddrop watched her mate with wide blue eyes, trying to process this new development. She had never been naive enough to think there was affection motivating their relationship, knowing that he had prized her reputation, but she had not thought his desire for her had been so utterly possessive. She could see the darkness simmering under his gaze now, and regretted her choice to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Had she been in her normal physical and mental state, she would have had no issues brushing him off, and fighting him if need be. But now... she glanced down at her feet, taking a deep breath. Now she was pregnant. And she was more pregnant than she'd let on, since her meeting with Graythorn had not been as recent as she'd alluded to. Thankfully her long fur hid her swelling stomach, but she was not as agile as she had once been. And if she fought him, her kits would be put at risk. And she would never do that. There was no way to tell someone else, or get to the border to confess to Crow, since he was always watching her now.
"Okay," she said softly, looking back up after a long moment with a defeated expression. He had the physical advantage, and the upper hand strategically. Perhaps this was just a divine judgment on her for abandoning her real mate, for leaving him alone to wonder why she was not coming back. Maybe she deserved this for her selfishness- all she had to do now was accept her punishment. "Okay," she repeated, glancing back to the ground. "I'm yours."
A smile graced him in that moment, but it lacked all the qualities that would have made it soft. It was more of a smirk, sharp and satisfactory. "Very good." He congratulated her much in the same way one might praise a pet for listening. He registered the shock on her face with glee, a feeling that grew more and more as the range of her emotions shifted between surprise, a split second of defiance, and then finally defeat. "Now, walk with me, won't you, love? You can tell me all about our kits and what Graythorn has said about your pregnancy." He swept his tail in a general direction, offering her to take the lead, as he didn't want any chance for her to break off and flee-- not that he thought she would be that stupid.
Orchiddrop rose and set off in the direction, her shoulders lower than usual as she walked. Now that the lie had been constructed, it was more important than ever to keep it up. If Goldenshadow found out the kits were not his, it would undoubtedly end poorly. So she spoke quietly as they walked, lapsing into an even quieter, obedient version of herself in order to protect her children. They were the light in this encroaching darkness.
"He says it's a larger litter," she lied, keeping her tone controlled. "So my stomach may grow more quickly than if it were a smaller one." That should buy her some leniency when she started showing sooner than normal. "But overall, I'm healthy and the kits should develop normally." She was not looking forward to moving into the nursery, especially since it would only isolate her further.
"A large litter of wonderful future warriors," hummed Goldenshadow, the pleasure apparent. His first litter was smaller-- only three-- and two of his kits were largely absent from anything to do with him or the clan for that matter, and Pikekit was a sorry excuse for a son to begin with, not to mention he did not expect his carbon copy would ever bolster enough confidence to slay Bramblekit in their upcoming match, which meant the golden kitten was a dead man walking as far as the warrior was concerned. But these kits that resided in the smaller white feline would be much better, he was certain of it. "Once they are old enough to leave the nursery, I will oversee their training and ensure they have a headstart on the other apprentices. They'll need to be as tough as possible to survive in this world," came his next, highly casual remark.
A life of watching her kits be raised by a tom who was not their father. Perhaps they could still have moments of happiness in the dismal future that loomed in front of her. She would have her children, Crow's children, even if Goldenshadow exerted total control over her. They could have successful futures... Orchiddrop sighed silently, nodding in response to Goldenshadow's comment.
They walked for the evening, and when they returned to camp, Orchiddrop broke the news to her sister, the two of them watched by the gilded 'father'.
"Pregnant?" Rosethorn repeated, her amber eyes darting between Orchiddrop and Goldenshadow. "With... with Goldenshadow's kits?" There was more on the pretty Garden Keeper's tongue, but some instinct told her to hold it back- she'd always been more intuitive than her solemn elder sister.
"Yes. Isn't it wonderful?" Orchiddrop smiled an insincere smile. "Maybe you could help me get settled in the nursery. I'm supposed to take it easy from now on."
Rosethorn stared at her for a long moment before nodding. "Sure." She followed her sister to the nursery, hoping they could get a moment of solitude so she could ask her what the hell was going on, without Goldenshadow overseeing them. But when she looked back, the handsome tom was right behind them.
"You must be excited, to be a father again," Rosethorn said casually, lifting her chin and giving the tom a long look as they entered the nursery. Orchiddrop had moved to an empty corner, and was rearranging the moss with her paws to form a properly sized nest.
Rosethorn was truly a thorn in his side. Up until this point, his control over Orchiddrop was unwavering and solid, but isolating her from her sister was sure to be a chore in itself, the tom ever aware that her body language and tight tone suggested she was not convinced by their relationship. Any time she would cast him a perturbed glance, his green eyes would be steady on her, boring into her with a scarcely veiled threat lurking in them. "I am indeed," came his clipped, cold response. Orchiddrop had given them some distance in an otherwise empty nursery, the other queens overseeing the kits frolicking among the camp clearing, so he didn't both with his forced chivalry and golden charm.
"I will be ensuring that she," a gesture to his mate, "takes it easy throughout her pregnancy. We wouldn't want her or the kits getting hurt, now would we?" The implication would be obvious to perceptive Rosethorn. She wouldn't need to worry about predators or natural dangers where her sister was concerned. The only real, true danger for Orchiddrop was Goldenshadow. For as long as she was pregnant and obeyed, no harm would find her, but should that change and her resistance outweigh her hopelessness, she would quickly find herself expendable. "I'm not sure I could handle losing another mate," he casually said, turning to gaze at the white queen.
I'll kill you, was Rosethorn's first, furious thought, despite the fact that that was impossible. As it was, it would just put Orchiddrop in danger to outright call his bluff. She simply stared him down, weighing her choices, before looking away with a soft exhale. Biding her time was best, to figure out exactly what was going on and what the risk to Orchiddrop was.
Her stupidly selfless sister would undoubtedly be prioritizing the kits over her own health and happiness. Rosethorn was almost certain the kits were Crow's, but she wasn't sure why her sister had decided Goldenshadow would be the better option. But now that the decision had been made, it would be impossible to reverse without help. Neither sister could beat Goldenshadow on their own.
"I would not like to lose my only remaining family either," Rosethorn said in a low voice. "I sincerely hope there's no reason I would." A few kits tumbled into the nursery, within hearing range, so their conversation was cut short. Orchiddrop would be safe with others around, so Rosethorn decided now would be the time to retreat, to spend her free time watching her sister from a distance and planning. Maybe she'd stumble upon a solution in the future. "I'll see you both later!" She called brightly to her sister, who was now getting settled in her new nest.
"See you," Orchiddrop said gently in respose, her blue eyes following her sister as she left.
He hovered in between the pair, a flick of his ear indicating that he knew there was a warning beneath what Rosethorn had said, but she would be sorely mistaken if she thought it frightened him. He knew she would not be stupid enough to risk her sister anymore than Orchiddrop would be stupid enough to risk their kids, which reaffirmed his possession over her-- and, by extension, Rosethorn, comfortable in the knowledge that there was nothing she could do to him.
As she departed and the kits rumbled into the nursery, he stepped close to his mate, a sideways glance cast to the queens also reentering the den. "I'm going to go grab something to eat, love. I won't be far." His nose brushed the tip of her ear before the warrior's nimble stride took him from the den in Rosethorn's wake, stepping over where Pikekit wrestled with Jollykit. The much smaller, much less tall golden kitten stopped in his antics and raised his head, hopeful for an acknowledgement from his father, but his hopes were dashed as he watched Goldenshadow leave. Spirits crushed, he extracted himself from his game with the brown tabby kit to plod across to Orchiddrop's new nest.
"You're my new momma, right?" He'd heard his father say something to that effect to another warrior, and he figured now would be the time to get to know his surrogate mother. She looked starkly different from his deceased parent; where Orchiddrop had long white fur coupled with blue eyes, she had been a green-eyed calico with a frame very similar to Goldenshadow's, which was noticeable in how Pikekit stood taller than most other kits his age. But she looked kind like his mother and perhaps she would pay more attention to him.
Of course he wouldn't be far, Orchiddrop thought with a twitch of her whiskers, watching him go. The gesture, however loving it may have appeared, was empty. She missed the way Crow had wound himself around her, the feeling of his body against hers. Her attention was diverted, however, by the young cat that approached her.
"Hello," she greeted him warmly, pushing aside her own worries for the sake of the child. "I suppose I am, in a sense. But you can call me Orchiddrop if you'd like. You must have loved your mother, and I don't want to take her place or make you forget her." She didn't know much about Goldenshadow's former mate, or about his children, but Pikekit seemed to be seeking attention from his father that he never received. At least she could be of some use in this nursery.
"You must be Pikekit. Your father has said a lot of great things about you." At least she could give this kit some kindness that he was lacking. "I'll be in here from now on, until your new siblings are born. If you don't have anywhere else you want to sleep, I can always make my nest bigger for you and your littermates. I need someone to help keep me warm at night." The smile Orchiddrop gave Pikekit was devoid of any of her own sadness, and her eyes were alight with acceptance and a certain tender nature that only kits evoked from her.
He hazarded a couple of steps closer to the queen, an obvious level of uncertainty in his wide, innocent golden eyes. She spoke in the same soft tones he'd heard Ratstar speak in to Weevilkit, and truthfully he'd always been quite jealous of his good friend's relationship with his father, which Pikekit lacked. "Okay. Orchiddrop for now," he agreed, settling not too close but not too far. He wondered how his siblings might react to this new development, but they were off doing...whatever it was Bramblekit and Dahliakit did. He often found himself squeezing into a nest with the other motherless kits, comfortably sleeping between Jollykit and Iridescentkit.
At her mention of Goldenshadow, he perked up a noticeable degree. "Really? What does he say?" Pikekit was a good kit-- he was kind and generous, always offering a paw to those in need, and he practiced his crouches whenever he could so that if Goldenshadow was watching he might see how diligent his son was. "Does he ever say anything about all my practice? He never tells me anything."
Poor thing. Orchiddrop felt a brief flash of anger towards Goldenshadow, who clearly did not care about his son. Perhaps... perhaps she would find a way to leave him. He was not going to be the father or partner she'd expected. And she was not so heavily pregnant yet. Maybe she could talk to him later. Maybe... the hope that she could still be with Crow lingered in the back of her mind, but it was drowned out by self-loathing. She didn't deserve him. Maybe being a single mother wouldn't be so bad.
"He doesn't say anything only because he doesn't want to boost your ego too much," she told Pikekit with a wider smile. "But he's very proud of you and he thinks your practice is really impressive." Her mind swirled around a question, one that she spoke aloud after a moment. "What are you training for, dear? Your apprenticeship?" Goldenshadow had said something similar about 'their' litter.
He readily ate up all of what she told him of his father, greedy for the love he'd been deprived of. "Really?" Pikekit felt determination flood through his veins, and then and there he decided that he would keep working hard to earn Goldenshadow's praise. At her next question he hesitated. He and his siblings were expressly forbidden from talking about what awaited them at the end of their apprenticeship with their clanmates, but... Orchiddrop wasn't just a clanmate anymore, was she? She was their new momma, and their birth momma had known about it. That was enough reason for him, and as Pikekit spoke, it was clear a weight was being lifted off his shoulders. "Well, my dad told us that in our family, boys like me and Bramblekit have to work real hard because one day we'll have to fight. I don't really want to because I love Bramblekit, but dad says that whoever wins will get a big prize." He was sad to know it would come down to himself or his brother, and if he were honest he didn't think he could beat his bulkier sibling, but the prize that Goldenshadow conspicuously hinted at being his respect was more than enough encouragement for him to keep going.
"Oh," Orchiddrop said casually, hiding her shock from the young cat as she gave her weak and bewildered response. "Well, I hope that it all works out." Internally, she was more resolved to stand up to Goldenshadow, to demand answers about everything going on with his children. Eager to get Pikekit's mind off the topic, she asked him about his day, letting him tell her every detail after he brought her a piece of freshkill for dinner, which they split.
The next afternoon, when she wanted to go for a walk and Goldenshadow decided to tag along, she decided it was a good time to ask him. They came to a stop beside a small pond, muddy in the leafbare sunshine. "I heard something peculiar," she said, not wanting to rat out Pikekit specifically. "Your sons are supposed to fight each other one day?" She turned to him, something of her old self coming back- passionate anger in her blue eyes. "Is that to the death? What in the world are you thinking, Goldenshadow? Do you plan on making our kits do the same? Because I'm warning you, if you even think of that, I'll-"
There it was-- a crack, a flare of unbridled fury that could no longer be contained under his impassive mask. Goldenshadow whirled to tower above her imposingly, and in that second he could feel the nerves between them become tangible as the reality of Orchiddrop's situation hit her. "You'll what?" He cut her off before she could continue whatever threat she seemed to be leading up to with one swift, brutal slap. When he pulled his paw away, blood followed after, oozing out of the claw mark scars left behind. "I'm not playing anymore, Orchiddrop." He spoke lowly, dangerously, his breath causing her whiskers to tremble. "Run to Ratstar, run to your sister, run like the pathetic, useless piece of fox-dung you are. You'll run to him, and what? 'Oh, Ratstar, help me.'" He was mocking her now. "What will you tell him, Orchiddrop? What have I done, other than give you what you deserve? You have no proof." Silence snapped into place as the last words left his maw, a heavy blanket of finality befalling them.
It was several long, quiet minutes before either of them moved again, only the sound of their breathing interrupting the silence. When Goldenshadow spoke again, his voice was a whisper but somehow more threatening than when he'd been spitting venom at her moments ago. "Remember that you, and these kits, are expendable to me. Accidents happen."
Orchiddrop was caught off guard by the blow, stumbling a step to the side. Scarlet welled on her cheek, bubbling on her white fur and falling onto the frost-encrusted ground below. The queen watched it drip in silence, feeling the heat flare in three sharp lines across her face. No one had hit Orchiddrop in her entire life- not her parents, not her sister, certainly not Crow.
It hit her quite suddenly how hopeless this all was. She could not fight him, as she had believed for a moment. She would not endanger her children, and it was quite clear how willing Goldenshadow was to kill them alongside her. If she did not survive, then all of her planning would be for nothing.
Maybe... maybe after she had given birth. But then she would be weakened, and her kits would need her. Orchiddrop's shoulders slumped, her head turning passively away from her mate. There was no escaping this- no way out that did not end in her death or her children's. He was right- she was pathetic, and now she had to live with it.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, watching more red drops spill from her burning cheek onto the ground. Her eyes welled, her tears diluting the blood as salt mixed with rust and stained the earth she stood upon. She spoke aloud to Goldenshadow, but her guilt spilled out in multiple directions- to Crow, whom she'd abandoned, to her kits, whom she'd cursed to this life, and to herself, whom she'd failed every step of the way.
Tenderly, the brutality erased, he wound himself around her and moved her to the ground, his tongue rasping across her cheek until the trickles of blood began to lessen until it eventually stopped. "It's okay, dear. We'll just have to remember to behave, right?" The way he crooned to her, an onlooker would never suspect that moments before, he had been promising death should she raise her head in defiance against him. His tail stroked against her swelling stomach while he continued those sweetest nothings, that unfelt forgiveness.
