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.
Ratstar wasn't exactly sure why Sunpaw wanted to make flower crowns with him, of all cats, but he was for any bonding time whatsoever with his darlin' daughter. It was a simple enough crown, made out of clover and dandelion - Starclan forbid the Garden Keepers caught him practicing with one of their prize perennial flowers from the garden - though the technique was haphazard and the crown itself was lopsided. When he was finally finished, the tom leaned down to tie the final knot...only for the stem to snap, and the entire crown to unravel. Ratstar stared down at the lump of stems and white and yellow flowers for a moment in defeat, before bursting out laughing. "Ah geez, your mama's far better at this than I am!" woof
If Ratstar thought his daughter didn't have an ulterior motive to everything she did, he didn't know her very well at all. Yes, she loved spending time with him and sought him out in his spare moments, usually as a source of comfort to restore her ego when she turned out to be wrong about something, but today she had a purpose. "That's because you need a gentle touch, Papi," she patiently explained, watching sympathetically as the crown disassembled itself right before Ratstar's very eye, and then demonstrated herself at how she could deftly cinch the knot in the crown she'd been constructing, having learned how to do so practically as soon as she'd opened her eyes. Her mother had insisted. "These have tiny little stems, so they're way more likely to snap. The bigger flowers with bigger stems hold up better," she added, reaching up to situate her perfectly twined crown, made of pretty primrose flowers and ivy vines, atop Ratstar's head.
"But I am gentle, right?" Ratstar whined, playfully mimicking his mate and daughter's signature pout for a moment before dropping the act to watch over Sunpaw's shoulder as she impressively tied together her own crown and patiently explained what he did wrong. What had started out as an idle pastime by the old Garden Keepers had certainly grown into an art form; one perfected by his own family. The leader silently made a mental note that Sunpaw might make a surprisingly good mentor one day, letting out a pleased purr as she set the crown around his ears. "Perfect as always, darlin'," he praised, giving her a lick on the forehead and pulling her closer to him with his tail. "I love it."
His praise warmed her inside and out. As much of a front as she put on, touting that she was strong and capable and didn't need anyone's validation, Sunpaw was still a Daddy's girl at heart, and these moments where she got Ratstar's undivided attention were her favorite. "For someone so big, you are pretty gentle," she conceded, reaching up to nuzzle her head beneath his chin affectionately. "Momma told me that cats like me 'n her, StarClan gave us paws the perfect size for crafting and that's why we were given to SummerClan. Do you think that's true? What are your paws perfect for, Papi?" She set one of hers down next to Ratstar's, marveling over how much wider and more filled out his were, and briefly she wondered if a cat's destiny was decided at birth. The thought made her frown.
Sunpaw's question honestly surprised Ratstar. He had let out a pleased purr as his daughter cuddled up to him, but her words about Starclan giving cats perfect paws gave his pause. He hadn't expected something so profound to come from her, and definitely not what he would have expected Poppymask tell their kit. He couldn't remember ever hearing his mate talk about Starclan before, but apparently it was something the mother and daughter discussed often during their Garden Keeper training. "My paws?" He echoed, staring down at his large paws. Lifting one, he could see a perfect imprint of it left behind in the dark green grass. "I s'pose my paws are perfect fer leadin' Summerclan..." It seemed like the obvious answer, but to Sunpaw's surprise, his words actually seemed a bit unsure.
His uncertainty did surprise her, mostly in that it mirrored her own, and maybe that was what prompted her to speak up. "Papi, what if my paws are wrong? I like being Momma's apprentice and I love flowers and making everything pretty like me, but... Well, Fisherpaw has been teaching me what he's learning and it's really fun and I like it a lot! What if...I'm not meant to be a Garden Keeper like Momma?" It was clear this was something that had been plaguing Sunpaw for some time. She didn't voice the real reason behind the fear; that maybe, if she failed to follow in the footsteps expected of her, she would disappoint both Ratstar and Poppymask.
The nervousness and uncertainty in her usually proud and confident voice nearly broke his heart as the Summerclan leader pulled his daughter in close, so that her head was resting over his heart. "Hey now, darlin'," he cooed comfortingly, giving her a couple of licks in-between the ears, like he used to do so often when she was a kit. "It's okay t' not know what 'cha wanna do yet. Remember what I used t' tell ya, about where I came from? I wasn't born in Summerclan, or any clan really. I didn't know nothin' 'bout them, an' didn't care; all that mattered t' me was findin' a meal an' a warm place t' sleep. That's what I believed for most o' my life that my paws were perfect for. It took Starclan themselves intervening t' show me differently, an' even then I was still far, far older than you are now when I discovered what my paws were really meant for. Ya wanna try what Fisherpaw is doin'? Go for it! Ya don't have 't have all o' the answers right now, darlin'. That's what growin' up is all about, Sunpaw; learnin' and tryin' new things, until ya find what your paws are made for."
Sunpaw listened unusually quietly, absorbing his words. The memory of Ratstar's tales made her feel warm and reassured, and his gentle concern brought a true smile to her face, as she recalled being nestled beside him, listening keenly to his past and imagining a life outside of SummerClan. Of course, back then she had no real understanding of what it meant to truly live (and maybe she still didn't), but after working alongside Fisherpaw to learn the techniques the warriors taught their apprentices, she felt she had a grasp on how tough things had been for her father, especially with no formal training like what the clans had in place. She leaned closer to him, the thumping rhythm of his heart quelling her nerves. Ratstar had a knack for putting her worries---even the more childish and unfounded ones---at ease, and she valued the fact that he never made her feel smaller for the things that upset her, as outrageous as they could be. "I love you Papi," she said, glancing up at him. "Do you really think I could be a Warrior one day? A good one?" She wasn't sure if that was truly the path she would follow one day, or ever, but the one thing she was sure about was that if her father thought she could do it, then nothing but herself would stop her.
Ratstar wasn't sure if he could smile any brighter. "I love ya too, darlin'," he purred back, nuzzling his not-so-little-anymore-girl. It had happened so quickly, all right in front of his eyes; what had once been an admittedly bratty and entitled lil' ball of fluff with a secret soft side had grown into an elegant and beautiful young she-cat who clearly cared a so much about her future and what she could give to Summerclan. Like one of the blooming flowers she used for her crowns. "Ya don' need my permission t' follow your dreams, ya know," he reminded her. "I'll always support ya, no matter what path ya take. Ya jus' gotta go out an' take it." He paused for a moment. "But, hmmmm," he mused, raising a paw to his chin to try and hide his mischievous grin. "Does this mean I'll have to postpone your warrior ceremony next week?" The Summerclan leader had been planning on surprising her all day; while Sunpaw technically hadn't completed all of her training with Poppymask, helping her mother out with giving birth to the apprentice's younger siblings was more than enough for her mother to give her the all-clear for a proper warrior name.
"I know I don't need it; I want it." Sunpaw explained, blinking up at her father but letting his support warm her regardless. With him on her side, she was sure nothing---not even Weevilpaw's snarkiness---could stop her! But before she could dwell on that and ask anything further, her eyes grew impossibly wide and dazzled with a glimmer that would put illuminated gemstones to shame, the sapphire depths brightening as if the mirth lightened their hue. "No!" She answered hastily. "I still wanna get my name as soon as possible! What's it gonna be? Have you thought about it? Is it pretty? Strong? I hope it's not anything lame like Sunstone or Sunbeam even if Sunbeam is really pretty when you say it out loud o-o-or uhh, Sunshade! It needs to be bright. It needs to be perfect!"
What's in a name? For her: Everything. Her prefix, the name she had carried with her since birth, the name she had and would have forever, was vibrant, radiant, incredibly befitting of someone like her. It was warm, like the burning love she held for her family and her friends. It was intense, like the glow of her confidence. It was gravitational, an encompassing and all-consumimg magnetism that pulled everyone into her orbit, let her stand tall and proudly in the center of her own galaxy. She wanted her suffix to complete it. To complete her.
He couldn't help but laugh a little at his daughter's exaggerated reaction and flurry of questions about her future name. You didn't need to be the leader of Summerclan to see just how much her warrior ceremony meant to her. "I can't tell ya your name jus' yet!" Ratstar replied teasingly. "That ruins the whole surprise! Don' worry though, darlin'." He continued, lifting his tail up to her muzzle to shush her when she tried to argue. "Ya Momma an' I have talked out proper names for you an' ya siblings. She practically had 'em decided since ya were born, but that's jus' like 'er, ain't it. In any case, I have a good feelin' you'll like it."
Faintly, she wondered if she could weasel it out of Poppymask. Ratstar was quicker, more observant, and Sunpaw was sure he wouldn't give anything up 'till ceremony day, but maybe... She smiled and stayed obediently quiet, saving her vigor for another issue that couldn't be so readily solved by prying something out of the other parent, and simply pressed another embrace to the underside of Ratstar's chin. "Fine, I'll wait," she said, knowing she would do exactly the opposite of that, "but you owe me! Now you have to tell me something else. Something super secret and important! It's only fair." Cheekily, Sunpaw grinned at him and adopted her very best puppy dog eyes.
