The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
Welcome to WCC! Here are our latest announcements:
Activity checks take place on the 1st of the month. PM a staff member with the completed form if you missed it.
Newleaf is finally here, and the Clans hope to find reprieve from the tough Leaf-bare.
Gatherings take place on the 1st of the month; keep your eyes out for a staff member's post!
Please feel free to hit up any staff member if you have any questions!
The day dawned bright and early. Morning sun began to warm the ground as the large group of apprentices were moved out into the territory and separated into their own sparring groups. Perchstar walked first with the first pair: Dovepaw and Pigeonpaw. Egretswoop's apprentice, and Poppyshine's newest apprentice. A brother and a sister--both kits of the rogue that she and Owlcall had found on the territory. Would they hesitate at all about fighting with a sibling, even if it was just a spar? Or would that make them more determined to win? "Remember that I will be supervising you, so there should be no bloodshed or serious injury," Perchstar told them seriously. She did not believe that any of them would, of course, but it was a warning of safety. "Ready--set--begin."
The dice determine who goes first. 1, 2, 3= Dovepaw. 4, 5, 6= Pigeonpaw. Dice rolling....
Dovepaw certainly hadn't been expecting to fight his own sibling. However, now that he thought about it, there were so many of his siblings in this tournament that it was practically inevitable. It was hard to shake the nerves that were bubbling up inside of him. This was his first time really fighting someone. He'd practiced, of course, but... it was hard not to think of sand filling his nostrils. But he wasn't a kit anymore. He could do this. And besides, Pidge would never hurt him.
But he would not lose to her. She didn't need the ego boost.
"I won't go easy on you, Pidge," Dovepaw said easily, trying to project a confidence that did not quite reach his eyes. But this was just his sister. How many times had they wrestled together as kits? This shouldn't be difficult, even. He searched her gaze, wondering whether she felt any apprehension at all. Or perhaps that was an unfamiliar sensation for her. Then before he knew it, Perchstar gave the go-ahead. His body moved before the rest of him was ready. He leapt forward, moving quickly, bowling her over and attempting to retain the element of surprise.
Dovepaw used Jumping Strike, dealing 9 (6+3) damage and costing 7 stamina.
Pigeonpaw bounced along at Dovepaw’s side as Perchstar led the swath of apprentices out into the territory. Barely an apprentice, and she was already getting to compete with her older denmates! She was fluffed up to twice her size and shaking a little bit with excitement by the time they separated and followed Perchstar to the clear patch of land meant to be their battleground. Pigeonpaw hopped between paws and flashed a big, toothy grin to Dovepaw.
All her littermates were bigger than her, and Dove was no exception. He’d also been an apprentice for so long already, and she hadn’t exactly had formal training yet. She was a big believer in instincts and her ability to get out of trouble, though. “You better not!” Pigeonpaw countered with a laugh. A beat later, Perchstar gave them the sign to start, and— true to his word —Dovepaw wasted no time in throwing himself at her.
Yelping, Pigeonpaw slid to the side, paws wheeling over sand. “No fair! I’m your li’l sister!” She whined, despite the boasting from moments ago- and further in spite of her complaining, when she caught her balance, Pigeonpaw threw herself forward to ram her head into her brother's flank.
Pigeonpaw used Dodge and Fight with a successful counterattack, costing 7 SP and dealing 5 damage.
Dovepaw let out a huff of frustration as his sister rolled away from his paws, wailing that he was being unfair. Where had her bravado from moments ago vanished to? He'd been so proud of his quick steps, too. Well, he refused to lose his momentum. The cream-furred tom skidded to a stop, feeling Pigeonpaw bash into him from the side. He had more training than her. He was bigger and smarter, and he always had to protect her. He had to prove that he could protect her. By... beating her, he supposed. Dovepaw whirled around to retaliate, noticing that the movement left his sister's tail right next to his jaws. He seized it between his teeth and pulled hard, yanking her down onto the ground. Then he spat the fur from his teeth, but moved back into a defensive position. "Wouldn't it be more fair to just take the hit instead of running away?" There was no actual anger in his tone. However, he was determined to win.
Dovepaw used Tail Yank, dealing 7 damage and costing 15 stamina. Pigeonpaw is stunned for 1 turn.
Before she could shake the dizziness that came with ramming her head into Dovepaw’s side, his teeth found purchase in her tail, yanking her backwards. Pigeonpaw hit the sand with another yelp and blinked several times fast to lessen the dizzy, numbing jolt. “I am not running away!” She huffed, giving herself one last shake before looking up. Dove really looked like he’d be a good warrior one day, all braced and looming. He actually looked cool.
Well, that couldn’t stand. She was the cool one.
Pigeonpaw rolled herself onto her paws— lurching against her own momentum, vision still a little starry —and puffed her chest out with another big, bold smile. “Gettin’ not hit seems like a prrrreetty good way to win, ya’know. Try it!” And, cackling, she launched herself at Dovepaw with careful teeth aimed for his shoulder.
Pigeonpaw used Random Recall + Snap, dealing 6 damage and costing 12 (5+17) SP.
Dovepaw found himself fervently wishing that he had practiced battling more before this tournament. He was not going to lose here. Not even if Pigeonpaw was suddenly up on her feet and nipping at his shoulder again. Obviously, she was too fast and small for his brute force tactics to work. He had to try something else. When she came for him again, he moved with her momentum, collapsing to the ground with a dramatic "oof!" as he often had when they play-fought as kits. For a couple of moments he lay there, letting his tiredness show. But when she came to capitalize--probably attempting to leap on him as she always did and declare victory--he suddenly revived, pummeling her quickly with well-placed paws. "Nice try!"
Dovepaw used Play Dead, dealing 8 damage and costing 5 stamina.
There was a brief, brief moment of concern when Dovepaw rolled against her weight and straight to the ground. She had a big head, sure, but she wasn’t really that big or even that strong! But, more powerful than her instinct to be concerned was the instinct to win. They’d fought a bunch before! He was ffiiiinee. Tail shivering, Pigeonpaw leaped just as he’d expected, sending herself straight into his blows. A squeal of alarm and affront bubbled out of her chest, and as a reaction more than a real attempt to fight, Pigeonpaw struck out in turn, battering his head with her forepaws as many times as she could while scrambling backwards in the same instance.
Pigeonpaw used Desperate Blows + Front Paw Strike, dealing 10 (4+6) damage and costing 14 (7+7) SP.
Dovepaw thought that blow might have been enough, but apparently not. Pigeonpaw continued to batter at him. He gritted his teeth as he saw another blow coming. If there was any time to dodge, now would be a good one. His muscles tensed. He rolled out of the way of the second attack. As he did so, he aimed another blow at his sister's fleeing form. It hit--thank the stars--and he saw Pidge collapse. There was a moment of victorious pride surging through his veins, and a smile that suddenly formed on his face. Then it was overtaken by the anxiety and the fact that his sister was not moving. He hadn't hit her too hard, had he? "Hey! Pidge, are you all right?" Well, she probably was, anyway. It was hard to feel worried at the same time that he felt so excited. "I... I won! I did what you said and didn't get hit!" Would she be mad at him?
Dovepaw used Dodge-and-Fight, recovering 6 health, dealing 5 damage and costing 7 stamina. Counterattack successful!
Pigeonpaw hadn’t really expected Dovepaw to just… try not getting hit. That felt like her thing. Even though she’d been more focused on swinging at him and backing away, she took a moment to blink at her paw in the air when it connected with nothing— apparently, the perfect opportunity for Dove to swing back at her. Pigeonpaw bent away from the blow, rolling against the shift in momentum and her own tangled paws. She hit the ground with a huff of breath, and once she was down, she just… laid there. She didn’t realize she’d been tired or that she was breathing hard until she’d stopped moving. Or that being hit did hurt a little, even when it was soft paws and her big soft brother.
Her ear flicked back at his worried voice, and a few beats later, Pigeonpaw was flipping herself upright. “You’re s’pposed to let your little sister win, mouse-brain!” She was being accusatory, but there was no real hostility in her words. She even started laughing halfway through her sentence. Rolling all the way to her paws in spite of her still-heaving sides and the strong temptation to keep laying down, she scurried over to knock her head against Dovepaw’s shoulder with a big, challenging grin. “I can’t believe ya actually listened to me. Don’t let it get to yer head, though— I’m gonna get ya next time, watch me!”
Perchstar watched the two siblings fight until a victor emerged. She was surprised by how close the fight had been, even with the disparity in training length. However, Egretswoop's apprentice--Dovepaw--came out on top with a quick move that showed his ability to learn. Pigeonpaw had also impressed her, however, which ought to have come as no surprise due to Poppyshine's excellence in mentoring. "Good job to both of you," Perchstar told the two, stepping forward as the spar ended. "Dovepaw, you should prepare yourself for your next fight. Pigeonpaw, you can feel free to remain and watch."
--
Dovepaw grinned when Pidge got back up off the ground. So everything was okay, then. He felt happy that he had won, but far more relieved that his sister was fine and not mad at him. "What would be the fun in letting you win?" he teased her, bumping her head with his shoulder as the two collided gently. "I don't doubt that you could, next time. You've learned a lot. But I'm going to learn even more!" Their conversation was swiftly interrupted by a few calm words from Perchstar. He blinked up at the leader, feeling the joy of his victory ebb away slightly at the reminder that there were still more fights to go before the potential, ultimate victory. But he nodded. "Right." Dovepaw turned once more to his sister. "You'll watch me, right? It won't be so bad to lose if you lost to the guy who wins it all, huh?"
