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!
It had taken him long enough to finally admit it to himself. He scarcely wanted to say it now. Sick. Weak. A burden to his Clan.
He hadn't wanted to rest. It hadn't been by choice. He'd planned on going out with Quickfrost today, actually - he was supposed to try his paw at hunting again. But she took one look at him and shook her head. He'd felt himself shrink under the pity in her gaze. He didn't deserve pity. He didn't want pity. He wanted to provide for his Clan, to prove himself, and he was sure he was still more than capable. He'd seen the other sick cats, back at the temporary camp - most of them could hardly move. At least he could move. Shaking, he got to his paws, determined to find Quickfrost and tell her she'd made a mistake - that some real fresh air would really do him good - and he promptly collapsed.
Okay. Maybe not more thancapable. He groaned, feeling another heat wave ripple through his pelt. At least his nest was outside. Here, in their true home, the home they'd carved out countless moons ago, WindClan slept under the stars. And lately he was either overtaken by heat, or wracked by chills. At least with the former, he had the chill of leafbare to provide some relief. When he was cold...well, at least he had plenty of moss to curl up with. He spasmed as another cough rippled through him, his chest heaving with the effort. He'd tried to fight it for so long - and now the sickness was catching up to him. He wasn't sure he could keep his grip on consciousness much longer.
Nectarflower nudged her way into the camp, a thin rabbit clutched between her jaws. Its body was still warm from her hunt and the tantalizing scent made her mouth water and stomach growl, but she resisted the urge to settle down and tuck in. This prey was for those of her clanmates that needed it more than she did. And, as she cast her gaze out over the camp, one cat in particular stuck out to her as in need of fresh prey. Poor Oatpaw, the kid had been sick for a while now.
Swallowing a concerned hum, she trotted up to the young tom, eyes glittering with concern. He'd definitely seen better days, stars, they all had, but there was something especially wrong at the moment. One sniff and she could tell that he was extremely ill. Unfortunately for the apprentice, he hadn't seemed to escape the brunt of the disease that had gripped the clans back at the lake territories. She'd been lucky enough to only get a taste of it herself.
Dropping the rabbit in front of Oatpaw, Nectarflower licked her lips clean of any remaining blood and furrowed her brow disapprovingly at the sick tom. "Oatpaw, have you seen Daisyfang yet?" She looked over him, expression fraught with worry, then continued. "That illness isn't a joke, dear. Hmm. Daisyfang out right now, but why don't I keep you company til she gets back, yeah?" Rather than waiting for a response, the tortoiseshell calmly settled down beside Oatpaw and pressed her flank against his, letting him draw from her warmth.
Young cats were always so stubborn when it came to things like this. Nectarflower herself wasn't very old at all, but she could remember the days when she'd been determined not to ask for help for fear of inconveniencing someone or looking like a fool. Thankfully, she had mostly grown out of that phase, but there were times when she slipped into her old ways. Nudging the rabbit closer to Oatpaw, she twisted her neck and began grooming his pelt comfortingly.
"Eat." She meowed after a moment, in between licks. "It'll help keep your strength up." It wasn't a request, though, more of a gently worded order. Nectarflower didn't enjoy seeing her clanmates suffer, it was why she tried her hardest to provide for them and keep them safe. Not that she'd done a very good job so far, but that was changing starting today.
Oatpaw raised his head weakly, looking up at the molly through half-lidded eyes. Had he fallen asleep? His pelt was damp with sweat, but he felt frozen to the bone. A shiver ran through him, and he curled himself into an even tighter ball, but - that smell...was that fresh-kill? He sniffed, trying to catch the scent, but his nose was stuffed. He tasted the air instead, catching the scent of rabbit. Rabbit?His stomach growled. He hadn't been hungry in days, and yet the scent of that rabbit, freshly killed and still warm, brought his appetite back to him.
He struggled to his paws, his chest heaving with the effort, and promptly collapsed back down into his nest. "Rats..." He groaned more than hissed, and opted to stay laying on his side. Opening his eyes the rest of the way, Oatpaw straightened up a bit when he realized it was Nectarflower who stood before him. "H-hey Nectar!" He exclaimed, his voice raspy and his throat sore. His entire body felt sore, but he was determined to stay awake, even if it was just for a few minutes. Though he and the warrior had never been particularly close, she'd always been a kind, almost motherly presence, and he'd always wanted to know her better.
She dropped the rabbit at his paws, and Oatpaw blinked in surprise. "For me?" He looked down at the prey hesitantly. It smelled so delicious, and he could practically taste the blood on his tongue - but oh, was he scared of his own nausea. This was leaf-bare - he would be so ashamed if he ended up wasting any prey, even if it wasn't intentional. His stomach did a flip, but his hunger overrode his reservations. "Thank you." He purred, blinking gratefully at the tortoisehsell, then bending his neck to tuck into the rabbit. He took delicate bites, eating slowly so he didn't vomit. The rabbit was warm and tender. He savored the flavor on his tongue, licking blood from his lips as he finished each bite.
He looked down at her next words, studying his paws. Why did everyone want him to visit Daisyfang so bad? He swallowed before he spoke again. "Ah...not yet. I know she had to gather more herbs, and- and I didn't want to bother her." Oatpaw admitted, his tail flicking at his side. "There are other cats who need it more - I'll go visit when her stores are more built up." He resolved, his eyes widening with promise.
Nectarflower was warm, and Oatpaw sighed as he took in the heat from her fur. Her maternal presence was soothing - it was a kind of affection he'd never truly known. How relaxing it was to let his worries and responsibilities go for just a moment... Her tongue was gentle on his pelt, and she groomed him in gentle, rhythmic movements, lulling him into such a state of peace that he nearly nodded off again. His eyelids fluttered shut, but he wasn't ready to go back to sleep just yet. There was food, after all! Oatpaw took one more bite and felt his stomach roil, his whiskers twitching in annoyance at his sensitive stomach. Oh, well - he'd eaten about half, anyway. He gently slid the rabbit over to his new companion and swept his tail over her back. "Do you want the rest? It'll help keep your strength up." His whiskers twitched with amusement as he tossed her own words back at her, having hardly the strength to stand but still plenty of strength to be cheeky. There was a gentleness behind his words, though - a friendliness that suggested that to him, this rabbit was best enjoyed alongside another cat.
