Clan and Tribe Information

Tribe Information

Listed bellow is the information about the Tride of Rushing Water. This will act as a base when creating a tribe, this does not mean you have to follow every single line set, but information such as ranks and the general beliefs we ask you keep the same to reduce any confusion among members. Areas such as the Cave of Pointed Stones & and their name "Stoneteller" is not a must, you have the freedom to create your own holy place and lead title. Prey-Hunters also do not have to be trained for the skills known to the tribe in the Warrior books, seeing as not all of the claimable lands are high mountain peaks, so this area is also modifiable (including the mud covering). Needless to say not all the ranks need to be used, you can create your own to fit the areas your tribe lives in (along with hunting techniques). Unique to AFO we allow the tribes to participate in Gatherings of the clans if they so desire. Bellow is a list of information!


Cats of the Tribe are divided into several categories: To-bes, cave-guards, prey-hunters, kit-mothers, kits, elders, and the Healer. Also, whenever the Healer feels it's needed, he/she will pick a Healer to-be that will take their place once they pass. Cats can also stay with the Tribe for a while, and then leave (an example being the six cats who traveled to the sun-drown place).

HEALER

The Tribe's Healer is basically the same thing as a Clan's medicine cat and leader put together. Not only does the healer lead the Tribe, they also use healing herbs to cure wounds and sickness. The Healer receives signs from their warrior ancestors in the Cave of Pointed Stones. They interpret the signs of rock, leaf, and water to read messages from the Tribe of Endless Hunting. Unlike Clan cats, Healers do not dream. The Healer also almost never leaves the cave, because unlike leaders they do not have nine lives and it's easier for them to be killed. The only times they come out of the cave is for to-be ceremonies and such. Every Healer changes their name to Teller of the Pointed Stones, or Stoneteller, once they become the Tribe's official Healer. The new Healer is appointed by the previous Healer.

PREY-HUNTER

Prey-hunters are the lithe, quick cats of the Tribe who can jump high to catch mountain birds such as eagles or hawks to feed to their tribemates. Prey-hunters are tribe cats whose only duties are to catch prey for the tribe. They are the hunters of the Tribe, using stealth and surprise along with camouflage to catch their food. It is their responsibility to feed the Tribe and catch their prey, especially for the nursing cats, and the young and old. They depend on speed, for there are not many places to hide in the almost-bare surroundings, like WindClan. Normally prey-hunters hunt in teams to help catch prey. Prey-hunters often coat themselves with mud; this disguises them, covers their scent, and protects against the wind. A group of cave-guards accompany them to spot trouble. Prey-hunters are chosen from birth for their lithe and agile build.

CAVE-GUARD

Cave-guards are thickset, strong, and lean cats that protect and guard the entrance of the tribe's cave.They are the main fighting force of the Tribe and have the responsibility of defending the cave from predators such as big birds. Watching the skies to protect the prey-hunters from hawks and eagles while they hunt is another one of their responsibilities. They are also the most experienced with fighting. To hide their scent and blend in with the rocky scenery, they often coat themselves with mud. These cats are chosen from birth for their muscular and stocky build.

TO-BE

The equivalent of an apprentice, to-bes are young cats in training. To-bes are trained in either prey-hunting or cave-guarding. They train with their mentors and learn the skills of what they have to learn. When they are finished training, they are made into either prey-hunters or cave-guards by the tribe Healer. Tribe cats believe that they are born into their duty, though they can change positions. Unlike Clan apprentices, to-bes start training at the age of eight moons. The Stoneteller will receive a message from The Tribe of Endless Hunting when it is time to choose his own to-be. Once this happens, they can become something else, but as noted by Brook in The Sight to Hollypaw, most do not.

KIT-MOTHER

As their name suggests, kit-mothers are she-cats who are about to have or are nursing kits, the equivalent of queens. A prey-hunter or a cave-guard becomes a kit-mother when they become heavily pregnant and they can't continue with their duties. When they have their kits, they remain kit-mothers for a time to nurse them. They are the equivalent of a Clan queen. An ancient tradition is that the queens name their kits after what they see when their kits are first born.

ELDER

Elders are the oldest and weakest cats in the Tribe. Elders are retired cats that have stopped doing their Prey-Hunter or Cave-Guard duties. They are often consulted in difficult times. The elders of the Tribe have a very similar role to the elders of the Clans. They are fed by the Prey-Hunters and are protected by the Cave-Guards.

KITS

Kits are young cats that are not yet to-bes; the same as Clan kits. They are too young to do to-be duties, so they stay in the nursery with their mother. Kits stay a kit for 8 moons(months). At their birth, it is foretold by the Tribe healer if they will become a prey-hunter, a cave-guard or the next Teller of the Pointed Stones. Kits that seem fast and lithe are prey-hunters; kits that look strong will be cave-guards. They can be to-bes when they are eight moons old.

HUNTING TECHNIQUES

Tribe cats have their own special way of hunting. Prey-Hunters find some prey (i.e. a mouse), sit in a hiding place, and wait until they see an eagle (or other bird of prey) attack the prey. They then jump onto and kill the eagle, thus delivering two pieces of prey for the Tribe. The six questing Clan cats learned this technique to some extent, most notably Stormfur

NAMING TECHNIQUES

See Cat Names for more information.

Kit-mothers name their kits after the first thing they see after the birth of their kits, for example, Brook Where Small Fish Swim, or Star That Shines On Water. In Cats of the Clans, Rock notes that he finds this method strange, as he perceives that this way of naming kits would cause many kits to be named things like "Wall of Cave," or "Floor of Cave." Unlike the cats of the Clans, Tribe cats shorten their names to the first word in their name (e.g. Brook, Star).


RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

The Tribe of Endless Hunting is comprised of the spirits of the ancestors of the Tribe of Rushing Water. They send warnings and signs to the Tribe Healer and will show them which to-be should train to become the next Healer. They are the equivalent of StarClan.

Tribe cats believe in an afterlife similar to the Clan cats. The ancestral spirits that make up the Tribe of Endless Hunting are similar to those that make up StarClan. However, they are born in the Tribe. The Tribe of Rushing Water contacts their ancestors every full moon in a ceremony called the Telling. This occurs in the Cave of Pointed Stones. Unlike the Moonpool, the Tribe of Endless Hunting contacts the living cats through omens and not dreams.

Within the Warriors universe, the cats live in a highly structured society that is firmly divided into groups known as Clans.

The living Clan cats are born into either ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, or WindClan (in AFO's case Duskclan and Frostclan), while deceased cats who were believers in the religious structure and generally followed the warrior code join together as StarClan. If they made mistakes but believed what they did was right, more likely than not they will join StarClan when they die. Cats that did not follow the warrior code do not join StarClan, but join a place called the Dark Forest (Place of No Stars).



Clans Share the same basic leader system

Leader

A Clan leader is charged with the responsibility to watch over and manage an entire Clan, maintaining discipline, order, and protection. Leaders are normally granted nine lives and a new name with the ending "-star" (e.g. Firestar, Bluestar) in a ceremony where nine StarClan cats come to them in a dream at the Moonstone/Moonpool. However, a leader may not receive all nine lives if the previous leader of his or her Clan is still alive; in this instance, a leader will have a life taken off the original total of nine for every life the previous leader still possesses (e.g. Sunstar ). Sometimes StarClan will not accept a leader (e.g. Nightstar ), if this happens then the Clan is usually thrown into turmoil.

Deputy

The deputy is the second-in-command to the leader, and may be considered an apprentice to the art of leading the Clan. They serve in the leader's place in situations where the leader is unable to fulfill their duties. They are in charge of organizing patrols and they are often called on by the leader for advice, but other than that, they retain the normal duties of a warrior.

To become a deputy, a cat must have trained at least one apprentice. However, in the New Prophecy Arc, Brambleclaw became deputy of ThunderClan without an apprentice, but he was granted the promise to train one.

Upon the leader's death, they become the leader and go to the Moonstone/Moonpool so StarClan can grant them nine lives. Deputies may also retire and give up their place as deputy if they wish (for example, Tawnyspots).

Medicine

The medicine cat serves the Clan as both their spiritual leader and healer, making them akin to the idea of a 'medicine man' in a tribal society. In addition to their responsibilities to their Clan, they have responsibility to one another and StarClan. They carry out their responsibilities to StarClan once every half-moon, meeting together to discuss matters privately and share dreams with StarClan. Clan leaders often rely on them to carry messages from StarClan, as medicine cats have a link no other cat has to the deceased.

As a healer, they gather herbs and dispense them as an apothecary would. They handle diagnosis and treatment of both illness and injury for all the cats in the Clan.

In their role as spiritual leader, they teach the code, interpret omen and prophecy, and generally serve the Clan as a conduit between the earthly cats and their ghostly counterparts.

As a medicine cat, they are not allowed to have a mate or kits, but this rule has been broken by certain medicine cats. Medicine cats also exist outside of typical Clan rivalries in order to treat all cats fairly.

Medicine Cat Apprentice

A medicine cat apprentice is the cat that is being trained to follow in the pawsteps of the medicine cat. They learn healing and spiritual lore from the medicine cat. Medicine cat apprentices also accompany their mentors in their visit to the Moonstone/Moonpool every half-moon to receive dreams from StarClan.

Frequently, a medicine cat apprentice who has full training will be given a warrior name ("-paw" replaced with another ending); however, medicine cat apprentices remain apprentices even when fully trained so long as the current medicine cat is still practicing the arts.

At the time the old medicine cat either dies or steps down, the medicine cat apprentice becomes a full medicine cat, somewhat like the leader/deputy relationship. When the apprentice becomes the full medicine cat then s/he can have an apprentice of their own.

Warrior

A warrior is a cat trained in the arts of fighting and hunting. Warriors make up the bulk of a Clan, and provide that Clan with the protection and food supply that keeps it safe and well-fed. Typically, a cat is made a warrior at or over the age of twelve moons. In their oath to become a warrior, they promise to "uphold the warrior code and protect and defend their Clan, even at the cost of their life."

Warrior dens are very often near the front of the Clan, where they can protect the rest of their Clan from attacks.

There are also senior warriors, older, respected warriors, mentioned to have a good bond with the Clan's leader.

Queen

A queen is a she-cat nursing or expecting kits. Their primary task during this time is the raising of their kits.

Some queens stay in the nursery after they have kits (e.g. Daisy, Goldenflower, and Ferncloud). They are thought to do this because they feel they can help the nursing queens. Some queens, such as Daisy, do not feel suited for Clan life aside from helping the other queens. They most often help other queens when no milk is available, or when the mother is ill/dead.

Kits are protected from attacks and the nursery is often situated at the back of the camp, away from the entrance.

Elder

An elder is a retired warrior, deputy, queen, medicine cat, or leader who is too old or not in suitable shape to continue with their duties. Elders are taken care of by the whole Clan, and are given respect for the time they have served as warriors. They are responsible for taking the body of a dead cat out to be buried.

Some cats don't become an elder only because of old age; if there is ever a condition which prevents the cat from fulfilling their duties to their Clan, it usually leads to the cat's decision of retiring (e.g. Longtail, Heavystep)

Apprentice

An apprentice is a cat in training to become a warrior. Their names end in the word "-paw" (e.g. Tawnypaw, Bramblepaw, Firepaw etc). Most usually are at or over the age of six moons. They have a mentor appointed to them at their ceremony and most days are taken out battle training or hunting. They are also given the task of cleaning out bedding and removing Elder's ticks and fleas. Apprentices are not allowed to have a mate or kits, likely because of their young age or not to interrupt their training.

Kit

A kit is a cat who has not been made an apprentice yet. Their names always end in "-kit" (e.g. Dovekit, Lionkit, Blossomkit). Most often, they are under the age of six moons. Though sometimes they are held back from being an apprentice for a certain amount of time, sometimes due to injury or misbehaving. (Crookedkit)

They stay in the camp and are forbidden to leave it, unless accompanied by an older cat, such as a warrior, a medicine cat, or any kind of apprentice.


Starclan

StarClan are the deceased warrior ancestors of the Clans who live on in spirit form after dying, and watch over the living Clan cats. There is no specific leader for StarClan, since there are many cats from all four Clans that work together. They are responsible for sending signs and omens to the living cats.

The Dark Forest

The Place of No Stars (informally known as the Dark Forest) is the opposite of StarClan's hunting grounds. It is a place where cats that have committed great crimes against their Clans and against the Warrior Code go when they die. However, cats who commit crimes but believe they are following the Warrior Code by doing them can usually join the ranks of StarClan instead, like Mudclaw, or Ashfur.