A Introductory Guide to the Clans

Hey there! This is a little guide of Clan terminology and such that never existed in Warrior Cats, but will be used in here. Note that some of this info IS taken from other people, mostly those on Tumblr, and I unfortunately do not have their names. But, if this somehow does manage to become popular and people notice it, PLEASE give me the names of the users who made them so I can give credit to their amazing ideas! I should also note that some of this requires a suspension of disbelief on how humans have not figured out about their technology and such. -------------------- Traditional Suffix Meanings:  -claw: a skilled fighter. -cloud: a calm, easy-going cat. -face: a particularly handsome or beautiful cat. May refer to prefix. -fang: good fighter and good hunter. -feather: a medicine cat skilled at reading omens. -flower: a nurturing cat. -foot: a fast cat. May be switched out with -leg. May refer to prefix. -fur/pelt: a cat with nothing really notable about them. -heart: a cat with strong morals. -leaf: a medicine cat skilled in the healing aspect of the job. May be shaken up with -root and/or -berry and/or -bark and/or ivy and/or vine and/or -fern. -nose: a intuitive cat and/or skilled in tracking. -path: a cat with a affinity for mentoring. -storm: a cat with a turbulent disposition, or is unpredictable. -stream: a strong swimmer. Can be switched out with -brook, and/or -creek. -stripe: a tabby with distinctive stripes. -tail: a good climber, balancer, or leaper. May refer to prefix. -throat: a skilled orator, linguist, bard, story-teller, or just a well-spoken cat. May refer to prefix. -whisker: a prudent hunter. -shade: darkens the color in their prefix (Ex. Brownshade for a dark brown cat). May be switched out with -shadow. -eye: a skilled scout, overlaps with -nose a lot. Can also be -eyes. -stone: a very loyal and dedicated cat. -pool: a wise cat, or a medicine cat skilled at reading omens. -flight: A optimistic, hopeful, or cheerful cat. May also refer to a cat that has grown a lot. -blaze: A cat with a fiery loyalty for their Clan. Or, a warm-pelted cat -fire: A passionate cat. -thorn: A sharp-tongued cat. -frost: A analytical, logical, and/or calculating cat. Has a bad reputation and a false belief that it means cold or manipulative. -gaze: When paired with a color (Ex. Reedgaze), it refers to the color of their eyes. Otherwise, it is a cat with good vision. -song: A good singer, can also be switched out with -throat. -path: A cat with a gift for mentoring. Can be switched out with -ripple. -belly: A jovial cat, or a cat who eats a lot. May refer to prefix. -bird: A good hunter in trees. -breeze: A swift, cocky, and/or brash cat. -burr: Wild/tangled fur. -bush: Fluffy. -catcher: A much rarer alternative to -whisker. -watcher: An observant cat. -ear: Refers to prefix, or a good listener. -splash: ‘Splashes’ of color. -spot: Spotted tabby, spotted markings. Can be changed with -spots. -dapple: Dappled -dust: Markings that look like dust, like speckling. -speckle: Speckling. -jaw: May refer to prefix, or rarely used for a talkative or orally skilled cat. -leap: A good jumper, or a cat unafraid of risks. -mask: Markings on face look like a mask. -mist: Intelligent or mysterious. -whisper: A very quiet, and/or secretive cat. -patch: Patch markings. -runner: A rarer alternative to -foot and -breeze/-wind -snow: Adds white. -stalk: A rarer alternative to -whisker, or more often, a sneaky cat. -stone: A cold or manipulative cat. May also mean a strong, sturdy, and/or calm cat. -strike: Rarer alternative to -claw. -talon: Alternative to -claw, usually for a cat better at attacking from above. -tuft: Extremely thick, fluffy fur, that is noticeable to extremes. -wing: Agile. ---------------------------------------------- They can make basic art using berries as temporary paints and dyes, and most are currently trying to figure out how to make it more permanent. They can make basic snares, weave barriers, make tinctures by folding herbs into leaves, drying them, and soaking them in small pools, can tie basic knots and weave vines around things, and so on. The Clans often trade the materials of their land. They even write in bark, stone, wood slabs, and pelts, in a simple scratch language. Stories are usually carved into cave walls or ancient trees, as they can be protected and well-maintained, while singular messages are often on bark and other more easily destroyed, 'cheaper' items.  Many Clans are beginning to discover that scratching into clay then letting it dry is extremely effective for preserving stories, messages, and the like. Some Clans also use feathers, flowers, animal skins, thorns, bones, and so on for decoration. Dyes, ash, and so on are also used for decoration, or even ceremonious purposes by some Clans. A rare few Clans have even developed agriculture to a point, although most of the Clans are still struggling to work it out, and some Clans have outright rejected it, claiming that the herbs their deity/StarClan gives them are enough and that they are not grass-grazers. ------------------------------------------------- Illness, Diseases, and Disorders in the Clans (W.I.P):
SlowHeart: What they call depression. Treatment is ginger and barley grass, administered twice daily with food. In particularly rough bouts, bee pollen will be collected as a booster.
Treatment for anxiety disorders (They call GAD ‘RacingHeart’, and PTSD ‘ShockHeart’): Lavender in the morning and Hops at night, after a cat is properly hydrated. Cats may be walked through special stretches.
Treatment for hallucinations (They call it SwampedHeart or MistHeart): Fish skin, eaten with meals. It is often hard to get for those without fish, so many go without treatment. Cats are often given tools to help cope with any hallucinations they may have, though.
In the Clans, illnesses like Schizophrenia, BPD, NPD, HPD, and so on haven’t been given a name, but they are treated by symptom. Medicine cat apprentices are often the ones to administer therapies, as mental illness is some of the first stuff covered. There isn’t as big of a stigma around mental illness in the Clans as in our world, either, but it’s not exactly openly talked about. ------------------------------------------------------- These Clans are far more advanced than the Clans of the canon. They are more plentiful and much more wide-spread, Clans communicating even across entire countries. They also have gaps between borders called 'The Wandering Lands', where cats of all Clans are freely allowed to traverse in order to get to outer clans. Fighting and hunting on these lands are banned. -------------------------------------------------------- Some of the Clans have domesticated birds to a point, and some train them as messengers so they can send messages to other Clans, or cats. These messages have a high risk to get intercepted though if the bird is not trained to avoid being on the ground so it is not attacked by hungry animals or cats, may go off to the wrong place, not get sent at all, or get damaged during travel. Thus, it is usually low-risk messages sent through these birds, and it is more common to send a 'runner' (A warrior who is extremely fast, agile, and has high stamina. They usually are messengers, and are excused from their warrior duties to do this task) with a message that can make sure that it doesn't get misinterpreted, damaged, or intercepted. --------------------------------------------------------- The Clans do have Calendars and dates. They divided the seasons in three moons each, although the seasons do not always arrive on the last day. Dates are written as the ___th day of the ___th moon of the (season). For example, June 20th would be the 20th day of the 3rd moon of the Green-leaf. Important dates such as holidays, the birthdays of important cats, and so on are marked dates. Holidays, of course, vary. They also count the year by how many years (four seasons long, 12 moons long of course) it has been since the 'main' Clans of their area/country (AKA the big boys on the block) began interacting.  ---------------------------------------------------------- Fresh Blood Strategies: 1. Matchmaker approach: Cats do not select their mates, and they are instead essentially match-made by the leader, or medicine cat/s, or elders, or a cat for whom that is a specific trained role. 1. A. mates in this arrangement are a monogamous arrangement that are expected to have at least one litter of kittens, but potentially more. 1. B. mates in this set-up are monogamous for a season only while they are expected to have a litter, and then are free to pursue their own interests now that they'd provided future warriors to the Clan. 2. Outside of Clan approach: Cats often have kittens with cats from outside the Clan but this is overlooked, potentially it is considered inappropriate or irrelevant to ask who the father is. 2. A. the Clan may have a specific other group of preferred non-Clan cats with whom they have an arrangement of this kind, which allows both groups to benefit from a larger selection of potential mates and prevent unwanted mixing, Ex. Avoid pet cats, for instance. 2. B. the Clan may have another specific Clan with whom they have an arrangement, due to a long-standing alliance or another reason (Ex. Desperation, don't share borders and thus never quarrel or fight, similar beliefs but unwillingness/unability to merge, ect.) and this is not considered against the Warrior Code. 3. Multi-Clan Temporary Approach: All Clans have an arrangement wherein cats can have kittens with cats from other Clans, but there are proscribed ways in which these arrangements must be conducted, such as a matchmaker, or kept 'secret' from the rest of the Clan to prevent any kind of discrimination, or only allowed one litter, and so on, and this is not considered against the Warrior Code. 3. A. cats in this set-up may not be told their father's name, only his Clan; queens might take multiple mates from that Clan, in addition to mates from her own Clan, and therefore no-one can actually know who the father is. 3. B. cats in this set-up may not actually ascribe value to fatherhood and may only recognize and count relatives through matrilineal line and therefore are not considered "half-Clan" for their parentage and would not be considered related to any cats from the other Clan. 4. Multi-Clan Long-term Exogamy Approach: All Clans have an arrangement wherein cats can have kittens with cats from other Clans but this arrangement follows a specific pattern over time, which prevents too much repetition. 4. A. this could resemble a round- ex. 1 takes toms from 2, 2 takes toms from 3, 3 takes toms from 4, and 4 takes toms from 1, until the turn of the year, where everything rotates. Ex. 1 takes toms from 4, 4 takes toms from 3, 3 takes toms from 2, and 2 takes toms from 1. 4. B. this could resemble a swap- ex. 1 sends toms to 2 and 2 sends toms to 1, 3 sends toms to 4 and 4 sends toms to 3, and then after the set time of arrangement, the Clans will only have their own kittens for two to four years, and then will swap again, but this time 1 with 3, and 2 with 4, and then repeat the pattern, finishing with 4 and 1, 2 and 3. The full cycle would take about twelve to fifteen years to complete, which is nearly double even a long-lived warrior's lifepsan. 4. C. this could resemble a belief of kinship that is taboo if in the wrong order or combination- ex. a 1Clan cat that is half 2Clan can only have kits with a 3Clan or 4Clan cat or a 1Clan cat unless those cats are also half-2Clan 5. Adopting Outsiders Into The Clan Approach: Clans fairly regularly will allow or even encourage desirable non-Clan cats to convert and join the Clan to ensure new blood in the pool. 6. Just Don't Do It Approach: Natural disinclination to reproduce with closely related individuals, which is easily recognizable by scent. --------------------------------------------------------------- StarClan cats radiate a lot of heat, since they’re, y’know, stars. This is why StarClan can’t spend too much time with living cats, and why all their prophecies and messages are vague- too much contact with living cats can inflict serious burns. It’s also why most cats can only meet with StarClan at the moonpool/stone/cave: the dark and damp environment of the caves they’re in keeps both the living and dead cool enough to commune for extended periods of time without risking injury. Outside of designated areas like this, there’s nothing protecting a living cat from the heat. Cats who talk to StarClan a lot outside the moonpool/stone/cave almost always have burn scars somewhere on their bodies, such as Firestar and Jayfeather. After The Great Battle, a lot of living cats who fought and survived walked away with burns just from the close proximity to StarClan cats, too. Heatstroke is also a common thing. Due to few cats ever seeing StarClan cats until death, kits and apprentices are often told stories of their dead warrior ancestors being made of white hot fire, as bright as the sun and stars itself, and their heat would singe the fur of those that approached them. The intensity of StarClan’s heat fades with the cat’s memory, and vice versa. Iconic or memorable cats can cause physical harm to a living cat by burning them if they are not careful. --------------------------------------------------------------- As a leader loses their 9 lives, those lost lives wander StarClan as a transparent ghost who’s unaware of their surroundings. These ghosts have a misty effect to them, and tend to be VERY colorful, like a nebula cloud. Each life will hold part of the personality of the leader, or will represent what the life was given for (Ex. If the life was for patience, the cat would be very patient). ---------------------------------------------------------------- These cats are different from regular cats in a few ways. First off, I’m allowing them to do human motions like shrug, sing, roll their eyes, ‘dance’ (not like humans of course, but graceful movements in a circle on all fours would count), scoff, and so on. Second, they have somewhat opposable thumbs, originated from evolved dewclaws. Third, they can be semi-bipedal, at TIMES. They can balance on their hind legs while standing, like a squirrel. They can also chuck objects as a result. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Blind cats usually train using their senses alone, but some use it like bats, loudly yowling and detecting the sound bouncing off objects. They may also use their whiskers, being able to sense the smallest air disturbance near them. They often spend much more time than other cats getting to know the territory, as they have to memorize every inch of it when moving swiftly, or walk extremely slowly while constantly pawing the ground in front of them. They often crouch closer to the ground than most cats, as they may use their whiskers and nose to feel the way when in unfamiliar or unmemorized areas. Their Clanmates often help by trying to make sure that camp stays as consistent as possible, and warning them of any changes, then letting them get used to camp again. Those who don’t know of the cat's blindness are often confused and scared, and may suspect illness. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Trans cats transition by using herbs to hide their scent. They are also encouraged to sleep next to Clanmates of the gender they wish to transition to (Ex. a Female to Male would sleep next to their tom Clanmates) in order to gain their scent. They may also change their name to a more feminine or masculine one, and will reinforce their pronouns with Clanmates and those who know them. Usually, the fact that the cat is trans isn’t shared with outsiders, newcomers, or cats who were born after their transition, as there is no reason to. In fact, some elders are trans without most knowing. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Work in Progress, more to be added.