The Cats Organization in The Offenders' Neighborhood | World Anvil

The Cats

The Cat's Claws, also called the Cats, are the newest addition to the Offenders' Neighborhood. They are known for their seemingly harsh rules and high expectations for their children. Many neighborhood families see the Cats as too strict, while the Cats perceive the other families as being too lenient.

The Cats divide themselves into five families: The Lions, The Tigers, The Lynxes, The Calicoes, and The Cheetahs. Each of them are trained and taught to perform certain roles in a "criminal team". Each family has a certain set of rules and expectations the children need to follow and live up to in order to be proper criminals in the family.

 

The Families

The Lions

As a leader, you are always leading, always setting an example. You must lead with respect and assurance. When you forget that, you fail as a leader and you fail your team.
-- Ethan Brown, the Greatest Primarius Lion

 
Who They Are

The Lions are the leaders of the Cats. They are the ones that make or break the team. It is up to the leader to make sure the team stays together and follows through with the assignment and succeeds in their mission. If the mission fails the Lion is to blame.

 
What They Do

From a young age, every Lion is immediately taught how to lead and how to strategize. In the Lion family denying one is a leader would be a foolish idea, and a thought that should never enter into a young Lion's brain. Being a leader is seen as a gift, a blessing. Yes, it is difficult. Yes, it is a challenge, but leading is a gift that should not be wasted. However, there are some Lions who have thought of leading as a curse. They tell their fellow Lions that they do not believe they are cut out to be a leader, and are consequently kicked out of the family. If you do not claim to be a leader, then you will not be treated as one.

  Along with leading and being taught to lead, Lions are strategists. One of the things they are taught is the ability to think on their feet. If something were to go wrong on a mission the leader must have the ability to quickly think up another plan, and assign the roles for the new plan according to the abilites of the people on his team. However, a Lion not only needs to think quickly, but independently. They must make snap decisions and not be influenced by their personal biases or any outside influence.

  Additional Abilities Being the leaders of the family and the team, the Lions are given extra responsibilities and roles. One is the ability to ex-com someone before The Exams. The next is choosing their teammates after The Exams.

  Put simply if someone in the family has shown Criminal Incompetence several times The Lions have the power to ex-com them before The Exams. This is usually held to a vote if it is from a different family (eg. the Lynxes). If it is someone from The Lions then it is up to the Primarius Lion. (Please note, this is an overview and this process generally takes two-three weeks to determine if someone is Criminally Incompetent.)

  The second ability is Lions can determine who their teammates are after The Exams, if they are still the designated leader*. However, this ability is rarely used because, 1) the other options for teammates are usually taken, 2) if the other options are not taken they usually have yet to take the tests, and 3) there is no gaurantee they will still be the leader in their new team.

  *Note: the "designated leader" stops the team from becoming a tyranical dictatorship. If every single teammate wishes to "dispose" of their leader, they can through a fairly long series of processes.

  Although these additional abilites are not commonly used they are still a staple of the Lion family.  
How They Do It

Although the Lions are a prideful family and have many high expectations for their children, they understand that one cannot lead without followers. Because of this, Lions are one of the few Cats that have what might be referred to as a moral code.

  When a Lion is about three or four, they are taught about the sacredness of a promise and how they can never break it. The moment the words "I promise" are spoken or thought that promise must be fulfilled. As a Lion breaking a promise is almost as bad as declaring one is not a leader.

  A second thing unique about the Lion family is their official hierarchy. The Lions have three main ranks: The Primarius Lion, the Secondarius Lion, and the Tetrarius Lion (with "Lion" sometimes omitted.) The Primarius Lion is the leader and is usually the oldest, but that can change if the oldest steps down or is in some way incapable of leading The Lions and the Cats correctly, which can include becoming physically disabled, becoming too old, or becoming unable to run missions and lead by example. The Secondarius Lion is the the "assistant leader" and is sometimes more capable of leading than the Primarius Lion. The Tetrarius Lion is simply the third highest rank, and has generally no real authority in the Lion household besides his age.

 
Why They Do It

The Lions lead their criminal teams not simply because they believe leading is a gift that they must use. If they simply thought that they would lead missions to the moon, command legions of soldiers into war, or organize large charity associations. The First Lion is claimed to have said, "I lead not just for one man [himself]. I lead not just for the sake of my pride.... I lead, and I only lead, to do what is best for my team and for my family. And if that means robbing banks or stealing candy from babies, I am willing to do it."

  Every Lion since then has stated in their "graduation speech" for why they have decided to follow the criminal way. Whether it be for the fun of it, or because they believe what they are doing is right, all of them come back to doing it for their family, for their safety and protection. Lions, for all their of their pride and stubborn insistance on being the leader, they can be quite noble.

The Tigers

We punch. We kick. We fight. We listen. And we obey. Most importantly, we never give in.
-- Brandon Brown, The First "Brown" Tiger

 
Who They Are

The Tigers are characterized by brute strength. They train daily and are almost always on a diet to stay in tip-top shape. Many have their own personalized work-out schedule and routine and have worked extremely hard to reach the excellent physical conditon they are in. However, Tigers are not just good at hitting harder. They are the Lions Right Hand Man.

 
What They Do

Known for their ability to kick down walls and beat up innocent security guards, the Tigers lean towards the more physical aspect of the criminal team. From a young age they are often trained in basic self-defense, have lessons in gymnastics, and take part in various sports. Eventually getting taught various martial arts and a mix of defensive and offensive fighting moves.

  But perhaps more importantly The Tigers are the Lions support. They listen, obey, and complete the commands of a Lion. However, because of this duty the Tigers can be seen as rule followers, but without the Tiger the team is apt to fall apart. The Tiger helps enforce the commands of the Lion, makes sure the rest of the teammates know what they are doing, and speaks to the Lion about any concerns a teammate may have. The Tigers main role is not being stronger than the rest of the team, but helping the Lion and being ready to assist him.  
How They Do It

Tigers take their roles as the "hard-hitter" seriously. When a Tiger is about 13-15 they must develop their own personal work-out schedule and routine. Many of them still use the same or similar routine throughout their life. Due to the incredibly rigorous workout routines, many Tiger's are soon taught perseverance and patience. They are taught that results come over time, and never all at once.

  When it comes to assisting the Lion, a Tiger is first taught to pay attention whether it be to the Lion, the teammates, the rules, or anything else happening. Since The Lion obviously cannot do everything, he does not necessarily have the time for petty arguments teammates may be having. The Tiger must be then ready to assist and be the peacekeeper. Another thing a Tiger must do is take the Lion's place if he is ever out of commision and cannot lead. A Tiger must always be ready to step up and lead, and always prepared to step down and help.

  The last thing about the Tiger family is that they are very independent people. Many of them learn to do things on their own. Work out routines, assisting the Lion, helping the team come together is all self-taught. An older Tiger will very rarely help a younger Tiger. This leads to many Tigers leaving the family or getting ex-commed. Without any guidance some Tigers don't quite know what to do.

 
Why They Do It

It seems only the Tigers who know what they want make it in this family. And that is true. Tigers grow up in an isolated world. By the age of ten they are taught every lesson they will ever need to know to survive in this family. Most Tigers stays for one of two reasons 1) "It's all I have ever known" or 2) "Why would I want to be a 'good person'? Nothing good happens to them."

  "If you know what you want in life, you're bound to get it." One of the strongest Tigers said, "If you don't know what you want, you'll wander around, stupidly trying to find it. I know what I want. I know what I am. So, why would I change?"

The Lynxes

Just because we tend to like computers and technology more than people does not mean we are anti-social. It just means computers are easier to talk to than people.
-- Hidalgo DeFerrari, the Fastest Lynx

 
Who They Are

Lynxes hack. They get into the security, the laptops, the phones, and whatever else is necessarily for the mission. Not only do they hack, but also they plan the best route for getting the team in and out of the hit house.  
What They Do

Lynxes are known for one of two things encyclopedic knowledge and hacking. The latter is something every Lynx must be capable of. They are aslo excellent researchers and are encouraged to look up various things that interest them. They are taught various subjects once their intense training years are over. Many of those subjects include how to disarm a bomb, pick any lock, or drug a security guard.

  Although hacking and doing research are the two popular roles that a Lynx does, a lesser known and less glorious one, is choosing the route. If the mission involves retrieving something, a path must be taken. It is the Lynxes job to find the safest and most efficient path through the building and fill the Lion in on where the team must go.

 
How They Do It

Lynxes are a unique family. They are one of the harshest, yet the most "moral". A Lynx lives a tough life with information constantly being pounded into their head and high expecations and responsibilities weighing on them. However, there is one small saving grace. A Moral Code. The Lynxes Moral Code must never be disobeyed. A Lynx disobeying this would be akin to a Lion declaring himself a follower.

  Another unique thing about the Lynxes is their rewards. Lynxes have titles. Once a Lynx has officially passed The Exams are they given a title. This title is an honor to have and is something thought about quite extensively by the members of the Lynx family. Although it may seem silly to an Outsider, this title is extremely precious to a Lynx. This title represents how they present themselves and how their family sees them.

 
Why They Do It

Lynxes seem like a simple family. They hack and do research, occasionally picking out a route, but like all families are quite complicated. Many Lynxes stay for a variety of reasons whether it be because they are scared to go out into the world, they feel their gifts would be wasted in the "real world", or they simply enjoy the criminal life.

  But whatever the reason, Lynxes stay because they choose to. "I do what I do, because that is what I choose to do. I do it for me, and me alone."

The Calicoes

We push ourselves to be better because we are. We force ourselves to work harder, because we should. We become the best, because we are.
-- Blakely Feyman, one of the five Infamous Calicoes

 
Who They Are

The Calicoes are the strange family in the Cats. They are essentially “back-up” Tigers, leaning more towards espionage and kidnapping. If The Tigers are boxers, The Calicoes are dancers, light on their feet, yet strong.

 
What They Do

Calicoes are known for several things walking silently, being extremely flexible, their kidnapping and reconnaissance skills. Since Calicoes seem to have a natural affinity to acting, they are typically the go-to teammate for a long con. They are also well-versed in psychology, where they use this knowledge to gather intel about a person, when inspecting their room or house.

 
How They Do It

The Calicoes are extremely serious in their child’s criminal training, more so than the other families, and being the strictest family, they tolerate no failure and are always pushing their child to train harder. From a young age, a Calico's motor skills are trained to pick pockets, steal without anyone noticing, and to use slight of hand.

  The Calicoes goes through rigorous physical training, not unlike The Tigers. The children are trained in dance and gymnastics along with decades of family secrets. Once a Calico has passed The Exams they not usually encouraged to try other things after they have passed The Exams. Instead they are told to hone their skills. However, most of the time Calicoes go on to do solo work or become floaters, drifting from team to team, helping out where they can.

  Every Calico is taught to be the best, to be better than the best. They are told that simply trying does nothing. It only gets you failure. The Exams are a huge steeping stone in a Calico's life. To them it determines their worth and value. "To win is to succeed. And to lose is to fail." Calicoes are talented, because they'd feel worthless if they weren't.

 
Why They Do It

Calicoes are typically passionate and stubborn people. They are independent thinkers and tend to live this way of life, because the "real world" would never accept them. They are too competitive, too over dramatic, and just too much.

  In the "real world" they believe that they could not be themselves; they would not be allowed to be who they are. "The world will not accept us. So, we will not accept the world."

The Cheetahs

We're not useless. Not just any regular person can drive a van like an Indy car. Not just any person can study traffic patterns. It takes skill to do what we do. And a humble heart not to boast too much about it. Gosh, no wonder the family thinks we're useless. We never tell 'em what we do.
-- Unknown Cheetah

 
Who They Are

Cheetahs are the getaway drivers. The Cheetahs are also responsible for getting the team to the Hit House and/or Drop Place. They are well versed in everything involving cars, roads, and laws of the road.

 
What They Do

Cheetah pick the best route, the time to go and leave for the assigned mission. Many prep for this and study the streets and traffic patterns of the nearby area. Before the mission they are in charge of getting all the equipment needed into the getaway car, as well as making sure there are no bugs on the car before and after the mission.

  However, Cheetahs are much more than just a getaway driver, they are excellent speakers. They, along with being taught traffic patterns, the ins and outs of cars, the rules of the road, are taught how to speak, which comes in handy in case they ever need to explain themselves to a cop or weasle their way out of a tight situation.

 
How They Do It

The Cheetahs family has a rather loose set of rules, because of this many Cheetahs are thought to be "soft" or "not cut out." But The Cheetahs have an initiative before The Exams. Usually this is performed without them knowing, and follows along the lines of hot wiring a car, driving a car as if being chased, and stealing something. Only if all of these conditions are met is the pre-test passed. If someone is not able to complete the test, there will be even more pressure to complete The Exams. There is, however, a small chance that they will get ex-commed, but several things need to take place before something like that happens.

  An interesting thing about the Cheetah family is they do not always stay getaway drivers. Many will usually only be the getaway driver until after The Exams. Once The Exams are finished The Cheetah is free to explore whatever interests they have, to hopefully determine what other role they could fill. However, the final decision is up to their The Leader/Lion.

 
Why They Do It

Cheetahs are given a freedom many other Cat families do not give. It is because of this freedom many Cheetahs stay in the Cats family. They feel they would never be free to pursue what their heart desires in in the "real world."

  "It's not necessarily about the crime," one of the mid-gen Cheetahs said, "It's about the freedom of choice we have. The ability to stomp on the gas and go. And never stop."

Type
Family
Alternative Names
Cats Claws
Training Level
Elite
Veterancy Level
Veteran
Related Traditions
Controlled Territories

Articles under The Cats


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Author's Notes

This is the longest article in this world so far. And it took be so long to write and figure out how to arrange. Hopefully you guys like it. There's a lot of info in this thing, and I hope it all comes out well, and not super overwhelming. Tell me if there's anything that could be improved.


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