World Building - Clan History & Beliefs
In this AU, the clans have been around for centuries. Part of this is because I thought it was odd that the cats didn't have an idea of where the clans came from. I do understand that cats have much shorter lifetimes, so I thought a few centuries was enough for the Tribe to be completely erased from spoken history.
----Crude Timeline---
- ~1500 - The Ancients left the lake around due to a several-year drought in the area.
- ~1500-1750 - The Ancients settled in the mountains.
- ~1750 - Clear Sky's group leaves for the forest territories.
- ~1755 - Approximate founding of the original 5 clans.
- 2003 - Rusty's first adventure into Thunderclan territory.
- 2007 - Forest is being destroyed. Clans move to the Lake Territories.
- 2010 - The Power of Three Prophecy comes about & Lion, Holly, and Jay are born
- 2015 - Dark Forest attack.
My stories do not take place on a specific continent. The original books were roughly based in Europe but I've decided to expand on that for lore purposes.
It's not necessarily like this crazy far out place, but just kind of... any random forest/lake/mountain range/beach.
-The clans worship Starclan, the clan amongst the stars. They are seen in Silverpelt, where the stars are said to represent each of the fallen warriors in their ranks. Starclan is not exactly exclusive, but there is no guarantee you will go there upon death.
-Starclan can excuse a few breaks of the more minor codes, but those who commit true atrocities are not welcomed in the endless hunting grounds. If you were a good cat in life and followed the code to the best of your ability, then the warriors of Starclan will welcome you with open paws.
-There is always food, water, and shelter. You will be able to interact with all fallen warriors that reside within Starclan.
-This is not the only ancestral group that walks the skies. There is also:
- The Twilight Fields - The place where Kittypets roam after death, should they be considered good. It's said to be a large field filled with the softest grass with an eternally evening sky. There is always food, water, and shelter. You will always be able to find whoever it is you're looking for as long as they are in the fields too.
- The Place of No Stars - Colloquially known as the 'Dark Forest', this is the place where clan cats who are not accepted into Starclan go. This is where the true monsters lurk in the shadows. They are doomed to eternally suffer the punishments for their crime in life. This punishment often relates to their crimes.
- The Tribe of Endless Hunting - The Tribe of Rushing Water's equivalent of Starclan. However, they select the next leader of the Tribe.
The Ancients
- Upon death, the Ancients went to what is now known as Tribe of Endless Hunting.
- Jayflight, Lionblaze, and Dovesong are the only cats with any detailed recollection of the Ancients as they are reincarnations of Jay's Wing, Lion's Roar, and Dove's Wing respectively.
- The Tribe of Rushing water does have some recollection of the Ancients, but it's very vague. More ideas of who they were rather than who they actually were.
- Their 'warriors' were called Sharpclaws and their 'apprentices' were called Softpaws. In order to become a Sharpclaws, Softpaws would traverse the tunnels beneath the lake territories and find their way out.
The Tribe of Rushing Water
- Go to the Tribe of Endless Hunting upon death.
- Their leader is called the Teller of the Pointed Stones, aka Stoneteller. They are akin to a seer; seeing visions and healing their tribemates.
- Their 'warriors' are split into Cave-Guards and Prey-Hunters based on their physical characteristics. Lean and swift-looking cats are Prey-Hunters while stocky and strong are Cave-Guards.