Cats of the Valley

A new surprise! The newest Gathering has revealed Aspenfrost and her Collectors attempting to act like a Clan- for what reason remains unclear.

A quiet night is shattered as the once-MeadowClanner gives a dark tale about the birds that have been haunting the Valley. This has all happened before- but something is very, very wrong.

"Well then, if no one else is gonna start," Aspenfrost meowed, standing tall on her chair. A thin line of blood went down her muzzle from Antlerstar's whack. "It's not exactly a small walk home, you know."

Brown growled low in her throat.

"No need to thank me, dear," she said with a smile. "We've come tonight in peace. I know you lot area bit leery of us, so I'm here to give you something very special."

Your surrender? Antlerstar signed.

"Your head?" Brown prompted.

"Information," Aspenfrost replied. "You Clan cats all go around thinking you're better than the riffraff of the Twolegplace. But here's what you don't get. The average kittypet lives longer than your oldest elder. They know stories about the Clans that have been wiped from your history."

She curled her tail around her paws. "And they've got one hell of a story about a flock of crows."

"It's said they came so many seasons ago, some of the trees were still lil' acorns. A chilly summer heralding more crows than mice in the forest. Odd types, y'see. Didn't caw, didn't fight for space or nothing. Just… sat along the electric whiskers. Seemed a lil' too big fer crows, but they sure as shit weren't ravens."

She licked a paw and drew it over her ear, reveling in the attention.

"That Leaf-fall, all the birds cleared out. All the birds 'sides the crows, I mean. And when Leaf-bare came, it was the worst snows any townie had ever seen. Big monsters tried to give little monsters their Thunderpaths back, but it would choke back up in days. Loners and rogues froze to death long 'fore they could consider starving." She chuckled mirthlessly. "Can you imagine freezing to death? Buncha sissies."

"Lemme guess," Brown grunted, but her voice was wobbly. "The crows just sat and watched?"

Aspenfrost smiled. "At first. 'Till they fell off the wires. One of the housecats I spoke to said that they was rotten from the inside out. It was impossible to say how long they'd been dead. One touch and they withered away like burnt weeds. So, if ask me…"

She slowly swung her head down to gesture towards Pecanstorm, currently rooted in his spot.

"Whatever those things are, he just made them more powerful. And now they're mad."

All Roles and Clans (alongside the Collective) are open!!!

I am honored to announce the kitties I will be playing in @theseventrumpets' upcoming RP! Meet Derechothroat, Coalmask, Turnstone, and Waxwick! (Picrew here!)

A Joker touched by the Epidemic, Derechothroat is a sturdy lady with a no-nonsense attitude and a lot of love in her heart. A lifetime of being outcasted has left one hell of an inferiority complex in her.

A pretender with a heart of gold, Coalmask has spent most of his life trying to make everyone happy, even at the cost of himself. Half-Pale, Half-Red, all he wants is good friends, good food, and a good life.

Turnstone, a lost Searcher desperately looking for her kit, spends her time helping train -pips or telling kits stories. It's hard to know, exactly, when she'll appear. But be careful- her temper is as hot as her flames.

(Credit: https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/6-key-behaviours-that-reveal-the-wild-ancestry-of-your-cat/)

Every Clan has a special helper role! It’s a cog in the machine, a special place in the hearts of your Clanmates, and a new place in the heart of the valley! But each role has a price- it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it.

The heart of MeadowClan is its strong connection to StarClan, and its soul is the Prayer. Prayers are the strange mix of Medics and regular warriors- they lack a strong bond to medicine, but StarClan is just as likely to speak through them as a normal Medic. They are not oracles- they know the same as any Medic, and are allowed to stand in on important meetings between Medics and others, but continue to work as a warrior in their day-to-day. Like Medics, Prayers cannot take a mate, but they are allowed to have kits. It’s like having a half-a-paw boost on the steps of Clan rank.

BurrowClan is strong and built on found family. There are Hunters, who bring the family food, and Diggers, who make bigger and better homes for them. And then there are Soldiers. Soldiers are cats of strong will and heart who will, in times of great need, become “activated” and take on both Digging and Hunting work. Soldiers will also patrol the border solo, and there are whispers of them being solo infiltrators to spy on other camps. A notable Soldier is Brown, though she is now Inactive. When Soldiers are Inactive, they return to their original role. Soldiers are not allowed to discuss their Active work with others.

TreeClan is traditional and proud. Their Scouts are no secret. Spindly cats will go far from TreeClan territory in order to find better trees and land for them to hunt in, darting from tree to tree in their efforts to avoid overhunting. Scouts are independent and strong, and for great reason- Scouts, who learn to live and hunt on the ground in order to travel barren lands, are not allowed to nest in TreeClan’s camp. They may come and go, or sleep nearby, but they aren’t able to return home.

Fierce and adaptive, WildClan needs to keep a close eye on the herds that graze their land, and for that there are Shepherds. Shepherds are the protectors of the deer, keeping them safe from harm and bringing the sick grass to eat. The work is hard and laborious, which is why each Shepherd is only given one herd to track. They spend three seasons out of the year living with the deer, only to leave in Leaf-Bare. It is strictly against the law of WildClan for Shepherds to hunt or eat the animals they care for, meaning they suffer harshest during the cold times.

Alongside Clan specific titles, each Clan has room for Kings and Royalty. Kings are the caregivers of their Clan- the ones who take the most care of their camp and cats- and Royalty (or Queens, if you prefer the gendered term) are those who decide to stay permanently in the Nursery and help care for the kits exclusively.

All Roles and Clans (alongside the Collective) are open!!!

The Clans have gathered, and the Clans have scattered.

The first Gathering of the four leaders proved to be quite the interesting debacle when a Murder of crows descended down and chased the cats away. With multiple cats wounded and others scattered to the winds, the Valley needs warriors more than ever.

Sure!!! Time is fluid so no worries about that, but here's the rules so far:

We respect pronouns and identities here. Accidents happen, but if you are found to be purposefully misgendering or otherwise being LGBT+phobic you will be automatically banned.

No NSFW chats. You know what I mean.

Mentor-apprentice relationships are banned on a play-by-play basis. We will allow them ON THE CONDITION that they are portrayed as predatory, and you properly tag and spoiler the things you do. We'll need a full explanation of what you intend to do and why. That's not a love story- that's grooming.

Sometimes cats die. It's just life. But we will always get permission first before doing anything lethal to your character- and, in return, we ask you give us heads up if you want them vibe checked.

Please tag your post with the character you're playing- it doesn't have to be overly elaborate, it's just easier to remember who goes where with a simple "Name | Pronouns | Clan and Rank"

In each Clan you will find a specific chat- just-diggin-things, meadows-whispers, just-hangin-around, and wild-waterin-hole. Those are chats designed for you to interact with fellow Clanmates to plot next moves against other Clans. Consider it a strategy channel. (Note: they're mostly meme channels now lol)

If you have suggestions or character concepts you wish to discuss, please send us a ticket or go to the suggestions channel. We're not going to turn you away!

If you can't reply to important threads in a timely manner, please tell us. You don't have to specify if you aren't comfortable with that. We're happy to wait for you to come back.

Time is fluid here! We don't require due dates on stuff

We will let you know when/if your cat is accepted, in which case you may add them to your Clan's submissison channel!

Angst is great, when angst has a purpose. Reflect on that as you make your characters

Please use threads. It makes it much easier to find old RPs and for you to read them!

Godmodding isn't allowed.

You can have up to three cats at a time, but that will likely grow!

Please send us notice if you need a hiatus of longer than a day or two- just so we know you're okay

Let us know if you want your character seriously hurt or dead

Even in a world turned upside down, life must go on. Four new cats have stepped forward to lead- rebellious TreeClanner Fireflystar, fiery WildClan leader Elkstar, tired BurrowClan molly Brown, and skittish MeadowClan’s Hollowstar. Sharing a leadership ceremony, the new leaders have less answers than when they started, and are left in a strange limbo.

With Aspenfrost lurking in the shadows and a strange being followed by fireflies and summer, the Clans need more protection, and the Collective is always chomping at the bit for kin. Applications are OPEN!