#peakclan

StarClan Place: MOONFALLS and MOONCAVERN

A waterfall that flows from a steep cliff into a pool below, Moonfalls is provides the Valley Clans with all of their water sources, which is important to them both territorially and culturally. Just behind the falls is a deep cavern filled with colorful bioluminescent flowers, fungi, and moss that give the falls an eerie backlight at night, especially under the light of the moon. The cave, called Mooncavern, is where medicine cats go to share with StarClan and leaders go to recieve their nine lives. All apprentices are required to make a pilgrimage to this location prior to taking their warrior assessment.

Gathering Spot: LIGHTNING TREE ISLAND

A bit of land carved out by the Valley’s streams and equally accessible to all four Clans, Lightning Tree Island is relatively barren save for soft grasses and sand, some stones and the huge burnt tree that rests a top a hill. The tree, seemingly hit by lightning many seasons ago sometimes releases drops of condensation, giving the appearance of glittering stars in the branches under the full moon. Leaders sit in a high up hollow in the tree and address the Clans below, while deputies sit upon the roots, and medicine cats just at the base of the tree. If StarClan disagrees with happenings at the Gathering, cloudcover over the moon prevents the condensation from sparkling and the Gathering must disperse.

MEADOWCLAN (blue)

MeadowClan makes its home among the rolling hills and fields at the foothills of the mountains. These fields, though very exposed and somewhat vulnerable to the elements, are prey rich and abundant with floral and plant life that are tall and provide the warriors with cover and protection while hunting or patrolling. The Flower Fields are home to lots of mice, which make up MeadowClan’s main source of prey, but skilled hunters frequently venture into the Tallgrass in search of rabbits, snakes, and landbirds, and in particularly desperate times, others may try their luck near the Wooded Pond hunting squirrels or fish, or even venture into Horesplace in search of chickens or rats. Apprentices train in a sandy hollow in the hills, and warriors can often be seen keeping watch of the territory (or sunning themselves) on the large rocks and high hills around the territory, trying to keep the Clan safe from hawks, badgers and foxes, which pose the greatest threat to the cats.

The camp is located in a dip in the hills under the shelter of an unusually large dogwood tree and surrounded by thorny blackberry bushes. Soft grasses flattened by the paws of many warriors cover the camp floor which are frequently littered with flowers both from the bushes and the tree. The leaders den is located in a carved out hollow in the bank behind the roots of the dogwood tree, and the Leader addresses the Clan from atop the roots. The medicine den can be found beneath a stony overhang in the dip of the hills, sheltered from the elements and near the butterfly bush that houses the elders. Warriors make their nests in the bramble bushes that protect the came, and their apprentices reside in the tangles of tall grass just inside the camp. Queens and their kits live in the safe tunnels of an abandoned badger set. MeadowClan has an eye for beauty and often decorates their camp, dens, and each other with flowers and berries.

THICKETCLAN (green)

ThicketClan is located in a densely wooded piece of land with plenty of treecover and undergrowth and the leaf litter underpaw warrants that warriors need to learn to stalk prey and move quietly through the woods as they hunt and patrol. ThicketClan cats usually hunt squirrels, birds, and mice, among the forest floor, and among the trees which ThicketClan cats learn from an early age to climb, sometimes even managing to come across eggs in bird nests, or nests of baby animals in the treetops. The forest has succumb to forest fires a couple times leaving a few areas of the forest burned and ashen, and shockingly good for finding and growing medicinal herbs. The territory also borders a Twoleg Camp, which needs to be monitored, as many cats have been taken from that area, and especially since apprentices train in the nearby fern glade, and the Twoleg rubbish tends to attract bears.

The camp is found in a dense hollow in the woodland trees, and protected by thick undergrowth and ferns. The cats like to sleep in the trees, and in fact, most dens are located in them. The leaders den is in the hollow of a large oak, and they give addresses from a long branch above. The medicine den is located in a clump of ferns in the shelter of a large stump, and warriors sleep in a hollow log. Apprentices sleep under the roots of a tree, and frequently clear the elders den of moss, located in a hollow stump, While queens and kits stay sheltered in ferns surrounding an uprooted tree. because so much of Clan life revolves around the trees, the ThicketClan cats have a deep respect for them and the trees that houses the leader’s den bears the clawmarks of each newly named warrior, the only instance of tree scratching allowed in the camp.

SWAMPCLAN (red)

SwampClan lives in a dense, foggy marshland that seems to get very little direct sunlight giving it a particularly dark feel. For this reason, prey tends to run at most hours of the day, dark or light. As a result of the darkness in the marsh, warriors are adept at maneuvering at night, and in fact much of clan activity is conducted after dark. Because of the marshy terrain, most of the prey in SwampClan is caught in the streams and ponds throughout the territory. The cats tend to eat fish, snakes, frogs, and young waterfowl. SwampClan cats are strong swimmers, and after trudging across muddy territory, many of them appreciate the cleansing effect of a good swim. Apprentices often times on their first day out of camp are expected to swim to their training ground, a muddy hollow in the marsh. As expected, their territory can be quite treacherous, and that cats must be wary of gators, owls, venomous snakes, and the Twolegs that come to fish at the Halfbridge at the edge of their territory.

SwampClan camp was made in the remains of an old lake, dried up by an abandoned beaver damn where the leader has their nest and on top of which Clan addresses are given. The soft sand floor of the clearing is ideal for kits who, once leaving the reed cluster that makes up the the nursery, play in the sand, and learn to swim in shallow dug out pools filled with groundwater. Warriors reside in a den situated under a thick low hanging willow, and apprentices live among a clump of cattails. The medicine cats have a shallow den dug out of the walls of the clearing and it is shielded by a lichen covered log that also serves as the exit from the camp. The elders live safely beneath a cluster of large stones and benefit from the warmth emitted from the rock. The clan values strength, and he bones of large and impressive catches are picked clean and displayed around the edges of the camp.

PEAKCLAN (yellow)

PeakClan cats roam the higher ridges of the stony cliffs of the mountainside. Due to the higher elevation, the cats have significantly less plant life in their territory, and experience slightly harsher, chillier climate than do the rest of the Clans. The rocky outcrops and steep, rolling hills are not home to a variety of prey, so the diet in PeakClan tends to consist of hares, rock dwelling rodents, and large birds that the cats work in large hunting parties to take down. occasionally the cats come across carcasses of animals such as deer or salmon, that can be stripped of meat and taken back to feed the Clan. Because there are so many cliffs and drops, cats must be aware and careful, not to mention skilled at jumping and climbing; apprentices are trained to do this on a large grassy landing, one of the safest places in the territory. Medicine cats in this clan have their work cut out for them, since falls are common, as are large predators like eagles, and wolves, not to mention the large, loud monster that runs along the Silver Thunderpath.