#rivercolony

Orangebrook 

-River Colony Herbalist

Kitten: Silverblaze

Mate: Blazeheart

A change in a Path is not something most cats as old as Orangebrook do, but when your Captain says it’s where you are needed…It’s impossible to argue. 

Orangebrook curses himself for not listening to his mate, Blazeheart, closer when she would talk about her herb stores. And now she was with the Spirits and Orangebrook had no one to ask. 

He would grumble about his predicament more but really, what good would it do? The job needs doing, regardless if he is any good at it. He’s been able to get a few scant, precious tips from the other Colony’s Herbalists, but there’s still herbs Orangebrook isn’t sure about. How long do they last? What is the best way to apply them? It’s enough to give an older guy like him a headache.

At least Orangebrook understands enough about how to stop a wound. Any cat can at least do that. He’s pretty good at telling cats to get some extra rest as well. Nothing a little rest can’t usually help. And he’s been alive long enough to know a few things about helping a pregnant mother with her kitting. 

Some of the thumbnail storyboards from yesterday's stream! Read the script below the cut!

Family - Skyfeather and Eagledive (parents), Talon (brother)

Falcon is the master of the smolder, his smile melting even the cold heart of Frozen, to his amusement and her annoyance. He loves competition and uses his charming personality to strike up various races and sparring matches with other New-claws. He spends most of his time thinking about training and besting the other New-Claws. He doesn’t realize how his words can sting others’ egos and hurt feelings all around, causing conflict for everyone, even his own brother. He loves his brother and tries to help Talon catch up when he is behind in training, but Falcon can’t stop the others from bullying Talon all the time. Talon needs to learn to stand up for himself!

Keepers and Herbalists

Keepers in River Colony have a long tradition of creating beautiful stone patterns in the sand, decorating dens with shells, and telling stories to kittens of the Alliance’s history and legends. They made River Colony’s base one of the prettiest locations around the lake, with Mangrooves surrounding the outer side of the river and lovely hibiscus flowers blooming around the base.

These traditions have come under fire since Rainfall’s took over the Colony. Many of the Keepers' roles were deemed frivolous and a waste of time. Why look to the past when they should all be focusing on their glorious future? That’s what the Spirits Beyond would want for the Spirits to Come. So now the only task of value that the Keepers perform is looking after the Colony’s kittens and teaching them to swim as soon as possible so that they can get started on their Field Training, but they have failed to meet even those most basic expectations. 

Numerous kittens have drowned under the so-called “caring and watchful” eyes of the Keepers. Rainfall has called out the Keepers' incompetence and many can see how the Captain disdains them. Only Rangers seeking to reap Rainfall’s ire would think of becoming a Keeper in River Colony now.

Mentors and New-Claws

River Colony is near to bursting with New-Claws in need of training! Good thing there is a large and robust group of Mentors to see to the task! It is typically the job of the Mentors to have a wide wealth of knowledge concerning all subjects an adult cat needs to know to be a good Ranger: Hunting techniques, best places to scout for materials, watching the weather, battle techniques, and so on. And these Mentors pass that information among each other so that knowledge isn’t lost. Cooperation between Mentors is key.

The Mentors of the River-lands have had their share of disagreements, however. Rapidsnap being the eldest Mentor has the most knowledge and authority, but she has been swayed by Rainfall’s opinion that training should be happening quicker and with more emphasis on obedience, personal responsibility, and results. Ferneyes, Cherryrill, Mistyclaw, and Swiftmask have little choice but to follow her lead, but with the amount of New-Claws to train, the result of this has been a young generation of cats that are rowdy and all fighting each other to be the best.

Rangers

The Rangers of River-lands are the backbone of the Colony. Rainfall is proud of her Rangers above all other Career Paths. While every role in the colonies is important, everyone knows that it’s the Rangers who truly make the Colony strong! They do the majority of the hunting, the patrolling, protecting, and even more importantly, they are the task force who will make the Alliance submit to Rainfall’s eventual reign over all. 

Good Rangers also know how to follow orders and keep their opinions to themselves. They just need to trust Rainfall and her Council to do what’s best for the whole Colony. This has created a state where every Ranger thinks carefully about what they say and who they say it to.

Rainfall’s Council

A council is meant to represent the will of the colony. Composed of Elders, Envoys and the Second, this mix of voices and opposing positions is meant to fulfill the needs of all instead of letting the Captain hold absolute sway in any given decision. But these systems can be manipulated and abused…

River Colony’s Council has been carefully curated to a single vision: Rainfall’s. Iceclaw, Pineclaw, and Frozenpool have absolute loyalty to Rainfall, so even if Creekbend voices dissent, he is outvoted every time. Rainfall does hope to expand the Council gradually, but she has to be absolutely certain of a cat’s loyalties before anyone has a chance of becoming an Envoy. 

River Colony Family Tree-Shifting Roots