Nursery Tales

Nursery Tales are a collection of stories queens, fathers, or even elders may tell the youngest members of the clans to keep them occupied. Nursery Tales are usually used to help warrant kits away from misbehaving, teaching them the lore of the clans, and even helping them gain faith in Starclan. Kits are usually very excited about these stories while younger, though less likely to listen as they become restless being stuck in camp. Many tales can be considered nursery tales, though listed here are the most commonly retold, and are considered the "most important" that every cat must know before serving their clan. Some of these stories have been shifted to what the cats of Sunlit Prairies knows them as now, as word of mouth is not the most reliable source. Lots of information has been lost to time.
=== Ravenstar's Revival, and Starclan's willingness to sacrifice their own to bring back Rippling Streams ===
Long, long ago in the old territories, the river that once supplied their clan with everlasting life, prey, and shelter was posioned by two-legs, killing cats who ate, drank, or swam in it and cleaned their pelts afterwards. The lake was turned black, dirty and yucky, leaving the Rippling Streams cats to starve. Ravenstar desperately tried time and time again to clear the river, find new territory they could hunt in while still thriving in their camp, and to save her clanmates. However, her attempts were futile. Her clanmates watched as Ravenstar hunted day until night, draining each strain of energy left in her pelt in her last futile attempts to save her clan. Her courage was spoken of among her clanmates and may cats attempted to follow in her pawprints, supporting their clanmates until they too were too tired and weak to hunt. Ravenstar died in her den after giving every morsel of prey to her clan, starving to death over and over until her body was left. She was buried among the other cats who passed, and without their leader, heir, or deputy left, the clan disbanded, becoming kittypets, rogues, and loners. 
Moons later, Ravenstar was granted a second chance by Starclan, who generously offered her the chance to return to Earth, under the condition she found the cats who remained of Rippling Streams and brought them to a new home. Ravenstar agreed and by the power of Starclan, she returned. Weakened by her time spent dead and becoming used to her new body, Ravenstar returned to her old territory and began to rescue her former clanmates. She led them into the mountains where the remaining cats of Rippling Streams merged with a Tribe under a joint-leadership of Ravenstar and their Moon Preacher, saving Rippling Streams and by extension, Sunlit Prairies, from being lost to time.
=== Silkstar's Pelt ===
Silkstar was the most unique cat anyone had ever seen. She had the palest fur that seemed to be the same shade as moon-dust, and eyes the shade of freshly bloomed roses. She was beautiful, the most majestic cat anyone had ever seen. Due to Icestar's jealousy over the molly, she attacked her, staining her beautiful fur pink with both their blood. When she moved her clanmates to their new territory here on the moors, Silkstar was required to stay behind in the forest territory, finding the direct sunlight of the fields to be greatly painful to her, making it difficult for her to see. Her clanmates did not seem to dislike this arrangement, as they were given much freetime out of the sights of their leader. The cats of her clan thanked her for saving them by bringing her heaps and heaps of prey, and protecting the home she'd never be welcome to call her own. It's believed that kits born albino, similar to Silkstar are blessed by her spirit and are guided by her paws in life, protected under her gentle wing.
=== Icestar's Jealousy and her Tyrannical rule. ===
Once, long ago in ancient territories, a young leader name Icestar, fueled by jealousy and hatred struck down the leader of The Clan of Desolate Tundras within her first few moons as leader, claiming the title for her own. Naughty kits that disobeyed her were buried in the snow by the vicious leader herself, making examples of many cats who spoke out against her. Only one cat had the courage to stand up to her, Silkstar. Icestar had been jealous of Silkstar since her birth, so jealous that she allowed it to consume her. Icestar made may attempts on Silkstar's life, and after a long battle that took place over many days Silkstar finally killed Icestar, ending the tyrannical leader's treachery and forging a new path on pink paws, leading her surviving clanmates out of the horrible blood-stained mountains. It's believed that Icestar haunts naughty kits and snatches them out of their nest if they do not listen to their mothers, where she buries them alive outside camp, their screams and cries for help forever silenced.
== Games and Other Activities ==
Cats below the age of 6 moons are forbidden from travelling beyond the Tall Grass, and often, depending on each varying parent of these kits, they may also be restrained to the nursery for an extended period of their early life. Because of this, Queens over the moons have worked together to develop many unique games, teaching kits the skills they'd need to grow into successful warriors, as well as occupying their time, and many other important developments such as motor skull function, balancing, learning the basics of defense, etc. Games are infinitely useful in the eyes of the clan, and kits are encouraged to be as playful as they'd like for as long as they'd like, allowing them to cherish their childhood, while also developing fundamental skills for later down the line. With the integrations of different roles and subclasses came different possibilities for games, making for the diverse array that exists today.
=== Kitten Kaboodle "Dares" ===
"Dares" are the playful challenges that some litters of kits may choose to pick against other litters of kits in the nursery at the time, where the Queens are then in charge of setting up a competition of sorts- similar to that of the Tournaments warriors participate in, but at a much lower scale. Queens will set up obstacle courses, give varying challenges to the kits such as "digging the deepest hole," "carrying the biggest branch," or managing to track down their tufts of fur left behind in precarious positions. These challenges not only instill a (hopefully) healthy rivalry between kits, but it also helps encourage them to work together to overcome more difficult challenges. As litters grow older, Queens will amplify these challenges accordingly to fit their kit's development, allowing them to attempt more and more complex/difficult tasks while still staying safe for kits overall. Due to this, usually these types of dares rely on kits being within the same age group as one another. But of course, these "dares" don't need to be kaboodles, if necessary, at times Queens have simply played alongside their kit didn't have siblings to go along with. Litters may also dare one another of course, in the case that they're large enough to split into teams to do so. 
The winner of these "dares" would usually be decided between the Queens hosting the event, who would also work to provide rewards. This may vary from cat to cat, and from kit to kit, but often times they're items with relative value, such as bunny ears (a sweet treat for kits,) honeycombs, crystals/gemstones, flowers and other types of accessories, and even crafted items on occasion. Dares are always meant to be in good fun, and often continue even into apprenticeship, at least for the kits that enjoyed them. 
=== Prey and Tracker ===
Prey and Tracker is a hunting game, that needs at minimum 2 kits to play. One acts as a seeker, while the other will attempt to hide, and then eventually escape, from the Tracker sent on "patrol to hunt them." Kits will usually scatter around camp, hiding in and behind dens and running laps around the clearing, where the Tracker wins by successfully "catching" their prey, ie gently pinning them down and nipping them on the scruff. From then on, the prey would turn into a tracker (in the case of extended games,) and would proceed to help the Tracker hunt down the remaining prey. Both parties can win in this instance, with Trackers successfully making catches/being the last prey left "alive," resulting in a victory. 
This variant of game is often used by Queens even during times of trouble, asking their kits if they'd like them to be the Tracker, prompting them into a game rather than allowing them to panic and flee. The Nursery is densely, densely compacted in Sunlit Prairies' camp in the moors because of this, giving them plenty of space to hide within the den walls itself to keep them well out of view or harms way. 
=== Prey and Tracker - Freeze Tag edition ===
Exactly the same game, except this time, caught "prey" is "dead," and unable to move unless another prey player comes in to "revive them" by tapping them to unfreeze them. Prey and Tracker freeze tag edition is usually for older kits in the clan, requiring a quick and efficient Tracker to manage to successfully "execute" all of her prey before they can unfreeze one another. This game can genuinely go on forever, since it has no true end- if prey players manage to continuously free themselves, the game could last for hours at a time. Due to this some kits may choose to change up the rules, but of course this varies from game to game, and kit to kit. 
Generally, this version of the game is seen as an absolutely nuisance to warriors attempting to go about their routines, with kits "laying dead" sprawled out all over the clearing, making it difficult to traverse at times. 
=== Tunnel Bugs ===
Tunnel bugs is a game passed down from Tunneler parents to their kits- from a young age they are encouraged to get dirty and dig, and so, they do. Tunneler kits may call out "tunnel bugs" to their denmates, leading all of the kits to dig into the walls surrounding the camp, with the incentive to tunnel farther than their denmates within a certain amount of time. Usually, since tunneling is a very difficult task even for older apprentices, these games never get too far out of hand, though there have been times in the past where Valleystar had been forced to scold the kits and apprentices in her clan, warning them of possibly destroying their camp if it were to collapse in on them. Since then, Tunnel bugs is a pretty sore subject to most, and kits will get into some amount of trouble if they're caught playing it. 
=== Sentinel Duels ===
Sentinel duels are play-fighting games for older kits nearing their apprenticeship, usually! This allows them to spar with their denmates, giving warriors the opportunity to share their skills and knowledge, while also providing constructive criticism where it's warranted. Like all spars or training between clanmates, claws must be sheathed at all times, and specific moves such as kicking dust into another cat's eyes are out-lawed and seen as "cheating" in the eyes of surrounding warriors, though this of course can be a topic of debate. Sentinel duels start young with prey wrestling, but the difference is defined by tenacity and genuine display of skill, using their camp to their advantage to best their littermates while also attempting to keep up appearances with any on-watching, nit-picky warriors.
=== Mouse Mouse Fox ===
Mouse Mouse Fox plays out exactly like a human game of duck duck goose- where one kit is picked as as it. The remaining players will then form a rough circle, and the player who is tagged will proceed to pad around them, meowing "mouse" on each cat until eventually picking a "fox," at which point the kit picked as the fox is made to chase after their tagger, where they win the game by catching them before they can make it back to whatever space is claimed as the "safe territory" for the game. 
=== Field Day ===
Field Day is a set day, once a moon, where all kits are made to leave camp (if they are old enough to do so, ie able to leave the nursery) for a mandatory day outside of camp to allow for teachings on new experiences, different types of games/skill development such as puddles to swim in, trees to climb on, and if the escort tied to the kits will allow it, then they're welcome to race along the moorlands as well, enjoying the fresh air and new scents the territory has to offer. Field Day is an informative experience- but it can also be dreadfully painful, depending on how many warriors are made to escort the kits around the territory for the day.
For the sanity of the mothers of these kits, all of them are forced to be tied to a leash- as a sort of compromise to allowing them to "bend the rules," by leaving camp. Warriors will never take kits very far from their mothers- but they do allow them time to rest and relax away from their kits for this time, while also filling them with plenty of experiences along the way. The only problem arises with the amount of kits in the nursery at the time, since most if not all attempt to go on the same day, due to tradition. But since the clan has grown and more kits have been born, it's become more difficult, making for sometimes underwhelming field days in the eyes of kits, in scenarios where they're forced to take turns with their littermates on whatever activities were practiced at the time.
These kits are attached on a singular leash each, tied around their chest and ribcage snuggly and securely like a kittypet harness. The length of these leashes varies, usually depending on the age of the kit leaving camp. The youngest a kit can leave camp is 3 moons old- but even then they're kept quite close by their escorts. It is entirely the job of the warrior escort to ensure the safety of the kit(s) they're set to watch over, and they're encouraged to make the most of the day no matter how bleak conditions may be, or how tough times are. It's often a morale-booster afterall, as a successful Field Day will result in a whole chattering nest of happy kits, who sleep wonderfully the night following, giving their mothers a much needed break from the stress of raising them.
At the age of 3 moons, if their Guardian allows it, kits will receive their first leash. This is considered an honor, and is treated as such with mock ceremonies in some instances. As kits grow older, Queens may allow their leash to become longer, and will graduate them as they grow, leading to an eventual long leash that gives for a decent amount of room for them to explore comfortably without feeling as restrained as they may have in their youth. 
Apprentices- those who grew up experiencing Field Day, may also opt to "train" to become an escort, where they're welcome to tag along with the escorts and the kits for these days, helping set up obstacle courses, games, and overall ensuring the territory is safe for them to begin with- giving them a heightened importance of a role after graduating from this. Though some Queens may opt to keep their kits in this longer than others, apprentices are not required to participate in Field Day whatsoever, and usually only do so upon prompting well ahead of time.
=== Obstacle Courses ===
Obstacle Courses are a newer development, started by innovative Queens who like to get a bit more creative when it comes to training their kits. Queens may collect materials to set up climbs for their kits, leaps, different "dangers" to overcome, etc. Obstacle Courses are generally enjoyed by most kits, regardless of age.
All types of natural materials can be used for obstacle courses, including but not limited to; rocks, branches and tree bark, vines and other tendrils, moss walls, etc. Cats can set up these materials in a variety of different ways, creating parkour tricks, simple exercises like leaping challenges, and others that focus on different skills a cat may need for later on in their life.