General Clan information

Within the Warriors universe, cats live in a structured society divided into Clans. There are five main Clans: ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and SkyClan. What sets the Clans apart from other cats are their belief of their ancestors. The Clans recognize two formal afterlives, StarClan and the Dark Forest. Outside of these beliefs and the warrior code, there are the Twolegplace rogues, BloodClan, and an informal group of kittypets known as WarriorClan.
Logo-thunderclan-textless.png|link=ThunderClan|ThunderClan
Logo-shadowclan-textless.png|link=ShadowClan|ShadowClan
Logo-riverclan-textless.png|link=RiverClan|RiverClan
Logo-windclan-textless.png|link=WindClan|WindClan
Logo-skyclan-textless.png|link=SkyClan|SkyClan
==The Clans==
===RiverClan===
:RiverClan is known for their skill at swimming. While other Clan cats feared the water, RiverClan cats instead are at home swimming in its depths and hunting fish from the river. RiverClan cats make their camp near the river. The very first leader was Riverstar, who was a loner that met the cats that came from the mountains. At the beginning of The Prophecies Begin arc, RiverClan was led by Crookedstar, with Oakheart as deputy. RiverClan is currently led by Splashtail.
===ShadowClan===
:ShadowClan, the source of many of the darker cats seen in the series, is sometimes referred to as the "dark heart of the forest." ShadowClan cats are known for their ability to walk quietly and avoid detection. They are also known for their willingness to eat frogs, toads, lizards, rats—foods most Clan cats turn their noses up at. ShadowClan cats live in a pine forest. Their first leader was Shadowstar. She was one of the cats to make the journey from the mountains to the forest, and she lead the traveling group originally. At the beginning of The Prophecies Begin, ShadowClan was led by Brokenstar, with Blackfoot as deputy. ShadowClan is currently led by Tigerstar, with Cloverfoot as his deputy.
===ThunderClan===
:ThunderClan is heavily featured in the books, being the Clan of origin for many of the protagonists of the main arcs. ThunderClan cats are known for their skill at stalking prey through forest and thick undergrowth. ThunderClan cats live in a dense forest with thick undergrowth. The very first leader was Thunderstar, who was the son of the first SkyClan leader, Skystar. He was born in a monster den to a she-cat named Storm, when the monster den collapsed, and Thunder was her only surviving kit. At the beginning of The Prophecies Begin, ThunderClan was led by Bluestar, and Redtail was deputy. ThunderClan is now led by Squirrelstar, with Ivypool as her deputy.
===WindClan===
:WindClan lives on the open moorlands and sleep underneath the stars. It is said that WindClan cats believe they're the closest to StarClan because of that. WindClan cats are known for their swift paws, which lend ease to catching prey such as rabbits on the open moors of their territory. They're also proficient tunnelers, carving tunnels underneath their territory to catch prey and sneak on their enemies. Their very first leader was Windstar, who was also known as Wind Runner. She and her mate, Gorsestar joined the early settlers. Before Windstar became the leader of WindClan, Gray Wing and Shadowstar held the leadership of the moor cats. At the beginning of The Prophecies Begin, WindClan was led by Tallstar, with Deadfoot as deputy. WindClan is now led by Harestar, with Crowfeather as his deputy.
===SkyClan===
:SkyClan was the fifth Clan of the forest, introduced in Firestar's Quest. They had to leave the forest a long time ago when their territory was destroyed, which severed their ties with the other Clans. They were known for their ability to jump considerable heights, climbing and fighting in the trees, and they have hard pads that help them walk long distances on rough surfaces. Their first leader was Skystar. When the mountain cats arrived at their new home, Clear Sky established a group in the forest. He and his group soon became known as the most ruthless, strong, and well-fed cats in the forest. SkyClan reunited with the others Clans by the lake in A Vision of Shadows. SkyClan is currently led by Leafstar, with Hawkwing as her deputy.
==Other Clans==
===BloodClan===
:BloodClan is an unofficial Clan created by Scourge. The group was comprised of kittypets and rogues who lived in the Twolegplace. Most cats born in the Twolegplace were fear-mongered into obeying Scourge and his allies. The Clan laws are quite different compared to the official Clans. They do not believe in StarClan. BloodClan does not care for the sick, weak, or elderly and instead throws them out on the borders and forces them fend for themselves. After Scourge's death, BloodClan suffered through a power struggled and continued to terrorize ThunderClan. The last known leaders were Ice and Snake.
===WarriorClan===
:Following the original four Clans' departure from the forest, a group of kittypets grew enamored by the stories of the warrior Clans by Smudge and Barley and began pretending to be warriors themselves in the forest as WarriorClan. These kittypets would pretend to hunt and fight during the day but return to their Twolegs at night. WarriorClan found its footing as a real Clan when Graystripe arrived and taught them about the Clans, and more former kittypets joined. WarriorClan is currently led by Monkeystar, with Fang as her deputy.
===StormClan===
:StormClan was the combination of ThunderClan and WindClan when their leaders, Stripestar and Galestar, fell in love and decided to merge their Clans so they could be together. StormClan eventually left the forest in search of a new home, though it ultimately disbanded and its members were forgotten. Remnants of StormClan eventually returned to the forest to reform ThunderClan and WindClan. Galestar and her kits were rescued by the wildcats, and her descendants are honored as part of their ancestors.
==Clan hierarchy==
Each Clan (excluding StarClan) shares the same basic ranking system, consisting of nine distinct ranks.
===Leader===
:A Clan leader is charged with the responsibility to watch over and manage an entire Clan, maintaining discipline, order, and protection. Leaders are normally granted nine lives and a new name with the ending "-star" (e.g. Firestar, Bluestar) in a ceremony where StarClan cats come to them in a dream at the Moonstone or the Moonpool. However, a leader may not receive all nine lives if the previous leader of his or her Clan is still alive; in this instance, a leader will have a life taken off the original total of nine for every life the previous leader still possesses (e.g. Sunstar). Sometimes StarClan will not accept a leader (e.g. Nightstar) if this happens, and the Clan is usually thrown into turmoil.
===Deputy===
:The deputy is the second-in-command to the leader, and may be considered an apprentice to the art of leading the Clan. They serve in the leader's place in situations where the leader is unable to fulfill their duties. They are in charge of organizing patrols, and they are often called on by the leader for advice, but other than that, they retain the normal duties of a warrior. To become a deputy, a cat must have trained at least one apprentice, though sometimes there are exceptions. Upon the leader's death, they become the leader and go to the Moonstone or the Moonpool, so StarClan can grant them nine lives. Deputies may also retire and give up their place as deputy if they wish (for example, Tawnyspots), or step down and continue as a normal warrior, such as Tawnypelt.
===Medicine cat===
:The medicine cat serves the Clan as both their spiritual leader and healer, making them akin to the idea of a 'medicine man' in a tribal society. In addition to their responsibilities to their Clan, they have responsibilities to one another and StarClan. They carry out their responsibilities to StarClan once every half-moon, meeting together to discuss matters privately and share dreams with StarClan. Clan leaders often rely on them to carry messages from StarClan, as medicine cats have a link no other cat has to their ancestors. In their role as spiritual leader, they teach the code, interpret omens and prophecies, and generally serve the Clan as a conduit between the earthly cats and their ghostly counterparts.
:As healers, they gather herbs and dispense them as an apothecary would. They handle diagnosis and treatment of both illness and injury for all the cats in the Clan. As medicine cats, they are not allowed to have a mate or kits, but this rule has been broken by certain medicine cats (for example, Leafpool and Yellowfang). Medicine cats also exist outside of typical Clan rivalries in order to treat all cats fairly.
:Medicine cats serve as the third-most powerful member in Clan hierarchy, falling behind the leader and deputy. As such, if the aforementioned individuals are unavailable, the medicine cat (typically the one with the most seniority should one be present) serves as the acting leadership figure for the Clan until a suitable replacement is found. Examples of this are Redscar, Runningnose, and Mothwing, who served all three positions when their leader and deputy had died.
===Mediator===
:The mediator is a cat who specializes in solving disagreements within or involving the Clan or outside of it as a representative for the Clans. Mediators are not warriors and thus can choose whether or not to participate in Clan life and may not fight in battles. Mediators remain impartial to disagreements even if they go against their own Clan. The first and only mediator so far in the series is Tree, a former rogue who provides an outside perspective to Clan disagreements.
===Warrior===
:A warrior is an adult cat trained in the arts of fighting and hunting. Warriors make up the bulk of a Clan, and provide that Clan with the protection and food supply that keeps it safe and well-fed. Typically, a cat is made a warrior at or over the age of twelve moons. In their oath to become a warrior, they promise to "uphold the warrior code and protect and defend their Clan, even at the cost of their life." Clan kits dream of being the best warriors they can to defend their Clan.
====Senior warriors====
:There are also senior warriors—older, highly respected warriors, typically mentioned to have a good bond with the Clan's leader (e.g. Whitestorm to Bluestar) but have not decided to retire yet. They are often trusted with leading patrols or on occasion, speaking on the leader's behalf in specific situations. Senior warriors also assist with Clan affairs such as taking temporary positions in the Clan hierarchy, (eg. Adderfang filling in for Tawnyspots as deputy when the latter was ill), or unofficially filling in for the leader or deputy should they be absent.
===Apprentice===
:An apprentice is a cat in training to become a warrior. Their names end in the word "-paw" (e.g. Tawnypaw, Bramblepaw, Firepaw, etc.) to signify the new path their paws are following. Two exceptions to this are Boulder, who opted to keep his loner name upon joining ShadowClan and becoming an apprentice, and Egg, who kept his name upon joining SkyClan and becoming Sharpclaw's apprentice. Most usually are at or over the age of six moons per the warrior code. They have a mentor appointed to them at their ceremony and most days are taken out battle training or hunting. They are also given the task of cleaning out bedding and removing elders' ticks and fleas. Typically, apprentices must pass their warrior assessment, such as by catching prey, before being promoted to warriors.
===Medicine cat apprentice===
:A medicine cat apprentice is the cat that is being trained to follow in the pawsteps of the medicine cat. They learn healing and spiritual lore from the medicine cat. Medicine cat apprentices must be accepted by StarClan in order to be trained. The apprentices may also accompany their mentors in their visit to the Moonstone or Moonpool every half-moon to receive dreams from StarClan. Unlike warrior training, training to become a medicine cat may take longer than warrior apprenticeship.
:A medicine cat apprentice who has full training will be given a their full name similar to warriors; however, medicine cat apprentices remain apprentices, even when fully trained, so long as the current medicine cat is still practicing the arts. When the apprentice becomes a full medicine cat, they can then have an apprentice of their own. At the time the old medicine cat either dies or retires, the medicine cat apprentice becomes a full medicine cat, similar to a leader/deputy relationship. However, medicine cats do not always retire when their apprentices become full medicine cats. Some exceptions to this are Alderheart, Leafpool, and Jayfeather being co-medicine cats of ThunderClan, Willowshine and Mothwing of RiverClan, Puddleshine and Shadowsight of ShadowClan, and Frecklewish and Fidgetflake of SkyClan. Each of these medicine cats continues to serve and share responsibilities with their former apprentices.
===Queen===
:A queen is a she-cat nursing or expecting kits. Their primary task during this time is the raising of their kits. Some queens stay in the nursery after they have kits (e.g. Daisy, Goldenflower, and Ferncloud) to help the nursing or inexperienced queens. Some queens, such as Daisy, do not feel suited for Clan life aside from helping the other queens. They most often help other queens when no milk is available, or when the mother is ill or deceased (e.g. Ferncloud to Squirrelflight). Queens usually stay in the nursery until their kits become apprentices, then they return to their warrior duties.
===Kit===
:A kit is a kitten under six moons old who has not been made an apprentice yet. Their names always end in "-kit" (e.g. Dovekit, Lionkit, Blossomkit). Most often, they are under the age of six moons, though sometimes they are held back from being an apprentice for a certain amount of time, sometimes due to injury or misbehaving (Crookedkit, Deadpaw, and Lionkit, Hollykit, and Jaykit). Kits stay in the camp and are forbidden to leave it, unless accompanied by an older cat, such as a warrior, a medicine cat, or any kind of apprentice. Kits are protected by all members of the Clan, and to be protected by all Clan cats, regardless of Clan, since they are the future of the Clan.
===Elder===
:An elder is a retired Clan cat who is too old or not in suitable shape to continue with their duties. Elders are taken care of by the whole Clan, and are given respect for the time they have served as part of the Clan. It is usually the apprentices job to hunt and care for the elders. They are responsible for taking the body of a dead cat out to be buried. Some cats don't become an elder only because of old age; if there is ever a condition which prevents the cat from fulfilling their duties to their Clan, it usually leads to the cat's decision of retiring (e.g. Longtail, Heavystep). Though at times they may appear grumpy, elders offer their wisdom to all Clan cats, including the Clan leader.
==Trivia==
*Kate thinks there are other Clans beyond the lake with their own code and different prophecies.
==See also==
For more details on the Clans, see:
*Clan terminology
*The warrior code
*Clan life
For more details on the individual territories and cats, see:
*ThunderClan
*ShadowClan
*RiverClan
*WindClan
*SkyClan
*WarriorClan
For more details on the religious beliefs of the Clan cats, see:
*StarClan and the Dark Forest.
==External links==
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==Notes and references==
es:Clanes del Bosquenl:Algemene Claninformatiepl:Klanyru:Общая информация о племенахpt-br:Informação geral sobre os Clãscs:Sestavení_klanuuk:Кланові традиції
Category:Reference
Category:Clan life