StarClan

StarClan, once known by the Ancient Clans as SoulClan, are the deceased warrior ancestors of the Clans who live on in spirit form after dying, and watch over the living Clan cats. There is no specific leader for StarClan since there are many cats from all five Clans that work together. They are responsible for sending signs and omens to the living cats. 
Though they mostly accept Clan cats, they will only guide those who believe them. They will light the path of kittypets and outsiders, and will offer cats like Razorbite a tunnel between StarClan and being a Ghost due to his belief. StarClan does not interact with the living world, making it much easier to question their existance.
Whilst warrior spirits can only visit lower ranks such as warriors or deputies, medicine cat and leader spirits may visit only the higher ranks.
==Description==
===General=== 
:StarClan are the deceased ancestors, descendants, and Clanmates of the Clan cats. Cats are only allowed to join StarClan when they die if they have lived an honorable life and followed the warrior code. If a cat doesn't live an honorable life, then that cat will end up in the Place of No Stars, also known as the Dark Forest. StarClan cats don't have to be in a Clan at the time of their death to be welcomed to StarClan and kittypets, rogues, and loners can be accepted into StarClan. They also will not guide those that do not believe in them, nor do they interact with the living world, unless it's a spirit guiding a cat.
:When a Clan cat dies, they will be guided to StarClan by a deceased cat who played an important part in their life, such as a mentor or a cherished family member. When a cat dies and goes to join StarClan, they merely close their eyes and reopen them. When a leader loses a life, that life appears in StarClan as a very faint copy of the leader, but they are unable to communicate in any way to other StarClan cats until the leader loses their final life.
:StarClan cats leave starry paw prints, their eyes shine like stars, and their pelts glow with a strange light that makes them look like they have stars in their fur. Frost sparkles at their paws and glitters in their eyes. Their pelts shine like ice and carry all the scents of the seasons: the tang of leaf-bare, the green scent of greenleaf, the musk of leaf-fall, and the sweet blossom of newleaf. It is possible for a StarClan cat to be killed again, but they vanish forever; or are reincarnated.
===Relation to living cats===
:StarClan act somewhat like guardians to the living Clan cats, often warning them of dangers ahead or to guide them in times of need. Ancestors usually watch over the living cats of their former Clan, and especially over cats who were close to them in their lifetime. Living cats visit StarClan in their dreams, but StarClan does not interact with the living world.
:Medicine cats are specially bonded with StarClan, and they are the cats who are usually contacted by their ancestors. At every half-moon, the medicine cats and their apprentices of each Clan go to their sacred place, the Moonstone or Moonpool, to speak with their ancestors, to seek advice or to learn of things awaiting in their futures. To receive the signs of StarClan, medicine cats either touch their nose to the cold surface of the Moonstone, or drink the cool water of the Moonpool to initiate their dreams.
:Besides medicine cats, StarClan cats sometimes send messages to leaders. Though this is rare. They give prophecies that are often phrased in riddles without clear meanings. StarClan themselves are often unsure of what the prophecies mean. All Clan cats worship StarClan and adhere to their guidance and wisdom, though there are some exceptions. When a warrior dies, their Clanmates wish for StarClan to watch over them.: "May StarClan light your path. May you find good hunting, swift running, and shelter where you sleep." During times of trouble, Clan cats will wish for StarClan to help them, or utter "Thank StarClan" if things have gone well.
====Ceremonies====
:All Clan ceremonies are believed to be supervised by StarClan. The Clan leader performing a ceremony calls upon the warrior ancestors, and promotes a cat to their new rank by the powers of StarClan. The leader asks that StarClan welcome them by a new name, such as when an apprentice is named a warrior. If a dying apprentice is worthy, they can be named into a warrior so they'll be welcomed as one into StarClan.
:StarClan has the greatest role during leadership ceremonies, giving the new leader their nine lives and new name. Each of the lives are granted by a single ancestor, usually a cat the new leader had cherished when the cat was alive such as a loved family member or mentor. When a life is granted to a leader, they are given a special gift or attribute to make them a good leader, such as endurance, courage, or strength. However, StarClan will not grant lives if the previous leader still has some. If a cat is mortally wounded before they receive their nine lives, they will only be granted eight. StarClan can also revoke nine lives from a leader if they are deemed unjust by their Clan.
====Influence====
StarClan has little to no influence with the living world:
*StarClan has no control over what happens to cats in the living world; the most they can do is to warn cats in dreams. All omens in the physical world are said to have come from StarClan.
* If cats fight during a Gathering, StarClan covers the moon with clouds and lightning, even if the sky was clear before, implying that they have some power over nature.
*They allow reincarnations to occur, though they aren't the main cats who are in influence of this.
*They often do not communicate with cats that don't believe in them or have little to no faith, such as how they didn't contact Razorbite in any shape or form. However, it's implied that this was simply his destiny and that he has no connection with StarClan, hence why they rejected him.
*They grant medicine cats their flowers by the Moonstone or Moonpool.
*StarClan cannot choose leaders, even if the leader is just. Only the Clans themselves can choose their leaders, and StarClan will not grant lives to unjust leaders, but the dark forest can.
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===Other ancestors===
:The opposite of StarClan is the Place of No Stars, or Dark Forest, which is where cats who had committed the worst possible crimes when they had lived go to when they die. It has a sort of border with StarClan's hunting grounds, appearing as a wall of mist. StarClan cats can only enter the Dark Forest with permission from others' permission. They can enter the Place of No Stars, but when they do, they risk being unable to escape, and might be trapped forever in the dark, eerily lit forest. Cats who make up the Place of No Stars have no choice but to stay where they are.
:The Tribe have their own spirit ancestors, the Tribe of Endless Hunting. The Tribe of Endless Hunting do not send dreams to the Tribe cats, but instead send prophecies through moonlight patterns and and the shape of rocks in the Cave of Pointed Stones. These signs are sent to the Tribe's Healer, the Teller of the Pointed Stones, or Stoneteller.
:Formerly part of StarClan, SkyClan's ancestors left along with SkyClan, and separated. SkyClan's ancestors were later reunited with StarClan, and they now share the same hunting grounds.
==Territory== 
:StarClan's hunting grounds are described as green meadows and lush forests with clear blue skies and the scent of newleaf or greenleaf. The hunting grounds are lush with blooming flowers, bushes, ferns, and herbs. The atmosphere is always sunny and warm. There are several streams, bodies of water, and waterfalls in StarClan. It resembles the landscape of the forest, and several locations exist in both the waking world and in StarClan. When the remaining four Clans left the forest and went to live by the lake, StarClan traveled along with them through unknown sky paths to the Moonpool. There is a pool at the bottom of a rocky hollow with a flat rock jutting over the water. There is another important pool where StarClan cats can observe their living descendants by touching the surface with their paw.
:For the living cats, StarClan's territory appears as a large, cloudy-looking swath of stars, called Silverpelt. Clan cats believe that, upon dying and joining StarClan, a new star appears in Silverpelt.
===Fourtrees===
:The sacred places of the Clans exist in both the waking world and StarClan's hunting grounds. Fourtrees is one of these locations. Fourtrees is the most commonly seen landmark in the cats dreams when visiting StarClan, such as a cat during their leadership ceremony. Even though it was destroyed by Twolegs, Fourtrees still exists in StarClan, as it will always be remembered by the cats.
==Trivia==
===Author statements===
*Frosty hated the canon concept of StarClan, and preferred it to be mysterious, so they kept it that way for the book
*Frosty believes that everything is forgiven in StarClan.
==See also==
*The Place of No Stars
*List of StarClan cats
Category:Clans and groups
Category:Reference