Clan Terminology

## **General Terminology**

Fresh-kill: A recently killed prey animal

Hunting Patrol: A group of cats hunting for fresh-kill to bring back for their Clan to eat.

Border Patrol: A group of cats marking their Clans territory

Sharing tongues: Cats grooming each other while sharing the latest gossip. A cat lies on the ground, talking, while the other grooms their fur, listening.

## **Time Terminology**

Newleaf: Spring

Greenleaf: Summer

Leaf-fall: Fall

Leaf-bare: Winter

Moon: The time between one full moon and the next, spanning about 29 days, a month

Moonhigh: Around midnight

Moonrise: The time when the moon rises

Half-moon: About two weeks, half a month

Quarter-moon: About a week.

Sunhigh: Noon.

Sunrise: One day, dawn

Heartbeat: A split second.

Claw-moon: When the moon resembles the shape of an unsheathed claw, equivalent to a crescent moon.

Sundown: Dusk

## **Distance terms**

Kittenstep: Approximately an inch or a half inch.

Pawstep: Roughly six inches.

## **Insults and Exclamations**

Sloth-tail: Used to describe LagoonClan cats

Slippery as a wet fish: A cat who extremely quick on their paws

Tree-hoppers: Used to describe SpringClan cats

Bigpaw: Used to describe ReefClan cats

Straight Tail: A cat who is dead set on following the Seven Rules

Drypaw: A cat who doesn’t like to swim

Dancing with snakes: A cat who acts untrustworthy and hiding their true motives

Madder than a wild hog: Used to describe a crazed cat

Soft belly: A cat who is easily bossed around by other cats

Stop trying to stick your head in a shark’s mouth: Used to describe a cat who is so arrogant and self assured all the time that they are unfazed by death itself

Prey stealer: Used to describe a cat who steals prey from another cat

Birdbrain: Used as a friendly insult to a cat who is an airhead

Bitter tongue: Use to describe a cat who is cold, cynical and blunt

Pain in the tail: Refers to a cat that is annoying or lazy

May you walk with the Great Spirits in peace: Used as a farewell saying to deceased cats

May our deities watch over us: Used a parting goodbye to wish the other one goodluck

The Great Spirits wept: Used as an exasperated saying when surprised or angry

Remember to watch your tail: Used to sarcastically mock LagoonClan’s tail drag move

## **Clan Ranks**

Kit: A kitten younger than six moon

Apprentice: A cat at least six moons old and training to be a warrior

Warrior: A mature cat who has completed his or her warrior training

Mentor: A cat who is currently training an apprentice

Queen: A she-cat with kits to take care of or who is pregnant with kits, or stays in the nursery helping other queens even though they have no kits.

Elder: Cats who cannot hunt, fight or are just too old to do their warrior duties. They are treated with great respect in the Clan. The apprentices in the Clan take fresh kill to them, pick out their fleas, and change their bedding

Medicine Cat: A cat who heals injuries and/or illnesses, who is skilled with herbs, leaves and natural cures and sometimes receives special signs or prophecies from the Bright Forest

Deputy: A warrior who is second in command to the leader, helping the leader in their tasks and replacing them after their death or resignment. They organize patrols and make reports to the leader, and are known to be frequently given apprentices.

Leader: A cat who controls the entire Clan. A leader is granted nine lives by their deity. Their role is to protect and guide their Clan.