The Warrior Code

1. Defend your Clan, even with your life. You may have friendships with cats from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan, as one day you may meet them in battle.
2. Do not hunt or trespass on another Clan's territory.
3. Elders, queens, sick or injured cats and kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors. Unless they have permission, apprentices may not eat until they have hunted to feed the elders.
4. Prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to StarClan for its life.
5. A kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice.
6. Newly appointed warriors will keep a silent vigil for one night after receiving their warrior name.
7. A cat cannot be made deputy without having mentored at least one apprentice.
8. The deputy will become Clan leader when the leader dies, retires, or is exiled.
9. After the death, retirement, promotion (to a leader status), or exile of the deputy, the new deputy must be chosen before moonhigh.
10. A Gathering of all four Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There shall be no fighting among Clans at this time.
11. Boundaries must be checked and marked daily. Challenge all trespassing cats.
12. No warrior can neglect a kit in pain or danger, even if the kit is from a different Clan.
13. The word of the Clan leader is the warrior code.
14. An honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win their battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or if it is necessary for self-defense.
15. A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet.
16. Each Clan has the right to be proud and independent, but in times of trouble they must forget their boundaries and fight side by side to protect the four. Each Clan must help the others so that no Clan will fall.

## Examples of breaking the warrior code - Warrior Cats

* Rule 1 was broken by Graystripe when he was torn between his loyalties to ThunderClan and RiverClan due to his romantic relationship with Silverstream, and refused to fight her. This rule was also broken by Bluefur when she fell in love with Oakheart, becoming his mate.. This was also broken by Fallowtail and Reedfeather when the two became mates and later had Graypool and Willowbreeze.
* Rule 2 is one of the most frequently broken, with many Clans crossing boundaries to catch prey or apprentices not acknowledging the boundaries.
* Rule 3 was broken by Firepaw when catching prey for Yellowfang after she was exiled from ShadowClan. It was also broken by Longtail and Darkstripe, who ate prey on a hunting patrol instead of bringing it back to the elders and kits.
* Rule 4 was broken by Tigerstar and his warriors when he killed prey only to raise a hill of bones.
* Rule 5 was broken by Brokenstar of ShadowClan when he forced kits to become apprentices before they were old enough. He also trained them too hard, killing some of them. Some were made warriors before they were even six moons old. This rule was also broken when Bluestar apprenticed Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw before they were six moons old.
* Rule 6 was broken when Squirrelflight was named a warrior, but did not sit vigil that night, as ThunderClan did not yet have a camp. This comes into conflict with her story in *Code of the Clans*, where she gives vigil tips and shares experiences from her own vigil.
* Rule 7 was broken by Firestar when he appointed Brambleclaw as deputy because he had no apprentice, even though he was going to mentor Berrykit when he became six moons. This rule was also broken when Hawkfrost was appointed temporarily as deputy, since he hadn't mentored an apprentice. This rule was again broken by the fake Bramblestar, when he appointed Berrynose and later on Bristlefrost as his deputy, despite the two never having trained an apprentice.
* Rule 8 was broken by Tallstar when he appointed Onewhisker deputy right before he died, even though Mudclaw was still deputy.
* Rule 9 was broken by Bluestar when she waited for too long to name a new deputy, and when Firestar refused to name a deputy when Graystripe disappeared.
* Rule 10 was broken by all Clans when they fought numerous times at Gatherings.
* Rule 11 was broken by ShadowClan when they stopped believing in StarClan and stopped patrolling their borders.
* Rule 12 was broken by Russetfur and her patrol, watching Berrykit struggle with his tail caught in a fox trap, and making no move to help him. This was also broken by Tigerstar when he was an apprentice and tried to kill Tiny when he was a kit.
* Rule 13 was broken by Fireheart when he refused to attack WindClan when Bluestar planned an attack.
* Rule 14 was broken by Brokenstar, Hawkheart, Tigerstar, Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Clawface when they killed cats to win their own battles.
* Rule 15 was broken by Cloudpaw when he took food from Twolegs.
* Rule 16 was broken by WindClan who refused to help ShadowClan with their yellowcough epidemic. It was also broken when ThunderClan, WindClan, and RiverClan refused to help either ShadowClan or SkyClan when the two were competing for territory.
* The rule about medicine cats being forbidden to have a mate and kits was broken by both Leafpool and Yellowfang, when Leafpool took Crowfeather as a mate,and Yellowfang took Raggedstar as a mate

## Additional rules

The following rules are not specifically stated in the warrior code, but are expected to be followed:

* Medicine cats may not have a mate or kits, as they must be able to heal all cats equally.
* Kits must stay in camp until they are apprenticed, and are not allowed to hunt.
* The safety of the Clan as a whole is more important than the safety of one cat.
* Clans must not unite together to drive out another Clan.
* Clans must not force another Clan to share territory.
* Enemy patrols must not attack cats if they are on a mission that all four Clans have agreed upon.
* Cats cannot eat when going to the Moonstone or Moonpool to speak with StarClan.

## Rejected codes

Throughout history, several other rules were proposed for introduction into the Warrior Code, however, they were turned down. These rules were:

* Only cats of pure forest blood can be Clan members (suggested by Featherstar of WindClan).
* Each Clan may only eat the prey they are most suited for (suggested by Robinstar of SkyClan).
* All Clan cats must acknowledge that StarClan controlled Clan life, and to deny their existence would be to violate the warrior code (suggested by Dovestar of RiverClan).