The Warrior Code

The warrior code features prolifically in the Warriors books. It consists of nineteen laws. All cats must follow these laws, however exceptions can be made for medicine cats.

## 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. The safety of the Clan as a whole is more important than the safety of one cat.
4. Queens, kits and elders in good health must be fed before apprentices and warriors. If the medicine cat considers it appropriate, sick or injured cats and elders in bad health must also be fed first.
5. Prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to StarClan for its life.
6. All Clans must be treated equally and bestowed with proper rights, but borders and loyalty must be objects of vigilance.
7. A kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice.
8. When dusk falls on the day that a warrior is newly appointed, they must leave camp along with their old mentor. The new warrior must hunt, supervised by their old mentor, from dusk to midnight. Then the warrior must walk in dreams with StarClan from midnight to dawn. Only then may they return to their camp.
9. The deputy will become Clan leader when the leader dies, retires, or is exiled.
10. A Gathering of all five Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There shall be no fighting among the Clans at this time.
11. Boundaries must be checked and marked daily. Challenge all trespassing cats.
12. If a cat crosses borders and are found by a patrol, the patrol must not attack them, but they must go to the Clan leader to discuss further action. If the patrol attacks them, they have a right to refuse.
13. Kits must stay in camp until they are six moons old, and may not hunt or participate in any kind of patrol or battle.
14. No warrior can neglect a kit in pain or danger, even if the kit is from a different Clan.
15. Medicine cats may not have a mate and kits, and must dedicate the entirety of their life to healing their Clan.
16. An honourable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win their battles, unless it is necessary for self defence.
17. A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet.
18. Clan cats must accept all beliefs about StarClan; to deny StarClan’s existence would be to deny their own existence.
19. 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 for every cat’s sake. Each Clan must help the others so that no Clan will fall.

## Exceptions

There are exceptions to many of the laws in the warrior code. They are listed here.

* Code 1 always applies, no matter what.
* Code 2 does not apply to medicine cats, and cats with medicine cats' permission, who are travelling to the Moonpool. It also does not apply to cats who are travelling to Gatherings.
* Code 3 does not apply to leaders, as the survival of a Clan depends on the leader.
* Code 4 does not apply to warriors and apprentices who both the leader and the medicine cat believe should be fed first, due to an important role or mission.
* Code 5 does not apply if there is a valid reason, pre-approved by a sign to the medicine cat from StarClan, which the survival of the entire Clan depends on.
* Code 6 always applies, no matter what.
* Code 7 always applies, no matter what.
* Code 8 does not apply if the warrior's Clan does not, for any reason, have a camp, or if the warrior has a role or mission that both the leader and the medicine cat agree is important enough to spend the night on instead.
* Code 9 always applies, no matter what.
* Code 10 always applies, no matter what.
* Code 11 does not apply if a cat is on a mission that all five Clans have agreed on.
* Code 12 always applies, no matter what.
* Code 13 always applies, no matter what.
* Code 14 always applies, no matter what.
* Code 15 always applies, no matter what.
* Code 16 always applies, no matter what.
* Code 17 always applies, no matter what.
* Code 18 always applies, no matter what.
* Code 19 always applies, no matter what.