Oak Colony

## Description

The cats of Oak Colony are experts at stalking through thick growth, and their pelts have become dense to shield them from thorns and sharp sticks that could scratch them. They mainly subsist on small prey that lurks in burrows and hides in the underbrush, like mice, reptiles, squirrels, and sometimes small birds. They rarely use their claws while scaling cliffs and boulders, finding better grip with their dexterous paw pads, avoiding damage to their claws in this way.

They are most lax about things like outside mates, bloodlines, and unbound cats. Unbounds have been invited into the Colony on more than one occasion. Elmtail does not find unbound cats to be a threat in most cases. He is seen as "collecting" outsiders, with no consequences and this contributes to Oak Colony’s reputation as "bleeding hearts" with loose rules.

They are known for being courageous in adversity, prone in life, and fearless in battle; they do not have the specialization of the other colonies, so it is their tenacity that helps them win fights and survive. Perseverance and determination are their main strengths; they will push themselves well past the point where another cat or creature might stop, their drive is their most intimidating aspect. Other Colonies might view them as reckless for this reason.

Kittens enter Base Training as new-claws at less than two months of age and enter Field Training at six months of age, giving Oak Colony one of the longest Base Training periods. This is done because of their rocky territory; new-claws in base training are drilled on balance so they can effectively navigate cliffs and tree branches.

Rangers hunt along cliffs and in the scrub oak and oak trees they call home. Birds are their favored prey type, but they also stalk the forest floor for rodents and reptiles.

The Oak Colony herbalists are skilled in keeping plants and even sowing seeds; the cliffs of the Oak Lands are ideal to shelter sprouts and keep herbs safe from the elements, much like the Colony itself is kept safe in their home at the base of the cliffs. The Herbalists spend most of their time tending to the cliff gardens; watering, weeding, and harvesting plants. Herbalists may have mates, but having kittens would take too much time away from their work, so it is not permitted (Elmtail is lax on this rule, but it ended up being reinforced by Frondsway's actions).

The cliff garden often offers a surplus of medicinal herbs, so Oak Colony is known for sharing their herbs with other Colonies if needed, and under Elmtail as Captain, even sharing with unbound cats.

## Territory

Oak Colony lives in the Oak Lands, a thickly wooded deciduous forest to the north of the Alliance Lake. The territory is rocky, with cliffs; Oak Colony Base is in the base of those cliffs. Atop these cliffs, Herbalists manage cliff gardens, which are full of medicinal herbs. The Captain meets with their Council and Second in the Councilor Cavern.

## Current Allegiances

A compiled list of the current Oak Colony allegiances can be found here.

## Trivia

* If Oak Colony cats cross the Marsh Border, Hawkshell and the Marsh Colony Council would be more likely to forgive them as it was probably an accident due to the close alliance between Oak and Marsh Colony.

## Gallery

Dawnfrost's Generation (minus Wrensong), the third youngest generation in current Oak Colony, art by TennelleFlowers
## References

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Revealed on Lore Stuff for Clouded Moon for the General Public