General Clan information

***Spoiler warning:** Plot and/or ending details follow.*
Within the *Warriors* universe, cats live in a structured society divided into Clans. There are five main Clans that are named ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and SkyClan. What sets the Clans apart from other cats are their belief of their ancestors. The Clans recognize two formal afterlives, StarClan, and the Dark Forest. Outside of these beliefs and the warrior code, there are the Twolegplace rogues, BloodClan, and a informal group of kittypets known as WarriorClan.

## The Clans

### RiverClan

**RiverClan** is known for their skill at swimming. RiverClan cats are also known for their unique skill at scooping fish from the river. The very first leader was Riverstar, who was a loner that met the cats that came from the mountains. At the beginning of *The Prophecies Begin* arc, RiverClan was led by Crookedstar, with Oakheart as deputy. RiverClan is currently led by Mistystar with Reedwhisker as deputy.
### ShadowClan

**ShadowClan**, the source of many of the darker cats seen in the series, is sometimes referred to as the "dark heart of the forest." ShadowClan cats are known for their ability to walk quietly and avoid detection. They are also known for their willingness to eat frogs, toads, lizards, rats, and crowfood- foods most Clan cats turn their noses up at. Their first leader was Shadowstar. She was one of the cats to make the journey from the mountain to the forest, and she lead the traveling group at one point in time. At the beginning of *The Prophecies Begin*, ShadowClan was led by Brokenstar, with Blackfoot as deputy. ShadowClan is currently led by Tigerstar, with Cloverfoot as deputy.
### ThunderClan

**ThunderClan** is heavily featured in the books, being the Clan of origin for many of the protagonists of the arcs. ThunderClan cats are known for their skill at stalking prey through forest and undergrowth. The very first leader was Thunderstar, who was the son of the first SkyClan leader, Skystar. He was born in a monster den to a she-cat named Storm, when the monster den collapsed. She had left Skystar's forest after he was overly protective. Thunder was her only surviving kit. At the beginning of *The Prophecies Begin*, ThunderClan was led by Bluestar, and Redtail was deputy. ThunderClan is now led by Squirrelflight as temporary leader, with Lionblaze as temporary deputy.
### WindClan

**WindClan**, who lived closest to the Moonstone, are cats well versed in Twoleg culture (due to the farm they lived so close to). WindClan Cats are known for their swift paws, which lend ease to catching prey such as rabbits on the open moors of their territory. Their very first leader was Windstar, who was also known as Wind Runner. She and her mate, Gorsestar joined the Early Settlers. Before Windstar became the leader of WindClan, Gray Wing and Shadowstar held the leadership. At the beginning of *The Prophecies Begin*, WindClan was led by Tallstar, with Deadfoot as deputy. WindClan is now led by Harestar, with Crowfeather as deputy.
### SkyClan

**SkyClan** was the fifth Clan of the forest, and they were introduced in *Firestar's Quest*. They had to leave the forest a long time ago when their territory was destroyed, which severed their ties with the other Clans. They were known for their ability to jump considerable heights, and they have hard gray pads that help them walk long distances on rough surfaces. Their first leader was Skystar. When the mountain cats arrived at the forest, Clear Sky established a group. He and his group soon became known as the most ruthless, strong, and well-fed cats in the forest. SkyClan is currently led by Leafstar, with Hawkwing as her deputy.
### BloodClan

**BloodClan** is an unofficial Clan. Its only known members are Scourge, Ice, Snake, Bone, Jaggedtooth, and Brick. Boulder, Snipe, Barley, and Violet were known members but left BloodClan. The Clan laws are quite different compared to the official Clans. They do not believe in StarClan. BloodClan does not care for the sick, weak, or elderly and instead throws them out on the borders and makes them fend for themselves. They eat anything they find. The last known leaders were Ice and Snake.
## Clan hierarchy

Each Clan (excluding BloodClan and StarClan) shares the same basic ranking system, consisting of nine distinct ranks.

### Elder

An **elder** is a retired warrior, deputy, queen, medicine cat, or leader who is too old or not in suitable shape to continue with their duties. Elders are taken care of by the whole Clan, and are given respect for the time they have served as part of the Clan. They are responsible for taking the body of a dead cat out to be buried.
Some cats don't become an elder only because of old age; if there is ever a condition which prevents the cat from fulfilling their duties to their Clan, it usually leads to the cat's decision of retiring (e.g. Longtail, Heavystep)
### Leader

A **Clan leader** is charged with the responsibility to watch over and manage an entire Clan, maintaining discipline, order, and protection. Leaders are normally granted nine lives and a new name with the ending "-star" (e.g. Firestar, Bluestar) in a ceremony where nine StarClan cats come to them in a dream at the Moonstone/Moonpool. However, a leader may not receive all nine lives if the previous leader of his or her Clan is still alive; in this instance, a leader will have a life taken off the original total of nine for every life the previous leader still possesses (e.g. Sunstar). Sometimes StarClan will not accept a leader (e.g. Nightstar), if this happens then the Clan is usually thrown into turmoil.
### Deputy

The **deputy** is the second-in-command to the leader, and may be considered an apprentice to the art of leading the Clan. They serve in the leader's place in situations where the leader is unable to fulfill their duties. They are in charge of organizing patrols, and they are often called on by the leader for advice, but other than that, they retain the normal duties of a warrior.
To become a deputy, a cat must have trained at least one apprentice. However, in the New Prophecy Arc, Brambleclaw became deputy of ThunderClan without an apprentice, but he was granted the promise to train one.
Upon the leader's death, they become the leader and go to the Moonstone or the Moonpool, so StarClan can grant them nine lives. Deputies may also retire and give up their place as deputy if they wish (for example, Tawnyspots), or step down and continue as a normal warrior, such as Tawnypelt.
### Medicine cat

The **medicine cat** serves the Clan as both their spiritual leader and healer, making them akin to the idea of a 'medicine man' in a tribal society. In addition to their responsibilities to their Clan, they have responsibility to one another and StarClan. They carry out their responsibilities to StarClan once every half-moon, meeting together to discuss matters privately and share dreams with StarClan. Clan leaders often rely on them to carry messages from StarClan, as medicine cats have a link no other cat has to their ancestors.
As a healer, they gather herbs and dispense them as an apothecary would. They handle diagnosis and treatment of both illness and injury for all the cats in the Clan.
In their role as spiritual leader, they teach the code, interpret omens and prophecies, and generally serve the Clan as a conduit between the earthly cats and their ghostly counterparts.
As a medicine cat, they are not allowed to have a mate or kits, but this rule has been broken by certain medicine cats (for example, Leafpool, Yellowfang). Medicine cats also exist outside of typical Clan rivalries in order to treat all cats fairly.
### Queen

A **queen** is a she-cat nursing or expecting kits. Their primary task during this time is the raising of their kits.
Some queens stay in the nursery after they have kits (e.g. Daisy, Goldenflower, and Ferncloud). They are thought to do this because they feel they can help the nursing queens. Some queens, such as Daisy, do not feel suited for Clan life aside from helping the other queens. They most often help other queens when no milk is available, or when the mother is ill or deceased (e.g. Squirrelflight to Leafpool)
Kits are protected from attacks and the nursery is often situated at the back of the camp, away from the entrance.
### Warrior

A **warrior** is a cat trained in the arts of fighting and hunting. Warriors make up the bulk of a Clan, and provide that Clan with the protection and food supply that keeps it safe and well-fed. Typically, a cat is made a warrior at or over the age of twelve moons. In their oath to become a warrior, they promise to "uphold the warrior code and protect and defend their Clan, even at the cost of their life."
Warrior dens are very often near the front of the Clan, where they can protect the rest of their Clan from attacks.
There are also senior warriors — older, highly respected warriors, typically mentioned to have a good bond with the Clan's leader (e.g. Whitestorm to Bluestar).
### Apprentice

An **apprentice** is a cat in training to become a warrior. Their names end in the word "-paw" (e.g. Tawnypaw, Bramblepaw, Firepaw, etc) to signify the "path their paws are now on." One exception to this is Boulder who opted to keep his loner name upon joining ShadowClan, and becoming an apprentice, and Egg, who kept his name upon joining SkyClan, becoming Sharpclaw's apprentice. Most usually are at or over the age of six moons. They have a mentor appointed to them at their ceremony and most days are taken out battle training or hunting. They are also given the task of cleaning out bedding and removing Elders' ticks and fleas.
### Medicine cat apprentice

A **medicine cat apprentice** is the cat that is being trained to follow in the pawsteps of the medicine cat. They learn healing and spiritual lore from the medicine cat. Medicine cat apprentices also accompany their mentors in their visit to the Moonstone/Moonpool every half-moon to receive dreams from StarClan.
Frequently, a medicine cat apprentice who has full training will be given a warrior name ("-paw" replaced with another ending); however, medicine cat apprentices remain apprentices, even when fully trained, so long as the current medicine cat is still practicing the arts. When the apprentice becomes the full medicine cat, they can then have an apprentice of their own.
At the time the old medicine cat either dies or retires, the medicine cat apprentice becomes a full medicine cat, similar to a leader/deputy relationship. Two exceptions to this role inheritance exist; Alderheart, Leafpool, and Jayfeather are co-medicine cats, as are Willowshine and Mothwing.
### Kit

A **kit** is a cat who has not been made an apprentice yet. Their names always end in "-kit" (e.g. Dovekit, Lionkit, Blossomkit). Most often, they are under the age of six moons, though sometimes they are held back from being an apprentice for a certain amount of time, sometimes due to injury or misbehaving. (Crookedkit, Deadpaw)
They stay in the camp and are forbidden to leave it, unless accompanied by an older cat, such as a warrior, a medicine cat, or any kind of apprentice.
*End of spoiler warning*
## Trivia

* Kate thinks there are other Clans beyond the lake with their own code and different prophecies.

## See also

For more details on the Clans, see:

* Clan terminology
* The warrior code
* Clan Life

For more details on the individual territories and cats, see:

* ThunderClan
* ShadowClan
* RiverClan
* WindClan
* SkyClan
* BloodClan
* WarriorClan

For more details on the religious beliefs of the Clan cats, see:

* StarClan and the Dark Forest.

## External links

* History of the Clans on the *Warriors* official website
* Leadership Among the Clans: An Overview on the *Warriors* official website
* We Hunt to Survive on the *Warriors* official website
* The Importance of 'Paws on the *Warriors* official website
* A Lost Tradition on the *Warriors* official website
* Apprentices: A Fresh Perspective on the *Warriors* official website
* Stand Together or Fall Divided on the *Warriors* official website
* Winds of Change on the *Warriors* official website (backup link)
* As long as the moon is full... on the *Warriors* official website (backup link)
* More than just blood on the *Warriors* official website (backup link)

**Author references**

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