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hey i only found this au today but i want you to know that i ADORE it and im really excited to see where it goes!!

Thank you! I’ve been having some personal life drama that's kept me from working on it lately but I’m hopeful to get back to it soon 

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Ok wired ask but for my warrior cats inspired story i'm trying to create cat terms for non-straight cats since I think words like "Straight/Gay/Bi" are to human for them and the Erins were too cowardly to do it for me. The only terms I have so far are "tom lover/chaser" and " molly lover/chaser" but for bi and ace cats I'm lost as hell.

i’d stay with lover and not chaser because chaser has a much more negative diction, as well as people who fetishize trans people specifically are called “chasers”

maybe bi/pan could be like

dual hearted or all hearted

ace/aro could be

free nester (they don’t share a nest with anyone romantically and/or sexually) or friend hearted (they love as friends, not as mates)

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for those who asked :)

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Exploring a bit the body language of the clan cats, most of them based on the books and a few that I invented (like that the cats have signs exclusively for the preys).

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Realistic Cat behavior: Fighting

Just some warning, some description of violence and gore to discuss realistic fighting in cats.

Most of us can agree that the Erins description of the clans fighting style is woefully lacking. In most cases however when we talk about a  “realistic” fighting style, we tend to heavily focus on posturing, but i think personally that that would leave out some detail for the discussion. Also plenty of people have talked about how posturing would affect how the clans actually fight, so Im going to focus on some other aspects of fighting.

How do real cats fight?

Cat fights are brutal and loud. There is posturing beforehand, spitting, threatening, trying to get the other to back down. But once an attack is made, they go straight into a brutal grapple, locking their arms around the others neck and side to hold them together, and then attempting to find a place to bite, such as face and neck. This grapple offers them the opportunity to use their back claws to rake at their opponent’s belly.

Most injuries to cats will most likely be to their underside, neck, and face, and ears from wild swipes from their opponents, or bruises or scratches from flailing around on their backs. While their claws are sharp, they are unlikely to open up super deep wounds, but have lots of shallow sometimes long scratches and lost fur on their belly. Their bites are more dangerous, as their teeth are made to rip and rend and tear. Its still unlikely they would rip the throat out, but it is possible that bite wounds would be more painful, deep, and somewhat horrific, with chunks torn out. This is why a medicine cat would need to clean wounds as soon as possible, and this is where the greatest threat to a fighter’s life would be.

For some visual help and understanding of what I mean, here is a decently long video showing different cats fighting (warning it is violent and fairly loud):

Behavioral wise, cats attack only when one wont back down. This happens between males who are defending their territory and right to mate (such as in a colony), between females with disputes, or in general if cats feel threatened. Usually a smaller cat will be smart enough to back down, but in some cases, this may mean that the bigger, stronger, or braver cat might jump them anyway as it was a sign of weakness. If there are multiple cats who are in general allied with each other, they will quickly gang up on the one cat.

Cats are sneaky, and smart. They wont get into a fight unless they think they can win, or were attacked, and want to end it as soon as possible. 

How would the clans fight? 

I think its important to consider two things when writing clan fighting. 

One- Apprentices have had ample time to practice their fighting skills

Two- They always have back up 

So part of the reluctance to fight, besides a common sense that no cat wants to get hurt, is diminished. Most cats would have had some basics in fighting, which I will explain later, and should always be backed up by clanmates. Cats are not encouraged to seek out fights alone in the clans, because thats almost suicidal and detrimental to the overall clan health and ability to produce.

Fights that are more likely to occur are when a patrol from one clan comes across trespassers, and ambush them because of superior numbers. Battles are rare, and only occur every once in a while, as clans for their own health will not engage in battles back to back. As a result, wars and disagreements might last moons, as grudges settle and the clans wait until they believe they are healthy/in a strong enough position to fight again, with the intent of getting the other clan to back down/get into peace or truce talks to end the aggression.

Each clan also has their unique style of fighting. 

In canon I find it likely that these would be the strategies:

Thunderclan is said to be big, and likely the reason many detest them is from their big airs of posturing, and their thick fur which can be very protective. They meet their problems head on and dont resort to sneaking around. When they fight, they fight, and dont really like to retreat until they have wounds which need attention. They dont get wounds as often as those with shorter fur and less protection, but when they do their warriors are out longer.

Riverclan is less big, but they are generally healthier, and have a tendency to recover quicker, due to their more abundant supply of food. They are more able to quickly recover from fights, which means they will likely be able to harry their opponent more often and in shorter bursts. But because they have more food, they are less likely to want to war, after all they usually have most of what they need, so they dont often set out to fight in the first place.

Shadowclan is strong, but they are also sneaky. They keep grudges the longest and often make long term plans to get what they need and get back at their enemies. They are the ones who make the greatest use of ambush and subterfuge to take their opponents by surprise, often a requirement when dealing with Thunderclan or Riverclan. Shadowclan often avoids direct confrontation, due to the higher likelihood of getting hurt and a higher chance of getting sick.

Windclan is interesting. Because of their size they are generally at a disadvantage to the other clans. They have to compensate for this somehow. Usually this means that in a fight, they skip the posturing phase altogether and just straight up launch themselves at an enemy, attacking them but then wiggling away to surprise and gang up on another cat. They are the ones who will fight quick and dirty, often engaging multiple opponents in the same fight. But they dont often seek fights themselves. They excel at playing the clans off each other, because realistically they dont have as much chance of winning a fight or a dispute. They always choose a neutral position if they can, and act as mediators, or schemers in regards to the others.

Now those are what I would consider the best option for canon strategies towards fighting. In your own clans it will be different depending on the overall attitude of the clan and their strengths and weaknesses physically and culturally. But this is an important thing to consider when thinking about how conflicts will work between your clans.

How do we apply this to training in fighting?

Well I have two very silly cats who I watch play fight all the time. I know its not serious, usually, because its quiet. They constantly play fight. its the way all young cats would practice their skills. In the clans however this is more of a guided exercise. For the clans, its a matter of survival that their young know how to fight and defend themselves, because at some point they will need to know how to do it. And if their apprentices are prepared, they are less likely to die from stupid mistakes. Education, preparation, and familiarity with what they will be dealing with can help change a lot of situations. Specific things which mentors might address for their apprentices when fighting are:

-How not to panic on the battlefield.

-How to know when to retreat.

-How to use whatever signal the clan has to ask for backup/help.

-How to wiggle out of another cats grapple.

-How to aim claws and teeth effectively.

-How to hold on to another cat.

-Discussing the differences between clan fighting styles. 

-Just becoming familiar with the sensation of rolling around on the ground.

-How to leverage to be on top.

-How to use your hind legs to protect you/hit someone else if they disengage or some other cat pounces on you.

-How to keep your ears flat to avoid them getting sliced.

-How to try to protect your eyes in a fight.

-How to try and protect your neck in a fight.

-How to keep your body tensed but not frozen or locked.

-The ability to recognize any signals the clan has for battle, either verbal or physical (like when to attack/when to retreat/who the main target is).

-What to do in the aftermath of a fight (cleaning wounds as best as possible, maybe recognizing shock symptoms).

-Basically just becoming familiar with fighting and trying best to learn how not panic or make mistakes to seriously injure oneself.

I’m sure there are more, but this is a good start hopefully, to help everyone consider how the clans fight and where and when.

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I hate drawing maps but I think this came out pretty good! So here’s the territory of the Valley clans

A) The meeting place for the four clans on the full moon. On the Lightclan side there’s a huge old tree that’s used as a bridge and on the Earthclan side its much shallower with stepping stones to get across. Sometimes when there hasn’t been a lot of rain cats can just jump across on that side. 

B) This is Sliver cliffs, the valley clans version of the moon stone/pool. The moonlight reflects off of the spring that bubbles up at the top and makes the stone walls look sliver and glowing. 

1) Frostclan’s camp. It’s completely underground in a cave system, lit by naturally glowing mushrooms. The dens are in smaller caves and crevices  

2) Lightclan’s camp. It’s the most open of all the camps, a simple sandy hollow surrounded by ferns. The dens are in dug out earth caves and hollowed out dead trees

3) Mistclan’s camp. An enclosed clearing in the cliffs. its more of a path through two sheer rock cliffs, with the dens in very shallow caves and cracks in the wall, and naturally paw holds in the rock to climb up and down

4) Earthclan’s camp. This camp is also completely underground but very different from Frostclan’s. Instead of hard stone its made of pack earth and tree roots. This camp used to be a very large rabbit warren. The founders of Earthclan dug it out to make it bigger and it has been constantly worked on since then with tunnels all over their territory. Their dens are dug out branching off of the main camp 

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Halfkit is very rude (and very much grounded) 

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Finally, all of Frostclan is done!!!! Or at least how it will be in the first chapter. This is a basic over view, more detailed profiles will be posted in the next few days 

Chief: Boulderstar (he/him)

Sheriff: Lionmane (he/him)

Warriors:

Heatherstone (he/him) 

Frosthunter (he/him) Apprentice, Fishpaw

Sleekflower (she/her)

Ravenfire (she/her) Apprentice, Lynxpaw

Eagleleap (he/him)

Dragonwhisker (they/them) 

Honeymoon (she/her) Apprentice, Foxpaw 

Creepingshade (she/her)

Tigerbreeze (she/her) 

Apprentices:

Fishpaw (he/him) 

Foxpaw (she/her)

Lynxpaw (he/him)

Medicine cats: 

Sliverfang (she/her)

Poppysong (she/her)

Queens/Kings and their kits:

Claydust (she/her, they/them) her kits: Shadowkit, Halfkit

Flameblossom (she/her) her kits: Lemonkit, Applekit, Berrykit

Blitzblaze (he/him) his kit: Snowkit 

Camp tenders:

Goldenfish (he/him)

Foldedear (she/her)

Sweetheart (ze/zir) 

Whitenose (he/him) 

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ME when I see wasted character arc potential

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Finally, all of Frostclan is done!!!! Or at least how it will be in the first chapter. This is a basic over view, more detailed profiles will be posted in the next few days 

Chief: Boulderstar (he/him)

Sheriff: Lionmane (he/him)

Warriors:

Heatherstone (he/him) 

Frosthunter (he/him) Apprentice, Fishpaw

Sleekflower (she/her)

Ravenfire (she/her) Apprentice, Lynxpaw

Eagleleap (he/him)

Dragonwhisker (they/them) 

Honeymoon (she/her) Apprentice, Foxpaw 

Creepingshade (she/her)

Tigerbreeze (she/her) 

Apprentices:

Fishpaw (he/him) 

Foxpaw (she/her)

Lynxpaw (he/him)

Medicine cats: 

Sliverfang (she/her)

Poppysong (she/her)

Queens/Kings and their kits:

Claydust (she/her, they/them) her kits: Shadowkit, Halfkit

Flameblossom (she/her) her kits: Lemonkit, Applekit, Berrykit

Blitzblaze (he/him) his kit: Snowkit 

Camp tenders:

Goldenfish (he/him)

Foldedear (she/her)

Sweetheart (ze/zir) 

Whitenose (he/him) 

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In the future I’ll be uploading clan cats by clan and their role (all the clan warriors together, queens/kings, kits ect), but since this blog is so new I want some of the characters on here now. So here’s Snowkit’s sprite for chapter one, when he’s still a little baby and recovering from the wounds the hawk inflicted. Along with him I thought I’d upload his adopted parents in Frostclan! 

Blitzblaze

A small but muscular tom cat with thick tabby fur and white markings. Three deep and fresh scars over his stomach 

Intersex male (he/him)

Has two mates (who are both comfortable with this situation), Heatherstone and Frosthunter

Usually a warrior, currently a nursing king. His own kits were still born due to a wound he received to his belly while pregnant, but still had milk when Snowkit is found and takes him in without hesitation. A very loving cat but also very passionate and emotional, thinks with his heart not his brain which can often get him into trouble. He isn’t much of a fighter by nature, by fierce as a lion when someone he cares for is in trouble. He tends to say what he’s thinking without care if he’s disrespecting his chief or what other cats might think. He wasn’t born in Frostclan and seems to have originally come from Earthclan instead. He’s often asked by the two medicine cats to locate and dig up roots for them with the tunneling skills he learned there. His reasons for leaving to become a Frostclan warrior will remain a mystery for now   

Heatherstone

A thin white tom with pale blue eyes and big ears, a scar clearly from claws over his right eye 

Cis male (he/him) 

Has two mates (who are both comfortable with this situation), Blitzblaze and Frosthunter

Heatherstone is and always has been deaf. But he’s a strong warrior, a fierce fighter and skilled hunter. He’s pensive and thoughtful, taking his time to consider all the options before acting for the most part. He’s ambitious, but only for the most basic respect as a warrior, feeling like he has to work twice as hard to prove himself. He also invented a cat version of sign language using a mix of paw, tail and whisker movements combined with body language, as well as his own type of hunting crouches costumed to take into account for his lack of hearing. He also wasn’t born in Frostclan, rather originally from Lightclan. In emergencies he has a weird amount of knowledge about first aid for a warrior, a good guess that he might have been forced into being a medicine cat despite that being against their warrior code. 

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send me “spoiler!” and ill give u a vague spoiler abt a story im writing

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If weddings were in the Warriors books how do you think they would go?

probably similar to like a warriors ceremony where everyone gathers around but relatives and close friends of the two cats also get to speak about the couple and give their blessings (or misgivings if there are any) and the leader is like “do you two vow to be loyal to each other, just as you are loyal to your clan(s)” and they both say “i do” and then they can get like first pick of fresh-kill (after the elders, kits, and queens are already fed) and they share it

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If anyone here has Warrior cat ocs and or FanClans mind giving this a like or reblog so I can follow you? I follow from @rising-generations but it’ll be for this blog

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Thought I’d upload my first sketch of this au, as it’s also the header of this blog. Here’s Snowkit being accidentally rescued from the hawk by two Frostclan cats, Frosthunter and Heatherstone. Both cats will become important in his new life later, especially Heatherstone as he’s deaf as well

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Clan roles

In the four valley clans, Frostclan, Earthclan, Lightclan, and Mistclan, the rules and roles are slightly different from the ones we know. I thought I’d start off with how the roles are different, as well as show the “bases” I’ll be using for clan cats. (Please note these bases aren’t for public use, though I might change my mind about that later)

Kits

Kits as you know are baby cats from 0 to 6 moons old. Obviously not too much changes about them as they are too young to do much but be cared for and allowed to enjoy their carefree kit-hood. However one big change about them as that around 3 moons they begin to have lessons from teachers, the elders of the clan. These lessons are about the history of all the clans, the warrior code, and the Ancient ones (the starclan of these clans). The lessons are in groups with any litter mates as well as all the kits in teaching age. They have a small quiz on what they’ve learned during their apprentice ceremony. It’s not very hard but if they fail this quiz they aren’t allowed to become apprentices for another half moon. There is no limit to how many chances they have, but it is embarrassing to fail as not only is it in front of their whole clan but they’re also forced to stay in the nursery until they can pass it. 

Queens

Queens as you also probably know are she cats who have moved into the Nursery, either right about to have or raising young kits. They treated with a bit more awe and respect in the valley clans as they create future warriors and clans would quickly cease to exist without new cats. Disrespecting one is a horrible act, and daring to raise a claw to a mother (or heavily obviously pregnant) cat is an offense punishable by exile or even death. However, some clans will let such an act slide if they find the expecting kits are half clan. It’s not considered a very honorable act but such matters are up to the clan the pregnant cat belongs to. 

Kings

Kings are the same as queens, but refer to trans, non-binary, intersex and masculine aligned cats. How non cishet cats are viewed and treated different from clan to clan, usually depending on how the current Chief feels about them, but no matter what gender a cat expecting kits will always be respected. Though again depending on how forgiving the current chief is discovering the sire is from another clan could lead to the Queen or King and their kits getting into a lot of trouble, sometimes even driven out if the chief is especially cruel. This goes against the warrior code, but like people don’t always follow the law cats don’t always completely follow the code as they should.

Apprentices

Apprentices are still made only once 6 moons old, though sometimes a bit later if they fail their Apprentice test. The length of apprenticeship tends to vary from cat to cat, but generally are usually longer then 6 moons, but no longer then 12 moons. It can also vary from clan to clan, as they learn more then fighting and hunting but also the special skill of their clans. Frostclan takes the longest at an average of a full 12 moons. Their special skill is hunting large raptors that nest in the mountains, hawks, edges and vultures. Apprentices don’t learn that skill until they are 10 moons old, which is why it takes Frostclan cats so long. Earthclan cats are the second longest, similar to Windclan their special skill is tunneling, which can take awhile to prefect but as their whole camp is underground not as long as it did for Windclan cats. Lightclan’s special skill is climbing and hunting in the tree tops, and Mistclan’s is swimming. They all have other skills they’re better at then the other clans but those are the skills they’re best known for. All apprentices are expected to master these clan specific skills before becoming warriors. 

Warriors

Warriors! You know them, the cats who make up the majority of clans, who hunt and fight to protect their clan territory. In the valley clans they also work to care for elders, kits, and Queens/Kings rather then apprentices. It’s considered very noble work rather the a chore beneath them, and if a apprentice is allowed to do something like fetch fresh bedding or hunt for the elders its considered a real treat, something to brag about. Warriors also do upkeep on dens and the nursery for their camp, weaving in sticks and leaves, cleaning them out, keeping them warm and dry. Earthclan warriors dig out new tunnels and make sure older ones stay safe and sturdy. 

Medicine cats

Medicine cats are another role we know well. The valley clan medicine cats only have a few differences. One is that rather then only one being the minimum for a clan, two are the least a clan should have in the valley. This is because of the other major difference, that they are allowed to have kits of their own if they should so please to. But they must have another medicine cat that has been full trained to take over for them and it has to have been least a moon since the one taking over officially finished with their training. Besides that they have the same odd powers and ability to read signs from the Ancient ones, and provide major input to their Chief and any big choices they might make. Once a moon they all go to the Sliver cliffs, a large clearing on a high peak in the mountains that allows them to feel close to the stars to communicate with the Ancient ones, the Valley clans version of the Moonstone/pool

Nurses

Nurses are Medicine cats still in training. Sometimes an older cat will decide to peruse training as one but often they’re chosen by the current two medicine cats as kits. If they see a kit who has promise they’ll discuss with their Chief, Sheriff, and the kit’s parents about them becoming a nurse at 6 moons. However a cat can never be forced to become one. Once the kit with promises is 6 moons they’ll be sat down to have a discussion about if they wish to train as nurse instead of as an apprentice. Only if the young cat agrees will they be made a nurse to train under the two medicine cats. Forcing a cat who has a gift, or is disable, to become a nurse is considered very bad luck and the Ancient ones will not accept them as a Medicine cat and put a curse on current Medicine cats and Chief who forced them into it. If a cat does decide that its the life for them they’ll be taken to Sliver cliffs to be presented to the Ancient ones and then trained as nurses for a full 12 moons before traveling back to receive their new name from the Ancient ones themselves. Even if the cat was a warrior, camp guard, teacher, or duchess/duke before they will still get a new name as a fully trained Medicine cat  

Camp guards, teachers, Duchesses/Dukes

These are the elders in the valley clans, but sometimes a young cat who doesn’t like to fight nor interested in being a medicine cat will take on one of these jobs too. Elders never fully and completely retire, but they do still stay in camp and are cared for by the rest of the clan. However they still have important roles. The most common job is Camp guard duty. Camp guards will sit near the entrance to the clan, the fresh kill pile, medicine cat den, and nursery. They watch for dangers such as invaders, wild animals, fires and floods, and anything else that might cause the clan trouble. They also make sure no kits or apprentices can sneak out of camp alone, and keep track of the coming and goings of their clan mates. This is surprisingly important for the clan Chiefs to know, as a cat often leaving for long periods of time with no explanation might be up to something the chief should know about. Another important role a non warrior could take is as a teacher. As mentioned in the kit section kits need to learn about the warrior code and history of their clan before becoming apprentices. Teachers obviously are the ones to tell them about theses things. They might also go over some basic hunting crouches and lightly play fight to help prepare them if they feel physically up to it. The last role is the one most clans believe is the most important, Duchesses and Dukes. These are cats who have given birth to and/or raised kits in the past but either because of age or some other reason can’t have any more. They assist along side Medicine cats and Nurses in helping a cat give birth. They also help advise new mothers and fathers, if what a kit is doing is normal or should be looked at by the medicine cat, how to get a kit who isn’t suckling to eat, and how they handled the various trails of being a parent. Duchesses and Dukes will also babysit kits when a King or Queen needs a break, making sure none of them go missing or get into trouble. 

Sheriffs

Sheriffs are the deputies of these clans. They are the chief’s right hand cats and are the next in line for leadership if anything happens to the chief. They are also in charge of both boarder and hunting patrols, as well as expected to hunt for their clan before eating themselves every single day. If their is a border scuffle they will be sought out for back up first before any other cat

Chiefs

Chiefs are the leaders of valley clans. They are pretty much the same as the leaders in canon, they make the decisions for the clan and have 9 lives, but they receive them from the Ancient ones rather then Starclan. After getting their 9 lives they’re marked by a diamond shaped marking, usually somewhere on their face or chest but can appear else well. Their number one goal should be the safety of their clan, but plenty are more interested in power. They rarely go into battle but spend their time among their clan mates in camp or patrolling their territory. If their clan is suffering from anything, sickness, drought, fox or badger settled in their territory, it is on them to discover a way to guide their clan through the trouble and come out on the other side stronger for it. If they fail to do so, if sickness or hunger kills too many cats in their clan, it’s seen as their own personal failure.