4. Clan Traditions

OceanClan
Ancestors: Rekkah

OceanClan cats are usually very religious towards their ancestors, the Rekkah, and their traditions. These cats are generally easily-offended. When they're insulted, they are quick to defend themselves with words. If the offense is great, or they are not given a sincere apology, OceanClan cats will not hesitate to get physical.

As they are warriors of water, training is more heavily focused on swimming than on any other activity. They can dive into the deepest sections of water bodies in order to catch their prey, and even utilise it as an ambush tactic; for this, apprentices go through rigorous training in order to be able to hold their breaths for longer than an average cat. In war, OceanClan cats like to lead their opponents to the closest body of water, where they have the biggest advantage.

The shell that OceanClan cats bring back for their warrior test becomes their totem shell, and is the physical link between them and their ancestors - that one specific shell is said to contain their spiritual guide(s). The totem shell must be kept carefully in the nest until the cat is an elder unable to travel on the Journey. Loss of or disrespect towards the shell will be met with severe punishment, including death.

In OceanClan, elders are fairly respected. They are given nests closest to the stream behind camp, which has a light current, allowing them to relax whenever they please. It is not compulsory for elders to make the Journey to the Soul Waters in Newleaf as their safety may be compromised. However, at the point where the elder believes they will no longer be able to travel on the Journey in future, they may appoint an apprentice or warrior to carry his/her totem shell to the Soul Waters on their behalf. Over there, the carrier deposits the shell in the communal area of the pond. 

Non-binary and non-hetero cats are respected as equals by most OceanClan cats. On the subject of purebloods and halfbloods, OceanClan treasures purebloods but would begrudgingly house halfbloods at the leader's discretion. Halfbloods must work harder than their pureblooded counterparts in order to earn the trust and right to be fully part of the Clan, and also the right to have heir identity as a halfblood kept a secret from other Clans or even their own Clanmates. Awarding of such secrecy is, again, at the discretion of the leader.

In the case of deformed cats, if they can still swim, they are generally trained and kept in the Clan. Any cat who cannot swim, either out of fear or some physical disability, is usually exiled. OceanClan fears that their ancestors will punish them for keeping a cat who cannot swim in their territory. Blind cats are kept in the Clan due to their heightened sense of smell and hearing, though it is not without a test - those who fail will promptly find themselves exiled. Those who succeed will only find themselves as sensory guards and/or flood detectors, who can sense the onset of a flood or trespasser; they may be required to join any patrol whose path will take them along the rivers.

If a warrior is injured such that it affects one of his senses (e.g losing an eye, subsequently part of his sight), they will undergo training under one of the sensory guards for at least another moon to make up for the loss of that sense. They will then take a test to determine if they can remain as a warrior, failing which will subject them to take a test to become a sensory guard, assessed by another sensory guard. If they fail both tests, the cat will be exiled.

Since the totem shells are kept in the cats' nests, those of exiled cats can be easily retrieved and subsequently returned to the Soul Waters.

BreezeClan
Ancestors: Harro

BreezeClan cats are generally proud warriors, but quick to anger. They have fierce tempers and they often mistake what cats from other Clans are saying to them as an insult to their pride and/or clan. This frequently causes conflicts with other Clans in which they refuse to apologize for.

In the plains, being fast to avoid predators is crucial. As such, BreezeClan cats focus more on running quickly while retaining stamina more than anything else.

BreezeClan takes respect for their ancestors, the Harro, seriously. After all, the Harro are the source of their pride, the ones that started it all. If one disrespects the Harro or any ancestor of the clan they are insulting the Clan's pride, and that is unforgivable by all means. Any cat within the Clan caught of being disrespectful to the ancestors are exiled. One disrespect that cannot go unnoticed are cats who fraternize and mix the blood of the clan as this is seen as having no pride for the Clan or the Harro.

Elders are fairly respected in BreezeClan. They are given the largest birds to eat, and at their ceremony, they are gifted feathers to honor every notable thing they did. These feathers are usually only used to speak to the Clan's ancestors. Receiving even one is a big honor.

Non-binary and non-hetero cats are often bullied by most BreezeClan cats, but they are not usually exiled or directly punished.

In BreezeClan, any cat missing a limb is exiled, as they cannot run. Deaf cats are often given swift deaths, for they are not viewed as useful, nor can they be taught to worship the wind and their ancestors. Blind cats, on the other hand, are worshiped, as they rely greatly on their senses of smell and hearing, allowing them to smell everything in the breeze, and hear even the slowest movements of wind brushing by. Blind cats are generally trained as medicinal assistants, and any prophecies they proclaim are taken as being true.

The leader of the clan has their personal deputy who must prove their worth in every way possible to the leader and the Clan. The deputy and leader are traditionally mates, allowing for the strongest blood to flow through the heir/ess.  

WillowClan
Ancestors: Airin

WillowClan is a fairly peaceful Clan. They do their best to mind their own business, and most of their warriors are not easy to rile up. However, their calm natures usually come off as condescending, and it's not uncommon for another Clan to take them as snobby and attack them for it. Their peacefulness is also often viewed as cowardly, and other Clans often antagonize them.

With a huge variety of herbs at their dispense, WillowClan focuses training their apprentices in hunting and plant-gathering. They try to have as much in stock as possible so they can trade with the other Clans and have more than enough herbs available come leafbare. As a result of this, when WillowClanners are attacked, they rely on their knowledge of their territory in order to win, as many of them are not very muscular or well-versed in fighting.

Their ancestors are known as the Airin. This is also the term for the place where warrior code-following WillowClanners go upon death.

WillowClan elders are highly respected. Apprentices on duty to serve elders must ask them what their favorite meal is and deliver, regardless of whether or not it is currently on the fresh-kill pile. Elders' opinions are to be listened to with great consideration, as they are seen as the wisest and strongest members of the Clan.

Non-binary and non-hetero cats are generally viewed as equals in WillowClan, and are respected as such. In fact, cats who disrespect others based on orientation are often subjected to doing apprentice duties for a moon.

In WillowClan, disabled cats are taken out into the territory once in a while to enjoy a day out of camp. Otherwise, they spend their days doing various tasks. They help the deputy organize patrols, play with kits (they should not be left to babysit, however, as little ones may take advantage), help apprentices train, or assist the medicine cats. Many cats may treat them a bit more poorly than others, but they are mostly respected.

WillowClan believes heavily in reincarnation. Cats who led poor lives are said to be given a year of rest in Airin, then they are sent back in the body of a newborn kit to live a better life. Cats who lived good lives may choose to come back after some time, but many choose to stay in Airin, wanting to help guide their Clanmates in a different way. It's not uncommon for reincarnated cats to remember their past lives, but many of them unconsciously block it out because the pain would be too much to bear. Leaders and medicine cats are said to have the ability to sense a reincarnated cat, but other members of the Clan are unaware (unless they were close to the cat). It can be very hard or very easy to detect a reincarnated cat, depending on how much their personality has changed and how much they remember about their past life.

CavernClan
Ancestors: Ethae

CavernClan is a patriarchal society, which is their main differing factor from the other Clans. Led entirely by males, the females are considered one of the lowest parts of the Clan, but held in importance for their reproductive uses only. If any molly is caught disrespecting a tom, depending on the severity, she will either be permanently mutilated or executed. By nature, CavernClan cats are cold and analytical, preferring not to get emotionally attached to anything or anyone but rather live their lives with their own pride and strengths leading them.

CavernClan cats are the warriors of the night and refuse to leave their underground tunnels until the sun has gone down. They have mastered the art of hunting in darkness as their eyes are well adjusted to the lack of light in their home of earth and stone.

Elders are not respected at all in CavernClan. Since they can not defend the Clan, nor provide kits to further expand their ranks, they are usually the last ones to eat, and they sleep in the coldest parts of the tunnel where the Clan makes their home.

CavernClan toms can fight to claim a queen for life if they so desire. Others can challenge them at any time, and to the death if necessary. The leader can have one true mate that no tom is permitted to challenge, but he will also mate with other mollies to pass on his genetics as far as possible. If a female is born in one of the leader's litters, she will be killed, as this is seen to be dishonorable.

CavernClan as a whole is not very religious or spiritual by nature, though toms who are are not looked down on and are in fact regarded a bit higher than most others. The medicine cat is the only one closest to their ancestors who they call the Ethae, and the leader typically doesn't speak to them unless he finds a high need for spiritual advice.

Non-cis and non-hetero cats are not accepted in this Clan and are generally forced to keep their identities secret out of fear of being exiled or killed.

In CavernClan, any tom that is missing a limb will be exiled or killed due to the fact that the tunneling Clan requires their warriors to be able to dig and scrape away earth, as well as stalk their prey. The same thing applies to deaf cats, toms or mollies, as all cats must be able to hear if earth shifts wrong around them to escape from a collapse. Mollies that are missing limbs will be of the lowest respect in the Clan, even lower than able-bodied mollies, as they are viewed as less capable to care for their kits than other queens. Blind toms are used only as diggers of tunnels but are viewed highly, as the darkness does not phase these cats and their other senses are strengthened, which makes them the best cats for scouting new areas underground. Blind mollies are often killed or sent to scout tunnels with the toms, but are usually the ones sent to dig ground where the earth is more volatile and likely to collapse. They are not deliberately killed, but are the ones that are sent into dangers first in the hopes that the tunnels will kill them instead.