Welcome to The Warrior Way!!

Naming Cats

Clan cats have very important rules for how they are named. The mother chooses the first name, and the leader chooses the rest. Have fun!

When a kit is born, their mother chooses the first part of their name based on either physical attributes, or personality. Usually names based on personality are given to the kit as it grows a little more. The name must be something that wild cats know of; other wild animals, herbs, character traits, parts of nature, etc.
Example: Rose
The name Rose might have been given to the kit because it is very beautiful, like a rose, or it's very loving, because roses are often associated with hearts and love.

For kits, their mother would name them, and the end of their name would automatically be 'kit' until it became an apprentice.
Example: Rosekit

As an apprentice, the end of the name would change into 'paw' but the beginning would stay the same. Once again, this changes as the rank changes.
Example: Rosepaw

When apprentices become warriors, their leader chooses the end of their name. They keep the first part, but the end can be almost anything, as long as wild cats are aware of it. The most common name endings are claw, face, pad, foot, belly, tail, eye, ear, heart, storm, cloud, etc.
Example: Rosetail

Sometimes an apprentice is given a warrior name with a name ending that is different from those. The ending is usually revelant to the beginning when this happens.
Example: Rosethorn

Once they earn their warrior name, they keep it for the rest of their life, except for in these cases:

a) They become the leader of their Clan, and they earn their leader name from StarClan. All leader's names end in 'star.'
Example: Rosestar

b) They become an elder in their Clan, or they get a major injury. In this case you would use a name-change ceremony and change their name.
Example: Missingfoot
(Maybe Rosetail/Rosethorn was in a battle and lost a leg, and when she became an elder, she changed her name) 

Other Ceremonies

Traditional Clan Greeting
This is said at the beginning of all ceremonies or announcements. The leader will place him/herself on the Highrock/Highledge to start the meeting.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the _________ for a Clan meeting."

Note: During emergencies Clan greetings may be shorter as every moment is vital.

Deputy Ceremony
"The time has come to appoint a new deputy. I say these words before StarClan, that the spirits of our ancestors may hear and approve my choice. __________ will be the new deputy."

Warrior Ceremony
"I, _____star, leader of ____Clan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. S/he has trained hard to under stand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him/her to you as a warrior in his/her turn. _____paw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name: _____paw, from this moment on you will be known as _________. StarClan honors your _____ and your _____ and we welcome you as a full warrior of ____Clan."


Virtues
When become a warrior the leader says "StarClan honors your ______ and your ______ and...." These are what fill in the blanks.

Determination
Enthusiasm
Independence
Strength
Spirit
Honesty
Patience
Forethought
Loyalty
Intelligence
Faith

Apprentice Ceremony
"From this day forward, until he/she has earned his/her warrior name, this apprentice will be called _____paw. ______, _________________________________. May you pass down all you know to this your apprentice."

Note: During the long blanks, the leader says who the mentor of the apprentice is, and says a sentence or two about the mentors skills, virtues, etc. Usually kept brief.

Dying Apprentice Ceremony
"I ask my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He/She has learned the warrior code and has given up his/her life in service of his/her Clan. Let StarClan recieve him/her as a warrior. His/Her name will be __________, because _________. Let StarClan recieve him/her by the name of __________.

Note: This is said when an apprentice that is almost old enough to be a warrior dies/is expected to die before he/she becomes one. This was used in Brightheart/Lostface's case.

Elder Ceremony
"___________, is it your wish to give up the name of warrior and go join the elders?"

"It is."

"Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given us. I call upon StarClan to give you many seasons of rest."

Note: Sometimes the warrior name of the cat is changed to suit new features. See Name-Change Ceremony.

Medicine Cat Ceremony
(Medicine Cat) "_______________, is it your wish to enter into the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?"

"It is."

"Then come forward. Warriors of StarClan, I present to you this apprentice. She has chosen the life of medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom and insight so that she may understand your ways and heal her Clan in accordance to your will."

(medicine cats touch nose to Moonstone/Moonpool)

Name-Change Ceremony
"Spirits of StarClan, you know every cat by name. I ask you now to take away the name from the cat you see before you, for it no longer stands for what he/she is. By my authority as Clan leader, and with the approval of our warrior ancestors, I give this cat a new name. From this moment on, he/she will be known as _______. We honor his/her ______ and ______."

Note: See Warrior Ceremony "Virtues" to fill in last two blanks.

Time/Seasons
Leaf-bare - the season of winter
Newleaf - the season of spring
Greenleaf - the season of summer
Leaf-fall - the season of autumn
Quarter-moon - a week
Moon - a 28-day period (one full moon to another), a month
Moonhigh - 12 o'clock a.m. (midnight)
Sunhigh - 12 o'clock p.m. (noon)


Measurement
Mouselength- roughly an inch
Kittenstep - less than an inch
Rabbitlength/Taillength - roughly a foot
Foxlength - roughly a yard


Ranks/Names
Kittypet - a house cat; the term can also be used as an insult
Loner - a cat who is neither owned by humans or part of a Clan
Rogue - another term for loner; some cats find it offensive
Twoleg - a human


Other Terms
Fresh-kill - freshly caught prey
Crowfood - rotting, dead prey
Gathering - a meeting that the Clans hold in peace when the moon is at its fullest
Moonstone, Moonpool - a place where medicine cats and leaders meet and share dreams with StarClan
Silverpelt - the large swath of stars in the sky; StarClan is represented by Silverpelt
Thunderpath - a road, more specifically, a highway
Monster - a human vehicle (cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc)
Halfbridge - a dock
Twoleg nest - a human house
Twolegplace - a human town
Greenleaf Twolegplace - a place where humans visit only in the summer (a resort, etc)
Horseplace - a horse ranch or stables


Herbs/Plants
Poppy seeds - used to numb pain
Cobwebs - used to stop bleeding
Feverfew - used to cool feverish cats and treat head pain
Borage leaves - used to treat fevers
Marigold - used to treat infection and heal wounds and sores
Horsetail - used to treat infected wounds
Burdock root - used to treat infections, especially rat bites
Chervil (root) - used to treat infections
Wild garlic - rolling in this can help to keep out infection
Coltsfoot - used to treat kittencough
Catnip - used to treat blackcough, whitecough, and greencough, and can help to relax a cat
Chickweed - used to help treat greencough
Tansy - used to treat coughs
Thyme - used to calm a cat
Camomile - used to calm a cat
Juniper berries - used to treat bellyache
Chervil - used to treat bellyache
Water mint - used to treat bellyache
Daisy leaves - used to treat aching joints
Comfrey - used to treat broken bones
Nettle leaves - used to treat swelling
Celadine - used to treat ailments of the eyes
Snakeroot - used to counter poison
Honey - used to treat sore throats
Mouse bile - used to remove parasites from a cat's coat
Dock leaves - used to make a cat's coat slippery
Yarrow - used to make a cat vomit and expel poisons from the body
Deathberries (yew) - of no medicinal value; bright scarlet berries that can kill a cat if they are not expelled quickly enough
Nightshade - of no medicinal value; much the same as yew

NOTE: Please do not use these in real life. These plants are only used in the books. Please consult a doctor if any of the above happen.


Tribe Terms
Healer - the cat who leads the Tribe and cares for the sick cats; the leader and medicine cat
Prey-hunter - a cat that hunts for the Tribe; a warrior trained specifically in hunting
Cave-guard - a cat who guards the Tribe's camp and territory; a warrior trained specifically in fighting
To-be - a cat in training to be either a prey-hunter or a cave-guard; an apprentice
Kit-mother - a she-cat nursing or expecting kits; a queen
Caught-prey - freshly caught food; fresh-kill
Cave of Pointed Stones - a place where the Tribe healer and the rest of the cats hear from the Tribe of Endless Hunting; equivalent to the Clans' Moonstone/Moonpool


~~All information here was gathered from the Warriors books. Translation is assumed.~~

Ranks

Every cat in every Clan has a rank of some sort, ranging from naughty kit to wise medicine cat to retired elder. The rank of each member of a Clan gives them more or less power compared to their other Clanmates, and all this depends on the amount of effort they put into their duties. If you wish your rank to go up in a Clan, what do you do? Work harder. Here are some of the Clan ranks and the power that comes with them:

Kit: The kit has basically no power at all in the Clan, which makes sense, because kits are only from 0-6 moons old. Anyone can scold a kit, but it is considered impolite to do so unless you are a leader, the kit's mother, or the medicine cat. Kits stay in the nursery with the other queens and kits until they are 6 moons old.

Apprentice: Apprentices are the next rank up from kits, and range from 6 moons old to about 1 year old. Apprentices have a higher status than kits, but once again can be scolded by almost anyone. But now, as an older cat they are expected to be able to do tasks for the elders and other warriors who need things done.

Medicine Cat Apprentice: Medicine cat apprentices are regarded in basically the same manner as other apprentices, except, when the time calls, they can be talked to like they were a full medicine cat.

Warrior: Warriors are the general rank of the cats in a Clan. They are given tasks mainly by the leader or deputy, and sometimes the medicine cat. They hunt, fight, and patrol and are now full-grown cats.

Senior Warrior: Senior warriors are the next rank up from warrior. They are usually closer to the leader/deputy and are more frequently chosen to do more important tasks. Age matters in this situation and senior warriors are mainly warriors who have been alive for a long time, but are not yet old enough to become an elder.

Mentor: Mentors are normal warriors/senior warriors who have been chosen to train an apprentice. As well as training they do the normal warrior duties, and will return to being a warrior once their apprentice has been deemed worthy of the warrior status.

Queen: Queens are she-cats expecting or nursing kits. Full-time queens are almost always in the nursery and they take care of other she-cats kits, if the mother does not wish to stay in the nursery. Queens are rarely assigned warrior duties, unless they choose to be given them. Only in the most desperate times will queens have to defend the Clan, and usually warriors from other Clans do not attack them unless necessary.

Medicine Cat: Medicine cats take care of ill cats, and also do some warrior duties if necessary. There can only be one medicine cat, or two, if a medicine cat apprentice becomes medicine cat before the other medicine cat joins StarClan. Medicine cats frequently get omens from StarClan. Medicine cats are not allowed to have mates or kits.

Deputy: The deputy of a Clan is the second-in-command. If the leader dies, then the deputy takes his/her place. The deputy assigns other warriors their duties (patroling, hunting, etc.) and helps the leader with their decisions. Except for the leader and medicine cat, everyone has to listen to the deputy.

Leader: The leader is the cat who leads the Clan; anything the leader says, goes. Leaders are to recieve nine lives from StarClan as well as their leader name (the first part of their name with 'star' at the end) before they can make any true decisions. The leader of a Clan represents that Clan at gatherings, and may also recieve signs from StarClan.