Formation and History of the Clans

[Dreamer]

The First


Before there were clans, before even there were domestic cats on the North American continent, the Ancient Ones existed. Created by some minimal power left by the Egyptians during their mumification processes, the Ancient Ones were four cats who survived the experience of passing beyond life and ascended to a new level. They became symbols for the phases of the moon, and developed unique personalities to play off each other. But after many years, they became lonely in the afterlife, seeking the comfort of other cats and beings, seeking someone to rule.

Several failed experiments occurred to entice their descendants and communicate with them. Once or twice they managed to bring about several cats to their domain. But rarely did it last longer than a generation, and without a reason or purpose to remain, without companionship of their own, those younger cats gave up their life force to the All Force, preferring an end rather eternal non-action. The Ancient Ones felt more and more despondent, angry, lonely, but above all, bored. They did not have the choice to return to the All-force, as a part of the Egyptian process had barred them forever from doing so. Instead they remained, for ages on ages.

Many ages later, they caught the attention and devotion of one of their descendants, a tom named Wave who had been brought to a tiny seaside town where a small population of cats was starting to bloom and grow. He was an artifact almost, and the fact that he, a pedigree Egyptian Mau had been brought to such a small town in America made him more of a spectacle than anything. Wave soon tired of his cage, of his home, of being able to see the sea and the outside and never leave.

That was when they called on him. They promised him freedom, eternal life in a blissful existence beyond the stars, companionship with them, with cats of his own choosing. Liberty to do whatever he wanted! It was no surprise he was hooked, and the Ancient Ones could only be grateful that the area had been spiritually awakened long ago in the time of the nature workers native to the land. The veil between the spiritual and the physical was thin, and the perfect place to build their empire.

Wave managed to escape, and made his home in the wilds to the south of the town. He made regular trips to town enticing cats to follow him with promises of freedom, of security, and a life that would never end. Over time more and more cats joined his group and they became a serious power. They carved out a territory for themselves, and began creating rules.

However it was only when the first death occurred that they truly became a clan.

Wave heard from the Ancient Ones again, who directed him to the area where the veil between the physical and spiritual planes was thinnest. They directed Wave on how to bury their comrade, and to everycat's surprise, that cat appeared before them. It was a rare moment of visible manifestation, yet it sealed the belief of everycat there, and they all professed to follow the ancient ones, naming themselves Wave's Clan, and putting together the warrior code.

When Wave died, he was entombed in a cave near the same place where the first dead cat had been entombed. The clan left a single warrior as a guardian, to ensure the tombs were not disturbed.

Shattered Trusts

For several generations, Waveclan grew and developed. They added finer lines to the code, new rules, and began to develop a culture and way of life. Their territory became large and often unmarked, and they roamed where they pleased and befriended whomever they liked. They set up camp on an island which sat at the mouth of a river which flowed into the ocean, on the coast where it was easier to get food.

Unfortunately, their camp could not last as it did, and one storm season a hurricane flooded the island, carrying many cats away, and the clan frantically sought shelter in the barns of farm cats.

When the storm finally subsided a broken clan was forced to look at the scattered pieces of what used to be their camp. The decision was made to move the camp further inland, and seek a way to amke sure that the clan wasnt ever as unprepared as they had been. But while they sought a suitable new camp, a low murmur of disgruntled cats began to speak out against the leader. They claimed that the storm had been Starclan's judgement on how they had trivialized the code, that by being friendly with outsiders, and allowing the borders to slip, they had disrespected their ancestors.

The dissidents got loud enough, and gained enough support that they decided to leave Waveclan, settling in the woods to the west of the town. They took on the name of Rootclan, with the intention of returning to their roots, but also in solidifying their beliefs in the original code.


The Town Cats
Although the original Waveclan/Rootclan split was roughly even, two cats who had originally gone with Rootclan found that they had taken their beliefs way too far, and so decided to leave. These cats, Twilight(heart) and Senna(heart), made their home near the Ferry Pier in the human town near the nature preserve where Rootclan had taken up territory. They dropped their suffixes originally as a protest against Rootclan and a sign that they had left the clan for good, but would later reclaim them. As they had grown up first in Waveclan and then spent time in Rootclan, human culture and the workings of the town were completely foreign to them, and they only survived their first winter after a she-cat named Glass taught them how to scavenge and beg from two-legs. In return, they taught Glass about the warrior code and about Starclan. The she-cat was intrigued, and eventually ended up bunking with them for the rest of the winter, and when spring came and Glass became pregnant, she raised her kits alongside the odd clan cats.

Twilight and Senna became something of an attraction to the town cats, who had only briefly interacted with clan cats or only heard of them from afar. Their odd ideas took hold, and when Glass died, the town cats, led by Twilight and Senna, made their first trek to the burial grounds, where they insisted they be allowed to pass and bury their comrade. Starclan interceded on their behalf, and the guardians allowed them to pass.

Once Glass had been buried, Twilight was contacted by Starclan, and told that she could become the leader of a new clan if she wished. The town cats who had gathered around them agreed that Twilight should become the leader, casting their votes with pebbles. Twilight became Twilightstar, and together the town cats dubbed themselves Ferryclan.

[Dreamer]

Recent History

For reference Wave clan has been around for about 27 years, while Ferry clan and Root clan have been around for 17 and 19 years respectively.

• 113 moons ago: The Purge
  Over the process of the next three or four moons, humans invaded Waveclan and trapped many Ferry clan cats, taking them away to be never seen again. This devastated both clans, but Root clan remained untouched. They were smugly satisfied and claimed that the purge was a judgement on the two clans for going against starclan, and that they were protected.
• 106 moons ago: Winter War and White Stag Truce
  Surprisingly, the diminished clans managed to fare better that winter than normal, as they had less mouths to feed. Their anger and resentment had festered against the smug, self-righteous Rootclan, and so they went on the offensive, expanding their territories slightly into Rootclan. The bigger clan was more skilled at fighting, but Waveclan and Ferry clan had moons of anger to unleash against them, and the less well fed Rootclan warriors conceded. The three clans struck the White Stag truce, which forced Rootclan to deny that they were superior to the other clans based on their spiritual beliefs and natural events. Rootclan also ceded territory to both the other clans, although it did not greatly harm their ability to provide for their cats, only their pride.
• 86 moons ago: Waveclan's Blasphemy
  A new generation had reached maturity, and chafed against the truce. Rootclan’s militant youth drove a fox over the border into Waveclan, and the action ended with the death of a Waveclan apprentice. Of course that caused great outrage, and they demanded repayment. When Rootclan refused, apologizing but claiming it was not their responsibility to fight another clans battle for them, Waveclan began to plot. Or at least the deputy did. The leader was elderly and he had lived through so much death and destruction, he was content to let it go and mourn the clanmates in peace. But Cherry stream wasnt.
  
  In the most audacious move in clan history, which us spoken of even today, Cherry stream took Waveclan greatest swimmers and invaded Rootclan through the stream and lake. Although Rootclan camped near the lake edge, they never expected the Waveclan cats to invade by water, and did not post a guard from that direction. They attacked the camp, and caused great chaos and left a casualty, which happened to be the young medicine cat apprentice. They were quickly overcome and detained as prisoners of war.
  
  Waveclan was mortified. Their deputy had not only subverted the leader's decision, but also killed an innocent medicine cat apprentice. Few were surprised when Rootclan informed them that they would be executing the prisoners of war.
  
  It was to everyone's surprise that Ferry clan stepped in. They asked Rootclan to hold off on executing them, and tried to broker an agreement between the two clans. Eventually they did manage a peaceful solution, and all the prisoners by Cherrystream were returned to Waveclan. However, Rootclan held the right to execute Cherrystream, and to leave his body outside clan lands, where he could never join Starclan. The price was steep, but Waveclan agreed, in order to remedy their shame.
  
  The incident left a harsh blemish on Waveclan, and prompted the primarily pacifist approach which has held sway for the many moons since. Rootclan has never left the lakeside unguarded again.
• 68 moons ago: Bobcats
  Rootclan and Waveclan became caught up in a battle against a family of bobcats, who were bigger than cats and dangerous. While they paled in comparison with the rare cougar and wolf, they were at least on par with the coyotes which Rootclan occasionally tussles with. The struggle left several cats hurt and a casualty on each side, as well as a forbidden relationship between a Waveclanner and Rootclanner. Rootclan reluctantly allowed the tom to come into Rootclan, changing his allegiance from Waveclan. They made him pass several harsh tests, so that he was almost driven away. His treatment would define any similar case which might occur from then on.
  
  While this went on Ferryclan had problems of their own. Their leader became sick with something which their nine lives could not effectively heal (cancer). The clan watched in horror as they wasted away slowly. Many questioned Starclan's power, and an exodus of cats left the clan to become rogues or kittypets, leaving them vulnerable. So they hid from the other clans and pretended all was well.
• 45 moons ago:The Drought
  A heat wave swept through the area, and the normal storm season was brief and almost non-existent. The winds still howled occasionally, but most days it was the heat which was the problem. Ferryclan was hit the hardest, as their drinking water was already scarce. Several cats got sick from the heat and a few died from heatstroke.
  
  Seeing the weakness, Rootclan took back the land they had lost to the White Stag truce, effectively dissolved it. To this day, the two clans have been in constant competition, and regard each other with fierce hostility. The already clear dislike present in the past became a vendetta which has yet to be fully resolved.
• Since then: An Uneasy Peace
  Each clan has been preoccupied with its own concerns, although border skirmishes have not been uncommon. The clans have for the time being a frail peace, as the clans focus on building themselves and fighting their own ghosts.

Current Status

• Ferryclan:
  This clan has been through a lot, but their recent winter was spent actually pretty calmly. Increased opposition from outsiders has made them send out more guard patrols, and forced them to educate all their apprentices more fully in combat. While the outside cats have not formed any strong organization, there are hints that it could be happening, of powerful cats seeking help to oppose Ferryclan. This has left them on high alert on internal borders, as well as the Rootclan border, where they fear any sign of weakness could lead to an attack from their historic enemies.
• Rootclan:
  Hit by a very hard winter, the bleak realization has set in that their clan is slowly dying. several kits passed away from sickness, leaving very few healthy kits and apprentices. Even the warriors have become more easily sick. Where they were once the strongest and biggest of the clans, their size has become almost a hindrance. They send only their strongest warriors to gatherings and debate how to solve the problem of the weakening clan. They still keep a strong watch on their borders, for fear that Ferryclan will see this as the perfect opportunity to swipe their paws right out from under them.
• Waveclan:
  This clan is fairly well off, although a strange growing discontent with the leadership of the clan has been stirring. They see the image of the other clans, strong, assertive, protective, and compare it to the flexible, conciliatory way that Waveclan acts towards its neighbors, rarely punishing them even when they are taking advantage of Waveclan. There is both a push for more connection to Starclan, and a complete abandonment of Starclan, whic has left the clan divided internally and has caused more gossip and tension between clan cats than anyone would like.