Warriors Guide

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. . . Warrior Code . . .
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The warrior code is a list of fifteen different rules that should be followed by all Clan cats. It is taught from the first means of kithood to when an elder is faced with death. It is said that, as long as the Clans follow the warrior code, no harm shall come to them.

1. Defend your Clan, even with your life. You may have friendships with cats from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan, as one day you may meet them in battle.

2. Do not hunt or trespass on another Clan's territory.

3. Elders, queens, and kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors. Unless they have permission, apprentices may not eat until they have hunted to feed the elders. If any warrior or apprentice is sick or injured, they may eat while the elders, queens, and kits are eating.

4. Prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to StarClan for its life.

5. A kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice.

6. Newly appointed warriors will keep a silent vigil for one night after receiving their warrior name.

7. A cat cannot be made deputy without having mentored at least one apprentice.

8. The deputy will become Clan leader when the leader dies, retires or is exiled.

9. After the death or retirement of the deputy, the new deputy must be chosen before moonhigh.

10. A Gathering of all four Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There shall be no fighting among Clans at this time.

11. Boundaries must be checked and marked daily. Challenge all trespassing cats.

12. No warrior can neglect a kit in pain or danger, even if the kit is from a different Clan.

13. The word of the Clan leader is the warrior code.

14. An honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win his/her battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or if it is necessary for self-defense.

15. A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet.

However, there are some exceptions to the code like cats on their way to the Moonstone are allowed to cross other Clans' territories as long as they don't steal prey. Cats can also travel into other Clans' territories if there is something to report.

There are also addition rules that aren't in the code like:
- medicine cats cannot have a mate or kits.
- kits must stay in camp until they are apprenticed, and are not allowed to hunt.
- the safety of the Clan is more important than the safety of one cat.
- Clans must not unite together to drive out another Clan.
- Clans must not force another Clan to share territory.
- Enemy patrols cannot attack cats if they are returning from a journey that all four Clans agree on.

 

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. . . Clan Hierarchy . . .
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A Clan leader is charged with the responsibility to watch over and manage an entire Clan, maintaining discipline, order, and protection. It is assumed that if the leader is a she-cat, she is not allowed to have a mate or kits, though there has been nothing in any of the series, guidebooks, or special edition books to confirm this and that forbids them from having a mate and kits. 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. Sometimes StarClan will not accept a leader, if this happens then the Clan is usually thrown into turmoil.

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.[26] 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. Upon the leader's death, they become the leader and go to the Moonstone/Moonpool so StarClan can grant them nine lives. Deputies may also retire and give up their place as deputy if they wish. To become a deputy, a cat must have trained at least one apprentice.

The medicine cat serves the Clan as both their spiritual leader and healer. 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 the dead. They handle diagnosis and treatment of both illness and injury for the Clan. In their role as spiritual leader, they teach the code, interpret omen and prophecy, 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.

The 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. At the time the old medicine cat either dies or steps down, the medicine cat apprentice becomes a full medicine cat, somewhat like the leader/deputy relationship. When the apprentice becomes the full medicine cat then s/he can have an apprentice of their own.

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, respected warriors, mentioned to have a good bond with the Clan's leader.

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. 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/dead. Kits are protected from attacks and the nursery is often situated at the back of the camp, away from the entrance.

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 warriors. 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.

An apprentice is a cat in training to become a warrior. Their names end in the word "-paw" (e.g. Tawnypaw, Bramblepaw, Firepaw etc). 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. Apprentices are not allowed to have a mate or kits, likely because of their young age or not to interrupt their training.

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 due to injuries. (Such as Crookedkit) 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.

Taken from here.