The Early Settlers

The Early Settlers were the cats to settle in the Forest Territories after splitting off from the Tribe of Rushing Water, that led to the formation of the modern Clans. They split into two camps, led by Clear Sky and Tall Shadow, although the latter temporarily stepped down, leaving Gray Wing as leader. She and Gray Wing now co-lead the moor cats.

Description

 * The Early Settlers originally travel from the mountains to the forest territories, then called "The Land of the Rising Sun". Shaded Moss is the original leader of the pack, with Tall Shadow replacing him after his death. However, not long after their arrival they split into two camps.

Forest Cats' Camp

 * The forest cats' camp, led by Clear Sky, is known for being extremely defensive against any visitors, chasing off any cats who cross their territory. It ranks members of the camp according to their worth, place, and reputation with Clear Sky, instead of family ties and personal relationships.



Moor Cats' Camp

 * The moor cats' camp, led by Tall Shadow, Gray Wing, and Wind Runner, is in the same place as the future WindClan's camp. the moor cats' camp has less cats than the forest cats', but has more kits than the forest cats', and eventually has more (known) cats than the forest cats'.*

Forest Cats' Camp

 * The forest cats' camp is located in the forest, where the future ThunderClan camp lies. It is a sheltered hollow in the middle of the forest surrounded by deep banks of fern and bramble. To exit and enter the camp, cats must go through a bramble opening. There is a steep bank edging one side of the clearing with the tangled roots of an oak on the opposite side. A smooth rock juts out of one side of the clearing. An elder bush, a holly bush, ferns and a low-spreading yew serve as dens in the camp. Clear Sky's nest is in a hollow on the slope, but he tends to sit in the branches of the oak.The cats make their nests out of twigs lined with moss. A shallow pool in the center is where the cats drink from. There are two prey heaps; one at the roots of the oak, and the other on an edge of the clearing. Half-eaten carcasses sit below a hawthorne bush.

Moor Cats' Camp

 * The moor cats' camp is located on the moor, where the future WindClan camp lies. It is dug out of old rabbit burrows and tunnels, with a sandy clearing in the middle. A gap of heather leads into the hollow. Herbs are kept in one of the tunnels, while the rest are dens. The nests are made of moss and bracken. Gorse bushes surround the rim of the camp, and are sometimes used as dens. Long grass and heather also surround the edge of the clearing. Brambles arch over one end of the hollowA tall rock at the far end of the camp is where the leaders make announcements. The cats store their prey underneath it.



The Sun Trail

 * Stoneteller receives a vision that prophesies that a group of cats, the Early Settlers, would travel to the place where the sun rises and live without hunger in their new home. She speaks to the Tribe, describing her vision and appointing Shaded Moss as the leader of the group. Shaded Moss accepts the position and several cats agree to go with him. He tells them no cat had to decide until the full moon. Later, a vote is held on whether the cats who wanted to leave should be able to leave. The vote is tallied and it is decided that if a cat would like to journey to the new land, they could. The next morning, the Early Settlers say their goodbyes and leave the cave.


 * Soon after, Jagged Peak disappears, going after the Early Settlers to join them. Gray Wing is forced to go after him and join the group as well. After finding his little brother, it only takes them a few days to find the rest of the group. The Early Settlers, now consisting of Shaded Moss, Clear Sky, Tall Shadow, Gray Wing, Jagged Peak, Turtle Tail, Bright Stream, Hawk Swoop, Jackdaw's Cry, Falling Feather, Quick Water, Moon Shadow, Shattered Ice, Dappled Pelt, Rainswept Flower, and Cloud Spots, continue along the trail, stopping at a stream, until they come to a scree with a sheer drop below it. They carefully walk in pairs across the scree. Just as Gray Wing and Jackdaw's Cry are about to leap to safety, Jagged Peak spots eagles and the cats panic. Dappled Pelt loses her footing, so Gray Wing and Moon Shadow have to drag her up the scree to safety.


 * They all hide under a rock until Clear Sky comes up with a plan to drive off the eagles. While they execute the plan, Bright Stream is carried off when she tries to save Gray Wing. The group, especially Clear Sky, is distraught at her loss, and even more so when her mate announces she was going to have kits. The cats continue on the trail, stopping to hunt as they cross the foothills of the mountains. They reach a river and have to cross over to keep going on the journey. Hawk Swoop finds stepping stones that cross the river, but he others doubt that the rocks are safe to cross. Shaded Moss crosses first, with the rest of the group following. When Quick Water crosses, she slips and falls into the river, screeching. Falling Feather leaps in after her and drags Quick Water the the shore.


 * They make camp while Moon Shadow and Jagged Peak go hunting. They come back carrying prey, and the cats eat, amazed that prey was so abundant. The next morning, they wake to the sunrise illuminating the trail ahead. They follow the trail, the the mountains fading into the distance. They run into some sheep, but they don't bother the Early Settlers. Gray Wing races after a rabbit on the far side of the field, killing it and bringing back to the rest of the group. They eat a few bites, but realize they weren't hungry, an unfamiliar feeling.


 * Continuing along the sun trail, Shaded Moss leads with Tall Shadow and Clear Sky beside him and the rest of the group behind him. Shaded Moss tells them they would keep going until they reached a point on the horizon, which seems an awful long way away to the group. They follow the river until they hear unfamiliar sounds and smells from the other side of a line of bushes. Clear Sky and Gray Wing investigate, discovering a Thunderpath. They investigate it, and encounter a few monsters. They go back to the rest of the group and formulate a plan to cross safely.


 * They all make it across, though Hawk Swoop narrowly misses being caught by a monster. They continue traveling under the trees, and Clear Sky climbs to the top of an oak to see the path ahead. The others are quite impressed with his ability to scale trees. Tall Shadow joins him and they report that the trees ended soon, but balk at revealing what was beyond them. After a short while, a dog's bark pierces the forest. The group scatters, but the dog corners Gray Wing and Jagged Peak in a bush. A shrill noise calls the dog back, and they discover a Twoleg, and it tethers the dog. Plunging back into the forest, they keep walking towards the end of the trees.