General Clan information

Within the Warriors universe, the cats live in a highly structured society that is firmly divided into four groups known as Clans.

The living Clan cats are born into either ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, or WindClan, while deceased cats who were believers in the religious structure and generally followed the warrior code join together as StarClan. If they made mistakes but believed what they did was right, more likely than not they will join StarClan when they die. Cats that did not follow the warrior code do not join StarClan, but join a place called the Dark Forest (Place of No Stars). SkyClan was the fifth Clan, but they were forced to leave when their territory was destroyed (see below). BloodClan was not so much a Clan as a group of cats banded together for safety and strength in numbers. They had no belief in StarClan, did not follow the warrior code, and had no formal system of training. The only named members were Scourge, Bone, Boulder, Jaggedtooth, Brick, Snipe, and Barley's two brothers and sister, Ice, Snake, and Violet.

RiverClan
RiverClan is known for their skill at swimming. RiverClan cats are also known for their unique skill at scooping fish from the river. The very first leader was River. At the beginning of the Original Series, RiverClan is led by Crookedstar. RiverClan is currently led by Mistystar with Reedwhisker as deputy.

ShadowClan
ShadowClan, the source of many of the darker cats seen in the series, is sometimes referred to as the "dark heart of the forest." ShadowClan cats are known for their ability to walk quietly and avoid detection. They're also known for their willingness to eat frogs, toads, lizards, rats, and crowfood- foods most Clan cats turn their noses up at. Their first leader was Shadow. At the beginning of the series, ShadowClan was led by Brokenstar, though it is currently led by Blackstar, with Rowanclaw as deputy, though it was previously led by Nightstar and then Tigerstar.

ThunderClan
ThunderClan is heavily featured in the books, being the Clan of origin for many of the protagonists of the series. ThunderClan cats are known for their skill at stalking prey through forest and undergrowth. The very first leader was Thunder. ThunderClan was led by Bluestar in the beginning of the series, and is currently led by Bramblestar with Squirrelflight as deputy.

WindClan
WindClan, who lived closest to the Moonstone, are cats well versed in Twoleg culture (due to the farm they lived so close to). WindClan Cats are known for their swift paws, which lend ease to catching prey such as rabbits on the open moors of their territory. Their very first leader was Wind. WindClan's leader in the beginning of the series was Tallstar, and is now currently led by Onestar, and his deputy, Ashfoot.

SkyClan
SkyClan was the fifth Clan of the Forest, and they were introduced in Firestar's Quest. They had to leave the Forest a long time ago when their territory was destroyed, which severed their ties with the other Clans. They were known for their ability to jump considerable heights, and they have hard gray pads that help them walk long distances on rough surfaces. Their first leader was Sky. SkyClan is currently led by Leafstar with Sharpclaw as her deputy.

BloodClan
BloodClan is an unofficial Clan. Its only known members are Scourge, Ice, Snake, Bone, Jaggedtooth, and Brick. Boulder, Snipe, Barley, and Violet were known members but left BloodClan. The Clan laws differ compared to the offical Clans. They do not believe in StarClan. BloodClan does not care for the sick, weak, or elderly and instead throws them out on the borders and makes them fend for themselves. They eat anything they find. There is no current leader, as the Clan is no more.

Clan Hierarchy
Each Clan shares the same basic ranking system, consisting of nine distinct ranks.

Leader
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.

Deputy
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. 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.

To become a deputy, a cat must have trained at least one apprentice. However, in the New Prophecy series, Bramblestar became deputy of ThunderClan without an apprentice, but he was granted the promise to train one.

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 (for example, Tawnyspots).

Medicine Cat
The medicine cat serves the Clan as both their spiritual leader and healer, making them akin to the idea of a 'medicine man' in a tribal society. 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.

As a healer, they gather herbs and dispense them as an apothecary would. They handle diagnosis and treatment of both illness and injury for all the cats in 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, but this rule has been broken by certain medicine cats. Some of the well known cats who have broken this rule include Yellowfang, who mothered Brokenstar, and Leafpool, who mothered Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze.

Medicine Cat Apprentice
A 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.

Warrior
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.

Queen
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 (e.g. Daisy, Goldenflower, and Ferncloud). 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.

Elder
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 (e.g. Longtail, Heavystep)

Apprentice
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.

Kit
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, sometimes due to injury or misbehaving. (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.