Tribe of Rushing Water (modern)

The Tribe of Rushing Water is like a Clan that live in a mountainous area, most notably the "Cave of Rushing Water," a large cave hidden behind a rushing waterfall. Their beliefs are similar to the beliefs of the Forest and Lake Clans, but are not exactly alike. They believe in an afterlife much like Clan cats, although it is separate to StarClan and is called "Tribe of Endless Hunting."

Territory

 * It should be noted that the Tribe had no scent markers bordering their territory, because no other cat would want their hunting grounds, as they used to own the mountains, but this was changed in Outcast, when intruders start trespassing on their territory, and stealing prey.

The Tree Rock

 * The Tree Rock is a tree that juts out over big rocks. The roots of the tree are like giant claws. In Dawn, Talon finds the Clan cat under the Tree Rock for shelter. It is also a place where queens are known to give birth. Some mothers used to protect their young in this claw-shaped rock from Sharptooth, a mountain cat that preys on the many cats of the Tribe. The rock was carved from wind and water that flowed through the area. When the cats awoke one morning they found it there. The tree has apparently been there for decades and will hopefully remain longer.

Cave of Rushing Water

 * The Cave of Rushing Water is the cave in which the Tribe of Rushing Water lives in. It is behind a waterfall. Within this cave is a tunnel that leads to the Cave of Pointed Stones. The cave has enough space for the Tribe to sleep, along with the four Clans, as seen in Dawn on the great journey. There are two separate smaller caves in which the kit-mothers and to-bes shelter and sleep in. The leader of the Tribe of Rushing Water very rarely leaves this cave.

Cave of Pointed Stones

 * The Cave of the Pointed Stones is where the healer of the Tribe of Rushing Water, Teller of the Pointed Stones, communicates with their warrior ancestors, The Tribe of Endless Hunting. Upon entering the Cave of Rushing Water, one of two paths on either side of the cave leads to the Cave of the Pointed Stones. In this cave there are many "pointed stones" on the floor and ceiling. There also are many puddles of water, along with one big puddle, behind which the healer sits. This is where he communicates with the Tribe of Endless Hunting. The Cave of Pointed Stones is similar to the Moonstone and the Moonpool, or the leaders den being a location where one could talk to their ancestors and sleep.

Moonrise

 * The tribe gets a prophecy from the Tribe of Endless Hunting, that says a silver cat will come from far away to save them from the evil beast, Sharptooth. When the cats from the prophecy that came from StarClan, Brambleclaw, Feathertail, Crowpaw, and Tawnypelt come with Stormfur and Squirrelpaw, who both insisted on having to come since they knew about the prophecy, came to the mountains during their journey, they meet the Tribe cats. The Tribe takes them to the Cave Of Rushing Water, a cave that they live in that hides behind a waterfall.


 * When they meet Stoneteller, the Healer of the Tribe, he thinks that Stormfur is the silver cat in the prophecy. They keep Stormfur prisoner while the others are allowed to leave. The prophecy cats all decide that they can't leave Stormfur there, so they hide out somewhere just off the border of the Tribe's territory, and wait until night time.


 * When night falls and Sharptooth is attacking the Tribe, they creep quietly into the cave and break Stormfur out. Feathertail decides that they can't just leave the Tribe to fight Sharptooth alone, so they return and help fight Sharptooth themselves. Crowpaw is about to be caught by Sharptooth, and in an act of heroism, Feathertail leaps onto one of the pointed rocks on the ceiling of the cave and broke it off, plunging it through Sharptooth and killing him. Feathertail was terribly injured in the fall and dies only minutes later. She risks her life to save the Tribe, and it turns out that she was the silver cat in the prophecy, not Stormfur. The Tribe buries Feathertail outside by the pool, and she turns out to hunt in both StarClan and the Tribe of Endless Hunting.

Outcast

 * The Tribe is having trouble with rogue cats and cats from ThunderClan, ShadowClan and WindClan have to go to the mountains to help them, but Hollypaw, Jaypaw, and Lionpaw need to go for different reasons. The rogues, lead by Stripes, had made a camp in a gully, and the Clan and Tribe cats need to battle them. The Tribe cats were taught fighting moves of the Clans. Stoneteller was not so sure about that and asked the cats to vote on if they would fight or leave. There were more cats voting for "fight" and so the decision was made. Some Clan apprentices and Tribe to-bes surprise the rogues. Once they came rushing out, the other cats who were waiting outside attacked. The Clans and Tribe win and the rogues surrender, saying they will not mess with the Tribe cats again.

Eclipse

 * The Clans leave the mountains, leaving Stormfur and Brook behind to stay with the Tribe.

Long Shadows

 * Jaypaw travels back in time to when the Ancient cats lived by the lake, in the body of Jay's Wing, and tells the leader, Furled Bracken, that he had a dream about the mountains (which he didn't, but he had visited the mountains in his real life.) He influences them to move into the mountains, knowing they are destined to become the Tribe of Rushing Water. It is also revealed that there were originally three tribes, but nothing else is known about them.

Sunrise

 * The patrol sent to fetch Sol see the mountains while leaving the Twolegplace. Hollyleaf imagined jumping and landing right on the waterfall where the Tribe of Rushing Water live.

Sign of the Moon

 * In this book, Jayfeather, along with Squirrelflight, Dovewing, and Foxleap, visit the Tribe. Jayfeather tries to persuade Stoneteller to choose a successor, which he refuses. Squirrelflight, Dovewing and Foxleap share the Tribe's duties throughout the time they are there, while Jayfeather travels back in time in Jay's Wing's body, during the creation of the Tribe. He as Jay's Wing teaches the Ancients how to hunt, live and act like the Tribe. He also chooses the first [[Stoneteller]] and discovers the Cave Of Pointed Stones. When he goes back in the present time the current Stoneteller dies and a new one is chosen.

Tribe Structure
The Tribe is quite different from the Clans, in ways such as these.

Tribe Character
Tribe Cats are mostly smaller and leaner than Clan cats, and smear their fur with mud to camouflage with the rocks. It also helps them to keep warm at higher altitudes, and can be a coating. Their camp is located at the end of a rocky path that leads behind the waterfall, screening them from the outside. The cave, which burrows under the mountain, is as wide as the waterfall, and has narrow passages that lead off on either side. One passage goes to the Cave of the Pointed Stones, and the other goes to the nursery. On either side of the cave floor, there are indents, padded with eagle or heron feathers, that the Tribe cats sleep in. The herbs and healing techiques that the healer uses are also different. In a chat, Vicky says she "imagines the Tribe cats' accents as Welsh."

Tribe Members
Cats of the Tribe are divided into several categories. To-bes, cave-guards, elders, kit-mothers, and last but not least, the Healer. Cats can also stay with the Tribe for a while, and then leave (an example being the six cats who traveled to the sun-drown place).

Healer
In the Tribe, the leader is called a healer. Not only does the healer lead the Tribe, they also use healing herbs to cure wounds and sickness. They interpret the signs of rock, leaf, and water to read messages from the Tribe of Endless Hunting. The herbs used are similar to the ones in the Clans, but in the mountains there are different plants. When a cat becomes a healer, he or she is known as the Teller of the Pointed Stones or Stoneteller for short. The Teller of the Pointed Stones does not participate in fights to avoid getting killed. He or she very rarely leaves the cave, execpt when a cat dies or to hold a meeting for the Tribe.

Cave-Guards
Cave-guards are thickset, strong, and big. They are the main fighting force of the Tribe and have the responsibility of defending the cave from predators such as big birds. It is also their responsibility to guard the Cave Of Rushing Water. They accompany the prey-hunters on hunting missions to watch out for large birds. They often coat themselves with mud to hide their scent and blend in with the rocky scenery. These cats are chosen from birth for their physical build.

Prey-Hunters
Prey-hunters are light, slim, and fast. They are the hunters of the Tribe, using stealth and surprise along with camouflage to catch their food. It is their responibility to feed the Tribe and catch their prey, expecially for the nursing cats, and the young and old. They depend on speed, for there are not many places to hide in the almost-bare surroundings, like WindClan. A special technique of theirs is to spy on a small prey, like a mouse, until an eagle comes down to get it. They can then leap on the eagle and kill it, thus delivering two pieces of prey for the Tribe. Normally prey-hunters hunt in teams to help catch prey. Prey-hunters often coat themselves with mud; this disguises them, covers their scent, and protects against the wind. Prey-hunters are chosen from birth for their physical build.

Kit-Mothers

 * These are the equivalent of queens, and care for their kits until they are old enough to become to-bes. A prey-hunter or a cave-guard becomes a kit-mother when they become heavily pregnant and they cannot carry on with their duties, thus moving to the nursery. An ancient tradition is that the queens name their kits after what they see when their kits are first born.

Kits
Kits are very young cats that are too young to do to-be duties, so they stay in the nursury with their mother. Kits stay a kit for 8 moons. t their birth, it is foretold by the Tribe healer if they will become a prey-hunter, a cave-guard or the next Teller of the Pointed Stones. Kits that seem fast and lithe are prey-hunters; kits that look strong will be cave-guards.
 * To-bes are young cats in training, much like the Clan apprentices. They become to-bes once they are 8 moons old. The Stoneteller will receive a message from The Tribe of Endless Hunting when it is time to choose his own to-be. Once this happens, they can become something else, but as noted by Brook in The Sight to Hollypaw, most do not. To-bes train with their mentors and learn the skills of what they have to learn.

Elders

 * Elders are the oldest and weakest cats in the Tribe. Elders are retired cats that have stopped doing their Prey-Hunter or Cave-Guard duties. They are often consulted in difficult times. The elders of the Tribe have a very similar role to the elders of the Clans. They are fed by the Prey-Hunters and are protected by the Cave-Guards.

Hunting Techniques

 * Tribe cats have their own special way of hunting. Prey-Hunters find some prey (i.e. a mouse), sit in a hiding place, and wait until they see an eagle (or other bird of prey) attack the prey. They then jump onto and kill the eagle, getting to keep both pieces of prey. The six questing Clan cats learned this technique to some extent, most notably Stormfur.

Naming Techniques
See Cat Names for more information.


 * Kit-mothers name their kits after the first thing they see after the birth of their kits, for example, Brook Where Small Fish Swim, or Star That Shines On Water. In Cats of the Clans, Rock notes that he finds this method strange, as he perceives that this way of naming kits would cause many kits to be named things like "Wall of Cave," or "Floor of Cave." Unlike the cats of the Clans, Tribe cats shorten their names to the first word in their name (e.g. Brook, Star).

Trivia

 * It was revealed by Victoria Holmes in a chat that the Tribe cats have an accent similar to a Welsh accent.
 * It was also revealed in the 6th Erin Hunter chat that it was around 60 years ago when the Tribe first formed.
 * It was revealed that the tribe might not reapper in the Omen of the Stars series anymore.