Tunnelers

Tunnelers are cats who clear the tunnels and memorize the tunneled path so that they can use them to travel.

Description

 * Tunnelers are usually the smallest cats of the Clan, who spend most of their time in the tunnels underneath Clan territories. The role of a tunneler is considered special among WindClan, and is usually fought over.

Tasks

 * Tunnelers would clear the passageways and memorize the paths that sometimes lead into other Clans' territories, giving them access to both an entrance and escape route.


 * The tunnelers would often grow accustomed to the darkness that they lost daylight vision and above ground were clumsy and nervous. When back inside the tunnels, they could run as fast as the rest of their Clanmates using their scent and touch to guide them.

Education

 * Training to become a tunneler took twice as long as it did becoming a warrior, and the training brought injuries and deaths. A few hard-learned rules kept the experienced tunnelers alive, and allowed apprentices to survive the first few moons of training underground.


 * Training as a tunneler would let apprentices learn how to leave a clear scent trail, much like marking a border, so they could find their way out of the tunnels. Tunnelers learned to recognize the feel of wind on their muzzles, and they knew that it did not necessarily mean that they were reaching the surface, because, shafts that struck far underground would let fresh air in, though, it's not possible to climb out of them.  Even the least experienced tunneler was sure to stay alert for the sound of dripping water, because, whether the river is above or underground, they're no place for WindClan cats.


 * Tunnelers also learned to recognize the scent of underground animals, and not to hunt them, as, no cat wants to end up in a den of foxes, and cornered rabbits can often break ribs with their hind legs.


 * After moons of training, tunnelers were able to imagine the route above ground, so that they could keep track of where they were in the dark. This skill was probably the most highly prized, as, it was easy to get lost in the darkness of the tunnels and vanish into a bottomless hole. The skills learned underground were feared as well as respected by the Clanmates of tunnelers and other Clans.

Battles of the Clans

 * Webfoot tells a story of a WindClan warrior named Rabbittail, who got lost in the tunnels during a battle, not being able to find his way out. He discovers dead rabbits - a tempting treat for a hungry dog. But when a dog approaches him he thinks Rabbittail is the treat, and chases Rabbittail, who runs back to camp in a hurry to get away.


 * Heathertail explains the lost skill of tunneling in the section "Heathertail Speaks: The Lost Skill of Tunneling".


 * When the cats settled beside the lake, WindClan's tunneling skills were abandoned, as the senior warriors declared that there were no tunnels in their new territory and all cats must be trained to hunt and fight above ground. Some cats in the Clan knew differently, though, as some of the cats had played and battled for their lives in the tunnels below their new territory. Some cats from the other Clans - Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf - knew about the tunnels.

List of Known Tunnelers

 * Rabbittail