The Ancients

The Ancients were groups of cats living in The Lake Territories, long before the Clans moved to the lake.

General Information
The Ancients lived in three Tribes, and they have scattered well before the Clans came to the lake. It is stated in Long Shadows that one of the Ancient Tribes are the ancestors of the Tribe of Rushing Water. They share several similarities, such as both calling themselves "Tribes", both having a Healer as leader, and neither having marked boundaries.

The names of the Ancients are all two word constructions, relating to nature and often describing the cat's appearance as well (such as Fallen Leaves or Dove's Wing). The names of Ancients do not change throughout time, unlike that of Clan cats. It has been implied that some Ancient families share a common "surname"; for example, Jay's Wing and Dove's Wing or Rising Moon and Half Moon.

The Clan cats know nothing about the Ancients, except Jayfeather who has dreams about them and travels back in time to interact with them. In Outcast, it is hinted that the Ancients have ties to the Clans as well.

Structure
Each Ancient Tribe was led by a Healer; a cat who acted not only as a leader but also as a medicine cat. They had knowledge of herbs and remedies, and visited the Moonpool regularly to communicate with their ancestors. A Healer did not have nine lives like a Clan Leader does. They could step down from their position whenever they wanted, and name their successor.

The majority of the Ancient Tribes were made up by Sharpclaws; the equivalent of Clan Warriors. Young cats training to be Sharpclaws were called Softpaws (similar to Clan apprentices). When a Softpaw was ready to become a Sharpclaw, they had to undergo a rite of passage: to go down in a network of deep tunnels and find their way out. Those who indeed found their way out from the tunnels passed the test and were promoted to Sharpclaws; while those who got lost eventually perished.

Starlight

 * When the Clan cats discover the Moonpool, Leafpaw sees many old pawprints, suggesting that groups of cats lived near the Lake long before who used to visit the Moonpool. However, nothing more is revealed about them in the series, although the existence of old pawprints is remarked several times.

Dark River

 * Jaypaw finds a stick that Rock, an Ancient Healer used to keep track of Softpaws who went into the tunnels, marking if they survived or not. Later, Jayfeather dreams of following a Softpaw named Fallen Leaves as he journeys through the tunnels to become a Sharpclaw. However, the tunnels get flooded because of a rain and Fallen Leaves is trapped inside and drowns.

Outcast

 * Rock explains to Jaypaw that the prophecy about The Three came from the time of the Ancient Tribes.

Long Shadows

 * Jaypaw travels back in time to become Jay's Wing, and he influences the Tribe to leave the lake and travel to the mountains. He realizes that this group of cats would become the Tribe of Rushing Water, and is the one to make the deciding vote on whether to go to the mountains or not. The vote is done via "casting stones": a line is drawn in the dirt, and each cat pushes a stone to the side they choose.