Cats of the Park

"There was an order to everything for the Cats of the Park. From kithood, they knew when and how to wake, to wash, and to perform every one of the small acts that made up their lives. It was peaceful. It was good."

— Narrator in Thunder Rising: Bonus Scene, page 4

Cats of the Park
Habitat
In the forest At the lake Borders and camps
Clan information
Current leader: No leader Rank succession Births and deaths List of known residents
Unique skills
Hunting Fighting

The Cats of the Park is a group of cats who live in a park upriver to the forest territories.

Description

"Park cats love peace, but not a peace we have to pay for with hunger and fear. That's why I came."

―Arc to Riverstar ^{Riverstar's Home, page 311}

Riverstar, originally Ripple, was raised in the Cats of the Park

The Cats of the Park are a peaceful group of cats fed by Twolegs who have their own customs of waking up, washing, eating, and meditating sessions, all learned from kithood. They have a similar ranking system to the Clans, with ranks including kits, elders, and mentors. They are very spiritual, acknowledging how life is easy for them and giving thanks for everything they have. The park cats find strength in their community by caring for each other, a concept that Ripple learns is foreign with the rogues and loners at his new home. Any cat is welcome to join the group.

The Cats of the Park do not have leaders, though they turn towards certain cats if they have a problem or a dispute, such as Arc and Scruff. The Cats of the Park can hunt, though they primarily scavenge from Twolegs. They also rarely fought, though they were not hesitant to protect their parkmates if needed. The park cats also do not own territory.

During Ripple's time, the park cats followed a specific routine each day. Each morning, the group would perform a Call of Awakening to welcome the new day. They face the light of the rising sun and raise their voices in caterwaul until the sun has cleared the horizon. They then turn away and begin to wash. In order, they wash their paws, face, ears, chest, belly, back and tail. After they finish washing, they line up in an orderly line across the park for their Morning Meal. They have their morning meal at the far side of the Park, where a row of bowls is set and Twolegs fill it with food every morning and evening. Afterwards, they would perform Morning Meditations on one boundary walls of the Park. They also held nightly meditation sessions at dusk. Frostpaw uses meditation to help mentally recover from her attack and uncover the truth about Splashtail and Curlfeather.

Meditation is an important aspect for the Cats of the Park. It allows for park cats to clear their heads, sharpen their minds, and letting their thoughts flow free. It sometimes allowed for park cats to connect with those most precious to them. They curl into a pose, paws tucked underneath and tail curled around them. They then close their eyes, focus on their breathing, and let their thoughts flow free. They may focus on something such as a river or a tree. Sometimes, these group meditation sessions are led by a cat guiding everyone.

During Scruff's time, the park cats sleep during the day and roam at night when the park is empty. Twolegs continue to feed them fish, though some prefer to catch their own prey. They also groom a cat's face, neck, and shoulders when they are upset to comfort them.

Territory

"Riverstar was a park cat long before us. In another park near here, before Twolegs demolished it. He had to leave and traveled a long way downriver. While he was gone, the other cats whose home had been destroyed had to live wild in the forest. Then rogues came and terrorized them until they were half-starved and nearly frightened and bullied to death. Then one of them made the journey downriver to find Riverstar, to ask him for help. Riverstar came back and chased the rogues away. He told the park cats that he was a leader now, in something called the Clans, and that he couldn't be killed. The park cats thought he'd come back for good. But he went home, and the cats he left behind eventually found a new park, bigger and safer than the old one. And we're still here."

―Scruff about their history ^{Thunder, page 223}

The Park is a soft, grassy area broken by clumps of bushes and bright flowers that Twolegs planted, with trees that sometimes blossom, scattering the ground with tiny white petals shaped like stars. Their sleeping places are under the bushes, filled with moss. At the edge of the park is a row of bowls which Twolegs fill with food for the cats to eat. Across the Park is one of the gray stone boundary walls where on the other side is a hill that falls away steeply to a river between two tall rocks. There is also a Thunderpath that passes the Park. The park was eventually destroyed by Twolegs to expand the Twolegplace.

After Twolegs destroyed their territory, the park cats settled in a forest upstream beyond the Twolegplace. The land sits upon a plateau with with sharp cliffs that slopes to a lush hillside and a wide, green valley. The river snakes its way at the bottom of the valley. The forest sits beyond the Twolegplace with ash, sycamore, and oak trees. The Cats of the Park's camp is near the top of a forested hill near the edge of the cliffs. The camp is a clearing and dens are woven in the bushes along the edge. The park cats also began marking their territory at the bottom of the woodland slope after driving away Slash.

Sometime later, the Cats of the Park settled in a new park. It is a meadow lined with bushes and trees and paths winding between them. A black fence outlines the large park from the rest of the Twolegplace. A willow tree sits next to a shallow pond. On one end of the park is a tree with pink lights illuminating it from below. A river winds beyond a low wall.

History

In the Dawn of the Clans arc

Thunder Rising

Ripple, one of the early settlers, resides in this group prior to moving. He is woken up by the Call of Awakening, a custom of the cats which signals it is time to wake up. All the cats then wash in a particular order before heading for their Morning Meal. After their Morning Meal, consisting of food from Twolegs, they have Morning Meditation. For Morning Meditation, they tuck their paws underneath them, and then wrap their tails around their paws.

Later that day, large monsters, more than the group is used to seeing, appear in the park and start to tear it apart. The Twolegs use the monsters to tear down a tree, and they rampage around the park. Some Twolegs head across the park, carrying cages with some members of the Cats of the Park. Arc and Ripple flee to the furthest part of the Park where there are no Twolegs, but Ripple is startled by a monster and jumps backwards, slipping and falling into the river. Ripple tries to swim back but is unsuccessful, and he finds safety on a floating log. He floats downriver until he reaches the forest territories, where he meets Night and learns that he must fend for himself now. He realizes he is not a young cat of the Park anymore, and changes his name to River Ripple, in honor of the river that saved him from the Twolegs that destroyed the park.

In the A Starless Clan arc

Thunder

"Close your eyes. Focus on your breathing. Slow it down and feel it flowing into your body. Now let your thoughts flow with the river. Don't try to hold on to them. Let them come and go like passing fish."

―Bee to Frostpaw ^{Thunder, page 228}

During a leadership succession crisis in RiverClan, Riverstar encourages Frostpaw to journey to the park cats. She and Nightheart, a ThunderClan warrior, follow the rising sun. Riverstar encourages Frostpaw to seek help from the cats living by a tree the color of salmon flesh. They are the park cats, descendants of the ones during Riverstar's time. They passed down stories of Riverstar saving them from vicious rogues and coming back to life. They are astonished to hear Riverstar's name from Frostpaw and Nightheart, and Frostpaw realizes that Riverstar sent her here to learn how to meditate. Frostpaw and Nightheart stay with the park cats for half a moon, and Frostpaw learns how to truly relax and feel safe. She also accepts that it was Splashtail who attempted to kill her, and that her mother Curlfeather and Splashtail plotted together to kill Reedwhisker. Frostpaw and Nightheart eventually return home, though Waffle and Wasp accompany them.

In the Super Editions

Riverstar's Home

«River Ripple let his shoulders loosen and focused on the chattering of the water. Being near the river brought him fresh energy and swept old thoughts away. Meditation felt to him like a conversation with the river. It seemed to be listening. Sometimes he even found himself asking the river for advice.»

—River Ripple's thoughts about meditating ^{Riverstar's Home, page 130}

Ripple and Arc flee to the top of the stone boundary when Twolegs arrive and destroy their home. Ripple is bewildered that the Twolegs are kidnapping his parkmates, though Arc warns him it is too dangerous to save the others. When a monster leers towards them, Ripple falls off the stone wall into the river below. He manages to scramble on top of a floating log and is carried downstream. He meets Night and her brother Mist in a territory next to the river, who teach him how to swim and hunt in the river. River Ripple decides to stay, though only after he injures himself trying to scale the waterfall back to his parkmates. He frequently laments about his parkmates, missing the close community that he had with them.

Seasons later, Arc and the others who managed to escape eventually settle in a new camp upstream. New cats join them, though trouble arises when Slash and his rogues take over their camp. They are forced to hide their elders. Riverstar and Drizzle accompany Arc back to the park, where they devise a plan to get rid of Slash and his gang. Riverstar and Drizzle teach some of the park cats how to fight in secret, and they recruit Bee, Swallow, and Splinter to help them. Two days later, Riverstar leads the park cats into battle against Slash and his rogues, though it costs Riverstar one of his nine lives. However, Slash's rogues flee in horror when Riverstar comes back to life, and Finch accidentally shoves Slash off the cliff to rescue her father Owl.

Riverstar and Drizzle stay with the park cats for over a moon, and Riverstar becomes mates with Finch. Riverstar is hesitant to leave the park cats and Finch, though Drizzle continues to press that they need to return home. Riverstar, Drizzle, and Finch eventually leave the park cats by riding a log down the river.

Ivypool's Heart

The Sisters mention finding cats in a park who meditate, and Icewing recognizes them as the Cats of the Park that Nightheart and Frostpaw had stayed with and who had taught Frostpaw about meditation.

In the Field Guides

The Ultimate Guide

Although unnamed, on River Ripple's page it mentions that the tom grew up as a member of a different group of cats located very far away.

Known residents

Current members

• Bee
• Chalk
• Firefly
• Lark
• Marlow
• Molly
• Peg
• Rook
• Scruff
• Wasp
• Weevil

Former members

• Arc
• Dart
• Finch
• Flutter
• Grub
• Hopper
• Magda
• Midge
• Moth
• Owl
• Ripple
• Rust
• Scooby
• Shine
• Sparrow
• Squirrel
• Stoat
• Waffle

Quotes

River Ripple: "There might be a way for you to reach him. It's the way I connect to the cats I left behind."

Tall Shadow: "What is it?"

^{Riverstar's Home, page 160}

"Let's close our eyes. Feel the wind brushing your ears. Hear the river swishing below..."

―Arc leading the nightly meditation ^{Riverstar's Home, page 403}

«The long days in the park had seemed shorter once he'd come to know the park cats and adapt to their ways. He'd been surprised that their lives—though gentler and quieter than warrior life—had seemed rich and rewarding.»

—Nightheart's thoughts about the park cats ^{Thunder (book), page 298}

"Riverstar has told me it's time to go home. There's a lot for me to sort out there. But I couldn't have faced it without your kindness. You've helped me learn what I needed to learn, and whatever happens, I will always be grateful to you for your support."

―Frostpaw to the park cats ^{Thunder (book), page 299}

See also

• River Ripple
• River Chell
• Known Residents

External links

• Frostpaw's bravest moments on the Warriors official website (backup link) (Mentioned only)
• RiverClan needs a new leader, but who? on the Warriors official website (backup link) (Mentioned only)