A Clan meeting is an event held in the Clan camp when a Clan leader convokes the Clan members to share important information with them.[1]
Purpose[]
A Clan meeting has one or more of the following purposes:
- Announcing important events or sharing information, such as relating what happened at a Gathering, such as Firestar sharing the news of the Gathering when RiverClan proclaimed that the lake was theirs.[2]
- Conduct a ceremony, such as appointing new apprentices, warriors and deputies, confirming the retirement of elders, or changing the name of a cat, such as Firestar calling a Clan meeting for the appointment of Lionblaze as a warrior.[3]
- Warn Clan members about dangers, such as the fox traps, a flood, or an impending attack, such as Firestar calling a Clan meeting from the results of the battle with WindClan and ShadowClan.[4]
- Bring the Clan members together to discuss an important matter, such as Leafstar calling the cats together to decide what to do about the Twoleg torturing cats.[5]
Procedure[]
- Brackenfur: "Mousefur just called a Clan meeting."
- Brambleclaw: "Mousefur called a meeting? Can she do that?"
- Sunset, page 235
Clan meetings have no fixed dates; a meeting can be called at any time, whenever the leader feels the need to do so.[6] It is the privilege of the Clan leader to convoke a meeting.[7] However, sometimes other Clan cats do it; for example if they feel that an important information or question must be brought to the Clan, such as Mousefur calling a meeting in Sunset,[8] or if the leader is not available, such as when Fireheart called a meeting in A Dangerous Path.[9]
To begin the meeting, the leader climbs to a high place, (such as the Highrock in the ThunderClan forest camp) where all cats gathered below can see and hear them well.[10] They open the meeting with the words "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock (or Highledge) for a Clan meeting".[1][2] The call is similar for the other Clans with the Clan leader calling the Clan together underneath a vantage point. RiverClan's call is different, and references those old enough to swim with "Let all cats old enough to swim gather to hear my words!".[11][12]
ShadowClan's call is "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Clanrock (Pinebranch) for a meeting!"[13][14] SkyClan's call is "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Rockpile (Highroot, Tallrock, Tallstump) for a Clan meeting!"[15][16] WindClan's call is "Let all cats old enough to catch prey gather beneath Tallrock for a Clan meeting."[17][18] On the rare occasions of Clan meetings in the Dark Forest, a leader calls out with these words: "Let all cats old enough to kill their own enemies gather here!"[19] Once having the attention of all cats, the leader passes the message or performs the required ceremony.[20]
Meeting locations[]
ThunderClan[]
In the forest territories
Highrock: A large boulder on top of the Clan leader's den.[1]
In the lake territories
Highledge: A ledge inside the ThunderClan gorge about half-way up the cliffside.[21]
ShadowClan[]
In the forest territories
Clanrock: A large, smooth, lichen-covered boulder at the edge of the clearing opposite from the camp entrance. Another rock is propped against it, creating a sheltered half cave beneath it - the medicine cat den.[23][24]
In the lake territories
Pinebranch: A pine branch that hangs over the leader's den.[25] Clan leaders may also use a tree stump in the middle of the clearing to speak from.[26]
RiverClan[]
In the forest territories
Unnamed: Leopardstar addresses the Clan while standing on a large rock surrounded by a stream.[27]
In the lake territories
Highstump: A tree stump in the clearing.[12]
WindClan[]
In the forest territories
Tallrock: A jagged, dark, large granite boulder with the leader's den at the back of it.[28][17] It is encircled by a large, sandy crater called the Meeting Hollow.[28][17]
In the lake territories
Tallrock: A giant boulder, bigger than all the others.[29][18]
SkyClan[]
In the forest territories
Unnamed: A gnarled thorn tree.[30]
In the gorge
Rockpile: A pile of boulders where the river appears.[31]
In the lake territories
Highroot: A tangle of cedar roots near the leader's den.[15]
Tallrock: A massive boulder in SkyClan's new camp blotched with yellow lichen three tail-lengths high.[16]
Tallstump: A stump in the clearing.[32]
Trivia[]
Author statements[]
- Victoria Holmes explained that in the lake territories, RiverClan leaders sit on a hawthorn tree stump and ShadowClan's leaders stand on a fallen log.[33]
See also[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Revealed in Into the Wild, page 33
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Revealed in The Fourth Apprentice, page 36
- ↑ Revealed in Eclipse, page 311
- ↑ Revealed in Sunset, page 184
- ↑ Revealed in SkyClan's Destiny, page 264
- ↑ Revealed in SkyClan's Destiny, page 18
- ↑ Revealed in Sunset, page 237
- ↑ Revealed in Sunset, page 236
- ↑ Revealed in A Dangerous Path, page 97
- ↑ Revealed in Night Whispers, page 284
- ↑ Revealed in Crookedstar's Promise, page 53
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Revealed in River, page 58
- ↑ Revealed in Yellowfang's Secret, page 14
- ↑ Revealed in Lost Stars, page 222
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Revealed in River of Fire, page 30
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Revealed in Lost Stars, page 15
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Revealed in Tallstar's Revenge, page 24
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Revealed in Crowfeather's Trial, page 35
- ↑ Revealed in The Forgotten Warrior, page 220
- ↑ Revealed in The Fourth Apprentice, page 37
- ↑ Revealed in Twilight, page 6
- ↑ Revealed in Bramblestar's Storm, chapter 20
- ↑ Revealed in Yellowfang's Secret, page 12
- ↑ Revealed in Yellowfang's Secret, page 29
- ↑ Revealed in Lost Stars, page 223
- ↑ Revealed in Outcast, page 125
- ↑ Revealed in A Shadow in RiverClan, page 91
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Revealed in Tallstar's Revenge, page 7
- ↑ Revealed in Winds of Change, page 148
- ↑ Revealed in Cloudstar's Journey, chapter 8
- ↑ Revealed in Firestar's Quest, page 246
- ↑ Revealed in Veil of Shadows, page 41
- ↑ Revealed in Erin Hunter Chat 6