Post by Squirrelstar and Stickfur on Apr 20, 2006 8:39:25 GMT -5
Squirrelstar's Guide to Warrior Ceremonies and Other Important Things
1. Becoming a Warrior Ceremony
The Clan Leader: "(insert mentor's name here), are you satisfied that (insert apprentice's name here) is ready to become a warrior?"
Mentor: "I am."
The Clan Leader: "I, (insert leader's name here),leader of (insert Clan name here), call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He/she has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him/her to you as a warrior in his/her turn. (insert apprentice's name here), do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
Apprentice: "I do."
The Clan leader: "Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. (insert apprentice's name here), from this moment you will be known as (insert apprentice's new name here*). StarClan honors your (insert new warrior's traits here) and (insert new warrior's traits here), and we welcome you as a full warrior of (insert Clan name here)." The Clan leader rests his/her muzzle on top of the warrior's head.
New Warrior: The warrior gives the Clan leader's shoulder a respectful lick, then steps back.
Other Clan Cats: "(repeat new warrior's name here)"
After this, the warrior sits vigil in silence for the rest of the night.
* Here is a list of normal warriors' suffixes:
Claw
Foot
Pelt
Fur
Storm
Whisker
Ear
Leg
Tail
Heart
Cloud
e.g., Spiderpaw becomes Spiderleg.
Sometimes a warrior has different suffixes, usually representing something special.
e.g., Crowpaw becomes Crowfeather, the feather part coming from Feathertail, a cat that he loved, who, unfortunately, died.
Some don't really represent anything; but, it is advised that the Clan leader sticks to the regular names, since they are much more common.
e.g., Squirrelpaw becomes Squirrelflight.
Sometimes a Clan leader has the right to re-name a cat.
e.g., Lostface is re-named Brightheart.
2. Becoming a Deputy
Clan Leader: "I say these words before the spirits of all StarClan, that they may hear and approve my choice. (insert warrior's name here) will be the new deputy of (insert Clan name here)."
Alright, now most cats never reach this stage. It's NOT like a warrior ceremony. I will put in here one circumstance for when a new deputy is appointed.
e.g., Tigerclaw has died/is exiled, and Fireheart is named deputy by Bluestar before moonhigh. *
* Heh, that's not really how it went, but that's the proper way to do it. StarClan probably won't be happy if this happens.
WARNING: Female deputies cannot mate. That's why Bluestar had to give away her kits to Oakheart.
Becoming a deputy means you take on certain responsibilities, like organizing patrols and generally helping the Clan out. In the next column, you'll see that it sometimes comes to more than that...
3. Becoming Clan Leader
When a Clan leader dies, the deputy takes it's place. The deputy will appoint a new deputy (see top of #2). The dead Clan leader's body is set out in the center of the Clan's camp, where all members of the Clan can grieve.
The deputy travels to Moonstone where he/her receives his/her nine lives and gains the suffix "star".
e.g., Blackfoot becomes Blackstar.
The Clan leader, of course, leads his/her Clan. At Gatherings, the Leader represents his/her own Clan and reports for them. It is even rarer to become Clan leader.
4. Becoming a Medicine Cat
Being a medicine cat means you probably have the closest ties with StarClan. They interpret signs from them, and, besides the deputy, they also assist the Clan leader. Their main job is to care for their Clan, though.
When being promoted to a medicine cat, it is pretty much the same as a warrior ceremony. When the current medicine cat retires, the medicine cat's apprentice will be promoted in his/her stead. Here are the words:
Medicine Cat: "I, (insert medicine cat's name here) medicine cat of (insert Clan name here), call upon my warrior ancestors to look upon this apprentice. She/he has trained hard to understand the way of a medicine cat, and with your help he/she will serve his/her Clan for many moons. (insert apprentice medicine cat's name here), do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"
Medicine Cat Apprentice: "I do."
Medicine Cat: "Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat. (insert medicine cat's apprentice's name here), from this moment you will be known as (insert new medicine cat's name here). StarClan honors your (insert traits here) and (insert traits here)."
If your Clan doesn't already have a medicine cat, the ceremony will go the same, except the Clan leader will say the words instead.
5. Becoming an Elder
Alright, not every cat can stay a warrior forever. Like having your character be a warrior for 16 whole moons or longer; that's a bit Sue-ish. Here's the formal way of becoming an elder:
Clan Leader: "(insert warrior's name here), is it your wish to give up the name of warrior and go to join the elders?"
Warrior: "it is."
Clan Leader: "Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given us. I call upon StarClan to give you many seasons of rest." The Clan Leader then rests his tail on the new elder's shoulder, and the new elder goes to join the elders.
Questions:
What is StarClan?!
StarClan is the spirits of dead Clan cats. They ultimately decide the fate of the alive Clan cats. But some things are out of their control; like when it comes to Twolegs, they are as powerless as kits. Not every cat goes to StarClan, e.g. Tigerstar said in the book Starlight that "There is more sky than Silverpelt, and there are hunting grounds that not even StarClan knows of".
Are there only Clan cats, or are there others?
Most definitely not!! Besides the normal Clan cats, there are kittypets, or cats that live with Twolegs. There are also rogues, who do not follow the warrior code at all, and loners, who aren't as evil or malicious as rogues.
OK, I know all this stuff now, but WHAT exactly is the warrior code?!
The warrior code is the laws set down by StarClan. Basically, it says that your Clan always comes first. Punishments are expected to be made by the Clan Leader if a warrior and/or an apprentice breaks it, seeing as the warrior code is sacred.
Vocabulary of the Clan Cats
kittypets: house-cats
rogues: cats that don't live in a Clan, and don't live by the warrior code
loners: cats that live outside Clans and warrior code, more friendly than rogues
sharing tongues: the ritual in which two cats wash each other.
Twolegs: humans
Twoleg nest: a house where Twolegs (humans) live in
tail-lengths: a measurement used by the Clan cats
monsters: cars, or any other type of vehicle
Thunderpath: a road, highway, etc.
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(c) Squirrelstar/Tumbletail Spikedog
