FATE WAS NOT KIND TO US
BUT WE HAVE SURVIVED
Discussion & Form (Reserve here!)
Elders talk of clans before our own. Five, to be exact. Mighty, and separated, warring with one another more often than not. But it was how Starclan wanted it, so it had been. As the stories go, however, the clans disobeyed Starclan, and ruin was brought unto them. What exactly, not even the elders knew. So the five clans fell, and what cats remained journeyed together to new lands, where they founded Lionclan. Lionclan did not forget its origins, and rather quicky a social system established itself--five Bloodlines, the descendants of the five previous clans in the new forest dividing themselves in Lionclan by who they used to be.
The loyal Thunderbloods, characterized by their sheer size and thick, fluffy coats, as well as their courage, boisterous nature, and penchant to be a little egotistical.
The witty Riverbloods, characterized by their sleek coats and slightly webbed paws, as well as their intelligence, swimming ability, and haughty nature.
The swift Windbloods, characterized by their small bodies and long legs, as well as their blinding speed, instinctual nature, and strict adherance to the code of the clan.
The cunning Shadowbloods, characterized by their dense, rough coats, as well as their efficiency, dedication, and willingness to do whats needed even if it isn't pretty.
The odd Skybloods, characterized by their long, hooked claws and small bodies, as well as their climbing ability, strange mannerisms, and gullible nature.
And, of course, since no binary lacks things extant to it, there are also the Lionbloods, those without any connection to the old clans or those with mixed blood. They have no defining characteristics, given they're a melting pot. The five other bloodlines, though, tend to look a little down on them for lack of "true warrior blood", which is a silly concept, but old habits die hard.
Another facet of current Lionclan life are the Leylines. Places where nature flourishes out of control, where Queens will sometimes journey to to give their offspring the energy of the Ley. Ley-blessed kits often have strange characteristics, like abnormal fur and eye colors and patterns, or even special abilities (though these are rare). However, the forests around the Leylines are incredibly dangerous, and most of Lionclan beg their Queens not to head out there without a full retinue of warriors to protect them from the roiling, hateful vines and poisonous mushrooms that would eat the Queen up. Some wonder if the danger is worth the outcome.
Lionclan territory is vast, mostly because much of it is incredibly dangerous.
In the middle of Lionclan territory is the camp, primarily built inside a series of felled trees surrounding one massive, ancient, hollow redwood. In the Lion Redwood are a few key features of the clan, including the Leader's den built up into the hollow by dextrous paws, the nursery carved into the roots of the tree near the internal dirt clearing within the hollow, and the medicine cat's den across from the nursery in another throng of roots. Outside is another clearing, surrounded on all sides by slightly younger, fallen hollow redwoods. Within one is the warrior's den. In the tree the warriors den is in, a hole at the top acts as a skylight, and is covered with a slab of bark when it rains or snows. Across the clearing is the elders den, a similar tree hollow to the warriors den without the skylight and with more insulating bushes outside to make it the warmest place outside the Lion Redwood. Between the elders and warriors den, along the clearing, is the apprentices den, a much smaller felled tree covered canopy to exposed roots in moss. In the middle of the clearing, between the Lion Redwood and the warrior, apprentice, and elders dens is a jutting Leader's Rock, where the leader will give announcements for all the clan to hear, and below it is the fresh kill pile. A small stream trickles through camp, weaving between the Lion Redwood and apprentices den, ending at the Leader's Rock that must lead down into an aquafir. This area can occasionally get flooded in rainy seasons, but the Leader's Rock is in a dip in the camp clearing, leaving the dens high and dry. The entrance to camp is between the Lion Redwood--or rather, the bushes beside the Lion Redwood--and the warrior's den. It's a thick lichen wall, one that a cat can easily push into, but bigger creatures struggle. Surrounding the camp are massive bramble bushes woven with further lichen strands to make it a real annoying effort to even get to the back of the fallen trees that ring the camp.
North of camp are the Twisting Leytrees, and the Tiger River that flows through the area. The large forest is lush with greenery and prey in equal measure, and the greenery is often very dangerous. The river rushes through the entirety of Lionclan territory, but it begins to enter the territory in the Leytrees, from up the mountain even further north of the territory. The Leytrees hide the territory's easier to access Leyline, though much of it lies along the Tiger River, so reaching it is more difficult if you don't know where to go. The Leytrees themselves are more redwoods, ancient and tall, only fueled into further heights by the nearby Leyline. The forest floor is dense with bushes, shrubs, berry vines and ivy vines.
To the south of camp is the Great Plain that stretch well beyond Lionclan territory to the distant Leopard Ocean, barely visible from atop the Lion Redwood. The plain has a mix of short and long prarie grasses, and is host to many digging and running species of prey and beasts. The wind is strong and salty across the plain, and usually pretty humid.
To the east of camp is the Dim Swamp, a cradling mud expanse that dares to spread into the Great Plain. The main Tiger River ends here, pooling in muddy, murky puddles. A strange flock of crows lives in the short cypress trees in this area. Frogs and lizards are very plentiful, along with the very occasional kaiman crococile that does its best to be on its own.
Finally, to the west, where the river is widest, are the Leopard Islands. In the wide expanse of the river lay a dozen or so small islands lush with small trees. Around the islands, the river is full of fish that lay their eggs on the coast of the islands. Cranes and egrets make their home among the reeds that surround each island.
The territory is generally warm, even in leaf-bare. But leaf-bare still drives most prey into hiding.
