Roleplay

Dustclan | Warriors RP

In an inhospitable land of desert and scrubby bushes, there lives a clan of cats that have completely forsaken their warrior ancestors.
It's said there used to be many great clans, all living and competing in a place of tall trees and stones, but they were chased out so long ago, and the history so distasteful to them, that the tale has degraded into speculative rumor. Overblown tales of plentiful prey, constant war, and a clan of starry cats that roamed the sky.
Of course, the lithe, cunning cats of the waste have no time for such frivolous stories, and talk of such stories are strictly forbidden. The only recurring tale is of how the clan was formed, how the strongest members of the original clan forsook their pathetic clanmates who could not keep their territory or retreated to the pathetic life of a kittypet. Dustclan is above all things strong and practical, and have no room for folly.

The Warrior Code

1) The word of the clan's leader is the warrior code.
2) Boundaries must be checked and marked daily. Rouge intruders will be killed unless further use for them can be seen.
3) The deputy will become leader if the leader is killed.
4) The deputy is chosen by a fight between two cats, one chosen by the clan, and one by the medicine cat. Both must be approved by the leader.
5) The role of a cat is decided based on the skills they show. This role is permanent unless they advance to the deputyship or become unable to perform it(ex, if they're blinded).
6) Mates cannot be permanent to prevent putting the individual ahead of the clan. Rather, they are chosen for the cat in question based on who would have the strongest kits.
7) Mating outside this is forbidden, and will result in the exile or death of both of the parents, depending on the severity of the relationship, and every kit but the healthiest being killed.
8) You are not allowed to waste prey.
9) Kits can only become an apprentice at 6 moons old.



Roles

Leader
(The law within the clan. They are to be obeyed and respected. Do not have 9 lives or the "star" name ending, since they do not know anything about Starclan.)


Deputy
(Primary goal is to protect the leader, but they also serve as second-in-command.)


Medicine Cat
(The clan's healer. Naturally, does not interpret omens and prophecies in this clan.)


Hunters
(They are mainly lithe cats with smaller paws that can hunt on the uneven and rocky terrain. They are called to large-scale battles and taught some fighting skills, but that is not their main purpose.)


Guards
(Either guard the camp or patrol the territory, taking care of intruders or larger animals that might serve as predators. Mainly larger cats who are skilled fighters.)


Keepers
(Care for kits until they become apprentices so their mothers can continue with their normal duties. Often cats that are seen as inferior: ie, sickly or crippled in some way.)


Apprentices
(In training to reach one of the above positions.)


Kits
(Cats that are too young to train.)

If you want to join, awesome! The OOC page is right here.

Dunefoot twitched her tail, gazing out into the seemingly infinite desert of Dustclan territory. She sat at the entrance to the clan's cliffside camp, standing guard and not moving a muscle. The burning heat of midday sat on her shoulders. It had been a while since she had been assigned to guard duty. She had been doing safety patrols more recently, as there had been coyote howls rather close to the camp.

Dunefoot looked down at her paws, and unsheathed her claws, which sunk into the sand. Those coyotes had rank off once she had given one of them a good slash across the face. "Rat-faces, the lot of them..." She muttered, tail lashing. "I'd fight a pack of them."


Stormtail made quick eye contact with his sister as he carried two fish from the oasis into camp, along with a couple cactus fruits. "Stormtail." Dunefoot murmured. "Two fish. Cactus fruit. Not that many cats like fruit as much as you do, you know."

"I-I know." Stormtail mumbled through his catch. "I just-- I just thought--" Dunefoot interrupted him with a light hiss. Stormtail flinched, nodding. "Yeah, sorry. I'll go." The tabby tom scampered off to the fresh-kill pile, placing the fruits alongside it.

"Slow day.." Stormtail murmured to himself, sitting down with one of his cactus fruits and biting into it. It was just like he liked it- juicy, sweet, and full of water. It was ridiculous to him that no one liked the things as much as he did. "I wonder what's gonna happen today?"

(Edited to add- Hope it was okay for me to set the time of day! Everyone can add on to what's going on as they see fit!)

@NickelDragons

"Riverpaw," Dunefoot called, her tone changing to a soft purr- a tone she reserved for her apprentice- whom she cared for dearly. With a glance to the Guard beside her for permission, she padded over to where Riverpaw was eating. "Good morning." Her tail swished back and fourth, and she sat down a couple tail-lengths away from the apprentice and her sister. "We're doing your first battle training today, remember? I hope you're ready. I made sure you could sleep in, because it's a big day."

Dunefoot nodded. "I'm going to eat for now. Once you're all ready, let me know and we can head out to train." With a soft purr, the large tabby trotted over to the fresh-kill pile, picking up a fish and moving over to where her brother was eating his second cactus fruit. She rested her tail on his shoulder in greeting, sitting down beside him to eat and quietly chat.

@NickelDragons

Dunefoot purred, a small laugh that was so uncommon for her. "Of course, Riverpaw. We can go now." She shared a meaningful look with Stormtail for a couple seconds, who, after glancing back and fourth a couple times, stammered out, "Uh, g-good luck, Riverpaw!" Stormtail looked away as quickly as possible, clearly embarrassed by his own anxiety.

Dunefoot nodded, leading her apprentice outside the camp and towards a small downwards slope in the desert about halfway between the oasis and the camp. "This is where my mentor trained me. We trained here because the oasis is over there," She motioned with a flick of her tail, "And camp is right over there. We are close enough to our own safe points in the desert for us to be secluded, but safe."

Dunefoot sat down, tail curling around her feet. "So, I'm sure you remember the things I've taught you so far. How to find your way back to camp, how to recognize the difference between prey-tracks and coyote tracks, and of course you know scent tracking. But of course, you need to be ready should the time come you need to fight to protect the clan. If you're ready to begin, then let's."

Dunefoot started simple, coaching Riverpaw on simple defense- things a kit could learn simply by watching. Noticing that her apprentice was picking things up rather quickly, she decided to move to something more complicated.

"Out in the desert," Dunefoot explained, watching Riverpaw practice ducking and rolling, "Two of our greatest enemies are snakes and coyotes. Coyotes are tricksters, and are extremely dangerous. As long as you're my apprentice, I don't want you ever fighting one on your own."

"But...." Dunefoot raised a paw to halt Riverpaw's practice. "I know that you might find yourself in trouble, so... I want you to remember these things. Firstly, fluff your pelt out. You want them to run off if they're skittish ones. If that doesn't work, don't give up, and don't show fear. Coyotes are strong, but they're mouse-hearts. They run as soon as things turn sour. If you slash them somewhere that makes it hard for them to fight back-- their eyes, usually-- they'll run off."

Dunefoot moved closer to her apprentice, looking down at her for a couple more seconds. "You're a natural, you know. You've been doing great." She stepped back. "Now... I want you to practice what I told you. Pretend I'm a coyote. Claws sheathed, of course! I won't hurt you, don't worry."

Dunefoot dropped down into a fighting stance, preparing herself for her apprentice's attack.

@NickelDragons

Dunefoot didn't flinch as Riverpaw struck her, stepping back once she was done. "Very good! That sand trick will help out a lot. A couple more times, and then we can head back to camp for now."

Dunefoot and Riverpaw went on for a few more rounds, until Dunefoot called off her apprentice, showering her with praise. "That was very good, Riverpaw! I've never seen a cat pick things up quite as fast as you. If you're ready to head back, we can. I'd say you've definitely earned some time to relax."

There was still a nagging worry in Dunefoot's head. The deputy hadn't been chosen yet. When would Sleekfoot chose? It worried her. But it was all in due time, she guessed.

Dunefoot realized she had stopped walking. "Oh, oops. Let's hurry back to camp." She picked up her pace, the journey back to the cliff going by rather quickly. "I'll be sure to tell the other cats about your success. I'm very impressed with you, Riverpaw." Dunefoot purred.