Pawsteps of the Tribes
Introduction
Rock yowled to make his voice heard amongst the angry, arguing, fighting cats.
"QUIIIEEETTT!!!" he yowled, ears flattened to his head. All the cats stopped and turned to look at him.
"This is not the way we should do things! How can we all join together into one giant tribe? The Tribe of Endless Hunting does not want this! We should split, into three different Tribes, each marking out a territory. We should also lay down a code that all of us follow, so that we don't kill each other. We have to do this, otherwise we will be so busy fighting and arguing and spilling innocent blood that we will not notice our kits carried off by eagles or killed by wolves!" Rock threatened, and all the cats began whispering quietly about how they should do things. A bold young cat named Sunshine that Dapples the Mountain, or Sundapple, spoke up bravely,
"We should choose Healers to lead the Tribes. If I can find cats like me, will the Tribe of Endless Hunting allow me to lead a Tribe?" Sundapple meowed anxiously. Rock considered this, and looked pointedly around at the other cats, but no one protested this idea.
"Very well, then, you may find cats that share qualities of you and create a Tribe and choose your territory. What qualities must your Tribe have, Sundapple?" Rock asked. Sundapple looked around at the gathered cats and finally spoke.
"Those who wish to join my Tribe must not be afraid of passing through the Waterfall to the Wide Cavern beyond it, and they must be able to hunt in the mountains and be more nimble of foot. My Tribe shall be the Tribe of Rushing Water," Sundapple mrowled. Several cats made their way over to him, of all ages, all skills. Some were better at hunting, others at fighting off large predators, and some were still deciding what they wanted to be. Sundapple decided that he would call them "to-be's" because they were training to be something.
"Very well, Sundapple, you have your Tribe, take them and set down your territory. There is plenty of room in the mountains and around the lake for us to settle, so you may have as much mountainland as you wish," Rock proclaimed. Sundapple nodded, and stepped aside with his Tribe.
A pretty brown she-cat stepped up and said,
"My name is Wind that Cries In the Hills, and I want to be a Healer of a Tribe. My Tribe must be fast and lean and swift of paw, for I will take the moorlands near the Endless Pool," the cat finished. Again, no cat protested Wind's statement, and enough cats to make a Tribe went and stood by her. Some were extremely fast, but were neither good hunters nor good warriors. Wind decided that they would be messengers, for if the Tribes were spread far and wide across the lakeland, they would need messengers to remain in contact with each other.
"My Tribe will be the Tribe of Rolling Hills," Wind announced after some conference with her cats. Rock nodded at this, then turned to the remaining cats.
"My name is Rock that Sees All and Says Nothing, and I shall lead a Tribe. You must be good swimmers, good fisher-cats, and you must be unafraid of the Dark Tunnels," Rock almost whispered to the remaining cats. Those remaining cats shifted uneasily, but all went over to Rock's Tribe, for they had no qualities of the Tribe of Rushing Water or the Tribe of Rolling Hills. Those cats became the brave and hardy cats of the Tribe of Dark Tunnels.
...They were divided into four Clans, unlike our three Tribes that split apart so long ago...
~Rock, Warriors: Field Guide to the Clans~