Far From Home | A Clan Creation Guide

Ancestry & History

Clan cats are very reliant on their warrior ancestors, so having some sort of StarClan to have your cats communicate with is often a good idea. If your Clan does not believe in StarClan, or any other form of religion/ancestry, it is probably best to skip this section.

What every Clan needs is a creation story, something that the elders can tell the kits over and over again without it getting boring (hopefully). Like the story of how the canon Clans came to be (which can be found in Secrets of the Clans by Erin Hunter), a fanfiction Clan should have some sort of origins or backstory.

Take this one for example:

Four cats named Lion, Badger, Eagle and Snake are visited by the spirits of ancient cats, told that a great destiny awaits them should they enter the forest. The four, not knowing of each other's existence, go to the forest to find a medley of cats, each trying to hold its own. Appalled by the lack of structure, the four set out to unite the feral cats, in the hopes of uniting them into a larger community - a sort of Clan.

Unfortunately, the four rulers differ greatly, as they value different aspects of each cat's character. Lion looks for the brave, Badger for the loyal, Eagle for the intelligent and Snake for the ambitious. Unable to join as one, the leaders agree to split the territory in four equal parts so that each Clan has a share of the forest. Lion is given the plains nearby, Badger the forest, Eagle the canyon cliffs within it and Snake the marsh.

The spirits return to give the four leaders nine lives, a gift of gratitude for ending the turmoil of their long-lost descendents, and give them a warrior code to live by, to ensure the new Clans last. Lionstar becomes the first leader of MoorClan; Badgerstar the leader of OakClan; Eaglestar the leader of RockClan; Snakestar the leader of MarshClan.

(And yes, that was a Harry Potter reference.)

It's a rather simple story, and needs polishing if it's ever to be passed down through the generations, but you can probably see the importance of having one. Going back to one's roots, especially in Warriors, helps to emphasize the importance of the warrior code and gives a reason for upholding these traditions - the turmoil they came out of is often enough to ensure that the code is followed.

StarClan exists as a reminder of these past events and come to leaders and medicine cats to warn them when this sort of turmoil could possibly happen again. The spirits that contact the living are usually ones who were important to them while they were still alive, or otherwise take the form of past leaders or medicine cats.

For this reason, it is good to have a list of the deceased so that you're not scrambling for names and relations whenever StarClan decides to speak to the living. Sometimes, having a couple of names for notable leaders or medicine cats of each Clan, as well as what they did to earn this respect, is also helpful as it provides more history for the Clan to fall back on and a guide as to what they must to if they wish to prosper.

Let's say, for example's sake, that Lionstar's reign is followed by years and years of prosperity, during which the Clan lives peacefully under its new rulers. Then, the leadership position is taken by Rowanstar who, corrupted by the idea of power, decides to attack the territories of first OakClan and then RockClan. Under his reign, apprentices are pushed to their limits, and even sometimes to the death, during battle training. The prey begins to disappear and a drought takes over the moors, leaving little shelter from the strong-blowing winds. Out of this upheaval rises Robinheart, a clever but modest warrior, who believes Rowanstar's rule unjust and cruel. Gathering forces behind the corrupt leader's back, Robinheart manages to take over MoorClan. She becomes the new leader and is remembered for her strong morals and good judgment when it came to making decisions for the Clan.

This story, too, can be used as a way to emphasize the importance of following the warrior code, as well as serve as a template for future rebellions should they occur.

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Some things you can do when creating your Clan's background:
- use the warrior code (or create a new one!)
- brainstorm morals and traits that you want your Clans to value
- look at actual historical events to see what is valued in a civilization's history
- put together a rough outline of what the beginnings of your Clan looked like

Each set of Clans, and maybe each Clan within it, will most likely value different things, like the four leaders above did. These different qualities, whether they be physical or psychological, help to make each Clan unique.

The next section will deal with finding these qualities and applying them to your Clans.