Guide to The Land's Star

Mountainclan

The Clan of the Hardy and Devout

The cat who founded Mountainclan went by the name Mountain Stone (later Mountainstar). He was a pure grey tom with long fur and amber eyes. Mountainstar, along with his colony, had occupied the mountains for many years. However it was only through the suggestion made by Treestar that the group became a true clan. Mountainclan had to change a lot of their ways to fit into the clan mold, but still uphold traditions from their colony ancestors to this very day

Territory:
Mountainclan lives in a rocky, above sea level area of land up in the mountains. They're thei most isolated clan, although they share borders with Grassclan and Marshclans. They live west of Split Rock. They also have the Moon Cavern on the far edge of their borders

Camp:
The camp is located in a cave behind a waterfall. The camp is only accessible by stepping stones through the pool of water formed in front of it. There is a large stone in the center of it refered to as the Pointed Stone which is where meetings are called. There are no dens except for the nursery because of how well sheltered the camp is from the elements. The nursery is tucked into a crack in the cave wall and padded with soft mosses, ferns, bracken, and hawk feathers. The apprentices sleep closest to the mouth of the cave. Warriors sleep towards the back. Elders sleep in the warmest area of the cave. The medicine cat area is off towards the opposite wall from the nursery. The medicine cats store their herbs in small cracks in the wall and floor. 

Land Marks:

The waterfall- a huge waterfall that cascades in front of Mountainclan's camp

Starpath- a path with glittering rocks permanently secured into the ground which marks the path towards the Moon Cavern

Moon Cavern- The clans' holy place where cats go to share tongues with Starclan

Overcliff- a giant cliff overhanging the Mountainclan camp; a river runs through it, dividing the cliff into 2 halves. The river runs off and becomes the waterfall

Hawk hill- a dangerous, steep, rocky area, usually watched over by hawks. Cats will sometimes hunt in tgis area. Mountainclan cats also train here, but apprentices are forbidden from visiting this area for their saftey. It leads up to Overcliff

Slate clearing- a large flat clearing where apprentices are trained. Kits are sometimes brought here to learn how to hunt

Body Types:

Pure Mountainclan cats have long thick, and often messy coats; round/oval heads and round ears, stocky muscular bodies and limbs, broad shoulders, short or even flat muzzles, large eyes, small noses, large paws, jagged claws which sometimes stick out of their paws, and thick cracked pawpads. Mountainclan cats are thought to look like small grouchy bears. The usual coat colors in the clan are Grey solids/bicolors/tabbies, Black solids/bicolors, Torties (mostly black/grey), White, Brown solids/bicolors/tabbies, and Smoke. Smoke, grey, and black ate by far the most attractive. Ginger and anything along that line are banned from the clan. If a ginger kit is born they are either given to another clan to raise or are left in Twolegplace. Amber and yellow are the most common and favored eye colors.
Cats in this clan look most like the following breeds: Persians, Norwegian Forest Cats, Ragdolls, Domestic Long Hairs

Trivia:

-They were the last of the original four clans to form and become official, as most cats from the colony they came from had left

-To make up for the lack of colonymates, the group that would become Mountainclan took in kittypets. This is when they decided to become a clan

-Mountainclan cats are described to be very proud, brave, and incredibly loyal. What they lack in intelligence they make up for in cooperation and strength.

-They are the most religious of the clans, as they are the closest to the Star Willow.

-Mountainclan apprentices must visit the Star Willow at least once during their training, and will not be considered ready for warriorship unless they have. Even if Starclan will not speak with them, Mountainclan feels its important for cats to establish a bond with their ancestors from a young age. Pregnant queens will also take a trip to the Moon Cavern to share tongues with Starclan, though this is not necessary

-It's very common for Mountainclan cats to pray. They do so before a difficult hunt, once they've caught prey (as the Code commands), before they eat, before sleep, and when a cat has died or been born

-Their relationship with one another is described more as a friend group than a family

-Despite their grouchy appearance, Mountainclan cats are surprisingly witty and enjoy mischief. Apprentices and warriors alike are notorious pranksters

-They’re said to smell crisp like the air of the mountains which they call home

-Their preferred type of bedding is ferns

-Mountainclan has the shortest training period for apprentices out of all the clans, as they start teaching the Warrior Code and even hunting from early kithood. When their kits turn 3 moons old, queens are brought half live prey or things such as lizards or beetles and use them to teach their kittens hunting techniques. Most cats are made warriors at 9-10 moons.

-Similarly to Treeclan, Mountainclan cats are excellent climbers. They’re also great at digging and squeezing into small spaces

-Its a known fact that Mountainclan mollies have a hard time with unborn kits. Birth, pregnancy, and even conception is difficult. This may be due to some of their kittypet ancestry. When a litter is born, the whole clan celebrates. Litter sizes are usually small with 1 or 2 kits born at a time. Litters larger than 3 are seen as a blessing and are heavily guarded and protected

-They have a bit more resistance to cold born illnesses (aka the common cold, greecough, the sniffles, etc)

-Cats will sometimes wear a thick layer of moss over their pelts similar to a shawl or poncho during the colder seasons to help stay warm.

-Their prey consists mainly of shrew, vole, pika, mice, rats, weasels, ground squirrels, lizards, and hawk chicks if they can get them.

-Sometimes Mountainclan cats try and take on more difficult prey. When they do, the entire hunting patrol will be involved. Often the hunt will be preplanned and practiced so everything goes more smoothly. A senior warrior is usually put in charge, while apprentices are more likely to be assigned to flush out the target

-Weasles are considered prey as much as they are foe. Single weasels are usually hunted, but if there is a group, Mountainclan cats tend to avoid them due to their unpredictable nature. Weasels also follow cats at times. Its not uncommon for apprentices to get into fights with bold ones who are trying to steal their catch

-Chickadee are used not only as a term of endearment, but as signs of good fortune. Catching one shows great swiftness, as they are hard to catch on the rocky, semi-baren terrain.

-Bears are seen as sacred animals, as they represent the clan. Finding one is said to mean different things depending on who sees it. If a queen, or a cat who wishes to be one sees a hibernating bear in a cave, its said to predict large, thriving litters in the foreseeable future for them. If an apprentice sees a bear wandering around, it’s said they are destined to grow into a strong, powerful warrior. A leader who sees a bear is said to go on to have a long, strong reign. A warrior who spots one is rumored to be a brave soul. Surprisingly, they mean nothing to a medicine cat.

-Cougars and wolves are said to bring misfortune to the clan, as they’re not only competition for prey, but they are not afraid of attacking cats. When wolves move within Mountainclan's territory, cats often have to plan out new hunting grounds to make space for the large canines until their pack has moved on

-Cougars are feared in a different way than wolves because they can somewhat understand and use Cat Speak. This makes cougars easier to talk down from fights, but confrontations don't always end well--especially in Leafbare. Mountainclan cats also find it a bit creepy that this predator is able speak their tongue