NorClan vs SoClan

A warriors fan-blog dedicated to naming advice, drawing from traditionalist naming.

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Prefix: Dasher-

Dashers are a species of dragonflies. The males are all blue and black, while the females are black and yellow. Why they’re called “blue” when half of the species is a different color entirely, I have no idea.

Locations: Anywhere.

Use: A blue tabby or a tortoiseshell.

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Prefix: Lamprey-

You know those utterly horrifying things that kind of look like giant leeches, with mouths that are pretty much the basis of every single monster you can Photoshop together in five minutes? That’s them.

Lamprey are considered an invasive species in a lot of places, as far as I can tell, with particular mention to the Great Lakes. Though only a minority latch onto fishes and suck their blood, they have no natural enemies and can easily take over a body of water.

Locations: Anywhere with water.

Use: A brown cat of all shades and patterns, with sole exception to red-brown, and with the caveat of a light belly.

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Prefix: Shiner-

Shiner is more of a general name than anything, but as it usually refers to a small grey fish, we’ll be using that interpretation for the prefix. Shiners can live in plenty of difficult environments, even in polluted water, so a town cat could probably find them in a pond or river.

Locations: Best found in any water that’s warm and shallow.

Use: A small cat, grey/silver in the wild, and dilute tortoiseshell in areas with polluted or unstable water.

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Prefix: Amole-

Also known as the Soaproot, or just the Soap Plant, the Amole is a small plant with an elongated bulb that can be white or brown. However, since the bulb is more or less always underground, this prefix is based on the flowers, which are white with six long petals.

Locations: Anywhere.

Use: A white cat.

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Prefix: Eulachon- (C)

Eulachons, also called “hooligans” or “candlefish”, are similar to smelts in appearance - a long, skinny silver fish. They have a dark grey stripe along their back that’s more notable than with a smelt, however. These fish also produce an oil that was gave the name “grease trails” to the trade routes where the oil was bought and sold.

Locations: In estuaries.

Use: A plain silver or grey cat, preferably with a dark stripe along their back. Think like the popular image for Greystripe.

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Prefix: Smelt- (C)

A smelt is a small, long silver fish. Often fried and consumed whole, they’re not much of a meal by themselves (at least, for humans). Their young are translucent, and even as adults they can be hard to spot in the water. Several festivals around the world are dedicated to the spring running of the smelt, interestingly enough.

Locations: Best found in estuaries.

Use: A small silver cat.

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Prefix: Manzanita-

You know these guys. Those weird, short tree-things with incredibly smooth, dark red skin that may be covered in thin grey bark, with almost oily, ovate leaves. Yeah, those ones. I didn’t even know they were called manzanitas until today.

Manzanitas are a type of shrub that grow in almost any environment. They have bright red berries and pink-to-white bell flowers. There are about 60 species, most of which are in California.

Locations: As far as I can tell, anywhere, but most often in dry areas and hills.

Use: A ginger cat, whether dark red, medium ginger, or pale.

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Prefix: Chamise-

Not to be confused with chemise, which is a type of female undergarment. Chamise is a flowering plant native to California’s chaparral biomes, which are pretty much just forests of thickets and bushes. Never liked those places myself, but who’s asking me, right?

The chamise has stalks of tightly bundled together, white flowers. The plant may become encrusted in white on top in blooming seasons, and from a distance the flowers look like a bunch of fuzz.

Locations: In hilly, dry areas. This includes Baja, the Sierras, and Northern California. The eastern part of the state, more or less.

Use: A white cat.

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Prefix: Carp-

Carps are a type of freshwater fish. They’re fairly plain looking, with small fins and no notable markings on their scales. They’re related to goldfish and koi - or, rather, koi and goldfish are specially bred domestic carps. These fish can get to some pretty impressive sizes, so warriors would be fishing for the younger ones near the shore.

Locations: In lakes and rivers.

Use: A silver, grey-brown, or golden-brown cat, as plain as possible.

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Prefix: Perch-

Perches are a type of freshwater fish with barred stripes and bright orange fins. While they’re a little green, and a little brown, and really just a mess of colors you wouldn’t see on a cat, I chose to use this name due to the patterns on the species’ scales and for the vaguely grey-brown color you can see on certain specimens.

Locations: In weedy and warm slow-moving water.

Use: A tabby with notable, broad stripes, preferably grey-brown in color.

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Hello! I was wondering if Sparrow- was on your list of prefixes to cover?

It is, yes. I’ve been neglecting this blog recently, and I’d like to apologize for that. I’ve got a fair amount of names to cover for birds, actually. I’ll have to get on that.

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Prefix: Walnut- (S, C)

The California Black Walnut is a type of tree that lives in a very specific location. The prefix comes from both the bark, which is dark grey, and the walnuts, which has a green casing around it that turns black and falls to the ground. The walnuts themselves, of course, are the same brown color, but I figure that cats would consider the entire thing as the walnut, not just the seed within.

Locations: On the southern coast, from Hollywood Hills to Los Angeles.

Use: A dark grey tabby or black cat.

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Prefix: Toyon- (C)

Otherwise known as the California Holly (or the Christmas Berry), Toyon is a bush with linear leaves, white flowers, and bright red berries. This is a very similar name to Holly-, the only difference being the name and leaves. These plants have a protection on them imposed by the state, as they were nearly driven to extinction in the 1920s.

Locations: On the coast everywhere but the uppermost part of Nor-Cal.

Use: A vibrant ginger or white cat.

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Prefix: Hitch-

Hitches are a species of fish that live in fresh-water areas, though they do have some tolerance for salt. They’re a fairly small fish with a narrow head and a bigger body. They prefer to eat insects and algae, as well as “zooplankton”.

Locations: Slow, calm waters, like a lake or large river.

Use: Silver or dark grey, usually with a mottled or ticked tabby pattern. 

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Prefix: Roach-

A roach is a species of fish that makes its home in warm, shallow waters. Cockroaches don’t get a name here, before you ask, mostly because they’re a household pest and not out in the wild (at least, as far as I can tell).

Anyway, a roach is a silver fish that’s dark on the top and light on the bottom, with reddish fins. They’re not the biggest fish in the world, but they could be some work to catch full-grown.

Locations: Warmer streams and shallow areas.

Use: A silver cat, possibly a dilute tortoiseshell.

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Hey! So I've been working on a warriors fic based in California (using traditional naming), and I was wondering if it'd be okay to submit a link or something to it once I start putting it online?

Absolutely! I’d love to see it myself, so by all means, please share it.

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Prefix: Phlox-

There’s a good number of phlox species in California. They come in pink or white, or a mix of the two. There seems to be a pattern of the white ones showing up in the desert more.

Locations: In drier areas.

Use: A white or pale ginger cat.