It's an absolute tragedy this track has so little likes and listens. Goose bumps almost every listen for me. Mind incursion. Like a fractal drift into everything...
Much respect to Third Colony, Deer Hill, the Clamps, Opsen, etc. for their creative audio assault of tracks they all put out. 🦾🤠🤘🏼
Even the clamps bro. All recommended including Burr Oak (clamps/opsen)
I was seranaded three times this morning, first by my guy, then my friend Marita (well, her family cut her short and maybe I helped by quickly thanking her), and finally by Gracie the beagle. The latter was the funniest of all and she managed to get through all the verses. But really, what Gracie wanted was to butter me up in hopes of joining Marita and me for a hike. Sorry Gracie. Maybe next…
Founded by Duckbelly, granddaugther of Foxthroat and former warrior/queen of Mountainclan, Marshclan considers themselves the toughest, most pragmatic clan. Viewing prey as anything they can catch and using the most ruthless fighting tactics, they put Marshclan before anything else, indoctrinating a powerful sense of patriotism, loyalty, cooperation, and competition among their clan. They train their apprentices hard, and forge powerful bonds between mentors and apprentices and kin of all types. They honor those with disabilities or who earn name-changes, seeing them as proof of how tough their clan is that they don’t just support these cats-- they help them thrive and keep the clan strong. While they may be hostile to outsiders, being pragmatic, in short times they will send their most charismatic cats to find possible recruits from nearby clowders or loners, and they have no problem mating with loners to bring fresh blood into the clan; in the past they even would swap cats with Islandclan.
Marshclan Territory Overview:
Who’s Who:
Founding Leader: Ducksky: longhaired black-and-white patched mackerel tabby molly with yellow eyes and numerous scars.
Founding Successor: Snakeclaw: longhaired, amber mackerel tabby tom with yellow eyes and a scarred face.
Founding Healer: Leechclaw: longhaired black-and-red brindled tortoiseshell molly with white paws, chin, and belly and yellow eyes.
Founding Keeper: none at beginning; first Keeper: Hawkstep: big, longhaired, brown mackerel tabby molly with yellow eyes.
Current Leader: Eaglesky: huge, longhaired brown mackerel tabby tom with golden eyes.
Current Successor: Leechclaw: large, longhaired black and red brindled tortoiseshell molly with orange eyes and badly torn ears.
Current Healer: Crowleg: longhaired, smallish, skinny, black molly with golden eyes and a scarred face.
Current Keeper: Turkeytail: longhaired dark brown mackerel tabby tom with yellow eyes and a scarred face and shoulders.
Territory:
A conflicting ground of marshy water, thick reeds, small ‘islands’ of solid ground and twisted pines, patches of dense thorns and then open grass, many creeks, and piles of rocks and downed logs. The edge of the lake they border is very reedy, muddy and marshy with so much water leaking up onto the ‘land’ that the lake seems to extend much farther than the lake proper really does. The farther southwest, the less marshy it grows and the more pines are there.
Borders:
North: Forestclan
South: Moutainclan
East: Islandclan
West: none
Common Prey:
With pragmatism and adaptability foremost in their minds, Marshclanners will prey on anything they can: squirrels, rabbits, mice, voles, shrews, moles, snakes, rats, hares, frogs, lizards, toads, fish, birds, eggs, insects-- and even eat carrion if food it tight and it’s availible.
Camp:
Marshclan has two camps, one for daily life and one for emergencies.
The first one, their main one:
Set in the southwest in the densest part of the pines and solid ground and surrounded by vicious thorn bushes, large rocks, downed trees, and creeks lies a deep hollow which contains the camp.
The dens are arranged both around the camp edges and in the center.
The edges hold the four warriors dens: one for new warriors, one for young warriors, one for seasoned warriors, and one for senior warriors. There are also two apprentice dens, as Marshclanners are often large, and they prefer to keep the older apprentices in their own den and the youngest ones in their own den. edge of the camp also holds a den for the leader, the successor, and the Keepers. This places the most able cats as the first line of defense, and places kits and elders in the center, to be viciously protected by the queens; Marshclan queens are thought to be the most fierce and ruthless of any queens in the clans, holding no compunctions against outright killing attackers without a second thought.
The center of the camp has the nursery and the elders den along with the kill-heap and the Speaking Stump, a large, twisted oak stump that is where the leader gives announcements. It is said that this stump was once a great tree in Ducksky’s time, and that it came crashing down in a lightning storm and crushed part of the camp. Since then, Marshclan has been very fearful of lightning, and see it as a curse.
Where is the healers’ den? Set into the side of the hollow is a series of deep clefts and small pools which serve as the healers’ den. There are places for sleeping, places for wounded cats, placed for sick cats, and the deepest most sheltered clefts are birthing-dens for queens.
Leader, Successor, and Keepers’ den: a large, bristling thorn bush directly opposite the healers’ den; it contains several nests made of moss, pine needles, reeds, fur, grass, and feathers and is well-sheltered by a slight overhang and the trees.
Warriors’ dens + apprentices’ dens: a ring of thorn-bushes surrounds the interior wall of the hollow; throughout this ring various dens have been formed at different points: a warrior den on each side of the entrance; two warrior dens on the opposite side as the entrance, and two apprentice dens-- one on each side of the healers’ den. Nests are built by individual cats and made up of moss, feathers, grass, reeds, and pine needles. Some cats add clumps of fur as well.
Nursery: the most vicious and thick clump of holly and thorn bushes in the camp, it is directly in the center where it can be protected the most. The nests are formed of feathers, fur, soft moss, grass, reeds, and pine needles and the bedding is changed frequently by the queens in order to keep down scent of elimination from the kits.
Elders’ den: more thorn bushes and several parts of a very large hollow log (said to be part of the oak tree that the Speaking Stump was also part of) very near the nursery. The nests are deep and soft and made of feathers, grass, reeds, fur, and pine needles.
Healers’ den: a series of deep clefts in one wall of the hollow; some contain pools for drinking from while others are filled with soft nesting for sick cats, wounded cats, or the healers themselves. They also have a sheltered, private cleft for consulting with cats seeking support, and deep, very protected clefts for queens to give birth in and spend the first two moons with their kits in.
Emergency camp:
Located on some lightly forested hills with a lot of rocks and bushes, to the west, this is the place Marshclan retreats to should flooding occur or anything else drive them from their main camp. There are deep dens among the rocks for queens, elders, and apprentices; the rest of the clan sleeps in the thick bushes surrounding the rocks and the largest boulder is used for the leader’s speeches.
Sacred Spot/Burial Ground:
The Shadow Pool, a large, deep pond halfway between their main camp and the lake, is their sacred spot, and is considered a gateway to the womb of the earth, and that spirits sink into it and are reborn into the Other World of Moonclan, the Star Warriors, and Moonclan Ghosts.
At every half-moon, the leader and healers bring prey bones and offerings of feathers and fur to bury around the Peak to provide sustenance to the Moonclanner Star Warriors who guard the gap that the Shadow Pool is over.
When cats die, they are buried all among the thick reeds and soft ground around the pool, along with feathers and prey bones to take to the Other World with them as a gift to the guards.
Important Landmarks:
The Lake: The place where Marshclanners talented around water will come to fish and swim; one must wade through a lot of reeds and shalloww ater to reach the best parts. Also forms a technical ‘border’ with Islandclan. During peaceful times, Islandclan warriors will swim to the shallows and exchange news and pleasantries with Marshclan; being the only two watery-based clans, having participated in a mate-exchange in the past, rarely fighting in any recent history, and typically being the clans to have the most plentiful food year-round, they feel a certain kinship.
The Outlands: area to the west and south of their territory that is drier and more forest; Marshclanners frequently hunt out here all throughout the year, but especially during winter to get the maximum amount of prey. Sometimes mollies have met loners out here and mated with them to bring fresh blood into the clan.
Three Creeks: three large creeks that carve through Marshclan’s territory like claw scores; they run out of the Forest Creek and slither through the marshy land to cut through the foothills; said to have been made by the Great Cat striking out in anger at the aggression between Forestclan and Marshclan when Forestclan was first created.
Snake Rocks: truthfully a large area at the lake’s edge which frequently has turtles, frogs, lizards, and many types of snakes sunning here; a dangerous place during the summer days for young cats, but experienced and daring hunters will frequent here in cooler times and at hours when snakes are most sluggish in order to hunt.
The Mountainclan Border: an area of boggy ground that rises to drier hills and becomes forested slopes.
The Forestclan Border: a lightly forested, soft-grounded area of frequent disputes; Marshclan always seeks to extend their hunting in the winter, while Forestclan wants to hunt birds and squirrels among the trees there; there’s usually a good hissing, screaming, posturing match at least twice a moon if not twice a week there during the leanest times. Of course this is mostly show; both sides are usually busy hunting in no-cat’s land to the west.
The Trail: the long loop between the borders and the camp which apprentices run every evening and complete a series of obstacles and challenges as a warm-up for the night’s training.
Deer Hill: a large hill to south which overlooks a series of pine copses, the foothills, and a large highway. Deer are frequently sighted here, along with prey animals such as squirrels who come to feast on the walnuts, pecans, and acorns found in the hardwood forest patches nearby. Technically a part of the Outlands.
A cracking day and a lovely walk around and up to the summit of Cnoc nan Gabhar. Mojito chicken and ham sandwiches sat by the cairn overlooking Kilbrannan Sound to Arran.
Having moved out of Saddell house, we enjoyed the last of the sunshine sat outside our new digs (Saddell lodge).
