LightClan cats live in the foothills of Mountain's Peaks, bordered on the north by WolfClan and HemlockClan, to the south and west by SalmonClan. Their camp is on the tallest hill, and their Seer’s Cave just at the foot of that hill. The lake near the center of the territory is sometimes used to fish, but it isn’t their main source of prey. They mostly hunt in the tunnels underground, especially when it’s colder. On hot days, they hunt in the small forest across the river and in Rabbit Valley. The Lake Islands are rarely used to hunt unless they’re absolutely desperate. The apprentices are told to steer clear of the Owl Nest, the warriors telling them stories of how the Owl living their is an immortal being and has killed apprentices who disobey their mentors.
Aboveground Camp
LightClan’s camp is nestled in a sheer dip in the earth on the highest point of the tallest hill. The entrance tunnel is filled with old, dead bushes. The Sun Rock is where the leaders address their camp, and also the first place in camp that’s touched by the sun, hence the name. Sometimes, when the sun is rising, the leader will jump up onto the rock and bathe in the light of a new dawn. It is also where the Seer addresses the Clan if need be.
The apprentice and warriors’ dens are under salmonberry bushes (which the apprentices’ have been sternly told not to eat), put at the very front of camp in case of emergencies. The elders’ den is under a large bush, right near the underground camp entrance so they may sleep there to keep warm during cold nights. The medicine den and nursery both have the same entrance, but they break up into two different dens on the way in. They decided to keep them close in case of emergencies with kits or queens. The leader’s den is right behind the Sun Rock, hidden behind the large boulders.
Underground Camp
Directly under their aboveground camp is their underground camp, where they keep warm during the Frost months. Their underground camp is filled with mushrooms and strange, but beautiful, plants that have proved harmless to them. The warriors made their den under the plants and the others decided on the caves for theirs. Here, the medicine den and nursery are separated. The fire pit in the center of camp acts like a fresh-kill pile, where prey that was frozen in the snow is put around the hot rocks to thaw out. It also acts as a place where the leaders address their Clan.
Lore
LightClan was founded by Lightseer, one of Luminous' eight kits. Light had been deaf and learned to hunt by watching for the shadows of their prey, staying stock-still before striking. It's believed that the sun herself even helped them hunt from time to time, in the form of a cat. They shined light on Their prey, showing them the shadows. Lightseer fell in love with the Sun, naming them Sunwatcher and begging them to stay with them in their Clan. But, during Lightseer's first Long Night, Sunwatcher disappeared. Years passed and Lightseer hadn't seen Sunwatcher since they disappeared. It wasn't until they passed that they saw their love again. Sunwatcher brought them to where they lived and they begin their own Clan, DayClan, together.
LightClan cats strongly believe they gain their strength from the sun because of this and begin every morning praising Luminous for bringing it to them, praying to Them that They return it after Long Night. During Long Night, their strengths leave them. The other Clans think they're bluffing when they say that the sun gives them the strength they need to keep living, but it does seem more LightClan warriors die during Long Night than any other time of year.
It's frowned upon to name your kit Sun- in LightClan.
HemlockClan’s territory is made up of evergreens, only a few deciduous trees here and there, bordered by WolfClan and LightClan. The forests, especially the West and East dense forests, are incredibly dark. The other Clans think they might have night vision because of how easily they hunt in the forests, but really they’re just used to the shadows. The Lynx’s Cave once belonged to a lynx who was friends with one of Hemlockseer’s kits. They slept together there every night and when they passed, they were buried together there. That cave now marks the HemlockClan graveyard.
The deep pond is where the Clan fishes during the hot months. During Frost, the cats play games on the ice.
HemlockClan cats avoid the Wolf Hills.
Aboveground Camp
HemlockClan’s camp consists of three of the tallest hemlock trees in the territory. The three trees are the leader, warrior, and apprentice den. When a new apprentice is named, they lay on the forest floor until they learn to climb up to the dens. While the leader’s den has a hollow where the leader sleeps, the warriors and apprentices all sleep on the branches of the trees together. The elders’ den and nursery are both made up of maple shrubs, which turn beautiful orange and red colors during the colder months. The queens usually choose to wait to go to the nursery, some even waiting until their kits are born, wanting to keep climbing the hemlocks and sleep in the branches.
Unlike most of the Clans, the medicine den actually leads into the underground camp, where they keep their herb store. The den is just under a large rock, dug out by the first HemlockClan healer. It’s rumored that they kept digging until they hit the cave underneath and put their herbs there. They were named Moledigger by Hemlockseer for their talent.
The sunning stones belong to the elders’. Other warriors are only allowed to stay there if invited by an elder.
Underground Camp
The underground camp is similar to most of the underground camps in the other Clans. The campfire is close to the elders’ den to keep them warm, brought down to embers at night to keep the plants enclosing their den safe. The medicine den connects to the aboveground medicine den. They place large ferns over the whole Moledigger dug out to keep it warm from the Frost air. The nursery is one of the warmest dens besides the elders’ den, stuffed full of moss and plants to keep the kittens warm. The leader’s den is in a small cave in the wall, elevated from the rest of the camp. This is where the leader addresses the Clans.
Lore
HemlockClan was founded by Hemlockseer, one of Luminous’ eight kits. Hemlockseer always blended in with the shadows with their dark brown pelt. Having come from the same litter as Caveseer, they could see very well in the dark, making it easy to hunt in the shadowy evergreen territory. They also learned from their mother how to climb even the tallest trees. Luminous gave them their favorite forest as a gift, and Hemlock fell into a deep love of the trees, along with the rest of their Clan. They grew stronger when they were in the trees, even believing that they had lose their ability to hunt outside the forest. HemlockClan cats dislike being outside the forest and avoid open areas unless they have a specific reason, such as going to gatherings.
It’s believed that every HemlockClan cat inherited Hemlockseer’s eyesight, able to see in the shadowy forest well.
