Roles of the Empire - The General Ranks
While all of the prides have long since steadily diverged from each other culturally as they became more and more set in their ways, coining more and more specialized ranks that match their territory; most of the prides still have what are considered the Basic Ranks that allow a pride to function.
The Anchored Stars
The Anchored Stars are the highest ranks in the pride and no pride is capable of functioning or considering themselves a proper pride without all the positions filled. In times that more than one of the Anchored ranks are empty; the prides may neglect certain tasks (such as border patrols) or important meetings (like the Great Games) in favor of adequately filling in the positions. If the pride has a vacant Anchor longer than a moon, the other prides may refuse to acknowledge them as a proper pride or offer aid and step in.
It’s considered bad form to take advantage of a pride with vacant Anchors so most prides will see empty spaces and will choose to offer aid.
While all ranks of the Anchored Stars are mandatory for the prides to function, certain ranks are considered more important than others based on the pride.
Leader: The Highest Rank of all the Anchored Stars, sometimes matched in power by one of the others depending on the pride. Leaders are the final authority on most things in a pride - they perform the naming ceremonies of warriors, handle-wider pride relations and have the biggest say on whether or not a pride goes to war. Leaders are blessed by Moonsoul themself, receiving Nine Lives from the Heart of the Mother-Maw while the moon-god pins the beast in place. Up to nine cats from the realm of StarClan can offer a blessing in the form of an additional life to the next leader and once they’re received, the leader takes on the suffix -star showing their connection to their ancestors and Moonsoul themself. In close range, it’s clear that every pride has its own design for a leader mark albeit the general format remains consistent. Leaders are fundamental to a pride and a leaderless pride is exempt from all other formalities until such matters are settled.
Deputy: The second-highest rank in the forest that serves just under the leader and - in most prides - becomes the new leader when the old passes or steps down. Deputies have no specific name affix albeit they’re often picked from the pride’s Heads. Now if a leader is a macro manager, the deputy of a pride is a micromanager. They often handle the daily interactions between the pride and leader, running smaller affairs such as organizing patrols and keeping a leader updated on things like apprentice advancement. While it’s up to a leader to choose their deputy, an unpopular deputy usually struggles greatly through their tasks as their pridemates challenge them at every step. Deputies are mandatory to have in all prides but the Crawling Shadows who will often bring an heir to stand in. Missing deputies cause succession problems so in a way, having an empty deputy slot is more dangerous than having an empty leader slot.
Diplomat: The peacekeepers and strategists of the pride. Bound together by a desire to see all four prides thrive and an interest in fighting non-physical battles, diplomats are the lowest of the Anchored Stars but a deeply treasured one all the same. Diplomats are meant to bang out trading deals, secure treaties and minimize the chances of their own pride going to war. On the occasion that their pride does go to war however, diplomats double as battle strategists, advising their leaders on combat plans and how to best go about seizing a deciding victory. Diplomats are requested to be present every-full moon, so there’s a soft limit of about one moon to appoint a new one when the role is vacated.
Medic: The second or third-highest rank in a pride depending on who you speak to. They’re the healers, attending to the sick and injured in an attempt to bring them back to a state of wellness. When the Sacred Ranks aren’t filled, it’s generally accepted that the Medics communicate with StarClan who can occasionally bring messages from the souls. Medics have another code of ethics that they adhere to over the general warrior-code - the code is generally the same across prides but with minor changes based on individual pride culture.
Medics can be broken into three ranks - Combatives, Healers and Prophets. Healers are poster-kits for medics being cats that focus on healing to the best of their ability. They memorize hundreds of herbs, growing spaces, herb locations and learn to use their healer specific spark to perform incredible, life-saving actions as they develop more and more techniques. Combat Medics are trained to heal within the throng of battle, more than capable of defending themselves and a patient being assaulted. Combat medics are often former warriors that eventually heard a call to healing and turned their claws towards only being used in defense of a patient.
Prophets are often called True Mediums or Soulspeakers - they’re cats with a natural affinity towards the spirit world, often finding omens scattered across the world like leaves in autumn. Prophets in general are rare and powerful ones are even rarer so when they’re identified, most prides have it as law that they must become a healer or at least take lessons in healing regardless of what the cat’s desired pathway as a warrior is. A medic is considered as fundamental to a pride’s continued survival as a leader - a pride cannot afford to fight battles without a medic to patch up any wounds at the end on the risk of them getting infected. Infected wounds kill more cats that active battle does after all.
Sacred
The Sacred Ranks are different from pride to pride and are deeply treasured by the prides whenever they have one. Often referred to as Soul-Speakers by their pride mates, the Sacred Ranks are considered the prides’ most direct links to minor gods, lesser spirits and at times; full-blown Souls for guidance. The Sacred are known for their skill in reading omens and having a Treasured Companion that links them to one of the spirits. The Sacred are in an interesting position of the Anchored Stars - though a pride is only considered complete if they have one; it’s very common for a pride to go seasons without a Soul-Speaker considering they must be chosen by the Souls themselves.
It varies from pride to pride how hard the Sacred Ranks are worked on to be filled.
The Raging Wind prides themselves in their spirituality, always claiming to be the closest to StarClan and the most beloved by the Souls as their line of Medics are their Sacred Ranks. Starting from Mothflight, the Mother of Healing herself all the way to their current medics, their healers are all blessed by the Souls either by the merit of being the kin of Mothflight herself or through being Chosen by The Green Moth. When a new moth is chosen by The Moth directly, The Raging Wind tends towards referring to them as -flutter. The Raging Wind does not consider their pride complete if they don’t have an active Moth and also an heir.
The Crawling Shadows is next in the way of their intense loyalty to the spirits frequently resulting in them clashing and arguing with the Raging Wind over who is most dedicated. The Anacondas of the Crawling Shadows were chosen by Kassebera; the Serpent. Whenever an Ancaconda is chosen, they are trained in basic healing and usually, a new executioner is trained to serve them as well. It’s common for the Anaconda to be given the suffix -serpent. While the Crawling Shadows doesn’t consider their pride complete without the Anaconda, they are willing to attend Gatherings and go through the motions of pride-life until one is chosen.
The Roaring Thunder are next along these lines - unlike the Crawling Shadows and the Raging Wind, The Roaring Thunder associates their Sacred Rank (the Strix) with an approaching future of struggle and conflict. Strix are only chosen on the brinks of war or during times of famine and starvation though they stay long after the inciting event ends. The Roaring Thunder hence believes that the Souls will get involved when the dangers facing the pride are massive and pride threatening in manner but are otherwise content to allow the prides to control themselves. As such, The Roaring Thunder believes their pride complete even without their Sacred Rank and when one is chosen, they believe the Souls themselves are watching and that they should be on their best behavior.
And finally the Frothing Shores has the longest stretches between having a solid sacred rank - they can go a few leaders before they have another chosen. When the crabs are spawned and first start coming onto land to look for shells, the Frothing Shores first has to identify if there are any Blessed Ones within the stock. Those they find are separated from the greater bunch and the current kits and fresh-apprentices are presented to the crabs. For six suns, the kit the crab pays the most attention to becomes the next Shell and are frequently granted the name suffix -husk upon completion of their training. By nature of the long spawning period, the Frothing Shores considers itself complete without a Shell and more when they have one.
Warriors
Heads: Not a separate rank from the other ranks within the prides but rather, the cats who are considered the most skilled and experienced in their field. Heads exist for all the other ranks of the pride - both the general ranks that all four prides have but also for each of the pride’s specialized ranks such as Divers, Murkers and Runners. These are the cats that everyone turns to when someone is confused or needs assistance in their training; they come up with proposals for further training exercises and even set the standard for the graduations of apprentices through their various assessment. With the creation of the Promotional Assessment, the Heads of the prides are responsible for the monitoring the promotion of apprentices under their rank.
Due to the responsibility and skill that comes with being a Head, it’s common for them to receive apprentices and therefore; common for them to be promoted to the deputy position. Rank Heads often have “heirs” - up-and-coming warriors of their ranks with all the making of a good Head and they will spend time polishing those skills and talents to perfection in the hopes of them replacing them one day.
When referring to their “Senior Warriors,” leaders are typically referring to the Heads of their pride.
Guards: Among the most heavy-set cats in the prides, Guards are the bulk of a pride’s fighters. They are defenders, their specialist training focusing on advanced battle moves and combat techniques. Guards don’t just battle other warriors though - especially in the case of the Roaring Thunder with the variety of hostile fauna - guards are also responsible for the safety and defense of the pride from large predators and are the default watchers for when a cat needs to leave the territory. When medics need to go to the Moonstone, they take a trusted Guard with them and it’s not uncommon for diplomats to brings a pair of warriors with them when they go to barter.
Hunters: Responsible for the feeding of their pride through prey; the rank of hunter has an interesting history. It’s easily the rank that specialized and diverged the most between all four prides with each pride tending towards territory based specializations - Murkers, Runners, Tunnelers, Divers; the need to feed the pride forced a sense of necessity that encouraged the prides towards finally diverging based on differing techniques. Hunting roles are very prized by each of the prides because of this, often each role has a popular or famous story told to the apprentices and kits about the necessity of the role and how it helped everyone.
Crafters: The builders and creators of the prides. They weave barriers, baskets and sun-baked jars. They’re deeply important to keeping the camps of the prides secure and safe from predators such as in the case of the Roaring Thunder where bramble tears must be repaired immediately or how in the Frothing Shores, a torn patch of ferns can cause a leak that spawns mold. The talents of crafters are also extended towards more religious tasks such as the shaping and designing of talisman and bonding materials.
The Raging Wind are the odd ones out in that they never developed a crafter’s role and instead, the duties of crafters are broken up among the various warriors due to their system of heavy specialization. Tunnels are planned out, measured and built by tunnelers; the gorse ridge is maintained by the runners and their medic; the Moth is responsible for talisman and burials. With each of their warriors already deeply specialized for their duties, it never became necessary for crafters to become a dedicated role.
Sitters: The biggest helpers in the nursery, Sitters are the extra paws every monarch wishes desperately that they have when their kits get rambunctious. They’re the babysitters of the pride, responsible both for watching kits while their parents are out serving their pride and caring for orphaned kits. They’re the substitutes when a monarchs’ milk dries up early, passes in childbirth or had injuries that makes nursing difficult. They all have basic medical training specifically tailored to assisting medics during kitting - especially during the rare times two or more monarchs start kitting at the same time. They memorize the prefixes of various names and their associated meanings, offering advice to monarchs who request it.
Additional Ranks
Monarchs
Widely considered a kit’s first teachers, monarchs are nursing cats caring for their own kits in the nursery or recovering from their pregnancies. Kits will learn a great deal abouit the pride and their pridemates from their own parents for the first couple moons of their lives. Though they have Sitters to help them, they’re responsible for answering all questions and getting the basics of pride values instilled in their kits. Most monarchs don’t stay in the nursery for their kit’s entire kithood and it differs from pride to pride what’s normal. The Crawling Shadows and the Frothing Shores monarchs stay in the nursery until their kits are about five months old - giving the parents a moon to readjust to sleeping alongside warriors before their kit moves into apprentice training. In the Raging Wind, monarchs only stay in the nursery until their kits are weaned and their milk dries up, then they move back into the warrior’s den though they are expected to visit play with their kits every day. In the Roaring Thunder, monarchs entire stay until their kits are a full six moons old or in the case of crowded nurseries, four moons old.
Apprentices
The next warriors of the prides, locked in a place between child and adult. Apprentices are in training to become fully fledged warriors having decided on a pathway when they were younger and been apprenticed to a warrior best suited for their goals. They spend the first half of their training working on the basics and adjusting to their new permissions and obligations and the second half mastering their trade. In general, a fresh apprentice is less likely to fight in battles - even in the Crawling Shadows - and when brought, typically serve as messenger and couriers. This is meant to acclimatize them to the aura of battle without necessarily risking them albeit, these apprentices are known for targeting each other specifically. As an apprentice is still considered a child - vulnerable, naive and in need of guidance - it is strictly forbidden to romantically or sexually pursue an apprentice as a warrior. This rule is so strongly enforced that it’s often looked at strangely when one apprentice is promoted ahead of another and they’re still together. That said; it’s up to the leaders to decide upon the punishment for pursing an apprentice - most of the time it’s severe; outskirting, exile, execution and banishment are all potential consequences that are considered reasonable.
Kits
The youngest members of the pride and the pride’s future. A cat is considered a kit until they are six moons old or until they’re properly apprenticed as a kit can be held back or promoted early. They’re meant to spend the time until their promotion learning about the culture of the pride they live in and the values that are encouraged within them. The standards of what makes a “good kit” varies from pride to pride. The Crawling Shadows values the tradition of kits being seen and rarely heard as it is in silence that the most learning is done. Most the Crawling Shadows kits enter their apprenticeships with a scattered variety of skills that they pick up from watching older apprentices and proper warriors. When kits are heard, the pride prefers that they’re speaking to their parents or elders; showing that they are well and truly attempting to learn from their pride. the Roaring Thunder is the near polar opposite and fully believe that if kits aren’t being noisy and getting underfoot, there’s probably something wrong with your nursery. Kits are meant to ask questions whenever they can think of them, receiving answers from their pridemates and becoming increasingly more involved with everyday pride life. A kit who never speaks and never asks questions are often fretted over by their pridemates, Amberspirit being the prime suspect of harming them. The Raging Wind kits are meant to be inquisitive but quiet, picking up as much as they can from everyday life and coming together to consolidate answers. The Raging Wind claims it promotes apprentice independence later down the line; something as important to the Raging Wind as their warriors understanding how important they all are to each other. The Frothing Shores kits are often expected to merely stay out of the way. They want their kits to develop into shining individuals and so they want their kits to spend their kithoods playing, laughing and steadily developing into their own personalities. Kits decorating themselves with shells, chalks and other adornments are praised and encouraged to keep exploring themselves while more serious, soft kits are often given small gifts and toys to see about encouraging them to explore themselves more.
Elders
The Eldest and among the most honored cats in the prides that aren’t of the Anchored Stars. With the life of the average warrior being so bloody and filled with strife, the achievement of making it to an age you’re considered old is deeply respected by the cats of the prides. The permissions and privileges granted to the elders vary based on the pride but most are treated as incredibly worldly and wise cats. It’s not uncommon for leaders to consult elders about big pride-altering decisions they want to make. Elders are also sometimes made by those who’ve received life-changing injuries and are no longer confident in their abilities nor are they willing to try to learn to work around them. Something the event surrounding an injury is so traumatic, the kindest thing a pride can do is allow the cat to retire to the elder’s den and hope they recover in peace. The most common injuries and conditions that result in retirement are head traumas - especially ones that severely affect memories and motor skills.
Being that the warriors of the forest prides are hot-blooded and near always active from the moment they’re old enough to contribute, the life of a retiree is often too dull and slow for them to appreciate. So killing two birds with one swipe, elders may specialize in the lore and history of the Nine Great Souls and the Spirits of pride mythology. The Era of the Ancients is considered critical for all younglings to hear of and learn from; there are many lessons that can be gained from the demigods, nature spirits and the Souls themselves. Those not interested in the ways and stories of the Souls and find themselves more drawn to helping the next generation also have the option of retiring to the Sitter’s den as a sitter themselves.