The final step to becoming a leader in the Empire is to put their spirits in the paws of their Ancestors and the Souls that guide them. Though rumors of nine lives are often waved off by others as a Queen’s Tale, the sukeme of the Empire know good and well that they’re all true. Escorted by their starmender to the Moon’s Fang, potential leaders touch their nose to the sacred stone and find themselves placed in a fairly vulnerable state as their spirits are transported to the Starlands.
When they awaken in the Starlands, they will be in what is called The Three Borders - a somewhat uncreative name for where all three territories in the Starlands touch each other. Sitting around them will be nine, small creatures - the sacred animals of the Great Souls and the Spirits ready to lead them deeper.
Lives have to be volunteered by the ones donated.
The Spirits known to the Empire through their myths and tales are known to touch down within the Starlands at times, taking the forms of their parents’ sacred animals to visit a cat they believe deserving of their blessings and knowledge before seeming to vanish among the stars once more. On the mortal side of things, nine of the anima that were closest to the potential leader or can make a good case as to why they should be brought into the drawing step forward to offer a life. Once they’ve chosen, they scatter throughout the Starlands; waiting for the life-reciever to begin their Search.
The cats often start with their Spirit Lives as they’re usually considered the most important. Spirits are fickle, powerful beings that are quick to wander away once they’ve lost interest. The factions tend to place high value on attaining spirit lives as they’re considered great blessings; granting strength to the cat in vein of their domains. Some spirits are more likely to offer lives than others - Hanimu the Orphan and Siyeyim the Planner being the most prolific while hardly any leader has truthfully ever seen Huyewa the Dreamer or Haanuki, the Harbinger. These spirits often set up a test of some sort that would challenge the cat, forcing them through a scenario of their making in an attempt to see if there’s still a spark of what drew the spirit to them in the first place. They tend to hold timed events, should a leader not complete a scenario in enough time it will fade and the Spirit will leave without granting a life.
On the mortal side, things are a bit more… emotionally taxing. Though Spirit lives require a lot of mental energy for imagined scenarios, mortal spirits often bring up a key memory or moment. The anima will hide in a created location of significance they need to the life-reciever to understand. It could be witnessing again the death of someone dearly loved or a critical mistake that cost the receiver a lot - mortal challenges are what makes it so taboo to attempt to force a leader to speak about their Search.
With timed events and draining encounters, it’s not surprising to discover that it’s fairly rare for a leader to collect a full set of nine lives. Often the ceremony is so draining and exhausting that a leader will wake up early from the sheer stress that weighs on their minds, ending the ceremony and preventing them from gaining any further lives - there are some who manage to press on, forcing themselves through the pain and remaining in status but it leaves them incredibly weak when they reawaken. Ultimately however, waking early is the better of the option. Some anima will set a short limit to how long the receiver can spend on their life while others will easily give them the rest of the night - and those that linger for too long risk a terrible fate.
For when the sun rises, no longer does Moonsoul’s Fang work as necessary - the sunlight severs the tether from the living and the dead and then the Mother Maw awaken; devouring the remaining spirit from the leader’s body leaving nothing but a crystallized skeleton in its place.
Should a leader survive their ceremony however they will receive a sigil marking them for whichever Soul had left the largest impression upon their Soul - determined by the number of lives gained in their honor. These marks are branded upon their foreheads for all to see - though starmenders are capable of sensing and reading the remaining energy in the sigil which conveys the number of lives a leader has left.
Most leaders keep their list of lives and what happened to them strictly between themselves, their starmender and perhaps a mate or a best-friend.
Absent Minded Worldbuilding regarding clan patrols from a bit back;
thunderclan tries to have all mandatory out of camp activities done by sunhigh as that's when all of their predators start getting active. dusk patrols are especially dangerous in the summer due to all the active predators
shadowclan only starts getting active around sunset - both because they prefer the night to pay homage to their founder and because living in a marsh with high trees, the only ground-prey they have come out at night + it's really muggy
For riverclan it's always a bit muggy because they live on an island - this plus them having the second least-shaded territory means they prefer to perform tasks when the sun is a its coolest (dawn and dusk)
windclan's primary prey sources are almost never out at night - without almost zero overhead coverage from the elements or a stray hawk or eagle, their prey is always out at dawn through daylight and vanish after that. it's also extremely cold in the winter so night-patrols damn-near non-existent once snow hits the ground. escorts are trained to tolerate the extremes but even they tend to stay at the outposts
Contrary to names within the Greenwood Prides or even the Sky Kingdoms, canine dominant societies in general offer more agency and self-determination when it comes to their names.
In particular, the Canine Republics have a system of placeholder names that are given to them before they become adults and choose their proper names for themselves as they join pack society.
Placeholder/Pup Names
Pup names aren't meant to be kept long-term, more of a stand-in while a pup grows and comes into themselves. Most members of the republics find it deeply presumptuous and overbearing to place a name upon their pups - as if it's determining their fate. This paired with the original republics being in hard to thrive in places meant that adult members were more inclined to offer temporary names.
Pup names are primarily given out based on shallow, surface level traits shown by pups not long after they're born. Often these traits refer to their physical appearance - fur color, birth size - or behavior - such as vocality or liveliness. Given that these names aren't permanent, it's not uncommon for multiple pups within the republic to share the same pup-names.
Squeal, Yip, Yap, Whine, Whimper, Bark - talkative or noisy, lively with good vocals
Squirm, Wiggle, Tumble, Bounce - lively or very active, one that walks early
Growl, Whine, Huff - a pup with serious attitude or personality
Heavy, Lofty - a very large pup
Small, Little, Scrawny - a runt, the smallest in a litter, sometimes sickly
Blue, Silver, Brindle, Brown - all referring to the fur color of a pup
Adult/Dedication Names
As Rookies settle into their ranks, adjusting to becoming proper members of society permitted to vote and contribute, they will be welcomed officially as adults into the pack by their chosen names. These names are referred to in the republics as "dedication names" as the goal for every member of the republic should be to better themselves and hone a specific trait in honor of the Howls.
Members are recommended to be thinking about their names long before their choosing and to be very careful about the category they choose to brand upon themselves. When someone from the republics hears your name, you're also inadvertently telling them what traits you shall be striving to embody for the rest of your life. Setting too lofty a goal by choose too 'grand' a name can result in serious struggles for members to live up to their traits - and those who cannot meet standards essentially set for themselves are often viewed as untrustworthy and pathetic.
The Moon -> Luna, Moonlight, Moonshine, Dusk, Nightfall, Eve
The Sun -> Daylight, Sunbeam, Luminosity, Aurora, Morning, Dawn
The Plantmaker -> Blossom, Rose, Iris, Briar, Sapling, Bushberry
The Sea Lord -> Aqua, Shore, Loch, Coast, Cliff, Alp, Ridge, Peak
The Warden -> Breeze, Zephyr, Airstream, Specter, Phantom, Ghost
It is possible for a member to officially change their names within the republic albeit it's rare considering that such an act is synonymous with changing the entire direction of your life. Though it's not a mandate, it's generally expected that when you choose a new name, you are choosing from a different pool of names. This is because through whatever you've done to deem a name-change necessary, you've dishonored the Howl you were previously representing.
The only exception to this during situations of great uproar that fundamentally change who a creature is and thus, can make it impossible to fulfill the promise of their original name. In this form, taking a new name is said to be the most respectful thing you can do - stepping back and finding a 'true' self. Some may even hold symbolic death ceremonies for their old selves to truly solidify the change to being a new person.
Leadership/Trait Names
While general members of the republic often take on nouns that are related to their specific Howl, the alpha pair of each republic takes on a more direct name scheme. Leaders take on adjectives directly from the domains of their specific Howl, announcing to all what they will strive to be as a leader.
Leaders are thus held to supremely high standards regarding their ability to live up to their names. Major backlash can break out over the alpha pair even slightly deviating from the name they've chosen for themselves. It's not uncommon for some alphas to carefully monitor the way the pack is being led and approves of being led and choosing a trait falls most comfortably into these two worlds.
The Alpha Pair: The Leading Pair of Dogs in the pack; usually elected after running together though history occasionally shows that this isn’t always true. The Alpha Pair tend to rule for five full season cycles - one ruling cycle for each of the Five Howls - before they are required to step down. As macromanagers, the alpha pair are the ‘face’ of their pack that the rest of the world sees - their actions and behaviors influence the reputation of the pack. They are responsible for being aware of all territory dangers - such as bear dens and mountain lions - and organizing their Republic to better handle it. The alphas tend to organize with the Unit Captains to ensure that each of the territory problems have been acknowledged and addressed.
The Beta Pair: If the Alphas word as macromanagers, the betas work as micromanagers. No leader can know everything about everything so while the alphas are tasked with knowing all that happens within the wider territory, betas are responsible for managing the pack itself and helping them coordinate with the alphas. This also applies to interactions with the other packs - Betas often coordinating with each other.
The Omega Pair: The Healers of a pack although it’s widely agreed that omegas don’t actually belong to any set pack. Referred to as Wandering Dogs, to become a healer is a decision only reversible once in a dog’s life requiring the severing of links to your pack once you begin your training. Regardless of their opinions of another republic, an Omega is expected to heal and attend to all dogs equally - the only exception is if the entire Omega’s faction decides against healing. When the omegas go on strike, this is a sign that there is change to be had or the republic in question will have to figure out how to heal without them which grants them immense power over even the alphas.
As Omegas don’t actually belong to any pack, it’s not uncommon for them to come and go as they please, rotating between the various packs - something that had ensured the survival of the packs during the periods of war. Their lack of overt connections to any specific Republic makes them ideal record-keepers, ensuring that the long and complex history of the Republics can be told to future generations.
---
The High Ranks
---
Honored Ones: Though an alpha pair must step down from their position after five cycles, their wisdom and experience is still highly revered and appreciated by the Republics. As a resulted, the Honors is the rank for all alphas that have retired from their position. These dogs function as a consultable council, offering advice and wisdom to the pack’s leaders. They are spoiled and cherished by their Republic though many who retire early are known to go on and become omegas to keep themselves active and involved. It is considered a great indignity to be denied entering the rank of the Honors - to deny any alpha pair this, it must be voted upon by the pack. Those who have this happen to them often leave the Republic out of a deep sense of shame, sometimes changing their names and joining a new pack as merely wardens or hunters to keep their heads down.
Captains: The individual dogs responsible for the management and overseeing of each of the Republic’s units. These dogs will report back to the betas and the alphas, sharing news about promotions, demotions, unit-swaps and other things specific to their units. With clearance from either both betas or at least one alpha, they set the standards for any dog’s promotion from rookie to a proper member of the units, any requirements to swap between units and to keep up with the health and status of every dog within their unit. There are two captains per unit and each are jointly responsible for the overall standing of their unit.
---
The Unit Ranks
---
Wardens: Traditionally the most heavy-set and burly dogs in the Republics trained for combat and defense of the packs. Having large sources of vulnerable prey around at all times means that the Republics are often vulnerable to attacks from all sorts of creatures - large predators, small ones and even aerial ones in the case of pups. Wardens are responsible for guarding the entrance to Republic’s camp, following a pregnant dog and her mate to the birthing dens, are the first and last line of defense against larger predators and are often the ones seen fighting against other packs. Warden work doesn’t have much prestige to it, ranking just above hunters in terms of respect.
Hunters: The smallest unit of the Republics and often the one that outsiders will be promoted to upon joining if they refuse to become rookies. These dogs are responsible for ensuring diversity enters the pack’s diet hunting wild game like hare, wild-goats and sometimes hunting birds. Hunters also are trained to gather certain fruits and roots from their territory to supplement their meals. As the unit responsible for the tracking and capturing of wild-game, the Hunters also keep note of the habits formed by local predators. After the rise of herding within the Republics, the Hunter’s Unit are now considered the lowest prestige. 5/5
Herders: Easily the largest unit in the Republics, the Herders watch after a specific groups of semi-domestic livestock that driven throughout their territory to ensure the survival of their Republic. Each of the Republics have a different primary herded creature albeit smaller groups of miscellaneous animals are also catered to by the dogs. Herders guard their livestock from lone hunters such as bobcats and bears while monitoring the overall health of the herd, reporting and tending to any illnesses that are scattered throughout the herd. They keep track of the births and deaths happening naturally within the herd alongside alerting their alphas of how much was safe to cull for meat and when they should cut back and rely more heavily on the hunters. The Herders are reasonably respected third in line with prestige over both Herders and Wardens.
Wet Maids: A very prideful unit of dogs, the wet-maids are responsible for the care of pups too young to start training as rookies and their recovering parents. When in the camp, they’re known to nurse a pup in the place of their mother if necessary, give the parents time to themselves, ensure that birthing dogs have the emotional and physical support necessary to recover from labor (especially difficult labors) alongside the maintenance and upkeep of the nursing den. In regards to the labor themselves, when a pregnant dog leaves the Republic to have their pups; they take a wet-maid with them to help the dog give birth and care for their newborn pup. Wet-Maids are the ones that decide when pups are strong enough to be returned to the pack.
Scouts: The eyes and ears of the Republics, scouts are swift and fast dogs posted all across pack territory at any given moment. When the Republics resettle, it’s the scouts that map out the new territory and take note of things like rivers and streams, the dens of hostile creatures, bird nests and what kind of wild prey roams the area. They’re often used as messengers, sent between not just Republics and other societies for peace-talks but also within the Republics themselves as the units are often widely dispersed. Scouts are the ones to retrieve back-up during fights and even run along the edges of the herds to ensure their well-being. Scouts are the highest prestige rank and their requirements are easily the strictest of all units.
---
General Members of the Republic
---
Rookie: One of the most awkward ranks to be a part of as it’s the transition between being a pup with no say nor true independence within the Republics to an adult with influence and voting power. Rookies are new to their units with only baseline knowledge of the various tasks and responsibilities to be taken up - not yet considered part of any squad given their inexperience makes them prone to wishy-washy commitment to any rank. Rookies are mostly just responsible for learning about their respective units and settling into their roles within the packs. A dog is usually considered a rookie until they’ve spent four full seasons in a specific unit.
Studs: Any dog recovering from birthing a litter and/or readjusting to being part of the pack structure once more. This rank actually includes both the parents of the litter but also the wet-maid that went with them and even the warden that accompanies them.
Pups: Any dog too young to begin training as a rookie and has yet to receive an adult name. These dogs don’t have many responsibilities, considered weaker and in need of protection by the entire Republic; a pup is expected to learn about the history and culture of their republic. Pups are exempt from most serious punishments for breaking rules and are expected to mess up or get under a dog’s paws at any given moment. Pups may not roam the territory alone, vote on a new alpha and may not enter the herding zones with someone to accompany them.
Elders: Ordinary dogs who’ve retired from their position at some point in their life - be it from a severe injury, the development of a chronic sickness or merely old-age, these dogs have left the life of active members. Still honored for their experience and knowledge, these dogs are often left to their own devices - roaming the territory in small sections or laying about in the camp spending the rest of their golden days with minimal stress and pressure.
Traditionally given officially to the rank heads (and in modern times, can be requested/declared by any cat in the pride), nursery leave is the period of time that a cat takes off from their duties to care for their kits. Usually in the form of a queen taking time off to nurse her kits and recover from the changes such an event causes, leave was initially to better ensure the smooth flow of pride-life. Having it be clear that a specific cat in temporarily unavailable and intends to return keeps the confusion about who is in-charge to a minimum - this was especially important to have during of conflict between prides.
Overtime, each pride's idea of nursery leave morphed to fit their respective cultures and ideals:
The Stormborn
Being the most generalist pride, the Stormborn has the move flexible view of nursery leave albeit, with a heavy emphasis on mothers. With no heavy specialty roles, it's easy enough for cats of the same rank to step in and take-over until the monarch ready to return. The Stormborn allowed leave to start as soon as the cat starts showing pregnancy or when the mender senses it and then, the cat is expected to return to their duties when their kits are four to six moons old.
The time-range confuses the other prides sometimes but the Stormborn pointedly believes that every cat should spend at least four moons with their kits - two before they can walk and move and two after.
If a rank head needs more than the allotted time, they're either politely asked to step down or encouraged to swap ranks entirely. Ordinary cats may remain in the nursery for as long as they like albeit, once their kits have graduated, they will begin receiving prompting to transition into becoming a Sitter.
The Windspun
The Windspun is a mixed bag regarding leave - the amount of strictness shown varies depending on which rank you're speaking of. Menders receive the most leniency - they're carrying the next of Mothflight's Line and therefore, they must be as relaxed as possible. As soon as the pregnancy is confirmed, the cat (whoever is carrying) is expected to drop all of their tasks and duties and focus near exclusively on remaining healthy to ensure the best outcome for their kits. They receive priority feeding even during starvation periods.
The Upper Ranks then receive the strictest treatment regarding leave. Leaders and deputies are allowed to have kits but it's cautioned against having them at the same time. In the Windspun - leader and deputy function as two leaders overseeing two separate sides of Windspun culture and so are expected to manage and perform their duties to the best of their ability even while on 'leave.'
Escorts are on the strictest side regarding nursery leave. Put simply: Escorts keep Windspun territory secure given it's a high-traffic area and squatters are a common nuisance to encounter. For every escort relegated to the nursery, their territory is that much less secure. There's an unofficial rule that the escorts may only have one cat from each outpost on leave at a time - the more escorts seen in camp, the more anxious the Windspun as a whole gets. They're often encouraged to recover and return to work as soon as possible
The Shorerisen
The Shorerisen balances between not quite having leave and having the most flexible leave following the Stormborn. There is no official time-limit for a mother to enter the nursery; at most the mender will give them a recommended time and then it's up to the cat in question whether they heed the warning or not. In general, nursing cats will start gradually returning to their duties after two moons - when their kits have been fully weaned from them. During the moons leading up to the cat returning to their duties full-time, it's not uncommon to see a mother teaching their kit tricks to their craft. Fishing small minnows from pools, weaving little flower chains and basic paw defenses are all things a cat might see from a Shorerisen cat trying to keep their skills sharp while spending time with their kits.
The strictest the Shorerisen gets about allowing cats to go on leave happens in the winter. When snow coats the ground and ice threatens to starve them out, those who've dual-classes as an ice-stomper are encouraged to return to work as soon as possible.
The Shadowyield
The Shadowyield tends to hover in an odd position regarding leniency for nursery leave. A pregnant cat is typically granted leave from duty when they are a moon from expected kitting and are given a subsequent moon afterward for recovery. For the most part however, leave in the Shadowyield is rare - these cats insist on thriving through adversity and often will insist on working as soon as the recovery time is up. Often, the pride's healers will have to put their paws down on more workaholic mollies that insist on sneaking onto border watches and hunting patrols. Often monarchs in the nursery will try to top each other for the most outrageous way they've dodged the mender to continue performing their duties.
This is slightly different on the father's side of things. While mothers are more or less expected to get back to work as quickly as they can, fathers are encouraged to bond with their kits as much as possible. There's a deep-rooted fear within the Shadowyield that a kit without a decent father figure will go down a dark path of loneliness and despair, eventually turning against the values their pride holds dearly. As a result, though fathers aren't excused from their duties, they're given a large amount of flexibility to ensure they're still an active part of their kit's lives. It's not uncommon for Shadowyield fathers to be dismissed from night-duties to ensure they have time and energy to spend with their kits during the day.
Arguably the most famous myth of the Prides, the Mother Maw was an enormous, scaled beast that roamed the world destroying all that was in its wake. It was always hungry, eating everything it could ever fit into its mouth - it's said there used to be others like it but the creature's gluttony was so great, it ate them all; leaving Mother Maw the last of its species.
One would think it was to be avoided at all costs, but the Moonstone rests within the open cavity of the beast's chest, Moonsoul themself stabbing it through with their power to keep it immobilized. It is during these moments that cats make access Silverpride as Moonsoul's powers create a tangible link to the stars.
Creatures should approach the stone with caution however.
Only Moonsoul's light freezes the beast in its tracks, keeping it in a deep slumber. Sunsoul's light warms and awakens it; those who are unable to escape in time will be eaten by the Mother Maw, life lost as soon as the first glance of Sunsoul's gaze upon them.
Anyway, the Old Tongue is usually only used and spoken fluently in the pride by those who are more closely connected to stars as a sign of spirituality and prestige. In practice, that means leaders, sacred ranks and medics.
Leaders, sacred ranks and specifically prophets/starseers take on names translated into the Old Tongue.
ShadowClan is a strict clan that praises loyal to the clan, obedience and faith in the Souls as what makes a proper and respected warrior. With such a heavy emphasis on the needs of the many prioritized over the needs of the few, it only makes sense that they can be harsh when it comes to punishments. One such example of their strictness is the role of the Executioner.
The Executioner is said a high ranking member of the clan tasked with the responsibility of ending the lives of those the leader deems too dangerous for their clan and others alike it. They’re revered and viewed with a degree of awe and wonder by their clan mates as instruments of their leaders’ will. An Executioner is the most loyal, faithful and obedient cat in the clan and many consider the position more prestigious than the role of the deputy. They are loyal in that they are willing to tarnish a bit of their soul to remove a danger from the clan; they are obedient for they will execute on their Star’s Command and they hold the most faith in their strict prayers and devotion to the Souls Above.
Executioners come right after the medics on the totem pole in ShadowClan on par with the clan’s diplomat.
The Executioner is the Paw of the Star
1a. An executioner will not on their own decide to silence someone
1b. An executioner is chosen by the leader themselves
2. The Executioner must be a fully trained warrior
2a. No cat who hasn’t killed someone may be elected executioner
3. The Executioner must pray to Suhakur and Moonsoul daily
3b. The Executioner will fast on the night of a full moon\
3c. The Executioner will sacrifice a portion of every meal for the Souls
4. The Executioner is loyal to the Souls first and their Leader Second
4a. If a leader is removed from power, the executioner will take oathe to the new leader
4b. If the executioner is unwilling to serve a new leader, they will be removed from their position and outskirts
4c. An outskirted executioner is buried with as must respect as a camp-one
4d. An Executioner will protect the Anaconda at the cost of their lives
5. An Executioner’s paws must always be covered when claws are not in use
5a. Paws are unclothed during: hunting, invasions, executions
5b. An Executioner may not dull their claws unless they risk harming themselves
6. An Executioner may not fight any battle outside of invasions
6a. Any life an Executioner takes from the moment they are elected is to be intentional
7. An Executioner must perform executions with the proper, swift and painless techniques permitted by the Souls
7a. An Executioner who causes intentional suffering will be dismissed
7b. An Executioner is permitted to disobey a leader who encourages the suffering of the executed
8. There may be only two fully trained Executioners at a time
8a. One - an executioner that serves the leader exclusively
8b. Two - an executioner that serves the Anaconda exclusively
8c. Both executioners may be training an apprentice executioner but they must retire once they are fully trained
