The second of the clans, it was formed by former ship cats, cats who had wandered the docks or had been born on ships and then abandoned. They were already accustomed to water and to using it and so when threatened by forces in the village decided to make their home in a safer place along the Firth, away from the human town. Eventually Pineclan began encroaching on their borders so they moved across the Firth, using their skill with swimming and fishing to carve out their own territory. They are neither the largest nor the smallest clan, but make up for it in physical size, what with the majority of their earliest blood being Norwegian Forest (viking blood cats) and Manx cats (brought from the isle of Man). Firthclan is as flexible and changing as the water from which they draw power and identity, but also can be quite terrible when provoked over matters which they consider to be vital to their beliefs.
Culture
The clan of the pure mountain waters, and the mysterious bogs and fens. Firthclan focuses greatly on an understanding of purity, and greatly values honesty and truth, and perceives kindness and caring of others in the clan to be high value.The -heart suffix is rare in this clan, due to most of the clan having such high regards for their own personal morality, but they make up for it in variances in their skills, where few would earn the -scale or -stream suffix. They tend towards a more peaceful attitude, and are forgiving, stating that with each new tide come new clean waters, so that old hurts are usually washed away. Their clan family and structure is fairly loose, as are their punishments. It takes a lot to get exiled or severely punished in this clan, especially because there is rarely a need to act out. Many of the cats are free spirits who dont always function well with huge amounts of structure, so there are a lot less formalities involved in the clan, unless they involve faerie interaction. Faerie are a whole other matter, and they are always treated with kindness and respect, even if just for self preservation.
While Firthclan's camp is not on an island out on the water, it is close to water, and water safety is highly stressed in the clan from a very young age. Kits are taught to swim as soon as it is safe, and shown the dangers of treating it lightly. Yet water is also a safe space for them, and where other clans might complain about their paws being wet, Firthclanners enjoy it. Occasionally they will flick water on other cats at gatherings to see their reactions, as it amuses them greatly. They can tell from the tides and the temperature of the water if something has changed at sea, and often use this as an indication of the temperature and weather of the coming days. The other clans often think them vain, as they spend a good amount grooming themselves. However this is a more practical matter, involving drying their fur as well as getting rid of sand or anything which might have gotten close enough to irritate their skin. They try to avoid sandy or earthy nests in favor of as many layers of moss or bog cotton as possible.
The subject of outsiders is an interesting one to Firthclan. They arent as easily accessible as the other clans, and so dont as commonly get new blood. At the same time they are always on the lookout for more ship cats who have been abandoned, and Pineclan often sends them their way. It is not difficult for an outsider to join the clan, but they must solve a set of riddles/ tell an outright lie in order to join. This is a precaution to safeguard against faerie attempting to join the clan and cause mischief within. Once they have been cleared to join they must pass a few assessments to prove they are adults and can be called warriors, if not they must take a few moons a an apprentice to learn the skills necessary to survive in the clan. Cats can and do leave Firthclan, though it is certainly not as common as with Pineclan, since Firthclan has a more united atmosphere and friendly lax requirements.
This is by far the most spiritual of the clans, and the one most open to faerie influence. Firthclan cats are very respectful of faeries, and very tolerant of them, even of the smallest variety, and interact almost daily with them. This means that there are more benevolent faeries to grant them even small gifts, but many of the most heinous villains, under the promise and pact of a malevolent faerie, originated from this clan. They are somewhat removed from the other clans, and there has been debate if they should just give up the territory on the other side of the firth to the other two, but there is significant benefit to what they do have, and so they still maintain their borders, although not as aggressively or strictly as the others. Their relationship with faeries has made them bitter enemies to Moorclan, and some of the more precocious Firthclanners have been known to sneak into Moorclan territory and save black kits left out to die.
