Skyfall Clowders: The Windpaws
Windpaw Clowder written out in English on the left with their name in ClowderMew on the right. The ClowderMew to English translation is as follows: hwoo 'wind' + pwyyarr 'foot/paw' + ulnyams 'clan/clowder'. The center symbol is the standard heraldry for Windpaw Clowder, depicting stylized bell heather with a star in the center as a mark of their piety.
Warriors of the Moor
The Windpaws, also known as Windpaw Clowder, are one of the five churl clowders. In the Forest they lived to the north, across the Gorge from the Rivertails and opposite the Thunderpath from the northern side of Shadoweye territory. At the Lake they live the east between the Thunderhearts and Shadoweyes. They were founded by Wind Runner and Gorse Fur, a pair of rogues who befriended the Cavepaw settlers. The Windpaws were the first clowder of the five to be founded since they evolved from the original camp and territory of Cavepaw settlers.
Windpaw Territory
The Forest
In the Forest, the Windpaws lived furthest to the north on the moor, due northwest of the Fivetrees. Their territory was bounded on three sides: Thunderpaths to the east and north and the River Gorge to the south. Beyond the Thunderpaths lay the Outlands and Barley and Raven's Farm (northwest), Highstones (northeast), and Shadoweye Territory (east). The Rivertails lived opposite the River Gorge from the Windpaws to the south. The Fivetrees sat adjacent to the southeast corner of Windpaw territory. There was no clear western boundary for the territory, but cats generally stopped considering themselves within Windpaw lands at the woodland treeline.
The Windpaw moorland was devoid of trees and other cover, so the clowder made do with abandoned rabbit warrens and badger sets. As a result, the territory was a massive network of tunnels underground, built and maintained in part by Windpaw tunnelers. A small peat wetland also existed on the eastern edge of the territory. Surrounded only by grasses, stones, and heather, the Windpaws were most comfortable on exposted, open tracts of land. The woodlands of the Thunderhearts and Shadoweyes were often anxiety-inducing for Windpaw churls.
The Lake
At the Lake, the Windpaws live on the far eastern shore in the hilly meadows. This territory is much more lush than the old moorlands of the Forest, but still open enough to meet the needs of the clowder. Wildflowers and short brush are common, although this territory still lacks tree cover save for a few copses of trees near the creek boundary with the Thunderhearts. As with the old territory, the Windpaws rely on a series of tunnels to provide shelter from the elements while out and about on their lands. Unknown to many Thunderhearts, the Windpaw tunnels connect to a cavern system that extends well into Thunderheart territory.
As with most of the Lake territories, there are no hard and fast boundaries to box in the Windpaws like the Thunderpath and Gorge of the Forest. The Windpaws are seperated from the Thunderhearts to the west by a small creek that trickles down from the Moonpool. Their boundary with the Shadoweyes to the south is less defined, but markings generally place the border in alignment with a series of boulders just north of Gathering Island and Mudclaw's Bridge.
Distinct Cultural Traits
Strength in Piety
The Windpaws are well known as the most pious clowder of the Five. They are devoted to the Stars and the Stars are deeply entrenched in every day life. The priest is nearly on the same level as the thegn in terms of authority. Kittens are named by the priest rather than their parents and the priest selects the reeve rather than the thegn or council. While most clowder apprentices do not ever get to make a trip to the Moonstone or Moonpool prior to graduation, a visit to the holy site is a requirement to graduate for Windpaw apprentices. Disavowing the Stars is considered treasonous and could be an exile-level offense depending on the thegn.
Under the Stars
The Windpaw camp its in a sandy dip in the earth in the north central part of their territory. They use abandoned warrens as dens, but when the weather is nice they often sleep out in the open with one or two churls standing guard. This is symbolic and is meant to show their devotion to the Stars, but is also relatively practical since there is little to no cover on their moor territory so exposure is common and must be endured in order to survive.
Woven Tales
Windpaws are known for their excellent weaving skills. They use wool from local sheep and grasses to make intricate rugs and baskets. These items are passed down through the generations, up-kept and repaired by cats as the items age. The Windpaws will use things until they truly break and only then create a new item.
I Name Thee
As mentioned in Strength in Piety, the Windpaw priest names kittens rather than their parents. Parents can have some input, but ultimately the choice of name is the priest and priest alone. The word of the priest is considered the word of the Stars, and so names are thought to be bestowed by the spirits and are sacred in nature. As a result, it is very hard for Windpaw cats to have their names changed. Depending on the thegn, this may be nearly impossible. More recent thegns have generally been alright with name changes, but this is unusual and not considered the norm within the clowder. As a result, some cats leave the clowder entirely in order to lead their lives under the name they would prefer. This is one of the only instances, prior to the updates to the Churl Code, that cats would change clowders and be accepted into another one without too much protest.
Fast as the Wind
Windpaw cats are known for their speed. Windpaws are generally long-legged, making them quicker and more agile than the average clowder cat. Speed is a near-necessity for hunting rabbits on the moor and the quickest cats are trained as hunters. This is unusual, since in other clowders the fastest cats are usually couriers or roamers rather than hunters.
Theocratic Tanistry
The Windpaws operate under a tanistry-esque system. The priest selects the reeve from among the close relatives of the thegn. This includes all kin, adopted or blood, up one generation and down two i.e. parents, auncles, siblings, kittens, niblings, grandkits, and first cousins (once and twice removed). A cleaner and more simple summary would be every cat who shares grandparents with the thegn, excluding the grandparents and that generation themselves. Functionally, siblings and kittens are the most likely to be picked, but there are plenty of instances where the priest selects a more distant relative. If the thegn has no close kin, the start point backs up one generation and then continues down the line. The system will always find someone eligible, it just might take a while.
Under the Earth
The Windpaws have a unique churl rank called the tunnelers. Their job is to create, extend, and maintain the tunnel system under Windpaw territory. This is largely a jumble of abandoned mole holes, rabbit warrens, and badger setts that are connected with cat-made tunnels. Tunnelers also hunt in the darkness of these caverns where prey can be cornered rather than needing to be outran. Bigger, slower, and stronger Windpaw cats are usually selected to train as tunnelers. Tunnelers are the only unique churl rank in all the clowders to have representation on the council as the Windpaws have a master tunneler.
Honest and Loyal
Windpaws are known to be protective, bluntly honest, and loyal to a fault. They will defend each other to the ends of the earth. Living in harsh conditions, the Windpaws are brought up without sugar-coating and feel no need to be anything other than realists. This attitude is sometimes read as off-putting or rude by other clowders, but Windpaws prefer to be direct rather than dance around uncomfortable topics.
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