The Tundra

Gathering Place
A gap behind the waterfall which marks the center of the four territories. There is a large cave inside which is cool in bloom season and warm in frost season.

The Moonstream
There are dozens of tunnels within the waterfall cave. One eventually leading to the mountains. It ends in another cave which acts as a sacred place for the medicine cats to communicate with StarClan and the leaders to receive nine lives. A river runs through the cave, coming from another entrance and leading out a waterfall.

Warrior Code
1. Defend your clan with your life. Divided loyalties will not be tolerated.

Punishment: Exile from clan

2. No one clan has inherit right to territory. Rights are given to those who can fight for them.

3. Kits, queens, elders and the ill are fed before the rest of the clan.

Punishment: Skipping a meal or several depending on severity

4. No kit younger than 6 months may become apprentice, no apprentice younger than 10 moons may leave the camp on their own and no warrior younger than 25 seasons may become an elder unless physical injury dictates so.

Punishment: For kits and apprentices, delay in rank progression

5. A night vigil is required before an apprentice may achieve full warrior status.

6. It is a leader's responsibility to consider all possibilities. Therefore, a new deputy must be chosen immediately after the death of the last.

7. There shall be no dispute at gatherings, which must be held every moon without exception.

Punishment: Aggressors are prevented from attending Gathering for a specified time depend on severity of offense

8. Kits and elders many not be neglected by a member of any clan.

Punishment: Punishment ranges depending on severity of offense

9. Neither a deputy or medicine cat may have kits. However, a leader may have kits.

Punishment: Permanent loss of position

10. A Clan Leader's word is law.

Punishment: Whatever punishment is deemed suitable by said leader

History
The area was first settled by stray who came from a small village several miles up the coast. They found it difficult to survive he brutal winters and many starved. The ones who didn't began forming groups with the strong and many small factions were created. The leaders of one of the factions, Ice, tried to gather as many followers as she could in order to unite the tundra into one large group that would help each other hunt prey rather than fight over it.

One of the rogues she came across, a tom named Mist that Hides Mountains, reluctantly joined. After a moon, he grew tired of living among others and resented Ice's leadership. He was insistent on hunting for himself along and refused to share his prey with the elders. One evening, he snapped after Ice told him to offer his prey to a particularly snappy elder. He refused and attacked her. She defended herself, but held back, adamant about her plans for peace. Eventually Mist was forced to retreat when half a dozen of Ice's cats came to her aid.

The prideful Mist, vowed to best her and set off to gather supporters of his own. He returned a season later, with an horde of his own cats, the remaining rogues in the area. After one last plead for peace, Ice was forced to start a war against Mist's rogues. In a panic, Ice almost lands a killing bite, but hesitates.

Taking advantage of her moment of weakness, Mist flips her over and is about to claw her open when a tree collapses onto him. Ice manages to squirm out from under him before it falls, but Mist is crushed.

Mist sees the cats who have died in battle in a vision, as well as his relatives. They grant he and Ice nine lives, though Mist has already used one. The starry cats declare they must learn from one another. Ice must learn that not everyone will conform and she can't force them to. Mist must learn humility and how to think of the needs of his new clan.

Mist awakens to find that his back legs are permanently disabled. At first he resists and insists that he can crawl back to camp on his own. It takes him the whole night and he loses another life out of cold. This throws him into a depression and he leaves his clan to his trusted second in command, Stone.

Stonegaze runs the clan along while his leader remains unresponsive. Finally, Mist is snapped out of it by an apprentice trying to climb. He claws out of his den and scales part of the tree with only his forepaws. He takes charge of his clan.

Eventually, Stonegaze leaves, taking some cats with him to form StoneClan. He is the first leader to take "star" in his name. Over many moons, many other clans are formed, some fail, some live on. TideClan is formed out of former IceClan cats and endures.

Herb Runners
Cats who are trained as both warriors and medicine cats. Can't read signs from StarClan, but helps collect herbs and heal under the supervision and direction if the medicine cat. May became medicine cat apprentice if they show talent in reading signs, however most medicine cat apprentices are separately chosen.

Herb runners are exempt from fighting in battles, but are still taught self defense by their warrior mentors.