Interest check/Idea bounce for a bit of a weirder one

Premise: A "light fantasy" warriors-themed RP in which the cats are capable of slightly more advanced things than in the books. ValleyClan cats are able to make and understand use of simple fires, though the creation of fire is trusted only to the leader, deputy, and healer, only ever shared with other ranks in extreme circumstances. The Cavern cats know how to filter flecks of metal from stone and muddy water, and have made use of simple metallic jewelry and tools such as claw covers or a mortar & pestle to grind herbs more efficiently and crack open oysters.

Locale: Based loosely on yellowstone, though is not meant to literally be it. A region heavily influenced by the season, it experiences warm summers with golden fields of dried grass where water must be carefully monitored, fruitful springs and gentle autumns filled with flowers, and harsh winters blanketed in snows. Prey is varied, but so are predators. The cats know this place as simply "the Valley".

Factions:

- ValleyClan, a group of cats living in the lower portion of the Valley, where there is more water- but also more activity from humans. Their territory is vast, covering a broad circle of land with two camps that are used throughout the year. Just before Leafbare, the cats move to the Honeycomb Dens, a network of abandoned rabbit warrens expanded by years of work in the distant past by those who founded ValleyClan. These underground shelters keep the cats inside warm despite the freezing cold outside, and the exit routes are monitored and hidden from predators to keep the cats safe. When the frost breaks and the first flowers bloom, the cats return to their main encampment, the River Isle, a small space of land encircled by the river at its shallowest point. ValleyClan cats more or less follow traditional clan cat lifestyle, though they are capable of using kindling and torches. It is currently lead by Wolfstar, who is hiding a progressive illness that will soon kill him. They believe in StarClan as their afterlife.

- Beneath Many Stones, a group of cats who live in a cavern system in the mountain to the northeast. Uniquely gifted with knowledge from the earth, the cats of Beneath Many Stones are able to coax metal from the rocks and shape it into jewelry or even simple weapons such as metallic claw covers. Names are given based on dreams; until a kitten has their dream, they will go by a temporary kit-name usually based on their appearance or a word the parents or kit like. Kit-name examples include Grey, Tiny, Dog, and Violet. Cats who have had their dreams may go by shorthand versions of their full names; Climbing the Mountain could go by Climb, Mountain, or her kit-name, White. Their leader is known as Between Worlds, which may be used as their name or may be added to their name interchangeably; the current leader's full title is Five Beads of Iron Between Worlds. Loosely based on the tribe cats of the books. They believe in the Glittering Caves of the afterlife, where all who lived before walk through endless halls of ore-laden stone that illuminates itself, the ceiling empty and full of stars, with chambers containing all one could ever want. Known to the Clan cats as the Cavern Cats.

- Ranger Station Feline Unit, a group of domestic cats living in and around the human ranger station nearby. These cats seem to have adopted some of the practices of they live near, and spend their time patrolling the lands systematically to look for signs of troubles like fire, diseased elk, rabid foxes, the works. Some take their jobs too seriously, and consider the Clan cats and the cavern cats to be threats to the peace as well, while others are here because the ranger station gives them free food. They are not actual employees of the ranger station on account of being cats, but they do wear distinctive vests provided by humans.

- Outsiders: While kittypets are likely to be extremely rare in this setting, it is possible a family pet escapes during a vacation or moving trip. Otherwise, most outsiders will be rogues and loners. On average, outsiders will tend to be more wary and survival focused due to the lack of large-scale human civilization nearby and presence of larger predators. No gangs of outsiders exist yet, but they could form.