post-for-a-Clan - custom Clan creator [PAUSED TO NEW REQ]

ShrubClan's cats are mostly greys or black, with a few gingers (and tortoiseshells/calicos) thrown into the mix. Brown cats always have half-Clan blood somewhere in their history, as none of the original ShrubClan lines carry brown genes. Due to their reliance on the mesas as hunting grounds, ShrubClan values cats that can sustain long flights and have steadiness in high winds more than agility or speed. Their wings tend to be larger in size than the other Clans', with light undersides. ShrubClan cats rely heavily on gliding, so their wings tend to be broad with long feathers, giving them a large surface area to catch hot updrafts over the arid landscapes. They may be slower and clumsier in the air than the other Clan cats, but they can easily fly the entire day without touching the ground.

For temperament, ShrubClan cats value their independence and privacy. They are the most xenophobic Clan and dislike all outsiders on principal; by default, they will fight off all outsiders and inviting an outsider into ShrubClan--even injured or young--would be met by fierce opposition within the Clan. Taking in cats from other Clans is more accepted, especially if ShrubClan believes they are "stealing" the loyalty of a good warrior from a rival Clan.

ShrubClan historically refuses to ally themselves with other Clans and see alliances as signs of weakness. They rarely go out of their way to start fights with the other Clans, but take any insults as a threat to their way of living and are easily provoked. They believe their rugged, arid climate molds them into the strongest warriors. This is true in a way: ShrubClan's cats must constantly adapt on the fly as each mesa requires a unique hunting strategy.

Internally, ShrubClan's mesa "islands" give the Clan some room to spread out. While their main camp resides on Black Mesa, cliffside burrows in the tall Cirrus Mesa and a rocky grotto on the narrow Claw-Scratch Mesa are often used as temporary shelters if a patrol is caught in bad weather and unable to fly back, or for cats wanting to get away from the bustle of the main camp for some privacy. It isn't uncommon for young warriors to spend a moon or two away from the Black Mesa camp to prove they can survive independent of ShrubClan. This practice isn't quite so enforced to be a formal tradition, but cats that perform this feat are more likely to be considered as mentors, deputies, and other leadership positions before their peers.

A true ShrubClan tradition is with queens: a moon or two before a queen is expected to kit, she often will move to a different mesa and set up a nursery there. Two cats will join the queen: their mate is always offered the first spot, and their closest friend the second. If the queen doesn't announce a mate, they are traditionally encouraged to invite a littermate or cousin for the spot. The kits will be born on this mesa and live their first three moons there until they are weaned and brought back to Black Mesa. Where a kit is born determines its sign, and queens often consider which mesa to bear their kits on the biggest choice they can make regarding their kits' futures. It isn't only the mesa's qualities as a nursery site that matter, but also the traits the mesa is said to imbue in the kits; certain mesas gifts are stronger during certain seasons, which also factors into the queen's choice, as are omens and other signs from StarClan.


ShrubClan lives in a shortgrass prairie: a mostly flat landscape, though scattered with abrupt, flat-topped mesas. With their wings, ShrubClan's warriors can fly from peak to peak and treat these mesas like islands; each of the nine mesas scattered throughout their territory have names and history, and are very important to ShrubClan's identity.

Very little of ShrubClan is covered by anything more than the shrubs of their namesake. The land is seasonally arid, with a short wet season in early autumn that floods the low valleys between the mesas and makes them true islands for a month or two before the waters subside. A large lake to their southeastern border is their only consistent source of water for the rest of the year, other than a single spring residing on top of the mesa Willowpeak that feeds a small, trickling waterfall and stream. The stream leads to the lake, but rarely makes it there, drying out long before it reaches the lakeshore.

Tumbles of boulders create trailing walls in the lowlands, and in their shadows, trees and thick foliage can flourish, creating pockets of forest that sometimes grow large enough to hide the boulders that made their existence possible. ShrubClan prefers hunting on the mesas, if only for spiritual reasons, but these pockets of underbrush are also prime hunting locations. Predators are more likely to be spotted in the lowlands, however, and a patrol usually keeps a scout in the skies to signal any danger if they choose to hunt on the ground.


Black Mesa - A mid-sized mesa at the center of ShrubClan's territory, unique in its composition: made entirely of black basalt, its cliffsides are easily visible from anywhere in the territory. The black stone grows very hot in the sun, providing strong updrafts that lift ShrubClan's cats high and allow them to glide to the other mesas without expending much energy at all. The top of Black Mesa isn't flat, but depressed, creating a small lake at the bottom during the rainy season. The depression also gives protection from the wind, allowing red cedar and other evergreen juniper to grow. No taller than shrubs, mind, but providing plenty of shade for ShrubClan's camp.



Loess Mesa - A low but large mesa in the south of ShrubClan's territory. It has a slightly curved shape, like a shallow C. Its crumbling sides are not sheer cliffs like some of the other mesas, but sandy inclines. 



Cirrus Mesa - The tallest mesa, a tower of stone with many caves, tunnels, and burrows within its cliffsides. The top is almost always shrouded in clouds and the air is thin and cold; it is hard for ShrubClan cats to fly around Cirrus Mesa, as it lacks the warm updrafts they rely on to glide. ShrubClan cats use the tunnels more than the mesa's peak for hunting, as swallows and other birds often nest there, giving them access to tasty eggs when the season is right.



Willow Mesa - A perfectly round mesa with a natural spring at its center. The spring is surrounded by willow trees and shrubs. It is the only tree-covered mesa and ShrubClan's most closely guarded hunting territory. Often fought over by nearby OwlClan.



Shining Mesa - A large mesa right beside Black Mesa. It is slightly taller than its sister peak, but is a better hunting ground. Not as good as some of the further mesas, but its proximity to ShrubClan's camp make it ideal for training apprentices or for safe hunting in dangerous weather. Named after the bright quartz veins that sparkle on its cliffs.



Claw-Scratch Mesa - A long but narrow mesa that runs along the western border of ShrubClan's territory. A stone grotto on the northern end has been made into a temporary shelter for cats returning from Night Mesa that got stuck in inclement weather or high winds. Other grottos shelter some plantlife, but cats have to be careful not to hunt too much here, as there isn't much space to support high populations of prey and they can easily be overhunted.



Vulture Mesa - A rectangular mesa with an even taller peak lying across its far edge. Also one of ShrubClan's better hunting grounds, and also a place where a large diversity of herbs can grow. Named for the vulture nesting site on the eastern cliffside of the higher tier.



Night Mesa - A very broad but low mesa that lives mostly in the shadow of Vulture Mesa's tall peak. Its short height means it has the least amount of wind, and so shrubs and plants can grow abundantly here despite being shadowed most of the day by Vulture Mesa. One of ShrubClan's best hunting grounds, even if it is the farthest from their camp.






Lizardstar - A grey-and-black tabby cat with orange eyes. Their wings are dark with grey flecks on top and nearly white on the inside. Sign: Night


Whiteflood - A light grey molly with a white dapple over her head, neck and back and pure white wings. She has green eyes. Sign: Loess



Wolfthistle - A large, long-furred grey smoke molly with one yellow eye. She is heavily scarred on her left side and her left wing is no longer functioning after defending the Clan's injured from a wolf. Sign: Cirrus

Creekpaw - A black tom with white stripes and amber eyes. His wings have distinct white banding. Sign: Claw-scratch. 


Nettlespark - A very pale grey tom with a darker blaze on his head and green eyes. His wings are darker than the rest of him. Sign: Night

Briarclaw - A dark grey tabby molly with copper eyes. She has a pink nose. She has very large wings for her size and is a strong flier. Sign: Black

Mudnose - A white tom with a chocolate spot over his muzzle and green eyes. His wings are narrow and his feathers sharp. (Half-Clan). Sign: none

Sparrowfrost - A black tabby molly with red ears and tail. She has sage green eyes. Her wings are mottled with ginger and black in no apparent pattern. (daughter of a half-Clan cat). Sign: Shining

Dustglow - A light chocolate tabby tom with green eyes. His wings are dark chocolate and have white streaks. (son of a half-Clan cat.) Sign: Shining

Stonebreeze - A long-furred, very dark grey tom with yellow eyes. Sign: Black

Ferretpetal - A white molly with a black mask and tail-tip. Her wings are striped with black. Sign: Vulture

Sunnyflight - A pale ginger molly with amber eyes. Her wings are narrow and angular, giving her lots of agility and control in the air. Sign: Willow

Meadowcry - A pale grey spotted tabby tom with blue eyes. The insides of his wings have large bulls-eye patterns like eyespots. Sign: Willow

Shortwing - A small, dark grey tom with amber eyes. As his name suggests, he has very short wings and struggles to fly. Sign: Shining

Lakepatch - A white tom with chocolate dapples and blue eyes. His wings are mostly white, with brown freckles at the ends of his feathers. (Originally from another Clan) Sign: none

Flamefeather - A white tom with ginger flecks and green eyes. His wings are entirely ginger. Sign: Willow

Daisypounce - A cream spotted tabby molly with amber eyes. Her wings are curved like a swallow's and allow her to turn quickly. Sign: Loess


Shadepaw - A long-furred dark grey ticked tabby tom with blue eyes. His wings have dark grey and white flecks. Sign: Claw-Scratch

Quickpaw - A long-furred white tabby molly with blue eyes. Her snowy wings have pale chocolate flecks on the undersides of the feathers, if one looks closely. Her feathers are very soft. Sign: Claw-Scratch

Elkpaw - A cinnamon-and-white patched molly with amber eyes. Her large wings have midnight black undersides. Sign: Cirrus

Poppypaw - A cinnamon-and-ginger calico molly with yellow eyes. One of her wings is currently broken and she is likely never going to be able to fly again. Sign: Cirrus

Beetlepaw - A red tom with spotted false tabby markings and green eyes. His wings fade to a light ginger by the wingtip. Sign: Vulture


Parsleyflake - A white molly with grey tabby dapples and amber eyes. Her wings have tall grey bars. Mother of Mudnose's kits. Sign: Loess
            Brushkit - A white-and-lilac molly with amber eyes and fluffy wings. Sign: Willow
            Twigkit - A very small lilac tabby tom with green eyes. His wings have thin white bars. Sign: Willow
            Oakkit - A white tom with amber eyes. One of his wings is a deep chocolate. Sign: Willow

Sandfang - A light ginger cat with blue eyes. Their wings are freckled with white and red. Expecting Dustglow's kits. Nursing on Claw-Scratch Mesa. Sign: Claw-Scratch



Starlingcliff - A black tom with a white stripe down his flank. He has dark blue eyes. His wings are short but broad. Sign: Cirrus

Raindrift - A pale grey tom with yellow eyes. His wings are peppered with black flecks and have white undersides. Sign: Night



(Incomplete, just to help mark what cats I intended to be related & to know what cats have to have the same mesa sign)

ShrubClan tom + OtherClan queen = Mudnose
Mudnose + Parsleyflake = Dustglow, Sparrowfrost; Brushkit, Twigkit and Oakkit.
? + ? = Wolfthistle, Stonebreeze
Sunnyflight + Meadowcry = Daisypounce
Sunnyflight + OtherClan tom = Elkpaw, Poppypaw
? + ? = Whiteflood, Meadowcry
Briarclaw + ? = Lizardstar
(deceased?) + Stonebreeze = Creekpaw, Shadepaw, Quickpaw