burstingstones

[burstingstones]

Great grandkits‽ Omg Mackeral is so old

Yes but also no? Like. Yes, Mackerel is fairly old. He's been doing this for a very long time. But also having great grandkits isn't that big of a sign of that? Bloodlines are incredibly important in the Colonies. Someone has to continue the bloodline, especially if it's a really important one like Mackerel's. And Colony cats will often have kits as soon as possible to ensure the bloodline continues. Usually it's just the one litter and done, but sometimes more are required.

[burstingstones]

I feel like the leader trials are unfair? Like, they're easier for divers and hearth keepers than anyone else.

Oh they absolutely are. While any Cirrus can swim and dive, Divers are specifically trained in that area and can hold their breaths for a lot longer. And while all Pipers know the basics of starting a fire and keeping it going, Hearth Keepers were, again, specifically trained to keep fires going as long as possible.

That's sort of the point, though. Divers and Hearth Keepers are traditionally favored in the leadership positions. While all the other ranks have important jobs and skills, Divers and Hearth Keepers are viewed as The Most Important (tm tm tm) outside of high ranks.

[burstingstones]

And three more truths for Cloudmackerel when she's done?

☆

Mackerel was born in a storm. He was so still and quiet, his mother worried if he was even alive. Later, she would joke that he'd always been a calm spirit.

☆☆

He'd been worried he wouldn't pass his trial to become leader. While all Cirrusi know how to swim, Mackerel had been a Trapper, not a Diver. But once he entered the water, a calm washed over him. He believes to this day that his mother's spirit guided him to where he needed to go.

☆☆☆

He's been thinking of retiring for a little bit now. Well, that's not the whole truth. The whole truth is that he's been thinking of retiring since his granddaughters earned their whole names. Now that his great grandkids have decided what paths they want to go down in life, Mackerel has been thinking of it more and more. He can't quite make himself take that final step, though.

[burstingstones]

Three truths for Piperhawk?

❀

She was tiny, when she was born. Smaller than even her littermates, who were born tiny themselves. The healers didn't think a single one of them would survive. Hawk was the only one who did.

❀❀

Hawk trained hard to be a guard. She'd had her heart set on the rank since a kitten, though most tried to persuade her to take a path more fitting of her small stature. No one realized how large Hawk would grow- least of all Hawk herself.

❀❀❀

She was never Second. No, that honor had belonged to Stonebeetle. He'd failed his Trial, and Hawk announced that she'd like to try next. It amused the whole Colony. Hawk was no Hearth Keeper; she was a Guard, and while she was most certainly an excellent one, she likely didn't have the skill to keep a fire lit for a few hours, let alone a whole night. Hawk, however, has made it a habit to surprise folks.

[burstingstones]

now that the allegiances are posted, here's something i've wanted to do for a while!

3 truths!

based off of five truths by katiek101, send a character name and receive three truths about them!

[burstingstones]

Allegiances

•─────⋅☾ ☆ ❀•°•───────•

Pipestone Colony

Leader Piperhawk -- A ginger and brown molly with tattered ears and yellow eyes.

Second Stonesong -- A dark brown molly with teal eyes.

Historian Rootbuzzard -- A very pale golden-brown trans tom with splashes of white on his fur.

Healers Yarrowspeckle -- A very dark reddish-brown tabby molly with a spiky-furred tail. Yewleap -- A black and orange tabby trans molly with large pointed ears. Tansyfang -- A tiny gray-brown tabby molly.

Heart Keepers Flameheart -- A brown tabby molly with green eyes. Burningapple -- A light ginger and white trans tom. Blazemoth -- A bright ginger tabby tolly with tufted ears. Kindlingfeather -- A ginger colorpoint molly with hazel eyes.

Seed Sowers Sandshimmer -- A golden speckled molly with cobalt blue eyes. Mudstrawberry -- A handsome red tom with blue eyes. Dustantler -- A pale reddish-brown tom with a bent tail.

Trappers Runningthrush -- A gold and cream tabby tom with stormy teal eyes. Fogbreeze -- A long-legged orange tabby molly with enormous blue-green eyes (Nursing Cricket). Sunpounce -- A bright ginger tom with silver eyes. Talonsage -- A messy-furred golden tom. Sleekspring -- A short chestnut brown tabby molly. Snarlhound -- A creamy brown tom with tiny white dash on his chest.

Guards Shadeoat -- A brown and ginger tolly with big pale paws. Spottedswan -- A dark brown and cream molly with black stripes. Strikedeer -- A very dark brown and white tabby tom. Stonelake -- A tall crow-black molly.

Trainees Stoat -- A tortoiseshell tabby tom with a stumpy white tail. Chirp -- A nimble red molly with sky-blue eyes. Blossom -- A golden-brown tabby molly.

Kittens Cricket -- A sturdy ginger and white tabby tom.

Mentors Willowred -- A well-groomed rose-cream tolly with bright hazel-green eyes. Wingturtle -- An old golden tabby molly with a broken spine and purple eyes. Stemquail -- A mottled brown molly with blue eyes. Shimmergoose -- A white and brown tabby tom with an unusually long tail.

•─────⋅☾ ☆ ❀•°•───────•

Cloudburst Colony

Leader Cloudmackerel -- A long-furred silver tabby tom with tufted ears.

Second Burstfern -- A white and grey tabby molly.

Historian Rootstride -- A silver colorpoint tabby molly with orange eyes.

Healers Fernrusset -- A blue-gray tabby trans tom with a black tail. Thistlefrost -- A silver colorpoint tabby trans molly. Brackenlight -- A gray and white tabby molly with black streaks in her fur. Ferncedar -- A blind tortoiseshell tom.

Divers Frostflurry -- A curly-furred, cream and gray tabby trans molly. Foamflutter -- A gray-brown tom with silver eyes. Streamplum -- A black and dark gray tabby tom with copper eyes. Currentbird -- A dark gray tabby molly with enormous blue-gray eyes.

Tempests Cloudwhisker -- A large sooty gray tabby trans tom with brown eyes. Stormharrier -- A Deaf silver and white molly with purple-grey eyes.

Trappers Crowstripe -- A smoky black tabby trans molly with a pale belly and one mismatched eyes. Jumpspider -- A strong creamy white tabby molly. Hopblizzard -- A light gray and brown tom with long, wild fur. Springelm -- A slim black and gray tabby molly. Brightjuniper -- A pure white tom with a dark muzzle.

Guards Strikeotter -- A light gray colorpoint tabby trans molly. Darkoak -- A heavily scarred black and orange molly with stormy purple-gray eyes (Nursing Petal & Partridge). Clawshiver -- A pale gray colorpoint tom with purple-gray eyes.

Trainees Mistle -- A scrappy silver colorpoint tabby tom with golden eyes. Pipit -- A grey molly with brown and white patches.

Kittens Petal -- A skinny brown tabby molly. Partridge -- A tall white and silver tabby tom.

Mentors Pathmoon -- A sleek pale pinkish-cream tom. Darkbadger -- A black and white tom with a missing eye.

•─────⋅☾ ☆ ❀•°•───────•

Other Characters

Wisp -- A scrappy white tom. Tomato -- A dull brown tabby molly with blue eyes. Honey -- A long-furred golden molly. Gene -- A small white and light brown trans tom. Luke -- A white and gray tabby tom with one missing eye. Myrtle -- A powerful ginger tom with mismatched eyes.

[burstingstones]

Territory Maps

NEUTRAL TERRITORY//

1 - Meeting Space / Flower Field // A spread of wildflowers, this is a regular meeting space between the Colonies. Trades often take place here, from tanned rabbit hides to cooked mice to leather bracelets.

•─────⋅☾ ☆ ☽⋅─────•

CLOUDBURST TERRITORY//

2 - Cloudburst Camp // Set just a few feet away from the edge of the cliffs, Cloudburst Colony's camp offers little natural shelter. Instead, the cats have woven dens of brambles, flowers, and tall grasses to keep themselves warm, though their thick fur does a lot of the work.

3 - Heart Copse // The reason for the name of this little patch of trees has been long since lost to time. It's a nice place to find lark eggs, a nice treat among Cirrusi.

4 - Hare Meadows // A large meadow with tall grass. Hares make their homes here, and they make good meals should you catch them.

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

PIPESTONE TERRITORY//

5 - Pipestone Camp // Should one approach the place where Pipers make their camp, they'd not see much. Tall trees, sure, their boughs scraping the sky, but very few cats. The true camp is a labyrinth of tunnels, dug below the trees and reinforced with stone.

6 - Scorched Hollow // A bare hollow, the ground scorched and brown.  Nothing grows here, and it makes a good training spot.

7 - Firefly Oak // A giant oak covered in Spanish moss.  A well-loved place for fireflies, it's almost magical to see in warm summer evenings.

•─────⋅☾ ☆ ❀•°•───────•

SHARED TERRITORY//

8 - Sheer Cliffs // Tall stone cliffs leading down to a small sandy beach. They're treacherous slopes, and can be deadly if you don't know exactly what you're doing.

9 - Ocean // Favoured by Cloudstone Colony and scorned by Pipestone Colony, the ocean is a tempermental mistress. Some days it's calm and blue, and others it's angry and grey.

10 - Sandy Beach // The sand here is so fine it's almost water, and so golden it's practically worth thousands.

•─────⋅☾ ☆ ❀•°•───────•

OUTSIDE TERRITORY//

11 - Frozen Wastelands / Mountains // Mountains encircling the Colony territories. They're tall and cold, imposing a border on the world.

[burstingstones]

DNA & Lineages

The beach is a common place for ships to stop and rest. Given the superstition that cats are good luck on boats, there’s a fair amount of toms and mollies who make their way through, and sometimes even join the Colonies. It’s a nice way to get fresh DNA into the community.

Cloudburst's lineage is alive and well, with his descendant Mackerel leading the Colony. Pipestone's lineage, however, has long since died out, the last of her line a tolly named Sparkwren.

[burstingstones]

Naming System

Cats are given a name by their parents (ex; Cow) when they’re born. They keep the name until they’re a fully trained member of their Colony, whereupon they’re given a second part at the beginning of their name (ex; Tinycow or Lightcow).

About half the ranks have a specific name type. Leaders get Pipe or Cloud depending on the Colony they belong to, and Seconds get either Stone or Burst (ex; Pipecow or Burstcow). Divers get water-based names (ex; Tidecow), Hearth Keepers get fire-based names (ex; Flamecow), Tempests get sky-based names, (ex; Stormcow), and Seed Sowers get earth-based names (ex; Mudcow). Historians receive the name Root, and Healers get a plant-based name (ex; Rootcow and Sorrelcow).

To call a cat by only their name (calling Lightcow simply "Cow") is considered disrespectful if you're not close with them. Otherwise, it's a show of trust, love, and intimacy.

Within the Colony, a cat is often called only by their full name when they're acting with the power of their rank. Rootcow will only be called Rootcow when they are being a Historian, and will be called Cow when acting outside of those duties.

[burstingstones]

Colony Ranks

LEADER // The leader of Pipestone Colony takes on the name Piper to show their status, and the leader of Cloudburst Colony takes on the name Cloud. The leader watches over the Colony and ensures the health and happiness of all the cats. Unlike in canon Warriors, leaders don't recieve nine lives. Instead they must pass a trial to prove they're worthing of leading the Colony to their Clanmates.

SECOND // The second in command takes on the name Burst to show their status in Cloudburst Colony, and Stone in Pipestone Colony. They're in charge when the leader is incapacitated, and are the first choice of successor should the previous leader step down or die.

HISTORIAN // This cat keeps track of all the family lines within the Colony. It’s their job to ensure that there’s no intermingling, and it’s a very important job- without the Historian, whole bloodlines are lost. The Historian holds the Root title as a show of status.

HEALERS // These cats ensure the Colony is as healthy as possible. They take on plant-based names upon becoming full members.

TRAPPERS // These cats lay traps and go hunting- it’s their job to feed the Colony.

GUARDS // These cats are highly trained fighters and spend their time warding off predators like badgers and foxes.

TRAINEES // These cats are training to become a full member of their Colony! Trainees for each rank have a little nickname- Historian trainees are called Twig Paws, Healer trainees are called Herb Paws, Trapper trainees are called Snap Paws, Guard trainees are called Fang Paws, Hearth Keeper trainees are called Spark Paws, Seed Sower trainees are called Sprout Paws, Diver trainees are called Fin Paws, and Tempest trainees are called Wisp Paws. Trainees will spend two or three months training under all ranks until they show a particular skill or interest in one.

KITTENS // awh look at da baby

MENTORS // The oldest cats of the Colony, they’ve retired from their usual duties and live in relative peace within camp walls. They spend their time keeping the Colony’s history and traditions alive and giving advice to those who need it.

•─────⋅☾ ☆ ☽⋅─────•

Cloudburst Ranks

DIVERS // These cats are particularly skilled at swimming, and spend most of their days in the ocean catching fish, squid, and other prey. They have water-based names to show their status.

TEMPESTS // Tempests watch the sky with analytic eyes, tracking the weather and the movement of the clouds. They keep the camp safe, the dens warm, and the kittens under their watchful eyes. Some say that a particularly skilled Tempest could learn to control the weather, summoning rain and droughts with a single thought. They have sky-based names to show their status.

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

Pipestone Ranks

HEARTH KEEPERS // These cats are in charge of keeping Pipestone Colony’s fires burning. Some claim to see omens and prophecies in the sacred flames! They ensure the camp and dens are safe and watch the kittens when their parents are away. They have fire-themed names to show their status.

SEED SOWERS // These cats are in charge of Pipestone Colony’s gardens. They have earth-themed names to show their status.

[burstingstones]

On the day the dark returns and the white smoke rises, the false sister marks an age of magic and an era of hunger.

•─────⋅☾ ☆ ❀•°•───────•

Welcome to Bursting Stones! This is a FanClan of my own creation, featuring Pipestone Colony and Cloudburst Colony.

I am Moth, otherwise known as @moths-wc-aus or @monochrome-sunsets ! I'm excited to begin this journey!

•─────⋅☾ ☆ ❀•°•───────•

Cloudburst Colony

Pipestone Colony

Colony Ranks

Naming System

DNA & Lineages

Territory Maps

Allegiances

[burstingstones]

Cloudburst Colony

"A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation in a short period, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, which is capable of creating flood conditions."

-- Cloudburst, Wikipedia

•─────⋅☾ ☆ ☽⋅─────•

Cats living in Cloudburst Colony, referred to as Cirrus, are large and thick-furred, with blue, white, and black pelts. These cats worship water and wind, believing that they’re the source of all life in the world. Where Pipers see value in fire, Cirrusi see only destruction. While they’re plenty happy to partake in a Piper’s cooking, you’ll never catch a Cloudburst cat creating fire themselves.

When coming into power, a leader will climb down the sheer cliffs at dawn and dive into the ocean. They must return before sunset with a pearl to prove that they’re worthy of the position. Should they fail, the Colony will vote for their next candidate.

Cloudburst's unique ranks are Divers and Tempests. Divers are particularly skilled swimmers, and spend their days in the ocean catching fish, squid, and other prey. They have water-based names to show their status. Tempests watch the sky with analytic eyes, tracking the weather and the movement of the clouds. Some say that a particularly skilled Tempest could learn to control the weather, summoning rain and droughts with a single thought. They have sky-based names to show their status.

•─────⋅☾ ☆ ☽⋅─────•

CURRENT HIGH RANKS//

Leader-- Cloudmackerel

Second-- Burstfern

Historian-- Rootstride

[burstingstones]

Pipestone Colony

"Catlinite, also called pipestone, is a type of argillite (metamorphosed mudstone), usually brownish-red in color, which occurs in a matrix of Sioux Quartzite."

-- Catlinite, Wikipedia

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

Cats living in Pipestone Colony, often called Pipers, tend to have red, yellow, and brown pelts. They’re small and thin-furred, and worship fire and earth. They believe that life cannot continue without earth, and that fire is important in the cycle of life.

Pipers use fire to cook their prey and keep themselves warm during the winter, something unique to them. All Pipers also have basic knowledge of gardening, and like to use seasonings when they cook!

Pipers believe that earth is the source of all life, and fire is a restorative thing that keeps life in check. Water and air are important, sure, but not moreso than earth and fire. Fire gives warmth and light even in the coldest of nights, and earth grows the things prey eat.

When becoming leader, a Piper must prove their worth by keeping a fire lit on the beach throughout the night. Hearth Keepers watch the prospective leader throughout the trial to ensure that no cheating takes place. Should they fail, a vote will follow to select the next candidate for leader.

Pipestone's special ranks are Hearth Keepers and Seed Sowers. Seed Sowers are in charge of the gardens, growing anything from medicinal plants to herbs to flowers. They hold earth-themed names to show their status. Hearth Keepers are in charge of keeping the Colony's sacred fires burning. Some claim to see omens and prophecies in the flames... They keep the camp safe and the dens warm, and watch kittens while their parents are away, and have fire-themed names to show their status.

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

CURRENT HIGH RANKS//

Leader-- Piperhawk

Second-- Stonesong

Historian-- Rootbuzzard