Age Guide

Subject: Age Guide Sun Sep 25, 2016 3:39 am

A general age guide for all the ranks as well as descriptions. This guide came from here

KITS :: 0 - 6 moons

The following exceptions apply: illness prevents the kit from being able to begin training as an apprentice; injury prevents the kit from being able to begin training as an apprentice; the Clan decides to train kits from a younger age; other reasons deem the kit too weak to begin training.

APPRENTICES :: 6 - 13 moons
Apprentice ceremonies are held once kits become 6 moons old, unless there are exceptions, and ceremonies are usually held soon after the last Gathering, allowing apprentices to train before the next Gathering, where they will attend and be announced, in normal cases. The above exceptions for a kit not being made an apprentice at 6 moons old apply. For kittypets who enter the Clans, age does not matter, as they will always become an apprentice first before they are allowed to become a warrior of their chosen Clan, except in special cases denoted in the following ranks.

Apprentices usually train for 6-7 moons, of which the first moon involves familiarising themselves with the territory and learning crouches, and hunting for the first time. In the next four moons, apprentices are taught everything that their mentor can teach them: perfecting hunting, perfecting fighting, respecting the elders, learning the warrior code, and so forth. In the last moon, the apprentice is assessed once the mentor believes that they are ready, and it is decided whether they have what it takes to become a warrior. Due to delays, this assessment can be pushed back another moon, but it is common for apprentices to have their warrior ceremony between 12 - 13 moons old.

The following exceptions apply: the apprentice is not ready to become a warrior; the apprentice exhibits poor behaviour/disrespects the Clan; the apprentice is a medicine cat apprentice (the medicine cat and/or StarClan make the decision when the apprentice is prepared to take on the responsibility); the apprentice is injured and training is delayed; the apprentice becomes ill and training is delayed; the mentor is forced to delay training because they became injured/ill/weak; an apprentice is given a new mentor.

WARRIORS :: 12 - 100+ moons
Warrior ceremonies are held once an apprentice has been assessed and it is agreed that they are ready to become a warrior. This can rarely occur in a warrior under the age of 12 moons, but this is very rare and usually is the decision of the leader of the Clan, unless kits are trained younger than the usual apprentice age. They attend the next Gathering as a warrior, where they announced and join the warriors from the other Clans. In cases of a kittypet or loner becoming a warrior, this is a special case where the leader has agreed that the cat has already proven themselves capable of being a warrior.

MENTORS :: 12 - 100+ moons
Warriors can gain apprentices at any age, but this is usually after they have been a warrior for some time, as they have more experience to share with their apprentices. Clans try to avoid pairing parents with their own kits, as they will be too lenient on their apprentices, but this does occasionally happen, especially in shortages of warriors. Warriors often watch kits as they grow and ask leaders if they can mentor certain kits, but this is not always upheld for many reasons. Some warriors can have two apprentices at one time, but this in infrequent and only given to senior warriors or those with particular experience.

Not all warriors will train apprentices, and sometimes their apprentices are limited to one. The following exceptions apply: the leader deems the warrior too impatient to train an apprentice; a warrior has lost an apprentice before and reacted badly; there is a personal disagreement between the warrior and apprentice; the warrior refuses to train an apprentice and the leader agrees with their judgment or reasons.

Leaders will commonly train the kin of their deputy, or else kits with special heritage or involvement in a prophecy. The following exceptions apply: there are no suitable mentors amongst the warriors; the leader has a personal preference to train an apprentice.

Medicine cats take on apprentices when they wish to, usually when they are ready to retire as having two medicine cats at one time is uncommon and confusing, though is preferable in larger Clans. Medicine cat apprentices can either personally seek out the leader and medicine cat to ask about becoming a medicine cat, or StarClan will send dreams or prophecies to decide on which cat should become the next medicine cat. Medicine cat apprentices do not adhere to the usual training ages as a warrior's apprentice.

QUEENS :: 19 moons - 180+ moons
She-cats are able to queen from the age of 19 moons, though very rarely a younger cat will find themselves expecting kits. At the age of 180 moons, most she-cats will have lost the ability to safely carry kits through their age, and very rarely will a cat older than this queen successfully. The older a cat is, the less likely she will queen a surviving litter, and sometimes this will produce disfigured, ill or weak kits, and so it is discouraged for she-cats to mate after this certain age.

A queen's pregnancy lasts approximately 3 moons, with 2 moons premature, and 4 moons very rare and strange. Their litter size depends on their genetics, and usually between 2-4 kits are born per litter, with the occasionally 1-kit litter, and the very rare 19+ litter. In a litter of over 10 kits, usually several will be stillborn or be too weak to last six moons. Small litters up to 3 have the best chance of all kits being strong and healthy, but this depends on genetics and outside forces.

If a queen loses her kits before she queens or shortly after queening, she can expect kits as soon as 1 moon later. After successfully having a litter of kits, a queen will wait for 6 moons to expect more. Rarely, a queen will find herself expecting whilst her kits are 3+ moons old, but it is possible, though this may result in one of the litters being neglected (less milk for second litter, less time for first litter, etc.).

Rarely, a kittypet or loner she-cat may ask the leader of the Clan to be a permanent addition in the nursery to help care for kits. A Clan cat may do the same, but this is very rare.

SENIOR WARRIORS :: 90+ moons
Senior warriors are picked by their leaders at any age, but after reaching 120 moons old warriors are sometimes automatically given the title of senior warrior. As they are older and so have more experience, senior warriors are given responsibility over the younger warriors. They are able to set up their own hunting patrols with only a quick confirmation to the deputy or leader of the Clans, can train more than one apprentice if the time calls for it, have more freedom in the Clan, and have more chance of becoming a deputy.

DEPUTIES :: 18+ moons
Deputies are chosen either by the leader of the Clan or by StarClan. They can be chosen as young as 18 moons old, as long as they have trained their first apprentice, though in rare cases this is overlooked if StarClan chooses the deputy through a dream to the leader or medicine cat. Deputies can become a leader at any age, once their leader has passed, but this can look poor to the Clan cats if the ceremony is not followed through correctly or something went wrong.

LEADER :: 18+ moons
Leaders can be appointed at any age, as long as they were deputy at the time of the previous leader's death/banishment/retirement. Their word is the law of the Clan, as proclaimed by the warrior code, but the younger the leader the more they will struggle to gain complete respect from the Clans, even their own.

ELDERS :: 120+ moons
A warrior, leader, medicine cat or deputy can become an elder at any age above 120 moons, but at 170 moons it is more common for a cat to retire. Cats become elders when they are either incapable of doing their duty, or when they feel that they have fulfilled their worth to their Clan. Injuries, such as broken legs, or conditions, such as blindness, can lead to a cat becoming an elder well before their time, but some cats may choose to battle through their disability and continue in their rank to help their Clan. By the age of 190 moons, it is highly suggested that a cat retire to being an elder, as they are slower, less able to heal from injuries, weaker, and less immune to diseases. Ultimately, it is the choice of the cat to retire to the elders' den.

Elders will sometimes request a change of name from their leader when they retire to the elders' den to remark upon their change of rank, such as highlighting the injury that rendered them incapable of continuing to be a warrior.

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