A vigil is when a cat chooses to stay awake for the night, this being required by a ceremony or tradition (as opposed to staying awake for guard duty).

Warrior Ceremony

Newly appointed warriors are required to stay awake for the entire night after they received their warrior name, as decreed by the Warrior Code. They guard the camp in silence, while the other Clan members have a good rest.

In some cases, this rule cannot be adhered to, and the warrior receives another task. For example, when Squirrelflight becomes a warrior, there is no Clan camp to guard, so she receives the task to explore the lake with other warriors instead of the vigil.

Example

Into the Wild

After Firepaw and Graypaw fight in the battle against ShadowClan to get their kits back, Whitestorm tells Bluestar that they fought like warriors, and they receive their warrior names, Fireheart and Graystripe.

As he starts his vigil, he notices Tigerclaw's eyes shining back at him. He then reveals silently that he had made an enemy out of the Clan deputy, as Tigerclaw did the same for him.

Vigil for the Dead

If a Clan cat dies, their body is taken to the center of the camp, and several of their Clanmates, usually the cat's family members, close friends, and mentor/apprentice sit vigil for them through the night, sharing tongues for the last time before the elders bury the cat in the morning.

There can also be vigils for cats without bodies and suspected dead, like ThunderClan did when they suspected that Graystripe died or when Ravenpaw supposedly died. There is no burial, but the cats still sit vigil.

Outside of the Clans, some cats have been noted to sit vigils for the deceased out of superstition, believing that those that fall asleep in lieu of sitting vigil will be the next to die.

Example

Into the Wild

When Redtail dies, many cats of ThunderClan sit vigil for him, such as Bluestar and Dustpaw. Bluestar shares tongues with him for the last time, and tells the Clan about his life.

He is buried in the morning by the Clan elders, Halftail, One-eye, Dappletail, Smallear, and Rosetail.