tough and secretive

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BACKGROUND!

ThicketClan cats are currently regarded with distrust by many cats of both Clans, though SpiderClan's leader vocally supports their endeavours. Mysterious and often aloof, they can be rather unpredictable in both battle and everyday encounters.

GENETICS!

ThicketClan's ranks are made up mostly of nomads, so they are incredibly varied when it comes to genetic makeups. They tend to be well-muscled thanks to having to push through all that undergrowth, but other than that there are no notably continuous traits when it comes to pelt colours or builds.

TERRITORY!

ThicketClan holds claim over the thicker deciduous woodland on the right side of the river. The brambles and moss that would trip up other cats provide them with the perfect cover for stealthy hunting as well as an early warning of clumsily approaching danger. Landmarks of the territory include: Stillpines, which is a lovely trail to hunt around, Gold Coast Quarry, a dilapidated and abandoned twoleg mining site, Forest's Edge, a field of lupine flowers that borders RiftClan territory, and the Whistling Copse, a small clearing that mysteriously makes speech echo around it.

CAMP!

ThicketClan's camp is, as you might guess, a cosy and sheltered thicket. The leader's den, warriors' den, druid's den are all sturdy hollows inside a pile of boulders, while the nursery and veterans' den are sheltered in the ground underneath a small waterfall. The apprentice's den is built out of a huge fallen log. The leader will address the Clan from a perch on top of the nursery that has come to be known as Highbank.

TRADITIONS!

•ThicketClan cats are practical and only really require mastery of hunting and fighting before an apprentice may become a warrior. ThicketClan assessments consist of only hunting and battling tests, but these tests are quite intense and usually involve battling something like a badger or fox rather than another cat.

•Fallen warriors of ThicketClan receive a surprisingly tender reception. They are buried not far from camp, the site marked with flowers collected by their loved ones. The leader will then say a few parting words as their spirit heads for the Azure Dream.

•ThicketClan cats learn to fight by watching the strategies of others and countering them. They focus on confusing opponents with mixups of different moves and strategies, letting them trip on their own paws and basically defeat themselves.

•Both climbing and swimming are skills that ThicketClan wishes to teach their young. They enjoy taking advantage of as much of their land as possible and are not above eating any kind of prey they can catch.

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Fun fact, my wonderful sibling BurningBands created this Clan. So big thanks to them for letting me use it!

Even though I didn't create it, I adore the concept of ThicketClan and its leader's backstory. I always did wonder why the other Clans wouldn't just learn how to swim when they live by a lake and it would totally benefit them. But here you don't have to wonder.