The Distant Garden

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To say that the Garden is made up mostly of flowers isn't exactly true. Their expansive flower fields are dotted by what might seem like pieces of a forest overtaken by flower meadows, while small ponds and streams that vary wildly in size run through their lands. As such, swimming and climbing are common skills, usually taught by parents to their kits. In fact, these skills are more common than combat training, though still far from universally known.

Their territory is sporadically marked with overgrown and mossy stone structures, the most notable of which is as follows: the very heart of their territory is marked by a small pond encased in stone, with a stone pillar in the center of it. From this pillar springs a waterfall, and this they call the Wishing Fountain.

There is no leader to the Garden cats—when any decision a leader might otherwise make needs to be made, a vote is called for. All cats old enough to hunt for themselves are allowed to vote, and—outside of an emergency, where tradition may be ignored—until the decision is unanimous, no action is taken.

Their strictest taboos are murder and severe assault, seen as disturbing the natural order as well as being general acts of inexcusable cruelty, and after a trial if they are deemed to be at fault those who break these rules are driven away. Exile, should it be deemed necessary, is strictly enforced—should they set paw in the Garden again, they will not be allowed to leave alive. It has been generations since they last needed to resort to such violence, however, and so tales of such displays exist mostly in stories told to keep reckless cats from causing trouble. Aside from maintaining the natural order and offering aid to one another, however, they have very few rules to govern their lives.

The Garden cats might seem rather flippant to someone who wasn't raised among them. They tend to live in the moment, a life led in pursuit of pleasure and happiness, because they recognize that that moment is always destined to come to an end. The good and the bad alike are only temporary, after all, as is the very life they lead. As a result, quiet vigils are a rare occurrence , held only for those whose deaths come tragically young or senselessly violent—for the vast majority of cats, their departure from this world is met instead with a lively celebration of the life they lived, sharing stories to ensure no one forgets the memories they've left behind.

The basic training of kits is typically taken on by their parents, until and unless they find a better teacher for the things they wish to learn.

They do have healers, and a basic gardening system with which they grow herbs and care for the flowers around them. Unlike the Clans, their healers are not hand-chosen, but cats who choose to learn the ways of plants, and there are often at least a handful among them. Their position is not nearly as prestigious as that of medicine cats, and they are free to go where they please, as all Garden cats are. As such, they will join hunting parties as often as they will not.

Those who are not healers are not warriors, either. The Garden is peaceful more often than it is not, and—though the rare assault of predators is usually dealt with swiftly—their youth are taught to end disputes with other cats in kinder ways. Compromise and understanding are their core values as a society. Diplomacy is valued quite highly among them.

One might expect their relative isolation to make the Garden’s dwellers hostile to outsiders, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. They tend to welcome any cat who stumbles across them. They revel in the tales told by visiting cats, of things and places they’ll never see. In fact, it’s not particularly uncommon for a Garden cat to grow curious about the outside world, and should they choose to leave the Garden and see the world beyond it they will always be encouraged—sent on their way with a fond farewell and a reassurance that they will always have a home, should they ever choose to return.

There are a handful of dens strewn across the Garden, though most cats choose to sleep out in the open flower fields until the season of sleeping snows is upon them. Their nests are placed where they disturb the fewest plants, and often decorated with the flowers and herbs they remove to make them, though things such as shells and shining pebbles aren't uncommon as decor.

TThough their religion has no name, the Garden cats are not faithless. They see the stars as their guides, though in a more literal sense than most cats do. They use them to find their way home when they’ve become lost, and see the light they provide as a gift from their ancestors. Their ancestors hold significance as well, not unlike the Clan cats.

They tend to believe that life must come from somewhere, and that upon their death they shall return to wherever it is they came from—most believe that the stars are where their ancestors now reside, and that on their dying days they too will become guides to those who come after. They also don’t necessarily believe that only the life of cats comes from this place, and so they are careful to thank everything they kill—mouse or fox—for its life; lest they meet again there.

Though their ancestors are a significant part of their faith, their direct interference in the affairs of the living are quite rare; most recounted only as legends.

The changing of the seasons—which are known by different names than they are in the forest clans—carries with it a ritual, a tradition honored by each generation in turn:

Season of Sleeping Snows: When the first snow falls, the Garden-dwellers gather; and they remember the seasons since the last snowfall. Kits play in the snow, stories are shared over prey, and everyone asks their ancestors to guide them and keep them safe until the now-sleeping flowers—a symbol of their prosperity—wake again in the coming moons. It's considered to be a time of rest and reflection, as with the flowers asleep there's little work left to do in the Garden.

Season of Waking Flowers: When the last snow melts, it is a joyous occasion, and the cats make as much noise as they can for an entire day in hopes of waking the plants beneath the ground. Everyone rejoices, as the snowfalls are over and the flowers will soon return. A season of hard work follows the celebration, as the open-air nests need rebuilding and the plants need tending, and the delicate balance of life must be carefully kept.

Season of Blazing Sun: As the season of waking flowers turns to blazing sun, everyone gathers to compete against one another for a day and a night in various games of skill (and, as some would call it, luck). Hunting competitions, sparring matches, and swimming competitions are all staples of this season. There's no prize for victory, but most consider victory to be a prize in itself. It's a time to appreciate the fruits of their labor, as the flowers show their best colors at this time of year. It's not uncommon to see at least a few cats with flowers woven into their fur, or delicately placed around their necks.

Season of Drifting Leaves: When the leaves begin to fall from the color-changing trees, the cats chase them on the breeze, dancing along with the wind. As well, this is the season when the curious souls are most likely to leave—the drifting-leaf winds are said to call to their spirits, leading them on paths that lead to far-off places. As such, they're known as drifters. Overall, it's considered to be a time of change, like the leaves changing their colors before they fall.

Drifters are those who choose to leave the Garden. Any cat old enough to catch their own prey is free to leave at any time if they so desire, but most who leave at that age return shortly after. Instead, most drifters leave around the age that most clan cats would consider to be an older apprentice—and a decent number return a few moons later, having seen what they wanted to and bearing stories to tell. Some, however, find new places to call home in their travels, and return far later in life if at all. They commonly leave at the height of Drifting Leaves, and each departure is a bittersweet affair as friends and family are left behind in search of new experiences. They are said to be favored by the wind and stars, and guided by their ancestors; once upon a time, they filled a more spiritual role that has been more or less forgotten by most—though not all—by the current time.