The Circle of Sage

hey everyone! i wanted to post something on-site that documents where Thistle comes from and their home colony! it's a group of cats far outside the Clans. i'll be editing this as time goes on and as i come up with more things!


Leader: the Sage King
↳ current: Thyme a'Rootlogger
↳ Sage Prince: Forest a'Moreltree
→ resides in an old, gnarled oak tree and conducts business from there, reaches spiritual enlightenment and speaks with ancestors through...medicinal means. not necessarily granted nine lives such as in the Clans, but still lives a prolonged life through ancestral intervention.
→ next in line referred to as the Sage Prince, trained in all duties relating to the King. is chosen through the ancestors, the King receives a dream that tells them who the next Prince is.
→ “prince” and “king” are titles only, not related to the genders or sexes of the cats that hold the positions.


Second-in-Command: the Council
↳ current: Songbird, the Muse; Hail, the Mage; Wolf, the Victor; Shard, the Striker; Buck, the Ranger
→ a group of several cats chosen as the leaders in their “fields”. one is an ambassador towards other cat colonies, one is particularly in-tune with the ancestors, one is a medic, one is the head warrior, one is the head hunter. council members are decided by the Circle and are elected for their skill. they advise the King on matters as well as supervising the more intricate running of the Circle.

The Circle:
→ population divided into groups based on their skills and talents. warriors and hunters are the most common. medics are more selective and must show good memory and a willingness to serve. ambassadors are the most selective, and are typically reserved for cats that are excellent speakers or may have a disability that prevents them from serving other duties. cats are not discriminated against based on gender, sexuality, or sex. any sexuality is accepted, any gender is accepted.

→ kits are held in the Nursery until they reach 6 moons of age. names are given by the parents, generally based on appearance or lineage, along with a second name consisting of the parents’ names to distinguish them with the mother’s name first and the father’s second, or the equivalent in regards to the parents’ gender expression. “a’” is added before the “surname” to denote it, much like O’, Mc, or De (ex: Hail a’Bubblefrost, Forest a’Moreltree, Wolf a’Cliffwolf)
→ upon reaching 6 moons, young cats are moved to the Training Grounds and are known as Trainees. they are assigned Teachers, older cats that train them one-on-one in different areas of skill. climbing, hunting, swimming, sparring, etc. if cats are shown to have a proficiency in a certain area, such as speaking or medicine, they are transferred over to begin training as a medic or ambassador.
→ at the age of 12 moons, cats “graduate” to their area of proficiency, their field. they spend the next 6 moons as Young (Rank), being observed in their fields in case they may need to be changed to a different field. at the age of 18 moons, they receive their Title, a name that marks them as a full member of the Circle and in their field. (ex: Buck, the Ranger, a’Elkenbark; Wolf, the Victor, a’Cliffwolf; Forest, the Prince, a’Moreltree). this is the age in which cats may often drop the second name in common use, and only use it to introduce themselves to complete strangers or cats from other Circles.

→ cats unable to continue their duties in their fields for any particular reason are often promoted to being Teachers. When they are too old to become Teachers, they become elders and are cared for by the community until death.