In the wake of The Purging, many of the newly named Valley Cats were consumed by the fear that their hard-won peace would again be shattered by interclan rivalries, or that certain amongst their cats would be unable to access the herbs or stones so essential to their way of life. Noting this, the three remaining Founders—Birchfur, Smokeclaw and Whitetail—agreed to set a series of treaties into place. These were established during their first gathering as true leaders (now known as The Night of Treaties), and have remained in place ever since.

In the present day, these treaties are often viewed in an almost sacred light, with few cats with even considering breaking from their terms. They are part of the normal scheme of things, and one of the last tangible gifts of their founders, meaning that any word said against them is a word greeted with shock and unfettered outrage. This reaction is in itself a security against their violation, and is probably one of the main things keeping the peace intact, for no cat wants to be the one to undo the founders work.

That said, the Valley Cats have not faced a true crisis since The Purging meaning that the strength of these treaties, and the clans ability to keep the peace, is yet to be properly tested…

Note: The terms of these treaties can be bent, twisted and outright *broken, but there should be trouble when they are.
*Please request permission before breaking the Leaders Pledge, as breaking certain parts of this treaty is virtually guaranteed to lead to war.

:: Contents ::
The Leaders Pledge
Moon Cave Passage
The Gathering Code
Promises to Medicine Cats

Though it was originally intended as an incidental and wholly temporary treaty – something to be discarded once the clans had recovered from The Purging – the Leaders Pledge has developed into one of the most important of the original treaties. Its power has merely grown with age, and now all new leaders are expected to swear their obedience to it before they travel to the Moon Cave to receive their nine lives, and again at their first gathering as a leader.

Although the treaty itself was never sanctioned by Starclan, it has been noted that the ancestors have never given any sign of disapproval on those occasions when a clan refused the leadership to a deputy that had not made this pledge, or the other leaders refused the right to speak to a leader who would not go through the motions at their first gathering. Naturally, this has added to its influence and bred the belief that Starclan themselves will refuse any cat, and punish any clan, who does not abide by it. As a consequence, it is now extremely unlikely that a clan will accept a leader who refuses the Leaders Pledge, and doubtful that any clan will follow their leader should they choose to break the terms of the treaty.

:: The Terms :: 1. Clan Leaders will uphold their existing borders and refrain from stepping into another clan’s territory.
2. Clan Leaders will hunt only on their own territory, and punish any cat caught hunting on another’s.
3. Clan Leaders will refrain from leading an attack on neighbouring territories.
4. Clan Leaders will never lead a fighting patrol into a rival clans camp, regardless of provocation or intention.
5. Clan Leaders will treat their peers as equals, and deal with all inter-clan matters fairly and respectfully.
6. Clan Leaders will not get involved in the feuds of other clans, but must come to a neighbour’s aid should they hear of a camps attack, or learn that rogues / lones have returned to the Valley in fighting force.



:: Pre-Leadership Pledge (Dead Leader) :: If the previous leader has lost their final life, the most senior of the clan’s warriors will step to the foot of the clans gathering place and call a gathering of his/her clan. Once the cats have arrived, s/he will call the most senior of the clans elders to stand on his/her right side, and the deputy to stand on his/her left.

Warrior: {elders name}, you are the oldest and wisest of our clan. Do you look upon {deputies name} and see a cat worthy of leading us?
Elder: I do.
Warrior: {deputies name}, you have served us well as our deputy, and were {leader name’s} choice of successor. Will you now take the Leaders Pledge, and step into the pawprints of your predecessors?
Deputy: I will.
Warrior: Then I bid you now to speak before the cats of –clan and Starclan, so that all might approve of your advancement. {Elders name}, I give you now our deputy, and the future of –clan.
Elder:{deputies name}, do you swear to lead us and protect us until the last life leaves your body, and to uphold always the warrior code?
Deputy: I do.
Elder: Will you protect our borders, our territory and our camp, and refrain from action that might bring us to war?
Deputy: I do.
Elder: Do you swear also to be wise in your judgement and fair in your punishment, and never to strike at another’s camp?
Deputy: I do.
Elder: Then on behalf of –clan, I accept you as our leader and our defender, and swear always to abide by your rule. May Starclan look kindly upon your reign, and your nine lives survive for countless moons

The deputy is now the official leader of the clan, and should make their trip to the Moon Cave as soon as possible. On most occasions, this journey should begin almost as soon as the Pledge has been made, with the clan’s most senior warrior being left in charge until the new leader returns



:: Pre-Leadership Pledge (Retiring Leader) :: In the event of a leader being banished or choosing to step down, they will stand atop the clans gathering place and call their clan together using their usual call. They will then summon the Medicine Cat to sit on the right side of the gathering space, their deputy to sit on the left, and the most senior elder to sit between them.

Leader (or most senior warrior, if Leader is banished): {Medicine cats name}, do you agree that I am no longer fit to lead this clan? Medicine Cat: I do.
Leader: {Elders name}, will you accept me in your den, and recognise my deputy as the new leader of –clan?
Elder: I will.
Leader: Then I call upon you, {Deputies name}, to step into my paws and lead in my stead. Will you accept this honour and swear fealty to –clan?
Deputy: I will.
Leader: Do you swear to lead and protect my cats until the last life leaves your body, and to uphold our traditions and our codes as I have?
Deputy: I do.
Leader: Will you protect my borders, my territory and my camp, and refrain from action that might bring my clan to war?
Deputy: I do.
Leader: Do you swear to be as wise and as fair in your judgement as I have been, and to never strike at another’s camp?
Deputy: I do.
Leader: Then I declare you the new leader of –clan, and charge you to guard them as I once did. May starclan look kindly upon you, and your lives outlive my own.
Medicine cat: {Leaders name} I now take from you your responsibilities and your rank, and name you {original name}. May Starclan look favourably upon your choice, and your wisdom guide us for many moons. {Deputies name}, you have served well as our Deputy and will now stand at our head. May you be a leader of which we can be proud.
Elder:{Leaders ‘new’ name}: I honour you as a warrior of –clan, and accept you into my den. May you live your final moons in comfort and in peace. {Deputy name}, on behalf of –clan, I recognise you as our leader and swear to abide by your rule. May you bring us honour with all you do.

The original leader is now to be viewed and treated as an elder, and his/her deputy as the leader of the clan. Usually, the medicine cat will take the deputy to the Moon Cave immediately after the pledge has been made, and the clans most senior warrior will be left in charge until their return.



:: Gathering Pledge :: The new leader is forbidden to speak for their clan or stand upon the Gathering Stone until they have made the pledge. Instead, they must respond to the call for a gatherings start by standing at the stones base and looking up at the other leaders, who are their superiors until the pledge has been completed. As in almost all other gatherings, the least senior leader (s/he who has been leader for the least amount of time) will speak first, whilst the new leader is forbidden to speak unless answering his/her peers. After this, the most senior leader (s/he who has been leader for the longest amount of time) takes the lead, as s/he is the most experienced and (supposedly) respected of their number.

Least senior leader: Are you now leader of –clan?
New Leader: I am
Middle leader: Will you take and uphold the Leaders Pledge?
New Leader: I will.
Most senior Leader: Then step forth and hear my words, {new leader} of –clan. I bind you now to respect and uphold your borders as they now stand, and refrain from leading your clan into another territory. I bind you also to hunt only upon your own ground and never take that which is not yours. But most of all, I bend you never to lead a strike against another’s camp, nor to harm nor kill a warrior weaker than you without just cause. Do you accept these terms? Will you swear to uphold our laws?
New Leader: I swear to uphold these laws, and take upon myself the Leaders Pledge.
Least senior leader: Then I, {cats name} of –clan, hear your pledge and bind you to your word. From this night on I recognise and accept you as a leader and an ally, and will give to yours the respect and the trust you give to mine.
Middle Leader: “
Most Senior Leader: I, {cats name} of –clan, hear your pledge and bind you to your word. From this night on I recognise and accept you as a leader, and give to you the right to speak for your clan. I now declare you an equal and an ally, and bid you to respect ours as we respect yours. Speak now, {new leaders name} of –clan, and take your place upon the Gathering Stone.

The new leader is now allowed to join his/her peers atop the Gathering Stone, and will be the first leader to speak for their clan. From that moment on s/he is the equal of the other cats, and must be treated as such, but must also understand that this right is theirs only so long as they respect the other leaders.

This treaty is a relic of the Valley Cats ancestors, and one of the few rules that managed to maintain some of its power until the final phases of the Lake Clans collapse. It has regained much of its original influence in the wake of the Night of Treaties and discovery of the Moon Cave, and is now considered amongst the most important of the Valleys treaties. In its most basic form, it is essentially a promise that new leaders can obtain their new lives unmolested, but it has been many seasons since its terms were limited just to that.

The content of the Moon Cave Passage treaty is simple but effective, making it easy for any cat to understand. It is also jealously protected by all of the clans, meaning that the warrior or apprentice fool enough to violate it will face severe punishment by its leader, and may end up triggering an inter-clan feud.

:: The Terms :: 1. Medicine cats and their apprentices must be allowed full access to the Moon Cave at all times.

2. All parties containing Medicine cats are to be unmolested whilst traveling to the Moon Cave, even if this journey leads them to trespass on another clans lands.

3. Lone leaders must be granted access to the Moon Cave at all times

4. Patrols containing a Leader, one warrior and up to two apprentices must be granted safe passage to the Moon Cave, as long as they travel along the borders and stray no further into neighbouring lands. Patrols of larger sizes, or caught away from the borders, will be treated as fighting patrols.

Although the first gathering occurred shortly after the ancestors of the Valley Cats arrived in the valley, it was a wholly impromptu, unofficial and disorganised affair. In truth it and its first few successors worked only because it was led by Birchfur, Cloudheart, Smokeclaw and Whitetail, who already had their own ‘hierarchy’ and the respect of all the Lakeside survivors. It was clear from the beginning that matters would become complicated once these four cats passed on, and this was merely confirmed in the wake of Cloudheart’s death, and his deputy’s succession. Though many cats respected the founders replacement, he could not hold the same authority over them as his one-time-leader had done, just as he could not be tolerated as a leader amongst leaders – that position was Cloudheart’s, and Cloudheart’s alone.

Worse, it immediately became evident that the successors of the founders would always be viewed as subordinate to the remaining founders. Whilst this could be tolerated as long as one or more founders lived, it gave rise to the question of who would be in charge once they had all passed on, and whether or not the hierarchy of the founders would become a permanent hierarchy of the clans. This was another notion tolerable only whilst the founders lived, for they could be trusted not to use their authority over the other leaders and clans, but it was doubted that the same could be said of their successors. More than that, the thought of one clan permanently being in charge, and another permanently being subordinate to all other clans, was one that simply could not be accepted, for, whilst the survivors might tolerate it, it was obvious that their descendants would not.

It was these concerns, coupled with the desire for a lasting peace – freedom from the fear that the past might repeat itself – that led to the gatherings being transformed into structured, carefully regulated affairs. It took some time and many arguments to hash the details out, but eventually a solution was found, and it was finally put into place on the Night of Treaties. Although some parts of this new agreement were controversial – namely the notion that a shadow of hierarchy should remain amongst the leaders – it was accepted by all as the best available compromise, and has since become a perfectly natural part of clan life. In fact, it is now widely regarded as the only way to do things, and unthinkable that anything should be changed.

:: The Hierarchy :: On the whole, the leaders are expected to treat one another as equals and hold no clan above the rest. They should speak only for their own cats, and make no demands of those of other clans, just as they should not presume to give orders to their peers. However, it is widely accepted that there may be times when a hierarchy is required to keep matters on track, so a set structure of power is upheld by all in the valley. This is a structure that is to be used only to determine in which order the leaders should ordinarily speak, and to solve disputes that can be put to rest only by the interference of a pre-selected head.

In the interests of fairness, and because experience is known to garner trust and respect, it was decided that this hierarchy should be based upon age. As an additional precaution, the founders and their treaty specify that this ladder should be based not on a cats age, but on the age of their rule. In other words, the cat who has been leading longest always holds seniority over his peers, whilst the cat who is newest to leadership will always be considered their most junior member. This is reflected by the order in which the cats speak; unless given permission by more senior members, the newest leader should always speak last, whilst the oldest both starts the gathering and speaks first.



:: Current Hierarchy ::
Most Senior: Patchstar (72 moons of service)
Second most Senior:
Third most Senior:
Most Junior:


:: The Code :: 1. A meeting of the clans shall be held every full moon, unless Starclan chooses to hide the moon.

2. No meeting shall be begun until all four leaders are present and ready

3. All clans shall attend the gathering with apprentices and elders. Any clan attending with a warrior exclusive patrol will be deigned a threat, and treated as such.

4. All gatherings shall be begun by the most senior leader. Unless otherwise agreed, leaders will speak in order of seniority.

5. Leaders will speak respectfully and without aggression or threat. Should any leader break from this, or two leaders begin to argue, the most senior uninvolved leader is permitted to take control of the gathering and either bring it to an end, or negotiate their peace.

6. Neither leader nor clan cat shall fight whilst standing in the Founders Hollow, or watched by the full moon. This is against the warrior code, and an insult to both Starclan and the Lakeside Survivors.

Every treaty that has survived into the present day is held in the highest of regard by cats of all clans, and followed with the utmost care, but none amongst them can compete with the influence of the Promises made to the Medicine Cats. This amongst all the treaties has the double honour of being the first treaty to be made, and that which is considered the most important of them all. It is also the only treaty that no cat, whatever their ambition or intention, is likely to consider breaking, and the one that no cat would be tolerated to break.

Although most Medicine Cats hold it as extremely bad taste to mention the treaty or its terms to any warrior, deputy or leader, they are by no means ignorant of its existence or content. In fact, each new Medicine cat makes a point of teaching their apprentice all of the Promises once made by the founders, and will usually insist upon their memorising it early on in their apprenticeship. They also ensure that these cats know not to call upon its content without very good cause, for it is not their place to insult or appear superior to other cats. In essence, they regard this treaty as a last resort, and will only mention it to those outside their craft when there is no other option.

The matter is very different when it comes to elders and warriors. These cats are expected to both know the promises and ensure that they are passed on, with apprentices often being held back until they can prove that they know it. Elders, as law keepers of their clan, are further expected to ensure that the treaties content does not fade from clan memory, even if a leader should attempt to forbid its mention, or mentors fail to teach it to their apprentice.

:: The Promises :: 1. Medicine cats and their apprentices will have full access to the Moon Cave at all times.

2. No cat will harm, or attempt to harm, a Medicine Cat or its apprentice

3. All clans will ensure that their Medicine Cat is in the best of health and, where possible, that the Medicine Cats of their Neighbours are treated in a manner befitting their status.

4. All clans and their leaders will heed and respect their Medicine Cats words, and pay proper attention to any warning or message they might relay from Starclan.

5. Medicine Cats and their apprentice or one warrior escort will be granted full access to all clan territories at all times, and remain unmolested whilst they harvest herbs that are not indigenous to their own lands.

6. In times of crisis, it is the Medicine Cats right to commandeer any warrior or apprentice to aid them in the treatment of the ill and injured, regardless of whether or not they have an a Medicine Cat Apprentice.

7. When a Medicine Cat issues a medical order, cats of all ranks must obey.

8. No warrior will do grievous harm to any apprentice or elder unless absolutely necessary. Where possible, warriors will only fight other warriors, and will avoid inflicting unnecessary injuries upon their opponents.