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ShadowClan Facts

Leader: Blackstar Deputy: Rowanclaw Medicine cat: Littlecloud Hunting territory: Pine forest Camp: Bramble-enclosed dip beneath pine trees Unique battle skill: Night ambush

Rowanclaw's Welcome

Greetings, Onestar. Why have you come to ShadowClan's territory? Ah, I see you have brought companions. Is WindClan recruiting kittypets now?

Do you really expect me to invite you into our camp and explain why ShadowClan has the most feared warriors in all the Clans? Our strengths are our secrets, my friend. Would I ask you to train my Clanmates to run as swiftly as you do, or to hunt rabbits? I think not.

But I would not be betraying my role as Blackstar's deputy if I reminded you that ShadowClan earned its name for a reason. We are night hunters, our senses most alert in the darkness and silence that befuddles other cats. We can slip noiselessly through shadows like fish through black water, and speak to one another without words. Unlike the other Clans, who cling to moonlight or the watchful shine of StarClan, we like the freedom that is found in the darkest nights.

When it comes to battle, we waste no time rallying our warriors with speeches or promises of glory; they know what is expected of them, and they will deliver or face the shame of betraying their Clan. While the other Clans arrange themselves in lines and circles and elaborate battle plans, we swoop and strike and vanish into the night. We fight to win, nothing else.

Go now, and leave us to train in the dead of night. May StarClan - not ShadowClan - walk in your dreams.

 

Special Battle Tactic:

Tigerheart Teaches the Night Ambush

Gather around, apprentices. I know it's dark, but you can hear my voice, can't you? That's right, over here. No, Olivepaw, you're not going to fall into any foxholes. I checked earlier today that this would be a good place for our ambush practice. Maybe one day you will have to navigate somewhere with holes waiting to trip you up, but-hopefully you'll be more experienced by then, and more confident about moving around at night. That's if you live that long, Scorchpaw. Come down from that tree at once. No, I can't see any better than you can, but I have ears, and a deaf badger would have heard your claws scraping on the bark when you climbed up. And the fact that your scent is now coming from above my head is also a giveaway.

Shrewpaw, Redpaw, Owlpaw, are you here? Good. Now, I want everyone to stand very still and close their eyes. Who is snoring? Scorchpaw, that's not nearly as funny as you think it is. Only horses sleep standing up, and if you'd like to go live with them and eat grass all day, I'm sure Blackstar can arrange it.

Right, keep your eyes closed until I tell you. Mouths closed too, Owlpaw. If I can hear you whispering, then so can the enemy. Use your other senses: What can you hear? Smell? Taste? Feel on your fur? Well? Anyone?

Okay, you can open your mouth if I've asked you a direct question. Good, Shrewpaw. There's a breeze coming from the lake, bringing the scent of water and fish and RiverClan. But not strong enough to suggest they're any closer than their territory. You think you can hear ThunderClan snoring, Scorchpaw? No, you can't. The day Blackstar receives a prophecy about a cat with the ability to hear farther than any other creature, then I'll believe you.



Yes, Redpaw, there is a pair of owls calling to each other beyond the inland border. And one of those kittypets in the Twoleg nest is making its usual fuss about being shut in on a fine night for hunting. So our senses have told us that our territory is empty save for the creatures that live alongside us—no trespassers, nothing that seems out of place. Now, open your eyes. Yes, Olivepaw, it's still very dark. But you can see a little more clearly, can't you? Your eyes have started to adjust to seeing without light. Look at how the trees are outlined against the sky. Down on the ground, you still won't be able to see much, but thicker shadows could be a bush, or even another cat. The more you practice moving around at night, the easier it will become. The other Clans are frightened and baffled by the dark; without the sense of sight, they are as helpless as kits. Only ShadowClan understands the power of the night, and sees it as a strength.

Tonight, we are the ambush patrol. We are going to lie in wait for our enemy, and launch a surprise attack using the darkness to hide us and weaken our rivals before we unsheathe a single claw. First we need to find an attack zone, a place where we can wait without being seen or scented, with enough room to fight when the other cats arrive. Any ideas? Good, Shrewpaw. This gully is just what we're looking for. The sides are high and steep, so if we attack from each end, the enemy won't be able to escape. It's an obvious route to the camp, so we can be confident that any invaders would pass through it. And we can hide in the bushes at the top, with the advantage of attacking from above.

Redpaw, why don't you pick a bush on the side of the gully where we can hide? Hmmm, maybe not so far from the edge. We need to be able to hear our enemy approaching, and see them when they enter the gully. This one's better. Right, squash in, everybody.

So, we're hidden up here, but it would be good to know when the enemy is coming near. We need an early warning patrol, just two cats to keep track of the invaders as they head toward the gully. Imagine that you're following them, and need to warn the ambush patrol to be ready for the attack. What call would you give?

Well, Owlpaw, that was a very good imitation of an owl, but perhaps the patrol might think it was a real owl? What noise would travel clearly on a night like this, but stand out only to cats who live in this part of the territory? How about, Ssssssssss> Not a snake, Olivepaw. The wind in the trees! Why would that work tonight? That's right, because the breeze coming off the lake shouldn't be enough to move the branches of pine trees. Cats from the other territories won't know that, as this is the only place where pine trees grow by the lake.

What little breeze there is would work in our favor tonight, carrying the scent of the invaders toward us and hiding our own from them. We need to spread out along the top of the gully; if this were a real ambush patrol, we'd have enough cats to line the other side, too. We take up our positions, always within earshot of the leader of the patrol, and wait. Let me see you all waiting now.

What problem would we have if there were moonlight or starlight? That's right, Redpaw. Our shadows. We'd need to stay on the dark side of the bush to keep our outlines hidden, too. Remember, if you can see the enemy, the enemy can see you.

That's why darkness is our ally.

Imagine that the enemy is entering the gully. Who should attack first? Yes, Shrewpaw. The cats at each end of the gully go down first, to trap the enemy and let them know that they are surrounded. Then the others attack, straight down the sides, using the weight of our fall as part of the first blow. Apprentices, strike!

Oof! Redpaw, get your tail out of my mouth! Who's that underneath me? Get up, Olivepaw. No, your tail isn't broken. It's just a bit... dented. In a real ambush, no one would get squashed, apart from the enemy. Remember I told you that we'd be in a line along the top of the gully? Well, we'd hold that line as we attacked. What's the use in landing on one or two invading cats in one big lump, leaving their Clanmates free to fight? We'd hope to outnumber them in order to overpower them as swiftly as possible. Once the command to attack has been given, there will be no other orders. You each know what you have to do.

As soon as the enemy surrenders or begs to flee, the fighting stops. Stand still with your head held high. You are a ShadowClan cat; we do not gloat over our defeated enemies. We simply wait for them to leave, knowing they will be in no haste to return. And when they have gone, head for the closest shadow before you go back to the camp. Make no sound. Melt back into the night, so that if our enemy looks back, they see nothing but emptiness. The forest is ours—and we are unseen. The night, the darkness, the cold still air, all belong to ShadowClan. That is our ancestors' gift to us, and we honor their memory with every ambush. It is up to you to prove that you are worthy of that gift and will preserve the night as our greatest weapon.

 


Date: 2015-04-20; view: 1237


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