Culture & Daily Life

Use smaller prey to lure larger prey into their tunnels, in which they strike unsuspected.
Prefer to eat birds as they believe this blesses them because of the eagle that led them to their home. This is seen as particularly important for elders as they believe consuming birds gives them strength. Wasting birds is severely frowned upon and rotting birds are seen as a deadly omen.
Teachings are more focused on having faith in Starclan and following the Code. Apprentices will be encouraged to tell Starclan of their dreams and aspirations, believing that this will allow Starclan to bless them with success if they show enough conviction.
Use rocks / stones to sharpen their claws. This helps with manoeuvring around their camp / territory.
Naming traditions usually focus on legacy names or naming after a particularly famous Starclan cat, but can also include naming after appearance.

Ranks

01 — High Ranks

1x Leader

Their word is law and the Clan must follow their orders, no matter what. Failing to do so is breaking the Code and you will be duly punished. This rank is always chosen by the Seer.

2x Advisor

Helps support the leader, gives advice for any decisions made. Share duties between each other if the leader is indisposed. When the leader dies, they remain advisors or step down and the Seer chooses a new leader.

1x Herbalist

The Clan’s healer who has in-depth knowledge of herbs. Their primary duty is to help the injured and sickly, though they have a faint connection with Starclan.

1x Novice Herbalist

Assistant to the Herbalist, directly trained by them and help in all of the Herbalist's tasks. Will replace the Herbalist after death / retirement and choose a new Novice Herbalist.

1x Seer

While they can act as an assistant to the Herbalists, a Seer's main focus is interpreting signs from Starclan, receiving prophecies or messages, as well as maintaining and studying crystals. They can be slightly knowledgeable in herbs, but not to the extent of a Herbalist. They are chosen by Starclan (in which they and the leader are told via dreams) and left to their own devices a lot of the time.

02 — Normal Ranks

Guardians

Normal warriors that have knowledge about fighting. Will be usually be found around camp keeping a watchful eye, but may accompany a hunting patrol if Stalkers believe they need the protection.

Stalkers

The Clan’s hunters. They are especially adept at sneaking and camouflage, will usually cover themselves in the cave’s sooty substance so they blend in better with the shadows.

Trappers

Cats that specialize in tracking / hunting small to medium sized prey to lure in much larger prey, such as birds of prey and land predators that reside within Soaringclan. Sometimes they are tasked with trapping any unwelcome visitors or trespassers who happen to find themselves on Soaringclan territory.

Excavators

Specialize in tracking and scouting, are often sent with patrols of Guardians to search for cats when there’s a cave-in, avalanche or rock / mudslide. They can also be requested to help with tracking prey for Stalkers.

Arbitrators

For cats that have a weak stomach with hunting and fighting, but a silver tongue, Arbitrators are considered the middlemen of Soaringclan that help to maintain peace between their clanmates, and when necessary, Soaringclan and Leafclan when put together. If a confrontation breaks out, they are the first on the scene and cats from both Clans respect their words.

Caretakers

Their focus is around the elders and nursery, looking out for the cats that need it most. They will help feed them, replenish / clean their nests, bring them food and generally care for them. Every so often, they can be found rebuilding / strengthening the areas around the Nursery and Elders Den.

Ceremonies

Novice Ceremony

Completed when a kit reaches around 6 moons old. They are able to choose their 'training rank', which is exactly how it sounds: the rank that they will be training to become. During this ceremony, they will be assigned to a mentor corresponding to their chosen training rank.

Graduation Ceremony

Guardians: Novices within this rank will prove their skill by guarding a patrol or Soaringclan’s camp from ‘intruders’ or ‘ambushers’, who are their own clanmates putting them through a pretend scenario. Their assignment will be when they have reached the appropriate age for graduation, but will be randomly timed and unexpected to assist in keeping them on their toes.
Stalkers: The assignment for Stalkers is very simple: successfully bring back three types of prey back to the clan. In the leafbare season, this requirement can be lowered if prey is especially hard to find.
Trappers: When reaching graduation age, trackers are put together into a small team that will track down a predator and then lead it away from its current location, to a new location. The cats are required to work together as a team, and must be successful in leading the predator from point A to point B in order to graduate.
Excavators: Novices that are deemed ready to finish their training will be tasked with navigating through one of the cave systems, usually the hardest to navigate (the Eyes of Starclan). Once they have successfully traversed the cave, they are given their suffix.
Arbitrators: When it comes to graduating as an Arbitrator, Novices within this rank will receive the task of defusing a scripted argument between clanmates in order to help maintain the peace.
Caretakers: For Novices within this rank to receive their title, they will go through an assignment with a list of tasks that their mentor provides to them upon reaching the proper age for graduation. This assignment’s list of tasks will vary depending on the mentor, but will require the Novice to demonstrate their skill in caring for both kits, and elders alike.

Advisors

This rank is chosen specifically by the leaders. Usually, the two advisors will be the leader's closest friends but this isn't always the case. Called up in moonlight and announced to the entire clan.

Leader

After Muddystar’s reign, the leader ceremony shifted significantly. Now the Seer is solely responsible in choosing who shall be the next leader of Soaringclan once the previous leader dies or retires. Starclan doesn’t outrightly state a name, but the Seer usually goes off ‘a feeling’, a spiritual guidance towards who would be the best choice. They must travel to the Headlights to receive their nine lives, just like the leader before them.

Mateship

When wishing to become official, the courting cats will venture into the Crystal Caverns and pick out crystals for one another. These crystals are very small in size (usually only slightly bigger than a cat’s claw) and worn somewhere on their body to signify their relationship. Usually the crystals will match but this isn't always the case. A Seer will bless the ceremony, watching over the courting cats while they pick their crystals and ensuring their connection with Starclan is strong.

Death

Before the dead are buried within the mountains, they’re blessed by Starclan -- this is by letting the body bathe in moonlight, laying crystals atop them in a line from ears to tail-tip. Seers will send a prayer to Starclan for the departed’s safe journey to the stars before burial.