The Enclosure, Hunting, and Survival Questions

[Frosty]

Hello Starless, I am Frosty of SitN. I am a staff member there and very dedicated to the site, but I am also a member of FoFand other Warrior proboards on the side. Starless seems like a well-established place with a very unique roleplay experience. I woul love to be a member but I do have some questions about the plot.

The habitat.
How do the cats survive in this enclosure? How big is it? How do they hunt? How can cats survive in a desert, encaged by an enclosure? Wouldn't humidity levels soar to the point the cats could not survive?

The past.
Are they still called RiverClan, or are they just a bunch of rogues? Why have the cats deemed authority as evil? They've ha others leaders before the traitors.
You also said the enclosure had been around for decades. Wouldn't it be weathered down? It is partially made of wood.

The conclusion.
Forgive me if any of these questions have been asked before. I just do not have the energy to sort through this board. &shot'd

Thank you for your time, and forgive me if any rudeness was portrayed. It was not intended to be disrespectful, but inquisitive.

[Ten]

Welcome to Starless, Frosty. I hope I can satisfy your curiosity, even if it takes a few posts. With this being a very strange setting and all, we have to fudge on realism some, but I do try to have plausible explanations for everything.


"How do the cats survive in this enclosure?"
--
Water comes through the cracks in the wall with occasional rain and seasonal river floods, and there's a small stream that runs through.


"How big is it?"
--
I've never settled on any exact dimensions, but it's pretty big -- think football field size. Big enough to run around and have space to hunt, but small enough that you can see the whole thing from wherever you are.


"How do they hunt?"
--
For lizards, crickets, and beetles, they can hunt like regular cats. For the big rats (bigger than normal rats but still smaller than cats), cats hunt in groups, almost like lions do in the wild. These groups form whenever a few hungry cats get together -- they don't have to be friends or even have to know each other; they just meet up, decide they want to bring down a rat, and then they go do it.


"How can cats survive in a desert, encaged by an enclosure? Wouldn't humidity levels soar to the point the cats could not survive?"
--
I admit I don't know how walls would affect humidity, but the whole meaning of the word desert revolves around dryness and thus low humidity, so I expect it can't be that bad.


"Are they still called RiverClan, or are they just a bunch of rogues?"
--
It's more like a bunch of rogues. RiverClan is a thing of the past. No overall leader, no established organized groups (until the Experiment and the Rebellion formed, but that happened in role play and they're not supposed to last). Cats sometimes live in small family groups or with a few close friends, but that's it.


"Why have the cats deemed authority as evil?"
--
Not all of them have. For those that have, you can read what they think and why in their bio. They don't all have the same exact reasons, although a few are common: things like, if they can be betrayed once, they can be betrayed again, or they don't want to be told what to do, that sort of thing.


"You also said the enclosure had been around for decades. Wouldn't it be weathered down? It is partially made of wood."
--
True, the walls aren't in great shape. They have little holes in them and all. But they're still standing and the cats still can't get out. With this being the desert, it takes a lot longer for things to rot. You know how there are ancient mummies that are still intact? I figure some trees can last a few decades.


"It was not intended to be disrespectful, but inquisitive."
--
I know what you mean, believe me.
Have any more/follow-up questions?

[Frosty]

Ah, that clarifies much.
I really do appreciate it, Ten.

I have come to the conclusion after a little research that deserts do lack a lot of humidity, but since there are small streams in the enclosure, intense humidity is possible. :3

And, yes. I do have a few more questions.

Predators don't threaten them, right? Coyotes and fennec fixes might not, but snakes ad scorpions are possibilities, right? And what about Twolegs? Do they know of such? There are small tries of humans that live in the desert, which I have collected from the above research.

I was reading the Prefix Suggestions thread an you touched on how you did not shun one word names.
Say I were to make a cat named Glow.
Glow's mother was labelled insane. She was actually driven mad by the desolte, endless isolation from the rest of the world. We'll hypothetically call her Sandheart. Glow's grandmother told Sandheart of the outside world, and that you peek at it through the cracks in the wall and roof. Sandheart became obsessed with escape and tried everything possible. She described what she saw through the cracks in the roof a 'bright yellow glow', which was actually the sun. Fascinated with it, she named her yellow kit Glow. Sandheart didn't care about past traditionals, she just wanted out. Her curiosity was overwhelming, fuelled by her own mother's vast tales. I a final attempt to escape, Sandheart fell from trying to climb up and broke her neck. The oters rejoiced at the death of the insane queen, but Glow lives on.

Would this be alright? It's very brief, but again, I'm on the iPod. What do the cats do with the bodies of the dead? Just bury them wherever?

Thanks so much or helping me, Ten.

[Ten]

"Ah, that clarifies much.
I really do appreciate it, Ten."
--
Glad to help.


"I have come to the conclusion after a little research that deserts do lack a lot of humidity, but since there are small streams in the enclosure, intense humidity is possible."
--
Clarification: there is one stream. A very small stream, at that, and it's not uncommon for it to run dry.


"Predators don't threaten them, right? Coyotes and fennec fixes might not, but snakes ad scorpions are possibilities, right?"
--
Right, coyotes and fennec foxes weren't trapped inside with them, but snakes and scorpions can come inside. Snakes are edible, and not all of them are poisonous, but cats are better off leaving them alone -- and since snakes don't eat cats, the snakes would leave them alone, too, although they might make a meal out of a foolish kit. As for scorpions, I'm thinking they'd be Centruroides vittatus in this setting. I've been stung by one of those. It hurts something terrible, but I doubt it could kill a cat.


"And what about Twolegs? Do they know of such? There are small tries of humans that live in the desert, which I have collected from the above research."
--
You mean the Bedouin tribes? Those live in Siani and Arabia and such. Starless is set in a fictional desert, no place in particular. Anyway, no, they haven't had any humans come knocking, if only because I don't want them destroying my plot getting curious and pulling down the walls.


"I was reading the Prefix Suggestions thread an you touched on how you did not shun one word names."
--
mmhm. Like I've said, I'm not going to mandate that everyone use Clan style names, since there could be a reasonable explanation for why they would deviate from that. I haven't come across it yet, however, and you'd have to work hard to convince me.


"Say I were to make a cat named Glow.
Glow's mother was labelled insane."
--
...Should've seen that coming.
Everybody's fascinated by the crazies at first, since they're so convinced that the cats should want to escape.


"She was actually driven mad by the desolte, endless isolation from the rest of the world."
--
Wasn't she born in it?


"I a final attempt to escape, Sandheart fell from trying to climb up and broke her neck. The oters rejoiced at the death of the insane queen, but Glow lives on."
--
Who was rejoicing at her death? I'd be surprised if anyone cared, besides any living family members, but even if they hated her I'd expect them to be grim about it.


"What do the cats do with the bodies of the dead? Just bury them wherever?"
--
There's a place called the boneyard where cats can take corpses. It's hard to bury anything in this terrain, since the bedrock is so close to the surface (as in, one pawscrape and you're there), and the dryness means there's not much stench of rot to put up with, plus a dead cat makes a good meal for a scavenging rat. That may sound awful to us, having grown up with cemeteries and cremation, but it's what these cats are used to. That's an important thing to remember around here -- what these cats are used to. They have a viewpoint that's downright alien to the rest of us. They don't care about things like never having seen a plant in their lives. Why would they? A plant has no significance to them.

I only reiterate this sort of thing because Starless is so different from the average warriors role play. It requires a brain stretch just to get into the minds of these cats, and I think you'll find it an interesting challenge.


Anyway, thanks for asking these questions, Frosty. It's great that you're putting so much thought into this.

[Frosty]

Yes, Sandheart would've been born into the Enclosure but everybody has different opinions on the enclosure, or so I'm assuming.
She saw the outside world through the cracks in the wall and through the roof and was fascinated with the little glimpse she saw of the rest of the desert.
It's like saying that you have to love wherever you were born. Though it's normal life, it's doesn't mean you have to like it.
And that was Sandheart's case.
Perhaps I should've worded the rejoicing part better, or thought it over better. Let's just erase that sentence, but still say Glow lives on.
Would that be an acceptable back story for a character?

Also, can I please have some detail on 'the rebellion' and 'the leadership experiment'? I've read about them in your notebook, but I can't find a page that goes into detail about them. &shot'd

Would Jackal- be an acceptable prefix? It's not on your list, and I couldn't reply to the thread without an account. And quite frankly, I'm too lazy today to make an account.

I'm trying to put as much thought into this as possible.
If I'm going to roleplay here, I want to understand every single aspect of it. c:

[Gosh]

There aren't really pages for the Experiment and Rebellion, but it goes like this: Woodstripe, a strong advocate for Clanhood, had an idea to test out the theory of a Clan with an experiment. She ended up forming it, and after recruiting ten members, they grouped together and voted on a leader, Spiderstripe, and a deputy, Redstream. Five more cats have joined since then. The Experiment is supposed to last for 10 enclosure days, and we're on day 3 or something.

As for the Rebellion, it's a temporary group formed by some cons who fear that the Experiment will lead to an actual Clan and are attempting to stop this from happening. It has no real leader, but Beetlepaw started it and it has twelve members.

[Ten]

edit: Andddd Gosh posted while I was writing this.
With great descriptions of the two groups, I must say.



"Yes, Sandheart would've been born into the Enclosure but everybody has different opinions on the enclosure, or so I'm assuming."
--
There are some who don't mind it and some who have their complaints. Like it or not, though, it's what they're used to. Cats don't go crazy just from living a normal life. Either they've got some brain defect from birth, or some particular traumatic event triggers a desire to leave this world.


"It's like saying that you have to love wherever you were born. Though it's normal life, it's doesn't mean you have to like it."
--
It's not like saying you love your country. It's not even like saying you love your planet. It's saying you accept your universe, your realm of reality, because even if you can picture things being a little different, this is all you really know and understand. The enclosure is their entire world.


"Would that be an acceptable back story for a character?"
--
A dead mother's fine as long as she drank from and learned to hunt from somebody. As for the name, though, you haven't explained a connection between Sandheart's obsession with the glow and the name of her kit. Did she call everyone Glow? Or did she think her kit had something to do with the glow?


"Also, can I please have some detail on 'the rebellion' and 'the leadership experiment'? I've read about them in your notebook, but I can't find a page that goes into detail about them."
--
Yeah, eheheh, that's because they're groups that formed in role play, not as anything we really planned from the outside. It's best to plunge your character in as ignorant of the two (since they're so new) and have her ask around about them, but a quick summary is that the Experiment is a Clanner experiment with a leader and deputy and the Rebellion is a secret crew of cons who want to wreck the Experiment.


"Would Jackal- be an acceptable prefix?"
--
Are jackals small enough to get in?


"It's not on your list, and I couldn't reply to the thread without an account."
--
hm? Oh, you mean the Warrior Names thread in the R&I board? Those threads are locked. This board is a good place to talk about changes to them, though. (:


"I'm trying to put as much thought into this as possible.
If I'm going to roleplay here, I want to understand every single aspect of it."
--
Excellent.

[frosty]

Then allow me to further explain Sandhear'ts process of thinking.
She was born like any other kit into the enclosure. But she was an inquisitive one. She loved to learn about anything and everything, from history to hunting. Her mother, I'm going to call her Russetfur, did her best to quench her daughter's thirst for knowledge, but there was only so much she herself knew. So every night before Sandheart went to sleep, Russetfur would tell Sandheart of the outside world. She told her of how the leader and deputy sealed the Clan away, and that is how they all got here. But RUssetfur also told Sandheart that there was nothing to worry about, that the enclosure provided them with a safe and secure life. See, Russetfur was very anti-Clan. She loved everythign about the enclosure, but refused to trust authority again after what the ancient leader and deputy did. And she intended to drill her own beliefs into Sandheart's head. But Sandheart was a rebel. She loved breaking the rules. Of course, that comes naturally with being a kit. Sandheart was very reckless and curious, getting into everything and wrecking everything. She pestered the older cats constantly, begging them to keep her entertained. Eventually, Sandheart grew frustrated. She felt the enclosure was limiting her, limiting her into a confined space when her spirit was too bright to shine in its small space. Russetfur had shown her the cracks in the wall and roof, and told her that the outside world was beyond those slits in the wall. Sandheart became obsessed with those openings in the wall, trying nearly everything to get out. She wanted to learn about the outside world too, though Russetfur had told her how dangerous it was outside. But it was natural for a mother to tell her kit something she didn't understand was dangerous. Sandheart rebelled against her mother's wishes, becoming anti-enclosure you could say. One day, while Sandheart was gazing out through a hole in the wall, she saw something bright. It was scathingly bright, so bright it could blind. But it glowed a mysterious light that seemed to bake the land it touched. Sandheart was so fascinated by this big, glowing ball in the outside world. It intrigued her so much, she named her own little daughter Glow. Glow had yellow fur, which appeared to be the same color as the ball outside. Sandheart was a good mother, despite her strange ways of thinking. She taught Glow how to take care of herself, and all the other things mothers teach their babies. Sandheart died one day, falling from the wall she tried to climb to escape. Glow lives to this day, motherless but capable in a warped world.

Thanks Gosh for the explanation. c:

I suppose small jackals could, but it's completely up to you.

[Ten]

"Then allow me to further explain Sandhear'ts process of thinking."
--
Of course.


"And she intended to drill her own beliefs into Sandheart's head. But Sandheart was a rebel."
--
What made her a rebel? That is, how did Russetfur's method of raising her cause her to be rebellious? It can't just be that Russetfur drilled things into her, you see, because if a cat gets certain ideas drilled into them, they become like Shortwhisker, not a rebel.


"One day, while Sandheart was gazing out through a hole in the wall, she saw something bright. It was scathingly bright, so bright it could blind."
--
That reminds me. How was she able to look at the sun? Normal humans can look at the sun, somewhat, but these cats' eyes are accustomed to much more darkness than we are. Have you ever been in dim light and then had something bright shone in your eyes?


"It intrigued her so much, she named her own little daughter Glow. Glow had yellow fur, which appeared to be the same color as the ball outside."
--
Ah, I forgot about how she looked like the glow. Why didn't she call her Glowkit?


"Sandheart was a good mother, despite her strange ways of thinking. She taught Glow how to take care of herself, and all the other things mothers teach their babies."
--
She can't be obsessed with escape and still do well in the demanding career of motherhood at the same time.


"I suppose small jackals could, but it's completely up to you."
--
Which type of jackal are we talking about? If it's something like a golden jackal, then even if it's small for its species it'll still be too big to get in. The holes in the walls make good entrances for crickets, lizards, snakes, and small things like that.

[frosty]

You know when someone tells you not to do something, and your natural reaction us to do the opposite? That was Sandheart's process of thinking.

Sandheart just glimpsed at the sun. She didn't whip out a telescope and watch the sun like television. She was just fascinated enough with it to name her kit after it.

Which brings me to the next point. Sandheart was anti-Clan, which I forgot to mention. She didn't care for authority and rules and all that junk. She just wanted out. She didn't care for Clan names, so she thought 'Glow' would be appropriate.

Ah, alrighty. X Jackal- then.