Dark Forest

The Mysterious, The Defensive, & The Wild

Owned by the Senior team

Guardian

The Devouerer

Hunters

Stampleg

General Description

A land barren and cold, filled with thorned trees and drying briars. There is no life beyond the restless spirits who occupy these lands, and no sound save the creaking of The Devourer’s bones as he wanders the land. Cats who committed too many heinous crimes to remain in Starclan are banished to the Dark Forest where they will roam eternally. In some rare cases, Dark Forest cats may be forgiven by Starclan and allowed to roam the higher lands, but they will always have the red outline and scars that mark them as a Dark Forest cat.

Unlike Starclan, the Dark Forest is surprisingly connected much closer to the living realm. While they cannot give prophecies as Starclan cats do, they are able to appear in any and all dreams. They often take on young cats and train them in their dark ways, unbeknownst to the rest of the clan. Unlike in older times, the Dark Forest is no longer able to attack and harm cats in dreams, but that doesn’t mar their influential powers.

While the Dark Forest cannot harm mortals, many mortal cats have learned to recognize these evil cats and will attack them in dreams. If a living cat kills a Dark Forest member, then the spirit of the cat is banished back to the Dark Forest and they may not enter dreams until the following moon.

During the new moons, the barrier is the weakest and Dark Forest cats are seen in nearly all dreams. Many cats might request poppy seeds to put them in such a deep state that they will not dream. Some ghosts of the Dark Forest, like Silver, might be visible on the land but cannot speak or interact with the living, vanishing with the rising sun.

Equinoxes are a dark time for cats. During the beginning of new leaf and leaf fall, the Dark Forest cats are able to attack and maim the living through dreams. The catch is the living’s action, though, and they are the determiners of how equinoxes pass. If the living are to attack a Dark Forest cat within a dream, then the Dark Forest cats can fight back and kill a mortal cat.

The Guardians of Starclan stand guard by the passageway between the Dark Forest and Starclan, ensuring that no cats cross between them. While Starclan has the gentle Kestrelfall and Wolfstep, Starclan bears The Devourer. An ancient beast of legend, it is rumored that Starclan and the Darkforest alike fear his massive pawsteps. With flattened ears, spirits hunker deep into the marshy soil as they wait for his thorny body to vanish again.

Unlike the wondrous fields of StarClan, the Dark Forest is riddled with briar trees and red thorns. The land is marshie and cold, and many Dark Forest Cats will have longer fur to protect against the briars and cold world. Like Starclan, Dark Forest cats can also pass into the higher realms but if they choose that course of action, they are able to be harmed. Starclan may slay their spirits which will explode like ash upon the ground. Their bodies will be gone, but ash will forever stain the grass where they once stood.

Dark Forest Cats may also kill any trespassing StarClan cats. The Devourer is said to kill them with just his dark gaze, but others will only attack in an attempt to kill them and rid the stars from their forest. When a StarClan cat is killed, their body explodes with a brilliant light and stars fall upon the earth. Cats who were once StarClan and become Dark Forest are still able to be attacked and killed, but most cats won’t with these ex-StarClanners.

Special Ranks

Guardians

The Dark Forest Cats who guard the passageway between their realm and Starclans. Unlike the frequently changing Starclan Guardians, The Devourer has guarded the Dark Forest ever since anyone could remember. Like Starclan Guardians, Dark Forest Guardians are also strongly connected to clan leaders and will often give one of their lives. They bear the form of either a wild cat or a big cat, The Devourer currently resembles a large panther. Only Guardians can slay other Guardians, and they often avoid conflict with one another.

Hunters

Often Ex-Starclan cats, this rank is specifically tasked with war. Fierce, battle hungry, and vengeful, they will slay any Starclan cat they can. Many also have started off as ghosts and will create as much trouble as they can on earth. This band is often the first to step from the Dark Forest on an eclipsed equinox, and rarely expand their ranks

Warriors

The most common rank, these are simply cats who have passed away. They wander the Dark Forest and dream walk, recruiting young clan cats to the Forest and training them to perform wickedly in battle. If a cat remains alongside their teachings, then at 100 moons the Dark Forest will kill their mortal body and claim their soul. The cats who revel in this become warriors, while the ones who don’t become ghosts or Lost Ones.

Lost Ones

Cats who were killed by their Dark Forest mentor and wish to return home. They can wander Starclan with no harm coming to them, but can also not attack nor defend themselves. Not much is known about them, but it’s said that they wander the ancestral realm eternally, wishing to find their ways back home. Instead of black scarring, Lost Ones always have black tears down their cheeks, similar to ghosts.