The Cobweb is a mysterious group of cats who reside in The Burrow, a small cave in which the founders of the group were trapped moons before settling there permanently. They are ubicated in the Great Desert.
Description[]
The Cobweb is a group of passive cats established in a cenote (a natural pit formed inside a flooded cave) whose main purpose is, in their own words, "give home and shelter to other cats who need it". It's not rare to see this rogue group hanging around the nearest Twolegplace, looking for any cats that they can possibly help and support. They have a small ranking system, Leaders and Priests being above of every other rank. While they have the leadership of the group, they also are in charge of the health and well-being of the members. Unlike clans, only the decendants of the founders can become leaders or priests, and they cannot be chosen by the previous leader.
Cobweb cats commonly mark themselves with trails of mud and sludge, creating unique patterns on their fur that are easy to identify. It helps them to differentiate themselves from other cats, groups or even possible intruders in the group's territory. This custom, however, originates from the founders smearing mud on their backs and paws as a way to protect from the low temperatures of the cave.
Its territory is near of Twolegplace (also known as "Deadlands" to them). Their prey consists mostly of rodents and birds, although they can come to extremes of eating insects and lizards if starving, as seen in Rebellion. They don't hold any attributes nor common traits outside of camouflage since they accept outsiders join the group quite easily, with the exception of leaders and priests due to the reason mentioned above.
The group's origins are certainly untrue, having been lost over time and little to nothing known about its founders and story, although some well-spread rumors on Deadlands and the leader's own tellings may indicate to a dispute between rogues that resulted in a permanent exile from the town. According to Beetles and Damselfly, this exiled group of cats would flee to the woods and there, take refuge on a small cave that wouldn't last long before it collapsed and got the group trapped under it's ruins. Only a few cats got to survive, and while half of them left, the other half decided to try and reform the group, they saw an opportunity to turn what used to be their doom into a new home.
Territory[]
The group's camp is located inside of a deep, rock filled cave, its entrance being quite narrowed and covered by some tall grass and thorn bushes. There's sharp stones surrounding the cave's edges that act as shield for it. Inside of the cave is a large, but not so deep pond in the middle, which is used as the main source of water for the group. Despite the cave being quite spacious, there's not hollow places and therefore, not any dens, which forces the members of The Cobweb to sleep piled up. The cave has also some small cracks where sun passes, and are often used to store herbs and fresh-kill.
The group's nests are mostly made of leaves, feathers, plants, and any other soft thing that the cats can scavenge from outside. The cave has also underground tunnels, result of the founders originally digging them to escape from the cave ruins, these tunnels, however, are currently used to exile members that have betrayed the group.
Landmarks[]
- Bright Meadow: A part of the xeric shrubland near Deadlands borders that's used for training, hunting, or simply hanging out. Its bushes being a great place to hide during hunts and ambushes. Although the group doesn't have a permanent hunting ground, Bright Meadow works as its main one and is considered a vital part of the groups territory. Bright Meadow is also the home of other animals besides of cats, some being prey and others rather dangerous to encounter, such as foxes, rattlesnakes and hawks. On the other hand, Bright Meadow provides a decent supply of insects (scorpions, grasshoppers, spiders, centipedes etc.) all of them being part of the group's diet along of mice and birds that are native of the desert. Some other animals that cannot be prey due to their sizes and strenght include armadillos, and white-tailed deers. Bright Meadow is the only place where Waterthorns grow (medicinal cacti whose flesh is used by leaders to heal wounds faster and relieve pain).
Other medicinal plants/herbs that can be found in Bright Meadow are wildflowers. Just to say some, wildflowers like plumeseed and sand verbena are eaten to soothe bellyaches. Brittlebush petals, root and stem are turned into a poultice to treat sunburns. It can also be crushed into juice and put onto a cat's pelt to keep their body fresh or reduce body temperatures. Chia seeds give a cat strength upon eating them (can be wrapped on a leaf to ease its swallowing) etc. Wildflowers usually bloom during Newleaf or after a rain, but otherwise are hard to find in other seasons.
Ranks[]
- Leader: Maximum authority of the group, the leader is meant to ensure the welfare and health of the members and at the same time take care of the cave. While having leadership of the group, they also have the role of a medicine cat, their healing knowledge being passed from gen to gen. They, along of priests, have the task to assist immediately when a cat is injured or a wasp is going to have kits soon (and attend them during their pregnancy as well).
Leaders usually have a rather slender body, as well that a small height, which makes them “weaker” than most of the other cats and therefore have to be scorted by stingers during battles or when leaving the camp. It is believed that this appearance is due to the bodies of the first founders adapting to the deplorable conditions that the cave had at the time (such as the narrow space or the lack of vital resources like prey or water), however, it is more likely that these are just breed features that have been inherited.
- Priest: Not all the duties can be managed by one cat, sometimes, the leader may need help from someone else if feeling overwhelmed by all their tasks or if they are injured/ill, that's what priests do. Priests aren't so different from a clan's deputy, but they are not exactly the same. Priests take the place of the leader when they are not in conditions to lead the group properly and will preceed them inmediatly after their death/retirement, however, priests cannot be chosen by the leader, they have to be someone of their kin (commonly a sibling or the leader's offspring). Priests are personally mentored by leaders since a young age, learning about herbs, its medicinal usage and where to look for them.
- Stinger: Every cat needs to know at least the basic of self-defense and fight, even kittypets. Stingers have advanced fighting and hunting lessons in order to protect both the group's territory and themselves, but also to know how to survive in the wild if left alone at some point. It doesn't matter if the cat is a kittypet or if they are older than six moons, they will (and must) be teached since the group thinks its important for a cat to be self-sufficient. They fullfil the role of a Warrior in the group, providing food and security. They also are tasked to prowl the group's camp often and train cocoons to become strong stingers.
- Helper: No cat should be left behind for any circumstance. Helpers have a special job, when a stinger, kit, cocoon, etc. has a disability (blindness, deaf or lacking one of their paws) whether natural or due to an accident, a partner is assigned to help them
Examples: If a cocoon is deaf, the helper will teach them how to speak through signals.
If a cocoon is blind, the helper will teach them how to be guided by sounds, like a bat.
Terms[]
- Wasp: The equivalent of the permanent queens in the group, wasps are she-cats who retire to give their time to kits, whether they are theirs or not. Parents are also allowed to take care of them but is not really frequent. Toms that take care of kits are called "Bumblebees"
- Patient: Term for cats that have been taken by the group to help them, still not being assigned with a rank due to multiple factors. A patient is not necessarily an ill or injured cat, it may be also a cat whose mental state is not the best and that needs emotional support from the group. Patients can choice to either stay and get a rank, or leave once their healing is done.
- Cocoon: The term for apprentices in the group.
- Wise: The term for elders in the group.
Customs[]
- "Is a place where all trace of life that could have existed has now perished. A place where only bloodthirsty monsters like Guardians and Tallcatchers can live in without being affected by the intense heat and hunger"
- —Damselfly telling the other cats about Deadlands Maple's Wish, Page ???
Unlike clans and tribes, the group doesn't believe in any form of afterlife, nor shows any signs of worship to their ancestors, however, the group does have some beliefs related to Deadlands, mostly based on previous experiences and the group's prejudices.
Since the founding of the group, the cats of The Cobweb believe firmly that their destiny is to help other cats, notably cats that roam/live in Deadlands such as loners. Deadlands can be considered as the equivalent of underworld for them, due to it's low vegetation, be the home of feared and mysterious creatures (I.e. twolegs, monsters, dogs etc.), and its pollution be the main cause of various diseases that are unknown for leaders, like ringworm and rabies. They believe that outsiders should not spend too much time on Deadlands, as they are prone to be killed or get abducted by a twoleg at any moment.
Deadlands borders are always patrolled by Guardians (dogs), ferocious beasts that are usually tamed by Tallshapes (twolegs) and live caged on Tallshapes nests, although sometimes they may not have a Tallshape to take care of them or are even hostile to Tallshapes. There's also cats that are tamed by Tallshapes to become their playthings, and can be identified by the tight collars that Tallshapes force them to wear.
Terminology[]
The Cobweb cats have different language terms than those of a normal clan
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
|
Hawk-marks Newflower Drought-season Fallen-sky Wind-current Wasp Wise Hooves Guardian Streetheart Fleapair Grownkit Tallshape Deadlands Snakehooves Wanderer Devourer Bright devourer Pigskunk Smelly pile Blackscales Tallcatcher Giant Mottledfoot |
Deaths caused by predators, tallshapes or hooves Newleaf Greenleaf Leaf-fall Leaf-bare Queen Elder Monster/Car Dog Loner Rogue Kittypet Twoleg Twolegplace Thundersnake Clan cat / Tribe cat / Cat from other group Fox Coyote Badger Silver Boulder Cutter Sharptooth Bobcat |
Ceremonies[]
N/A
History[]
In The Misty Cities arc[]
Losing Stars[]
Coming soon!
Dusk[]
Coming soon!
Rebellion[]
Coming soon!
In the Super Editions[]
Maple's Wish[]
Coming soon!
Trivia[]
Author Statements[]
- Sleepypover thinks that "The Cobweb" is her best article on this wiki yet, despite all the drastic changes it has gone through.
Gallery[]
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