Greenleaf / Summer
To Be Added
Summer gathering details will be added later.
Gatherings mark the turning of the seasons and the passage of each yearly cycle. They are the only formal times when all three tribes come together.
Weeks in advance, travelers announce their approach and coordinate timing between territories so no tribe is absent. These meetings are not political; they exist to exchange knowledge, recognize change, and preserve shared customs.
Newleaf / Spring
The First Light
Renewal, blessings, and the first sunrise of the new cycle.
Leaffall / Autumn
The Eternal Stretch
Trials, skill-sharing, and the passing of knowledge before leafbare.
Leafbare / Winter
To Be Added
Winter gathering details will be added later.
Newleaf / Spring
The First Light
The First Light marks the true beginning of a new cycle. It is held on the final night of leaf-bare and ends at the first sunrise of newleaf. This gathering centers on growth, intention, and renewal. It is an opportunity for each cat to choose what they will nurture in the coming year, within themselves, others, and the land. This is the only gathering that begins in darkness and ends at sunrise.
Blessings
Cats prepare their blessings ahead of time. Throughout the night, they offer them either privately to specific individuals or publicly when the tribes convene before dawn. Blessings are intentional acts, chosen to reflect a hope or wish the giver holds for the coming cycle.
Witnesses
Certain blessings must be given by specific witnesses: starbearers to successors, mates to one another, queens or kings to their kits, guards to their travelers, and overseers to their wanderlings. Witnessing binds the giver to the blessing beyond the night itself.
Common blessings include:
- Health
- Seeds, roots, or cuttings from medicinal plants, often prepared by caretakers or travelers.
- Life
- The introduction of a new kit, adopted wanderling, or starlet.
- Heart
- The announcement of a new mated pair.
- Soul
- The announcement of a new guard and traveler bond.
- Hope
- A spoken vow: a goal, journey, or change the cat intends to pursue. This may be repeated again at the next First Light, whether fulfilled or failed.
- Wayfinding
- An offer of instruction later in the cycle, typically from a waybound to a wanderling.
- Shelter
- Nesting materials or offers to share a den, usually to travelers or wanderlings.
- Remembrance
- A name or memory of any cat lost.
- Succession
- The introduction of a new successor.
- Journey
- The introduction of a new wanderling. Overseers that witness a blessing of journey are expected to guide that wanderling even if they later leave the tribe.
The Final Breath
As dawn approaches, the gathered cats line the ridge facing the horizon. When the sun crests the distant land, they draw in a single shared breath together, welcoming the new cycle and the work it will bring.
Leaffall / Autumn
The Eternal Stretch
Held mid-leaffall before the first hard frosts, the Eternal Stretch ensures that no skill is lost. Though the trials are competitive in nature, this gathering is rooted in mutual respect. Even those who do not compete take part by observing, encouraging, and exchanging knowledge.
The Trials
Any cat may participate - waybound, wanderlings, starbearers, travelers, and guards alike. The trials focus on common ways and skills, including:
- Hunting
- Combat
- Climbing
- Swimming
- Endurance
- Speed
- Tracking
Wanderlings are encouraged to compete across many trials. Even though they are pitted against more experienced cats, the goal is not necessarily to win, but to learn where their strengths lie and scout for possible mentors. Travelers and keepers watch them closely and may later suggest paths or disciplines they may not have considered.
Lasting Legacies
The strongest performer in each trial receives a token representing mastery, often something tied to the skill itself, such as an eagle feather for a leaping trial. Each winner also chooses another cat, typically a wanderling, to receive a secondary token recognizing their promise.
Tokens are kept for many moons, sometimes passed down after death to kin or presented as symbols of love to mates. They are considered charms of good luck and preparedness and are kept close during the leafbare following the Eternal Stretch.
The Passing
Before the gathering closes, the tribes acknowledge those who have joined, or will soon join, the keepers. These cats step back from regular duties and place themselves in the care of the caretakers.
During a ceremony known as the Passing, each speaks of the skills they can no longer perform and calls upon others to carry those skills forward in their name. These are usually passed to wanderlings and younger waybound. It is considered a great honor to carry a skill of the keepers and though it is not required, this is one of the only times it is acceptable for a cat to change their way.