"Barbarians" is not an uncommon word to hear uttered by outsiders as they depart from a meeting with JuniperClan cats. Brash, bold, and painfully outspoken, nobody ever needs to guess what a JuniperClan cat is thinking, much to the chagrin of every other cat around them. The other clans see JuniperClan as a loud, obnoxious bunch-- a common idiom passed around being JuniperClan cats are "All mouth, no mind." They often have a lot to say and are not seen as the concise, polite types.
It's said that JuniperClan cats are as rough and tumble as their environment, that the temperamental nature of the moor seeps into the pelts of those who occupy it. They're viewed as thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies, and more high energy cats might have a better time getting along with JuniperClan cats. They can be hard to pin down and get to know on a deeper level, as JuniperClan cats value their legacy far more than anything else and will go to just about any length to maintain it.
Other clans know that the quickest way to get a rise out of JuniperClan cats is to insult their reputation and heritage, something worn on the chest of most warriors hailing from the brushlands. JuniperClan cats are incredibly prideful, and they have a tendency of hiding their issues well under their outspoken exteriors. JuniperClan tends to not share their problems unless they are truly dire, desperate to handle their challenges on their own without looking weak to others.
JuniperClan cats vary greatly in size and shape unlike their sister clans, but the one thing that distinguishes a JuniperClan cat is their tendency towards dramatic, colorful patterns and coats. You'll seldom see a cat in JuniperClan that could be described as plain, with tabbies, torties, and otherwise strongly-patterned cats being the norm within the clan's ranks. Coats with patterns that break up their coloration tend to have better luck blending in with the mottled landscape of the chaparral, allowing for some greatly-needed camouflage in an environment where there are few places to hide.
Cats with appearances that might resemble the legacies of big cats such as panthers, tigers, cheetahs, lions, and especially cougars will have slightly inflated social statuses, with those cats typically having to carry on an expectation of elevated greatness-- especially tied to the general reputation of their respective big cat legacy.
To outsiders, JuniperClan cats have a reputation for being generally striking and attractive, though within the clan itself, this standard is very much the status quo. On the rare occasion that a cat within JuniperClan is plain-coated, their novel appearance can make them internally attractive on the basis of novelty-- though this may make them less effective at blending in with the territory for the purposes of hunting or ambush.
The territory JuniperClan stakes claim to is about as temperamental and bold as the cats within it. The chaparral is arid, dominated by shrubs and other low-growing plantlife. One might spot the occasional sparse copse of trees or small creeks as weather permits, but most of the territory consists of wide-sloping hills covered in brittle, wiry branches of woody plants and dry, leathery leaves. The summers are mild but long lasting, rain is are not common occurrences within JuniperClan where snow is unheard of. When rain falls, it pours and has a tendency to overrun the territory into a dangerous state-- water pools heavily in the lower spans of the valleys and floods towards SedgeClan in harsh, crashing waves. However, when the rain subsides, the valley will bloom in an explosion of color, bringing a short-lived period of excess and beauty.
Every few generations, the JuniperClan territory will be overtaken in a blaze of flames, a rolling wildfire that brings the entirety of JuniperClan's territory to its roots. The cats of JuniperClan have been raised on stories of the severe droughts that would precede these fires, and those who listen carefully to their elders have learned from the generations of tales in bravery and recovery from these spells. Some cats even pray for the fires to come as a means of cementing themselves as one of the bold cats who conquer, survive, and thrive through the flames in their own blaze of glory, hoping to live through in legacy as the cats of generations' past did, too.
In JuniperClan, one's destiny is carved in the stone of fate the moment a they enter the world. The job of a warrior is to follow their destiny with vigor and bravery, with the intention of etching so deep a legacy, cats will remember you for generations to come. In the eyes of JuniperClan, a strong, memorable legacy is the spiritual equivalent of achieving godhood-- when your legacy lives on, so do you. JuniperClan cats deeply value their birthrights-- the heritage you originate from is seen as an endorsement of you (this can apply in the adoptive sense as well, not strictly in a genetic sense.)
Traditional JuniperClan cats value a dramatic end-- your death is chosen and destined for you, but how you decide to meet it is what defines a cat in their last moments. Every cat seeks both a life and death that will be passed down as acts of heroism. To die quietly and passively is to pass on to the halls of memory without influence. Death is not seen as a negative thing, it is the moment you spend your whole life waiting for. It is your opportunity to leave your mark in the biggest, most dramatic possible way. It is for this reason, too, that fables and folk tales are so important to JuniperClan cats. Every time you pass on a story to another, you pass on the memory of your loved ones and your heritage.
Some JuniperClan cats value the big cats as the ultimate form of "godhood," in their sense of the word. It is considered high praise to be considered reminiscent of the myths of the large cats of legend: to resemble a large cat in appearance is considered a sign of great destiny.
Spoken word is the pulse that runs through the veins of JuniperClan-- encouraged to speak their minds and spare no opinion, the clan is known for being outspoken and bold. JuniperClan cats pride themselves in their desire to push boundaries and try new things, they don't see much of failure so long as you use those failures to push yourself further and learn from them. Cats are encouraged to listen well to stories told about their predecessors so they may internalize the lessons learned by those before them so they don't have to. These fables and stories are interwoven with life and education in JuniperClan, and it can lead way to a lot of romantics within their ranks as a result. Idealists to the end, JuniperClan loves mixing romanticism into reality. In this same vein, JuniperClan loves to celebrate and seek out the merriment in growth and achievement-- they'll find any excuse to toast to good news.
Individualism is a common practice within JuniperClan. While all warriors work together and come together for the common good, cats are expected to distinguish themselves and find what makes them special. Every cat's destiny is unique and it is a lifelong mission to find your calling in life-- this cannot be done by anyone but yourself. Sloth is not an attribute looked upon kindly by others; to sit by and not make the most of your life is confusing at best to JuniperClan cats and frustrating at worst. Every cat has something unique to contribute, why would you not try to find what your "something" is?
Ever-obsessed with their own destinies, some cats in JuniperClan like to tell one another's fortunes. More superstitious cats will make assumptions about their clanmates based on their birth, as well as claiming to see their fortunes read in their pelts or by arranging the bones of their prey. This is not a serious practice and something primarily done for fun for to entertain younger cats by elders.
Kits are typically named in memory of cats that are of great importance to the parents, believing that this both keeps the memory of their loved ones alive, and allows for the honored cat to look after the kit over the course of their life. Unlike in other clans, the leader does not pick the mentor of 6 moon old kits, but mentors are instead chosen by their parents, or whoever raised the kits. Apprentice ceremonies focus on the transferring of a kit's destiny to their mentor, and are incredibly sentimental.
Rather than deputies, JuniperClan has two Pioneers. Chosen by the leader, these are cats who are trusted to pave the way for great new things for their clan. When a leader passes away, the two Pioneers will battle one another until the other admits defeat or cannot keep fighting.
Birth and death are the biggest causes of celebration within JuniperClan culture. When a cat/couple brings a new generation into JuniperClan's ranks, the clan will erupt into congratulations and feast, sharing tongues and bringing gifts to the new litter and their parent(s.)
Similarly, when a cat meets their end, JuniperClan will decorate their body in vibrant colors of plantlife and herbs and share stories of the deceased, cementing their legacy and life into the memories of others. Food will be shared in their honor and the whole clan will bury them together, marking their grave with mementos and trinkets. JuniperClan cats will often maintain upkeep of graves of dead cats of great importance to them.
Like their sister clans, JuniperClan also celebrates the Greenleaf Solstice and Leafbare Solstice. For the former, JuniperClan cats host friendly competitions for the apprentices and young warriors, using this time to celebrate the growth and achievements of the upcoming generation. The winners of these challenges will often brag about their wins against the other clans for seasons. The latter is spent as a time of passing down myths and fables, sharing (often exaggerated) tales of their ancestors passed down through their families. JuniperClan cats will huddle together and take turns trying to scare or impress the younger cats, especially cats from other clans.
When a leader dies, the two Pioneers will duel for leadership. It is not a fight to the death, but rather a fight until another cat taps out or is unable to keep fighting. Once one cat has come out on top and earned the position of leader, the loser can choose to maintain their position under their new leader or step down entirely. Afterwards, the leader will promote one or two new cats into the position depending on if the other stepped down or maintained their position.
There are stories of a great fire returning to the chaparral every fifty or so generations. This great fire is said to return the territory down to its roots, preceding a period of great regrowth and prosperity would follow. Stories of these fires are retold down citing them as "Flames of Destiny."
28 moons prior to opening, JuniperClan was hit with a terrible famine in the midst of a very tough leafbare. While the JuniperClan cats tried to maintain their pride and fight through it, cats were growing weaker by the day, especially with the harsh chill relentless through the lack of cover offered by the moors. They struggled to find a solution, and things grew bleak when their leader, Fennelstar, refused meals entirely to feed their clan. He quickly found himself near death, prompting desperate action from one of the pioneers at the time, Storkstrike. Storkstrike demanded a small piece of SedgeClan land for leafbare in the name of keeping JuniperClan standing, but was met with resistance from the typical SedgeClan pushovers. They insisted they needed a valuable herb patch on the territory's line and refused to yield, instead trying to schedule meetings for compromise that would have taken too long.
A moon after the start of the famine, a small patrol led by Storkstrike went to the territory regardless to hunt by force, but was met with SedgeClan leader Sleetstar and her son, a healer. The SedgeClan cats tried to refer back to conflict-resolution meetings, but in an act of hunger-fueled desperation, JuniperClan attacked regardless-- they didn't have the time to spend at meetings. While they were able to control the small patch of territory for the season as a result of the battle, the SedgeClan healer died in the conflict that day. The food was enough to keep the clan alive through the season, but Fennelstar did not make it through; Storkstrike became Storkstar by leafbare's end.