Scrappers don’t have a set age they have kits to start their training, though the minimum age for a kit to begin training if they want is 6 moons. When a kit decides to start training, they become Juniors. Kits can only leave the Outpost if they’re 6 moons or older, though notably kits who are older than 6 moons but have not decided to start their apprenticeship yet are usually not allowed to leave camp as a somewhat unofficial rule.

When a kit decides to enter apprenticeship, the colony gathers in the center of camp to hold their ceremony. Though there isn’t a hard set script of what the Headmasters say, it always follows a certain structure. A Headmaster (of any role) will greet the group and announce they’ve come together to celebrate the start of the young cat(s) apprenticeship(s). The kit will be asked what role they wish to pursue, and once announced, the Headmaster of the chosen role will step forward and declare the kit a Junior and welcome them officially into the role, touching their nose to the young cat’s forehead. 

If the kit wants to have a primary mentor, they’re allowed to ask for one, in which case the Headmaster will call the cat forward and announce them as a teacher, asking them to do their best in teaching the young kit everything they know. With this, the ceremony is over and cats are free to return to their duties!

Every cat is taught how to hunt and fight to defend themselves no matter the role. Juniors can then choose if they want to be healers, crafters, explorers or monarchs (though usually most monarchs change into the role from their original one when older). Even with a primary mentor chosen, all cats under a job are expected to offer a paw in one way or another to the juniors, as many minds think better than just one. Throughout their apprenticeship, the juniors will have their progress checked on by their respective Headmasters, who are in charge of making sure things are going smoothly.

When a junior graduates usually depends on their progress as a whole and skillset, with the usual age for cats to fully grow into their jobs at 13-14 moons old. They have no specific test or assessment of skill to determine when a cat is ready or not, though it’s common for more experienced cats to make little challenges for juniors to test their skills. The Headmaster of a junior’s role is the one who will officiate the end of their apprenticeship and welcome them formally as a fully trained adult of the Scrappers. The Headmaster asks the cat if they believe they are ready to serve their colony with their full potential, and upon saying yes, the Headmaster will touch their nose to the cat’s forehead and officiate the decision.

Fully graduating is always quite a party, especially when it comes to the custom carried out by the Scrappers for generations. Inside the junkyard building, countless paw prints of colored pigments paint the walls, each signifying a junior who successfully completed their training. The newly graduated cats will be given a color of their choice and allowed to choose where they wish to leave their print, cementing themselves as a member of the Metal Scrappers.

Death, although natural, is always a blow to most Scrappers, having their loved one be taken from them. Even though they have the resources to live a comfortable life, the desert is still a harsh place and it takes as much as it gives.

When a cat dies and the body is able to be recovered, they’re taken to the colony’s burial grounds, among the section of the junkyard where countless rows of cars were left to rust and crumble. Cats are buried near the cars, their bodies protected from any unwelcome scavenger looking for an easy meal. Loved ones bring trinkets, accessories and other items the deceased owned or that had great significance to them to place around the body before it’s buried.

Gravestones are usually made by those closest to the cat, making a diverse array of all kinds of gravestones as cats make their loved one’s best represent them in life. Be it from clay, scrap metal, rocks or human items - it’s up to their remaining family and friends to choose.

Being such a diverse group of cats, the Metal Scrappers don’t quite have any specific faith or general set of beliefs they follow, each cat having the freedom to choose their own, if any at all. Some cats believe there is no afterlife, some believe that when cats die they return to the earth and become plants, along with many others. It’s very clear that when it comes to faith, it’s to each their own.

The only general belief that some cats still carry comes from many cycles ago, when the colony was founded. Though a great part of those beliefs have been lost and changed over time, cats whose families have resided in the Scrappers for many generations tend to adopt them. It was said that when cats die, they become stars to watch over the living and guide them through life. Different cats have different interpretations of this faith, but it often retains this shared belief.

Because of their affinity to create, gift-giving as a gesture of affection is very prominent among the Metal Scrappers. Be it a gift to a friend, a mate, your kits, anyone - it’s a sure way to make a cat’s day! Of course, this can also be done between cats with less than ideal relationships, with prank gifts being a common way to get back at someone for one thing or another. Prank wars are very much a thing, indeed!

Gifting new parents after the birth of a litter is a common tradition, with both the parents and the kits receiving something to congratulate them on the expansion of the family and the creation of new life. After all, some cats see it as one of the greatest creations one can make: life.

For Scrappers, finding love is something to celebrate. Still, each cat has their own way to go about finding and declaring it. Be it small trinkets left in one’s nest, a grand construction with a bold announcement, there are quite a few ways Scrapper cats choose to court each other. Because gifting is so common outside of courting though, it’s well known that one should make their courtship clear if that’s part of their intentions, otherwise they may end up with a broken heart from a missed hint.

As a new cycle begins with the arrival of Spring, the Metal Scrappers have created a fun little tradition they hold at the start of every Spring to celebrate a new cycle with love and happiness, as well as a lot of creativity.

The colony will come together to have a Build Battle, an event where all cats can participate no matter their job and age. Of course, kits are allowed to be part of the event if they’re at least 3 moons old, as the building might be too much for very young kittens to partake in. Nevertheless, young kittens are given soft clay and safe items to participate in their own way as they watch.

In the Build Battle, cats can choose to participate on their own or in groups to create something. What is that something? Anything, really! Here, your creativity is the limit and the event encourages cats to think outside the box, making the best thing they can with the skills they have.

The building starts at dusk and lasts until the moon is at its highest in the sky, but the preparations and gathering of materials usually happen in the days leading up to it. Once the time for building is over, the colony comes together to inspect everyone’s craft, each cat given a stone they can use to vote on their favorite one.

When all votes are cast, the Headmasters will take the time to count the votes and announce the winner of the cycle. The craft with the most votes gets a special spot in the center of camp, where it’ll stay for the rest of the cycle! There isn’t really a prize aside from that, unless you count the bragging rights, of course!