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The Wayfinders
The Wayfinders
Resilience - Community - Adaptability
Resilience - Community - Adaptability
Quite the hardy colony of cats, the Wayfinders have mastered the art of travelling around the desert using the stars and constellations in the night sky to guide their path and survive the harsh environment they live in. Because of this, the colony is incredibly tight-knit and community focused, striving to work together as one to make it through their hardships.
Ranks and Roles
Ranks and Roles
The Northern Star
The Northern Star
The Wayfinder's Leader, the cat responsible for guiding the group in their journeys and keeping the colony safe during their travels. They’re the one who decides where the group will stay and for how long. Expected to be an excellent navigator.
Navigators
Navigators
Two cats who serve as the Northern Star’s left and right paw. They work to help make sure the leader can handle all their duties, becoming a figure of secondary authority under the leader. Their organize festivities and traditions, along with leading important events. The next Northern Star is picked out of one of the two.
Elders
Elders
A small part of the group, if any at all. It’s not a secret that living the way the Wayfinders do is full of dangers and reaching old age is a great feat. Elders are seen as part of leadership, even if that’s somewhat unofficial. Cats who have lived the longest know the most, and knowledge is power.
Hunters
Hunters
The majority of the colony. They are trained to hunt and fight for the safety of the colony as well as their own. All Wayfinder cats are taught how to navigate, since getting lost and separating from the group is a very real and likely danger.
An unofficial sub-role in the colony are the Weavers - Hunters who dedicate most of their time practicing the weaving skills the group has perfected over generations. Cats who are skilled weavers are very valuable to the Wayfinders, as most of their resources are stored in woven bags when travelling as well as making their settlement camps
Scouts
Scouts
Cats with amazing navigation skills, responsible with looking out for any danger the group might stumble into when travelling. They’re tasked with going ahead of the group and bringing back news of anything important. Despite being their own role, they’re also responsible for hunting for the group.
Tenders
Tenders
The healers and monarchs of the colony, tenders are responsible for caring after the health and well-being of other cats. They’re fully trained in all the ways of healing and all sorts of illnesses and issues, especially when it comes to herbs as they won’t always be available.
Kits
Kits
Cats under six moons, who spend their time playing and learning the stories of the Wayfinders under the care of tenders and their parents.
Trainees
Trainees
The younger cats, having reached the age of 6 moons and starting their training officially.
Colony Life
Colony Life
The Wells
The Wells
The Wayfinders, as nomads, lay claim to no single home. Instead, they travel annually to a set of three camps made around wells found long ago by their ancestors, allowing them to thrive in the desert despite the major lack of water. These wells are the Wayfinder's lifelines and keeps the colony alive in the long run. For many years now, the group has traveled between three different wells, each with their unique traits and relevance to them.
As such, the colony follows an order at which they change from each of them for many years now, rarely ever changed. From the Polaris Well they travel to the Little Sprout Well, followed by the Sharp Point Well. When reaching the third one, the colony goes back to the first and the cycle begins anew.
Little Sprout Well
Little Sprout Well
Named for the notably lush area around the immediate vicinity of the water, the Little Sprout Well is known to all Wayfinder cats as the most peaceful of the three. Due to the easy journey to arrive here from the Polaris Well, the Little Sprout Well is notably the choice for most cats to decide to have their kits.
The added safety from predators as well as the better access to herbs makes this the perfect settlement for cats to give birth and for kits to grow as well as the fact the journey to the Sharp Point Well isn’t extremely harsh on the kits as they’re ready to travel. This is also where tenders make sure to restock on herbs and keep cats healthy.
Peccaries and anteaters can be seen here a lot more often compared to the other wells. The plants and herbs also attract a lot of rodents, usually being a place where the Wayfinders can make sure they’re healthy and prepared for their following journey.
The Polaris Well
The Polaris Well
The very first well found by their founder Lightstar, the Polaris Well is the largest of all three. Despite its name, the well is not the northernmost well of the three, located in the West instead. The name is to signify its importance to the group rather than pointing out where it is.
Because of its size, the Wayfinders are able to spend a lot more time at the Polaris Well compared to the other two, making it a comfortable settlement to rear kits when possible. It’s not extremely common though, as the journey to arrive is the hardest of them all. This Well is where the Northern Star takes their blessing from the Starwalkers when first stepping into leadership, regardless of becoming leader while staying in the other ones.
Although it is nowhere as lush as Little Sprout, this well sports a large number of low growing bushes and shrubs that provide a good amount of shelter from larger predators, with long grasses often used by the cats to weave their tools and pouches. Seeing armadillos is quite common around it, along with tortoises and the occasional wood fox. It’s not very common, but wolves have been seen to roam around if one wanders far enough from the water.
Sharp Point Well
Sharp Point Well
Despite being the last well in the Wayfinder’s route when travelling, the Sharp Point Well was the second one to be discovered by the colony during its early years. Aptly named for the large rock that comes to a point tall in the sky and provides a landmark reference near it, the Sharp Point Well is a lot more barren compared to the other two.
Most of the vegetation surrounding it is thorny bushes and cacti, proving to be both an obstacle and a protective barrier against more curious predators. With time, tenders cultivated and cared for the thorn bushes around the immediate area where the colony settles into a thorny, spiky barrier. An entrance is kept clear, so that cats can come and go unharmed.
The presence of red wolves and cougars, along with other predators is extremely high in this area, with all cats being reminded of the dangers around them every time the Wayfinders settle here. Evidently, this well has the most markers for deceased cats compared to the other two.
The easiest journey the Wayfinders make is the one from the Polaris Well to the Little Sprout Well. That’s why most cats try to time their pregnancies to be around this period, where there is less to worry about compared to the other routes. Of course, it's not a completely harmless travel, as wood foxes and other predators like cougars may sometimes cross paths with the colony.
The journey after that is to the Sharp Point Well, considerably trickier than the previous one but still considered of relative safety, being suitable for young kits to travel after their time at Little Sprout. Many of the colony's kits began sharpening their senses in this very path, gaining their confidence as theit first journey as Wayfinders.
After that comes the deadliest travel of them all between the Sharp Point Well to the Polaris Well. Not only because it is the longest distance of all of them, but also due to the high number of predators and other dangerous animals in the way, most of which are red wolves. The terrain is rockier and hard to traverse, proving deadly to unsteady or untrained paws. This is sadly where a lot of Wayfinder cats usually die for multiple reasons. Because of this, the route from Sharp Point to the Polaris Well is called the Wolf’s Pass.
Settlements
Settlements
Because of their way of life, the Wayfinders only have certain periods of time when they can truly have a camp and settle down. These camps are of extreme importance to them, as they become their homes for a period of around 3 to 4 moons before they prepare to move again. As such, they have been perfected with time through trial and error until they became what the Wayfinders use today.
When living in one of the three wells, the Wayfinders have a few burrows that were once found and re-purposed, or entirely made by the cats themselves. With the constant heat and change in temperature, the Wayfinder cats looked to other desert animals to learn how to survive, perfecting it over time.
Each well has around 4 to 6 burrows that the Wayfinders use as their dens, maintaining their structure whenever living in them. Usually made from a once abandoned burrow, they line the ground with woven grass mats to have a more comfortable sleeping area. The earth keeps the warmth out during the day as they sleep, while keeping the burrow comfortably warm during cold nights.
The Wayfinders also close the burrows when needed, like during sandstorms or for the nursery so little kittens can stay safe from the outside. Usually made with the same mats used to line the floors, they reinforce it with sticks to make it hardy and less fabric-like, wedging it at the burrow’s exit.
Some of the burrows were made manually by the colony, though not all of them are still being used today as the older burrows weren’t as stable since the cats were still learning how to properly make them. Still, maintaining their present ones is just as important, and learning to upkeep them is quite important.
When not in the wells, however, the colony hides their usual sleeping arrangements in secret stashes so other animals and the elements don’t damage their woven crafts. For added safety, they also stuff the immediate entrance with whatever bush or shrub they can find so other animals don’t make themselves at home.
Travelling and Navigating
Travelling and Navigating
When not settled in any of the wells, the Wayfinders are out in the desert travelling to their next destination, which sometimes can take moons under bad circumstances. They move during dusk and at night using the stars to navigate, taking the time of day to sleep to avoid the desert heat. Usually the group sleeps in the open, using shrubs and whatever foliage they can find as an extra safety measure to hide, with Scouts taking shifts to keep watch over the group as they sleep. Finding the occasional burrow is uncommon but happily used when possible! Still, they also travel with smaller fabrics that can become little tents with the usage of whatever stick, branch or rocky formation available. These are usually set up when the group has injured cats, nursing monarchs and/or kits for added safety.
The same fabrics are also used in the case of dust storms, though the Wayfinders don’t make tents. Instead, they all bundle down together, with the fabric covering them and being tucked under the cats who are at the edge, making sure most sand stays out and the fabric doesn’t fly away. They make sure to have enough in case of surprise dust storms, so no cat is left out. Usually, elders, injured cats, nursing monarchs and kits go in the middle, surrounded by the rest of the group.
All cats have a job to do when the colony is moving, using teamwork and connection as a community to keep themselves together. Because of the resources they try to keep with the group at all times, some cats take turns carrying items on their back with the aid of woven supports like bags and pouches. Trainees are usually on carry duty when not training to hunt, fight and navigate. It helps them build their strength as well as their sense of responsibility.
The Northern Star is the cat in charge of charting the colony's travel route and course of action. Wayfinders use ancient navigation techniques to prevent themselves from getting lost in the desert, using the sky as their compass during the day, but most importantly, at night.
Visit the Navigation Page to learn more about how they travel.
Common Appearance
Common Appearance
Wayfinders are most commonly red or cinnamon, most of them having the dilute or caramel dilute gene, helping their colors blend into the desert landscape to give them the camouflage they need when hunting. Tortoiseshell cats are quite common! There are also quite a few chocolate pelts and its dilutes, and while there are some dilute black (gray) cats, it's not very often a true black cat is seen among them.
Tabby patterns like agouti, ticked, spotted and classic/broken mackerel are quite prominent, though other tabbies like classic are also present to a degree. Not that many Wayfinder cats are solid, due to most of them being some form of tabby or red, but still possible!
Because of the disadvantage it gives them in the desert, white spotting is always some level of little to no white at all, mostly due to the survival rates of those who lived long enough to have kits of their own not having a lot of white. Still, markings like mitts/socks, tail tips and chest spots are common. It’d be impossible for a fully white cat to be born of the Wayfinder, meaning the only way for the colony to have a fully white cat is by taking in an outsider or if a kit had a genetic mutation that made them white.
Their fur is short and well adapted to keep them cool while also protecting them from the beating sun, with the fur between their toes and under their paws being considerably longer to provide protection from searing hot ground.
Acess to Resources
Acess to Resources
Wayfinders have learned to use everything in the desert to the best of their advantages. Sometimes the line between life and death can be changed by a single resource, something every wayfinder cat should know at heart. Without the reliability of having certain things always available as they move, these cats try to expect the unexpected, especially when it comes to injuries and sickness.
Most notably, the Wayfinders usually go very long periods of time without drinking water. They survive through their prey, getting the moisture to hydrate themselves from the consumption of rodents, lizards, birds and anything else they can get their claws on. They also take advantage of warmer seasons when the humidity in the air gathers during mornings, lapping up morning dew as an added source of hydration.
Tenders are trained extensively in the use of every possible plant they may come across along with where they can find certain types of herbs. It’s a lot to remember, which usually means all tenders are always learning no matter how old they are. From life-saving herbs to harmful plants and useful materials, the list goes on. Most tenders always carry pouches and bags with a handful of different plants, especially if they know they won’t be able to find certain herbs on specific stretches of travels.
Wayfinders have perfected the art of weaving and use it to their advantage at any chance. It’s their lifeline when it comes to keeping resources on themselves during travels, with pouches and bags carrying all the essentials they need at paw. Warriors and trainees take turns carrying the brunt of their resources, mostly made up of larger woven tarps used for dust storm shelters and makeshift tents for cats who may need it.
When water is available to them, the colony treats it with the utmost respect and care, as it is the source of all life. Because of this, every Wayfinder cat is taught from the moment they’re born about the importance of it and how much it means to them. They take this extremely seriously and the misuse and/or waste of water is seen as one of the worst things a cat can do, sometimes leading to considerable punishment. Of course, the colony is more lenient with kits and younger cats as they grow and learn, but still get punished accordingly to understand their ways, even if it’s the hard way.
They know how to ration their water well in situations that might call for it, always reminded to never use even a single drop more than they need. In times of prosperity, the wells are filled with water and the group can enjoy a stress free period of time where they focus on bettering their skills in navigating, weaving and hunting, but never becoming indulgent. To disrespect a water source is to disrespect nature itself.
Wayfinder Culture
Wayfinder Culture
Traditions and Customs
Traditions and Customs
- Apprenticeship and Ceremonies:
- Apprenticeship and Ceremonies:
Wayfinders believe that every individual has great potential and something to give to the group. As early as their time as kits, every cat is taught about the roles of the group, how their way of life is and gently guided to whichever path seems to call to them. Of course, it’s not uncommon for parents to place heavy expectations on their kits to follow a specific path, but the group is usually very accepting of the choices no matter what they are, seeing all the roles are extremely important to the colony.
When reaching 6 moons, the group will hold a ceremony where the Northern Star welcomes the kits as trainees and asks what role they want to pursue. The apprentice will then be given a mentor, though all of the group is encouraged to help train the younger cats. Ceremonies like this are usually held at night and are followed by a small celebration with all the group, with games and more. The apprenticed cats often receive a gift of a woven accessory like a bracelet, ankled, necklace or something similar.
Different jobs take different times to be learned and the Wayfinders believe slow and steady wins the race. Rushing to “be the best” isn’t quite the mentality they seek to nurture, as one overconfident step may mean death to more than one cat. For this reason, trainees are usually deemed fully trained at around 13-16 moons old.
Before a Wayfinder trainee can graduate, they must pass a common test all young cats go through. The trainee or trainees that are to receive their full name will be tasked to navigate a patrol to hunt (or gather herbs for tenders) away from the main group at night to a certain location, then bringing the patrol back home safely. This is to test their navigation and planning skills as well as their teamwork and leadership.
Graduations are seen as extremely important occasions as death is way too common for younger cats and reaching adulthood is no small feat. The ceremony is also held at night and the graduating cat(s) are showered in love and praise, given wishes of good health and a bright future and any other treats the group can afford to spare for the special occasion. They will also have a period of time where they should sit alone to watch the stars, to bond with their ancestors now as an adult rather than a kit. It’s not a silent vigil, however, and cats are allowed to speak if they so wish.
- Burial Rites and the Afterlife:
- Burial Rites and the Afterlife:
As all things one day come to an end, Wayfinders are no strangers to death. When a member of the colony dies, they all mourn greatly and do their best to give their respects to their lost family and friends. Because of their lifestyle, the way they bury their dead is often pretty varied.
That is, well, they don’t often bury them. Wayfinders believe that to die is to become one with the world once again, as a cat’s soul takes to the stars and no longer need their bodies, it should be given to nature to reclaim. That doesn’t mean they leave their deceased out in the open randomly, not at all.
If the body can be recovered, the Wayfinders place it somewhere scavengers can find it with ease, but usually a ways away from the paths they often travel through, as to avoid the increase in predators looking for food there. They try to place farewell gifts around the body, usually flowers and plants if available or simply pretty rocks. After preparation, a small rock marker is left nearby to signify a Wayfinder cat was laid to rest there. This serves as a small place of comfort for the loved ones left behind who might want to visit someone they lost.
In the case the colony is settled at one of the wells when a cat passes away, they still do the same, though often there’s specific places they leave the body as to keep their settlement safe, with the marker for the lost cat being placed either close to the body’s resting place or the well if their loved ones wish.
The Wayfinders don't believe the afterlife is a specific place cats go, but rather, that they turn into stars and become free to travel beyond places most Wayfinders could ever imagine. They call them Starwalkers, as they move in the night sky to reach their destinations. Some are believed to stay over the Wayfinders, keeping their guiding stars shining bright so they never get lost, looking over their loved ones as cycles go by.
Those who did unspeakable, horrible things are believed to never reach the sky, instead becoming a grain of sand in the vast desert, with no control of where they go but to follow the wind as it forces them to move.
- The Welcoming:
- The Welcoming:
Due to the importance of the wells to the Wayfinders, arriving at one after a long journey is always a time to celebrate. They’ve made it! And getting through the desert is no small feat despite the practice of doing it for many years. The Wayfinders have what they call the Welcoming whenever they arrive at one of the wells - this consists of a celebration where they have to begin enjoying the more stable parts of their busy life, where they can settle down and have a more stable routine.
It usually lasts a couple days, varying depending on how things go and the time of day when arriving. The first part of the Welcoming is when the Wayfinders take the time to drink water! The Navigators are in charge of organizing the colony to make sure everything goes smoothly and that the well is respected during use. After hydrating, the group starts setting up for their stay in the well, either doing it right away if the cats are still energized from a short day’s travel or after a good sleep to make sure they can all get to work. Hunters go to the spot where the materials to organize the burrows are hidden away and start organizing them.
In the meantime, the best scouts along with one of the navigators are sent on a patrol to scout prey for the Great Hunt, traveling under the cover of night to search for their target. After the Great Hunt is carried out a day or so later, how they continue depends on the Hunt’s success. If they succeed, a great feast is held for all the Wayfidners and they celebrate under the night sky, giving thanks to their ancestors for the success of their hunters. If the Hunt fails, the colony still celebrates, eating that day’s regular catches instead.
The Welcoming comes to an end when after the initial few days of glee simmer out and regular daily life comes about.
- The Great Hunt:
- The Great Hunt:
A long held tradition among Wayfinders, the Great Hunt is the name of the big event that happens during the Welcomings. Coming together in a large, coordinated hunting patrol, the Great Hunt is when the Wayfinder hunters and scouts track down and hunt large scale prey, giving the occasion its grand title.
Despite this, the colony goes after reasonably sized animals that they can manage not only to kill but also to move. Their favored prey for this endeavor are usually grey brockets, as they’re pretty big to feed the colony for a long time but still manageable to hunt. In cases they feel more confident or no brocket deer were found, the Wayfinders might try to hunt a peccary, but they usually prefer leaving them alone as peccaries can be quite dangerous despite being shorter than a brocket deer.
How many cats participate during a Great Hunt varies each time, but certainly at least 6 to 8 cats are always present. There have been Hunts with 12 cats involved during them before, one of the most historically acclaimed Great Hunts the Wayfinders still remember today.
The Great Hunt technically starts after the arrival of the Wayfinders at their wells, with a Navigator taking a few scouts to look for their prey. The hunt itself is carried out the following day, with hunters and scouts alike being allowed and encouraged to participate. Though Tenders don’t directly hunt during this event, they usually stick in the vicinity of the hunt to give first aid and care to any injured cats.
Though the chance of failing a Great Hunt is quite high due to all the risks that come with going for large sized animals, the Wayfinders don’t see it as a reason for shame or a bad omen. After all, the desert gives but it also takes. Whether or not the Great Hunt is attempted again after a failure depends on the injuries possibly sustained, the colony’s status with herbs and remedies as well as their numbers.
In the case of a success, however, the Wayfinders make sure to celebrate their joy with the utmost glee. Scouts are sent to gather more cats from the camp to help carry their kill back home. A sled made of woven grass mats is taken to aid the endeavor, with cats taking turns to manage carrying it back. When home, the Wayfinders get to work right away - opening the carcass and organizing a great feast among themselves! The antler/tusks or skulls of successful Great Hunts are often kept at a safe spot around the wells as trophies of their feat.
- The Farewell:
- The Farewell:
Just as arriving at the wells is made to be an important occasion to the Wayfinders, leaving them to begin their journey is also equally important. This is known to the colony as the Farewell, which happens at the night the Wayfinders are leaving their settlement.
The number of cats start taking out the materials from the burrows, organizing it all neatly and placing it back on the hidden stash so it can remain almost intact from weather and other animals. It’s common to start taking camp apart in the late afternoon when the sun is cresting down the horizon to avoid the brunt of the heat but also to be finished before it’s too late into the night. Hunting and scouting continue as normal, only with less cats of course.
Before leaving, the wayfinders organize themselves to take their last drink from the well. For a few cycles, it has become a common tradition for trainees, kits and younger cats to jump in the wells and play in the water a bit, even though it’s technically not allowed. They get their ears tugged and get “punished”, made to carry a good part of the material as a result but it’s generally accepted as a common occurrence by most cats, mostly disapproved by older cats. All of those who did play in the water get their fur meticulously groomed to keep the water from going to waste and to keep them from the colder night temperatures.
When organization is finished and cats are getting ready to leave, the Wayfinders all come together as the Northern Star selects one of the Navigators to take 2 or 3 scouts with them to go ahead and begin the first part of the journey. The group wishes them farewell and as they leave to make sure the path ahead is safe, the Wayfinders gather together. The Northern Star asks the Starwalkers for guidance and a safe journey before talking about basic safety, as in most cases there are new kits in the colony and having a reminder is always good.
With that, and the return of one of the scouts to let them know it’s safe, the Wayfinders take off on their new journey.
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