II. plot

Long version:
( in case you actually want to read a story )

Long ago, a species of animal known as the human tore into beautiful forests for their own selfish needs. They knew that once a particular type of forest -- the rainforest -- was cut down, it could not be restored. Did they care? No. They continued to slash and burn at the precious supply of water and oxygen for farmland. Many animals died, even more had their homes destroyed. It was a sad sight to see.

Years passed, and the rainforests were slowly being whittled away. They were destroyed faster and faster as the need for resources grew. The human population was higher than it had ever been, and it exceeded the maximum carrying weight for Earth. All hell broke loose when the struggle to survive caused man to kill man for resources. Rainforests in all other countries were gone. The largest rainforest -- the Amazon -- had barely survived man's cold, selfish grasp. After years of war and battle, the human race did not have the requirements necessary to sustain itself. Humans had become more intelligent, but with that they lost all common sense. Due to this, they didn't know how to survive like the wild animal nature intended them to be. Man wiped itself off the face of the planet. Man became extinct.

Slowly, the earth began to regenerate. It began to grow back; animals lived in peace. Animals had won. Plants had won. The fear of being killed by unnatural weapons and machines slowly began to disperse. Some animals that had been domesticated soon starved, for they did not know how to survive in the wild thanks to the selfish humans. Many, however, managed. The extinction of man became a wonderful thing to the real natural world. After many years, Earth restored herself to her former beauty. Man had been taken out of the food chain for good and for the better.

In the much smaller Amazon Rainforest, something you might call a "new" species emerged. They were not necessarily "new," rather one might call them "improved." They were similar to the cats that humans once domesticated as house pets, and they were similar to the feral cats that lived in the wild. They were cats. Naturally, they were a little bit larger than the average maine coon, but they were never any bigger than a wildcat. These mysterious "supercats" soon learned the art of the rainforest. They adapted and called it their home.

These new cats lived in peace amongst each other, sticking to themselves and -- if they had one -- their family. However, many cats began to get territorial over unclaimed territory. There were just so many cats trying to claim large expanses of land, it began to get hectic. Blood was shed, death reigned, and battles were endless. Something needed to be done.

One night, during a serious battle, brilliant, translucent lights appeared in the night sky. What the cats hadn't known was that when one of them died, they were not gone forever. The ones who had died lived within the stars, and they were angry at the hostility and selfishness that the cats had portrayed. With the sight of this odd happening, three lights shone down in the center of the main battle. Cats soon began to gather to see what was happening. Three cat spirits stood on a boulder, their tails flicking angrily.

"You cats have become selfish fools!" the first one hissed. He sat on the left, and his pelt gleamed silver with ash-colored speckles. "Look what the desire for power and territory has gotten you into!"

"How can you become so heartless as to kill your own kin?" a sweet voice asked, shocked and hurt. She sat on the right with her black, fluffy tail wrapped around her pure black body.

"Something has to be done," the center cat declared. He looked like a tiger, with an orange pelt and very dark ginger stripes. "To the cats who run with the wind, join me over here." The mysterious tom leaped down and stood away from the rest of the ceased battle. Many long-legged, short-furred, lithe cats approached him.

"To the cats who aren't afraid of water, join me over here." This was the black she-cat speaking, and she stood away from the wind-runners. The cats with powerful legs and long fur slowly began to walk over to her, uneasy about what was going on. They seemed mindless, as if controlled by these spirits. Really, it was just pure awe that prevented them from asking question.

"To the cats who have climbed all their life, join me over here." The silver- and ash-colored tom stayed where he was, and half of the cats that were left joined him. They had extremely noticeable muscles, especially in their legs, and long claws and tails. Each spirit cat touched the nose of a single cat in their group. "If you nose has been graced by your spirit, congratulations. You are the leader of your new clan."

The three chosen cats widened their eyes. Clans? They didn't know how to lead a clan! "Wind-runners, your territory will be the open plain to the southeast! You shall be known as Great Air Clan. Take your agility, speed, and closeness to the stars with pride!" This was the tiger-like tom speaking.

"Water-lovers, your territory will be the thin jungle near the large river to the southwest! You shall be known as Great River Clan. Take your powerful legs, love of water, and excellent swimming skills with honor!" This was the mysterious black she-cat speaking. Her voice was not frightening like the two toms' were.

"Tree-climbers, your territory will be the thick jungle north of the river. You'll be known as Great Jungle Clan. Take your muscle, climb-abilities, and lack of fear of heights with dignity!" The silver- and ash-colored tom declared this for them. Every single cat in the clearing was still in shock, and a few cats began to pour into these new clans from other places minor battles were held.

"What about us?" one snarky cat demanded. Her body was positioned low to the ground as if she were stalking prey. She had a dark pelt, long claws, and sharp eyes. "We didn't choose any of your stupid clans!" she hissed, tail lashing. The rest of the outcasts joined her, and many murmurs and whispers began to arise from all the cats in the clearing.

"Silence!" the tiger-tom hissed. The clearing grew very quiet very fast. "Take the cats that have sided with you and do what you wish. You may take the territory north of Great Air Clan's. It's nothing significant anyway. It's simply the remains of a burned forest. Join the alliance of three clans and make us four. You must follow our laws if you so choose to be the final clan in the forest." His words were very clear as he narrowed his yellow eyes.

The dark and shady cats took a moment to discuss this. They didn't know of their laws quite yet, but the threat of all three clans attempting to wipe them out didn't sound very fun. They decided to give it a shot. If it was not liked, they would simply rebel and become their own faction. "Fine," she growled darkly. "Due to the territory you've lamely given us, we'll be known as Great Fire Clan."

The tiger-tom nodded. "Then it is decided. Clans, disperse to your territories and make what you wish of them. Every full moon, leaders shall take a few members of their clan back to this spot to share recent news. We'll watch these gatherings, and we expect peace to be brought to them as well."

And with that, the very beginning of the clans had been born. Laws were needed to be set, deputies were needed to be chosen, the idea of a medicine cat still needed to be born, they needed to make camps, and the name "MoonClan" still needed to be known. In time, the clans began to become more organized, and to this day they live in uneasy peace with one another.

Short version:
( TL;DR )

• Same clan structure as in the Warriors series
  
• Cats are evolved -- same design but much larger (about the size of a grey fox)
  
• Four Clans -- Great Jungle Clan, Great River Clan, Great Air Clan, Great Fire Clan
  
• Ancestor clan is known as MoonClan
  
• Evil gang of big cats (tigers, panthers, jaguars, leopards, oh my!) known as the Wild Cats
  
• Takes place in the Amazon Rainforest
  
• Humans are not known of (so don't pretend the cats know what Twolegs or humans are!)
  
• Humans have died out
  
• Places where the rainforest was cut down remain -- they're now lush meadows
  
• Gatherings and medicine cat meetings apply
  
• No such thing as kittypets