***This clan is loosely based off the same fanclan and fancharacters I had waaay back in middle school before I knew that SkyClan was a canon clan. It is located in the same universe as Warrior Cats, but it has a lot of differences for reasons explained below***

Origin Story:

After the stories of old SkyClan were passed down by an unknown past member of the clan, a rogue named Shade hears the tales and feels interest stir in her heart. She gathers four other rogues whom she often hunts with- Ginger, Aster, Mittens, and Beetle- and tells them that she wants to start a new clan of her own. Aster seems nervous about the idea, but goes along with Shade as he trusts her.

At first, the group decides to just find a territory and defend it. They find one not too far beyond the one WindClan used to call home; it is located in an area of dense forest not too far from a river. They start patrolling and making borders to establish it as their own, though they aren’t sure who their leader should be. After a few weeks, the clan begins to take shape as a few other rogues join. The group of about 10 cats soon has a discussion, and Shade is nominated as leader, which she accepts.

A few nights later, a dream beckons her to a waterfall. In the dead of night, she leaves camp in search of it thinking its important. She wakes Mittens and asks her to be her stand-in as leader until she returns.

About a day or so later, when she finds the waterfall, spirits’ voices tell her to go to sleep with her nose to the edge of the water. She does, and SkyClan’s ancestors, as well as some ancient cats, visit her to welcome her to the life of a warrior. They explain to her that they are proud that she is willing to unite the rogues she has surrounded herself, and decide to give her the nine lives of a leader. Her second to final life is Moth Flight (the first medicine cat), who tells her Aster should be their medicine cat. Her last life is Half Moon (technically the first leader), who officially names her Shadestar and tells her to give her clanmates their official warrior names. Skystar/Clear Sky comes to her just before she awakens to tell her that she will truly create a great and new clan, and that SkyClan's ancestors will not forget her.

Shadestar wakes in a daze and decides to name the clan SkyClan in honor of the legend, which she then realizes is real. (SkyClan has been established in the gorge for moons at this point, but Clear Sky does not tell her this, nor does she learn this until her last death.)

She returns and tells the clan the news. A few cats do not believe her and leave, but her friends and others stay loyal. She then gives her clanmates their official names: 

• Ginger becomes Gingerfang. She later becomes the first queen in the clan and assists in building the nursery despite carrying her first litter of kits.
• Aster becomes Asterstorm. He accepts his nomination as a medicine cat and learns how to heal through his dreams with StarClan. He is officially named the first SkyClan medicine cat after Shadestar takes him to the waterfall to speak with StarClan.
• Mittens asks to have her name changed to something more interesting, as she feels that "Mittens" doesn't sound very warrior-like. She is instead named Silverstep, and Shadestar names her as the first deputy.
• Beetle becomes Beetlesplash. He has dreams from the ancestors on how to train cats, and becomes the first officially named warrior in the clan.

Together, the five grow SkyClan into a great and powerful force to reckoned with.

Changes to the Warrior Code/General Rules:

Unlike the previous incarnation of SkyClan and the other clans, alternate SkyClan does not follow certain rules that were set in place by the warrior ancestors. Many members of StarClan are not happy with this, but Clear Sky, Half Moon, and some other cats defend their decision to break tradition as they formed independently, and Shadestar (both before dying and in the afterlife) refuses to let her clan be ordered around by cats that haven't physically faced the struggles of her clan. Some of these changes include:

• Medicine cats are allowed to take a mate/mates as long as there is another fully-trained medicine cat who can cover for them.
• Leaders can nurse kits and lead their clan at the same time, and should they need to leave the nursery, another cat can nurse their kits for them as they would for any other cat.
• Taking a mate from outside the clan is not as frowned upon as long as the outsider in question is not stealing resources, has malicious intent, or distracts their clan-born mate from their duty and/or loyalty to the clan.
• Toms raising kits, much like mollies, do not have to reveal who the mother of their kits is.
• Outsiders are welcome as long as they contribute to the clan in one way or another (whether that be by fighting as a warrior, healing as a medicine cat, raising kits in the nursery as a queen or nursery tom, or through some other position appointed by the leader).

Territory:

SkyClan's territory lies just a few miles beyond the moorland in the old territory within a stretch of forest far from the main road. Most cats have never seen the ThunderPath or moor, and likely will never need to. Below are some notable places within the territory.

• Camp:

SkyClan's camp lies within a circle of tall maple trees with long roots with ferns layered around them. Two fallen trees also litter the clearing. The cats make their nests under these roots and logs, as well as in the abandoned dens of other animals. Specifically, the leader's den is located within a large fallen log resting on a boulder pile near the center of the territory, the medicine cat's den is located within the boulder pile (a second area just off the den is used for herb storage), the warrior's den is split between two dens under two maple trees that are close together (senior warriors typically sleep in one den, while younger warriors sleep in another), the nursery is located within a shallow old badger set, and the apprentice's den is located with the smaller of the two fallen trees which lays completely flat on the ground. The fresh kill pile is kept near the leader's den, just under the cover of the fallen tree. Sunlight shines down into the circle, which makes for the perfect area for basking and sharing tongues.

• The Moonfalls:

The falls were named for the way the full moon and sky reflect on the water's surface. It is a sacred area under the stars that has been a staple to the clan since its start; after Shadestar received her nine lives at the water's edge just beside the waterfall, SkyClan made it their official link to StarClan. Leaders have followed in Shadestar's pawsteps and travel there to receive their nine lives, medicine cat apprentices have received their full names there, and medicine cats travel there one every moon to speak with StarClan.

• The Twoleg Camp (i.e. The Campgrounds):

Close to one of SkyClan's borders is the territory of a group of twolegs. They live in large, shiny dens that move on large black feet (campers). They're mostly there during greenleaf and newleaf, but sometimes stay into leaf-fall. No cat is truly sure where the twolegs go when they leave the territory, but they always return. Apprentices are cautioned against going near there, as some twolegs can be aggressive, and sometimes they bring things like dogs, toxic water (gasoline), and fire.