Of all three clans, Giliaclan tends to be the most wary, coarse and sometimes even hostile to outsiders. This is partly due to their devotion, to their clan, and partly due to their pridefulness, which comes from the loose hierarchy of families that run within the clan. Family is most important to all of Giliaclan, and so is protecting its sanctity. Because of this, those that do not or cannot find a place within one of these families are often treated like acquaintances at best, though all cats still realise they are Giliaclan cats in the end. However, this nepotism is oft worse when it comes to non-clan related cats, who might struggle to feel truly at home. 

Due to where their territory lies, Giliaclan cats are often times bulkier – dense fur that helps against the midnight chill, and strong forearms to help with climbing the steep rocks of their cliffs. They are amidst some of the taller cats of Yellowstone, with their sturdy builds typically coloured in vibrant, diverse colours such as reds, oranges, blues, and browns. Darker fur colours such as black are also common, to blend in with the rocks and the shades cast by the moon. Despite their appearances, however, Giliaclan cats’ greatest assets are their eyes – sharp like those from the eagles that perch on their peaks, they catch details as easily during the day as they do at night. This also helps navigate the darkest parts of their territory, such as the caves and the denser parts of the forest. 

Giliaclan cats live their lives with the conviction that Starclan is an extension of themselves, allowing them to live and persevere. Some pull this strength from the belief that the stars watch over them, an unspoken guidance to said individual, while others believe it is their late loved ones that give them their purpose. The more ambitious cat might even believe the clan’s former leaders are what keeps them going. Whichever the reason, for every Giliaclan cat, Starclan is integral to their way of life, and disrespect or atheism is uncommon. It is something expected of clan-born cats, but, despite the wariness of outsiders and half-clan cats, it is not something they work to convince them of should they not share the same beliefs. 

Prayer

What cats do is a contribution to the well-being of the entire clan in its very essence, as well as making them deserving of Starclan’s protection. There is nothing more important than knowing one’s part, and following through with it. Respect, for one’s peer and Starclan, is valued highly in Giliaclan, and their religious and interpersonal bonds are only strengthened by their ceremonies and traditions. They are important parts of clan life, and this respect is extended to their resources, their territory, and their kills. Because of this, Giliaclan cats have formed small prayers, to say in certain circumstances. 

Unlike the otherwise largely flat landscapes that Camasclan and Spurclan call home, Giliaclan’s territory is settled into the foothills of the mountains. With a wide array of biomes, their home ranges from brushland to transitional Chaparral scrub forest, and then into juniper and evergreen forests. The juniper forests mark the line where your average clan cat will travel, as the air quickly becomes cold and thin, and this is believed where the normal territory slowly changes into the lands of Starclan. The general territory is very hilly and rocky, oft becoming incredibly steep, and requires competent climbing skills to productively navigate the lands. There are crags and caves and outcrops all around the territory – the average Giliaclan cat is well aware of the dangers and comforts these provide. An inexperienced cat will find themselves easily lost within the maze of forest and hollows.

The clan’s camp is nestled into one of the many outcroppings of the landscape, accessible only from a clearing surrounded by rock formations, filled with bushes and short grasses. This foliage is often found in the dens, which are found within divots and shallow caves in this outcrop, used mainly as nest lining. These small caves, cracks, and hollows are everywhere and are one of the most renowned features of Giliaclan’s territory. These not only serve as some of their main hunting spots, but they also provide them with a surplus of foraging spots, where resources tend to be plenty. Their primary source of water comes from ceiling-bound plants within the colder, deeper caves that collect moisture that can be harvested. While most caves tend to connect to others, these are typically short and not as deep, lending to the importance of knowing and remembering the locales of these. An old steppe-cat folk story states that these slot-shaped caves are Starclan’s claw marks; a gift given to their earthly protectors. 

The highest point a cat will ever need to venture to is Starclan’s Reach, the summit of the mountains marked by a meteorite that glimmers in the sun and can be seen from all territories. It is used as a highly religious space for high ranks to gather. It is split into two main areas, Starclan’s Maw and Sundrip. The Maw is a large cave opening that leads into a small system, which opens up to a clearing with a pool of water underneath the meteorite. As it is a small platform next to the meteorite, Sundrip can be visited as well but is less used for actual gatherings. Staying out long in Sundrip can prove fatal for even the most devoted of cats. The Maw’s cave system is connected with the hole made from the meteorite, serving as a conduit for Starclan. High ranks will settle next to the water, coloured a pitch black from the minerals and metals of the meteorite, and this is where they will convene with Starclan; whether it is to receive their lives as a leader, or to receive a prophecy. The Sundrip itself, the platform on which cats can stand, looks over clearly over the entirety of Yellowstone. Cats who have stood here often report a feeling of uneasy dread, the fact that they are so small compared to everything else offering a heavy grounding realisation. 

Giliaclan cats are not picky eaters and often settle with what can be coaxed from their territory’s crags for ease’s sake. However, many other things find the landscapes of this clan sensational, offering a large variety of options for prey. Reptiles are amongst the most common here, and depending on a cat’s skills, they might earn themselves a lizard or a snake as a meal. Cats with patience and exceptionally keen eyes might have an easier time spotting the scales of a snake tucked deep into a crevice, while a cat with quick reflexes and light footfalls will find it less of a hassle to predict and anticipate a lizard’s skittish movements. In the end, between lizards and snakes, which one is harder to catch depends on what warrior you ask. Favourites include collared lizards, chuckwallas, and species of non-venomous snakes like the gopher snake, bull snake, and eastern racer snake.

Bird’s eggs are another staple of a Giliaclan cat’s diet, though more so due to how they are collected rather than the food item itself. Small teams of cats take to the cliffs or the branches of tall trees, climbing until they reach the nests belonging to various birds of prey – red-tailed hawks and prairie falcon eggs are the easiest to swipe. And while the turkey vulture’s eggs taste better, the risk they carry is even greater, as the bird is much bigger and poses a fatal threat to an inexperienced or new warrior. Golden eagle eggs are a rare delicacy, as their nests are only nestled within cliffsides and are dangerous to approach should a mother bird be nearby. However, despite their thievery, these cats usually do not hunt the birds themselves – as the eggs provide far more saturation than their meat, and no birds would mean no eggs. 

Other regulars to Giliaclan’s fresh-kill pile include ringtails, rodents, and steppe land birds such as sparrows, thrushes, and smaller rock-dwelling birds like the cliff swallow and rockwren. Some cats might even delve deeper into the cave’s systems, and hunt themselves bats or tarantulas, or even forage mushrooms, though they are an acquired taste and require at least some knowledge on which ones are poisonous or not.

For a great many reasons, Giliaclan’s territory is treacherous. One of them is the great diversity of predators, a good deal of prey attracting different kinds. The smaller prey attracts birds of prey, while the elk and mule residing in the forests can sometimes attract much larger threats such as bobcats and pumas. Fortunately, the many caves often provide protection from hungry mouths, and because of this many Giliaclan cats are raised to be most comfortable around cover. Due to this, these cats might feel uneasy when travelling into the open landscapes of the other clans. Rattlesnakes are as present here as they are everywhere else in Yellowstone, but considering Giliaclan cats frequently hunt snakes, they are not as big of a threat and will only really pose a risk to an inexperienced individual.  

A Giliaclan cat is at its most vulnerable climbing the cliffs, due to the birds of prey soaring the skies. Younger cats can easily be carried away by a hawk or a falcon, and turkey vultures are typically underestimated in both size and ferociousness. Though the biggest threat by far is golden eagles, who like the cats of this territory, have keen eyes, and can turn even the largest and brutish of cats into thin ribbons within the blink of an eye. For a cat up a cliff has no cover at all, and thus nowhere to go if an eagle and its lethal talons turn up unexpectedly.