ʜɪᴛᴄʜʜɪᴋᴇʀs - ᴀ ɴᴏᴍᴀᴅɪᴄ ᴄʟᴀɴ - sɪɢɴ-ᴜᴘs - ᴏᴘᴇɴ

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"To put it simply," the tom paused his licking, flicking his hazel gaze back to his questioner, "we are vagabonds. Travelers. Gypsies. Whatever. We go around with makeshift things, set up temporary camps in the loner lands, and move on. It's an easy life, if you can believe it, because the Hitchhikers live off the necessities and nothing more: food, water, herbs, freedom. Any cat may join us as long as they pledge to keep peace among our ranks, and any cat may leave if they feel that they need to.
"There are occasional encounters, though," the youth drew his paw over his ear thoughtfully, "with other congregations. Clans, tribes, armies, nations -- usually not as big as the biggest four of the land, but large enough to threaten our passing patrol. This is where it gets interesting. We offer them our full service; hunting, fighting, kit-sitting, all that jazz. In return, we take shelter on their territory and they are responsible for protecting us. It may seem like an unfair trade, but there are tons of benefits -- learning techniques for survival, swapping tales, exchanging cultures, and joining in events that are sure to raise spirits. The Hitchhikers are diverse in skill, so we usually have enough food even if we aren't 'docking'; what we don't have enough of, even with our laid-back attitude, is spirit and fun. Groups provide that for us."
Another pause ensued as he gave his white paw a lick, rubbing it across his cheeks and forehead. Finishing, the cat looked up again, smiling widely at the new arrival and gesturing to the shabby set-up of beds behind him. It seemed that all the cats slept under the stars, an idea that struck you as both romantic and disastrous if it started to rain. Was this really it? An 'easy life'? Noticing your hesitation, the tomcat nodded encouragingly, got up slowly, and began to pad towards his group. "Come on, buddy. I'll introduce everyone."
With a final look back to the woods where you had been found, your paws bounded after him without a moment of hesitation.

As the 'camp' got closer, the tom introduced himself as Insignia. He had been leading the cats for about one moon -- not too much time on a regular clock -- and had been a loner before joining, like some of his friends. Wait... they weren't all joiners? You frown and he smiles at your confusion, opening his maw to put out another explanation.
"There aren't too many rules here, other than keeping peace. You can have any mate, leave the group at will, join the hosting clan or tribe, have kits, have apprentices, whatever. Some cats," he meowed, flicking an ear at a young kitten, "have been here for generations, since the group started many seasons ago. Others, like you, haven't even been here a moon.
"Besides that, you can believe in whatever you want to believe in. A chunk of cats here are atheist, and as long as no one goes sticking their belief down anyone else's throat, we're good to go."
A few cats grinned at him, and he grinned back, and the air seemed to be warm and cozy, despite the fact that they were positioned at the foot of a mountain. You took the moment to survey the makeshift camp, gazing over its somewhat sloppy assembly of nests and fresh-kill. The cats didn't seem to mind, though; in fact, it was as if they knew one hundred percent where everything was, and slowly the crooked dwellings began to make sense, aligning in a grid that allowed easy access between beds. Clearly this was still an organization, however shabby-looking from the outside.
Insignia was looking at you, still smiling warmly, and continued his enrolling speech. "We remain with neutral grounds until we dock at another congregation. Then, we assume their enemies as our enemies and their allies as our allies -- we fight in their battles and help raids, but the second we leave our diplomacy changes back to a standoff-ish gray."
You nod, starting to understand how these guys ticked. They accepted anyone, let them believe anything, and gave them all a change at a good life...Yeah, this was the kind of group you wanted to join. Insignia gave your shoulder a playful head-butt, and together you trotted forward to meet the cats.

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You see a circle of apprentices gathering, watching something with an immense curiosity. There was no way to see through the screen of fur, but Insignia chuckled and turned to you again. "It seems that some kitty is old enough to prove something." he meowed softly, continuing his promenade around the campus. "He must have reached ten moons. When that happens, the trainees need to show how... 'click' they are, so it goes. Since we don't allow actual fighting, these guys have to get creative -- making things, reciting poetry or stories, wrestling an older cat, chasing off animals, pulling off a prank.
"There's no penalty for not passing, and you could try again, but I've heard it's disappointing." You were curious to ask what HE did for his rite-de-passage, but decided to hold your tongue. By the misty look in his eyes, it could have been a touchy subject, and as he stood up and continued on his way he seemed a little more worn -- in a type of trance. "Come on." he meowed, voice as cheery as ever. You trot a few paces to catch up, and the tour resumes.

[align=center][size=12]CEREMONIES[/size]