"-foot" in WindClan...with some deviation

[CATION]

Suffixes denote something important about the cat. The whole warrior name is supposed to mean something. The suffix in question temporarily aside, in ThunderClan, Runningwind was the fast cat in the Clan. Swift by ThunderClan standards, so it was fit to give him a name that praised his agility. But what about a Clan that’s already full of fast cats?

I’m pretty sure that since day one, the concept of WindClan cats being swift as, well, the wind has been dangled in front of our noses by the Erins. So I was wondering: is it necessary for a WindClan warrior’s name to end in “-foot”, seeing as how they’re all praised as being the most agile cats in the forest?

The first thing that comes to mind in the canon is Webfoot, but I’m not sure if there are other WindClan cats with the “-foot” suffix hanging around, it’s kind of been a while. But why is it necessary to recognize this trait at all? They're WindClan cats. Everyone knows that they're fast.

To me, it’s like using the suffix “-stream” to describe a RiverClan cat that’s a good swimmer, when they’re all a part of a Clan that’s been named for that ability.

Now, it’s interesting, because I see that this argument can be turned completely on its head, and maybe these suffixes could actually be used prevalently or even exclusively in one Clan. By that argument…

Speed and agility, after all, are two factors that help WindClan mow down those rabbits on the moors, so they’re definitely two good traits to have. So for a cat to be swift in that manner, it’s still something worth recognizing, even if they might not be the fastest in their Clan. They can still outrun cats in other Clans, right?

I also noticed on amy sorry Grey that the only two cats to have the “-stream” suffix were in RiverClan, so maybe even if it’s a trait that’s commonly associated with the whole Clan, there can still be those that stand out? Discuss!

[Grey]

I believe each clan tends to excel in a particular type of hunting, because that is how the clans formed in the first place. Naturally, a Windclan cat is going to be faster than an average Shadowclan cat, a Riverclan cat will swim better than a Thunderclan cat, a Shadowclan cat is more stealthy than a Riverclan cat, and Thunderclan cats are more agile and adept in the undergrowth than Windclan cats.

However, a skill suffix is given for when a cat is exceptional in something. For a cat to be proven as exceptional, they must be compared to the rest of their clan - not all the clans. I think there are going to be cats in Windclan that are faster than the rest of their clanmates, and those cats would be the only ones deserving of -foot. A Windclan -foot cat is going to be a lot faster than a Thunderclan -foot cat, because they have different things to measure against.

Thunderclan are not famed for their speed, so a cat needs only to be faster than average to get that suffix. Windclan are famed for their speed, so if a cat in Windclan is faster than average, they are very fast. See what I mean?

So -stream in Riverclan is a cat who is excellent at swimming, more so than the average ability. It's like how -whisker is the "hunting" suffix. All cats can hunt, but only those that are remarkably good at it get the suffix.

[leah]

-stream is also related to grace. In fact, the whole use of -stream for a good swimmer confuses me. I mean, not the use, but the fact that only the cats who would have -stream in their name for that reason are cats that are probably in a Clan known about swimming to begin with.

The way I see it is that the cat with that suffix is far over average in the skill. Sure, Riverclan is known for its swimmers, and has plenty of good swimmers, but that doesn't mean right away that every cat in the clan is an EXCELLENT swimmer. I also don't think every cat in the clan is automatically a swimmer, there are likely Riverclan cats who don't like to swim.

Windclan is a bit trickier, though, since speed is what they need to hunt. Riverclan doesn't eat just fish; they know how to hunt mice and birds. I guess appearance-wise, -foot makes sense within Windclan, but we're not talking about that meaning. I'm honestly drawing a blank as I've never thought of this before.

[CATION]

Sept 7, 2012 21:22:53 GMT -6 leah said:

Windclan is a bit trickier, though, since speed is what they need to hunt. Riverclan doesn't eat just fish; they know how to hunt mice and birds. I guess appearance-wise, -foot makes sense within Windclan, but we're not talking about that meaning. I'm honestly drawing a blank as I've never thought of this before.

That's kind of how I figured it. If the rabbits are fast and that's the main source of prey, then all WindClan cats have to be fast as heck, and when you're all-out sprinting, can you really judge if there's a noticeably faster cat in the Clan?

But I can see where Grey's coming from, too, that even in a Clan of fast cats, there's probably always going to be one who's faster than everyone else.

As far as good swimmers in RiverClan go, I kind of always figured that they were taught how to swim since birth, and while I'm sure that there are some who excel at it, it's something that they're all probably at the same level on, more or less. I could be wrong, but I don't think warriors are trained in swimming the way that they're trained in battle or hunting, so I don't think there's anything to really excel at, expect maybe who can swim the fastest.

[leah]

Not to mention, cats don't need to know how to swim in order to be able to fish.
New Prophecy cats, anyone?

[Grey]

I could be wrong, but I don't think warriors are trained in swimming the way that they're trained in battle or hunting, so I don't think there's anything to really excel at, expect maybe who can swim the fastest.

I'm not so sure about that. I think endurance plays a large part - it's not just how fast you swim, it's how long you can swim for. Then there's resistance to cold. Some cats are going to get wet and cold much faster than others, and so can't swim for as long without risking their health. Certain cats, probably with both of those traits, will be strong and confident enough in their abilities to risk swimming in dangerous weather, such as floods, possibly providing food or information when other weaker cats cannot.

I can swim because I was taught as a kid, but I'm not good at it. I couldn't win a race or out-swim my friends. We were all taught the same thing the same way. Now, if we were going to have a go on land, I can run absolute rings around them. Everyone has their own skills and I think even in a culture where swimming is the norm (such as my community on the coast of Australia where everyone can swim), there are always going to be those that excel. Same within the clans.

Also, I'd just like to bring up something I thought was interesting. My knowledge of canon is limited, but I'm quite sure Silverstream met Greystripe/Graystripe by saving his life and dragging him out of the water.

Saving someone's life in the water is seriously not easy. Part of my schooling was basic first aid and such, so I have a fair idea of it. And I have arms.

This is relevant because cats do not. I'm guessing there's a bit of anthropomorphism/suspension of belief going on here, because I'm not sure how Silverstream would have saved that duffer. It would be ridiculously difficult to swim while supporting another body.

This leads me to believe that Silverstream is a very strong swimmer indeed.

[CATION]

Sept 7, 2012 21:49:52 GMT -6 Grey said:

Also, I'd just like to bring up something I thought was interesting. My knowledge of canon is limited, but I'm quite sure Silverstream met Greystripe/Graystripe by saving his life and dragging him out of the water.

Saving someone's life in the water is seriously not easy. Part of my schooling was basic first aid and such, so I have a fair idea of it. And I have arms.

This is relevant because cats do not. I'm guessing there's a bit of anthropomorphism/suspension of belief going on here, because I'm not sure how Silverstream would have saved that duffer. It would be ridiculously difficult to swim while supporting another body.

This leads me to believe that Silverstream is a very strong swimmer indeed.

That's true, but I think there's also a bit in Rising Storm where Leopardfoot drags Patchpelt's body across the river, and while Patchpelt was probably lighter than Greystripe, him being an elder and all, being dead, he still remained a completely dead weight. And she's named for...gloriously swift feet, I suppose, heheheh. My point being that she's obviously a powerful swimmer as well, but there's nothing in her name that alludes to the fact, which could also mean that every other cat could be as equally powerful swimmers, but their name isn't centered around that quality. (another thing worth noticing is Mistyfoot and Stonefur saving Fireheart and Bluestar from the river in Dangerous Path. Again, an impressive feat, but nothing in their name that glorfies them as good swimmers)

And while I agree that longevity and endurance against the cold are important factors in what makes a good swimmer, these cats aren't exactly swimming the length of an olympic pool. They're crossing rivers and streams, at the most. They don't have a reason to be swimming great distances, so why would they?Although I do concede to your point about swimming in floods or bad weather.

And even if you happen to be a good swimmer, what exactly does that do for the Clan, really? At least as a fast runner, it allows one to catch fast prey, but cats don't catch anything while they're swimming, I don't think. It allows someone to cross rivers safely, yes, but I just still don't think that swimming is THAT commendable of a skill anyways unless you're not in RiverClan....

...Although I just looked on the Wiki page for RiverClan (can't say how accurate it is, but whatever), but apparently one of their unique abilities is water combat. How exactly a cat fights in the water is kind of weird to picture, but if that's the case, maybe there is something to being a good swimmer, unless excelling in water combat specifically would make you lean more towards "-claw" or "-fang"?

In other news, the "v" key is falling off of my keyboard, so I have to pretty much punch it every time I type in "RiverClan". So it may be shortening to R-Clan pretty soon |D