The Culling is a term that is spoken both in hushed and horrified whispers, and declared like a religious war cry in the many sermons that might break out impromptu at any time in the Moonclan camp. It is the foundation of the Moonclan’s entire modern religious revolution, and equally so the nightmare that fuels it. It is said that before The Culling, the cats of Moonclan turned away from Selene and no longer followed through with their tasks to hunt down elementals, and had begun to betray her laws and codes. As punishment for their actions, Selene culled all but the most loyal followers, and personally made Puzzlemaker Minister with the task of rebuilding a broken Moonclan from the ashes.

However, Selene left Puzzlemaker with the warning that to fall back to their old ways would lead to the same punishment as before, that if she could Cull the population once, she could do it again. The cats of Moonclan are all too aware of this, reminded on a daily basis that they are the Chosen, spared Selene’s wrath – but not without consequence. To not follow Selene’s law, to betray her word, is to stray from Selene’s path and risk not only your life, but the life of the entire clan itself.

Few know the exact details of what the Culling entailed, it is said Puzzlemaker was the only one to witness it and survive. However, the gist of the the events, with slight variations each time, is often told like what is written below:

“Selene had grown angry with the cats of Moonclan, who had grown wayward and were no longer truly devoted to her and her cause. They had grown lazy and complacent, and no longer had been actively hunting down elementals as she had decreed. At first she attempted to return them back from their wretched path with signs and omens, and then, when that did not work, she allowed for Sunclan, their mortal enemy, to have success in their raid and to use their claws as agents for her will, to kill off the worst sinners of their numbers. When that still did nothing, she realized that there would be no redemption for the old blood of Moonclan – they were corrupted, set in their ways, and would forever stand as false prophets of her vision while leading the youth astray. She realized then what must be done. She herself sent the fire from the mountain to purge Sunclan from their land, as a show of the might of her power, and also to protect Moonclan from their savage neighbors as she realized what must be done.

At once she then called upon Puzzlemaker, whom she had chosen to be the next shepherd of her people, and told him to round up all the cats that she declared, and he did so. When he had gathered up all she had requested, he found it to be all the adults in the clan bar from his own kin, for only had his line in all of Moonclan remained pure.

And so he took them out to the edge of the territory, near where the Sunclan border had once been, and he asked them all to join him in prayer. But the masses refused, and rallied against them: their hearts had been turned too far from Selene. They had been about to turn on him, when Selene herself intervened: In one moment a bright silver light seemed to swallow the crowd, and when it dimmed, only Puzzlemaker remained.

And then, Selene spoke, “I have Culled the unworthy and left only the gentle and sensitive hearts, and the ones who have not been turned against my words. I have left Moonclan to your paws, and shall give you my code, so that you shall obey me and my commands again, and be a light unto the darkness of the world. But be warned: my kindness is great, but my wrath is greater. Shall you fall to sin again, I will once again tear Moonclan to the ground and reforge it in my image. I shall not watch as my people fall a stray.”

And so Selene gave him her codes and new laws, and gave him her new teachings, and her blessings to take up the title of Minister, for he was to be a guiding word to her people. And after she had taught him all she could and assured his heart was pure, she sent him back to share with who remained both heavy news and divine hope.”

In simplest terms, the Chosen are the cats of Moonclan after The Culling, though who can become one of the Chosen and how to become one of the Chosen where the nuance comes in.

The easiest way to become one of the Chosen is to have been born in Moonclan. All cats born on Moonclan soil, and all kits who have been brought into the clan to be raised as fledglings, are Chosen. They do not have to prove themselves beyond the typical trials and training of a Moonclan cat.

Cats from outside Moonclan, whether they be loners, kitty-pets, rogues, or clan cats, are considered heathens and savages, and are not to be interacted with unless they are trespassing. Selene’s laws are very clear about how outsiders and trespassers are to be dealt with in Moonclan; they are to be stopped on the spot and offered the grace of Selene. If they wish to become a follower, then they are immediately taken in as prisoner, if they do not, they are to be executed on the spot. Once taken prisoner, they are to be personally judged by the Minister that then passes their approval or disapproval to the Commissioner. If approved by the Minister they are taken to the Council, if not, they are disposed of. Even then, one must be approved by the council, or suffer the same fate. Once a cat has survived all of these feats, their long road to becoming one of the Chosen has only begun. From there they are assigned under a Luminary to teach them the ropes, and often endure strict schedules, long lessons, a highly restricted diet, little sleep, and a uniquely humiliating set of “training sessions” called The Circle, where students and given full control over the prisoner’s “training” and are required to follow the student’s commands as they would any true superior. If the prisoner manages to endure all of this successfully and finishes their time and trials as a prisoner, they are promoted to hunter and are considered one of the Chosen. However, even after this former prisoners still normally remain some of the least trusted and respected members of Mooclan, constantly being checked in on and their private lives pried into by most of their clan-mates.

Elementals are never to be one of the Chosen, unless Selene herself speaks in their favor. Elementals from outside of the clan are hunted and to be killed on sight, and Elementals born inside the clan are typically executed as soon as their powers are known about. Only a few select individuals are spared this, but they do not live the life of a normal Moonclan cat. Instead, they are sent to hunt down others of their kind and kill them for the glory of Selene, and to sniff out those who might be hiding or covering for elementals in their ranks.

Elementals, cats with powers given to them by the fog that surrounds the forest clans’ territories, are abominations unto Selene, and Moonclan cats consider it part of their sworn duty to rid as many of them as possible. They are considered akin to an infestation, a silent menace and a threat to Moonclan’s way of life, and to kill an elemental – especially as a regular hunter and not as an Inquisitor – is seen as an act of heroism and a point of great pride.

Many cats in Moonclan fear that elementals may be hiding within plain sight in their clan, or that the cats they sleep right next to might be hiding or interacting with elementals in secret. Because of this constant paranoia, Moonclan cats are ever vigilant to keep an eye out for anyone who might show signs of being an elemental. Elementals in Moonclan who aren’t Inquisitors face certain death, and knowingly associating with one or hiding one’s identity is a deadly sin – one that often leaves the transgressor facing the punishment of execution.

It is a common scene for Inquisitors – who act both as Moonclan’s lead investigators and as hunters for elementals outside the clan’s borders – to pull cats aside and ask them questions, whether about themselves or others, completely impromptu. This is not a sign of guilt, but a daily occurance, a constant reminder that the Inquisitors know and see all and will get the info they want eventually. Respected citizens and Luminaries also have the right to pull cats over and interrogate them if they feel the need, though only Luminaries and Inquisitors have the means to assure they get the answers they want.

The cats of Moonclan know Selene as a goddess of two sides. In her waning side she is kind, nurturing, gentle, and wise, in her waxing side she is intelligent, protective, reserved, and strategic. As a deity, she is able to exemplify both perfectly, but as mortals, even trying to live up to the ideal of one may see us falter. This is why Selene created the Lunar Alignments, so that cats might focus on being the perfect example of one of these sides, and that is why it is only fitting that cats of the opposite alignment must be mated with each other -- so that they might make a perfect whole.

Fledglings are watched from a young age by mothers, and when they become students, mothers are the ones that decide upon fledgling's lunar alignments for them which will decide much of their path in life. Cats of either sex can be of either alignment, although females are normally encourage to be waning and males encouraged to be waxing.

Cats of Waning alignment are expected to be the kinder, gentler, nurturers of the clan. They are seen as frailer, softer, and more emotional, but it is often accepted that they are also wiser, and perhaps even more in touch with Selene. They are taught to hunt and are given domestic duties, and their focus is expected to be on making sure the clan is kept neat and stomachs fed. While they aren’t ranked lower than Waxing cats, they are expected to let them take leading roles over them, whether it be in relationships or in day to day lives.

Cat of Waxing alignment are expected to be the strong, brave protectors of the clan. They are expected to be bold, confident, intelligent, and collected, and are expected to be rational and strategic in their decision making and day to day lives. They are taught to fight and are the ones who patrol the border and guard camp, they are given combat duties and are only expected to hunt in times of crisis. While they aren’t ranked above Waning cats, they are expected to take leadership roles, both in their relationships and in their day to day lives.

Once lunar alignments are set, changing them is near impossible and requires a definitive reason for the change. The only way in which a Luminary will normally be convinced to change a Lunar Alignment is when two cats of the same Lunar Alignment are in insistent that they want to be together, in which a Luminary will often force one of the pair to change alignment whether they want to or not. This is, however, if they feel like accepting the pair in the first place; it is much more likely your request to get paired with a cat of the same alignment will be denied, and a much more suitable match will be suggested to you instead.

Modern Moonclan is completely isolated: Those outside the clan are considered heathens whose affairs are not to be trifled with, lest you be brought to their same sinful ways. Moonclan cats are taught from a young age that other clans are made up of barbarians who have no honor nor culture, and that the borders outside their lands are swarming with elementals that would eagerly kill them if given the chance. The rules and fears against interacting with outsiders are so great that if a Moonclan patrol would otherwise have passed by another clan’s patrol at the same time, they instead will typically pull back into the forest and wait for them to pass – it is not worth the risk of continuing on and accidentally provoking an interaction.

The only cats who are permitted to actively leave the territory are the Inquisitors, allowed to leave to hunt elementals. However, this puts Inquisitors in the unique position to be the only cats to know what is ever going on outside the clan. A few Inquisitors, who have the unique secret title of Propagandists, are the ones who share the news of what’s going on outside the clan; once it’s been approved by the Minister, of course. From there the propagandists are given the job to spread this news, often joined in with by Luminaries and more respected citizens, until the news has been dispersed to everyone in the clan

. More often than not the news that gets spread is horrific tales of cats outside Moonclan, and though given the state of affairs of the outside world sometimes this news is true, more often than not, it’s wholly manufactured to spread public fear and distrust of all that exists outside their borders.

True stories of Nightclan cats hunting cats and killing them are mixed in with tales of Dayclan socialites ripping lower status kits from their mothers and using them as personal slaves for their own endeavores. Each clan has their own false narrative around them Propagandists get the luxury to build on: Dayclan cats are oligarchs and kitten-slavers, Nightclan cats are torturers and tyrants, Sunclan cats have turned back to tribals animals no better than dogs, Springclan cats are ran by an insane dictator, Winterclan cats a vicious murderers and brutes, Summerclan cats are religious oppressors who systimatically slaughter and marginalize their small native population of Selene-believers, and Fallclan is full of hedonists who gladly partake in every sin imaginable. Oh, and of course the territory outside of Moonclan is swarming with rogue elementals who are thirsty for Moonclan blood.

It’s a sad fact of life that while for many the reward of being a good citizen is plenty, others need a bit more… Tangible encouragement. While Selene is a kind goddess, she is also a strict one, with laws and codes that are not to be broken. We wouldn’t want another culling after all!

Punishments are adjusted to crimes in Moonclan, and range from things as light as gentle corrections to religious trial and execution depending on the severity of the sin. Minor offenses are handled swiftly and gently on a daily basis. Small sins such as acting out of line with your lunar alignment, being too aggressive with a clan-mate, and telling a white lie are expected to be confessed to the Commissioner, and are often handled with advice on how to be better going forward and a prayer to repent of your sins.

More serious crimes come from breaking Selene’s code, and are handled accordingly. Each code on the list is weighed differently, and the difference in punishments dealt from breaking one of them vary massively. Breaking lesser laws, like forgetting once or twice to pray three times a day, is often met with a harsh word and a sharp reprimand, but this is getting off relatively easy as far as punishments go. More serious lesser offenses, such as a she cat not having kits at 36 moons old, often involve the guilty having to confess their sins in front of the crowd during Vesper. They are also normally subject to public shaming -- in which the entire clan typically avoids talking with the guilty individual outside of work, or publicly preaching to them to repent and change their ways -- until the guilty has either visibly repented and changed, or the Minister declares them having been forgiven by Selene.

The more serious punishments start to arise from anything that involves going against the words of the heads of the clan. Even minor offenses and shows of dissent can have a cat standing stockade in a ditch for hours, or being sent out to dig holes for multiple days. This back breaking labor and mild torture is still not the worst one can get, however. For the even worse offenses that are not quite yet execution worthy, solitary confinement is used. Food and water is limited, and for weeks the only visitation one is allowed is a short period in which the Luminaries will bring them food and water, preach to them on Selene and speak only of her alone, and then leave.

The worst offenses have one facing religious trial, and typically end in execution. Exile and torture is for the luckiest of offenders. Cats normally are kept in isolation for at least a month before their trial, and once in the religious trial being declared guilty is almost always guaranteed. The entire clan is encouraged to shame and list off all the accused known sins and faults as the Minister acts as judge and the Luminaries, Intern, Medic, and Commissioner act as jury, with the guilty being allowed no chance to speak until the very end. They are also not allowed to give a speech in their defense -- they either admit guilt, or pray to Selene to send a sign that they have committed no sin. If no sign is sent (and rarely there is) then typically the jury will find the accused guilty, and the Minister will declare whether the newly named criminal will be executed or exiled. If you are lucky and exiled, you’re likely to be tortured and maimed until it can be assured that you will be able to do no harm to Moonclan ever again, before being dragged outside of Moonclan territory and being sent on your way. If you are to be executed, you will normally be allowed one more prayer to Selene to intervene on your behalf if you stand by your innocence, and a prayer to repent for your deeds in the hopes that your sins might be forgiven if you accept the guilty verdict. If once again no sign comes in one’s favor, they are promptly executed.