Reporting is an essential skill for a warrior, particularly ones like senior warriors who will spend a great deal of their time leading patrols. Information needs to be giving succinctly and clearly to the leader or deputy. Accurate information is essential, and a warrior should report exactly what the see, hear or smell without making assumptions. Information should be sorted by importance and relevance, so decisions can be made and action (if deemed necessary) taken as efficiently as possible.
A Typical Patrol Report
A Patrol Report should be made with the Deputy, Leader, or Cat on Sentry Duty (who would then relay the report to Leader or Deputy when they return) when a cat returns from a Patrol. The Senior Warrior or assigned patrol leader should be the one to make the report.
- Vital Report
The most important observations and discoveries are reported first, things that could represent a huge potential (and often dangerous) impact on the Clan, and will need to be dealt with as soon as possible. Examples include unusual and/or suspicious activity of Twolegs, the presence of a predator or a dangerous rogue, or strong evidence of an enemy Clan’s presence within the borders. - Normal Information
The basic information of a report is based on the purpose of the patrol. This information should be organized so that details relating to the patrol is presented first, followed by any other information of note. A border patrol will be focusing on suspicious behavior on the part of enemy Clans, Twoleg and rogue activity, and other conditions around the territory that might be of importance to the Clan, such as a flood. - Trivial Information/Speculation
If the evidence is weak or inconclusive, or is not likely to be of any major importance to the Clan, it should be left until last so the deputy or leader will not be confused into giving it more importance or priority than it may necessarily deserve. It instead leaves them to decide whether the report merits any further investigation.
A Typical Hunting Report
A Hunting Patrol Report should be made following the return of a hunting patrol to the Deputy, Leader or Sentry (who would then relay the report to the Leader or Deputy on their return) when a cat returns from a hunting patrol. The Senior Warrior or assigned patrol leader should be the one to make a report. Unofficial/Non-assigned patrols should only make reports if they have significant news to make others aware of.
- Hunt Results
The amount of prey collected should be reported. Also reported should be the difficulty in finding that prey, so that the Deputy can use that information to ensure that the proper number of patrols are sent out the next day to provide the clan with needed food. - Significant Observations
Any observations made by the hunting party should be reported. This would include predator sign, strange actives, signs of border crossings and the like. Also included should be any sightings, even casual encounters across the border, of any cats from other clans or from beyond the clans. - Other Observations
Any unimportant observations that the hunting party feels might benefit the leader/deputy or make more sense to a cat with a broader view of goings on should also be included. This might be things like noticing an area the patrol passed through seems richer than the one they were assigned to hunt or the like.