Complete Warriors Guide

The Forest Territory

The Forest Territory, also known as the Old Forest or Old Territory, was the place the four Clans used to reside, and SkyClan had once as well until they were cast out.

Geography

Despite its name, only a small part of the region is covered by actual forest; mainly the eastern part claimed by ThunderClan as their hunting grounds. The rest are hills, grassland and marshes. A river, named River Chell, cuts through the region, making up the border between RiverClan and their two neighbors, ThunderClan and WindClan. A Thunderpath, named Windover Road by Twolegs, makes up the border between ShadowClan and ThunderClan. A smaller Thunderpath, named North Allerton Road, comes from the north.

Location

According to an Erin Hunter chat, the territory was originally based on New Forest, a forest in the county of Hampshire in southern England, but as the ideas developed, it became more of a fantasy place and not the depiction of a real-world location. For example, New Forest does not have a quarry nearby.

History

!! SPOILER ALERT !!

In the beginning, the region was a wilderness, without predators or humans living nearby. After a time, cats arrived in small groups and began to settle down. However, they did not set up borders, and their territories overlapped, resulting in several bloody battles and many deaths. After a particularly ferocious battle, the survivors were confronted by the spirits of their fallen companions, urging them to unite and live in peace.

However, the cats could not agree who would lead them, so five cats, Thunder, Shadow, River, Wind, and Sky, each demanded to be the leaders. In the end, they decided to separate into five groups, under the leadership of Thunder, Shadow, River, Wind, and Sky. The others cats chose to follow the leader that was going to a territory best suited for themselves. They developed the Warrior Code, and founded the five Clans - ThunderClan, ShadowClan, SkyClan, RiverClan, and WindClan - dividing the hunting grounds between themselves, adapting to the conditions that reigned on their territories. The spirits of the fallen cats made up StarClan, ancestors who guided the living with advice.

Twolegs arrived soon, and constructed the Thunderpath that later made up the border between ThunderClan and ShadowClan, then built the Twolegplace, forcing SkyClan to leave their territory. Soon, the remaining four Clans had to leave as well, as Twolegs destroyed the region to construct a new Thunderpath, and later settled by a lake, the region being referred to as The Lake Territories.

ThunderClan

ThunderClan claims the southeastern part of the region, their territory consisting of deciduous woodland, named White Hart Woods by Twolegs. Their camp is in a sandy ravine that used to be a riverbed long time ago, surrounded by brambles.

Here are the landmarks in ThunderClan territory:

- A small stream runs through the territory, close to the camp

- Near the camp is The Sandy Hollow, an area where apprentices do their battle training.

- West of the camp is The Owl Tree, a tree that was always home to owls.

- East of the camp is Snakerocks, a clearing where prey and plants are abundant, but adders represent a danger.

- Next to the clearing is The Great Sycamore, a tall tree where apprentices learn to climb.

ThunderClan's camp:

The ThunderClan Forest Camp is in a sandy ravine that used to be a riverbed a long time ago. The camp consists of a clearing edged with thick grass, dotted with tree stumps, and has a thick curtain of ferns and gorse shielding it. It is also surrounded by brambles, and the entrance is through a gorse tunnel. There is a tall boulder in the clearing, called the Highrock, used by the leader to call meetings. The Highrock has scuffed earth around its base. A vast, sandy clearing stretches to the Highrock, which is near a clump of nettles. A bit away from the nursery is a crowded corner of ferns, which have a tall barrier of gorse behind it. At one side a fallen tree lies, its tangled branches folded on the ground. The fresh-kill pile usually lies at the side of the clearing. At one point, the camp was burned down in a fire, but the vegetation grew back quickly.