Scent markings are made by Clan cats and sometimes loners to show where their territory's border lies.
Sometimes the cats will fight over their borders, mainly because the border markings are too faint to scent out or a cat crosses it when a patrol is near the area.
Sometimes cats don't bother with marking their borders, due to the fact that they do not face threats from their neighbors, or they fail to follow the ways of Clan cats anymore.
| In the Forest |
| Sunningrocks |
Before the Clans had moved to the lake, there were many battles over whether these large rocks belonged to ThunderClan or RiverClan.
Long ago, Sunningrocks was an island, and belonged to RiverClan since they were the only ones who could get to them.
However, when the river changed course, ThunderClan could access it, and Sunningrocks was repeatedly fought over to decide whose territory they were a part of.
| Other Fights |
Besides the battles at Sunningrocks, ThunderClan also had other Clans to worry about.
ShadowClan is known to invade from across the Thunderpath, while Bluestar had once accused WindClan of stealing prey at the border near Fourtrees.
| At the Lake |
| The Greenleaf Twolegplace |
ShadowClan and ThunderClan had a skirmish or two over this area until ThunderClan decided to give it up because of its lack of prey.
ShadowClan bragged about it at the next Gathering, though ThunderClan knew that Blackstar wasn't telling the truth when he said it was teeming with prey and worth having as part of their territory.
In Fading Echoes, Ivypaw tells Firestar that she had a dream that they needed to take back the Greenleaf Twolegplace, since that if ShadowClan claimed hunting rights to it any longer, they would help themselves to other parts of ThunderClan territory, thus causing ThunderClan to fight for it.
ThunderClan wins, but ShadowClan loses Russetfur and ThunderClan loses another of their leader's lives.
|\The Drought |
In The Fourth Apprentice, during the drought, RiverClan had tried to claim the whole lake because the river dried up.
The other Clans protested, and the patrols sent to collect water were watched carefully by RiverClan patrols that were constantly making sure no other cats went near the fish, this was most likely because the RiverClan cats did not have much food, because they relied on the fish from the river to feed themselves.
| In the Super Edition Arc |
| Crookedstar's Promise |
ThunderClan surpasses RiverClan's scent markings on Sunningrocks, almost starting a fight.
When Crookedkit leaves the RiverClan camp to see the Moonstone, he finds himself on ThunderClan territory, scent marking every bush. He closes his mouth in order to not taste the foul scent.
As he continues, a new scent rushes towards him: WindClan's. Soon, a WindClan patrol spots him, and he charges, finally crashing through a wall of WindClan scent, so strong, it had to be the edge of the border.
After coming home from the farm, Crookedkit smells the familiar scents of RiverClan. Hailstar makes plans to re-mark the Sunningrock borders on the other side at claw-moon.
Soon it is time, and Hailstar sends himself, Shellheart, Owlfur, Echomist, Timberfur, Softwing, RippleClaw, Whitefang, Crookedjaw, Oakheart, and Voleclaw. At night, they slide into the water and go to Sunningrocks.
Hailstar looks for any patrol, but it is all clear. He sends a group of cats toward the top of the cliff and the rest on the other side.
He then orders that every tree and bush must be sprayed. By the time the patrol meets up, Sunningrocks is bathed in RiverClan scent.
When they get back to camp, a few days pass, and ThunderClan hasn't even fought for Sunningrocks, and RiverClan claim it as theirs.
Just as leaf-bare starts, ThunderClan resets the boundaries, and Hailstar refuses to fight during the hard season.
However, once greenleaf starts, Hailstar leads a patrol to reset the boundaries in favour of RiverClan.
They carry out their plan just as a ThunderClan patrol arrives. Mudfur challenges Adderfang to a battle to see who's respective Clan takes control, and RiverClan wins.
| Bluestar's Prophecy |
A ThunderClan patrol finds fresh squirrel blood on their territory. WindClan scent was everywhere, but there was no scent on the bushes, indicating that it might just have drifted from the moorland. No scent markers were left behind, so Pinestar refuses to battle on so little evidence.
Sunfall adds that they'll reset ThunderClan's scent markings to convey a warning. Snowpaw imitates Sparrowpelt's voice, talking about him showing the border of RiverClan and to note how their scent smells.
Snowfur returns to her regular voice, saying that she'd never forget that fishy RiverClan smell.
On the day of the battle between ThunderClan and WindClan, ThunderClan cuts through a small strip of RiverClan territory. Bluepaw sniffs and smells the fishy scent, which is familiar to her from the Gathering.
The scent clings to the bushes like fog. Soon the RiverClan tang is replaced by an earthier smell, WindClan.
The markers are so strong that she can taste the musky, peat-tainted stench.
When Bluefur, Snowfur, and Featherwhisker go to collect herbs from Twolegplace, Bluefur can taste the scent of Twolegplace.
As they get closer to the ThunderClan scent markers, she can scent the kittypet smell, and she wrinkles her nose, thinking that there are too many kittypets to tell which is which.
Later at a Gathering, Pinestar seemingly accuses the other Clans of crossing the border.
Hailstar asks if he is accusing the other Clans of crossing their scent lines, and Pinestar replies calmly.
As Bluefur and Pinestar cross the border to go to Highstones, she is overwhelmed by WindClan's scent markers as they cross through.
When they meet a WindClan patrol, Pinestar tells her to brush her fur down. Later, the dawn patrol scents some RiverClan smell far into the trees even though they only have Sunningrocks.
Pinestar makes the decision to patrol there more often. When Bluefur goes on a patrol there, she can only scent the weak smells, smells so weak they could have floated over on the breeze.
RiverClan goes farther to set markers in a forest portion of ThunderClan's territory.
A ThunderClan patrol spots them, and many cats get mad that they're deliberately setting markers on their territory.
A patrol is sent, and a battle starts, which RiverClan loses. ThunderClan sends a patrol later along that border, and to their satisfaction, no markers were set.
When RiverClan regains Sunningrocks later, Sunstar sends a patrol over to RiverClan to talk to Hailstar.
He says that they will set new markers, and if RiverClan wants a battle, they will battle.
ThunderClan sets the markers the next day, and RiverClan chooses not to fight.
| Firestar's Quest |
As Bramblepaw is on his assessment, Firestar prowls around the forest, and he can scent ShadowClan scent markers.
Afterwards, he sees the first vision of Cloudstar, and runs to the vision. The cat is no longer there, but there is an unfamiliar scent almost swamped with ThunderClan scent.
| In the Field Guide Arc |
| Code of the Clans |
Greeneyes and Lionstar go to meet with Rowanstar of SkyClan, and ask why there are always SkyClan cats at their border.
Greeneyes accuses the SkyClan cats of spying, because there is nothing at that border but the start of ThunderClan territory.
She tells Rowanstar that the warrior code says nothing about it being a cat's responsibility to mark the borders with scent, and that it should be obvious.
When the warrior, Poppycloud, contradicts her, and says it should be part of the code, she glares at her, and it is believed they have developed a special enmity.
Greeneyes says she thinks it is a ridiculous idea, and that some cats are more mouse-brained than others. She slants her eyes at Poppycloud and begins to leave with her leader.