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.

- The nursery is under a thick bramble bush. There is a huge gap in the bush that leads to the clearing.

- The apprentices' den is in a clump of ferns, beside a tree stump.

- The warriors' den is under a bush, with a nearby nettle patch. The warriors' den is beside the nursery. It is said that the senior warriors sleep near the center, the warmest area. It is also an honor that senior warriors invite younger warriors to eat with them by the bush.

- The medicine cat's den is a crack in a rock, near a small grassy clearing, a tunnel of ferns leading to it. Inside there is a grassy clearing with a small pool at one edge. One tall rock stands at the side, split with a crack to keep herbs inside.

- The elders' den is under a jutting branch in the fallen tree that has grass, moss and ferns sprouting from every crevice in the tangle of wood. There is a maze of twigs that eventually lead to an empty space among tangled branches.

- The leader's den is a cave in the Highrock which was carved out by an ancient stream, with lichen hanging over the entrance. Inside the den is a quiet cove with a smooth floor and walls, a mossy nest at one side.

ShadowClan

ShadowClan claims the northeastern part of the region, their territory consisting of marshy and damp ground with few trees. It is bordered by a Thunderpath to the south that has a tunnel underneath that permits crossing into ThunderClan grounds. Their camp is in a hollow with muddy ground, surrounded by brambles.

Here are some of the landmarks in ShadowClan territory:

- South of the camp is the Burnt Sycamore, an ancient tree that was burnt by lightning long ago. ShadowClan apprentices learn their night hunting and quiet stalking at this tree.

- West of the camp is Carrionplace, a Twoleg dump called the North Allerton Amenity Tip, home to disease and rats. It provides ShadowClan with food during leaf-bare.

- Southwest of the camp are two Twoleg tunnels that cross under the Thunderpath. One leads to Fourtrees; farther to the west, the second leads into WindClan territory.

ShadowClan's Camp:

The ShadowClan Forest Camp is in a hollow with muddy ground surrounded by brambles. The entrance is through a thorn tunnel. A smooth boulder, known as the Clanrock, is at the edge of the clearing and is used by the leader to call meetings.

- The nursery is in a hollow, shielded by a thorn bush.

- The warriors' den is under a large bramble bush.

- The medicine cat's den is in a cave under two boulders (one being the Clanrock) and is surrounded by ferns.

- The leader's den is beneath the roots of a big oak tree.

RiverClan

RiverClan claims the southwestern part of the region, on the right bank of River Chell. Their territory consists of open plains, and their camp is on a large, well-drained island, surrounded by reeds, that can be reached only by swimming (although such an island does not appear on the map).

Here are some of the landmarks in RiverClan territory:

- The river itself, a source of prey for the cats. It follows a gorge that comes to a waterfall (Druid's Leap), then continues through the plains. RiverClan cats can swim through it, but there is also a Twoleg bridge that makes crossing safe when the water is high.

- South of the camp is Morgan's Farm, a Twolegplace with a campsite next to it.

- Southwest of the camp is Sunningrocks, a large, smooth stone formation by the river where cats love to sun themselves. RiverClan and ThunderClan often fights over the lovely strip of territory.

- The Gorge is a deep gorge cut by the river in the terrain, border with WindClan. Apprentices are forbidden to go near it.

- Beech copse is a training area for apprentices and warriors.

RiverClan's Camp:

The RiverClan Forest Camp is on a large, well-drained, island and is surrounded by reeds. All of the dens are tightly woven. It can be reached only by swimming, and as cats from other Clans cannot swim (and hate water, in general), the camp is rarely attacked. Floods present a danger; once, a flood swept away the floor of the nursery, along with two of Mistyfoot's kits.

- All dens are made up of tangles of reeds. It is mentioned that cats weave feathers in the reeds and decorate the edges with rocks and shells.

- There is a well-trodden grass track leading away from the sedges and between thick bushes of the camp.

- The medicine den is past a deep olive sedge and in a calm den.

- The apprentice den has a warm coating of moss on it.

- The nursery is tucked away into a thick sedge wall. It is made of willow branches and reeds.
The elders' den is at the high end of a slope. It is made of woven willow stems.

- The leader's den is built of willow stems and woven into the roots of the ancient willow.

WindClan

WindClan claims the western part of the territory, wedged between the Thunderpath and the river, consisting of rolling moorland named Windover Moor by the Twolegs. Their camp is in a sandy hollow, surrounded by gorse.

Here are some of the landmarks in WindClan territory:

- East of the camp is the Outlook Rock, a large rock from where the moorland can be overseen.

- South of the camp is an abandoned badger set, a source of prey.

The moors are almost hollow with tunnels, some made by animals, others by underground streams. WindClan cats use them to move through their territory without being seen; those skilled in doing so were trained as tunnelers.

WindClan's Camp:

The WindClan Forest Camp is in a sandy hollow, surrounded by gorse. The entrance is through a gorse tunnel. A tall boulder, called the Tallrock is used by the leader to call meetings.

- The nursery and the elders' den are under the gorse wall surrounding the camp.

- The other cats, including the leader, prefer to sleep under the open sky, although in bad weather, they retreat in burrows made by rabbits, foxes or badgers.

SkyClan

Ancient SkyClan lived in the area in which there are now Twolegplaces and the Treecut Place. Their territory lay downriver from ThunderClan. It consists of mainly oaks. Their territory was destroyed a long time ago, and little is known about it. Their camp was in a hollow, and a Twoleg Nest was built on it, where now the kittypet Smudge lives. Surrounded by deep banks of fern and bramble, the entrance is through a gap in the brambles. The warriors den is under a bramble bush and the elders den lies in gap in the ferns. The vantage point for the leader was a branch on a thorn tree, and the fresh-kill pile was under an elderflower bush. The apprentice's den was under some ferns, and the nursery lies under a holly bush.

The journey to the New Territory was especially hard. They followed the river upstream, and lots of dangers befell them. One kit fell into the river, and the Clan couldn't do anything while it got swept away. An apprentice strayed away from the main group and got picked by a fox who outran the warriors trying to chase it. An elder lagged behind the Clan, slowing down considerably, leaving stains of blood pawed on the ground. Another halted suddenly, and didn't get up again. It is sure that more dangers had killed them as well.

Other Territories

Fourtrees:

Fourtrees (known by the Twolegs as Druid's Hollow) is a clearing with four tall oak trees in the middle, used by Clans for Gatherings. It is a neutral territory, unclaimed by any Clan. All Clans have a direct access to it; they do not have to travel through other Clans' grounds to reach it.

Highstones:

Highstones is an abandoned quarry in the northwestern part of the territory, named Devil's Fingers by the Twolegs. It is an easily visible landmark. A tunnel in the ground contains the Moonstone, where leaders and medicine cats go to share tongues with StarClan. It is a neutral territory, unclaimed by any Clan.

Twolegplace:

In the southeastern part, there is a settlement named Chellford, known as The Twolegplace to the cats. It was built on the former SkyClan grounds. It was home to BloodClan, a ferocious group of rogues, led by a cat named Scourge.

Tallpines:

East of Twolegplace is Tallpines, a controlled pine forest, grown for the purpose of wood for Twolegs, named Chelford Forest by them. In its middle, there is the Treecut Place (Chelford Mill), a logging camp.

Barley's Farm:

West of the camp is Barley's Farm, known to Twolegs as Windover Farm, where cows, sheep, and dogs live. Two loners named Barley and Ravenpaw also inhabit the farm.