How Clan territory works: the locations of the Clans
BY THE EDITOR
For new readers, the maps at the beginning of each book are a great guide to getting to know the territories of the Clans. But it’s hard to tell from a map how the various locations in a Clan’s territory play into daily Clan life, or what significance they hold. To aid in that, today we’ll be giving a brief overview of the various types of locations in Clan territories!
Each Clan has a camp, a well-sheltered area that serves as the central location for all of Clan life. The camp is where the Clan sleeps, eats, rests between patrols, and generally socializes with their Clanmates. Cats sleep in dens divided up by rank: the warriors all sleep together in the warrior’s den, the elders sleep in the elder’s den, etc. Dens tend to be made out of natural formations like bushes or rock crevices, sometimes modified by the cats using woven branches as structural support. There is a central place to store food called the fresh-kill pile (usually just a spot on the ground where prey is collected), and a medicine cats’ den, known as the medicine den, where all of the important herbs used to cure ailments are stored. There is a high vantage point of some kind, a branch or a tall rock, where the leader will call Clan meetings and conduct important announcements or ceremonies. A camp’s entrance will be closely guarded, especially at night.
The rest of a Clan’s territory is used for hunting. Each Clan’s territory ends in a border that either butts up against the border of another Clan’s territory or butts up against unclaimed territory where kittypets, rogues, and loners can wander. Some borders are made along the lines of fences that lead into Twoleg territory. Borders are checked daily and are marked with the Clan’s scent so that outsiders know where Clan territory begins and know to stay away. If the scent of another Clan or a different outsider cat is detected past the border lines, it is considered a serious matter and can lead to battle if the trespassers are found.
A steep hollow ringed by four large oak trees, known as Fourtrees, sits at the center of the forest. This neutral bit of territory serves as a meeting ground for all four Clans during their monthly full-moon Gathering, where cats from the four Clans meet together on the night of a full moon to share news and air grievances. The leaders stand together on a boulder called the Great Rock overlooking the hollow and speak one at a time to share news from the past moon such as the promotion of any new warriors or apprentices, warnings about any predators like foxes or badgers seen in the forest, or recent theft or attacks from one of the other Clans. A strict truce hangs over the Clans during this meeting, meant to ensure that the Clans can discuss any grievances they have with one another without any actual fighting breaking out, though on rare occasions, this rule does sometimes get ignored if tempers run high enough. If clouds cover the moon during a Gathering, it is seen as a sign that their ancestors are angry with the Clans’ behavior, especially if there have been particularly hostile arguments or any signs that a fight might occur. They take the clouds as a sign that the meeting must end immediately.
Beyond WindClan’s territory lies a series of small mountains known as Highstones. Among these mountains is a cave known as Mothermouth, which leads into a series of tunnels. One particular path through the tunnels leads to a cavern where a large quartz stone, known as the Moonstone, resides. A hole in the roof allows moonlight to flood into the cavern when the moon is at its highest point in the sky, filling the cavern with light and setting the Moonstone ablaze with a brilliant silvery glow. It’s an awe-inspiring sight and a deeply spiritual experience for the cats who see it. The Moonstone cavern is a very spiritual place for the Clans. Touching one’s nose to the Moonstone puts a cat into a deep sleep where they can share dreams with their ancestors. Medicine cats from all four Clans meet once a moon to travel to the Moonstone together and share dreams with StarClan. New leaders must also travel to the Moonstone to do the same. It is then that they will participate in a secret ceremony during which they will be granted their nine lives and add the -star suffix to their name.
