The forest map: RiverClan
BY THE EDITOR
To a wide-eyed young kittypet like Rusty taking his first steps beyond the safety and comfort of his home, the forest seemed vast, wild, and untamed. But for all of its wilderness and freedom, there is a remarkable amount of structure and familiarity to the forest after countless seasons of the Clans living their lives there. If you’re still trying to figure out the lay of the land, don’t fret! We’ve written up a handy guide to show you the ins and outs of the forest territories!
This time, we’ll be focusing on the thick reedbeds and flowing streams that dominate RiverClan’s territory. Keep an eye out for future articles covering the territories of their neighboring Clans―and perhaps even the lands beyond!
1. The Camp
As is true for most aspects of RiverClan life, the RiverClan camp’s greatest defense isn’t high stone walls or thick, prickly undergrowth, but the river itself. A large island, cut off from the mainland by the river on all sides, serves as one of the best-defended camps for any of the Clans―though that’s more likely because the other Clans dislike getting their paws wet than any actual danger posed by the surrounding water.
The island is ringed by a great swath of reeds and dotted by silvery willow trees, with a sedge tunnel forming a path that leads into the camp. All of the dens are made from woven reeds and willow branches. The other Clans compare the dens to bird nests and mock them for looking uncomfortable, but the dens suit RiverClan’s lifestyle better than the cozy bramble or fern bushes of the forest Clans, as their lightweight woven design allows them to float in case of a flood. These woven dens are often decorated with pretty feathers or shells and shiny stones that cast the dens in shimmering light. Rather than having a single den for all of RiverClan’s warriors, there are a series of smaller woven dens, shared by a handful of cats.
The warrior dens are arranged around a fallen tree that sits within the camp’s clearing. The apprentice dens bear a coating of moss that keeps the cats within it warm, while the nursery is nestled into a thick wall of sedge bushes. The medicine den sits beyond a deep olive sedge making up its thick walls, within which is a wide space, almost a clearing. The side of the nest that is hollowed is where the medicine cat sleeps. The leader makes their den, woven from willow branches, within the roots of an ancient willow tree. The elder’s den sits at the top of a slope, affording it greater protection from floodwaters than the lower-sitting dens. Water laps at the reeds surrounding the camp, forming shallow reed beds where even the youngest RiverClan members can safely practice their swimming skills.
The RiverClan camp was the first to be used by cats of any Clan. Seasons before a group of cats came from the mountains and brought death and conflict to the forest, before a scrawny moorland tabby learned to live with a group and became her Clan’s first leader, a young Cat of the Park was fleeing from the destruction of the only home he’d ever known when he fell off a wall and found himself at the tender mercies of the river below. But when young Ripple gave the river his trust, the river gave him food, protection, and, in time, a new home in the form of the island. The tom renamed himself River Ripple in honor of his protector, and when the mountain cats came to the forest and began to separate into groups, River Ripple welcomed those who wished to join him with open paws, finally turning the island from one tom’s refuge into a proper Clan home.
Over the many seasons, the island served as a strong base for RiverClan, with the surrounding river keeping the Clan well defended from intruders. But even this island paradise is not completely immune to disaster. During the reign of Hailstar, a terrible storm caused the river to flood and sweep through the camp, tearing apart the tightly woven dens and claiming the life of one of the elders. Two kits were born in the midst of the storm, with the howling winds and rain raging around their birth foretelling the grand destinies that lay before them. Many seasons later, during the reign of Leopardstar, the river around the island froze solid, allowing a particularly large and aggressive fox to attack the camp.
But despite these disasters, RiverClan endured, and so did its island. Even when Twolegs invaded the forest and forced the Clans to flee, the island still had one last gift to give―it served as the final shelter of the elders who chose to stay behind rather than take a dangerous journey into unknown lands.
2. River
This stretch of clear, flowing water that winds through the forest is the beating heart of RiverClan territory, and of RiverClan itself. It provides protection, food, and a sense of purpose and pride for the cats who honor it and call it their home. The river wraps around nearly the whole of RiverClan’s territory, shielding it from WindClan and ThunderClan territories, and making any attempt at invasion far less palatable to any enemy warriors.
It was the flow of the river that brought River Ripple to safety and prosperity after losing his home in the park, and it was the river that made RiverClan a force to be reckoned with for so many seasons―but water can be as dangerous as it is soothing, and even RiverClan isn’t immune from the dangers the water can pose. The flood during Hailstar’s reign wasn’t the only flood RiverClan faced. During Crookedstar’s reign, a flood made the Clan abandon their camp once more and create a temporary camp on higher ground. It also swept two of Mistyfoot’s kits away. Thankfully, they were saved by Fireheart and Graystripe.
Contaminated water is a threat that RiverClan faced on occasion as well. During Crookedstar’s reign, Twoleg rubbish from their camps filled the river and poisoned its waters, making any fish caught from the river dangerous to eat. To avoid starvation, the Clan was forced to rely on two young ThunderClan warriors giving them prey from their own forest. Later, when the Twolegs started destroying the forest, it first seemed that RiverClan would remain unaffected―the river was still full of fish, and so far, the Twolegs hadn’t encroached on their territory. But after the Twolegs diverted water away from the river, RiverClan’s source of pride and protection began to dry up, forcing even this proud Clan to admit defeat and agree to leave the forest.
3. Gorge
Along the northern part of RiverClan’s border with WindClan, the river lies at the bottom of a steep gorge. From the land above, sheer cliffs of rock stretch down to the fiercely raging water below, promising a dangerous drop for any foolish or unlucky enough to fall over the edge.
The mountain cats who came from their Tribe to find a new life in the forest found themselves drawn to the gorge, and the waterfall that fed into it. Clear Sky nearly fell into it when Gray Wing surprised him near the edge once, forcing Gray Wing to be swift in saving his brother from a deadly fall. Many seasons later, a troop of foolish young RiverClan warriors dared one another to jump into the gorge. It took the advice of StarClan, and the creation of the silent vigil during which a warrior guards their Clan with their life in a night of silence, to turn the young cats away from their foolish―and potentially fatal―plan.
During the reign of Crookedstar, a pair of WindClan cats were escorting the ThunderClan cats who had retrieved them from exile back to their own territory, following the path along the gorge, only to be attacked by a furious RiverClan patrol. Sandpaw nearly fell into the gorge during the battle, but Fireheart’s quick thinking saved her from that fate. A RiverClan warrior called Whiteclaw was not so lucky. After fighting Graystripe, he fell into the gorge. His death caused a sense of deep animosity between RiverClan and ThunderClan that would last for many moons and cause RiverClan to align with ShadowClan against their neighbors. It also caused a much more personal grudge against Graystripe, particularly for Leopardfur, which would affect all his future dealings with that Clan. In contrast, Fireheart rescuing Sandpaw served as the turning point in their relationship, as Sandpaw finally stopped regarding Fireheart with contempt and began to see him in a more respectful light, eventually paving the way for a future romance to blossom between them.
Some moons after Whiteclaw’s death, a pack of vicious dogs took up residence in ThunderClan territory. Fireheart came up with the idea to lead the pack to the gorge and trick them into falling over the edge. The plan nearly failed when Tigerstar attacked Fireheart and kept him pinned long enough for the pack to catch up, but Bluestar arrived just in time to save her deputy from the jaws of the pack leader, sending both the dog and herself falling over the edge into the gorge. Fireheart flung himself in after his leader, with Stonefur and Mistyfoot soon following suit to help carry their mother to the shore. But it was too late―the fall had done too much damage, and Bluestar’s ninth life soon drained away from her, paving the way for Fireheart to become ThunderClan’s new leader.
4. Twoleg Bridge
South of the waterfall, a Twoleg-made bridge serves as a safe way to cross the river, especially when flooding makes other forms of crossing too dangerous. RiverClan uses the bridge when traveling to Fourtrees for Gatherings, and once during Crookedstar’s reign, they allowed ThunderClan to cross it as well on their way back to their territory, after ShadowClan refused to let them cross through their territory.
5. Stepping-stones
Downstream from the Sunningrocks, a series of stones poke up out of the water. The stones are all no more than a tail-length apart from one another, offering easy passage across the river. The stones become submerged when the river floods, so they tend to be dangerous to use when there are storms.
During the reign of Darkstar, exiled ThunderClan queen Mapleshade attempted to cross the stepping-stones with her three kits. Sadly, the river flooded and swept her and her kits away, causing the kits to drown. Seasons later, during Crookedstar’s reign, a fallen tree got stuck on the submerged stones during a flood, allowing Fireheart and Graystripe to cross into RiverClan territory on their secret visits to give them ThunderClan prey.
The stepping-stones also allowed the halfClan prisoners of TigerClan to safely escape into ThunderClan territory when Blackfoot and his Clanmates were unwilling to continue the chase across the slippery stones. When the Twolegs started destroying the forest seasons later, it was the sight of the stepping-stones sticking up too far out of the water that made Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw realize that the river was drying up.
6. Waterfall
Along the WindClan border, the river drops over a steep cliff into a gorge, forming a waterfall. The paths that lead up to the head of the falls are slick and treacherous, but valuable coltsfoot can be gathered there.
7. Beech Copse
On a high slope overlooking marsh meadows beside the river and the moorlands beyond, this modest grouping of beech trees has a small clearing beside it that serves as an ideal training ground for RiverClan apprentices.
8. Bonehill
Though not a permanent fixture of RiverClan territory, this chilling monument to a darker time lives on in the memories of those unfortunate enough to have seen it, even seasons after its pieces had been scattered. When Tigerstar and Leopardstar combined their Clans to form TigerClan, they established a camp for their new Clan upriver of the stepping-stones, in a clearing beside a small stream that fed into the main river. In order to have a place where he could sit above his Clanmates when he addressed them, Tigerstar had his warriors build a hill composed of the bones of prey.
Tigerstar held a trial against halfClan warriors at the Bonehill. When former deputy Stonefur refused to kill two halfClan apprentices on Tigerstar’s orders, the tyrant had Stonefur fight for his life, ultimately ordering Blackfoot to slay the tom. After Tigerstar’s death at the claws of Scourge, Leopardstar and her warriors tore the Bonehill down and established themselves as independent from ShadowClan once more. But even seasons after Tigerstar was defeated, the eerie hill of bones lingered in the nightmares of the cats who had witnessed the atrocities committed in its presence.
Though the Clans have long since left the forest behind them, there will always be a part of their hearts that beats for their lost home. So keep an eye out for the next article in this series, as we continue to take a look at the territories of the Clans!
