The forest map: ThunderClan
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 these territories, 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 oak forests and thick undergrowth that dominates ThunderClan territory. Keep an eye out for future articles covering the territories of their neighboring Clans―and perhaps even the lands beyond!
1. The Camp
Long ago, an ancient river ran through this part of the forest. The river has long since gone, but the path it carved through the forest floor has left a sandy ravine behind, which is now ThunderClan’s camp. Hidden by brambles, its entrance is hard to spot from the outside, hiding the camp from predators and intruders.
Through the gorse tunnel that serves as the entrance, the camp opens into a cozy, sandy ravine, sheltered from above by a curtain of ferns and gorse, dotted with the occasional tree stump and edged by thick grass. The nursery lies within a bramble bush, with the apprentices sleeping within the shelter of a clump of ferns beside a tree stump, and the warriors keeping their den in a bush next to the nursery. A tunnel of ferns leads to a crack in a rock, and the medicine den lies within its grassy clearing. The elders’ den is beneath the jutting branch of a fallen tree inside the ravine, sheltered by a tangle of wood, moss, and ferns. The leader makes their announcements from atop a tall boulder in the clearing known as the Highrock. A small cave carved into the Highrock, with lichen hanging from the entrance, is where you’ll find the leader’s den.
Did you know that of all the Clan camps, the ravine was the last to be discovered? It was first found by Leaf when Thunder’s group broke from Clear Sky’s and searched the forest for a new place to call home. They quickly created dens from the brambles and ferns that dotted the clearing, and in no time at all, the ravine became a home to the newly formed ThunderClan. Over the seasons, it continued to serve as a place of shelter and protection to these forest hunters. During the reign of Bluestar, the branches of the fallen tree acted as a prisoner’s den for the deposed ShadowClan leader Brokentail. Some moons later, a fire swept through the forest, burning away much of the undergrowth that sheltered the camp, leaving it dangerously exposed. Poor Snowkit paid the price for this vulnerability when a hawk was able to swoop into the exposed camp and snatch the kit away.
But over time, the vegetation regrew, and ThunderClan’s camp was secure once more. The Clan’s protection lasted until the Twoleg construction drew so close to the ravine that Firestar ordered the Clan to abandon the camp and move to Sunningrocks. By the time Graystripe and Millie arrived at the ravine many seasons later, it had been all but destroyed by the Twoleg monsters. The ferns had been trampled, the trees broken and fallen, and the gorse and brambles torn away. The pair spent a night sleeping in the shelter of the medicine den, and then moved on in their search to find the Clans. That was the last time that any ThunderClan cat would take shelter in the ravine―but the sandy hollow lives on in the hearts of those who knew it and called it home, and a version of it even exists in the hunting grounds of StarClan.
2. Tallpines
This section of forest filled with pine trees may seem more suited to ShadowClan’s territory than ThunderClan’s, but these are no naturally growing pines. Twolegs planted the trees in order to cut them down in greenleaf with their great tree-eating monsters and drag the fallen trees to the Treecut Place. The lack of undergrowth makes prey easier to stalk―though it also makes the hunters easier for prey to spot, so step lightly!
During one particularly hot and dry greenleaf in Bluestar’s reign, a fire started in the Treecut Place and quickly spread throughout the rest of ThunderClan’s territory. The area around the Treecut Place was affected the worst by the fire―whole stretches of trees were reduced to ashes, the ground was blackened by the scorching flames, and any prey in the area either fled or died in the fire, leaving it useless for hunting. The Twolegs who worked at the Treecut Place brought in a pack of vicious guard dogs to protect the area now that it had been left so devastated and vulnerable. But the pack escaped from a hole under the fence after only a few days, leaving the Treecut Place exposed once more.
3. Great Sycamore
This grand, towering tree stands as one of the tallest landmarks in ThunderClan territory. It is often used for training apprentices to climb, or to hunt mice and squirrels who feed on nuts around the roots. When the forest was destroyed by Twoleg construction, the Great Sycamore was one of the few parts of the territory to remain unscathed, continuing to serve as a landmark in the ruined forest that ThunderClan once called home.
4. Owl-Tree
Legend tells of an ancient ThunderClan tom who learned the ways of hunting in the darkness of night by observing the tawny owl that made its home in this tree. On nights when the owl flew off to hunt, the tom would follow, and he soon learned to be as deadly and silent a night hunter as the owl he was named for. This tom was Owl Eyes, one of the earliest warriors of ThunderClan, who eventually rose to become Owlstar, the second leader of ThunderClan.
In the many seasons since the reign of Owlstar, this mighty oak tree has continued to serve as the home of owls and a source of hunting wisdom for ThunderClan warriors. More than one mischievous mentor has tricked their apprentice into snuffling by the leaves of the tree, only to come up with a nose filled with the stench of an owl pellet. But this acts as more than just a light-hearted prank. Scenting owl pellets is a good way to track down an owl, and on windy nights, ThunderClan cats continue Owlstar’s tradition of following in the shadow of an owl in the moonlight to find new sources of prey and new ways of hunting.
5. Sunningrocks
Early Battles
Perhaps nowhere else in the forest has seen as much conflict and bloodshed as this stretch of rocks. This formation of gray boulders lies on the shore of the river. Once, when the river’s banks were wider and its waters deeper, the rocks lay submerged below the water’s surface. But over the seasons, the water withdrew, leaving the rocks exposed on ThunderClan’s side of the river. Since then, RiverClan and ThunderClan have both laid claim to the rocks―RiverClan because of its previous position within their river, and ThunderClan because of its position on their side of the water. Countless battles have been fought between those two Clans over ownership of the rocks.
During the reign of Oakstar, a battle over the rocks claimed the life of his son, Birchface, when the tom was struck hard by RiverClan warrior Appledusk and sent falling from the top of the rocks into the raging river below. His apprentice Flowerpaw attempted to save him, but the current carried them away, and both cats drowned. The rage and grief over these deaths led to Mapleshade being exiled from ThunderClan when Appledusk was revealed to be the father of her kits.
Seasons later, the Clans continued to fight over the rocks. During the reign of Hailstar, a pair of RiverClan kits snuck out of the nursery and visited the Sunningrocks. They tried to chase off Goosefeather, who they saw as an intruder on rightful RiverClan territory, but the old tom attacked the kits and chased them into the river, causing Stormkit to fall onto one of the stepping-stones and break his jaw. Some moon later, Mudfur and Adderfang fought a one-on-one battle at Mudfur’s suggestion over which Clan would keep the rocks. Mudfur emerged victorious, but the battle was to be his last. He announced soon after that he intended to train as a medicine cat. Eventually, Sunstar managed to peacefully reclaim the rocks by convincing Hailstar that they weren’t worth fighting over since RiverClan didn’t use them to hunt as much as ThunderClan did.
Later Tragedies
But the rocks have seen more sinister things than the clear, open battle between Clan and Clan. It was at Sunningrocks that RiverClan deputy Oakheart awaited his mate, Bluefur of ThunderClan, who had promised to give their kits to him to take back to RiverClan. Mistykit and Stonekit were delivered to Oakheart at the rocks, but Mosskit never made it there―she died in the snow farther back in the forest. Bluefur’s sacrifice allowed her to rise to the leadership of ThunderClan some moons later. It was during her reign that Tigerclaw used a fight with RiverClan over Sunningrocks as cover for the murder of his own Clanmate. He blamed Redtail’s death on Oakheart, who had also perished in the battle, but his apprentice Ravenpaw witnessed his vicious crime and later told Firepaw what he had seen. Some moons after that, Crookedstar’s daughter faced her own tragedy on the rocks when she died there giving birth to her kits. Leopardstar later started yet another battle over the rocks, during which Fireheart revealed to Bluestar’s kits―now grown warriors Mistyfoot and Stonefur―the truth of their parentage. Graystripe, now a RiverClan warrior, refused to obey Leopardstar’s order to attack his best friend, and so was exiled from RiverClan and returned to ThunderClan. Later, ThunderClan sheltered in the trees at Sunningrocks while the dog pack was led away from the camp.
Leopardstar’s assault was to be the last battle fought over Sunningrocks. Peace reigned in the forest for some moons, until Twolegs came and began tearing down the forest with their monsters. When the destruction drew too near to ThunderClan’s camp for comfort, Firestar ordered the Clan to abandon the ravine and make Sunningrocks their new camp. The narrow crevices between the rocks served as poor substitutes for proper dens, but the rocks nevertheless sheltered ThunderClan in the final days of their lives in the forest. Once they had been driven from their own territories, ShadowClan and WindClan too were forced to live with ThunderClan at the rocks, until at last all four Clans departed the forest forever in search of a new home.
But even that was not the end of the story for Sunningrocks. Many seasons later, Graystripe, now an elder, returned to the old forest in hopes of finding a way to contact StarClan. While he failed to contact his warrior ancestors, he did make one surprising discovery: a brand-new Clan called WarriorClan had taken up residence at Sunningrocks! Though this ragtag group of young kittypets play-acting as warriors didn’t initially seem like worthy successors to the legacy of the Clans who had fought over the rocks for so long, they soon proved their mettle when they helped rescue a group of desperate kittypets trapped in the stinking den of an aging Twoleg, who sadly was no longer able to care for herself or for them. Though the Clans have long since left Sunningrocks and all of the blood shed there behind, WarriorClan will continue the Clans’ legacy on the rocks that so many cats have fought to protect.
6. Snakerocks
This part of ThunderClan’s forest may be used as a hunting ground, but every cat knows that the ominous rocks promise just as much danger as prey. Adders like to nest among the crevices―and one bite from these lightning-quick snakes is enough to take down a fully grown warrior. But how did the adders come to occupy Snakerocks? Legend tells of a massive snake called Mouthclaw, who was once the sole inhabitant of the rocks. The great ancient Clan cats were no match for Mouthclaw, as she was large enough to swallow them whole. Still, Sunpelt―a warrior of the mythical LionClan―challenged the snake to a battle. When Sunpelt won, Mouthclaw offered to grant one wish in exchange for Sunpelt sparing her life. Believing that he would be protecting LionClan from Mouthclaw’s attacks, he wished for her to shrink down to the length of a cat’s tail, but he was surprised when Mouthclaw turned into a thousand smaller snakes. The adders were dangerous, but not as dangerous as Mouthclaw had been, and so the Clans learned to live with the new, smaller snakes in their midst.
Though the tales of LionClan and the massive Mouthclaw are only legends to entertain kits, the rocks and its snakes were very much real and are still a great danger to the cats who hunt there. Mapleshade used this gruesome fact to her advantage when she lured Frecklewish to the rocks, only to trick her into lunging right toward an adder’s nest. The threatened snake bit Frecklewish, and the venom ended up claiming her life. Tigerclaw tried a similar trick by sending Ravenpaw to hunt there, hoping that the nervous apprentice would be killed by an adder. But to everyone’s surprise, Ravenpaw not only survived his mentor’s subtle murder attempt, he actually managed to take down an adder and bring it back to the Clan as prey.
After the dog pack escaped from the Treecut Place, they used the caves at Snakerocks as a den, venturing from the rocks to slaughter prey and leave their scent throughout ThunderClan territory. Swiftpaw and Brightpaw, determined to prove to a suspicious Bluestar that they were worthy of being warriors, set off to find out what predator had taken up residence at the rocks. They were overwhelmed by the pack once they reached the rocks―only Brightpaw survived the massacre that followed. It was eventually discovered that the treacherous Tigerstar had left a trail of dead rabbits leading from the rocks all the way to ThunderClan’s camp, to encourage the dogs to follow the trail and slaughter the whole Clan. He had also killed Brindleface and left her at the end of the trail to give the dogs a taste for cat blood. Fireheart’s quick thinking managed to save the Clan from the dogs and lead them over the edge of the gorge, but no cat ever forgot the danger that the rocks could hold, or the lives that had been lost there.
7. Sandy Hollow
This hollow, sheltered by nearby trees, and covered by soft, red sand, has served as the central training ground for ThunderClan apprentices for countless seasons. The soft sand cushions any falls as apprentices and mentors tussle, making it ideal for battle training.
8. Twolegplace
Early Influence
Though not technically a part of ThunderClan territory, Twolegplace borders the edge of the forest, and has played a part in ThunderClan history many times over. This collection of Twoleg nests, known to the Twolegs as “Chelford,” was built upon what was once SkyClan territory. Long after SkyClan was gone and forgotten, Oakstar led raids on Twolegplace because of the kittypets who lived there causing trouble in the forest. Oakstar’s young son, Pinepaw, saved the kittypet Crystal and her kits from being attacked by his Clanmates, as thanks for how she’d saved him from a fox some time ago. This would not be the last time that Crystal’s line influenced the lives of the Clans.
Moons later, Featherstorm started an affair with Hal, a kittypet who lived in Twolegplace, and later bore his kits. Though Featherstorm never revealed who had fathered her kits, her son Raggedpelt sought out his father, only to be disgusted to discover that his father was a kittypet. After the Twolegplace rogues Red and Boulder joined ShadowClan, Hal and some of the other Twolegplace cats came to rescue them. Raggedpelt slew his father in the battle― never learning that Hal had not only been his father, but also the father of Red, later Russetfur.
Twolegplace has also played a part in WindClan history. When young WindClan warrior Talltail left his Clan to seek out his father’s killer, he ended up in Twolegplace. After saving a kittypet from a dog, the kittypet saved his life in return when he nearly died from eating a poisoned rat. This kittypet was Jake, one of Crystal’s kits who Pinestar had saved, and he ended up being one of the most important friends in Talltail’s life as he accompanied him on his journey to avenge his father. Though Jake eventually left to return to his house folk, Talltail never forgot the bond he’d shared with the tom, even as he rose to the leadership of his own Clan.
Pinestar also found a friend in Jake in the moons after becoming leader. His curiosity about Twolegplace grew as he continued to visit there, culminating in a friendship with another kittypet named Shanty. Though Shanty died at the paws of the same monster who claimed one of Pinestar’s lives, the tom never forgot the friendship he had shared with Shanty, and ultimately decided to leave Clan life behind him and take his place as her house folk’s new kittypet. He initially planned to sneak away and let ThunderClan think he had died, but Lionpaw shamed him into facing his Clan and telling them the truth of why he was leaving. Lionpaw was later given the name Lionheart for his courage and honor in standing up to his own leader, and he rose to become ThunderClan’s deputy many seasons later. Pinestar himself became Pine, leaving nine lifetimes of battles and heartache behind him―and a son who would grow to be one of the greatest dangers the Clans had ever faced.
Fire, Blood, and Frost
Jake’s kits had an even greater impact on the forest than he’d had. Tiny wandered into the forest just beyond the borders of the Twolegplace when he was still quite young. Thistleclaw ordered his apprentice to attack the kit. Tigerpaw viciously assaulted the defenseless kit, stopping only when Bluefur told him the kit had had enough. Tiny fled from the forest back into Twolegplace, but he did not return to his comfortable kittypet life. Instead, he rose to become the leader of a group of savage Twolegplace rogues, who he named BloodClan and ruled over with an iron paw. Young Barley was born into this cold-blooded Clan, but he had no stomach for such violence himself. After his sister Violet was mauled by their brothers, Barley saved her and fled BloodClan.
Rusty also found himself drawn to the forest, and luckily found a much more welcome reception than his half brother once had. His flame-red coat let Bluestar almost immediately recognize him as the fire that would save her Clan, and she welcomed him into ThunderClan as the apprentice Firepaw. This noble, bold young tom ended up exposing the treachery of the murderous deputy Tigerclaw and eventually rose to become Firestar, leader of ThunderClan.
The exiled Tigerclaw eventually had his own affair with a Twolegplace cat, the former kittypet Sasha. Though she rejected him once she learned of his murderous acts and fled into the Twolegplace to find a new home, the lure of forest life soon drew her back, and she birthed three of Tigerstar’s kits there―Hawk, Moth, and Tadpole. The three kits later snuck into Twolegplace to try to find Sasha’s long-lost house folk―only for Tadpole to drown tragically in a basement that had filled with water. Sasha, dejected at the loss of her son, surrendered her kits to RiverClan.
Meanwhile, Tiny, now calling himself Scourge, never forgot the apprentice who had caused him so much pain. When Tigerstar showed up in Twolegplace seasons later looking to align himself with Scourge’s Clan, Scourge knew this was the perfect opportunity to at last have his revenge. He claimed all nine of Tigerstar’s lives from him in one strike, and then announced his intention to take over the entire forest, giving the Clans only three days to leave, or else face his Clan in battle. In the end, the Clans triumphed over BloodClan, with Scourge dying at the paws of his own half-brother, and the rogues were chased back into Twolegplace. Some moons later, a she-cat called Fury rose to the leadership of BloodClan, and led an attack on ThunderClan. But Gremlin betrayed her plan to ThunderClan and helped them to defeat the bloodthirsty leader. With Fury disgraced, Snake and Ice became BloodClan’s new leaders, and began sending raids to steal prey from ThunderClan hunting patrols. Barley reluctantly agreed to lead a ThunderClan patrol into the heart of BloodClan territory to defeat his brothers.
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!
