The forest territories

The Forest (also referred to as "The Old Territories") is the region that provides the setting of all six books of the Original Series, the first three books of the New Prophecy Series, and all books whose action takes place in parallel or before these. It consists of a vast and varied landscape, and it gives home to the five (later four) Clans that appear in the Warriors series.

History
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, several cats wanted to rule over the others, and in the end, they separated into five groups, led by Thunder, Shadow, River, Wind and Sky. They developed the Warrior Code, and founded the five Clans - ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, WindClan and SkyClan - 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.

The first to leave the territory was SkyClan, after Twolegs built a Twolegplace on their territory. Soon, the remaining four Clans were forced to leave as well, as Twolegs destroyed the region to construct a Thunderpath. They later settled by a lake, the region being referred to as The Lake.

Overview
Despite its name, only about half of the region is covered by actual forest; namely the eastern part claimed by ThunderClan and RiverClan as their hunting grounds. The western part is hills and moorland. A river, named River Chell cuts through the region, making up the border between RiverClan and their two neighbors, ThunderClan and WindClan. A Thunderpath makes up the border between ShadowClan and the rest of the Clans.

ThunderClan grounds
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.

Landmarks in the 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
 * Southwest of the camp is Sunningrocks, a large, smooth stone formation by the river where cats love to sun themselves
 * Far south of the camp 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

ShadowClan grounds
ShadowClan claims the northeastern part of the region, their territory consisting of dense and dark pine forest with damp ground (although the forest is not represented on the map). 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.

Landmarks in the ShadowClan territory:
 * South of the camp is The Burnt Sycamore, where apprentices learn to hunt at night
 * 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

RiverClan grounds
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.

Landmarks in the 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

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

Landmarks in the WindClan territory:
 * East of the camp is the Outlook Rock, a large rock from where the moorland can be oversaw
 * South of the camp is an abandoned badger set, a source of prey

SkyClan
SkyClan lived in a woodland area in the far southeastern part of the region. Their territory was destroyed a long time ago, and nothing is known of it.

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 through other Clans' grounds to reach it.

Surroundings
Surrounding the Clan grounds, there are several locations that play a more or less important role in the life of the cats:
 * In the northwestern part, there is Highstones, an abandoned Twoleg quarry that 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
 * 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.
 * West of WindClan grounds there is Barley's Farm, a Twoleg farm where cows, sheep and dogs live