Warriors: Omen Of Fire

Territories

The Territories

This story takes place in the Canadian wilderness. The clans live on the East side of a small inland lake and to the Southwest of the Canadian Shield. The Canadian Shield is a large area of exposed rocks that form the ancient geological core of the North American continent. Basically it's a long mountain range, but it's not quite high enough to be considered mountains. While there are high peaks and low valleys, I would consider most of it pretty much the same general height. The terrain on and around the Canadian Shield is rocky, with dry soil, towering evergreen trees, as well as stubby undergrowth. It is not all like that, however. There are areas that are lush and green, full of deciduous trees that are old and covered in moss, areas with rivers that flow quickly, waterfalls, and swamps. It all depends on the sun (South facing areas receive more sunlight and will most likely be drier), and the drainage in each area. The cats in these clans don't explore the Canadian Shield too much (in this story they call it the Rocky Hills), as it is mostly bare of vegetation in this area where they live, and most of the rocks are too big and sharp to climb. There are a few rivers that run down from the Rocky Hills and into the small lake, creating a lush area of vegetation in between where the cats live. The area is filled with both coniferous and deciduous trees, lots of undergrowth and small plants, as well as some open fields. There is a human hiking trail, which the clan cats call the Twoleg Footpath. It was once a small dirt road that used to lead to a hunt camp nearby. The hunt camp is now desolate and collapsing from age and weather. This is the only place where catmint grows, and since it is located just North of SapphireClan territory, they usually try to steak their claim on it, and defend it as if it were their own. The Twoleg Footpath is what the clan cats use to split their territories. It begins in the Rocky Hills and travels straight West towards the lake. At the end of this trail is a small broken dock (used to be used for loading and unloading boats and canoes). This is the path the borders all of EmeraldClan from the other two clans. About halfway between the Rocky Hills and the lake, another trail splits off in a Northbound direction. This is the path that leads to the old hunting cabin, and it is also the path that separates SapphireClan and RubyClan. Occasionally humans bring their dogs down these paths, but not often enough that they cause a lot of trouble. In the human world, they would have to drive their cars down the highway and turn off down a dirt road to park their car. From there they can walk and reach the hiking trails. The area has grown in a lot since the past when it was used often (before any living cat remembers), so most humans wouldn't bother to come here. For further information, I will split up the three territories and describe them individually.

EmeraldClan

This is the main clan in this story. Their territory is the furthest South; the Twoleg Footpath to the North separates them from the other two territories. This area is filled with both types of trees. More coniferous trees begin to grow as you travel Northward (toward RubyClan). The Rocky Hills border their territory to the East and Southeast, and in this area there are a lot of deciduous trees, effectively blotting out most of the sunlight. There is an extreme amount of undergrowth; what is normal for a Canadian forest. Except under the coniferous trees closer to the RubyClan border. There is an exceptionally less amount of undergrowth here; the ground is covered with needles and the EmeraldClan cats feel more nervous in this area of their territory. To the Northwest lies the lake and SapphireClan territory. To the West is wide-open marshland, with tall grasses and small spindly trees. Here there are occasionally moose and small birds, but EmeraldClan deems it too bare to make it a used hunting ground. Where the tree line ends and the marsh begins is where they draw their border. Only some cats hunt outside the border, but it doesn't entirely matter if they do or not because it's not technically anyone's territory. Because of the lack of a lot of sunlight and because of the amount of trees, these cats are good at climbing, as well as hunting and fighting at night. They have long tails for balance and long claws for gripping the bark. Their paw pads are semi-rough from the bark on the trees. Their camp is located in a low gully, closer in direction to the Rocky Hills. An old stream used to run through here, so the centre is clear of most undergrowth. The cats keep it clean as well, by years of walking and by digging up any new sprouts that may get in the way of the clearing. It's sandy and dry in the centre (unless it rains, then it fills with deep puddles), with grassy slopes on either side. The camp is surrounded by a dense, low growing bramble wall that offers protection from enemies and weather. The entrance to the camp is at the deepest end of the gully (South end). There is a hill, called the Training Hill, where the apprentices train their battle moves and their tree climbing. The branches of nearby trees swoop down to the top of the hill so that cats can easily leap up into the branches. The hilltop is generally flat and large enough for cats to practice battling. Forget-me-nots bloom every year on the south facing side of the hill. The main source for fresh water is a medium sized stream that runs down from the Rocky Hills and into the marshland. It loops deep into their territory and a smaller stream branches off the main one, closer to their camp. The ground in their territory is mainly dry, but remains wet for a while after heavy rainfalls and when the snow melts because of the lack of sunshine. Snow also last longer in their territory than the others for the same reason.