Camp

***Spoiler warning:** Plot and/or ending details follow.*
A **camp** is a site where a Clan makes its permanent home. It is where the cats sleep, meet, bring fresh-kill, get treated for injuries or illness, receive orders, share tongues, make reports to the Clan leader or deputy, and have ceremonies. Some cats, such as queens, kits, and elders stay in the camp, while the warriors, apprentices, deputy, and leader patrol the territory and hunt. Each Clan has one camp.

## Location

Each camp is situated on the Clan's own territory. The main criteria for choosing a site that is:

* Is difficult to attack, and easy to defend.
* Is at a safe distance from Twolegs, Twoleg facilities, and other dangers.
* Is large enough to accommodate all Clan cats.
* Has a source of water in the camp or nearby.
* Has places for a warrior den, apprentice den, nursery, medicine cat den, elders den, and leader's den.

## Structure

Most camps are surrounded by some means of natural protection (such as thickets, stone walls or water) that shelter them both from weather and enemy attacks. They usually have a single entrance, where only one cat can pass at a time (such as a tunnel under the thickets) along with one small entrance and exit to make dirt. In addition to the natural defense, warriors patrol and protect the camp day and night.

### Main clearing

All camps contain a large, open area in their middle. Cats gather here to meet each other, sun themselves, share tongues and participate in Clan meetings. The main clearing usually also contains:

* The **fresh-kill pile**, a spot where hunters drop the prey they caught and brought to the camp and where cats get their food from. Sometimes, if it has rained, they will store their prey in the ground to keep it dry.
* A **vantage point** from where the leader addresses the Clan during a meeting, such as a large rock or a branch of a tree.

### Dens

**Dens** are sheltered locations (such as thickets or caves) used by a cat or a group of cats to rest, sleep and recover. Beddings of moss, bracken, wool, and ferns are used to rest on. The dens are usually cleaned and tidied by the apprentices of the Clan. Most camps contain all (or several) of the following:

* **Nursery** - The den shared between the queens and kits, usually the safest and most protected.
* **Apprentices' den** - The den shared between the apprentices.
* **Warriors' den** - The den shared between the warriors and the deputy. Senior warriors usually sleep towards the center, where it is warmer, while younger cats sleep near the edge, where it is colder.
* **Medicine cat's den** - The den that belongs to the medicine cat and their apprentice, who store their herbs and other supplies here as well. Cats with severe injuries and illness also rest here until they recover and are able to return to their own dens.
* **Elders' den** - The den shared between the elders, usually the second most protected.
* **Leader's den** - The den where the Clan leader lives, usually the nicest den. They usually spend most of the day here in seclusion and undisturbed; however, they can be visited by other cats, or choose to spend the night with their mate.

### Outer facilities

The following can be encountered in the vicinity of the camp:

* **Burial place** - A location where dead Clanmates are buried.
* **Dirtplace** - A location where the cats make dirt, and dump inedible food (bones, feathers, crowfood).

## Known camps

### In the forest

#### ThunderClan

The ThunderClan forest camp is in a sandy ravine that used to be a riverbed a long time ago. The camp consists of a clearing edged with thick grass, dotted with tree stumps, and has a thick curtain of ferns and gorse shielding it. It is also surrounded by brambles, and the entrance is through a gorse tunnel. There is a tall boulder in the clearing, called the Highrock, used by the leader to call meetings. The Highrock has scuffed earth around its base. A vast, sandy clearing stretches to the Highrock, which is near a clump of nettles. A bit away from the nursery is a crowded corner of ferns, which have a tall barrier of gorse behind it. At one side a fallen tree lies, its tangled branches folded on the ground. The fresh-kill pile usually lies at the side of the clearing. At one point, the camp was burned down in a fire, but the vegetation grew back quickly.

* The nursery is under a thick bramble bush. There is a huge gap in the bush that leads to the clearing.
* The apprentices' den is in a clump of ferns, beside a tree stump.
* The warriors' den is under a bush, with a nearby nettle patch. The warriors' den is beside the nursery. It is said that the senior warriors sleep near the center, the warmest area. It is also an honor that senior warriors invite younger warriors to eat with them by the bush.
* The medicine cat's den is a crack in a rock, near a small grassy clearing, a tunnel of ferns leading to it. Inside there is a grassy clearing with a small pool at one edge. One tall rock stands at the side, split with a crack to keep herbs inside.
* The elders' den is under a jutting branch in the fallen tree that has grass, moss and ferns sprouting from every crevice in the tangle of wood. There is a maze of twigs that eventually lead to an empty space among tangled branches.
* The leader's den is a cave in the Highrock which was carved out by an ancient stream, with lichen hanging over the entrance. Inside the den is a quiet cove with a smooth floor and walls, a mossy nest at one side.

#### WindClan

The WindClan forest camp is in a sandy hollow, surrounded by gorse. The entrance is through a gorse tunnel. A tall boulder, called the Tallrock is used by the leader to call meetings.

* The nursery and the elders' den are under the gorse wall surrounding the camp.
* The other cats, including the leader, prefer to sleep under the open sky, although in bad weather, they retreat in burrows made by rabbits, foxes or badgers.

#### Old SkyClan

The SkyClan forest camp. It consisted of caves in the wall of a gorge and was destroyed when the Twolegs built a Twolegplace, destroying SkyClan territory, including their camp. The Twoleg nest where Smudge lives is built right on top of the old SkyClan camp.

### By the lake

#### ShadowClan

The ShadowClan lake camp is concealed between tangles of brambles and low-hanging branches, and is a dip beneath the pine trees. The entrance is through a thorn tunnel. The leader makes their announcements from a branch hanging over their den.

* All dens are under bramble thickets.
* The medicine den has a sandy, hollowed-out floor covered in dried pine needles.
* A hazel branch overhangs the camp.

### Other camps

SkyClan (Formally)
Also view *SkyClan camp*

After being driven out from the forest, SkyClan made a new camp at the source of River Chell, in a narrow gorge. The Skyrock is the highest point in the camp, used by the SkyClan cats to hold Gatherings, and can be used to oversee the entire landscape. At the bottom of the gorge, near the river source, there is a pile of boulders called the Rockpile, used by the leader to stand on during Clan meetings.

* All the dens are caves in the rock wall, with narrow trails leading to them. The lowest is the medicine cat's den, close to the river, where plants grow. The highest is the warriors' den; this den is also used as a refuge during floods, as the water never reaches it.
* There is a cave lined with glowing moss, called the Whispering Cave, where the SkyClan medicine cats share tongues with SkyClan's ancestors.

#### TigerClan (modern)

When ShadowClan and RiverClan united to form TigerClan, neither of the two camps were large enough to host all cats, therefore they made a camp in RiverClan territory, next to the river. The cats made a hill of bones to serve as a vantage point for the leader, very similar to the Highrock in the ThunderClan camp.

#### The Tribe

The Tribe of Rushing Water shelter in the Cave of Rushing Water, a large cave behind a waterfall. Kit-mothers and to-bes rest in separate nooks, while the cave-guards, prey-hunters, and elders sleep in the main cave. Within the cave is a tunnel that leads to the Cave of Pointed Stones, where the Healer communicates with the Tribe ancestors and sleeps.

## Life in the camp

* At dawn, the deputy appoints the daily patrols.
* Border patrols leave at dawn and sunset.
* Several hunting patrols leave daily. Some Clans (like ShadowClan) prefer to hunt at night; the others generally hunt during daytime.
* Some warriors always remain in the camp to guard it in case of an attack.
* Mentors train their apprentices at a designated place (like the training hollow in ThunderClan), or take them on patrols.
* Apprentices do chores such as: tidying up dens, change used bedding, and tending to queens and elders. The elders usually tell them stories while they give them moss balls soaked in water, fresh kill, or get rid of their ticks and fleas. New medicine cat apprentices learn the different herbs while more experienced medicine cat apprentices help with minor sicknesses, kitting, and injuries.
* The medicine cat treats and tends to injured or ill cats, trains their apprentice if they have one, and leaves to gather herbs when supplies are running low.
* The leader oversees what happens in the Clan, consults with warriors, and calls a meeting if needed. (e.g. a kit becoming an apprentice).
* Cats who stay in the camp usually rest, sunbathe in the clearing, eat prey or share tongues. Cats are most active during the morning and late afternoon; they often rest during the night and at noon.
* At night, one or more warriors stay awake to guard the camp while the others sleep.

*End of spoiler warning*

## References and citations

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Revealed in an unknown book, page 276
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Revealed in an unknown book, page 82
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Revealed in an unknown book, page 178
4. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, pages 91-92
5. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 87
6. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 56
7. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 53
8. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 52
9. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 63
10. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 27
11. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 279
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Revealed in an unknown book, page 84
13. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 175
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Revealed in an unknown book, page 119
15. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 112
16. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 252
17. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 106
18. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 176
19. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 277
20. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 32
21. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 33
22. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 19
23. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 13
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Revealed in an unknown book, page 16
25. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 11
26. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 65
27. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 17
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Revealed in an unknown book, page 48
29. ↑ Shown in *Warrior's Return*, page 9
30. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, pages 36-37
31. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 21
32. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 63
33. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 20
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Revealed in an unknown book, page 30
35. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book
36. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, pages 61-62
37. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 59
38. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 64
39. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 15
40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Revealed in an unknown book, page 18
41. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 368
42. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 56
43. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 183
44. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 197
45. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 98
46. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 153
47. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 199
48. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 14
49. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 52
50. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 37
51. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 165
52. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 96
53. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 79
54. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 151
55. ↑ Revealed in an unknown book, page 79

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