Fourtrees

Fourtrees (known by the Twolegs as Druid's Hollow) is a group of four tall oak trees located in a hollow, that the Clan cats have held their Gatherings at since the early days of the Clans.

Colored image of Fourtrees.

File:FourtreesLoc.JPG

The location of Fourtrees in neutral territory is shown in red

Description

In the middle, there is a steep-sided clearing and in the center is a large rock called the Great Rock, which is noted to have jagged edges. The Clan leaders use it to look down on the Clans and share their news during Gatherings. They are also referred to as the Great Oaks.

Mythology

The battle that created the Clans took place at Fourtrees. They are told that they must gather once a moon at Fourtrees,to share the news of how their Clans were doing.^[source?]

Book Appearances

In the Super Editions

Crookedstar's Promise

When RiverClan arrives at Fourtrees, Brightsky notices they are the last Clan to arrive, forcing the other leaders to start the Gathering with out RiverClan. Crookedpaw first sees Fourtrees, and Crookedpaw slides to a halt beside one with the rest of RiverClan. He stares up at the branches, his eyes wide. It is bigger than any tree in RiverClan or ThunderClan and he starts to feel dizzy, wondering if the top branches touch the stars.

At the next Gathering, Pinestar tells the other Clan's that ThunderClan would be increasing patrols, to warn off any intruders, making Hawkheart call from the cluster of medicine cats that WindClan had stayed on their side of Fourtrees.

Fourtrees is lit by a cold white moon at the following Gathering. The hollow around Fourtrees is brimmed with moonlight, which silvers the Clans and bathed the Great Rock below the trees.

Bluestar's Prophecy

Adderfang mentions that WindClan probably thinks that having Fourtrees between the moor and ThunderClan territory makes them safe from anything ThunderClan might do in revenge. After Snowpaw's first day as an apprentice, she complains that it wasn't anything interesting. Bluepaw says that she saw Fourtrees, wishing she could have been there. Snowpaw snorts, and answers she's seen enough trees, and hasn't been allowed to look for prey or hunt there.

Bluepaw gets to go to the Gathering only two days after becoming an apprentice. However, since it was so large and noisy, she couldn't even remember what Fourtrees looked like, and she admits that she wouldn't be able to find her way back to Fourtrees even in daylight.

After ThunderClan's defeat in WindClan's territory, they pass through Fourtrees. As they pass through, the wind ceases and the four giant oaks stand still. Bluepaw wonders if the silence was sent by StarClan as a disapproval of the attack or mourning of Moonflower. On one Gathering, Bluefur notes that for the first time in moons, the great oaks have grown leaves after the harsh winter. During that same Gathering, when Pinestar seems to accuse the Clans of hunting in ThunderClan territory, a WindClan cat says that they have kept to their side of Fourtrees.

When Sunstar leads a patrol to RiverClan to reclaim Sunningrocks, Oakheart catches up with Bluefur, and tells her to meet him tonight at Fourtrees. Although she knows she doesn't have time for this, Bluefur consents, and escapes camp to see him at Fourtrees. When they meet, it is cold, and Bluefur says she'll race him up to the top of one of the oaks. Oakheart twitches his whiskers, saying that RiverClan cats don't climb. Bluefur offers to teach him, and she starts climbing the largest of the Great Oaks, saying that old trees like that one are easier, as the bark's thick and soft. They climb as high as they can, and soon clamber down, spending the night huddled underneath one of the roots. Later, Goosefeather says he had seen her there with Oakheart.

On another Gathering, Bluefur looks at the oaks, remembering the branches in which she and Oakheart had climbed on to look at the stars, and the roots they had slept in.

Firestar's Quest

In the prologue, a faint breeze murmurs through Fourtrees on the Gathering before SkyClan gets driven away. During this Gathering, one of the WindClan cats challenges the existence of five Clans by saying that the four trees at Fourtrees must be a sign that only four Clans were meant to be.

Firestar leads the way towards Fourtrees with some of his Clanmates behind him, on their way to a Gathering. When Firestar leaves Barley and Ravenpaw's barn, he wishes he would have taken the time to hunt before he had left Fourtrees, because he couldn't eat before he went to Highstones. During Firestar's dream, he finds himself at Fourtrees. Bluestar tells him that warrior's had fought over the fact that their had been only four oak trees, and five Clan's in the forest.

Later, Graystripe, Willowpelt, and Brackenfur lead a patrol near Fourtrees to see if they can spot a fox that Onestar had talked about during the last Gathering.

When Firestar falls asleep and loses Sandstorm, he wakes up to Cora's friends greeting each other like the Clan's did at Fourtrees. After Sandstorm and Firestar reunite, they find a place by the river that looks exactly like where the Clan crossed to get to Fourtrees.

When SkyClan has their meeting at their rock, Firestar realizes that because there was a full moon that night, the Clans would be at Fourtrees for a Gathering.

In the The Prophecies Begin arc

Into the Wild

Fourtrees is first seen when Firepaw and Graypaw are exploring ThunderClan's territory and borders with Tigerclaw and Lionheart. Later on, at the Gathering, Firepaw takes in how Fourtrees looks. Bluestar, Brokenstar, and Crookedstar leap on top of the rocks and begin the Gathering.

Fire and Ice

At a Gathering, Crookedstar reports that his patrols scented a ThunderClan cat, and accuses ThunderClan of spying on them. Fireheart becomes alert at once, knowing it was Graystripe and Silverstream. He tells Graystripe that Tigerclaw probably already knew that he was the cat, and Graystripe spats angrily at Fireheart that he promised he would only meet on Fourtress from now on, so that RiverClan and Tigerclaw wouldn't know it was him that was crossing the border.

Forest of Secrets

Graystripe, who had been visiting the RiverClan she-cat, Silverstream, at the border between ThunderClan and RiverClan, stopped meeting there, and started seeing her at Fourtrees, since RiverClan had now detected his smell on the border.

Rising Storm

When Bluestar wants to go to the Moonstone to share tongues with StarClan, Fireheart and her travel through Fourtrees to go there. They meet a WindClan patrol, and they refuse to let them pass. The patrol takes them back to Fourtrees.

The Darkest Hour

The ambitious and bloodthirsty BloodClan was introduced at Fourtrees as Tigerstar was about to lead the four Clans into battle, but their leader, Scourge, killed Tigerstar and demanded for the Clans to leave the forest within the next three days, or they would be forced to. Later, when the Clans refused, they merged into one Clan, LionClan, and the battle against BloodClan was fought at Fourtrees. LionClan won and the four Clans were once again four.

In the New Prophecy arc

Midnight

The questing cats from all four Clans, Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Feathertail, Stormfur, Crowpaw, and Tawnypelt met here to discuss the journey to the sun-drown-place.

Moonrise

When Firestar decides to go and visit ShadowClan to discuss the impending Twoleg activity in their territories, they cross a stream by Fourtrees. Blackstar, the ShadowClan leader, tells Firestar that if he has anything to discuss with him to discuss it at the next gathering at Fourtrees. Leafpaw and Sorreltail cross by fourtrees when they go to talk to WindClan.

Dawn

Twolegs start to destroy the Forest. In the prologue, it is shown that, while the Clans are going to a Gathering, all four oaks are cut down by the Twolegs, and their monsters. Later, when the chosen cats and their leaders go to Fourtrees for Midnight's sign, they find the Great Rock turned upside-down. When the Clans go to save ShadowClan, the trees have been taken away and the Great Rock has been crushed into rubble.

In the Field Guides

Secrets of the Clans

Before the Clans were formed, there was a battle at Fourtrees. The spirit of a cat killed in that battle told the cats to "unite or die". Four cats claimed leadership, and created four Clans, though it is unknown what happened to SkyClan in those times. StarClan gave the four leaders their nine lives at Fourtrees.

Trivia

Mistakes

• Fourtrees has mistakenly been called "Four Trees".