Never Apart (Warrior Cats Fanfic)

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(Kit designs at the top)

Mapleshade watched as her kits played outside of the nursery, well, all except Patchkit. He would never leave her side. "Hello Mapleshade, is Patchkit alright?" Frecklewish padded into the den and dropped a mouse. "Oh.. he's fine. He just prefers to stay in the nursery." Mapleshade brought Patchkit close to her chest, she wanted Frecklewish to leave the two of them alone. "Ah alright then. I brought you a mouse fresh from the forest!" She pushed the mouse over to Mapleshade with a gesturing smile. 

"I cant even imagine how it feels to stay cooped up in here." Frecklewish joked. "Ill be off now!" She pranced away with her tail high. Mapleshade bared her teeth and let Patchkit loose from her paws. "Mama, are you ok?" Patchkit looked up to Mapleshade with beaming eyes. "Yes darling, everything's fine." Mapleshade gave Patchkit a few licks above the head. "Mama! Mama!" Mapleshade looked up to see Larchkit and Petalkit speeding up to her. "Rabbitfur taught us some crouching skills!" Petalkit got low to the ground with her tail high up. "Wow, good posture." Mapleshade chuckled. Petalkit smirked and leapt on Patchkit. "Stop it Petalkit!" Patchkit kept on kicking Petalkit in the face. Mapleshade smiled, she loved her kits so much. She would never let anything happen to them.

"Come on mom!" Petalkit ran down the forest path. They were taking a walk in the forest, Petalkit and Larchkit easily running ahead while Patchkit stayed behind. "Don't you want to go ahead with your siblings?" Mapleshade looked down at Patchkit, huddling under her belly. "I don't want to get lost..." Patchkit said with a weary tone. "Mama look!" Larchkit pointed to a large pond, it wasn't to far from the Riverclan border. Before Mapleshade could say anything, Petalkit jumped into the pond with Larchkit. They both swam around the pond, splashing each other. Her kits were really half-Riverclan. She then hears something creeping towards them and she gets protective instantly, yowling at the top of her lungs with her claws unsheathed. The kits squeaked in surprise. "Show your self!" Mapleshade looked side to side, then a light figure comes out of the bushes. "Mapleshade!" Appledusk shook the leaves out of his fur and rubbed his head against Mapleshade. "Hello!" Petalkit waved at Appledusk. Appledusk looked at the soggy pile of kits in the pond and a Tortoiseshell kit under Mapleshade. She chuckled "Appledusk, this is Petalkit, Patchkit, And Larchkit." Mapleshade swayed her tail, signaling the kits to come out of the water. Appledusk stared at them with his face gleaming with pride. "Haha! You look like Rabbitfur!" Larchkit laughed at Petalkit. Appledusk stayed silent which worried Mapleshade a bit as she looked directly in his eyes, "Oh... Sorry Mapleshade. They are just so beautiful." Appledusk sat beside her and the kits. 

"Mama who is that?" Patchkit hid behind Mapleshade's large bushy tail. "This is your real father kits, Appledusk. He's Riverclan." Mapleshade looked down at her kits with a calming face. "Really? Are we... Bad kits?" Larchkit let his head hang down as his ears dropped. Mapleshade didn't know what to say, of course they were not bad kits. "No Larchkit, it means your special!" Appledusk nuzzled the small kit. Larchkit giggled and hugged Appledusk's muzzle. Petalkit and Patchkit joined along. Mapleshade smiled, she knew for a fact Appledusk was the best father for these kits. 

"Mapleshade?!" Mapleshade jumped, her fur stood on end. She turned around to see Ravenwing. "What are you doing here with him?!" Ravenwing stood in shock before realizing just exactly what was going on by looking at Petalkit and Appledusk side by side. "Its not what you think-" "You traitor!" Ravenwing interrupted. The kits began to cower beneath Mapleshade, Appledusk bared his teeth and approached the much smaller cat, claws unsheathed. He then jumped onto Ravenwing and swatted his face with his paws, he grabbed the cat by his throat and threw him into the bushes. Appledusk looked back at Mapleshade and nodded his head, jumping into the bushes and going after him. "Will papa be ok?" Larchkit tilted his head, approaching the bush. Mapleshade was proud that her kits were ok with calling Appledusk their father already. "Yes, your father is a strong cat." Mapleshade looked at the bush herself with a smile on her face.

After a long day, Mapleshade decided to leave the pond after waiting for Appledusk to return all day. The kits got tired and they went home. 

"Today was fun! Lets do it again!" Petalkit leapt up and down over and over again. "Yes please. I miss papa." Patchkit looked up to Mapleshade. The she thought for a few minutes then looked down at all of her kits with a smile. "We can go back to the pond tomorrow." She said. All of the kits jumped around in joy, surprisingly Patchkit joined along. 

It was late at night and Mapleshade lied awake awaiting for her kits to fall asleep before she did. She wanted to make sure all of her kits were asleep before resting. "Psst, Mapleshade." Mapleshade's ears perked and she turned to where the sound came from. Just outside the nursery was Appledusk. Mapleshade panicked and grabbed him inside the den, they were lucky Mapleshade was the only queen at the moment. "What are you doing?" Mapleshade was almost upset at Appledusk for once, what was he thinking? "I came to tell you... Ravenwing fell into the falls when I was chasing him away. I think he's gone." Mapleshade was shocked, The medicine cat was gone! Surely Oakstar would go looking for him with a patrol... "Good, at least our kits are safe." Mapleshade looked down at her kits and gave them all a lick, Appledusk looked almost shocked but then he smiled. He put his head down to the kits then looked at Mapleshade. "Your right." Appledusk said as he stood up and gave his mate a lick on her forehead. "The pond at sunrise? Ill bring breakfast." Appledusk looked at Mapleshade with pleading eyes. Mapleshade thought about how the kits would be tired waking up at such a time but at least they would be well fed. "Ok." 

(The kits, Mapleshade, and Appledusk were all at the river near the Sandy Hollow.)