Mapleshade's Wrath

Prologue

Black spots clouded Mapleshade's vision, like large holes in the eerie glow of the Place of No Stars. The thick, black sky and dank trees slowly began to fade with the dead grass and bracken, as well as the scent of death. Mapleshade's vision was black again, and she flinched when she felt a sting in her wound.

"Don't move. Stay still and let me stop the bleeding.", a she-cat's soft voice soothed. Mapleshade slowly opened her eyes, the dark barn back into view. Her joints ached against the thick wood, but not as much as her neck.

Whoever you are, just let me die. There's no point in living anymore!

Mapleshade growled as a flat muzzle pressed several cobwebs onto her neck. "Hey! Stop!", she yowled in agony. 

She twisted her head over to a white, flat-muzzled she-cat, quickly releasing the cobwebs from her jaws. The stranger curled up against her, while still pressing the cobwebs onto the wound. She turned her gentle gaze over to the furious tortoiseshell.

"I'm Cloudberry", she purred, "ThunderClan's new medicine cat. I used to be a RiverClan medicine cat, but I heard that Ravenwing died. I joined ThunderClan so I can take his place, but Oakstar sent me to find you to test my dedication to ThunderClan."

Mapleshade felt blood roaring in her ears. Oakstar said I can't expect his forgiveness! Not after choosing that fox-heart, Appledusk!

"Go away. I know you're lying to me", Mapleshade hissed, fluffing out her ragged fur. In that same moment, she broke into a violent coughing fit. 

"No. You need me. He....felt really bad about what happened to your kits. I overheard that Appledusk rejected you, too, and told Oakstar. He wants you to come back to ThunderClan."

Cloudberry rubbed her muzzle against Mapleshade's nearly-stiff flank. A large gray tabby tom padded into the barn, Mapleshade feeling his light pawsteps. She caught a familiar scent. Bloomheart? Before her, her former mentor came to a stop, eyes wide and ears pinned flat to his head. 

"Great StarClan! Is she okay?", he yowled over to Cloudberry. 

"I don't know. I stopped the bleeding, but I can smell sickness. She coughed very violently, too."

Bloomheart dipped his head and nudged his apprentice with his snout. 

"I can smell it, too. I'm sorry I agreed to your banishment, Mapleshade. We all finally agreed that the loss of Appledusk was enough for you, but the loss of your Clan and kits was too much. Even I took the pain to heart when I finally remembered they were my kin. I was the first cat to suggest looking for you and bringing you back. Remember me? Not just your mentor, but your brother?", he glumly mewed. Mapleshade began to remember more of him.

She had been born into her parents' second litter, while Bloomheart and Seedpelt were from their first litter.

 Mapleshade felt her eyes cloud with fever. Her breaths felt very heavy. How do they not know what I did to Frecklewish, Oakstar's only other kit? The cowardly snake-heart who watched my precious little kits drown, probably wanting them to die?  Mapleshade coughed again, cutting off her thoughts. She opened her mouth, but only a tiny rasp escaped.

"I don't know how much longer she has. Come on, Bloomheart, I'll get her onto your back so you can carry her. We should to get her home before moonhigh.", Cloudberry breathed, a prominent crack piercing through her voice. Mapleshade relaxed a bit. I'm going home. She repeated this comforting thought to herself as Cloudberry dragged her by the scruff onto Bloomheart's spine, his soft fur comforting her. She was going home. Surely she'll recover enough for Appledusk and Frecklewish's kin to mourn the day they destroyed her now-blackened heart? As happy as she felt to see Bloomheart, she knew that he wasn't enough. Since her brush with death, she knew that the thirst for blood-soaked vengeance would not rest.