Mapleshade's Wrath

Chapter 1

Mapleshade couldn't process the many scents that passed by, or what was behind the blurred vision from weakness. She almost felt her own weight as Bloomheart seemed to struggle. The were both very large cats, but Bloomheart was more lean and graceful, while she was only muscular.

She could still feel the weakness as she gazed over to Cloudberry, who rested a paw on the wooden Twoleg bridge between RiverClan and WindClan territory. The disappearing sun and the sky's many orange and purplish tints shone off the ripples of the water. Though it then would be lost in the foaming water of the gorge, just before the bridge. Mapleshade couldn't scent any RiverClan cats. 

They must be preparing for Appledusk's vigil, she thought. To her, it seemed like the most mouse-brained thought to come to mind. He killed my kits. Them respecting him for that is more mouse-brained than that battle!

"They won't be suspicious of the ThunderClan scents, will they?", Bloomheart asked, worry in his mew. Mapleshade could feel his pelt bristling. It was fluffed up along his back. 

"If we don't go near this place again afterwards, unless to go to the Moonstone, then we're safe." 

Mapleshade felt too weak to move, but managed to blurt out: "Where are we?"

She, through the blur of her half-closed eyes, heard Cloudberry whisper: "No too far from Fourtrees. From there, it's straight home. Don't worry." 

Mapleshade closed her eyes again. I'm going home, she repeated. But it won't be the same, a thought broke in. Not without the kits. She wanted to wail out loud, but was still too weak. She almost felt like a tiny kit, too weak to feed or mew. That's how it used to be when she was first born. Mapleshade remembered how her mother, Whistledawn, always told her that she had barely survived past the first moon of her life.

Back when known as Maplekit, she and her littermates, Flowerkit and Deerkit, had all been born weak and sickly. Whistledawn was also badly sick at that time, which forced her to kit nearly a half-moon early. She had lost mounds of blood during her kitting that was pumped onto the moss of her nest. Maplekit was the weakest, and she and her littermates just barely managed to survive to achieve warrior status with the help of Whistledawn and Oatspeckle. Flowertail and Mapleshade were the most attached to each other, even more attached to her and than Frecklewish was. But now Flowertail was one of ThunderClan's most busy warriors, and was almost always part of a patrol.

Mapleshade watched the Great Rock of Fourtrees pass through her blurred, clouded vision. She felt the weight of her own eyelids, closing them. Mapleshade soon scented the Owl Tree. I'm going home, she repeated to herself again. But it won't be the same. Not without my kits. Will Oakstar truly accept me back? She suddenly scented grief in Bloomheart. She now figured he had a reason to be so devastated and ashamed when Patchkit, Larchkit, and Petalkit were discovered to be half-Clan. 

Flowerpaw and Nettlepaw were littermates, fathered by Bloomheart. He had named the dappled gray she-cat after Flowertail, remembering the strength his sister needed to survive. Bloomheart was part of the battle in which Flowerpaw died trying to save Birchface. Mapleshade was behind him, battling Rainfall, and watching as Frecklewish furiously shoved Appledusk's mother, Lilyflower, into the rocks, where she had hit her head, spraying blood onto them. She remembered scenting fear in her older brother, before he sprinted along the river, alongside Oakstar, and was not seen for the rest of the battle.

Mapleshade could only feel sympathy for her own kin now. Flowertail, Deerdapple, Seedpelt, her mother, Whistledawn, and her father, Stonestripe still pained her to think about. Only Bloomheart and Seedpelt were at camp when she and the kits were thrown out. Stonestripe, Whistledawn, and Flowertail had been out on a hunting patrol with Rushtuft, while her mate, Fennelstem, watched as the tortoiseshell lead her kits out of camp with worried eyes. Most other ThunderClan warriors glared at her and the kits coldly. Mapleshade couldn't help but wish her parents and sister were there to defend her. Deerdapple was busy training Nettlepaw, meaning she couldn't be there to defend her either. If they were there, the kits would be alive.