Mapleshades regret

Into (skip if you know)

Now, if you're reading this, you probably have read warrior cats, the series by Erin hunter, at least enough that you understand how the clans work. In case you didn't, if you continue reading without some information, you will undoubtedly be confused. There are also some of you who may have not read Mapleshade's vengeance, and will not understand the events of this story.

In honor of you readers here is a chapter just dedicated to enlightening you about the cats in the book, and later on Mapleshade herself, the once loyal and valued Thunderclan warrior who went to the dark forest, but took three other cats with her to the afterlife in her rage. This is her story.

There were four clans in the forest. Thunderclan, Riverclan, Shadowclan, and Windclan. Each of the clans owned territory that they fought hard to defend. Every clan was a group of cats who had special skills.

Thunderclan could stalk mice and squirrels over the most dry and noisy leaves, they were seen as noble and loyal cats. Their territory was in an oak forest, and they hunted all sorts of woodland creatures.

Riverclan, as the name suggests, lived by the river, and were strong swimmers, able to swim in strong currents and hold their breath longer than most cats. They used the water to catch fish, and as long as the river wasn't frozen they had food all year long. They were scorned by the other clans for liking wet paws and fish, which many thought to be disgusting.

Shadowclan were named for their ability to hide among shadows, and were the fiercest of all clans. Elders among the other clans would tell young kits this is because the wind blows into their territory, freezing their hearts of all emotion. The hunted frogs and rats, along with other forest creatures if available. Their territory was a dark pine forest.

Finally, Windclan. The cats that belonged to this clan were the swiftest of all, as they had to chase down rabbits on the moor they called home. The others called them cowards for avoiding fights, but they were just the most observant and didn't want trouble.

Despite the fact that they are all cats, or maybe because of it, these Clans were not on good terms with each other. Sure, sometimes they would make alliances, but these were only temporary and did not usually last long.

Now, despite all of their differences, all of the clans had three things in common. The first was that they all had the same ranking system based on age and skill. The first level was the kits. They have the word 'kit' at the end of their name. For example, Maplekit. They were around 1-6 moons, (months) and were not allowed out of camp unless they had a warrior escort.

Next is the Apprentice. They are soon to be warriors, who do chores such as hunting for the Elders and cleaning their nests. These young cats learn to fight and hunt, which they are taught to do through their mentors. You can either be a warrior apprentice or medicine cat apprentice. One is the path of claws and battles while the other is herbs and prophecies. They would get 'paw' as a suffix in their name when they came of age. Maplekit is now Maplepaw.

When you passed an assessment, you were deemed good enough at hunting and fighting to become a warrior. You would also get a new suffix, which the leader at the time would choose for you. Maplepaw becomes Mapleshade. Warriors do not have to do apprentice duties unless there are little to no apprentices in their clan. They can also get sent on missions to do special tasks. Once they gather enough experience they can mentor an apprentice, passing down the skills they were taught. Cats who had been warriors for a good time are thought of as senior warriors, and must be treated with respect.

You could also become a medicine cat. This was a position that was very honored and not many were right for it. They gather herbs to heal their clanmates in case they are injured, using the right herbs to heal the cat. They also get prophecies from Starclan, which foretell future events and can be good or bad omens. Medicine cats live restricting lives, however. They could not have a mate and bear kits, as it was feared that the cat would become biased and care more about their family than their other clanmates. Medicine cats are also supposed to remain neutral, and are able to go onto any clan's territory for herbs.