Tear the Trees Apart: Maple's Vengeance

Epilogue

I don't think my first mommy loved me very much. I try not to think about her too much, it brings up bad memories. Morning Glory didn't tell us too much about her when we were younger, but now that we're older...

She wasn't a great mom. Morning Glory said she wasn't ready for kits, not emotionally developed enough. Or something like that. Again, I don't think about her often. I only try to remember the day she ran away, and the days after. We huddled at the back of the den that night. It was stormy. Morning Glory let us sleep in her nest. It was warm and soft. She stepped up to take care of us, along with Freckle.

Well, until Freckle was killed. I remember Bloom carrying her body back into camp. The Colony whispered my mother's name, but their eyes were only filled with sadness. We huddled at the back of the den, thinking about what this meant.

And a few days after mom ran away, a funny-smelling cat showed up. He looked like Larch. He also looked like my grandpa, Pine Marten. But Pine Marten didn't like him. I remember he called him a "traitor," like mommy, and "a dirty kittypet coward." I don't think the stranger liked that. I don't think Pine Marten liked it either. In the end, he left. I've never seen him again. Morning Glory told us where to find him if we wanted to meet him. I haven't gone yet. I don't really want to.

Tomorrow Honeysuckle will become a full druid. Morning Glory's been talking everyone's ears off. The only other times I've seen her this proud were at mine, Larch, and Nettle's warrior ceremonies. I can't wait for Pine Marten to announce it at the gathering. Now that we're all finally grown, I hope RiverColony will stop associating us with Maple. Star Vole apologized to us, but I can't help but notice the way RiverColony bristles at me and my siblings.

I just hope we can outgrow her shadow. All of us, and leave her in the past forever.

- The End -