♔MapleShade's Chance♔ (AU)

Chapter 9 Reeds of Blood

MapleShade was walking among the reeds with PatchPaw, RainFall, and LilyPaw.  ''Careful, the land gets soft over here.'' RainFall mewed. MapleShade curled her tail around PatchPaw. LilyPaw pointed with her muzzle, ''Look, Thunderclan patrol!'' ''On Riverclan territory..'' RainFall growled. ''Do you think our apprentices are ready?'' MapleShade mewed. RainFall nodded. ''Then strike!'' MapleShade yowled, as the cats leapt onto the Thunderclan patrol. It was OakStar, SweetBriar, and BeeTail. MapleShade jumped onto OakStar first. She sank her teeth into his shoulder as he yowled in pain. MapleShade threw herself off then bit his scruff and tore through his skin. She yanked out his throat, then he collapsed onto the ground. ''He's losing a life.'' MapleShade whispered to herself. Then spun around to the two apprentices, who were taking on SweetBriar. RainFall was battling BeeTail. NettlePaw emerged from the bushed and jumped onto MapleShade's back. MapleShade jerked him off and spun around. He growled and slashed her eye. RainFall left BeeTail to bleed and jumped onto the apprentice. MapleShade went to BeeTail, he looked to her. ''Spare me, please!'' He yelped. MapleShade pinned him, ''Tradior, I am..'' MapleShade slyly smiled, then sank her teeth into his throat. The tom yowled as she yanked out his throat. OakStar was up and alive now. ''Retreat!'' The Thunderclan leader yowled as the Thunderclan cats fled. BeeTail stayed, pinned by MapleShade. He was dead, of course.  MapleShade grabbed his body and dragged it to Thunderclan territory. She dropped him at the entrance and darted off. MapleShade returned to her apprentice and the other cats. ''Should we finish the patrol or?'' RainFall mewed. ''Let's finish the patrol so DarkStar isn't mad.'' MapleShade mewed and the patrol went on their hunting. PatchPaw crouched and stalked a water vole. He jumped onto the furry mammal and bit it's neck. The mammal's blood stained his muzzle and he carried the vole to MapleShade. ''Proud, Maple?'' He smiled. ''Mhm.'' MapleShade smiled. The tom and MapleShade caught up with RainFall and his apprentice. LilyPaw caught a fish while RainFall already had two big ones in his mouth. ''Let's get to camp.'' MapleShade finally mewed as the cats returned home. DarkStar looked to them, ''Why are you so shaken up?'' The leader mewed. ''A Thunderclan patrol was in the reeds, we won, but it was a bloody battle.'' RainFall mewed. ''They lost their deputy...''MapleShade mewed in a dark tone. ''Don't be honored by killing a cat, MapleShade.'' DarkStar looked stern, ''You should be guilty for doing such.'' MapleShade scoffed, ''You don't know what BeeTail has done to me. He thinks he can be all goody good if he friends with you, then throws you like a soggy piece of prey!''  DarkStar looked to her, then sighed. ''I don't know what's happened to you in Thunderclan, so I guess your revenge can be justified.'' MapleShade smiled, maybe she could kill every cat in Thunderclan without DarkStar exiling her. No, that'd be too cruel. It was funny, though, no cat knows PatchKit, LarchKit, and PetalKit weren't BirchFall's . She doesn't have to worry about that know, she's in Riverclan. At the next gathering, she noticed RavenWing, the Thunderclan medicine cat, was giving her hostile glares. Did he find out? MapleShade thought. MapleShade shook her head, he couldn't have. They're dead, AppleDusk's dead, MapleShade is not even in Thunderclan anymore. It wouldn't matter. After ShadowClan and Windclan's  leaders said their share, OakStar stepped up. ''I'm currently on my last three lives, and I have a new deputy, DoeFeather, ever since BeeTail was killed from a Riverclan patrol. Murmuring grew among the crowded clans, OakStar silenced it with the flick of his tail. ''I get it, it was justified. We've traveled into Riverclan's reeds too much. I catch a cat of my clan set a paw on the territory, straight to their den. They won't leave camp for a moon unless its a patrol, but me or my deputy must be with them.'' OakStar shifted to DarkStar and bowed his head. ''You shall go now.'' The graceful Riverclan leader dipped her head and stepped up. ''Riverclan is well, the rivers are full of fish, and we have a new apprentice, LilyPaw, she was found by the bridge, abandoned. If you know a kit that looks like her and that kit is lost, you are welcome to see if she is the kit. A queen of ShadowClan mewed, ''I've lost my two kits FlowerKit and DawnKit! But we found they died for a fox, well, we only found DawnKit's body.'' LilyPaw went up to the she, looking to her. The queen sniffed the apprentice. The queen then got a sad expression, ''I'm sorry dear, you aren't my kit, but I hope your mother left you there for a reason. A important reason.'' LilyPaw bowed her head and trotted back to PatchPaw. PatchPaw looked to her, then turned his head back to MapleShade. MapleShade winked to him, PatchPaw blushed. They have been mates for about four moons, still no kits though. Strange, MapleShade thought. The gathering ended, and the clans returned to camp. MapleShade stretched, RainFall, leaned against her, ''So, one question. Could I not be on the dawn patrol?'' MapleShade scoffed, ''Why?'' ''Uh- My apprentice LilyPaw needs early training, DarkStar said so...'' RainFall mewed. ''Alright, good for dusk patrol?'' MapleShade flicked her tail, she used the last of her energy just to flick her tail. ''Yeah, alright, get to bed.'' RainFall nodded and ran to the warriors' den. MapleShade dragged her fluffy, massive body to the closest, open moss bed in the warriors' den. She huffed, and fell asleep quickly. The next morning, she was full of energy, and ready to set patrols. ''SpikeTail, take SplashFoot and PerchWing on the dawn patrol. Make sure you check those boarders and bring back a few fish.'' MapleShade mewed to SpikeTail as he tried to slip by her. The spiky-pelted tom groaned and turned around and trotted over to the warriors' den. MapleShade narrowed her eyes to RainFall and LilyPaw as they left camp. She noticed PatchPaw being lectured by PerchWing. ''You can't trust her! Not after what she's done!'' The plump tom growled to MapleShade's mate. PatchPaw rolled his eyes and shoved PerchWing aside, ''Yeah, and I helped her. She was justified! You don't know what AppleDusk has done to her!'' PerchWing snarled, ''What then?!'' PatchPaw exhaled and told PerchWing the whole story. When SpikeTail tried to get him, PerchWing said, ''Hold on.'' After the story, MapleShade could see the shift of anger to shock in PerchWing's eyes. The tom turned his head to MapleShade, she gave him a smug smiled and disappeared.