What if Mapleshade's kits lived

Chapter 13

Mapleshade desperately tried twitching every body part she could, trying to gather her strength. She needed to get a grip now! Wake-up you stupid furball! She flexed her long claws, attempting to get a feel for her still unknown surroundings. This moss was bedding, a part of a nest. She hadn't slept on one this comfortable for what felt like an entirety. It was kind of warm in here, if not humid. Like the nursery. Had all those horrible events been nothing but a truly demonic nightmare? But then the awful memories came crashing in again; having everyone turn on her in a heartbeat, betrayed and outcasted from everything she'd known and loved. Then having her own mate and son betray her and having to watch her daughter being slowly corrupted by that filthy kittypet. At least she still had one kit loyal to her every whim. 

But then she snapped out of it, astonished at her own stupidity. If she wasn't in the Thunderclan nursery like she'd originally bleakly hoped for, then where was she? She had collapsed. She had been surrounded by trees. They were Tall trees. Pines.  Shadowclan- Bloomheart! That fox had taken advantage of her blind hatred as easy as a spider catching a fly in its tangling web. Mapleshade had been swarmed by the patrol like a helpless piece of prey. 

However, a low rumble finally brought her from her sleep. Four grown cats surrounded her, sets of razor fangs on display, muscles bulging under their scruffy pelts and claws flexing. Their teeth chattered as if they were staring at fluttering bird, barely straining themselves from launching themselves at her. It looked as if they wanted to consume her alive like rabid badgers. Unlike the other four, a skinny black tom lay calmly crunched within his little shelter of living shields, a mocking grin on his face. "It's about time you woke up.", he mewed.

Insanity, the impulses of survival surged through her, throwing herself from her welcomed nest, eager to fight for her life. But as soon as her spine become straight, her entire body caved in on itself, betraying her, all her crimes crashing in. Everything seemed to happen at once, things she'd never experienced before or even knew where possible: Exploding flashes of light consumed every corner of her vision, a heavy force strained her heart as if someone was trying to crash it, vomit boiled from the bottom of her raw throat and every drop of blood rushed to her head like fast-flowing rivers. Her legs quickly gave in under her own weight, making her topple over as easy as a baby tree in an unforgiving storm.

Luckily, the soft layer of moss under her took most of the pain away, as she landed awkwardly on the cold floor of the narrow cave, the breath was taken out of her. As she lay, trying to get hold of herself without much success, she heard the gentle patter of paws against stone as Sloefur cautiously approached, "Yeah...I wouldn't recommend that.", he coldly joked. Her nostrils strained as his rancid Shadowclan scent hung over her like smog. Mapleshade flinched as his narrow muzzle began to ruffle through her thick pelt, checking the wounds that covered her entire body. Her pelt was clumpy and sticky, still drenched in dried blood and herb mash, only held together by thin silk. She wanted to force the words out, don't touch me, but her aching throat refused to form the words, only her exhausted gasps coming out.

"Why have you brought me here?", she finally to demand weakly, in a rasping and cracking voice.

Sloefur's muzzle went away from the orange ocean of her fur, Mapleshade imagined him blinking at her, "Believe me, I have no idea. If I'd found you, I'd left you to die like the piece of trash you are.", he growled angrily. Fighting her own body, she twisted until she could see Sloefur, sitting over her, "Trash?!", she spat at his paws, The Warriors lingering around the gloomy den, slowly crept closer like thin shadows. No words were needed, their faces said it all. You lay a claw on our Medicine cat and we tear you to screeds without mercy. Slowly Sloefur sunk into her face immediately until they were touching noses, Mapleshade questioning if he was really a gentle Medicine cat, "Yes, trash, Mapleshade. We know what's you're done, killed Ravenwing and just added Dawnfeather to the list. Oh and not forgetting you almost murdered your mate in front of your kits!", he hissed in her face like a snake spitting venom, his back fur spiked, getting himself overworked.