Erin Hunter owns the Warriors series. Every character, setting, etc in this story belongs to them - the story in question is mine. Enjoy.
Training went fine the next day. They spoke no more of drama, only of what they should be: practice. Mapleshade was actually quite an efficent mentor, unlike most times. She even taught Snakepaw a couple new battle moves.
When they returned to camp at sunhigh, Snakepaw quickly got his chores done and over with. Petalwhisker had begun her kitting not long before they came back, so he didn't have to do the nursery. He went to the elders' den and picked ticks off of Bloomheart while the old tom rambled on and on about some story involving a badger.
"I whacked him, y'see," he grunted. "Upside his head. And he growled and all that, then he swung his huge black paw at me. Then I-"
"I'm done, Bloomheart," Snakepaw interrupted. It was true, but he'd done a rush-job; he didn't have the patience to listen any longer. "I'll see you."
"S'you, Snakey," Bloomheart murmured, his eyes half-closed. It seemed as if he were putting himself to sleep with his own boring tale.
Snakepaw raised a brow at the nickname, but simply picked up the stick with the mouse-bile-covered moss and left. He dumped it in the forest, then scooped some earth over it. He washed his paws off in the river by Sunningrocks. He picked up the scents from the night before, when he and Mapleshade had taken Deerwing and Sunkit to the rival group.
As if on cue, a voice sounded, "Snakepaw!"
Snakepaw looked up, flicking his paws. Deerwing was racing towards him with the brown-and-white tabby tom he'd seen at the Gathering. The tom's blue eyes were shining with happiness, and he didn't even seem to mind talking to who was supposed to be an enemy.
"Greetings," he meowed. "We were just on a walk. I want to thank you for bringing my mate and daughter to my Clan. My peers are disappointed in me, but they accepted her anyway; it'd be foolish to deny warriors."
"And besides, we'll be accepted soon enough," Deerwing added. "Tell my kin I say hi!"
They walked back deeper into their territory before Snakepaw could say anything. He returned to camp, searching for Mapleshade; he wanted to go on a patrol. Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found. He found a scent trail, however, that seemed fresh. He followed it out of camp, across a path through the forest, and towards the ShadowClan border. It led up to the Thunderpath. Confused, he realized that it led straight onto the black stone.
Snakepaw looked both ways multiple times before approaching it close enough so that he could place his paws on it. It was slightly warm. He looked both ways again, then crept onto it once he was sure no monsters were coming. He followed the scent trail before realizing that he'd been smelling something layered on top of it: blood.
Snakepaw's pelt bristled with unease. I hope that's prey blood... he thought as he continued following his mentor's trail. However, he saw a bloody-furred cat on the side of the Thunderpath fox-lengths away. He raced over, fighting back tears.
Mapleshade was surely dead.
Warning: The rest of this chapter has mentions of a serious topic, which I would spoil by mentioning. You don't have to continue if you don't feel comfortable. At the very end, I'll briefly describe what happened if you wish to skip. Just look for bold text. Thank you.
Mapleshade wasn't dead, thank StarClan. But she was just barely clinging onto life. Patchberry had just finished helping Petalwhisker - "Four healthy kits!" he'd announced to everyone just as Snakepaw returned - and so he began helping Mapleshade as soon as he saw her. He laid her in a premade nest in the medicine den after treating her.
"I can't understand why she'd do this," Patchberry murmured. "Surely this was purposeful, since she'd have no reason to be crossing a Thunderpath, but..." He sighed and didn't finish. He only began sorting the herbs he'd collected earlier.
Snakepaw was scared, confused, and worried. He turned to Nettlebreeze and Frecklewish for comfort, who were both distraught. He hated the thought of no longer having Mapleshade; she'd just begun to be such a great and fulfilling mentor. Besides, she was good to him and could've been his friend.
She isn't dead yet, mouse-brain, Snakepaw kept telling himself. But this couldn't comfort him.
Mapleshade lay unconscious until dawn the next morning. Snakepaw went to the medicine den first thing after waking up. Her dark amber eyes were slitted, and she fully opened them when she saw him. She also lifted her head, which was rested on the nest before.
"Snakepaw, Patchberry told me that you found me," she meowed quietly. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" Snakepaw asked, padding closer.
"Y-you shouldn't have seen... you're so young...!" She seemed to struggle with her words. "An older cat should've been the one to discover..." She didn't finish, only looking at her white forepaws.
"Wait, you mean you meant to...?" He didn't have to finish; she nodded guiltily. "But why?!"
"You couldn't understand," she murmured. "You're only an apprentice."
Snakepaw growled. "So what if I'm an apprentice? That doesn't mean I shouldn't know!"
Mapleshade didn't say anything else. "Go ask Beestar to assign you a temporary mentor," she said after a long time. "I'll resume once I'm healed."
"Okay," Snakepaw mewed quietly. He left the den and obeyed.
Mistpelt ended up being his temporary mentor. She was much gentler and kinder than Mapleshade was, even at her worst times. However, it still didn't feel right. He wanted to be criticized when he did something wrong, not encouraged that he'd do better next time. After they finished hunting, he returned to camp and got to work on Bloomheart. He took a long time, making sure to thoroughly go through the elder's pelt and nest. When he was done, he got Petalwhisker some prey and even made small talk.
"You should go," she eventually told him. "It isn't healthy for a growing cat to be inside so much. Go practice battle moves, or something."
Snakepaw nodded and left the nursery, disappointed. Now it'd be seen as strange if he didn't visit Mapleshade, which was exactly why he wanted to keep busy. He wasn't ready to see her again. He knew the reason she was even injured, but not the details behind it. It felt too awkward.
And as soon as he left, Nettlebreeze padded over. "Have you visited Mapleshade yet?" he asked.
Snakepaw nodded; it wasn't exactly a lie.
"Well, go see her again. She could use some company, and I'm sure Patchberry would let you. After all, she's recovered quite well in such a short time."
Snakepaw sighed inaudibly, but he obeyed anyway. After getting permission from the bicolored medicine cat, he entered the medicine den and walked over to his mentor's nest. She lifted her head up, her dark eyes bright with health.
"Hey," he greeted her.
"Hello," she mewed back.
They were silent for a few long moments, but it was broken with her saying, "What brings you here?"
"Just visiting," he replied. He waited another couple heartbeats before continuing. "Mapleshade, why did you let yourself get hurt? Why did you mean to...?" He still couldn't bring himself to say it.
Mapleshade sighed. "You're going to keep pestering me until I tell you, eh?" she grunted. "Well, fine then. I meant to die because I wanted to."
Snakepaw stiffened. "Why?" he asked her. "Why did you want to?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Mapleshade growled. "My life has become miserable, Snakepaw. The haunting secret of Appledusk has recently returned to haunt me because of Deerwing, Larchfang and Swiftpaw both died, and everything I do feels like a struggle. I can't even feel happy doing things I once loved! So I thought, why not end it?"
Snakepaw couldn't imagine what Mapleshade must've been going through all this time. From the way her voice rasped as if she were already an elder, he could tell that everything she'd listed truly had an effect. He sighed and stepped closer.
"I was so scared when I found you," Snakepaw mewed. "I thought you were going to die. Don't you know how many cats would miss you if you did?"
"Now I do," Mapleshade murmured. "But I was desperate. Selfish, yes, but desperate. Please forgive me. My intent wasn't to hurt anyone. Quite the opposite, really." She sighed and laid her head down. "Now I feel terrible."
"Don't," Snakepaw meowed, getting even closer. "I forgive you, Mapleshade. I do. But please, don't do that or anything like it again. I'll be here for you."
Mapleshade closed her eyes. "Funny..." she whispered. "Can't believe my apprentice is the one consoling me. Always thought it'd be the opposite, I did..."
"Go to sleep," he told her quietly, licking her ears as if she were a kit. "It's late, you know."
Snakepaw, however, never stood to leave. He ended up falling asleep next to her nest with his head resting on the soft bedding. Their noses touched as they slept. He had a dreamless sleep, but it still felt good knowing that Mapleshade would survive.
Summary for those who skipped: Mapleshade survived and was treated by Patchberry. She and Snakepaw have a long talk in which she admits she wanted to die and tried to do so. They fall asleep in the medicine den together.
I almost didn't want to put this in the story, but I decided it was an important arc that would bring them closer in the end. I hope you all agree that it was the right choice.
