"Mapleshade, I need to tell you something," Larchfang mewed.

Mapleshade innocently looked up from her grooming. She already knew of his little forbidden romance from the day before, and that was what she expected him to tell her when she replied with, "Go on…"

She seemed to be right, as he told her right after her mew, "Well, I uh…" He lowered his voice. "I like this cat. What should I do?"

"Who is she?" Mapleshade asked him.

Larchfang's ears lowered briefly, and disappointment glimmered in his eyes shortly before he regained his composure. "Uh… it's… it's a secret! Mother, I just need advice. What do I do?"

"Well, that's simple: tell her," the calico warrior responded. "Be confident! Raise your chin, square your shoulders. You'll do fine. If you're anything like your father, you'll reel in the mollies."

She choked when she said this, yet it was true: Appledusk had been so cleverly charming and seductive that he'd managed to capture her heart for a long time, although he only wanted it for a short period while he was bored.

Larchfang smiled a little. "You think Birchface approves?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Mapleshade murmured, scratching behind her ear with a hind foot.

Larchfang seemed to realize that he was discussing an enemy warrior with someone he believed wasn't aware, as he meowed, "Right, yeah! It's just that I'm so young, you know?" He chuckled a bit to cover his embarrassment.

Mapleshade sighed, "Look, Larchfang. Enough is enough. I know you're running around with Suncloud. Frecklewish told me."

Larchfang jumped. "I know you must be so disappointed in me, but it's true love! And it's not Sun-"

"I don't care who it is. All I care about is that you stop immediately, else I'll have to report you to Oakstar. I don't want you turning traitor. Not my son!" She bared her teeth angrily.

Larchfang's pale eyes were wide, and his mouth open. Inside his tongue was raised, showing he wanted to protest, but his eyes gained a shimmer. He shut and reopened them to reveal tears. He sniffed as he walked away, his head lowered. He brushed through camp entrance, passing by Yarrowclaw and Petalwhisker coming in. The bicolored tabby she-cat left her companion to run to Mapleshade.

"What's wrong with him?" Petalwhisker asked, concern in her tone.

Mapleshade shook her head. "He wants to make a bad decision, and I won't let him. Ask him yourself if you want to know more. It's not my place to tell you."

Petalwhisker looked back at the entrance. "I'd rather not. Seems like he could use his space. I'll talk to him later." She returned to Yarrowclaw, and the pair headed to the fresh-kill pile.

Mapleshade left camp right afterward. She didn't know where she was going, but she soon found herself standing on Sunningrocks. Her gaze was directed towards a thrush right on RiverClan's border. Her mind wandered. Then she was crying. She was hunched over on the stone, her mouth open, tears wetting her fur.

She couldn't let Larchfang, her precious son, make the same mistake she did. Integrating with a RiverClanner almost ruined everything, and most likely would've had she not been more careful. It caused nothing but heartbreak and deceit. She had felt torn between a Clan that she called home, and one that she didn't want to harm despite being one of its natural enemies.

Mapleshade didn't feel like this anymore - oh, definitely not! But she did once upon a time, and she didn't want Larchfang to suffer what she has. However, it seemed there was no way to convince him other than threats. Yet her question to herself remained to be, would she follow through with them if she had to? She had no answer. She didn't want to answer. She would hate most of all for her son to be exiled, but she would also despise the thought of him breaking the code. If she had to make a choice, she wasn't sure what it would be.

Mapleshade looked up to see a RiverClan tom staring back at her from over the border. She wiped her tears away with a forepaw and stood tall. "What do you want?" she growled.

The white tom held something - concern? - in his dark eyes. "I heard crying," he meowed in his young voice. "What…" He hesitated. "What's wrong?"

"None of your business, fish-filth!" Mapleshade snapped.

The warrior bared his teeth, but seemed to remember something and quickly grew calm once again. "You're Mapleshade, aren't you?"

Mapleshade paused, taken off-guard. "How do you know me?" she hissed.

The tom smiled gently. "I'm Snowstorm. Frecklewish has caught us, so I'm sure she's already informed you?"

Mapleshade's surprised expression fell off, only to pave the way for a truly angry one. "I hate you and your fox-hearted friend, Suncloud. You ruined my son!"

"She's my sister," Snowstorm corrected her. "And no, we didn't ruin him. We simply helped him to discover his true self." He seemed like he wanted to say more, but he finished with, "I have to go now. I hope you stop crying soon." With a stiff nod, he turned and ventured deeper into his territory.

Mapleshade huffed and made a quick decision: she would hunt Larchfang down and speak with him. She captured her son's scent by camp entrance and trailed it to Tallpines. She began stepping silently, as if she were hunting, when she heard talking. Yet when she got close enough to see the brown tom, he was alone. He sat, his head facing downward.

"StarClan, I pray to you," Larchfang mewed. "I beg! You talk to Patchberry, so you can talk to me. I want to be pure. I don't want to feel how I do. Being in love with a RiverClan warrior is against the code. StarClan, please take these feelings away. I don't…" He took a great pause, and his voice was choked with sobs as he shouted the next words, "I don't want to feel like this anymore!"

Mapleshade couldn't bring herself to confront him now, not when she'd made him feel so ashamed of something he couldn't help. How could she do this to him?

"And 'she'... Mother said 'she'!" Larchfang cried. "It's only a double layer of awfulness now!" He was blubbering now, having completely lost control of his emotions. His claws grasped at the grass as he stretched across the ground, shoving his muzzle into the dirt in a feral attempt to silence his feelings.

Mapleshade slowly crept away. She would talk to Larchfang when he returned to camp, whenever that might be. Petalwhisker was right: he needed his space.

Mapleshade lay, sharing tongues with Nettlebreeze. It still felt empty and without the love she'd experienced with Appledusk, even if he'd faked it. On a more important note, Larchfang made his way through camp entrance. He had done a good job cleaning himself up; you couldn't even tell he'd been crying. The calico got up and left her mate with an apology before approaching her son.

"Somewhere more private," Larchfang murmured, sensing she wanted to talk.

Once they were somewhere out in the forest, she began speaking, "Look, Larchfang. I'm-"

"You were right," Larchfang interrupted. "I shouldn't be breaking the code. I've spoken with my mate, and I've decided that…" His eyes shone. "...that I'll be leaving ThunderClan so we can be together. I'll train to be a RiverClan warrior, so long as Darkstar accepts me."

Mapleshade's heart dropped. "No. No, you can't! You'll have to fight against us. What will you do then?"

"I'll fight you," Larchfang replied sadly. "I'm sorry, but I love my mate and the life of a RiverClanner so much that I can't stay here anymore. It hurts too badly."

Mapleshade enveloped Larchfang in a nuzzling embrace as both cats began to cry. They stayed like that for a very long time, enjoying what was likely their final moments together as fellow ThunderClan warriors. Soon, however, they pulled apart.

"Will you tell Petalwhisker and Patchberry for me?" Larchfang requested. "And Frecklewish too. I want to, but I can't bring myself to see their disappointment."

Mapleshade nodded slowly. "Is your she-cat waiting for you at the border?" she asked gently. "Let me walk you there."

Larchfang flinched. "Yeah, but…" He sighed. "No, it's fine. Alright, let's go then."

Mapleshade pressed against her son's side as they made their way to Sunningrocks. When they made it there, she locked eyes with both Suncloud and Snowstorm. Seems he lied about her not being his mate, but I can't blame him, she thought as he waded through the water to get to them. I wouldn't really accept…

Suncloud nuzzled Larchfang. Right after, Snowstorm wrapped his entire body around the former ThunderClanner. He licked Larchfang's cheek and bared his teeth in a wide grin. Larchfang returned the favor by burying his muzzle in his fluffy neck fur and licking there. Then they parted, and Larchfang looked back at his mother. Mapleshade suddenly understood part of his shame: Suncloud was simply a friend. Snowstorm was much more.

The three began walking further into RiverClan territory, but Snowstorm paused and looked back at her. "I'll take care of him. Perchfoot was my mentor, and his was Appledusk; with ties like that, I can ensure a place for Larchfang in RiverClan."

Mapleshade held back cringe at the name drop, but she nodded anyway. "Thank you. Darkstar and her cats can be cruel; don't let him get hurt in any form."

Snowstorm smiled a little. "I wouldn't. Not for anything." He turned his head and followed his sister and mate.

Mapleshade let tears that she'd been holding back finally fall. She would miss Larchfang so much, and it already hurt knowing that he had walked out of her life. However, these were also tears of joy; at least unlike her, he had a truly caring mate that would do anything to love and support him. And with that thought, she had to do the same. She had to accept his wishes and send him away, sacrificing any close relationship in order for him to truly be himself.

And though it would hurt more than anything else, Mapleshade was happy for him.