Mapleshade watched ThunderClan all the time.
Now, not all the time- it could get boring. The whole Clan was filled with (weak-willed kittypets, as of right now. Bluestar- wow.) vile descendants of Appledusk and just plain flat-out boring cats at this point. But she spent more time watching it then she did doing anything else, and so when he was born, she knew about it right away.
From the moment she saw him, she knew he was different. While his littermates (a tom and a she-cat) were loud and excitable, he was mellow and calm, clearly wise beyond his years. He had some sort of quality about him- a quiet, calm, observant presence that made him loved by all. And over the moons, he grew into a sturdy young kit, with thick gray fur with black spots. His eyes were a green-ish shade of blue, and they changed colors with the light.
He was perfect.
Mapleshade's one true love had always been Appledusk, no matter how he had treated her. She had loved him with her whole heart, though he hated their kits and allowed them to drown. He wouldn't even fight for her to stay with RiverClan after! He blamed her for the deaths of the kits!
But this one would be different. Featherkit, when he grew into the great warrior she knew he would be, would be hers. She would turn him against ThunderClan and he would help her destroy Appledusk's descendants. They would wreak her vengeance across the Clan, and her kits would finally, truly be avenged.
And then they would have more. He would be the father Appledusk never wanted to be- caring and loving and faithful. They would build ThunderClan up from the ground. She would be Maplestar, returned from the dead, and he would be by her side. They would reign together as the leaders of the most powerful Clan in the forest.
"Runningwind," Bluestar said, "Has your apprentice, Featherpaw, learned the skills of a warrior? Does he understand the importance of the warrior code?
"He has," Runningwind declared, chin up and eyes sparkling with pride.
"Then I, Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." She turned to the apprentice. "Featherpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do," Featherpaw promised earnestly in his already low rumbling voice.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Featherpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Featherpelt. StarClan honors your intelligence and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."
Bluestar rested her muzzle on the newly named Featherpelt's head, and he licked her shoulder respectfully. The whole Clan shouted his name, and Mapleshade took a moment to, invisibly and without being heard of course, twine her tail with Featherpelt's and say his new name.
That night, Mapleshade held his vigil with him, sitting unseen beside him and watching the moon rise. She felt more peace there, then, than she had in a very long time. Since Appledusk.
The thought of the long-dead tom brought back her fury. He was probably in StarClan, while she was put in the Place of No Stars! He, the tom who had never wanted kits and didn't do a thing to save them while they drowned in RiverClan's territory! But she put that away, or tried to- this was Featherpelt's night, and she would reveal herself to him soon enough. He would understand everything.
He had to.