Chapter Thirteen
"I caught you!"
"No, you didn't! We already made it to the nursery before you could catch us!"
"Yes, I did! I grabbed your tail with my paw before you were anywhere near the nursery."
Mapleshade let out a purr of amusement as she stared across the clearing to where the nursery lay. Outside, a group of several kittens stood. There were five of them total, all of varying shades and colors. The two oldest kits - a pair of sisters named Deerkit and Doekit - were both shades of cream, similar to their mother Cherrypetal. The second oldest was a singular gray she-kit called Mistkit, born to Deerdapple. And lastly were Embershine's two kits, both black, named Crowkit and Stormkit.
Since the birth of these kits, Mapleshade had noticed a dramatic shift in mood throughout the Clan. For the first time in moons, there was a sense of peace and joy that filled ThunderClan's camp. All of the tension with RiverClan had been forgotten about, fading like morning dew.
Even Birchface seemed to be in a slightly better mood, not that Mapleshade had bothered to talk to him. Every so often, she would catch him staring at her from across the camp, a sullen look on his face as though perhaps he was beginning to regret everything that had happened between them. Yet, he did not bother to approach her. Not even once.
Good riddance, Mapleshade thought, redirecting her attention back towards the kits. She didn't want to think about Birchface, or RiverClan, or anything negative. Thinking about such things only proved to be a waste of time and energy, neither of which Mapleshade wanted to deal with.
Crowkit and Stormkit sat by the entrance to the nursery, staring up at the older kits as they argued. Their tiny blue eyes were round, unblinking, as they looked back and forth between Deerkit and Mistkit.
"You're cheating," Mistkit accused, her gray tail lashing back and forth.
"I'm not cheating. You are! Doekit and I were already at the nursery before you were anywhere near us," Deerkit argued. Mapleshade could see the fur along her neck and spine begin to bristle as she took a step closer to Mistkit.
"Stormkit, what did you see?" Mistkit asked, completely ignoring Deerkit.
"Don't bring him into this. He's just a kit."
"So are you."
"Yeah, but I'm older. He can barely walk."
"He still has eyes though. Come on, Stormkit. Tell me what you saw."
"Alright, that's enough," Deerdapple's voice sounded from inside the nursery. A moment later the gray-and-black she-cat poked her head through the den, giving each of the kits a stern look. "I think it's time to come inside and take a nap."
"What? No! I'm not tired," Mistkit whined.
"I don't care. You've been playing outside for long enough. Now come inside, all of you." Deerdapple walked over towards her daughter, scooping her up by the scruff. Mistkit wiggled before going still. As Deerdapple carried her back towards the nursery, Doekit let out a purr of amusement.
"It's time for you to go in as well," Cherrypetal meowed, nudging the remaining kits back towards the nursery. Crowkit and Stormkit obeyed without question, while Doekit and Deerkit tried to put up a fight. Cherrypetal picked Doekit with ease, placing her inside of the nursery. Deerkit followed her inside, not wanting to be left behind.
Mapleshade let out a sigh. She didn't understand how the queens could put up with such rambunctious kits all day long.
"Were we like that when we were kits?"
Mapleshade looked over her shoulder to see Dawnfeather standing there, her eyes gleaming. "I hope not," Mapleshade said.
Dawnfeather took a seat next to her sister. "Me too, but I wouldn't doubt it. You were pretty feisty back then. Still are. I remember the time you scratched mother across the nose because you didn't want to be groomed."
Mapleshade narrowed her eyes. "That was an accident. And it was only that one time."
"Sure, an accident. Whatever you say."
"It was!"
"That's not how I remember it."
"Well, you're remembering wrong. Anyways, you're one to speak when you threw up all over our nest once."
Dawnfeather's neck fur fluffed out, her eyes wide. "That never happened!"
"Yes, it did." This time, a third voice spoke up, causing both Mapleshade and Dawnfeather to jump. Both she-cats spun around, only to see Birchface standing there. He had an unreadable expression on his face, although from what Mapleshade could tell he didn't seem to be angry. His gaze flickered back and forth between the two sisters, only to finally settle on Mapleshade.
Mapleshade dug her claws into the ground, trying her best to stay calm and polite. Perhaps if she was cordial with him, he would just leave and she wouldn't have to deal with him.
Birchface opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He then took a step back. "I remember when that happened," he finally spoke up, his voice trembling ever so slightly. "You… You were just a kit back then. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."
Dawnfeather looked away from him, shuffling her paws on the ground. By now, all of her fur had fluffed out, making her look twice her size. "Oh."
Mapleshade let out a slight purr of amusement, forgetting that Birchface was standing there. She then stiffened, her mood souring. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, barely being able to contain all of the angry words she wanted to tell him. Why was he here? Hadn't he bothered her enough? Clearly not, Mapleshade thought angrily. She quickly stood to her paws, when -
"Mapleshade, wait."
Mapleshade stopped. She looked back at Birchface, eyes narrowed. What do you want?
"I'm about to go hunting. Would you like to come?" Birchface asked.
Mapleshade's tough demeanor immediately crumbled. She stared at him wide-eyed, lost for words. She then looked towards her sister, who had an amused expression on her face. "I…"
"Go," Dawnfeather whispered, nudging Mapleshade's shoulder.
Mapleshade didn't say anything. She just kept looking back and forth between her sister and Birchface. "Will you come with me?" Mapleshade asked Dawnfeather.
Dawnfeather shook her head. "Can't. I already promised Beetail I would join a patrol." She craned her neck, looking past Mapleshade, her eyes seemingly catching on something. "Oh, look. There they are! Gotta go. Goodbye, Mapleshade, and good luck on your hunt!" With that, she took off running towards the direction of the gorse tunnel.
Mapleshade's ears flattened to her head. "I don't see any patrols."
Birchface stared after Dawnfeather. "I don't either," he purred. When Mapleshade didn't share his sentiment, Birchface sighed. "So… hunting. Are you up for it?"
Mapleshade didn't say anything.
Birchface took another step back. "I'd really appreciate it if you came with me, but I understand if-"
"Do you have any idea how much you've hurt me?" Mapleshade interrupted. "You've been so terrible to me for several moons now, and you think you can come back into my life without an apology and act as nothing has happened?" The words were spilling out faster than Mapleshade could think, but she didn't care. She was tired of bottling all of her emotions deep inside, trying to act as though none of this bothered her.
Birchface's jaw dropped, but he didn't interrupt. He stood there silently, allowing for Mapleshade to spill all of her feelings out to him. Once she was done, he took a step forward. "Mapleshade, I'm so sorry. I know that words will never make up for what I've done, but I truly feel terrible for what I've said and done. It was wrong of me. You're one of my closest friends, and I should have treated you better. I should have apologized long before now."
Mapleshade just stood there. She didn't know what to say. Despite his apology, she was still angry with him. Yet, there was a part of her that wanted to forgive him, and to forget everything that had happened. She wanted things to go back to the way they used to be when they were younger.
"You don't have to forgive me today, but I would at least like to go hunting with you. Just this once. Then if you never want to see me again, I'll stay away. But it's your choice," Birchface said.
"Okay," she finally mewed.
Birchface brightened slightly, but he did not say anything. He followed Mapleshade towards the gorse entrance and up the ravine.
Neither cat spoke as they walked through the forest. Mapleshade was in the lead, heading towards the Thunderpath. Due to the foul stench permeating from the monsters, she didn't particularly like hunting near there, but she didn't want to take a chance hunting deeper into the forest. Even if they stayed away from Sunningrocks, the river would always be nearby. It was too risky to take a chance, especially since she had Birchface with her.
"I thought you didn't like hunting near the Thunderpath," Birchface commented.
"I don't."
"So why are we headed this way?"
Shut up! Mapleshade thought. "Because I want to."
"Oh."
They continued to walk in silence. After a while, Birchface spoke up again, "I think it's a good thing we're coming this way anyway. Beetail hasn't sent a patrol over here for a few days now."
"Good to know."
"So maybe after we hunt, we can refresh the scent markers along the border. I just hope ShadowClan hasn't noticed…"
Mapleshade let out a sigh. "We've never had problems with ShadowClan, so I doubt they'd do anything."
"You can never be too cautious," Birchface said.
Mapleshade rolled her eyes. Was he seriously worried about ShadowClan now? For as long as Mapleshade could remember, there had never been any serious tensions between ThunderClan and ShadowClan. Unlike RiverClan, ShadowClan had always stayed on their own territory, only crossing a slight strip of ThunderClan's land on the night of the Gathering. Smokestar and his warriors had always shown the utmost respect towards ThunderClan. There was no reason to be suspicious.
A movement in the undergrowth stopped both cats in their tracks. It appeared to be coming from some brambles just ahead of them. It wasn't loud enough to cause concern, but Mapleshade didn't want to take a chance. She knew snakes liked to gather nearby at Snakerocks. It wasn't unreasonable to assume one could have wandered into the nearby forest. She started sniffing the air, only to stop when Birchface bounded ahead. She was about to scold him when the sound of shrieks filled the air. And then silence.
Birchface appeared a second later, two mice dangling from his jaws. He dropped them at Mapleshade's feet, his eyes gleaming. "Caught them," he purred, nudging one towards her.
"Good job," she said, genuinely meaning it. She then looked down at the mouse Birchface had pushed over to her. "What is this?"
"I was thinking we could share it."
Mapleshade blinked. "We're not supposed to eat until the rest of the Clan has eaten," she reminded him. Was this a test? No, surely Birchface wouldn't try to get her in trouble on purpose. He wasn't that terrible, or so Mapleshade hoped.
A dejected look crossed Birchface's face. "Oh. I just thought it would be nice to share prey, but that's alright." He took the mouse back from Mapleshade and began to dig a hole. Placing both of his catches inside, Birchface shook the sand from his paws and continued through the forest.
Along the way, Mapleshade happened to notice a starling nestled on a low hanging branch of an ash tree. She dropped into a crouch, pulling herself towards the trunk of the tree. As she walked, she kept one eye locked on the bird. She needed to be careful. If it noticed her, everything would be ruined.
As she began to climb the tree, Mapleshade could feel Birchface's stare burning into her. She tried to ignore him, but the higher she got, the more intense his gaze became. She wanted to tell him to look away, but she couldn't speak. If she did, the starling would surely fly away.
By now, Mapleshade had reached the branch the starling sat upon. The bird had begun preening itself, oblivious to Mapleshade's presence. She slowly reached out her front paw, resting it on the branch of the tree. It quivered slightly, causing both Mapleshade and the starling to freeze.
I need to catch this, Mapleshade thought, placing another paw forward. Once again, the branch shook. The starling opened its wings, ready to take flight when Mapleshade leaped forward. She hooked its wing with her claws before giving it a killing bite to the neck. The branch bounced under her weight as she stood there, the bird held firmly in her jaws.
As Mapleshade walked back towards the trunk of the tree, the branch she walked along continued to bounce under her weight. Her heart was beginning to race, but she willed herself to remain calm. Below her, she could still feel Birchface's stare burning into her.
"Mapleshade, hurry!" he called, pacing along the bottom of the tree.
Before Mapleshade could say anything, the branch underpaw began to splinter before falling towards the earth below. She let out a shriek, having just enough time to dig her front claws into the part of the branch that hadn't separated from the tree. Her back legs dangled in the air, kicking out helplessly as she tried to pull herself up.
Mapleshade scrabbled at what was left of the branch, coughing as bits of wood and dust fell into her face. By now, her bird had long been forgotten, falling to the ground below. She didn't have time to think about that now. She needed to pull herself up, otherwise, she would fall to her death.
"Hold on, Mapleshade! I'm coming," Birchface called from somewhere below.
Mapleshade continued to kick out with her back legs, trying to find her footing. If she could just get one paw onto the branch, she would be able to pull herself forward…
Moments later, Birchface appeared. He clung to the trunk of the tree, staring out towards Mapleshade. He then placed a paw onto the remnants of the branch where Mapleshade clung, causing her to freak out.
"Stop!" she shouted. "You'll cause the whole thing to fall."
"I think it's sturdy enough," Birchface told her, taking another step. The branch quivered slightly underpaw, but it did not fall.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Mapleshade pleaded. Her heart was thrumming wildly in her chest now, and for a second she wondered if she would die from heart failure. Birchface now stood before her, causing her to look up at him. His amber eyes were round with fear, but he looked as though he was trying to remain calm for her sake.
"Let me help you," he whispered, leaning down.
Mapleshade's mouth opened, but no words came out. There was nothing she could say. She closed her eyes and allowed her body to go still as she waited for Birchface to pull her to safety. Or for them to both meet StarClan…
She finally felt Birchface's teeth biting onto her scruff. Mapleshade winced but kept her eyes shut. She could hear Birchface grunt as he began to pull Mapleshade's body forward. After a while, Mapleshade opened her eyes. Birchface continued to pull Mapleshade by the scruff until she was able to hook her back legs onto the branch, pulling herself to safety.
Both cats stood on the tiny remnant of the branch, panting. Their fur brushed against one another, causing a slight wave of comfort to wash over them both. Finally, Mapleshade turned to look Birchface in the eye. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice shaking.
"You're welcome," he said. "Now let's hurry and get down."
Once both cats were planted firmly on the ground, Mapleshade collapsed. Her heart was still racing so fast, and she could barely catch her breath. Birchface hovered a few tail lengths from her, trying to do the same. Neither of them spoke.
Once Mapleshade had calmed down enough, she staggered to her paws and walked over to her starling. It was covered by a couple of pieces of wood, crushed and bloodied. Mapleshade's tail drooped as she stared at her ruined catch. "All that for nothing," she muttered.
"It wasn't for nothing," Birchface promised her, coming to stand alongside her. Once again, their fur brushed against one another.
Mapleshade took note of it but said nothing. She continued to look down at the starling, kicking it with her paw. "No one can eat this."
"It's not that bad," Birchface said. "That piece right there doesn't seem so bad." He flicked his tail towards the breast of the bird, which appeared less damaged than the rest of it.
"Yeah, but look at the rest of it. It's all bloody and disgusting. I wouldn't eat this. I wouldn't even feed a rogue this."
"We'll take it back to camp anyways. Prey is prey."
Mapleshade scoffed. "And embarrass myself in front of the entire Clan? No thanks."
"I'll tell them I caught it," Birchface said.
"No. We should just bury this, and I'll try to catch something else," Mapleshade told him. She picked up the starling in her mouth and began to dig a hole. Dropping it inside, she turned to look back at Birchface. He was staring at her, his gaze unreadable.
"Once again… thank you for saving me," Mapleshade whispered. "What you did was very brave."
Birchface shrugged. "That's what friends are for. I know you would have done the same thing for me."
Would I have, though? Mapleshade wondered. As much as it horrified her, there was a part of her that felt she wouldn't have done a single thing to help Birchface had he been caught in a similar position. Don't think like that, she then scolded herself, a wave of guilt washing over her. Of course, she would save Birchface! They were Clanmates.
"Let's continue towards the Thunderpath," Mapleshade meowed. She shook scraps of wood and sand from her pelt and continued through the forest.
"We don't have to keep hunting you know," Birchface called as he followed after her.
"I need to bring back something edible."
"We still have those two mice from earlier, remember? We can each split one."
"You caught those. It wouldn't be fair for me to take credit."
"I want you to take one of them."
"I can catch something else."
"So can I," Birchface argued. "Come on, Mapleshade. I don't want you to push yourself any further than you already have today."
Mapleshade rolled her eyes. "I fought a fox once, remember? I've hardly pushed myself more than I can take."
"You're never going to live that down, are you?" Birchface asked.
"Nope. How could I? It's one of my greatest achievements." There was an air of playfulness to her words, one that she hadn't felt with Birchface in a long time.
"What are your other 'great achievements'?" Birchface asked, playing along.
Mapleshade was silent for a second as she thought. "That's it."
"I disagree. What you did back then was pretty great."
"You call 'almost falling to your death' an achievement?"
"No, but-" Birchface stopped. His eyes narrowed, and he began to creep towards some nearby bracken. At first, Mapleshade assumed he had spotted more prey until the overwhelming stench of crowfood filled her nose.
She followed after Birchface, only to recoil in disgust as the half-eaten remains of a decayed rabbit lay before them. Maggots crawled about the discarded animal, while flies buzzed around.
Mapleshade took a step back, unable to look at the dead animal anymore. "Let's get out of here," she called to Birchface, but he remained where he was. Mapleshade opened her mouth to call out to him again when she noticed how agitated he was becoming. Oh no.
"Birchface," Mapleshade called out again, but once more he ignored her.
"I knew it," Birchface growled, digging his claws into the ground.
"Knew what?"
"RiverClan's been hunting on our territory," Birchface said.
Mapleshade's eyes widened. "What makes you think that?" She peered through the trees to where the Thunderpath lay, several badger lengths away. "For all we know, it could have been hit by a monster and crawled into the forest to die. Or perhaps a rogue killed it…"
Birchface shook his head. "No. This is the work of RiverClan, I just know it. This is the third piece of prey I've found like this in the last moon. Besides, we've been picking up RiverClan's scent marks across the border for a while now."
Mapleshade blinked, her mouth open slightly. "Why hasn't Oakstar said anything about this?"
"He thought like you do. That it was just a coincidence, or that a rogue had done it. But I know otherwise."
"Are you sure?"
"Are you really that blind?" Birchface snapped, causing Mapleshade to flinch.
She then straightened up, her ears flattened to her head. Why was he yelling at her over this? It wasn't as though she had killed the rabbit and left it there! "I'm just trying to make sure what you say is true."
"You think I'd lie about something like this?"
"No!" Mapleshade's tail was beginning to lash back and forth. "I just don't want to blame RiverClan for something we aren't positive they did."
"Why do you always want to stick up for them?" Birchface asked. His eyes were blazing now. He began to circle Mapleshade, the fur along his spine sticking up.
"I'm not sticking up for anyone, Birchface," Mapleshade shot back, unsheathing her claws. "I just don't want to start a fight over nothing."
"It's not 'starting a fight over nothing'. It's defending our Clan and defending our honor. When another Clan steps out of place, it's up to us to do something about it."
"Yes, when we have proof. But there's nothing to show RiverClan did this."
"The proof is right over there! What more could you ask for?" Birchface shouted, flicking his tail towards the bracken where the half-eaten rabbit still lay. "Honestly, Mapleshade, I don't know what's happened to you. You brag about fighting off a fox, yet you're so passive all the time." A look filled his eyes, and he took a step closer to her. "You're not a coward, are you?"
Mapleshade curled her lip in disgust. "Never. I just don't want to see innocent bloodshed over something so pointless."
"You think it's pointless to be angry over the theft of our prey?" Birchface shook his head in disbelief. "What else do you think is pointless, then? Borders? The warrior code? If that's the case, maybe you shouldn't even live in ThunderClan. Maybe you should just leave and go live elsewhere. Maybe RiverClan will take you in since you seem to like them so much."
Mapleshade's hackles began to rise. "How dare you," she spat.
"How dare I? How dare you," Birchface responded. "All I want is to uphold the warrior code, while you're too busy sticking up for our enemy."
"I'm not sticking up for anyone. I just don't want anyone else to die. Isn't Dovesong's death enough?"
Silence filled the air. Birchface stared at her, his teeth bared. For a second, Mapleshade thought he would attack her, but he stayed where he was. "Don't bring up my mother's name ever again. She died protecting our Clan - protecting my father - from RiverClan. She would never sit back and allow such cowardice." Without saying another word, Birchface disappeared into the undergrowth, leaving Mapleshade behind.
And there's chapter thirteen. Poor Mapleshade. Just when things between her and Birchface seem to be turning around, it crashes and burns. Also, I realize it might be a bit confusing to have two characters in ThunderClan with the 'deer' prefix (Deerkit and Deerdapple), but Deerpaw is canonically Doestar's sister's name, so I decided to keep it the same since she is such a minor character in this story. Hopefully, it won't make things too confusing. I only changed Frecklewish's name to Goldenmist, as she plays a much larger role and I just felt the name Frecklewish didn't suit her. It seems so uniquely SkyClan to me, and perfect for their medicine cat and the situation of their Clan as it was being built up from nothing. I didn't think it would fit such an angry character we see here.
Anyways, thank you to everyone for supporting this story. I really appreciate it, and if you like this story please let me know what you think of it. I really appreciate all of the feedback I get.
In response to the last chapter's reviews:
To Beetlefur: I'm glad you liked it! As I was writing, I also began to think about the similarities between Mapleshade and other characters. It's amazing how a similar situation can create a completely different outcome. And Graytuft is truly the best! I enjoyed writing him, so I'm glad you like him.
To whales0ng: I'm so happy to hear this is your favorite Warriors story! That means a lot to me. It made me smile when I read that. Goldenmist and Birchface truly need anger management, don't they? They're so grumpy! As for RiverClan, things are certainly off. What exactly? We'll just have to wait and see but things are certainly at their boiling point.