The cats cried out as large twigs and leaves caved in around them before they could do anything and before she knew it, Mapleshade was completely buried, surrounded in all directions by rubble. The air turned humid and hot. The sudden weight made Mapleshade groan. The dead undergrowth enclosing her shuffled and shifted as if it was alive as the Queens and kits around her tried to find each other. Desperate mothers called out to their kits. Not if Mapleshade had something to say about it, using her claws to burrow through.
Pricking her ears, Mapleshade tried to focus on specific sound among the muffled voices, a voice like water boiling in steam on a blazing humid day. And she finally heard it, "Shykit!? Applekit?! Where are you? I'm right here, follow my voice!". Mapleshade would have leapt for joy if it wasn't for the pile of sticks piled on top of her. Seemed that she had yet to find two of her kits, all for the taking. Mapleshade just needed to find one of them first. As luck would have it, a sleek black tom brushed against her ragged pelt, as a kit hurried past her, not even giving her a second glance. Just when she was about to snatch him up, she realized he was neither Reedshine's kit and too large, close to apprentice size. Too old to brainwash. So choose to ignore him.
Driving herself on, Mapleshade went through the endless layers of collapsed brown and green plants. How far did it go? Distant muffled voices filled the air, coming from above the sea of brambles. Then scraping noises come, as claws worked at the top layers of the collapsed Nursery, Riverclan Warriors starting the attempt to free the trapped cats. And just to make her problems worse, a sleek tail swept against her wide face.
Before she knew it, another flank was pressed against her as the fellow Queens accidentally bumped into each other. The black she-cat, Blackbee's face twisted up in hatred like a shrivelled flower, "You caused this, didn't you?", she accused. Darting forward, belly still sliding against the floor, Blackclaw drove her teeth deep into Mapleshade's leg. She wanted to cry out in agony as her attacker found the sweet point, her teeth in the open wound. Aching to get away, Mapleshade kicked out against Strokweed's head, causing her to roll away. Now free, she didn't stand and fight like she should have done, instead, she desperately tried stumbling away. Scooping up pawfuls of bark and moss, she threw it behind her, trying burrow away while burying Strokweed at the same time. Don't stop.
Mapleshade paused, sensing the world around her with whiskers, nose and ears. She seemed to have lost the enraged she-cat. Though worrying, the pressure on her back seemed to lessen with each passing moment, as the layers of brambles were slowly removed, the warriors above getting closer to discovering her. They sounded nearer too, their voices as clear as water. Arching her ears, she fixed her hearing on the soft mew of kit. A young one. Pushing a large branch and a few leaves aside, Mapleshade finally found what she was looking for. A tiny she-kit, no older than a moon, with a pale creamy pelt and white paws and chest. A striking resemblance to her father. Her new daughter. Immediately, Mapleshade greedily scooped up the kit, wildly searching for a way out.
Suddenly, a brown tabby muzzle poked through the ceiling, like a bird's beak bursting into a worm's tunnels, trying to pluck it out. The tom's muzzle was just a mouse-length from Mapleshade's ear, his hot breath on her fur, "Stay still, we're going to get you out!", he called down to her. There was a rustling from all around, as the Warriors finally began to drag out the Queens and kits from the rubble. Holding her breath, Mapleshade slowly edged backwards, away from the tabby, his mouth like a brown icicle. He must of felt the strange cat under him moving, "Wait don't mov-", he began but he pulsed mid-sentence, his mouth open, tasting the air.
"We're got a Thunderclan cat here!", he howled, his paws plugging into bramble pile, blindly swiping with unsheltered claws, trying to find her. More paws came down, trying to get her out. Mapleshade felt like a helpless mole trapped within it's home. Using her head like a stag's horns, she forced her way through the undergrowth, in a random direction, sharp thorns threatening to scrap against her eyes. Reedshine's kit whimpered in pain and confusion.
Opening her eyes again, she wasn't amongst brambles or ferns anymore, instead, long reeds towered above her, realizing she'd managed to break through the Nursery into the reed patch beyond. Able to properly stand now, she immediately broke into a run, desperately trying to get away, relieved to leave the Riverclan camp behind. The fresh bite mark left the Riverclan camp, struck Mapleshade with a wave of pain. Abruptly, the kit in her teeth started whaling out in fright, "Mama! Mama!".
Somewhere far behind her, hidden behind the wall of grass, Reedshine screamed out, "They've got Shykit!".
Mousebung! Mapleshade wanted to curse aloud. Swerving to the side, Mapleshade broke out into the open, the border in the far distance. Strangely, there was dreadful burning in her chest as if a fire blazed in it. Her muscles boiling and throat raw with panting. What was wrong with her? A moon ago this would have been as easy as catching a mouse! Yet, the question remained, how was she going to get there? There wasn't a route Mapleshade could go without going into water and marsh, giving them the advantage. However, Mapleshade was forced to choose, as Reedshine broke through the same reed patch, more furious than any badger, her eyes wild. "Get back here!", she screeched like a crow, "Thief!".
Forced to make choice, unable to think in time, Mapleshade found herself trudging through the slimy mud of the marsh, almost green. Soon, it was up to her belly, the disgusting oily texture seeping into her fur, down to the skin, every huge step a battle in itself. Her few scraps of energy slowly being brained. Somehow, instead of slowing sinking into the mud like a pebble-like the clumpy Thunderclan cat was, Reedshine managed to stay on the surface, lightly skipping over it, as if she had fins for paws. The mossy shoreline was just in reach now, just a bit further but Reedshine was closing in with alarming speed. With one last final mighty effort, Mapleshade managed to lunge from the mud to the mossy dry land, landing awkwardly, Shykit knocked from her grasp. Laying on her side, she heavily gasped for air, lunges aching. She wanted to tear her own ears off for her weakness. Get up!
Rapidly, Reedshine joined Mapleshade, clambering up the bank. "I don't know what you're trying to do, Mapleshade, but it won't work.", she spat into Mapleshade's ear as she strolled passed her, "Not with me.".
Realising Reedshine was reaching towards Skykit, Mapleshade's paw swept in, her claws up against the kit's throat. "You wouldn't dare!", Reedshine gasped, instantly freezing up, stumbling back. The snobby confidence completely drained. Mapleshade licked her lips nervously, shuffling around until she stood directly above Shykit. The kit still blissfully unaware of harsh reality around her. Spotting Riverclan cats speeding towards them in the distance, Mapleshade decided to make this quick, disappointed she could meddle with the cat who stolen Appledusk's heart from her.
"This is how it's going to work from now on, Reedshine. This kit is mine. And if I ever catch a glimpse of you again, even from a distance, I'll kill Shykit on the spot.", Mapleshade threatened. The husk that stood in front of her seemed completely lifeless like cold stood, as Reedshine stared blankly at her with dead eyes. With the Riverclan patrol within a few tree-lengths of her, yowling their heads off, Mapleshade didn't bother waiting for Reedshine's reply, as her thorn claws flexed closer to Shykit's soft flesh, "And that goes for any Riverclan friend of yours.".
Still unresponsive, Mapleshade continued to drive the sharp tips of her talons into Shykit's neck, making her scream, "I'm waiting.", Mapleshade warned.
"Reedshine, what you doing? Attack her!", Eeltail called out to her clanmate as she rushed toward them with the other warriors. Life suddenly seemed to be breathed into the she-cat, the empty glaze over her eyes melting like ice to flare up to raw panic. Just as the Warriors slivered out of the marsh, leaving a sticky trail of mud, Reedshine brutally whipped around, facing the patrol, "Stop!", her voice so loud it caused the air to crack. The Patrol immediately halted to the Queen's orders, bewildered. A wall now between her and her death, Mapleshade snatched up Shykit, limping away: half-dazed, ears ringing, heart straining, fur ruffling, muscles tearing, bones cracking.
From behind her, Splashfoot called out to her, "Hey!", probably rushing after her, Mapleshade not even bothering to check with a glance over the shoulder. Then, there was a sharp whelp as someone crashed into him, hissing as they rolled on the ground. "You can't!", Reedshine growled, "She'll kill my kit if we go after her!".
Mapleshade smirked as she drowsy staggered away, breathless. Reedshine doing all the dirty work for her. Shykit squirmed and twisted frantically, trying to escape her captive's grasp, letting off confusion mews but none worked. There was nothing the tiny kit could do now. She belonged Mapleshade. And she had a lot planned for this small bundle of fur, a glorious future. Killing off the cats, Larchpaw had failed to, getting rightful justice for unpunished horrors of the Clans.
"You filthy foxheart!", Eletail's enraged yowl echoed in the far distance, "You'll die for this! You hear me?! You'll die!". Grateful, Mapleshade took a wide step over the scent marks, now a free of the Riverclan danger for awhile. A bittersweet victory at last.
Mapleshade didn't know how far she walked by now, only one thing in her hollow mind, get away, get away-
All she knew, for now, were nameless tall trees towering above, like long outstretching arms, continuing in their pointless and impossible mission to touch the empty black void of the night sky. Devoid of stars. She was in some kind of narrow stripe of woodland, trapped between two Thunderpaths, the Monster's roars echoing among the trunks, making the whole place violently shake. The atmosphere was denser here, more like thick smog then sharp clear air. Like having a piece of crow-food constantly up against her nose. Even if she was panicked, why did she have to choose this of all place?
Without even realizing it, Mapleshade found herself swaying as she plodded away, uncontrollably, until she toppled over like a snapping trunk, collapsing into a patch of thorns. Shykit whimpering in pain. The sharps edges dug deep into Mapleshade filthy coat, ragged with scars and grimy with dried mud still clinging to it like leeches. Yet Mapleshade didn't care anymore, she was numb to the pain. She felt pain so often, it was almost like second nature to her now. Almost impossible to live without.
Wrapping her tail around Shykit, Mapleshade's head drooped against the sharp steams and leaves, on a nest of thorns. Praying to Starclan, to just let a dreamless sleep take her this one night. But it didn't come. Mapleshade's burning red-amber eyes snapped open as Shykit began to call out in the chilling night air, "Mummy! Mummy!"-
Mapleshade stared into nothingness. Knowing with hanging drain, this was going to be a very- very long night...
Mapleshade burst from the drifting in void of emptiness, snapping her head back, her senses coming to life. When did she fall asleep? The air was damp and crisp from the freshly melted frost, now one with the earth. Pale sunlight turned the tips of her ginger fur a fiery red, managing to break through a newly settled overcast. Hanging low in the sky, it was unclear on whether it was thick vapour or thin fog. Sharp pains covered her body as the thorn dug into her skin like claws. Why did she have to collapse into thorn bush of all plants? Groaning miserably as she sluggishly crawled out from them, half-dazed. Instead of settling on the dead leaves and twigs of the muddy woodland floor. Serval undesirable pieces of two-legs trash dumped around the place, tainting the lush beauty of nature, with dull black and greys.
What time was it anyway? Strangely humid. Lazily blinking up to the sky, Mapleshade hissed to herself when she released the giant orange eye of the sun was already far above the horizon, edging towards the centre of the dim sky. It was sunhigh already!
As the awareness of her surroundings soon grew, hunger gripped her belly, her stomach in knots as if it was trying to eat itself. Her muzzle screwed up when rotten scent crawled into her nostrils. Following her nose, she tracked the rancid scent to an open gash in her leg. Still hanging open like a cave entrance, the oily yellow liquid had formed around the rims of the upturned fur and muscle. Was it infected? Bile boiled up in her throat. Disgusting. Biting down, she tore the crust off from the wound, taking a bit of dead skin with it, quickly burying among the leaves. Hopefully, this time her body would get hold of itself and heal her properly. Sighing, Mapleshade shuffled around as she lay there.
Then, small exhausted whimpering sounds came from behind her, as Mapleshade found Shykit tightly tangled among the thorns, upside down. The brown kit must have attempted to clamber away while she slumbered. "Stupid kit.", Mapleshade muttered, as she gripped her sleek tail like worm, roughly yanking out of the thorn. Shykit squeaked as she fell, Mapleshade hurriedly catching her, trapping her between her front paws. The kit was breathless for a heartbeat, as she tried getting hold of herself.
As Mapleshade tightly held the helpless kit, a strange feeling came over her, something she hadn't kept in such a long time. Knowing, the kit's life was in her paws, Shykit was defenceless, Mapleshade could easily snap her neck right now. Like a piece of prey. This kit was useless, she couldn't fight or hunt, all she did was play and take up milk. Yet Mapleshade was reasonable for protecting this warm scrap of fur against the cruel outside world. And she would. She had to, she'd sacrificed fur and tail to get her out of the protective wall of that camp.
Shykit blinked up at her with large round innocent kit-eyes, more curious than fearful like a grown-cat would, "Where's my home? Where's Mummy?", she mewed with a high-pitched voice. "This is your home. And I am your mother.", Mapleshade giving a simple answer to the simple questions. There was a pause as the kit's tiny brain struggled to process it, "You're Mummy?", she gasped, "But isn't Reedshine Mummy too? How can I have two mummies?".
Mapleshade shook her head, "Reedshine isn't your mother. I'm your mother, Reedshine stole you from me.".
Once again, Mapleshade had to wait as her words tried to get through Shykit's thick skull.
"Steal? Is that the bad thing Applekit once did, when he took my moss ball? He was told off for it. Did Mummy do that bad thing? Mummy stole me from you, like Applekit did to my moss ball?". Sighing, Mapleshade felt the intelligence being drained from her as she forced to downgrade her words in order to communicate with the kit. "Yes.", Mapleshade finally answered, "Just like that. She stole you from me, your real mother.".
Shykit began fidgeting in Mapleshade's paws, becoming agitated, "But I don't remember you.", the cream she-cat pointed out, confusion tinting in her bright green eyes like lush lime leaves in Newleaf. "No, you wouldn't.", Mapleshade tried explaining, "Riverclan stole you from me when you were very young, just after your birth. Do you remember being born?.".
Quickly, Shykit overdramatically shook her head side to side, almost violently. "Exactly. You were too young to remember.", Mapleshade noded down to her, faking a soft purr and a beaming smile brighter than sunlight. Shykit's long white whiskers twitched, unsure of anything, "If you're Mummy, then who's Daddy?", Shykit questioned through narrowed eyelids. Mapleshade bit down a hiss of annoyance, thinking she had earned her new daughter's trust for a heartbeat. There's a moment of silence as Mapleshade thought carefully on her next few words. Would she allow that traitorous snakeheart to be the father of any more of her kits? Yet if she made someone up, it causes Shykit to ask even more questions. So Mapleshade decided to ask Shykit a question of her own.
"Who did Reedshine say your father was?", Mapleshade asked, her voice quiet and gentle, imagining Patchpaw's calico pelt washing over Shykit's brown one, at a time when he was smaller and younger, a time when she could call him her son. At least now, she had someone else for that. "A tom named Appledusk. But he was sent away for a bad thing before I could meet him. Reedshine said it wasn't his fault though.". Mapleshade couldn't help but smirk to herself. Of course, Reedshine would say that, pathetically prancing after her handsome tom. She bet Appledusk could kill all the cats in Riverclan and Reedshine would still rush to his defence whenever someone dares insult him. But that wasn't why Mapleshade chooses him to be the father of her kits, she chooses him because she saw both the caring and powerful cat inside him, who could stand for those he loved and himself.
Just then, Shykit's abrupt words broke into Mapleshade's thoughts, "What you smiling about?". Hurriedly, Mapleshade shakes the stupid smirk from her face, turning down to Shykit again, "N-nothing.", she uttered. Any grown cat could have seen past her obvious lie but Shykit accepted it without a second thought, nodding. Mapleshade started up again, "Well, it's true.", she mewed, "Appledusk is still your father. Reedshine stole you from me for that. She was jealous, she loved Appledusk too.".
Strangely, Shykit began shredding the leaves with her small claws, fur bristling, "That's a mean thing to do!", she exclaimed, "You can't steal a kit from their mummy!". Grabbing her chance to really get into the kit's while she briefly on Mapleshade's side, Mapleshade nodded, "Yes, it is a mean thing to do. Reedshine isn't a good cat, Shykit. She's a liar and thief.". This made Shykit freeze up, pain making her chest puff up, "B-but she always seemed so nice. She would give us milk and sleep with us. Maybe you're just made a mistake and she is nice.", she mumbled, still hopeful.
There was a stab of annoyance as Mapleshade's patience was quickly running out. Why wasn't she just accepting what she said? How long would it take her to convince this kit she was her real mother?