Warriors of the Sea: Background Noise: Fallen Shadows

Finally. Finally, after moons and moons of waiting for this opportunity, it had arrived.

It would not be as satisfying as she had hoped, now that the kin of her enemies had already died. Her former mate's descendants- Willownose, Shyheart, Applefrost, Shellheart, Oakheart, Crookedstar, Mosskit, Stonefur, Mistystar, Perchkit, Pikepaw, Primrosepaw, and finally Reedwhisker were all dead. Appledusk, her former mate, was not yet faded, but he would be soon, the calico she-cat assured herself. Soon.

Her three kits appeared before her sometimes. Part of her knew that they were a hallucination, but the rest of her, mad with grief, locked that part of her conscience away.

Why didn't Appledusk want us? Her only she-kit cried, mewling with despondance a kit should not know.

Our deaths are his fault! Whimpered another, a black tom.

Mother, help us! Why should his other kits get more life than us? The last, a calico tomkit would ask with jealousy.

"I'm sorry," Mapleshade would always reply, her tone varying sometimes from a whisper to a screech. "I'm so, so sorry, my beautiful kits. I promise I'll make it fair."

It's not fair! The she-kit, Petalkit, suddenly screeched.

You have to make it fair! Larchkit growled.

Kill them! Patchkit hissed.

And so Mapleshade was driven to insanity by grief, and vowed that Appledusk's kin from his other mate would suffer.

Suffer they did. Some died in the mountains, forgotten by both their blood Clans. One was killed by a cat under the influence of the Dark Forest. A kit froze on her way to the same river where Mapleshade's kits were lost. Some died in battle, others from accidents. But they were strong, though Mapleshade cared not about their strength or resilience. Only that she avenged her kits.

She had, in a way, now that all her enemies were dead. But their spirits lingered, and so she could not be at peace.

Single-pawed, Mapleshade fought with a savagery to rival even Tigerstar's.

When StarClan descended to fight for the Clans, she could have leaped for joy. Finally, a chance to end her hunger for vengeance once and for all.

She sought out her enemies, kicking aside anyone in her way. She fought Appledusk and won, staring down at his already-faded form until it vanished completely. Then, she killed his other mate, Reedshine, gleefully, prolonging her death unnecessarily.

But her kits kept pleading. Why should anyone be happy when they, as a family, couldn't?

Not fair, not fair!

Her kits were right. What had she done wrong, except to love her mate and kits? Bluestar had committed the same crime as she had, but her and Oakheart's kits had lived longer, though Mapleshade made sure they weren't as happy as they could have been.

Leaders have power. Power makes cats happy. So does family, but we can't have either! Her kits wailed on and on, and they would not be silent.

She knew exactly who to target next, and before she knew it her paws had carried her to the ThunderClan camp, her kits' cries speeding her paws. She scarcely could remember who she killed in her haste to reach her new enemy, and she was immune to the pain of her wounds, though they were already few.

She bowled into Sandstorm after fighting through a wave of cats locked in combat. "You!" She screeched. "You have everything I ever wanted! A mate who loves you, kits who grow to have kits of their own! The respect of your Clan! Why should you have all this when I am cursed with despair?!"

Before Sandstorm could answer a spitting reply, Mapleshade leaped again to tear into her. A streak of spotted fur rammed into her, and she tumbled to the ground.

Mapleshade hissed, whirling on her toes, then laughed when she saw Spottedleaf. "What could the medicine cat who loved Firestar gain by saving his mate?" She snapped, her matted calico fur and wild eyes giving her a crazed light. Her long, white tail lashed, unfeeling to the bites and fur clawed out of it.

Surely, Mapleshade thought, Spottedleaf could understand.

Spottedleaf hissed, her eyes sparking. "Sandstorm made Firestar happy!"

That made her happy, Mapleshade. We can't ever be happy. It's not fair.

Mapleshade let out a guttural snarl. A blood-stained paw lashed out at the medicine cat's throat, and then Spottedleaf was on the ground, bleeding out of her neck.

Mapleshade paid no heed to anything else going on around her, turning back to Sandstorm. The ginger she-cat's eyes blazed with hate, and Mapleshade relished the chance to put up a good fight.

Not wanting to be caught with the whole Clan on her tail- even she knew she couldn't fight them all off- Mapleshade hared out the damaged camp entrance, her lashing tail catching thorns from it left and right.

She sped off down a well-trodden path, scenting Sandstorm's rapidly gaining pawsteps behind her, then spun, matted fur bristling where it could, her back arched.

Sandstorm spat at her disdainfully. "Killing a medicine cat? That's a whole new low for you."

Mapleshade purred smoothly. "You don't know the half of it."

Just as she was preparing to strike, Sandstorm struck first, her speed and strength greater than that of any Dark Forest warrior.

Mapleshade felt nothing, and then everything. She fell to the ground, dizzy and disoriented.

"No, no," she rambled, feeling herself slipping. "I'm sorry, my kits, I couldn't save y-you…" She let out a pained cough, splattering blood across the forest floor. It mixed with the blood of others, killed and wounded, all screaming for vengance. "I couldn't…"

"That's for Spottedleaf," Sandstorm mewed coldly, not a hint of pity in her eyes. She turned to limp back the way she had come, kicking dirt over Mapleshade's flickering form.

Mapleshade's kits finally let her sleep.