Since it's been so long, here's a brief (ish!) plot summary of everything that's happened in Maplepaw's Redemption since last time!
FireClan, situated in Thunder woods and led by the dedicated and imposing Yellowstar, has had its share of trouble since late. The Ageless Ones, also called StarClan, have been mostly silent for many generations, keeping out of Clan cat business; until one day, a dark red FireClan warrior, Redpoppy, gives birth to two kits-Bloomkit and Maplekit-when she wasn't even pregnant before. The Ageless Ones whisper to her, asking her to promise to keep these kits safe, and to tell no one what she's heard.
Redpoppy happily obliges; though she doesn't know how they came to be, she loves her kits-Bloomkit, a solid ginger she-cat with long legs and an indomitable spirit, and Maplekit, a dark red she-cat with white patches, long fur, and long claws. The two become apprentices, and all is well… Except Maplepaw is tormented by the voices of shadows, urging her to take vengeance, to remember who she is.
FireClan is attacked by BlackClan, whose leader, Weaselstar, recently stepped down to suckle her kits by the former FireClan warrior Sunsplash, letting her deputy, Scratchface, take her place. Many of FireClan's cats are killed-Acorntail's mentor, Foxjump; the warrior Nettlescratch; and even elders-Webclaw and Goosefur, who Mapledawn calls Auntie, and is still a warrior when she dies, but as old as an elder. Maplepaw fights well in the battle, earning herself a warrior name, Mapledawn, but is gravely injured, almost killed, by Scratchface himself. The Clan prepares for another battle. Mapledawn is still haunted by the spirits of dead cats and the animosity of her Clanmate, Frecklefang. Frecklefang's brother, Wrencatcher, is one of Mapledawn's closest friends. Many cats think they'll become mates.
Mapledawn visits the Ageless Ones, and discovers why Frecklefang hates her so much, why she has such uncanny battle abilities at such a young age, and why the shadows whisper to her: she is the reincarnation of Mapleshade, a long-dead, deeply evil she-cat who was driven mad by betrayal and the death of her kits following an illicit romance with a RiverClan (now called CrookedClan) tom. The Ageless Ones are divided; some cats, like Leafpool, Myler, Thunder, and Crookedstar, believe Mapledawn can be a good cat. Others, like Oakstar, believe she'll betray FireClan.
Only Mapledawn, Frecklefang, and now Wrencatcher know the truth about Mapledawn. Mapledawn does everything she can to ignore Mapleshade's horrific memories and personality in her head. She's Mapledawn now, not Mapleshade. But Frecklefang wants her dead, and Wrencatcher is starting to agree with his littermate.
FireClan is in another battle with BlackClan; this time, Mapledawn is given the honor and duty of protecting their medicine cat, Cloudstep, which she does well-at the cost of Frecklefang. Wrencatcher tells Mapledawn to leave her post to help Frecklefang when the she-cat is attacked in battle, but Mapledawn stays to protect Cloudstep.
During this battle, Bloompaw, Mapledawn's beloved sister, is killed. As Mapledawn is grieving, Wrencatcher attacks her in front of the whole Clan, blaming Mapledawn for Frecklefang's injuries. But Frecklefang recovers. Bloompaw doesn't. Yellowstar gifts the fallen apprentice a warrior name, Bloomspirit, and punishes Wrencatcher.
Mapledawn takes it upon herself to try and prevent future battles by convincing Weaselclaw to retake her place as leader. During the battle when Mapledawn nearly died, Scratchface revealed that the Ageless Ones never gave him nine lives, because Weaselclaw still had hers-she was still a leader at heart. Weaselclaw agrees, impressed by Mapledawn's nerve in sneaking into BlackClan camp, but on the way back, Mapledawn's accosted by Frecklefang. Frecklefang goads Mapledawn into attacking her, saying she'll tell the Clan Mapledawn was betraying them by bringing BlackClan FireClan's secrets. Maple is incapable of stopping herself from fighting back against Frecklefang, and, shocked and terrified that her Clan will find out the truth of her past and take Frecklefang's side, she flees, running nonstop until she collapses, her neck wound reopened and bleeding.
A strange-looking cat, Yew, finds Mapledawn and helps her. Following a bad fever, Mapledawn finds herself in an oak crash filled with kind cats who help her get better. Here she discovers something she refused to believe: she's pregnant with kits, and due to give birth soon.
Meanwhile, back in FireClan, Frecklefang reveals her lies about Mapledawn, and Mapledawn's past as Mapleshade. Yellowstar exiles her, to the shock and satisfaction of her Clan. Wrencatcher has been placed on a long-standing punishment of constant apprentice tasks, including caring for his two parents, Birchnose and Rabbitleap, in the elder's den. During a border patrol, TallClan warriors attack Yellowstar on her side of the border! because they detected FireClan scent on their side. Yellowstar explains that it's Frecklefang, who was driven out of Clan boundaries, and the TallClan cats decide to let her follow Frecklefang's scent trail. It leads straight through Wind territory to the Moonpool.
Mapledawn forms a close bond with her friend Yew, and the mysterious tom Waiting Falcon, who soon becomes her mate. She has three kits, Larchkit, Patchkit, and Petalkit, but only Patchkit survives. The Lesser Oak crash is home to a mysterious place called the Clearpool, where the spirits of old cats visit. She meets Mapleshade's loner father, Unshaken Leaf, who agrees to take her dead kits over to StarClan to be with Bloomspirit. Later, in the Clearpool, Bloomspirit warns Mapledawn that Frecklefang-as well as Scratchface and a few others-is coming to attack her, led by some of the cats in StarClan who believe Mapledawn needs to die for who she used to be.
Mapledawn readies Waiting Falcon, Yew, and three new recruits-Pig, Butter, and Billy-for a battle against the invaders. Meanwhile, Yellowstar-who has recently rekindled her long-held love to Fallensnow, previously mates to Downtail-is struck an incredible blow: the death of Cloudstep. Weaselstar is back at the head of her Clan. No one witnessed Cloudstep's death, but the BlackClan leader is cold and unrepentant, insisting he was old and weak, and that her warriors got carried away when Cloudstep crossed their borders. FireClan is still too weak to launch an attack on BlackClan in response to the abhorrent murder of a medicine cat. At the Gathering, Yellowstar tactfully asks the other Clans for help training Freezepaw while Cloudstep is "recovering from illness." However, before CrookedClan can agree to send a medicine cat over to FireClan temporarily, clouds cover the moon, and the Gathering is at an end.
The time has finally come for the Lesser Oak Crash cats to fight against Scratchface and his posse. It's a rainy day, and Mapledawn comes up with a plan to lure all of Scratchface's cats into the center of the clearing, where her fighters surround them. They drive them off, Mapledawn blinding Frecklefang in the process. She leaves the bedraggled warrior with the cats there, so they can care for her. Mapledawn doesn't have the heart to murder her.
Mapledawn, Waiting Falcon, Pig, Billy, Butter, Yew, and Mist Shadow, a skilled fighter with a penchant for healing, travel back to Thunder forest, intent on joining the Clan. Yellowstar is shocked, Redpoppy over the moon, to see her daughter returned to the Clan. Yellowstar asks Mapledawn for the truth. Unbeknownst to Mapledawn, all of FireClan already knows about her past life as Mapleshade; Mapledawn tells all of the horrible truth, earning the respect of many of her Clanmates. Yellowstar is unsure whether to welcome the battle-scarred she-cat back to the Clan, since she did abandon them, but when she realizes Mapledawn has a newborn kit, she immediately welcomes her back; she'd never turn down a suckling queen.
Yellowstar also agrees to let the new cats stay temporarily, until they prove their worth, and names them Pigpaw, Mistpaw, Burrpaw (Billy), Littlepaw (Butter), Falconpaw, and Yewpaw. She decides to temporarily mentor Pigpaw, Burrpaw, and Littlepaw herself, while Falconpaw goes to Dapplecreek, Mistpaw goes to Freezepaw-two apprentices mentoring each other-and Yewpaw goes to Downtail. She doesn't hold an official Ceremony of Paws yet, since it's too soon to know if the newcomers will fit into Clan life.
Mapledawn joins her mother, Redpoppy, in the nursery. Redpoppy recently birthed three kits through Thrushflight: Hawthornekit, Cricketkit, and Petalkit, named after Bloomspirit. Repoppy and Mapledawn equally care for Cinder's kit, Ravenkit, who made the journey with the others to one day become a FireClan warrior.