Mapledawn woke to the first storm of the season. Rain pelted hard on Lesser Oak Crash. Wind ripped leaves and twigs from the oaks. Patchkit awoke and trembled against her side, asking what it was.
"Only a storm," Mapledawn mewed. "You're safe."
The day before had been a long one. Between taking care of Patchkit and training the Lesser Oak Crash cats—Yew, Butter, Billy, Pig, and even Waiting Falcon—she'd hardly had a moment of rest. After training, she'd sent Butter and Yew out on "border patrol." Of course, these cats didn't have set borders, since all were welcome to come and go as they pleased. In fact, there were at least five or six cats around the Crash she'd never properly met. They showed up some days to eat or bring prey or sleep in one of the many available nests, or they didn't. But Butter and Yew did a good job checking for strange scents, be it cat, badger, or fox, and reported nothing of concern. She'd considered warning them about Frecklefang, but decided against it; she didn't want to instill panic in these cats.
She'd told Billy to keep a lookout on the moorland that eventually became TallClan territory. She wasn't sure which way Frecklefang would come, but TallClan seemed to be the closest. If she was already on her way when Bloomspirit warned me, Mapledawn thought as she licked Patchkit's pelt to soothe him, she should have been here by now.
The rain kept on all day. At least it will hide our scents. Mapledawn's nest was covered by foliage, but rain was starting to blow into it, and Cinders was practically out in the open.
"There's an open nest dug into the side of the ridge over there!" Cinders yowled over the storm. Soot and Raven huddled against her, their pelts dripping. "I think we can all curl inside."
Mapledawn picked up Patchkit by the scruff. Waiting Falcon took Raven, while Cinders took Soot, and they all six piled together into the dark, roomy den inside the rocky ledge nearby. The animal skins were musty, but dry, and all their bodies together made for a warm and cozy den. The opening was just a slit between rocks, big enough to peer out, but hard to peer into. The queens licked their kits the wrong way—to yowls of protest—until all three were dry.
"I don't think I like the rain," Patchkit mewed.
"Me neither," said Raven.
"Well, I think it's cool," Soot said, peering out of the cleft. "The sky is ferocious."
Mapledawn nestled in to wait out the storm, wondering if the newcomer cats were doing alright. Hopefully Billy isn't still standing out there in the pouring rain, she thought, chuckling to herself. It wouldn't surprise her; all the cats, even Pig, were incredibly loyal to her. She was never harsh, never punished, but maybe Billy thought she'd be disappointed in him if he left his post because of a little rain.
Thunder rumbled. It sounded far-off. Patchkit trembled against her.
Mapledawn's ears shot up. She thought she heard hurried pawsteps. The storm drowned it out, but—yes, those were pawsteps. She tucked Patchkit between Raven and Soot and padded quietly to the mouth of the cave.
It was only Billy. She breathed a sigh of relief—until she saw the scared look in his grayish-blue eyes.
"Psst," she hissed, sticking her nose out of the cleft. "Are you alright?"
"Cats coming this way," Billy said when he caught sight of her. "Maybe it's nothing, but…"
"What is it, Billy?" Mapledawn coaxed him.
"Well, they looked rough. One of them was covered in scars. She had a bad look about her, but I can't say why. Just…" he frowned, rain dripping from his eyes. "Wild, I suppose."
"What did she look like?"
"Gold. With patches. No—"
"Flecks." Mapledawn nodded. She was doing her best to hide her fear. "You should trust your instincts, Billy. I know this cat. She's bad, through and through. If she's coming here, we must prepare for a battle."
Billy dipped his head. "I'll get the others."
"Not here. We must keep this den hidden." She tilted her head, thinking. "Get as many cats as you can. Have them meet in the trees down that way." She pointed with her tail to the oaks surrounding the Lesser Oak Crash. "I have a plan."
Billy nodded and hared off into the storm.
"Cinders," Mapledawn whispered, "can you—"
"Of course," Cinders said, purring. "I'd join you if I could."
Mapledawn nuzzled Patchkit, purring. "Be back soon, little one."
"Are you gonna fight?" he mewed. "Are you gonna get hurt?"
"I'll be just fine," Mapledawn said, her chest tight. "You be good for Cinders, okay?"
"Okay," said Patchkit reluctantly. "Love you, Merble."
"Love you, too. More than you can ever know." And to Waiting Falcon: "With me." They looked at each other wordlessly for a long time. He must know as well as I do how easy it is for things to go wrong.
Mapledawn slunk from the den and across the hollow. Hopefully the rain will cover my scent. She couldn't pick out much over the pervasive smell of wet. And she hated the feeling of her long hair plastered down to her sides by rain. It made her look small.
"Good, you're all here." Lark's Call, Mist Shadow, Pig, Billy, Butter, and Yew crouched under the dense foliage, their pelts plastered to their bodies.
"It's a shitty day for a battle!" Pig announced.
A what? Mapledawn shook her head; it wasn't important.
"Don't like the rain, Pig?" she asked.
"What cat does?"
"Well, CrookedClan cats probably do. They love water. In fact, Pig, today I'd like you to pretend to be a CrookedClan cat…" While Mapledawn laid out her plan, she watched the cats' eyes go from befuddled to hopeful to downright excited.
Mapledawn crouched on a sturdy oak, her claws dug deep in the bark to keep the rain and wind from throwing her off. She had a fantastic view of the Lesser Oak Crash Clearing. As much as she would have loved to have all of her cats climb trees and leap on Frecklefang's patrol when she came through, it was just too dangerous in the storm.
She watched, waiting for her moment. Butter, Waiting Falcon, and Yew crouched out of sight on this side of the trees; she couldn't see or smell them in the rain, but she knew they were there. Billy, Lark's Call, and Mist Shadow were on the opposite side of the clearing, hidden in the bushes around the base of the ledge.
And in the middle, between the same nests Mapledawn and Cinders had used just that morning, was Pig.
He was just sitting in the rain, wagging his tail and making this rhythmic caterwauling he called "singing."
She waited for what felt like hours. Pig's yowls rose with the wind and rain to ear-splitting levels. His fur was sodden and spiky; the little blaze of white above his nose looked gray; his plastered fur actually showed off his muscled bulk, rather than making him look small.
Finally, Mapledawn saw movement from the west. A group of cats crept into the clearing, their eyes trained on Pig: Frecklefang, Scratchface, the CrookedClan tom Dustapple, Fatberry, Heavypaw, another BlackClan cat she didn't recognize, and two complete strangers. She looked closer: one of the strangers had a shiny band of some kind of Twoleg stuff around his neck. The other, a soft-furred cream cat with a brown face and tail, had one, too, she realized. Oh, Frecklefang, you idiot, Mapledawn thought, stifling a scoff; kittypets? You brought kittypets to kill me with?
Billy was right. Frecklefang did look wild. Her scars had never healed; her back and sides were a mess of old clawmarks. She held her right forepaw awkwardly with each step. Her once-beautiful pelt was ragged and unkempt. And her amber eyes burned with a wild ferocity.
"Heyooo, strangers!" Pig called raucously, wagging his tail high over his back and grinning. "Welcome to my humble home! Come in, the water is fine! Would you like a sodden rat? Or perhaps a drowned sparrow?" He erupted into cackling laughter.
Every cat in Frecklefang's party stared at Pig incredulously. They didn't even glance around the hollow.
"Hello." Scratchface padded up to Pig and dipped his head slightly. "We're looking for a friend of ours. Perhaps you could help us?"
Frecklefang came up beside him, rolling her eyes. "' Perhaps you can help us.' Are you BlackClan's leader or not?" She flattened her ears and hissed at Scratchface. "Shred his pelt if he doesn't tell you what you want to know! Show some claws!"
Scratchface ignored her. "You'll have to excuse her," he said to Pig, shaking his head. "She's grouchy from the long journey. It would help us a lot if you could just tell us if you've seen our friend."
"A friend? We've got all kinds of great cats here! I can find you a new friend," Pig said, smiling.
The cats slowly moved to surround Pig. Dustapple and Frecklefang glowered at him; Scratchface sat with a dignified, somewhat self-satisfied air, and the two kittypets just looked out of place. Pig didn't show any fear as the cats moved closer, forming a dense circle around him.
Mapledawn found herself staring at Dustapple as Frecklefang's cats surrounded the fearless Pig. He had big, wide shoulders and pale, glossy brown fur… His eyes were dark orange, almost red—but there was something familiar about them.
StarClan above. How many cats had StarClan sent back? Is it really him—or just a descendent of his? She curled her claws deeper in the bark. Dustapple had distracted her; it was time to move. She leapt from the slick tree branch, turned in the air, and landed right on a shocked Frecklefang. As soon as she met the ground, she yowled the signal. Pig shoved his way through the throng of cats; Butter's side charged from the trees. Billy's side hung back for the moment, a second surprise for Frecklefang and Scratchface's ramshackle band of foxhearts.
"Hello, Fatpaw," Frecklefang sneered. Mapledawn pushed down hard and dug her claws into the she-cat's back, sending fur and blood flying, while Frecklefang yowled in protest.
"Hey, Frecklewish," Mapledawn hissed in her ear. "Kittypets, really? And Appledusk? You must be forgetting your history. I killed him before," she said, "and I can kill him again. He was a pretty, empty-headed cat with a botched sense of loyalty, Frecklewish." She bent lower to Frecklefang's ear. "He was never much of a fighter."
She glanced briefly around at the others. She'd told them that Scratchface and Frecklefang were their main targets, and so far, they were following her plan; Butter and Waiting Falcon squared off with Scratchface, Yew harassed the kittypets, and Pig took on Dustapple. The kittypets, unsurprisingly, weren't putting up much of a fight. Lark's Call weaved between the BlackClan cats, dealing blows here and there to distract them. She dug her teeth in Frecklefang's scruff until she felt blood flow into her mouth. The she-cat screeched at the top of her lungs. Scratchface turned at the sound and scoffed. The moment of distraction was enough for Waiting Falcon to spring on top of him while Butter snuck behind him to bite down on his tail.
Mapledawn lost her grip on Frecklefang's scruff between the blood and the rain making her pelt slick; Frecklefang turned onto her back and dug her hind claws in Mapledawn's belly. Sharp claws grazed her skin. She dealt two savage blows to Frecklefang's face, then hopped off her and began circling, waiting for Frecklefang's move.
Pig cried out in pain. Mapledawn turned to see Dustapple bite a huge chunk off the top of Pig's ear.
" Asshole!" Pig screeched, backing up; then he reared up on his thick, powerful hind legs and crashed into Dustapple's chest, sending the pretty tom flying across the hollow. "That was my ear!"
Mapledawn yowled again, signaling Billy's party to lead into the fray. The rain had slowed to little more than a sprinkle.
Frecklefang and Scratchface turned in shock as the rain-soaked cats leapt from the shadows. The kittypets flattened to the ground suddenly, eyes darting across the hollow as if they were afraid more cats were going to burst out of nowhere; then, eyes wide as pools, they turned and ran into the trees.
That's two down.
"Cowards!" Frecklefang called after them.
"What did you expect from kittypets?" Mapledawn scoffed. She wanted Frecklefang's attention on her. "It doesn't matter what name you go by, you don't have a loyal bone in your body. A true warrior scoffs at the soft life of a kittypet." Mapledawn rasped a laugh. "The warrior code doesn't mean a mousetail to you, does it? You're fighting alongside a cat that killed many of your Clanmates. Elders, even. His cats nearly killed you."
"Loyalty! How dare you!" Frecklefang, fur bristling, eyes flashing venom, unsheathed her claws and struck at Mapledawn's throat. Mapledawn flinched back—Frecklefang's claws whisked harmlessly through her long fur—and slammed her forepaws hard on the she-cat's chest. She fell back, winded, and Mapledawn followed up with a savage blow to the side of Frecklefang's head. Then she scored her claws across her face. Frecklefang didn't close her eyes in time. Mapledawn felt a glimmer of satisfaction; and then a sick twinge in the depths of her gut.
Frecklefang was blind.
Again.
Her petulant screams turned to pitiful wails as she realized what had happened. She shook her head, flinging blood into Mapledawn's fur, and crouched, shivering, against the forest floor.
"I can't see!" she cried. "Ravenwing! Help me!"
"Why couldn't you just leave me alone?" Mapledawn hissed.
Suddenly, teeth sank into her tail. Someone yanked her back by the back end; claws dug into her hindquarters. She stopped fighting and dropped to the ground, flipped onto her back; her tail tugged free, but not before losing hefty chunks of dark red fur. She spun around.
" Appledusk." The big brown tom glowered at her with eyes the color of fresh blood.
"Maybe," he hissed. "StarClan says I am."
Mapledawn backed up. "You don't remember?"
"Maybe," he said, "glimmers. But I do know you're evil, and I have to stop you."
Mapledawn snarled. "Oakstar."
Dustapple froze.
She continued: "I was evil, Dustapple, in a past life. I lost my kits, my Clan betrayed me, I got sick, I lost my mind, and I went on a mission of revenge. StarClan sent me back to right the wrongs they wrought against me and my innocent kits. But some cats could never forgive Mapleshade for what she did. Dustapple, you don't have to be a part of this. You can go home and be a loyal warrior for your Clan." She bent low to his ear. "I don't want to hurt you."
Dustapple stared at her for the longest time. A flicker of recognition, perhaps, crossed his eyes, and was gone. He nodded, said nothing, and disappeared into the throng of fighting cats. She saw him pop out from between the BlackClan cats and hare off west, toward Clan territory.
Mapledawn jumped back into the fray. There was nothing she could do for Frecklefang now. As much as she loathed the she-cat, she couldn't bring herself to kill her. Even though it seemed worse to just leave her there, blinded, bleeding, and frightened… Mapledawn turned back, cursing under her breath. She shoved Frecklefang to the side of the clearing—and got a faceful of clumsy claw swipes for thanks. The Clearpool cats can take care of her, if they wish. A cat could live a perfectly normal life blind like that; she only hoped her new disability would prevent her from making the trek all the way back to FireClan.
She found Pig and Waiting Falcon still locked in battle with Scratchface. The wiry brown tom had tufts of fur missing, and a deep gash below his shoulders. Waiting Falcon was covered in claw marks, too, but aside from his now-butchered ear, Pig was faring well. The rest of her party were preoccupied with the BlackClan cats who, so far, looked tired and scuffed but largely uninjured. Waiting Falcon and Pig fought like true FireClan cats, but Scratchface gave as good as he got back.
"You have been a burr under my pelt for too long," Scratchface said, spitting at her. "It's time to you went to StarClan. Oh, but Oakstar is dying to see you…"
Mapledawn nodded to Waiting Falcon and flicked her tail to Pig. All three cats bombarded Scratchface with a flurry of blows. He swiveled to try and counter each one. Mapledawn scored the side of his head; Waiting Falcon got a lucky jab just under his chin. Scratchface's eyes darted between Waiting Falcon, Pig, and Mapledawn. Suddenly Pig shoved the wiry tom and bit his ear.
"How do you like that?" Scratchface yowled in pain. Before he could counter, Mapledawn leapt onto his back, while Waiting Falcon grabbed the tom's face in his forepaws and bit down hard on his other ear.
Mapledawn scored her claws down his back. From the corner of her eye, she saw Fatberry rush over to help his leader, Mist Shadow intercept him, and Butter and Yew do the same to Lynxpelt. The other BlackClan cats fell on them with a flurry of angry hisses and taunts, but Mist Shadow was crafty, Yew was quick, and suddenly Lark's Call and Butter pelted over to their teammate's side. The BlackClan cats couldn't get anywhere near Scratchface. He yowled and hissed under Mapledawn's grip, but it was no use. Without a breath of hesitation, she sunk her teeth into his throat.
"Sh—SHADOWCLAN!" he choked out. "Retreat!"
She was so shocked and disgusted by the use of such a sacred name, she let go for a moment. Scratchface burst out from under her and leapt over Waiting Falcon's back. Pig chased after him, spitting unfamiliar curses— this cat has quite the vocabulary—but Scratchface ran for his life, ignoring the claws snagging in his tail and back legs as Mapledawn's cats tried to chase him down.
"Let him go," she said reluctantly, turning her tail to the side to signal them to stop. "A good warrior knows when they've won the battle." She spat out a mouthful of Scratchface's blood. Even if I'd have preferred to end this right here and now.
Mapledawn's cats surrounded her, panting, bleeding, mud-splattered, and tired. But everyone was on their feet. They hadn't lost a single cat. Frecklefang was a quietly mewling lump of fur in the corner of the clearing.
"What about her?" Yew asked, looking uncomfortable.
"The Clearpool cats can take care of her, if they wish. Or drive her out." Mapledawn shrugged. "She's not my problem anymore."
"River of Starlight will see to her," Mist Shadow said. "He knows as much as me how to take care of cats. I'm coming with you to this FireClan." She dipped her head ever so slightly. "If you'll have me."
We may not need another medicine cat… Mapledawn frowned. But she would be a fantastic warrior, too. And something tells me she has a lot to teach the Clans.
"Of course," Mapledawn purred. "You have all proved yourself today. Every one of you is welcome to come back with me—if you desire." Waiting Falcon curled his tail with hers by way of answer. "I will understand if you want to stay here. And be warned: it's not up to me if you join FireClan. It's up to our leader, Yellowstar. But I think she'd be mad to turn any of you down."
"Momma! Momma!" Patchkit, as well as Raven, Soot, and Cinders, padded across the clearing toward her. "You're okay! Did you win?"
Mapledawn bent down to lick at his messy fur. "Yes, little one." She breathed in his warm, soft scent. "We won."
"Mapledawn." Cinders spoke quietly to her. "I will not be joining you. This is a good place, and I don't want to live a life of battle. But…" She paused, looking at her kits. "Will you take Raven? He's so smitten with little Patchkit, I couldn't bare it if they couldn't grow up together."
Mapledawn purred, moved beyond words. "I will protect him with my life."
Raven looked up at her with big, wonder-filled eyes. Then he turned to his mom and nestled into her fur. Mapledawn gave them a moment to be together.
"We leave this evening," Mapledawn yowled. "All who wish to come can meet me here in the middle of the Crash." She turned to Mist Shadow. "Can you check for wounds and make sure everyone is fit to travel?" Mist Shadow nodded and got to work immediately.
"FireClan," Pig called. "FireClan!"
"FireClan!"
"FireClan!"
Mapledawn turned her head to the sky and yowled with them. I don't know what's waiting for me back home, she thought, but with Waiting Falcon, Patchkit, and these cats by my side, I'm ready for anything.