Chapter Eleven
Mapleshade stomped through the forest, not daring to look back. She worried that if she did, she would find someone following her. She wasn't ready to face anyone yet, especially not Birchface.
She didn't want to see Goldenmist either, not that Mapleshade believed she would follow her. While Goldenmist was sympathetic towards Mapleshade for the way her brother was behaving, she knew Goldenmist's loyalty would always lie with her brother first. If Birchface was hurting, Goldenmist would stick by his side, even to the death.
That was just the way they were, and Mapleshade didn't expect things to change anytime soon.
Mapleshade finally stopped walking. She looked up and realized that she had come to the Owl Tree. She hadn't come here in some time. Due to the owl that nested in the tree, prey wasn't as common, so there wasn't much reason to visit.
The undergrowth behind Mapleshade began to rustle. She immediately tensed and unsheathed her claws. Was that the owl coming to get her? While Mapleshade had never witnessed a full-grown cat being carried off by an owl, she had heard stories. She said a silent prayer to StarClan, begging them to keep her safe.
By now, the rustling in the undergrowth was growing louder and louder. Mapleshade's heart was beating rapidly in her chest, when suddenly…
"There you are!" Dawnfeather's pale orange-and-white face poked out from underneath a fern. She glanced up at the Owl Tree, and then back down at Mapleshade. "You know, the Gathering is supposed to involve cats, not owls, right?"
Mapleshade let out a sigh of relief. "You gave me a heart attack."
Dawnfeather gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."
"What are you doing here?" Mapleshade asked.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Dawnfeather explained. "I saw that you were arguing with Birchface, and then you just ran off. I was really worried."
Mapleshade sighed. "I'm fine. Thanks."
"What happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it." If Dawnfeather wanted to know what had happened between her and Birchface, she would have to ask someone else. Mapleshade was positive it would be the talk of the camp by the time the Gathering was over.
"Alright then. We don't have to talk about it," Dawnfeather promised. She sat down next to Mapleshade and looked up at the Owl Tree.
"Owls are neat, aren't they?" Dawnfeather asked.
Mapleshade shrugged. "I guess." She followed Dawnfeather's gaze, her eyes widening once she spotted the owl that sat perched among the tree's many branches. Mapleshade wasn't sure why she was so surprised to see an owl at the place called the Owl Tree, but perhaps it was due to the fact it had been sitting there all this time without her knowing.
"It's not hunting us, is it?" Mapleshade whispered.
Dawnfeather shook her head. She pointed her tail towards a clump of brambles not far from them.
A little mouse scuttled across the forest floor, unaware of the dangers that surrounded it. Based on its size, Mapleshade guessed it to be young. Too young, to know better.
Its inexperience and naivety proved to be its demise, for the owl swooped down from the tree, sinking its talons into the mouse. Mapleshade and Dawnfeather watched in amazement, as the owl carried its prey away to its nest.
The whole thing was over in a matter of seconds. For a moment, Mapleshade wondered if it had happened or if she had imagined the whole thing. But as she glanced at Dawnfeather, she saw that her sister had the same amazed look on her face.
"Wow," Dawnfeather breathed.
"I know," Mapleshade agreed.
"It happened so fast, too," Dawnfeather continued. "The poor mouse didn't see it coming. I almost feel sorry for it."
"Me too." Mapleshade frowned. "But better it than us."
"True," Dawnfeather meowed. She stared back up at the tree and shuddered. Mapleshade didn't have to imagine what she was thinking of.
The two sisters moved away from the Owl Tree and headed through the forest. At first, Dawnfeather suggested they head back to camp, but Mapleshade declined. She wasn't ready to return to camp yet.
"Do you want to go swimming?" Dawnfeather joked, earning an eye roll from her sister.
"I'll voluntarily go swimming when hedgehogs fly," Mapleshade scoffed.
"Maybe we could borrow a few of the owl's feathers, and stick them onto the hedgehog," Dawnfeather meowed. "Although we would have to find an owl that could speak cat first."
"Should we ask that one back there?"
"I don't want to interrupt his meal. I don't want to end up as dessert," Dawnfeather purred.
"Good thinking," Mapleshade played along. "I guess we'll have to look for a different owl." She leaped up onto a rock, and began to call out, "Are there any owls that can speak cat around here?"
"'Yes'," Dawnfeather meowed, putting on a fake voice. "'Here I am!'"
Mapleshade leaped down from her rock. "You're a funny-looking owl."
"'And you're a funny-looking cat'," Dawnfeather joked, still putting on a fake voice.
"I take after my sister," Mapleshade said. "Everyone says I look just like her."
Dawnfeather's jaw dropped in disbelief and amusement. She leaped onto Mapleshade, knocking her to the forest floor. The two sisters began to wrestle with one another, sending leaves flying. Mapleshade let out purrs of amusement as Dawnfeather jabbed at her belly.
"Stop! Stop!" she begged as Dawnfeather continued to tickle her.
"Never!" Dawnfeather cried.
Mapleshade kicked out her back legs, pushing Dawnfeather off of her. Before her sister could recover, Mapleshade jumped on top of her, pinning her to the ground.
It didn't last long though, as Dawnfeather quickly overpowered Mapleshade. She pushed Mapleshade back to the ground and held her there. Mapleshade tried to wriggle free, but she was too exhausted.
Finally, Dawnfeather took a step back. She gave her chest fur a couple of licks as she tried to catch her breath.
Mapleshade sat up, panting. She began to pick bits of leaves from her fur, cringing as one stuck to her tongue.
"Let's go hunting," Dawnfeather said suddenly.
At first, Mapleshade thought that Dawnfeather was joking. But when her sister's face didn't change, Mapleshade realized she was being quite serious. "It's nighttime," Mapleshade said. "How are we supposed to hunt in the dark?"
"We'll have the light of the moon to guide us," Dawnfeather meowed.
Mapleshade looked around. The forest was still dappled in the moon's silvery glow. But would that be enough to help them find any prey? The deeper they ventured into the forest, the darker it would get as the trees canopy blocked out extra light. Plus, how much prey would be awake this late?
"Please," Dawnfeather begged, noticing Mapleshade's hesitance. "Even if we don't catch anything, it will still be fun."
Mapleshade finally nodded. "Alright, I suppose."
Dawnfeather leaped to her paws, her eyes gleaming. She bounced through the forest, her tail held high. Mapleshade chased after her, ducking and dodging through the undergrowth. As she ran, she wondered how Dawnfeather expected to catch anything when she was being so loud, but she decided to keep her mouth shut.
A fallen tree lay on the forest floor in front of them. Dawnfeather leaped over it gracefully, landing on the other side. Mapleshade tried to copy her, but stumbled, landing in a clump of bracken.
Dawnfeather let out an amused purr.
"Don't laugh!" Mapleshade frowned.
"I'm not laughing."
"You are!"
"Am not!"
Mapleshade crouched down, wiggling her hind legs. She pounced onto Dawnfeather and held her against the ground. For the second time that evening, the two sisters tussled on the ground, squealing like kits. Finally, Dawnfeather shoved her away.
"Let's be serious," she meowed. She gave her chest fur a couple of licks to smooth it down. She then stared into the distance, her eyes narrowing.
Mapleshade followed her gaze, wondering if her sister had spotted something. It was unlikely given the amount of noise they had just made, but perhaps StarClan would be on their side this night.
Dawnfeather crouched down. She moved like a ghost across the forest floor, each paw step landing silently as she crept closer and closer to whatever Dawnfeather had spied earlier.
Mapleshade still wasn't sure what her sister had seen, but it must have been something good for Dawnfeather to react so quickly.
Finally, Dawnfeather pounced into a clump of ferns. Mapleshade could hear a loud squeal, followed by silence. Dawnfeather poked her head out of the ferns a second later, a plump vole dangling from her mouth.
Dawnfeather trotted back towards Mapleshade with her prey, her whiskers twitching with pride.
"Wow!" Mapleshade exclaimed. "That was great. How did you even spot that?"
"Luck." Dawnfeather shrugged. "I really thought it was going to get away."
"You sure didn't act like it."
Dawnfeather looked down at her catch. "Should we head back to camp now, or do you want to keep hunting?"
"I want to try and catch something," Mapleshade said. "It's the least I can do after…" She trailed off, her mind filling with images of tonight's argument with Birchface. She had almost forgotten all about it. Her face twisted into a look of disgust as the scene replayed in her head over and over again. Don't think about it. Enjoy your time with Dawnfeather!
"Mapleshade?"
"Let's keep hunting."
Mapleshade began to walk through the forest, scenting the air every so often. To her annoyance, there was nothing to be found. Or maybe my senses are worse than I thought. Just then, the sound of squeaking caught her attention. Mapleshade froze.
From where she stood, it sounded like it was coming from a nearby poplar tree. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see if she could spot any movement. At first, she struggled to see anything, but finally, she caught sight of several little shapes running around the base of the tree. Mice, from the look and scent of it. She would have to be quick if she wanted to catch one.
Dawnfeather came up from behind Mapleshade. Mapleshade flicked her tail towards the tree where the mice were at.
"There's at least four of them," Mapleshade whispered. "If we're lucky, we can each catch one."
Dawnfeather nodded.
Mapleshade dropped down. She took a deep breath and began sneaking towards the mice. Dawnfeather, who was several lengths away, was doing the same. She was moving slightly faster than Mapleshade, causing Mapleshade to grow nervous. If Dawnfeather reacted too soon, neither of them would be able to catch anything.
Just as Mapleshade feared, Dawnfeather leaped too soon. She managed to hook one of the mice with her claws, causing the others to scatter. Mapleshade rushed forward, jumping onto a mouse that was attempting to run away. She clumsily grabbed it, allowing for it to jump out of her grasp with a squeal. Mapleshade clambered after it. She managed to grab its tail, holding it still. She leaned down and gave it a quick bite to the neck, killing it.
"Mapleshade!" Dawnfeather panted. "Did you catch it?"
Mapleshade grabbed the mouse and headed back to her sister. "Barely."
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. We caught them didn't we?"
Dawnfeather looked down at the mouse she had managed to catch. "I suppose." She nudged it with her paw. "Mine's not very big, is yours?"
"No." Mapleshade frowned. Her mouse only appeared to be a few mouthfuls, but it would be better than nothing. It would at least make a nice snack for one of the cats returning home from the Gathering.
Mapleshade then looked up at the sky. The moon was starting to sink lower and lower into the night sky. It wouldn't be long before dawn. She then yawned, a wave of fatigue washing over her. Looking at Dawnfeather, she could tell her sister was feeling the same way. Her sister's eyelids were beginning to droop, and her movements were getting slower.
Grabbing their mice, they headed back to where Dawnfeather had stashed the vole she had caught. From there, they began to long walk back to ThunderClan's camp.
By the time the ravine came into sight, the moon had vanished below the treeline. It was still dark out, but flecks of pink and orange were beginning to appear in the eastern sky. Here and there, birdsong could be heard as more and more birds awoke.
As Mapleshade pushed her way through the gorse tunnel, she was surprised to see that the Gathering patrol still hadn't arrived. For a moment, Mapleshade began to panic. What if something had happened at the Gathering? What if a fight had broken out because of the argument she had gotten into with Birchface over Appledusk?
Just as her mind became overwhelmed with fear, the gorse tunnel rustled, and Oakstar walked into camp. He walked with a calm demeanor to him, and his head held high. The rest of ThunderClan followed him. Everyone appeared to be fine, just tired.
Mapleshade let out a sigh of relief. Everything was fine.