Chapter Twenty-four
Excitement filled the air as the Clan prepared for yet another ceremony, this time for Nettlekit and Flowerkit.
Dawnfeather paced around them, frantic. "Nettlekit, stop twitching the fur along your spine like that. You're messing your pelt up." She licked his fur smooth once more.
"I can groom myself," Nettlekit whined.
"Obviously, you can't. You look like a nettle," Dawnfeather argued.
Mapleshade sat back, letting out a purr of amusement. "It's not that noticeable, Dawnfeather."
Flowerkit tucked her paws closer to her body. "What about me? Is my fur smooth enough?"
Dawnfeather stopped licking Nettlekit's fur. She looked Flowerkit over, nodding with approval. "You're fine, Flowerkit. It's just your brother—" she gave Nettlekit another sharp look, "keeps messing his fur up."
"I can't help it. I'm nervous!" Nettlekit protested. "What if I get someone mean as my mentor?"
"You won't get anyone mean. All of the warriors are nice, I promise," Mapleshade said.
"I wish you could be my mentor," Nettlekit said to Dawnfeather, pressing against her. Dawnfeather wrapped her tail around him protectively.
"I know, but I can't. I'd never be able to teach you what you need to know. I'd be way too soft on you, and that's just as bad as being mean," Dawnfeather told him.
"That doesn't make any sense," Nettlekit argued.
"Someone has to teach you how to hunt and fight. The forest is a dangerous place, after all. Dawnfeather's worried she wouldn't be tough enough on you to give you the skills you need," Mapleshade explained. "That's why other cats are typically responsible for training the apprentices. But don't worry, Nettlekit. You'll be just fine with whoever Oakstar chooses to mentor you."
Nettlekit didn't seem convinced, but he didn't argue anymore. Together with Flowerkit, he followed Mapleshade and Dawnfeather to the center of the clearing. Mapleshade hung back, allowing Thrushtalon to sit on their opposite side.
"Are you excited?" Thrushtalon wondered.
"I am," Flowerkit meowed.
"That's good. I'm excited too." He gave her ear a lick.
It wasn't long before Oakstar leaped to the top of Highrock to announce the start of the ceremony. Flowerpaw was apprenticed to Birchface, while Nettlepaw—
"—Will be apprenticed by Mapleshade," Oakstar decided.
Mapleshade's eyes widened. Oakstar hadn't mentioned anything to her about mentoring Nettlekit. It wasn't even a thought in her mind given they were kin. Rushing forward, she touched noses with Nettlepaw as the rest of the Clan cheered in the background.
When the excitement died down, Mapleshade caught up to Oakstar. "Why didn't you tell me you were giving me Nettlepaw?" she wondered.
"It was a last-minute decision," Oakstar confessed. "But one I feel makes the most sense. You're young but experienced. And aside from being your kin, you rescued him from the Twolegplace I know you can be trusted to take care of him."
"I'm honored, Oakstar. Thank you." Mapleshade dipped her head to him.
"Do you want to take Nettlepaw with us on a tour of the territory?" Birchface wondered, walking up to Mapleshade. Flowerpaw hung back, giving Mapleshade a hopeful look.
"Do you want to?" Mapleshade asked Nettlepaw.
"We're not going to run into any badgers, are we?" Nettlepaw frowned.
"Badgers don't come out at this time of day," Birchface assured him. Both Nettlepaw and Flowerpaw relaxed.
"In that case, can we go with them?" Nettlepaw asked.
Mapleshade nodded. "Let's get going. I want to reach the Thunderpath before sunhigh."
"Nettlepaw, you're hesitating again. You have to be quicker than that," Mapleshade sighed.
Nettlepaw flicked his ear indicating he'd heard before launching himself at Flowerpaw for the sixth time. She stepped aside, turning to lash out at Nettlepaw's flank. He reared back exposing his soft belly.
At that exact moment, Flowerpaw's leg connected with Nettlepaw's stomach. He dropped onto all fours, sighing. "I just can't seem to get it right. I know what I'm supposed to do, but my mind goes blank."
Mapleshade glanced at Birchface, frowning. "Let's move on, then. We can always come back to that move another day."
Flowerpaw's tail drooped. "Do we have to? I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it."
Nettlepaw glared at her.
"I think Mapleshade's right," Birchface agreed. "We've been practicing our fighting moves all day. I think it's time you work on your tracking again. You didn't do as well as I'd hoped the other day."
Flowerpaw's ears flattened to her head. "That's even worse than practicing that hunting crouch you showed me the other day," she muttered.
"All it takes is a little concentration and patience. Once you get the hang of it, it'll become second nature to you, I promise," Birchface said.
"This is more work than I thought it was going to be," Nettlepaw remarked.
Mapleshade gave his shoulder a friendly nudge. "Don't sound so unhappy, you two. You've only been apprentices for a moon. You're going to make mistakes at first. That's all a part of learning."
"And the more you train, the better you'll become," Birchface added. He stretched his front legs out, arching his back with a yawn. Looking at Mapleshade he asked, "Do you want Nettlepaw to join us, or were you thinking about something else?"
"I had something planned already, sorry." As soon as she said it, her stomach dropped, noticing the dejected look in Birchface's eyes. It lasted only a moment, replaced by a hollow purr in his throat.
"Of course. Maybe later. Come on, Flowerpaw." Birchface tilted his head towards the forest, leading Flowerpaw out of the training hollow.
"Should I keep practicing by myself, or…?" Nettlepaw wondered.
Mapleshade nodded. "Yes, that would be great."
Birchface's hurt expression crossed Mapleshade's mind once more. They'd been mentoring together for the last moon, yet Mapleshade felt just as distant from him as she'd been the previous few seasons. It had been so long, that she couldn't remember their last genuine, happy interaction. They worked well together as mentors, but it wasn't the same.
Suddenly, she was knocked to the ground. Mapleshade twisted around, crouching there. She twitched, grimacing at the sand in her fur. Nettlepaw hovered over her, chest puffed out. "Did I surprise you?" he asked.
"You did more than surprise me." Mapleshade stood straight, shaking her pelt.
Nettlepaw's previous excitement faded away. "I'm sorry for jumping on you like that. I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"Why are you apologizing? I deserved that." Mapleshade gave her flank a few licks, trying to smooth down her ruffled fur. Her gaze softened. "And I'm fine, so don't worry about me. I've taken a harder beating than that."
Nettlepaw's ears flattened to his head.
"It's okay, Nettlepaw." Mapleshade touched her nose to his shoulder.
"Do you think we could try hunting now? I'm starving," Nettlepaw meowed, changing the subject.
Looking up, Mapleshade could barely make out the sun through the thick branches overhead. It was a little past sunhigh, she assumed. A quick hunt wouldn't hurt, that is, if they'd be able to find something in the day's heat. Bounding into the forest, Mapleshade led Nettlepaw to one of the creeks that ran closer to camp.
Water trickled across the sandy ground. Mapleshade tucked herself into a pile of fresh, green grass, eyes flickering over their surroundings. It wasn't long before she caught sight of the small brown body of a vole scurrying near a fallen branch. Nettlepaw saw it too, darting forward. He killed it with a single bite before lowering his head, giving thanks to StarClan.
While Nettlepaw ate, Mapleshade decided to test her luck. This was a fairly shaded area, so she didn't think she'd have much trouble finding something else lurking in this part of the forest.
Following the creek, she kept her ears perked for bird calls. The only chirps she could make out sounded far away. They died out further the closer she got to the river, plunging the forest into silence.
It was then cries as loud as thunder echoed in the direction of Sunningrocks. Mapleshade broke into a run until she reached the treeline. Peering through the branches, she spotted the skirmish unfolding between Birchface, Flowerpaw, and a RiverClan patrol. Birchface and Flowerpaw were outnumbered but fought with the strength of LionClan.
Pawsteps drummed on the ground behind her. Nettlepaw's exasperated voice sounded, "What's going on?"
"Run back to camp as quickly as you can and bring reinforcements!" Mapleshade ordered. To her relief, Nettlepaw ran off without question.
Mapleshade barreled into the fight, shoving Poppyspots away from Flowerpaw. Birchface shot her a grateful look, swiping at Reedshine. Throughout the fight, both warriors kept a close watch on Flowerpaw, shielding her the best they could from the RiverClan warriors. Despite her lack of experience, Flowerpaw fought with grace and speed.
Moments later, Beetail launched himself into the battle. Doefeather, Stormwhisker, Hazelheart, and Nettlepaw followed him. Nettlepaw must have found the patrol nearby. Mapleshade shadowed Nettlepaw, working alongside him to chase a RiverClan apprentice off.
"Thanks," Nettlepaw panted.
Before Mapleshade could answer him, Beetail squealed. Mapleshade's head snapped up, her heart sinking into her stomach at the sight before her. Beetail lay on his side, a large rock crushing his back legs.
Reedshine stood next to him. Her eyes were wide. To Mapleshade's surprise, she tried pushing the rock off his body. "It's too heavy," she whined, slamming her shoulder against it.
Doefeather and Birchface joined her. Together, the three warriors moved rock from Beetail's leg, but the damage was already done. Mapleshade's stomach lurched at the sight, Beetail's leg twisted and bloody.
"Thank you," Birchface told Reedshine through clenched teeth. Shoving past her, he tried nudging Beetail to his legs. The older tom buckled, collapsing to the ground.
"My legs are broken," he hissed, his head flopping back.
"We'll carry you," Doefeather told him.
"Nettlepaw, run back to camp and tell Ravenwing what happened," Mapleshade ordered.
Nettlepaw pulled away from a RiverClan she-cat he was grappling with, oblivious. "What's—" His eyes shot open, taking a cautious step towards Beetail. "Is he going to die?"
"I don't know. Just hurry and get Ravenwing. The rest of us are going to try and carry him back to camp." Anxiety flooded Mapleshade's body as Birchface and Doefeather carefully scooped Beetail up onto their backs.
"StarClan, no…" Stormwhisker murmured as he watched them go.
The fight was over at that point. Mapleshade nudged Flowerpaw back into the forest, while Stormwhisker and Hazelheart followed. She tried her best to ignore the arrogant yowls of pride that came from the RiverClan warriors. She wanted to turn around and confront them, to tell them this was their fault, but she held her tongue. It wasn't like they cared.
If only Appledusk had been there. He would've cared. He would've—
What am I thinking? Mapleshade squeezed her eyes shut. It wouldn't have been any different if Appledusk had been there or not. What could he have done? He trespassed enough on his own. And yet, Mapleshade couldn't help but imagine what it would've been for him to be there. He wouldn't have joined in on his Clanmate's obnoxious, prideful, cries, that much Mapleshade was certain.
Giving one last look over her shoulder, Mapleshade's eyes widened as she caught the brief look of distress on Reedshine's face.
Mapleshade crouched at the edge of the warrior's den, Birchface next to her. "Ravenwing says Beetail is going to be crippled for the rest of his life," he told her.
She'd already heard as much. The entire Clan hadn't stopped talking about the accident since it occurred. Now night had fallen, swallowing the forest whole. Not even the moon shone in the sky, nor Silverpelt its light.
"You know what's going to happen now." Birchface shuffled his paws on the ground. "He's going to do it."
"How do you feel about it?"
Birchface kept his head low. "I thought I'd made peace with it back when Dovesong was killed, but now that it's here I'm not so sure anymore."
Straightening up, Mapleshade pressed her forehead against his shoulder. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, but the words felt trapped in her throat. For a moment, her Birchface was back.
"It's going to be okay," she finally managed. Her throat tightened again, forcing her to forget everything she wanted to tell him. It was too late anyway, as Oakstar brushed through the crowd of concerned warriors gathered in the clearing.
"As I'm sure you've heard, Beetail was crippled in today's fight at Sunningrocks. Ravenwing is confident he'll be able to walk again someday, but he'll never be able to return to his duties. I had a long conversation with Beetail, and he agreed that it's in the Clan's best interest I name a new deputy."
Slight murmurs echoed throughout the camp, though most cats were hardly surprised by Oakstar's words.
"As we spoke, there was something else Beetail shared with me: a request. Birchface—" Oakstar padded towards his son, standing just a fox-length away, "Beetail spoke highly of you at today's fight. Despite being outnumbered at first, you and Flowerpaw held your own for a long time. Not only that, but you came to Beetail's aid immediately. Your actions today prove not only your resilience but your unwavering dedication to ThunderClan. For this reason, I've decided to name you as my new deputy."
Birchface nodded. "Thank you, Oakstar." His words were swallowed up by sounds of chanting that erupted from the rest of ThunderClan.
Mapleshade kept her ears pricked as she slithered through the reeds. Appledusk's scent was up ahead. He was alone, or so she hoped. She'd sat on the opposite side of the border for a while contemplating whether or not she should talk to him, giving in to her whim the second he began heading in the opposite direction.
"Appledusk, wait," Mapleshade hissed.
"Mapleshade?" Appledusk turned around, narrowing his eyes in the darkness. "What are you doing here?"
"I haven't talked to you in a little while. I was just wondering how you were doing," Mapleshade meowed. "I feel as though I barely see you anymore."
"Funny, I was thinking the same thing earlier today. And now you're here. StarClan really does answer prayers," Appledusk teased. His jovial mood didn't last long. Leaning towards her he asked, "How is Beetail doing?"
"He's alive, but unfortunately he'll never be a warrior again. He retired a few days ago," Mapleshade explained.
"That's too bad. He was deputy for a long time, wasn't he? Who replaced him?"
"Birchface."
Appledusk nodded, contemplatively. "That wouldn't have been my first choice, but I guess I can't be too surprised. He was always a bit… controlling."
"And who would your first choice be?"
"You," Appledusk answered honestly.
"Me?" Mapleshade shrank back. "I don't even want to be deputy." She shook out her pelt. "Anyway, what do your Clanmates have to say about the whole thing? I'm sure they're thrilled." She couldn't bite back the bitterness that attached to her words.
"They are. But do we have to talk about this right now?" Mapleshade's eyes widened at his words.
"Well, what else would we talk about? Your Clanmates are the ones who started the battle," Mapleshade shot back. "If it weren't for them, Beetail would've never ended up in this predicament."
"You're always so serious," Appledusk sighed. "Look, why don't we… do something fun, like we did that one night. Wouldn't that be nice?"
Mapleshade glared at him. "Excuse me for being serious about the topic you brought up."
Appledusk's expression softened. He touched his nose to her ear, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm just a little stressed out right now. But come on—" He nudged her in the direction of Fourtrees.
"What are you doing?"
"It'll be safer there. Trust me," Appledusk said.
Mapleshade reluctantly followed him. Her previous irritation faded away as she broke into a comfortable trot next to him.
"Wait," Appledusk told her. He bounded forward, grabbing a particularly scraggly set of branches in his jaws, pulling them to the side just enough for Mapleshade to squeeze through. She sat back, waiting as he scrabbled beneath the bush, wincing as the twigs scrapped his back.
"Wait, I'll hold it for you." Mapleshade hurried to his side, lifting the branches just enough for him to maneuver underneath.
"Thanks. I should've gone around, but I thought I could get through," Appledusk said.
"I would've held it for you like you did me."
"I know you would've. But it's not that big of a deal. Just a couple of scratches. Nothing I won't survive." A faint purr rose in his throat as Appledusk continued their journey to Fourtrees.
"I'm a little surprised you followed me so easily," Appledusk told her after a while.
Mapleshade didn't know how to respond to that. She hadn't even thought about it, just like she hadn't thought about crossing the border earlier. "Me too," she finally said.
The faintest hint of moonlight bounced off the Great Rock. Mapleshade climbed to the top, her breath catching in her throat as she looked down at the almost-empty clearing. Appledusk sat in the middle, tail curled around his paws, looking up at her in awe.
"This Gathering looks a little empty, Maplestar," he called out. "Are you sure we've got the right day?"
Mapleshade's whiskers twitched in amusement. She pushed it down, trying to be serious. "I'm afraid the other Clans couldn't make it tonight. You see, a giant rabbit attacked WindClan. Wiped out half of their warriors. A very sad turn of events."
"A giant rabbit?" Appledusk echoed. "I thought I saw one of those across the border the other day, but I couldn't tell if it was a rabbit or a really unfortunate ShadowClan warrior trespassing on their land."
"A mistake anyone could make, honestly." Mapleshade shook her head.
"So what are we going to do, Maplestar? We can't have a Gathering with just the two of us."
Mapleshade pretended to think. "We'll have a tree climbing contest. You and me. Whoever wins proves once and for all which is better: ThunderClan, or RiverClan."
"What? That's not fair. I hate climbing trees." Appledusk's shoulders sagged.
Mapleshade lept down from the Great Rock. "And I don't like getting my paws wet, but I did it for you that one time. All you have to do—" she scrambled up the side of one of the Great Oaks, perching on a low branch, "—is climb this high."
"I can't do that."
"This is barely a fox-length, Appledusk."
"I know, but…" He hesitated at the base of the tree, looking up at her. Bunching his muscles, he clawed his way up the trunk. To Mapleshade's surprise, he climbed several branches above her head.
"Oh, now you're showing off. I thought you hated climbing trees a few seconds ago."
"I do hate climbing trees, but I want to make you happy," Appledusk meowed. He waited as Mapleshade climbed up to meet him, settling on the branch next to him. But before she could get comfortable, Appledusk moved higher.
Mapleshade scrambled after him. It wasn't long before they reached the top of the tree. Appledusk looked down, a shallow breath escaping his mouth. "That's a lot farther down than I realized… StarClan."
Mapleshade nudged his jaw with her nose, making him look up. "Don't think about it. Look at the moon instead."
Appledusk directed his attention towards the sliver of moon in the sky. It looked like a claw, with several warriors of Silverpelt gathered around it. Mapleshade stared at it in awe, tilting her head slightly.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Appledusk looked back at her, his expression softening. Without tearing his gaze away from her he murmured, "It sure is."