Chapter Twenty
It continued to storm well into the next day, flooding most of the alleyways with shallow water. Mapleshade sloshed through the puddles, completely soaked. Despite Appledusk's assurance that they were close, Mapleshade felt sick. This trip was longer than anticipated, and with the weather being the way it had, she wasn't sure how she would get Nettlekit home safely.
Agony pierced through her paw pad, causing Mapleshade to yelp. She lifted her paw, beads of blood bubbling to the surface.
"What's wrong?" Appledusk demanded, splashing over to her.
"I stepped on something." Wincing, she held her paw out to him. Something clear and sharp was embedded into the pad.
"Glass," Appledusk muttered. He carefully bit down on it and pulled it from her paw. "Come around this way — careful now."
Mapleshade limped after him, the two of them skirting around the spot she had stepped on the glass. Her irritation grew with every step. "I pray to StarClan I never see the Twoleg's Place again!"
"I don't blame you. This is taking longer than expected," Appledusk sighed.
"Do you regret coming?"
Appledusk flicked an ear. "No. This was important to you. Do you regret coming?"
"No. I have to find Nettlekit. I just didn't think it was going to end up like this!" She let out a string of curses as she accidentally stumbled, placing pressure on her sore foot.
Appledusk stopped. "Do you want to lean against me?"
"I don't know. I might have to," Mapleshade hissed. Appledusk pressed against her, matching her slow speed without complaint.
"I should've gone back to my Clan and told them what happened instead of thinking I could do this on my own," she sighed.
"You're not on your own. I'm here," Appledusk reminded her.
"You know what I mean."
They didn't make it much further before Mapleshade stopped. Crawling under a dumpster, she started licking at her throbbing paw. Blood continued to trickle from the wound due to the rough stone underpaw. "Mouse-dung," she muttered.
Appledusk crouched next to her. "Do you want me to look for some cobwebs?" he offered.
Mapleshade closed her eyes. "Don't waste your time," she sighed. "I'm going to have to tough it out. Just give me a moment."
"I think we're almost close," Appledusk meowed, trying to comfort her.
Suddenly, there was a loud clang above them. Both cats tensed.
"I'll go see what that was," Appledusk whispered, sliding out from underneath the dumpster. Several loud yowls immediately filled the air.
Mapleshade scrambled after Appledusk, trying to keep her weight off her injured foot. As she poked her head out, she saw three unfamiliar cats standing there, backs arched and ears flattened to their heads. They would've looked intimidating had the rain not plastered their fur to the skin showing off how bony they were.
"Who are you?" a dark gray, almost black, tom spat.
There was a flash of recognition in Appledusk's eyes, but he kept his mouth shut.
"I asked you a question. Are you going to answer it, or are you too scared?" the tom taunted.
"He looks like a drowned rat," one of the other rogues purred.
"Speak for yourself," Mapleshade growled, limping to Appledusk's side. She knew she was in no condition to fight, but she had to try to hold their ground.
The rogue's lips curled into a snarl. "If you're trying to steal this chicken from us, think again!" She stepped protectively in front of a piece of meat, looking as if she would die for it if it came down to that.
"We don't want… whatever you said that was." Mapleshade wrinkled her nose. "We're just passing through."
The gray tom scoffed. "'Just passing through.' And where may I ask, are you from?"
For the first time, Mapleshade was grateful to be soaked, her scent hidden. "We're kittypets. Our Twolegs abandoned us, and we don't know where to go." She lifted her paw pathetically, showing them. Please let this work, she prayed.
When none of the cats relaxed, Mapleshade tried again. "Is there some cat that could help us, maybe?"
"Why should we help you? We have our own problems," a brown tabby she-cat with white paws muttered.
"What have I told you three about being rude to strangers?" There was another loud clang coming from the top of the dumpster. The newcomer crouched there, her dark fur plastered to her body from the rain. She narrowed her eyes.
A large brown tom clambered up the dumpster, coming to stand beside her. "It's just a couple of stupid kittypets. I wouldn't even bother with them, Ramona."
Mapleshade's eyes widened. She felt Appledusk tense beside her.
Ramona looked at the brown tom from the corner of her eye. She turned her attention back to the three rogues. "I've made it very clear: I want every stranger brought to me." She leaped down, coming to stand in front of Mapleshade and Appledusk. "You smell like Twoleg rubbish and rainwater. How long have you been out here?"
"A couple of days. We're lost," Mapleshade replied.
"Have you had anything to eat?"
Mapleshade nodded.
Ramona circled them, continuing to sniff at their pelts. "Come with me." Without checking to see if they were coming, she took off. The four other rogues surrounded them, glaring as they ushered them in the direction Ramona had gone. Appledusk remained silent.
"I'm still not giving you this chicken," one rogue mumbled, continuing to give them suspicious looks. "And you're not going to get any, either!" she hissed at the others.
One tom swatted the she-cat with his large paw, knocking the prey from her jaws. Staring her down, he crouched over the meat and ate it. The she-cat cowered down, making no attempt to fight back. None of the other rogues paid any attention.
Mapleshade's tail flicked in irritation, but she held her tongue. It wasn't her place to say anything. She was this close to finding Nettlekit, and bringing him home.
The tom glared at her as he lifted his head. Mapleshade ducked her head, pretending to be intimidated by him. "That's what I thought. Now get a move on," he demanded.
The scent of numerous cats hit Mapleshade as she followed Ramona through a hole in a wall. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Mapleshade could see numerous cats milling around, more than all four Clans combined.
"You all live here?" Mapleshade questioned, staring at Ramona.
"My cats are free to come and go as they please, but most choose to stay here." Ramona didn't look back as she leaped onto a wooden platform sticking out of the wall, jumping higher and higher until she reached the top of the abandoned Twoleg nest. Peering through two sticks, she gazed down at her cats below. Some of them watched Mapleshade with interest, but most paid no mind.
"Come with me." Ramona beckoned Mapleshade forward, walking along the soft ground until they reached a little cave.
Mapleshade sat there, neck fur bristling as she looked around. Various Twoleg objects still littered the place, all of them completely foreign to her. She couldn't fathom how any creature could live like this.
Ramona padded forward, a wad of cobweb in her jaw. "Give me your paw," she ordered.
Mapleshade held out her paw as pathetically as she could. "Oh, it hurts so bad. I've never been in so much pain!"
Ramona glanced at her briefly, flicking an ear.
"I wish my Twolegs were here to help me," Mapleshade continued to mutter.
"That's enough." Ramona finished wrapping her paw before sitting back. She looked Mapleshade over for a long while. She didn't speak for a long time, making Mapleshade nervous. Did she see through this act of hers? And…where was Appledusk?
Mapleshade stood up, her stomach churning. She looked behind her, but he was nowhere to be found. Had the other cats recognized him somehow? It was possible, considering the rogues had lived with RiverClan for some time. "Where is… Fluffy?" Mapleshade asked, blurting out the first ridiculous kittypet name she could think of.
"Fluffy?" Ramona tilted her head to the side.
"My companion. That tom that was with me," Mapleshade said.
Ramona ignored her. "You said you were abandoned by your housefolk, right?"
Mapleshade nodded. "Yes. A while ago. I… I don't know where I am, or what I'm doing. We've been wandering through the Twoleg's Place. You have no idea how frightened I am," she lied.
For the first time, Ramona's expression softened. "You're in good paws with us. Many of our cats come from similar backgrounds, myself included. I know what it's like to be abandoned by someone who was your entire world…" As she spoke, her ears flattened to her head as she recalled a memory, although she did not elaborate. Standing to her paws, Ramona nudged Mapleshade back the way they had come.
"You're free to stay with us if you'd like — you and your companion both. I can't promise you food, but you'll have shelter and friends, should you decide to make them. Not every cat is friendly, so keep that in mind," Ramona explained.
"What do you mean by that?"
"While some of us were abandoned by our housefolk, many of the cats here come from the streets. We also have a few Clan cats in our midst."
Mapleshade's eyes widened. "Clan cats?"
Ramona spun around. "Surely you've heard of them? Those brutes who live in the forest who think they're better than everyone else because their "dead ancestors" told them so. What a load of mouse-droppings."
Mapleshade felt a growl rising in her throat, but she held it back. "It sounds familiar, now that you say that."
"They're quite infamous, so I'm not surprised. But if I were you, I wouldn't trust them." Ramona walked forward, glaring down between the sticks that lined the edge of this upper level.
Mapleshade's gaze followed hers, immediately recognizing Splashfoot, Creekstep, and Carpclaw, the RiverClan warriors. They sat alone, bonier than ever, fur dull and patchy. Had they really abandoned RiverClan to live here?
"Why let them live here if they're so horrible?" Mapleshade asked.
Ramona wrinkled her nose. "I was hoping they'd have a change of heart once they left the forest behind, but I suppose some things can never be undone. A lifetime of being told you're the only one who matters, and everyone else is beneath you is hard to unlearn, I suppose."
Mapleshade's claws dug into the soft ground. How could she say such a thing considering everything her cats had done to terrorize them? Trespassing, stealing prey, killing others, and stealing kittens? She was tempted to swat Ramona across the muzzle right then and there, but she had to control herself. "That… sounds terrible." She forced the words out through clenched jaws.
Suddenly, the walls around Mapleshade seemed to feel as if they were closing in. The air was too stuffy and uncomfortable. Everything was too foreign here. It was all wrong. She needed to find Nettlekit and return to camp as soon as possible, but how? And she still had no idea where Appledusk had mysteriously disappeared to. Ramona's words about Clan cats suddenly made Mapleshade feel a prick of worry for the RiverClan tom. How likely was it that Ramona had recognized him from the start, and had one of her cats take care of him?
To her relief, Appledusk hauled himself onto the upper level. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you," he meowed, bounding forward.
"Fluffy! I'm so glad to see you," Mapleshade purred, pressing against him, rubbing against his flank. Appledusk gave her a confused look, but quietly realized what she was doing.
Playing along with the act, Appledusk nuzzled her. "So am I, 'Mittens.' I was starting to think you ran away."
Mapleshade pulled back. She could feel Ramona's gaze burning into her fur, eyeing them suspiciously. Turning to face the dark tortoiseshell, Mapleshade mewed, "This is the friend I was telling you about."
"I see that." Ramona curled her tail around her paws. She was staring at Appledusk so intently that Mapleshade was certain she recognized him, even if she couldn't place his exact identity.
"Is it okay if we stay here, at least for the night? I don't think Mittens and I could make it another night in this weather," Appledusk wondered, acting as oblivious as possible.
"Of course. Make yourself comfortable." Despite her words, Ramona's voice was emotionless. Her gaze lingered on Appledusk a few moments longer before walking away, disappearing into the cave she had taken Mapleshade into.
"Where did you disappear to?" Mapleshade hissed.
"I tried looking for Nettlekit but I couldn't figure anything out. I'm sorry."
Mapleshade looked down at the lower level, sighing. "We'll just have to keep searching. He has to be somewhere around here. Unless…" She looked at Appledusk again, her heart sinking. "You don't think they could be keeping him somewhere else, do you?"
Appledusk shook his head. "I doubt it. There's safety in numbers — they know that. The queens are probably hidden away under one of these Twoleg objects."
"It'll take forever to search through here in that case!" Mapleshade said, exasperated.
"Don't worry. We'll find him. For now, lay low. Continue acting as oblivious as you've been, and I'll do the same."
"Some of your Clanmates are here," Mapleshade told him.
Appledusk followed her gaze to where Splashfoot, Creekstep, and Carpclaw sat. He let out a sigh. "I know. I saw them when we first got here. We'll have to do our best to avoid them. And that might mean splitting up."
"Splitting up? But what if we need one another?"
"It's too risky, Mapleshade. They'll recognize me, and if they catch us together, it won't take them long to realize where they've seen you before too. So for now, let's split up. We'll regroup right here as soon as night falls to talk about what we've figured out. And once we have Nettlekit, we can leave." Appledusk gave her a serious look as he spoke.
Mapleshade turned away, ears flattened to her head. She couldn't deny his plan made sense. "All right. We'll meet here at nightfall. Don't be late, and don't let them recognize you."
"I'm very good at sneaking around, in case you've forgotten," Appledusk purred.
She relaxed slightly. "…No, I guess I haven't." Mapleshade looked into his eyes, softening. "Good luck, Appledusk. Let's find Nettlekit, and get out of here."
Mapleshade slunk into another cave, her eyes darting around to make sure no one was watching her. This was the second cave she'd ventured into. She'd checked under all the strange Twoleg objects, sniffing around in hopes of picking up Nettlekit's scent, only to come up empty-pawed.
On the far side of the cave, she noticed a crack in the wall. Poking her head inside, she noticed several Twoleg pelts hanging above her head. Those weird hard things they wore on their bottom paws lined the back of the cave.
Suddenly, a scent she'd grown all too familiar with over the last few moons caught her attention. A pile of deathberries were gathered in the corner, along with some unfamiliar herbs.
"…We have plenty for our next trip into the forest," a voice meowed as it came into earshot.
Mapleshade ducked under a wooden structure. She peered out through the bottom, watching as Ramona and another cat walked past. They peered into the cave.
"I'd wait until the weather clears up. It'll be easier to travel that way."
"Yes, but what if the berries shrivel up before then?"
"We'll always be able to pick more. The yew bushes have produced more than enough this season. And if it comes to it, we can always fight."
Mapleshade narrowed her eyes at them as she listened to their conversation. Although she'd known what they were doing all along, actually hearing them speak about it out loud with no shame made her blood burn with fury.
Slinking underneath the wooden surface, Mapleshade slipped out through the other side where they couldn't see her. She went back the way she came, opting to continue her search elsewhere.
It wasn't until she decided to explore the lower level that she picked up a milky, sweet scent. It reminded her of her days in the nursery with Dawnfeather, curled up at Hazelheart's side.
A purr rose in Mapleshade's throat as she followed the scent, stopping in front of a large, plush, Twoleg object raised up on wooden legs. Peering underneath, Mapleshade could see a nursing queen lying on her side, several kittens suckling at her stomach. Nettlekit's orange-and-white body was among them. His tiny paws kneaded at the queen's stomach.
The queen's head snapped up, glaring. "Who are you?" she hissed. She moved protectively over the kittens.
Mapleshade didn't respond. She stared the queen down, contemplating her next move. If she tried to take Nettlekit back now, the other rogues would likely step in before she could get away. But if she left, the queen might move him.
StarClan, give me the strength of LionClan, the cunning of TigerClan, and the wisdom of LeopardClan.
Mapleshade crawled forward, claws outstretched.
"Get away from me!" the queen shrieked.
Ignoring her plea, Mapleshade continued to wriggle forward. The queen raked her claws down Mapleshade's shoulder. Unable to maneuver well in the tight space, Mapleshade pulled back slightly. "Give Nettlekit back," she demanded.
The queen's eyes widened. "You're one of those Clan cats!" Lunging forward, she grappled with Mapleshade. As the two of them tussled, Mapleshade could feel her back being pressed against the roof of the soft Twoleg object.
A second body squeezed past them. Mapleshade immediately recognized Appledusk. "I've got him!" he mumbled through a mouthful of fur.
The queen let out a furious growl, releasing her claws from Mapleshade's skin. Wriggling after Appledusk, she tried to hook her claws into his back leg but Mapleshade stopped her. The two she-cats tussled for a moment, Mapleshade quickly overpowering her. Darting out from beneath the object,Mapleshade and Appledusk headed for the gap in the wall. Bursting out of the den, neither cat stopped running until they were a decent distance from the camp.
Crawling under a bush, Mapleshade stopped to catch her breath and check on Nettlekit.
"You're all right. Don't cry," Mapleshade shushed, covering his tiny body with licks.
Nettlekit hissed at her.
"Poor little guy. I bet he'll be relieved to make it back home," Appledusk said.
"Me and him both." Mapleshade sighed, sitting up. She stared down at Nettlekit who had calmed slightly. The little cat stared up at her with one eye that had opened. "His eyes are starting to open," she remarked, feeling a pang of sadness that the rogues had stolen such an important milestone from her sister.
"Do you think he's okay?" Appledusk wondered. He leaned down to sniff at Nettlekit, who hissed at him. Appledusk pulled back, letting out an amused purr. "We've got a ferocious warrior on our paws here."
"He's fine," Mapleshade said immediately. Nettlekit was skinnier than when she'd last seen him, but she refused to consider the idea her kin was unhealthy. He was fine, and once she got to camp, Ravenwing would be able to check him over, and he'd be back at Dawnfeather's side where he belonged.
She gently picked Nettlekit up by the scruff, not wanting to waste any more time. She'd had enough of the Twoleg's Place for a lifetime, and now that she had what she'd come here for, she never wanted to come back.
Mapleshade leaped from the Twoleg fence into the forest below. She sank to the ground, grateful to feel the familiar earth beneath her paw pads once again.
Appledusk landed beside her, setting Nettlekit down. With the rain behind them (and Mapleshade's desperation to be home) their trip home had gone faster than either of them had anticipated. Nettlekit had done fairly well himself, with Mapleshade chewing up tiny bits of meat to subside his hunger for the time being.
Now they were back in ThunderClan's territory where they belonged.
Sitting up, Mapleshade gazed out at the familiar terrain, feeling a swell of pride. "This is your home," she told Nettlekit. He blinked up at her, oblivious to everything she was saying.
"Come on, let's get you back to camp. Your mother is worried sick about you." As she went to pick him up, she hesitated. Lifting her head, she met Appledusk's gaze head-on."Thank you for everything. I couldn't have done this without you." Her words were sincere.
Appledusk flicked an ear. "You're welcome. It was the right thing to do. And now, everything's as it should be." Appledusk stretched forward, arching his back in the air. "Well, I should probably get going. Gotta prepare myself to get chewed out by all of RiverClan." Despite his words, there was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.
"What do you think they'll do to you?"
"Oh, I'll probably be stuck clearing up after the elders for the rest of my life. I wouldn't even be surprised if she changed my name back to 'Applepaw.' That'd be humiliating." He pretended to shudder.
"I'm sure it would. You'd be the laughing stock of all the Clans," Mapleshade teased.
"Don't remind me. I'm scared enough as it is. Anyway—-" Appledusk walked back, touching his nose to Nettlekit's fur. "Keep safe, little guy. And be sure to keep Mapleshade in check. She needs a friend."
Nettlekit hissed at him again.
Mapleshade purred. Turning back to Appledusk she meowed, "Don't worry. I'll let him know you helped me rescue him."
"Good. I'd hate for him to grow up hating me after everything I've done for him." Appledusk's whiskered twitched. He then nodded to Mapleshade, disappearing into the undergrowth.
As Mapleshade watched him go, Appledusk's words repeated in her mind. Despite being from different Clans, she couldn't deny the truth any longer: Appledusk was her friend. There was no way she could consider him anything less than after all the trouble he'd gone through to help her. He was friendly, good-natured, kind, and everything she admired, even if his initial tendency to wander annoyed her.
She was glad to know him, and forever grateful for everything he'd done to help return Nettlekit to ThunderClan.