Mapleshade is at the Gathering. She works her way between the warriors looking for one cat. RiverClan is hostile as she works her way through them. They recently had yet another battle over Sunningrocks and ThunderClan won. Rainfall leans into her, whispering to remember what happened to Birchface and Flowerpaw. Mapleshade jerks away. Appledusk had struck Birchface so hard that he fell into the water. Flowerpaw dove in after her mentor but the two cats had been swept away and drowned in the current. She finds Appledusk and he demands to know what she is doing talking to him. She asks him why he hasn't been to their meeting place and he tells her since the battle patrols have been doubled - he has been unable to slip away. She gives him the happy news that they are going to have kits. Appledusk is happy but is worried about them being half clan. She tells him she will raise the cats to be ThunderClan at first and when they are older tell everyone the truth. Mapleshade leaves and Reedshine arrives looking for Appledusk. Mapleshade watches as Reedshine leans all over Appledusk. She thinks to herself that Appledusk is hers, and these kits make sure of that. Back at the camp Beetail, the deputy, talks to Mapleshade about her duties. She breaks the news to him that she is expecting kits. Beetail is caught off guard but tells her he is happy. He asks who the father is but Mapleshade does not wish to tell. As she lays down in her den Frecklewish comes in. She asks if Mapleshade is unwilling to name the father because he is dead. Mapleshade is unsure how to answer her but Frecklewish takes her silence as a yes. She tells Mapleshade that she is happy her brother, Birchface, is going to live on in the kits. Mapleshade assures herself that she isn't actually lying since Frecklewish is jumping to conclusions. She also hopes that Appledusk will understand her deception for now.
Mapleshade gives birth to two boys and a girl with Ravenwing and Frecklewish's help. Ravenwing tells Mapleshade that she has made Frecklewish feel as if life has a purpose now. Mapleshade responds that she will thank StarClan every day for the kits. After Frecklewish leaves Ravenwing tells her that ThunderClan thanks her. Privately she thinks RiverClan too will thank her and the fight over Sunningrocks will finally be over when they realize the gift she has given them too. Days later Oakstar and Frecklewish visit her. Frecklewish is disappointed that Mapleshade has not named any of the kits after Birchface, but Mapleshade declares she wishes her kits to be judged by their own actions. Oakstar approves of her logic and Frecklewish accepts it. Mapleshade asks Frecklewish to tell Appledusk about the kits at the next Gathering. Frecklewish is upset with the request but Mapleshade lies and tells her she wishes Appledusk to know that Birchface lives on in her kits.
Mapleshade is watching her kits play but she begins to feel frustrated with the way the clan treats her kits, always judging them by Birchface. She takes them for a walk outside the camp to the river. They dive right in and play. Patchkit grows tired and climbs onto a branch in the water. A passing RiverClan patrol catches them and Appledusk offers to come over and help Patchkit. He collects the young cat and returns him to Mapleshade. He leans in close and tells Mapleshade that the kits are perfect. He returns to his clan and Mapleshade collects her kits to leave. They run into Ravenwing who has seen everything. He tells Mapleshade of an omen he saw where a river ran through his den and in it floated three reeds. He tells Mapleshade that reeds do not belong in ThunderClan. Mapleshade feigns ignorance of what he is saying but Ravenwing tells her he must tell the clan the kits are half RiverClan and that he will not lie for her. He leaves her and Mapleshade feels worried. But she reminds herself that the clan loves her kits and she always intended to tell the truth about their father - this is just sooner then she expected.
Back at the camp Oakstar demands Mapleshade reveal the truth of the kits father. Frecklewish speaks on her behalf at first but Mapleshade admits the truth, causing Frecklewish to attack her. Angry at the deception of Birchface being their father when really it is the cat who killed him, Oakstar banishes Mapleshade and her kits. She is shocked when the clan turns against her and her children. She tells ThunderClan she will never forget this betrayal and they will regret turning on her like this. She takes her kits and leaves. As they travel it starts to rain and she has to explain to them that Birchface is not actually their father. She tells them that Appledusk is actually their father and they will go to RiverClan to live with him. The kits do not want to cross the river but she tells them they must. They get onto the first stepping stone and she goes to follow but a wall of water comes rushing along. It sweeps all of them away and she realizes with horror she can no longer see her kits. She tries to rescue her kits but she cannot get ahold of them. Appledusk finds her and saves her and she tells him of the kits. He and his patrol jump into the water to find them as Mapleshade rests. Appledusk and his clanmates find the kits but it is top late. Mapleshade tells Appledusk that ThunderClan kicked them out and Eeltail says they must report to Darkstar. Everyone heads to the RiverClan camp where Appledusk announces that the kits are dead - and that they are his. He admits to meeting Mapleshade in secret and that when he found out she was pregnant he knew he made a mistake. He asks Reedshine and Darkstar to forgive him. Mapleshade feels a coldness spreading through her body as Appledusk speaks. Darkstar tells Appledusk that he broke the warrior code and she cannot trust him. Reedshine speaks up on his behalf saying she forgives him and so to should Darkstar. Darkstar feels that Appledusk has been punished enough but warns him he will have to earn back everyone's trust. Darkstar orders the kits buried and Mapleshade banished. When she appeals to Appledusk he blames her for the death of their kits. She suddenly feels as if Appledusk is a stranger. She reminds him that he told her he loved her and that he will regret treating her this way. She runs away and finds a hole in a Twoleg den that she sleeps in. But her sleep is troubled by the screams of her kits.
Mapleshade wakes up confused. Then she remembers her kits and Appledusk. A loner named Myler is there. He tries to be friendly and give her some fresh kill but she wants nothing to do with him. She leaves and makes her way to ThunderClan territory. She knows she isn't supposed to be there but she is so exhausted she finds a secluded spot and lies down. Nettlepaw finds her and tells her she isn't supposed to be there. He asks after the kits and she tells him they are dead. Feeling bad for her, he gives her some herbs he had collected for Ravenwing, feeling she needs them more. Nettlepaw tells her that Frecklewish saw the whole thing, but that he had hoped the kits made it across the river. Mapleshade is furious that Frecklewish watched her kits drown and did nothing. She doesn't want the herbs, but she eats them, happy to steal them from the cat she feels ruined her life. As she lies there she plots her revenge. She knows Ravenwing is traveling to the Moonstone soon and she decides that is the best time to attack him. She heads there herself, ready to avenge her kits.
I feel like this is a series of bad decisions. Mapleshade should not have had kits outside her clan, but it is not wholly uncommon. If it had been ShadowClan or WindClan I am willing to bet the clan would have somewhat accepted them. Instead it was RiverClan which struck everyone as a huge betrayal because of the deaths of Birchface and Flowerpaw.
Of course, I am used to the leadership of Bluestar and Firestar. Bluestar who accepted a kittypet, who accepted Graystripe's half clan kits. The clan objected, but they followed Bluestar's lead. And Firestar allowed Daisy to stay - which again, everyone objected to but they accepted Firestar's decision. The same with Stonefur and Brook. And now Jayfeather and Lionblaze are half clan but no one cares because that secret was revealed long after they were made warriors - and actually, none of the clans were happy that secret was revealed. Not just WindClan for exposing a truth about Crowfeather, but I imagine no one was happy because they were established ThunderClan cats and there was no reason to stir up trouble. And I know ThunderClan is almost polluted in everyone's eyes, but so was ShadowClan at first when the rogues joined them. But in the end they accepted the warrior code and were accepted by the clans. The same is true of Daisy's kits. They are accepted - until someone is pissed off at ThunderClan and then comments were made.
But I do feel as if this is almost an overreaction by Mapleshade's clan - but again, I imagine it is because not only was it a RiverClan cat but Appledusk who is guilty for the death of their two clanmates. Mapleshade should have confessed everything to Oakstar right away - while begging for forgiveness. The clan might very well have accepted the kits then.
And I understand her anger at Ravenwing but his first loyalty is to his leader. He cannot lie to him. Really, he had no choice. But Oakstar should have let her spend the night instead of kicking her and the kits out in the rain. And Frecklewish should have helped her, no matter how angry she was. The kits were innocent of their parent's crime.
I completely understand her blaming Ravenwing and Frecklewish for their deaths, but really, I place more blame on Appledusk. Appledusk who clearly has another mate. Appledusk who called his kits a mistake. Appledusk who gave the implication that Mapleshade was going to raise the kits on her own when he made a different promise to her. Appledusk who blamed her for their death immediately after saying he didn't want them. As much as there is blame for Ravenwing and Frecklewish, Appledusk lied the most and gave the biggest deception. If he had been honest with Mapleshade she could have gone to Oakstar and confessed everything and begged for forgiveness - and probably have received it for her and her kits. Instead she was rejected everywhere she went and the kits died because of it.
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