Mapleshade makes her way to Highstones and lies in wait for Ravenwing. She sees him then decides instead to attack him at the Moonstone itself, since that is the source of his omens. She follows him into the tunnels, creeping behind him. At one point he hears her and calls out but she remains silent and they move on. When they reach the Moonstone she attacks Ravenwing, telling him it is vengeance for her kits. After she has killed him she hears more cats approaching so she hides. Larkwing of WindClan and Sloefur of ShadowClan find him. They leave immediately with Raveneing's body to spread news of his murder. Mapleshade waits, but no one else comes to the Moonstone. When she leaves she finds a stack of rocks that hold Ravenwing's body. She knocks the rocks over so his body can be destroyed by hawks then she goes to sleep. As she sleeps she hears two of her kits calling out to her but the third is silent. When she wakes up she wonders why. She decides it is because only one kit has been avenged. She determines that Frecklewish too needs to pay but she is unsure how to get at her. A piece of ivy on the ground makes her think of snakerocks.
Mapleshade heads towards Twoleg place and waits in a tree for Frecklewish to appear. She finally sees her in a hunting party. Mapleshade kills a mouse and makes sure Frecklewish can smell it, then she drags it towards snakerocks. Frecklewish follows, assuming someone is in their territory and has taken prey. Mapleshade places the mouse in front of the adder hole, which has been filled in with rocks, and then knocks the rocks away. She then hides and when Frecklewish appears she challenges her. Frecklewish insists she never meant for the kits to die but Mapleshade does not believe her. Frecklewish attacks Mapleshade, not realizing the adders are loose. One lunges at Frecklewish, biting her and getting venom into her eyes. Her cries of pain alert her clan who come running. Mapleshade hides, wanting to watch Frecklewish die, and is disgusted that her clanmates would try to save the cat. She leaves before she is spotted, knowing that if Frecklewish survives she will be blind, and now only hears the cries of one of her kits.
Mapleshade heads towards RiverClan land. She hides in a tree and waits to find Appledusk alone. Eventually Appledusk arrives with Reedshine and Perchpaw. As Mapleshade listens she hears that Reedshine is expecting kits. Mapleshade feels even more betrayed since this means Appledusk was lying to her the entire time he was seeing her. She hopes that the other cats will leave Appledusk alone so she can attack but they move off together. She dozes off and when she wakes up Perchpaw is beneath the tree. She attacks him and waits for Appledusk. Appledusk is angry to find her both on their territory and with Perchpaw. She tells Appledusk she blames him for their kits deaths and he counters it is her fault and that he wants Perchpaw back. She tells him he can have him back but first they will fight.
Upset, Appledusk tells her he will not fight her. As Mapleshade goes to attack Reedshine enters the clearing. Instead, Mapleshade attacks her, saying that she and her kits must die. Appledusk throws himself in front of Reedshine and Mapleshade instead kills him. Perchpaw attacks her, delivering a deep wound. Her last kit appears to her and tells her they are now free and disappears. Reedshine tells her that she will not win, because Appledusk will live on in the kits she is carrying. Mapleshade tells her that she will just have to watch over those kits and exact her revenge on them too. Dying, she stumbles away and finds herself back in the place she found shelter in before. Everything goes dark and she calls out to StarClan and her kits but no one answers. Then Myler is there, helping her into the shelter. He tries to stop the blood from flowing but Mapleshade tells him to go away, that she doesn't need anyone. Sad. Myler tells her that he disagrees but he leaves her. She falls asleep and finds herself in a dark, dank wood. She can walk again and her wounds are healed. She calls out, asking if this is StarClan. A voice whispers from the darkness that it is the Place of No Stars, and that she must walk here alone. Instead of feeling upset she feels triumphant. She resolves to find other cats like her - cats who were wronged - and train them. They will become a force strong enough to destroy the clans and she will have her vengeance.
This was sad. So much of Mapleshade's story was avoidable. And you are left feeling almost sorry for her. Like Ashfur, she was destroyed and driven mad by her grief, causing her to do things she never would have dreamed of in her right mind. And now in death she is still separated from her kits - and still desiring vengeance. And this ending means she is the reason the Dark Forest started recruiting cats. Everyone walked alone until Mapleshade started training them. But she wants to wage war on the clans for the death of her kits.
And I still place most of the blame on Appledusk. He was clearly carrying on with both Mapleshade and Reedshine at the same time since they were both pregnant with his kits at the same time. And really, he does not get to hate Mapleshade for their deaths when he told her - in front of his entire clan - that they never should have happened. I am willing to bet he was lying to save himself, but it was still a cruel thing to do.
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