Mapleshade's Vengeance/Chapter 7

==Chapter description==
:Mapleshade heads back towards the forest, skirting along borders. She knows it's going to be extremely difficult to get Frecklewish alone. She enters a Twoleg garden, and is confronted by a kittypet. The plump tom assumes she's a forest cat, and tells Mapleshade that his housefolk dislike her kind. The she-cat scratches the kittypet's muzzle, and he wails, shuffling back into his den. When he had gone, Mapleshade looked for a place to keep watch for Frecklewish. She found a tree and waited comfortably on a bough overlooking ThunderClan territory.
:At dusk, a patrol approaches, seeming as if they're scared of being attacked by kittypets, and Mapleshade feels scornful of them. Frecklewish is not among them. She begins to hunt in ThunderClan territory, and is suddenly hit with a pang of longing until she remembers her Clanmates driving her kits away, resulting in their deaths. The rogue she-cat kills a blackbird, and watches happily as the kittypet is bundled outside by his housefolk, only to run back inside in fear when he sees Mapleshade.
:She sleeps fitfully on the tree, and wakes up to hunt. As she pounces on a mouse, she hears voices, recognizing Bloomheart telling his patrol to split up. Mapleshade crouches behind a clump of bracken and spots Frecklewish nearby. She doesn't attack due to more cats being nearby. Mapleshade drags her freshly killed mouse, tricking her target into thinking she's caught a scent trail. She picks up the mouse and head to Snakerocks, hoping Frecklewish can't see her. The rogue arrives at the rocks that conceal adders, noticing that there's no cat scent, as if the warriors are scared of the deadly creatures biting somebody. Mapleshade places the mouse onto a rock and clears away rocks blocking the entrance to a small cave. Frecklewish arrives to the scene, looking confusedly at the dead mouse.
:Mapleshade springs out from the rocks, blaming Frecklewish for her kits' deaths. Shocked, the brown she-cat threatens to call the rest of her patrol. Mapleshade sees a tiny flicker, which she assumes is a snake, out of the corner of her eye. She hisses at Frecklewish that the warrior is too scared to fight and would rather watch kits drown. Frecklewish stiffens, saying she thought they'd be safe. Mapleshade accuses her of being glad the kits are dead, and Frecklewish retaliates, saying the tortoiseshell she-cat betrayed her brother's name and that she wishes she were dead along with her kits.
:Frecklewish lunges at Mapleshade, misses, and lands on a rock. An adder shoots forward and bites her eye, blinding her. Bloomheart hears his Clanmate's cries of pain, and arrives on the scene. Mapleshade had already hidden without helping the injured warrior. She knew she couldn't be spotted by the patrol, but she wanted to watch Frecklewish die. Seedpelt and Thrushtalon arrive behind Bloomheart, desperately trying to help Frecklewish. Bloomheart asks StarClan why they took Ravenwing away from them at a time like this. He sends the rest of the patrol to gather soaked moss and materials from the medicine den, wanting to save their Clanmate's eyesight. Frecklewish asks if she's going to die, and Bloomheart assures her that she'll be fine.
:Mapleshade is sickened by seeing her former mentor comfort the cat who had watched her kits drown. She begins to leave Snakerocks in order to avoid patrols, but is alarmed to see many more warriors in the area. She scrambles under a Twoleg fence, panting. Now, she only hears one voice, Patchkit, calling her. Her other kits are at peace. Mapleshade feels a wave of grief, but pushes it away. She vows to Patchkit that he will soon be free.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Important events==
===Other===
*Frecklewish is blinded by the bite of an adder.
==Notes and references==
fr:La vengeance d'Ombre d'Érable/Chapitre 7
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:Novellas
Category:Mapleshade's Vengeance