Maplestar's Story

## Allegiances

MoonClan

**LEADER**   SILVERSTAR – Silvery gray tom with amber eyes

     APPRENTICE, SKYPAW (white she-cat with dark blue eyes)

   **DEPUTY** TIGERPELT – striped brown-and-black she-cat

APPRENTICE, DEERPAW- brown she-cat

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                             **MEDICINE CAT**   FAWNWHISKER – brown tom with blue eyes

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        APPRENTICE, LEAFBERRY (light brown she-cat with green eyes)

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WARRIORS  **(toms and she-cats without kits)**

BERRYFLOWER – ginger she-cat with dark green eyes

APPRENTICE, BRIGHTPAW (brown-red she-cat with amber eyes)

ONELEAF – gray tom with green eyes

APPRENTICE, CINDERPAW (brown tabby tom with green eyes)

STARFLOWER – brown-and-white she-cat with black tail

APPRENTICE, FERNPAW (black she-cat with blue eyes)

MAPLELEAF – ginger she-cat with green eyes

APPRENTICE, DAPPLEPAW (dappled she-cat with blue eyes)

RABBITTAIL (longhaired ginger she-cat with green eyes)

APPRENTICE, SHADOWPAW (midnight black tom with brown stripe down his back)

**QUEENS** (She-cats expecting or nursing kits)

FLOWERSTRIPE – orange tabby she-cat with red stripes

(Mother to Stormkit (Brown she-kit))

## Chapter 1

Young warrior Mapleleaf poked her head out of the warriors’ den. She spotted Silverstar, and she scampered towards him. Silverstar dodged her and meowed: “Watch out, Maple….” Then there was a yowl. “SILVERSTAR! YOU NEED TO COME HERE NOW! YOU WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS AS TRUE!” Silverstar apologized to Mapleleaf. “I gotta go now!” He shot towards the nursery. “It’s a miracle! Flowerstripe is kitting!”, He heard Leafberry meow. Mapleleaf trailed him, uninformed that Flowerstripe was kitting. “One she-kit!” The second she saw the kit she asked: ‘”Can I name her?” Flowerstripe serenely replied: “Okay. You may name her.” “Okay, I will name her…. Stormkit.” Starflower came in the nursery with her brand-new apprentice, Fernpaw.  “Where’s Fawnwhisker?” she questioned. “He’ s attending to Brightpaw’s wound.” Silverstar responded helpfully. He asked Mapleleaf: “Don’t you need to go out with your apprentice, Mapleleaf?” “Yes, Father..” she replied. In the apprentices’ den, she found Dapplepaw washing her paw irritably. Her icy stare was fixed on Mapleleaf.  “Finally! You took SOOOOOOO long!” Mapleleaf cautioned: “One more rude comment, and you change EVERYONE’S bedding moss!” Dapplepaw responded: “I am SO happy we have no elders!” Mapleleaf yowled: “I SAID, DON’T MAKE ANY RUDE REMARKS!” Tigerpelt came into the apprentices’ den. “Horrible apprentice to have, huh? I know what you mean. Deerpaw is being even more stubborn than Dapplepaw. Did you know that she put poison ivy in my nest?”

## Chapter 2

“Time for a Gathering!” Silverstar announced. “The cats I will be taking with me will be.. Tigerpelt, Cinderpaw, Deerpaw, Dapplepaw, Starflower, Mapleleaf, and Fawnwhisker.” On their way, There was a fox. It was running  toward them. “Run!” Silverstar yowled. “Tigerpelt and Mapleleaf!” You come and fight the fox with me.” “I wanna fight!!” mewed a tiny voice. Out of nowhere, Deerpaw sprinted to the fox and struck it. The fox pinned her down, claws in her belly. Tigerpelt yowled: “DEERPAW! I’M COMING FOR YOU!” By then, Deerpaw had lost a lot of blood. Dapplepaw tried to pull Tigerpelt back, but she was too strong.  Silverstar told Mapleleaf, Starflower, Cinderpaw, and Dapplepaw to go ahead to the Gathering. Mapleleaf saw the ScorchClan leader, Dovestar, the ThunderClan leader, Bramblestar, the RiverClan leader, Mistystar, the ShadowClan leader, Tigerstar, the SkyClan leader, Leafstar, and the WindClan leader, Harestar. They hailed them in. Mistystar queried: “Where is Tigerpelt? Silverstar? FAWNWHISKER?” “About that…” Mapleleaf replied. “Wait for us!” She heard Silverstar yowl. Silverstar limped to stand beside the leaders. “Tigerpelt?” Bramblestar asked, frowning.  “She.. Um.. She was killed by a fox on the way here. Fawnwhisker called from the back: “I tried to do everything I can, but she was beyond saving. Deerpaw was killed too.  We figured out that foxes don’t go here. The fox was led by a BloodClan cat.”

## Chapter 3

The Gathering was over, and Berryflower was busy burying Tigerpelt, while Mapleleaf was burying Deerpaw.  When she was done, Silverstar called a Clan meeting. “Dapplepaw. You were trying to save Tigerpelt. You were doing the right thing. I think we should hold your warrior ceremony now. “I, Silverstar, leader of MoonClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn.  Dapplepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?” “I do.” “Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Dapplepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Dappleclaw. StarClan honors your loyalty and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MoonClan!” Silverstar rested his muzzle on Dappleclaw’s head, and she licked is forehead. He did this with Shadowpaw. He became Shadowstripe,  Fernpaw. She became Fernheart, Cinderpaw. He became Cinderfoot, Brightpaw. She became Brightstream. Skypaw. She became Skysong.  Stormkit. She became Stormpaw. Then Silverstar turned to Mapleleaf. “I say these words before  StarClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of MoonClan is Mapleleaf.”

## Chapter 4

Mapleleaf saw that Silverstar was on his ninth life. He asked her to go on a patrol just with him. She agreed. They caught two squirrels and three fish before Silverstar collapsed. He was very sick. Mapleleaf hurried to see Fawnwhisker. He was in his den, sorting herbs with Leafberry. “Fawnwhisker! Silverstar collapsed!” Mapleleaf yowled. After he checked him, he told Mapleleaf that he was dying of greencough. “My father! I don’t want to be leader after he dies!” Fawnwhisker replied: “You will leave a legacy, just like he did. The new warriors will always remember him.  And so will you. Leafberry is available. You can go to the Moonpool with her.” Leafberry led the way to the Moonpool. Right when Maplestar came to the camp, she heard: “Maplestar! Maplestar! Maplestar!”

## Epilogue

Maplestar appointed her deputy, Starflower. She was uneasy at first but accepted. She told her sister: “I feel too old for this!” Maplestar sighed. “Shadowstripe, I guess.” “Maplestar! Maplestar?” Berryflower meowed. "I am so proud of you! I thought there was going to be a female Tigerstar, but I was wrong. “  “Thank you, Mother!” I feel very bad for Tigerpelt….” “Oh, Maplestar! You were *meant* for this!”