Tear the Trees Apart: Mapleshade's Vengeance

Chapter 8: Snakes

Mapleshade trekked back to the forest, skirting the edge of WindClan under cover of darkness and heading for ThunderClan's border with Twolegplace. She knew she would have to wait for Frecklenose to pass by on patrol; even then, Mapleshade would need the luck of StarClan to get the molly alone. She plunged into the lush green grass at the foot of the Twoleg fences, then scrambled up and over the wooden barrier, dropping down into the small, strongly scented enclosure on the other side.

Almost at once, a fat gray-and-white tom heaved himself through a tiny flap in the side of the Twoleg den and lumbered toward her, mewling.

"Get out of here! You're one of those stinking forest cats, aren't you? My housefolk don't want you in their backyard! Shoo!"

Mapleshade waited until the kittypet was a mouse-length away, then shot out one paw and raked his face. The kittypet leaped backward, screeching. Blood dripped from his blunt muzzle. "Ow!" he wailed.

Mapleshade stayed where she was. The kittypet glared at her through screwed-up eyes before turning and shuffling back to the den. When the flap banged shut behind his plump haunches, Mapleshade studied the enclosure. A tree grew beside the fence with broad enough branches to support her, and dense leaves to hide her from view. She would wait there for Frecklenose. She scrambled up the tree and settled on a bough that looked out over the forest. She had caught a squirrel at Fourtrees and drunk from a stream so her belly was comfortably full. Resting her chin on her paws, she let herself doze, one ear pricked for any sounds from below.

At dusk four ThunderClan warriors came past, creeping along the bottom of the fence as if they feared the kittypets were about to attack. Mapleshade curled her lip in scorn. She had thought her Clanmates were braver than that. Frecklenose was not among them, though. As night fell, Mapleshade dropped down from her branch into the long grass, hoping to hunt. ThunderClan scent surrounded her and for a moment she felt a pang of longing; then she pictured her Clanmates throwing her out, and she thought of Frecklenose stealing Larchkit, and her fury returned. She quickly caught a blackbird that was wrestling with a worm and carried it back to the tree. Behind her, the gray-and-white tom was bundled out of the den by a cross-sounding Twoleg. Mapleshade watched the kittypet squat on the grass, its eyes huge with fear, then race back inside. Ha! He knows this territory is mine now!

Mapleshade slept fitfully, the bark digging into her belly fur and sending a damp chill through her bones. Her dreams were filled with the past events. Birchface's face floated in and out of view, being replaced by Frecklenose, Darkfrost, Cloudberry, and Myler... She woke with the first glimmer of dawn, feeling pangs of hunger. The blackbird had been old and scrawny. Mapleshade scanned the forest for signs of movement. All was still beneath the trees. She jumped down and padded into the ferns, scanning for prey. A tiny rustle alerted her to a mouse scrabbling at the foot of a sycamore tree. Mapleshade stalked forward, hoping her flashes of white fur wouldn't startle her prey. The mouse was intent on nibbling a seed so Mapleshade was able to pounce unseen, killing the creature with a single blow to its neck.

Then she froze. She heard voices! Bloomheart was among them, directing his patrol to split up and hunt before meeting again at the lightning-struck elm. There wasn't time to get back to the Twoleg fence, so Mapleshade crouched beneath a clump of bracken with her fresh-kill. Paw steps came closer, then a glimpse of pale brown fur through the green stems. Frecklenose! StarClan had brought her right to Mapleshade. But she couldn't attack her here, not when the others were so close by.

Mapleshade backed carefully out of the bracken, dragging the mouse. Its body was still warm so the scent it left would seem fresh. Sure enough, she heard Frecklenose sniffing the air and uttering a low growl that suggested she had picked up the trail. Mapleshade let the mouse scrape along the ground a little more before daring to pick it up and move forward with it dangling from her jaws. She couldn't risk being seen by Frecklenose before she had reached Snakerocks.

Mapleshade deliberately pushed her way through the thickest undergrowth so that the mouse left a generous trail of scent. She hoped that her own scent would be lost among general ThunderClan odors; she didn't think she had been out of the Clan long enough to smell unfamiliar. She could only just hear Frecklenose stalking her; the molly was one of the best hunters in the Clan and moved as lightly as a butterfly's wing over the leaf-strewn ground.

Suddenly dark gray stones loomed over the stems of bracken. Mapleshade swerved, still carrying the mouse, which felt heavier and heavier in her jaws. She padded around the base of the rocks and emerged into the clearing on the other side. There was hardly any trace of cat scent; clearly the warriors were concerned that the adders might escape from their prison. Mapleshade hoped the snakes were still there, but had no time to check. She left the mouse on the ground and raced to the heap of smaller stones that had been piled in front of the adders' nest. She pushed aside as many as she could, leaving a gaping black hole, then ducked behind a boulder.

Frecklenose emerged cautiously from the bushes, her jaws parted to scent the air and her fur bristling. She looked puzzled when she saw the dead mouse. Mapleshade sprang out from behind the rock and snarled at her.

"Where are they!?"

Frecklenose stumbled backward in shock. "Mapleshade! You shouldn't be here!" She arched her back. "Leave or I'll call the rest of the patrol."

Mapleshade lashed her tail. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a tiny flicker of movement from the pile of stones. Was that a snake slithering into the light? Mapleshade took a step closer to the rocks. "Too scared to fight me yourself, Frecklenose?" she hissed. "You prefer taking kits from a grieving mother, don't you? I've been doing more for ThunderClan than any of you fox-hearts!"

The brown molly stiffened. "Your kits are safe and happy," she rasped. "Mapleshade, please calm down!"

Mapleshade sniffed. "I don't believe you! You're a fox-hearted coward. Just like Appledusk!"

Frecklenose bounded toward Mapleshade, her eyes flashing with anger. "Don't you dare compare me to that killer! I wish he killed you instead!"

Mapleshade dodged sideways just as Frecklenose lunged at her. With a yelp, the molly stumbled into the pile of stones. Before she could find her footing, there was a hiss and a sleek dark brown head darted forward, tongue flicking.

"Adder!" gasped Frecklenose. There was a blur of movement, then Frecklenose staggered backward, screeching. Her eye was bleeding from four tiny wounds. "It bit me! Help!"

"Like you helped me? By prying my kit from my grasp?" Mapleshade growled. "Never! I hope you die in agony!"

Frecklenose yowled again, a wordless shriek of pain. Almost at once paw steps thrummed toward them through the trees.

"Frecklenose?" called Bloomheart.

Mapleshade slipped into a clump of bracken at the far side of the clearing. She knew she should flee before the patrol arrived but she wanted to watch Frecklenose die. With a crackling of undergrowth, Bloomheart and two other ThunderClan warriors, Seedpelt and Thrushtalon, burst into the clearing.

"Keep watch for snakes!" Bloomheart ordered. His Clanmates spun around and scanned the rocks. Bloomheart bent over Frecklenose, who was curled on the ground with her paws over her eyes. "It's all right, Frecklenose, we're here now."

"It bit me!" wailed Frecklenose. "I'm burning!"

Bloomheart shook himself and faced his Clanmates. "Seedwhisker, run back to camp and bring Ravenwing. Thrushtalon, find fennel!"

The two warriors darted away. Bloomheart placed his paw on Frecklenose's flank. "Lie still," he meowed. "We're doing everything we can."

"StarClan, it hurts!" Frecklenose whimpered. "Am I going to die? I can't die, not for the kits! Bloomheart!"

"Calm down, you won't die," Bloomheart vowed, voice shaking.

Mapleshade felt bile rise in her throat as her former mentor soothed the cat who had left her to drown. The wound was oozing pus and venom as Frecklenose thrashed on the ground in pain. Frecklenose would never touch Mapleshade's kits ever again. Mapleshade knew she had to leave before the rest of ThunderClan rushed to help Frecklenose. She crept through the undergrowth to the thickest part of the forest, then raced back to the Twoleg fence. Cries of alarm filtered through the trees as more warriors arrived at Snakerocks.

The sounds faded as Mapleshade scrambled over the fence and crouched on the bare brown earth, panting. Her revenge had just begun.