Tear the Trees Apart: Mapleshade's Vengeance

Epilogue

I don't think my first mommy loved me very much. I try not to think about her too much, brings up bad memories. Dawnfeather didn't tell us too much about her when we were younger, but now that we're older...

She wasn't a great mom. Dawnfeather said she wasn't ready for kits, not emotionally developed enough. Or something like that. Again, I don't think about her often. I only try remember the day she ran away, and the days after. We huddled at the back of the den that night. It was stormy. Dawnfeather let us sleep in her nest. It was warm and soft. She stepped up to take care of us, along with Frecklenose.

Well, until Frecklenose was killed. I remember Bloomheart carrying her body back into camp. The Clan whispered my mother's name, but their eyes were only filled with sadness. We huddled at the back of the den, thinking about what this meant.

And a few days after mom ran away, a funny-smelling cat showed up. He looked like Larchkit. He also looked like my grandpa, Oakstar. But Oakstar didn't like him. I remember he called him a "traitor," like mommy, and "a dirty kittypet coward." I don't think the stranger liked that. I don't think Oakstar liked it either. In the end, he left. I've never seen him again. Dawnfeather told us where to find him if we wanted to meet him. I haven't gone yet. I don't really want to.

Tomorrow Patchpaw's getting his full healer name. Dawnfeather's been talking everyone's ears off. The only other times I've seen her this proud were at mine, Larchheart, and Nettlebreeze's warrior ceremonies. I can't wait for Oakstar to announce it at the gathering. Now that we're all finally grown, I hope RiverClan will stop associating us with Mapleshade. Volestar's apologized to us, but I can't help but notice the way RiverClan bristles at me and my siblings.

I just hope we can outgrow her shadow. All of us, and leave her in the past forever.

The End