Red Maple

chapter 9: turning page

"WHY DON'T THEY like us anymore?" asked Patchkit as they made their way toward Fourtrees. They had just past the sycamore tree.

"Because they're mouse-brained, bat-blind, and fox-hearted," Mapleshade hissed.

"Those are bad words!" Sandkit mewed. "You're not supposed to say them."

"It's the truth," Mapleshade answered grimly.

"What were they saying about our father?" Petalkit asked. "Don't they like Birchface either?"

Mapleshade felt an overwhelming urge to lie down and slip into the darkness of sleep. "I'll tell you everything later," she promised. "First we must go to Fourtrees."

"Why are we going there?" asked Firekit. "We're not supposed to go there until we're apprenticed!"

"Everything is different now," Mapleshade murmured.

When they emerged from the shelter of trees, the rain was pelting so hard that Mapleshade could hardly keep her eyes open.

"I don't want to go to Fourtrees anymore," Larchkit moaned. "I want to go home."

"I wish we were in the nursery," Bloodkit sniffed. "It's too wet to be outside."

"We have no home but in Fourtrees!" Mapleshade snapped. She had to raise her voice over the pounding raindrops. "Forget about ThunderClan and the nursery." She stared at the towering oak trees in the distance. "There's a comfortable, warm den when we get there."

"But how do you know?" Patchkit asked.

"Because I and your father live there. He will be pleased to see us."

"I thought our father was dead!" cried Bloodkit, tipping his head to one side.

Mapleshade took a deep breath. "Remember that nice loner who helped Firekit today? He is your father. Not Birchface."

Larchkit wrinkled his nose. "But that doesn't make sense. Our father can't be a loner. We're ThunderClan cats!"

"You're part RiverClan, ShadowClan and ThunderClan," Mapleshade told him. "That's why you liked the water so much today."

The six kits' eyes stretched wider until they were like moons. "Is that why your Clanmates are mad at us?" asked Petalkit.

"Yes," mewed Mapleshade. She felt the hackles rise along her spine. "But they are wrong," she growled. "They'll change their minds soon and until then, we'll live in Fourtrees. Everything will be okay." She beckoned them to walk faster and they began to run toward the tall four oaks.

When they reached Fourtrees, they began to climb down the sandy slope into the sheltered clearing. In the shadows, Mapleshade spotted her mate, grooming his soaked pelt.

There was a flash of orange and she saw Redriver immediately get on his paws and race toward them as if he were a WindClan cat. He eyed her and their kits.

"What's happened?"

Mapleshade shivered and pressed against his warmth. Their kits curled around their legs. "They found out," she choked. "They kicked us out of the Clan."

Redriver's eyes held fury in them and he nodded. "Let's get out of the rain," he said over the noise of hailing. "The kits and you need to get warm. I have some fresh prey inside."

She nudged her kits forward and all seven began to follow the large tom inside the hidden den. It was much warmer inside and looked so tempting to just lay down and sleep. Redriver went into the second room with a mouthful of wool and moss. Mapleshade began to lick her kits of the rainwater that streamed down their fur.

"I'm sleepy," Firekit muttered as his mother vigorously licked his fur the wrong way.

A moment later, Redriver reappeared and began to groom Bloodkit as Mapleshade moved on to Petalkit. Mapleshade eyed her mate as he licked Bloodkit. His fur was streaming with rainwater and she could see his thick muscles under it all. She felt herself blush and looked down at her precious kit.

Once they finished grooming the rain from their kits' fur, Redriver stood and used his tail to push the vines out of the way of the second room. Mapleshade peered inside to see a nest of wool and moss and feathers made inside. There was a ball of moss for the kits and some other playthings.

"I made it for the kits'," he meowed. "I used to sleep in one like that while my mother and aunt slept in here."

The kits, despite their exhaustion, looked at each other excitedly. They stumbled inside the second and began to climb into their new nest to sleep.

Redriver moved his tail and the vines blocked her view from her precious bundles.

Her mate set his fiery gaze onto her and she gulped. They held nothing but anger and a murderous glint. Thinking it was directed at her, she crouched and closed her eyes, preparing for a clawing.

But there was nothing.

She felt nothing but a comforting lick on her ears. Mapleshade opened her eyes to see her mate curling around her in the nest, his tail wrapping protectively around her as he groomed her ears and face.

Mapleshade felt herself begin to purr as her mate was being affectionate with her. Soon enough, they fell asleep in the nest, warm and curled around each other, listening to the calming rain outside.