Red Maple

chapter 12: once upon a wish

REDRIVER TREKKED BACK to the forest, skirting the edge of WindClan under cover of darkness and heading for Fourtrees. He bounded down the sandy slope where Mapleshade was waiting outside anxiously. Once she spotted him, she bounded forward to touch noses.

"You're back!" she meowed in relief. She looked down at the dried blood on his chest-fur and her eyes held both fear and pride. "You killed him!"

"I did," he purred. "Now it is time to kill again. Frecklewish is next for what she did to your mother. And I have the perfect plan."

Once he explained about luring Frecklewish to Snakerocks, Mapleshade blinked in surprise and excitement. "I'm coming with you?"

Redriver nodded and his mate leapt forward and cuddled into his side, licking his neck lovingly. He stood up and nudged her toward the den. They went inside and Mapleshade led him toward their nest.

"Acornleaf is asleep with the kits inside the other room," she meowed. "She likes you, by the way. She doesn't like how you kill other cats, but she won't object out loud."

Redriver shrugged and curled around Mapleshade, licking her ears as they fell asleep.

The next morning, Mapleshade told Acornleaf to take care of the kits while they left Fourtrees for the day. Acornleaf, knowing full well what they were going to do, only nodded and turned to take care of the six kits who were eating their breakfast.

Redriver and Mapleshade bounded up the slope and walked around the ThunderClan border where Twolegplace was. They both knew they'd have to wait for Frecklewish to pass by on patrol; even then, Mapleshade would need the lick of StarClan to get the she-cat alone. She followed her mate 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 grey-and-white tom heaved himself through a tiny flap in the side of the Twoleg den and lumbered toward them, mewling.

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

Redriver stepped in front of his mate and then shot one paw out to rake the kittypet's face. The kittypet leapt backward, screeching. Blood dripping from his left eye. "My eye! You blinded me!" he wailed.

Mapleshade hissed at the kittypet, who turned and skidded back into his den. When the flap banged shut behind his plump hunches, 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. They would wait there for Frecklewish. Redriver followed her up the tree and settled on a bough that looked out over the forest. Mapleshade 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 beside her mate, one ear pricked for any sounds below.

At dusk, four ThunderClan warriors came past, creeping along the bottom of the fence as if they feared kittypets were about to attack. Redriver curled his lip in scorn. He thought Mapleshade's Clanmates would be brave like her. As night fell, Mapleshade dropped down from her branch into the long grass, her mate following closely behind her.

ThunderClan scent surrounded them both and for a moment, Mapleshade felt a pang of longing; then she pictured her Clanmates driving her and her kits away, and she thought of Frecklewish exiling Acornleaf, and her fury returned. She quickly caught a blackbird for herself while Redriver came back with a fish from the river nearby. They brought them back to the tree and began to eat. Behind them, the grey-and-white tom was bundled out of the den by a cross-sounding Twoleg. Mapleshade watched the kittypet squat in the grass, its eyes huge with fear, then race back inside.