What if Mapleshade's kits lived

Chapter 2

A hunched up Larchkit was grasped in her mouth. Out of all of her kits, she feared he was most likely do something outrageous. He was pulling off a strop, tightening up in annoyance. Patchkit and Petalkit stayed as close to Mapleshade as possible, scared of this alien territory. They'll get used to it once we're here for a while, she told herself. They were heading to the camp now, all she needed to do was get their sympathy. Maybe, just maybe, getting exiled was a part of a destiny for greater things.

Swirling clouds unspeakably high above her head, threaten to cover the warmth of the sun and to place a sheet of shadows over the land. The territory around her was unfamiliar. The ground should be dry and sandy but instead, it was damp and marshy under her paws pads. Without packed trees to create a forest, it was pale wide plain, dotted with islands of protruding rocks.There wasn't a spot in this territory where you could avoid the faint gushing sound of rushing water.

The holes left by Larchkit and Petalkit's claws, where they had gripped her, had started to bleed. Small Streams of red were running down her ginger, black and white fur now. With Patchkit keeping on glancing up at them, it made Mapleshade begin to get uneasy, but Patchkit still didn't say a word. She had much more important things to deal with. Getting herself healed should be an afterthought. After wandering down another slope, two streams came into view, uniting at the edge of the horizon, creating a blue-ringed circle. In the center, was a tangle of long grasses and reeds, that stood above them. Mapleshade's ear twitch. The salty fishy scent of Riverclan overpowered any other odors that could have been lingering about this place. Finally, they arrived. The Riverclan camp.

She placed Larchkit gently on the ground. All three of her kits sat neatly in a row, just a whisker-length away from her muzzle, "Make sure to stay close to me at all times. Don't wander off and don't say anything. I'll take care of everything, don't you worry.", she mewed softly, trying to remain hopeful in this bleak looking situation. All three kits nodded. Splashfoot marched ahead, "Come on.", he ordered harshly, approaching the reeds with Eletail already disappearing inside. As the pale warrior passed Appledusk, he angrily swiped his tail across his clanmate muzzle, muttering, "Now you'll answer for what you've done.", under his breath. Appledusk replied with a hiss as sharp as a snake's. The two mates shared a pitiful glance before both entered the forest of reeds. The long brown leaves were swept aside as Mapleshade took long strides to flatten it, making a path for her kits. But they still had to stumble over the fallen reeds, like logs for a fully grown cat.

They must've been exhausted by now. They've been through more than any cat should in a lifetime, let alone, in one day as kits; being exiled for something they couldn't help, dragged across a river, having one of them almost drown and learning their father wasn't Birchface. Even then, it still wasn't over, they still had to be accepted into Riverclan. Once they were in their new home, Mapleshade would take them to a nice clean nest and they could have a long needed rest. The earth under Mapleshade become not just marshy but was now swallow muddy stagnant water. Her paws were now covered in a layer of green mud. However unlike her, where it only went up her paws, the mud stretched up, all the way up to the kits' bellies. Just a bit further.

After traveling through the reeds for another fox-length, the tall plants began to space out before stopping eventually to make way for a large clearing. The entire camp was built on a slowly arching slope, walls blocking the views of the outstretching marsh grasslands just beyond their sight. The dens were made from tightly woven and packed reeds and twigs. Sedges surrounded the edges of the clearing, to make it's own isolated island. The ancient willow that stood at the side of the clearing, was a towering figure among the tangle of different grass types.

The ground here, turned to cracked well-worn sandy stone, showing a history of countless floods.

Lots of cats were already outside of their dens, getting on with their own business, eating large fish or sharing tongues. However once they spotted the approaching tortoiseshell and kits, many of them got up to their paws, uneasy. Not aggressive yet but certainly unwelcoming. Larchkit looked around wildly, a growl forming in his throat. Mapleshade lay her tail over his shoulders, shaking her head at her son. Larchkit stopped, joining his littermates in a huddle beside their mother. Eeltail pointed out a rock tucked away behind a layer of undergrowth, "You and your kits wait there while I fetch Darkstar.". Before rushing over to a cluster of stems woven into the roots of the ancient Willow. As Mapleshade waited, the Riverclan warriors muttered suspiciously behind her. More cats were beginning to sense the presence of Thunderclan scent and beginning to poke their heads out the den entrances. There was a stir of movement from inside the Leader den as a black shape emerged from its shadows. Darkstar stood with a strong posture.