What if Mapleshade's kits lived

Chapter 17

The cats cried out as large twigs and leaves caved in around them before they could do anything and before she knew it, Mapleshade was completely buried, surrounded in all directions by rubble. The air turned humid and hot. The sudden weight made Mapleshade groan. The dead undergrowth enclosing her shuffled and shifted as if it was alive as the Queens and kits around her tried to find each other. Desperate mothers called out to their kits. Not if Mapleshade had something to say about it, using her claws to burrow through.

Pricking her ears, Mapleshade tried to focus on specific sound among the muffled voices, a voice like water boiling in steam on a blazing humid day. And she finally heard it, "Shykit!? Applekit?! Where are you? I'm right here, follow my voice!". Mapleshade would have leapt for joy if it wasn't for the pile of sticks piled on top of her. Seemed that she had yet to find two of her kits, all for the taking. Mapleshade just needed to find one of them first. As luck would have it, a sleek black tom brushed against her ragged pelt, as a kit hurried past her, not even giving her a second glance. Just when she was about to snatch him up, she realized he was neither Reedshine's kit and too large, close to apprentice size. Too old to brainwash. So choose to ignore him.

Driving herself on, Mapleshade went through the endless layers of collapsed brown and green plants. How far did it go? Distant muffled voices filled the air, coming from above the sea of brambles. Then scraping noises come, as claws worked at the top layers of the collapsed Nursery, Riverclan Warriors starting the attempt to free the trapped cats. And just to make her problems worse, a sleek tail swept against her wide face.

Before she knew it, another flank was pressed against her as the fellow Queens accidentally bumped into each other. The black she-cat, Blackbee's face twisted up in hatred like a shrivelled flower, "You caused this, didn't you?", she accused. Darting forward, belly still sliding against the floor, Blackclaw drove her teeth deep into Mapleshade's leg. She wanted to cry out in agony as her attacker found the sweet point, her teeth in the open wound. Aching to get away, Mapleshade kicked out against Strokweed's head, causing her to roll away. Now free, she didn't stand and fight like she should have done, instead, she desperately tried stumbling away. Scooping up pawfuls of bark and moss, she threw it behind her, trying burrow away while burying Strokweed at the same time. Don't stop.

Mapleshade paused, sensing the world around her with whiskers, nose and ears. She seemed to have lost the enraged she-cat. Though worrying, the pressure on her back seemed to lessen with each passing moment, as the layers of brambles were slowly removed, the warriors above getting closer to discovering her. They sounded nearer too, their voices as clear as water. Arching her ears, she fixed her hearing on the soft mew of kit. A young one. Pushing a large branch and a few leaves aside, Mapleshade finally found what she was looking for. A tiny she-kit, no older than a moon, with a pale creamy pelt and white paws and chest. A striking resemblance to her father. Her new daughter. Immediately, Mapleshade greedily scooped up the kit, wildly searching for a way out.

Suddenly, a brown tabby muzzle poked through the ceiling, like a bird's beak bursting into a worm's tunnels, trying to pluck it out. The tom's muzzle was just a mouse-length from Mapleshade's ear, his hot breath on her fur, "Stay still, we're going to get you out!", he called down to her. There was a rustling from all around, as the Warriors finally began to drag out the Queens and kits from the rubble. Holding her breath, Mapleshade slowly edged backwards, away from the tabby, his mouth like a brown icicle. He must of felt the strange cat under him moving, "Wait don't mov-", he began but he pulsed mid-sentence, his mouth open, tasting the air.

"We're got a Thunderclan cat here!", he howled, his paws plugging into bramble pile, blindly swiping with unsheltered claws, trying to find her. More paws came down, trying to get her out. Mapleshade felt like a helpless mole trapped within it's home. Using her head like a stag's horns, she forced her way through the undergrowth, in a random direction, sharp thorns threatening to scrap against her eyes. Reedshine's kit whimpered in pain and confusion.