3.07 Assignment: Mapleshade's Vengeance

Mapleshade's Vengeance

The book I choose for the 3.07 assignment is Mapleshade's Vengeance. It's from the book series Warriors, which I have been reading. I stumbled upon Mapleshade's Vengeance while I was rereading the series in chronological order, along with the side novellas and the Super Editions. It was only 50 pages, so I read the entire book.

An Explanation of Cat Society

To fully understand Warriors, and for the purposes of this review, I will explain Clan life. The are four groups of cats who live in different areas of the forest, called clans. They are called Thunderclan, Windclan, Shadowclan, and Riverclan. The clans worship Starclan. Starclan is composed of their deceased ancestors. Contact with Starclan is conducted at the Moonstone, and  Starclan also sends omens and prophecies to medicine cats, the healer of their respective clan. The clans follow the warrior code, which is listed below:

I also will provide a link to clan terminology.

1. Defend your Clan, even with your life. You may have friendships with cats from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan, as one day you may meet them in battle.
2. Do not hunt or trespass on another Clan's territory.
3. Elders(retired warriors), queens(pregnant cats), and kits(kittens must be fed before apprentices(warriors in training) and warriors. Unless they have permission, apprentices may not eat until they have hunted to feed the elders. If any warrior or apprentice is sick or injured, they may eat while the elders, queens, and kits are eating.
4. Prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to StarClan for its life.
5. A kit must be at least six moons(months)old to become an apprentice.
6. Newly appointed warriors will keep a silent vigil for one night after receiving their warrior name.
7. A cat cannot be made deputy without having mentored at least one apprentice.
8. The deputy will become Clan leader when the leader dies, retires or is exiled.
9. After the death or retirement of the deputy, the new deputy must be chosen before moonhigh(midnight).
10. A Gathering of all four Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There shall be no fighting among Clans at this time.
11. Boundaries must be checked and marked daily. Challenge all trespassing cats.
12. No warrior can neglect a kit in pain or danger, even if the kit is from a different Clan.
13. The word of the Clan leader is the warrior code.
14. An honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win their battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or if it is necessary for self-defense.
15. A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet(house cat).
16. Each Clan has the right to be proud and independent, but in times of trouble they must forget their boundaries and fight side by side to protect the four. Each Clan must help the others so that no Clan will fall.

Summary 

 Mapleshade, a Thunderclan cat, is at a Gathering, after a recent battle against Riverclan over the Sunningrocks. She makes her way over to Appledusk, and they talk. Mapleshade tells Appledusk she's pregnant with his kits. Being mates with someone from another clan is not explicitly condemned by Starclan, but is looked down upon by clans. What makes it worse is that Appledusk is the cat that killed Birchface, the Thunderclan leader's son. Mapleshade believes Starclan approves of the birth of her half-clan kits, and reassures Appledusk. The next morning/sunrise, Mapleshade has to go on dawn patrol. She tells Beetail(Thunderclan's deputy)that she is pregnant, and is excused from the dawn patrol. Frecklewish approaches Mapleshade, asking is Birchface is the father. Mapleshade says nothing, and Frecklewish thinks it was Birchface. Mapleshade goes along with this, interpreting it as Starclan "offering me a way for my kits to be accepted by their Clanmates? I can’t lie, not if I want them to know the truth later." 

The kits are born, and are named Petalkit, Patchkit, and Larchkit.

     Mapleshade's kits are playing outside. The senior warrior, Rabbitfur, suggests the kits play a game requiring the leaping skills of the supposed father, Birchface. The kits who were playing the game, Petalkit and Larchkit, fail. Rabbitfur recalls that Birchface could leap very well. Mapleshade, tired of Rabbitfur comparing her kits to Birchface, takes her kits out into the woods. The kits approach the river, and display an ability to swim. They are discovered by a Riverclan patrol, and Appledusk brings them back to Mapleshade. Ravenwing(the medicine cat) has seen it all and confronts Mapleshade, who tells her that he received an omen. “A tiny stream appeared in my den, in a place where no stream has run before. It carried with it three pieces of water reed.' He swept his paw over the ground as if he was tracing the path of the rivulet. 'Water reed doesn’t grow in ThunderClan territory,' he went on. 'It doesn’t belong inside our boundaries. Do you understand?” Ravenwing deducts that her kits are half-Riverclan, and that Birchface is not the father. He also concludes that Appledusk is the father. Mapleshade begs him not to tell the other cats in Thunderclan, but he runs off to tell them anyway.
    Mapleshade and her kits walk back to the Thunderclan camp, and are exiled by Oakstar, with the support of Thunderclan. Mapleshade and her kits try to cross the river, but the river is flooded, and her kits drown. She is escorted to the Riverclan camp by Appledusk and a Riverclan patrol. Appledusk begs forgiveness for having kits with Mapleshade, and Darkstar(Riverclan leader)forgives him. Mapleshade, however, is kicked out. 
    Mapleshade lurks around the border, and encounters Nettlepaw. Nettlepaw gives her some herbs. Mapleshade, stronger now, decides that Ravenwing is to blame for the death of her kits. When Ravenwing is heading to the Moonstone, Mapleshade ambushes him, and kills him.
Mapleshade collapses, and has a dream where two of her kits are still wailing. She concludes that she must kill two more cats to avenge all her kits. She decides to kill Frecklewish. Mapleshade lures Frecklewish to Snakerocks(on Thunderclan territory). Frecklewish is bitten by an adder and dies. Mapleshade hallucinates the voice of Petalkit fading away. Patchkit has yet to be avenged, so Mapleshade goes to kill Appledusk. While Mapleshade spies on Appledusk, she notices that Reedshine is pregnant with his children. This enrages Mapleshade. Mapleshade captures Perchpaw and uses him as bait for Appledusk. Appledusk is killed, but Perchpaw kills Mapleshade. Mapleshade vows that her vengeance will never be over, then she dies. The book ends with Mapleshade waking up in the Place of No Stars (Warrior's version of hell) and promising to haunt Appledusk's descendants forever.

 Review

   Mapleshade's Vengeance was a good book. Clan life might be difficult to grasp for newcomers to the Warriors series, but the themes in the book were clear and concise. Mapleshade is an interesting character, although with generic motivations. I believe the author's intent was to portray Mapleshade's anger as she pursued her vengeance. One comparison I noticed was between Birchface and Mapleshade's three kits. Rabbitfur compares their jumping skills to Birchface, helping Ravenwing figure out that Birchface was not the father.