#bitter dead woman manipulates her kits the au

[warriorsbutnotreally]

Mapleshade Drowns But Her Kits Live AU

firstly, thank you for the kind words <3

I'm far from the best out there but I like sharing ideas and hearing things from other people around me as well

It's one of the big reasons why this fandom has kept me for so long. There's never a dull moment and there's always creative ideas - whether good or bad is [mostly] subjective.

edit; this post was mostly done and was supposed earlier but then the other posts became more important and I implore you go to my blog and check out what's been going on

of course, we're here for the au and I'll gladly hand off my idea for this AU;

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When Mapleshade and the kits go under, a yowl sounds and hits the ears of Appledusk and the nearby patrol.

Quickly, the patrol runs and sees three little heads bobbing above the river, all three struggling to stay alive.

Without a second thought, Appledusk leads the patrol into the river and they grab the kits.

As he's swimming, however, he feels one of his paws kick down on something and he feels whatever it was sink. It isn't until after they stumble back onto land that he realizes he felt fur under his paws.

The rest of the patrol had felt it, too

A couple warriors dive into the water, but return with nothing

Appledusk stares at the kits, wondering to himself if that was Mapleshade and, if so, what she was doing dragging their kits through stormy waters like that

Angry, he realizes she put the kits in danger and that they could've died - hell, they were still at risk of dying if they didn't get them somewhere safe and dry.

He orders the patrol to carry the kits to camp, as they can't wait out here and risk the kits getting sick

The rest of the patrol agrees and they take the kits to camp

Appledusk can only hope that Mapleshade had tried to save the kits after her reckless move and wasn't trying to take them down with her

It's a couple days later and Patchkit, Petalkit, and Larchkit are deemed healthy.

However, with no place to go, they end up adopted by Appledusk and his mate, Reedshine.

The three are unsure about this - though, Patch is the least bothered, as he remembered how Appledusk had saved him from drowning the first time when Mapleshade had taken them out to try swimming Plus, he's a little more happy to have a father around

He thinks highly of the RiverClan warrior and does his best to convince his siblings that it's cool, since he seemed to be friends with their mom anyway

Larchkit hesitates at that

He just wants their mom

Patch understands

Petal, meanwhile, is just upset they had to leave ThunderClan at all and she isn't pleased with anything or anyone, including her brothers

Despite Patch's best efforts, she just wants to be left alone

As they're being taken to the nursery where Reedshine is, Appledusk pauses, pretending to show them around camp for a bit before pulling them to the side

He asks if they knew why their mom was trying to get them to cross the river

Larch states, distressed, that they weren't allowed in ThunderClan anymore

Petalkit adds, coldly, that they didn't like them because Birchface isn't their father

Patch almost loudly states that Appledusk is their father, but is silenced quickly by the warrior

The older tom looks the three over and he mutters something to himself about how this is going to be complicated

Out loud, he tells the three that him being their father has to be a secret

The kits are confused why

He tells them, cautiously, that he has a mate in RiverClan - Reedshine - and that she's currently expecting his kits

They're confused

Petal, glaring, asks why he has more kits and if they weren't enough

Appledusk assures he loves them more than he's ever loved anything, that they are shining stars within RiverClan But he was never supposed to be with Mapleshade and how he had ended up falling in love with another when he and Mapleshade were apart

Petalkit accuses him of not loving Mapleshade and he shushes her and she almost raises her volume

He assures he did care for Mapleshade, but he knew their relationship wasn't meant to last and he hadn't expected to see it all fall apart so quickly

Patch wants to try to give this life a chance, but Larch and Petal are apprehensive Patch understands why He misses their mom, too And this is a lot for the three to try to take in in just a couple short days

He promises not to tell, even if Larch and Petal never make that promise

Appledusk is a little relieved and he gives Patch and small nuzzle on the forehead before bringing them all the way to the nursery finally

Reedshine greets Appledusk with affectionate licks and nuzzles before turning her attention to the three kits

She seems nervous at first, having not been expecting to need to take care of kits while expecting kits, but she still shows them warmth and kindness nonetheless

The kits aren't sure how to feel. They already had a mom, but Reedshine never pushes the kits if they're not comfortable with the attention and even gives them the option to have their own nest or to sleep in the larger nest with her

The first night they choose to have their own nest and she understands, though it's clear she's worried that she's not making a good first impression on these suddenly adopted kits

As expected, there is some struggle with adjusting

Though Patchkit takes to it well, Larchkit and Petalkit struggle and there comes a point that Patchkit becomes worried that his siblings would let the secret slip

A moon later and Reedshine's kits are born - Willowkit, Shykit, and Seedkit

This is when a change happens in Petalkit and she takes to being an older sister like a champion

She helps watches after the kits and she feels a spark of excitement as she tells Reedshine how she looks forward to teaching them how to swim and how, when she's an apprentice, she'll show them all the coolest battle moves

Larch, meanwhile, grows more distant

He watches as Appledusk dotes over these kits and he feels a bitter resentment towards his father, realizing how old he and his siblings are and how shortly after they came here that Reedshine had her own kits

He doesn't know much, but the dots don't line up in his head in a way he likes

Especially since Reedshine was already expecting these kits when they arrived

Though, they keep their secret and do their best

Patchkit even follows Reedshine and Appledusk around much like he had done with Mapleshade, which creates some tension with Larchkit and some mild annoyance with Petalkit Though Petal's reasoning is that he's too old to be following cats around like a lost kit

After becoming apprentices, becoming Patchpaw [Spiketail], Larchpaw[Darkstar], and Petalpaw [Milkfur], the three have a shared dream

In that dream they're approached by Mapleshade, who lovingly dotes on them

She apologizes for not being there

And when the kits understand that she drowns, she turns an accident into a horror story She lies, saying that Appledusk had intentionally drowned her and that he was trying to get her out of the way

There's some hesitation from these young cats as their mother asks them to spy on Appledusk and Reedshine, who had been nothing but kind to them

Waking up the next morning, they are greeted by Appledusk, who wanted to see them off on their first official day of training, he grooms each of them and even Reedshine stops by before they head out, nuzzling them each before returning to the younger kits

Seedkit even runs up to Petalpaw as she heads out to camp, having her swear on all the fish in the river that she'll learn some cool battle moves to teach them when she returns

Petalpaw promises

Patchpaw, with his mentor Spiketail, head out on a hunting patrol while Petalpaw and Larchpaw are sent on a border patrol

Spiketail teaches him the basics, but before they head out to practice, he admits that he was confused at first

He knows Mapleshade is Patchpaw's mother and he wasn't sure why Appledusk was willing to adopt with kits on the way

Patchpaw nervously wonders if Spiketail caught on, but the deputy goes on to admit that he assumes Appledusk felt responsible for the three, since he had rescued them twice He also mentions Mapleshade's death

Patchpaw asks about it

Spiketail hesitates, but Patchpaw insists, saying he's old enough and he knows Appledusk might not tell them

He informs Patchpaw that they hadn't seen Mapleshade in the water until they had felt fur brush against them after they had rescued the trio of kits

Spiketail personally blames himself for the queen drowning, saying he should've knowing something was up the moment he felt something heavy under the kits, but he had assumed it was a rock that was somehow holding them against the current

Patchpaw feels sympathy towards the tom

He doesn't think it's anyone's fault

Spiketail does add that, personally, he doesn't think she should've had the three near the river, but he wasn't going to speak ill of the dead

Patchpaw nervously thinks of how the dead is thinking poorly of the living

A couple more moons pass with the trio learning more and more about living and hunting in RiverClan Though they haven't been taken to a gathering yet, the three are made aware that ThunderClan knows they're with RiverClan and the cats are acting hostile about it without saying what the problems is

they know

RiverClan just doesn't

On top of that, Mapleshade has been coming by, asking for news Patchpaw and Petalpaw are becoming more and more uncomfortable as she comes up with ideas that she doesn't talk in detail about

She assures they'll know when the time is right

She also starts asking about news about Seedkit, Shykit, and Willowkit Every time she hears that they're healthy and well, she snorts at the thought

The most recent morning, Patchpaw is woken up from the dream early as he hears noises outside. He learns quickly that they're coming from right behind the apprentice's den, being nothing but hurried, worried whispers

It's Perchpaw - now Perchleap, as his ceremony had been the day before -, talking to Appledusk He listens in as Perchpaw frets that they can't keep the three away from ThunderClan forever

Appledusk asks why his apprentice is even worried

Perchleap knows

He can see it in the kits

Specifically Patchpaw, who looks more of a blend of Appledusk and Mapleshade

He knows ThunderClan knows, too He's heard hateful whispers about Appledusk being their father and he can't keep denying that he sees it, too

Appledusk hisses He doesn't care what ThunderClan has to say And he knows his kits belong here ThunderClan didn't want them, so they should at least stop whining as the three are where they belong

Perchleap mentions that ThunderClan wants Appledusk punished even more now and Appledusk is outraged Birchface's death had been an accident, as had Flowerpaw's

Perchleap knows, but they see Appledusk as complacent in the lies Mapleshade told

Appledusk is cautiously confused

Perchleap explains that ThunderClan believes Appledusk told Mapleshade to lie about Birchface being the father

Appledusk is outraged and has to force himself to stop from yowling, making his voice sound strained as he assures he had never heard of anything like that Nor would he have approved of such a lie if she had told him, as it would've ruined their lives even more

He mentions how their Clanmates are waking up now and it's not the time to keep talking

Patchpaw lays his head down and closes his eyes, pretending to sleep as the two return back inside of the camp, though he wasn't even in his nest anymore, having had to move closer to overhear everything

Once they're back, he quietly moves back to his nest and closes his eyes again, only to feel Petalpaw nudge him

She asks if he heard, too

He confirms, though she had already been closer to where the two warriors had been talking

Petalpaw feels shame that Mapleshade lied like that She worries that, if Mapleshade was bad, they'll be bad, too

Patchpaw promises they're not That they're good cause they'd never lie

Petalpaw mentions how she once lied to Willowkit by telling her that there was a badger just outside camp ready to gobble up sneaky kits to keep her from following outside of camp

Patchpaw laughs lightly and says that wasn't a bad lie That she was keeping her safe

Petalpaw frowns

She says there shouldn't be a thing as 'good lying'

Patchpaw's expression falls and he states that she's probably right, but her lie wasn't hurting Willowkit

Petalpaw halfheartedly agrees "I guess so.."

Patchpaw's mind is buzzing all day and eventually he drags Appledusk to the side, Petalpaw and Larchpaw with him, and asks for the truth

The whole truth about everything

Appledusk tells them everything he knows, unaware that two of the three of them had overheard him and Perchleap

His story lines up with what Petal and Patch had heard

Larchpaw doesn't react much to what he hears

That night, they wake in the dark forest and Larchpaw spills everything he heard

Patchpaw and Petalpaw are surprised and don't like that Mapleshade is pleased with him telling

She assures that Appledusk only tells the kits lies, but Patchpaw and Petalpaw don't believe he'd lie so easily to Perchleap

She decides that the time is coming soon

She needs the three to spill the secret

There's hestiation until Larchpaw agrees

The next night is a full moon and Larchpaw gets Darkstar to allow the apprentices to go

Gathering reveal similar to how Hollyleaf revealed her parents' secret

Shock ripples through RiverClan and Petalpaw and Patchpaw are upset they couldn't stop their brother in time, as they had been trying to

The gathering ends short and Darkstar brings her cats back to camp and the first thing she does is wake Appledusk up

She drags him into the middle of camp and many cats are confused on why she's calling a meeting so late

She lays down Appledusk's crimes and he's unable to counter them, especially since Oakstar confirmed most of them

He holds fast that he never told her to lie, however At least not lie about Birchface

Darkstar's still angry

Reedshine stands up for Appledusk and Darkstar is about to banish them both when Perchleap steps up to stand with Appledusk

And then Patchpaw, which angers Larchpaw

Petalpaw joins them soon after

Darkstar still has mixed feelings about the apprentices, but even their mentors stand up Though not for Appledusk Only for Patchpaw and Petalpaw

Larchpaw will remember all of this

Especially because his relationship with Darkstar is now damaged now that he knows she'd so readily kick him out

That night there are no dreams At least not for Petalpaw and Perchpaw

Larchpaw and Mapleshade however? They're making plans

One of them involved the fact that Larchpaw 'accidentally' lead Darkstar into danger and she ends up losing a life

Though upset about the situation, she doesn't suspect he's to blame

Moons of plotting and now Seedpaw, Willowpaw, and Shypaw are apprentices

Patchpaw notices that Larchpaw is leading the apprentices out of camp the night after their apprentice ceremony and he wakes Petalpaw up

They sneak after, where they find Larchpaw take them to the river

The young apprentices think he's going to show them a secret fishing technique

Then, in a flash, he throws himself against the three while they're standing together and send the younger cats into the river

Patchpaw and Petalpaw run to the river only for Larchpaw to stand in their way

He claims they need to die

That Mapleshade will be avenged

They try to reason with Larchpaw, but he doesn't listen

He won't let anyone save them

Petalpaw attacks and gives Patchpaw a chance to get to the river, where he dives in

Larchpaw is outraged, but Petalpaw is keeping him well distracted

Patchpaw begins helping them Pushing the three to shore while showing them how to swim Seedpaw is struggling however

He manages to grab Seedpaw and he almost has them to shore when he sees Larchpaw hurt Petalpaw badly and she falls to the ground

Larchpaw then sprints to the river and is going after Patchpaw, Seedpaw, Willowpaw, and Shypaw

Patchpaw hauls the three onto land before shoving himself between them and Larchpaw He tells them to run

A fight breaks out between the brothers as Patchpaw stops Larchpaw from chasing after the apprentices

Larchpaw calls Patchpaw a traitor

Patch insists he's not

Larch says he's betraying the memory of their mother

The ginger and white tom insists Mapleshade was lying

His brown tabby brother doesn't agree

He sees Appledusk as the liar and he's angry that Patch and Petal were so easily tricked

"I'm not the one being tricked, Larchpaw!"

It hurts Patch to admit it, as he had loved his mother, but Mapleshade was using them

She didn't care what happened

She just wanted them to hurt others

Larch doesn't want to hear it and the fight continues until Larchpaw is shoving Patchpaw's head underwater, trying to drown him

He almost blacks out until Petalpaw saves him, still hurting but able to stand

Larchpaw hisses and the fight gets shoved closer and closer into the water

They come near an area where the currents are rough, but no one notices until Larch and Patch are both swept into the waters

They manage to reach some stones, but they struggle to hold on while Petalpaw is trying to help them

Patch tries to reason with Larch, but his brother is certain of what he believes

As a RiverClan patrol arrives, Patchpaw begs for Larch to understand that Mapleshade was in the wrong

He doesn't want him to be punished

Larchpaw glares at Patchpaw

He states, frighteningly calmly, that he's sure of what he has to do And going back to RiverClan isn't one of them

With that, Larchpaw releases the stone and Patchpaw watches in horror as the water sweeps his brother away

Crying out, he tries to go after, but is grabbed up by Spiketail

The moment they're on land, Patchpaw races down the river, calling for Larchpaw

There's no answer

He's about to give up when he noticed a heartwrenching sight of Larchpaw's body, spine cracked from impacting with a snaggled stone that was sticking out of the water

From what the warriors can tell, his death was swift

This is no comfort

Larchpaw gets a burial, but the Clan knows what Larchpaw had tried to do to his younger half siblings and there's not much mourning outside of from Patchpaw

Not even Petalpaw, who needs to stay in the medicine cat den

After the burial, Reedshine approaches Patchpaw

She's so sorry this happened

He doesn't blame her

He just wishes things had been different

She does, too

That night Patchpaw and Petalpaw have a shared dream, seeing Larchpaw glaring at them from warping shadows before vanishing among the trees

notes;

not long after, Patchpaw and Petalpaw become Patchshine and Petalstorm for their brave deeds

Patchshine still has nightmares about that night and he keeps trying to think of ways he could've helped Larchpaw

Neither ever take a mate or have kits, though Petalstorm spends a lot of her time helping queens and is even there to be a wonderful aunt to Shellkit/paw/heart

Petalstorm ends up passing away from illness and Patchshine lives long enough to see the birth of Oakkit and Stormkit before being swept away in the storm they were born in

During his last moments, he swore he could feel Larchpaw's claws clinging to him, making sure he didn't make it to see another day

#au #mapleshade #patchkit #larchkit #petalkit #perchpaw #appledusk #reedshine #warriors #warrior cats #bitter dead woman manipulates her kits the au #to confirm #larchpaw is in fact in the dark forest #petal and patch in starclan