[a fluffy full-body design of Mapleshade sitting with unsheathed claws on one paw]

Was ThunderClan Too Harsh On Mapleshade? By Dawnlily

Dawnlily explores how ThunderClan treated Mapleshade during her life

Heyo BlogClan!! It’s Dawnlily, and this is my first article. I was reading Mapleshade’s Vengeance, and I got to thinking about how ThunderClan reacted to her betrayal.
“Were they TOO harsh?”
So, let’s get Talking!!!

Mapleshade sneaked off to meet with Appledusk for…eh a couple moons or so. That’s plently of time for her to expect kits. Now, lets consider all the times where cats broke any code and/or met with cats from other clans and thought it was going to turn out alright but it DIDN’T. Lots of cat’s who broke the code were foolish and thought they would raise their kits to be equally as loyal to who’s ever their parent’s clans were.

Mapleshade thought that too. So did Appledusk, and I think he was truly in love with Mapleshade. Anywaaayyys, Frecklewish totally flipped out on Mapleshade and attacked her when Ravenwing revaled who the father of the kits was. So did Oakstar. But Frecklewish and basically all of ThunderClan was insane with grief from Birchface. Mapleshade didn’t exactly say that Birchface was the father, but she didn’t deny it either. So, I think we can all agree that the blame wasn’t all Mapleshade’s fault, but she could have dnied that the kits were Birchface’s.

Now, let’s discuss punishments. I think that back in the day, (while the warrior code was still developing its major laws) that punishments were WAY harsher and WAY more cruel. Mapleshade, a nursing queen, was banished from Thunderclan. Leafpool wasn’t banished from ThunderClan, and she broke 2 codes!! Bluestar wasn’t sent to the Dark Forest for having Stonefur and Mistystar with Oakheart. I think that almost all of ThunderClan was in the “insane” stage of grief after Birchface and Flowerpaw died, but to send a nursing queen and innocent kits out to die?! That’s alomst as cruel as Mapleshade herself.

Now, I understand that Mapleshade was sent to the Dark Forest for her crimes, and I think she deserved to, you know for killing Appledusk, Frecklewish and Ravenwing, because those were pretty harsh things to do. But she was insane with grief over her kits, insane with grief over her banishment, and insane with grief over her pride.

I really enjoyed thinking about this, and if you find any faults in anything I wrote in this article please mention it in the comments. Thanks!!!!

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17 comments

  • I agree! Look at what they did with Mapleshade, then look at Graystripe. Like, Oakstar you MADE Mapleshade turn evil, but Thunderclan showed Graystripe mercy! Of course, it’s all part of the plot

  • I love Mapleshade! Graystripe was kinda like her….RiverClan was raw wigh grief from Silverstream, but they didn’t attack Garystripe!
    ThunderClan was terrible to Mapleshade

  • I’m glad she killed Appledusk (it also kind of avenges Birchface’s death and Flowerpaw’s kinda). Sorry but he deserved it

  • I think if she admitted it to Oakstar instead of letting some cat find out it would have been better because if some cat found out instead of her admitting it because it would seem more dishonest, and even if she was still punished to exile, the river might not have been swollen enough to drown her kits and she would not have killed all those cats and Appledusk’s apprentice Perchpaw would not have injured her and she would not have died.

  • This article is great, It show’s how Thunder clan was harsh with Mapleshade, It’s kind of good to kill Appledusk because of Brichface’s death and Flowerpaw’s too. This is the first warrior cat that i’ve known to be sent to The Place of No Stars/The dark Forest in the book’s. I am a huge fan of Mapleshade. But it’s kind of Oakstar’s fault that Mapleshade became Evil.

  • I think Mapleshade is a more intresting antagonist, because unlike characters such as Tigerstar, she had more of a real reason to turn on ThunderClan. I mean, THEY BANISHIED A QUEEN AND KITS I MEAN SIRIOUSLY MAN!!!! (XD sorry I think I over reatced.) Anyways, even after what Mapleshade did, I still kinda sympathise with her. Does anyone else share my view on this? (btw, I’m new here!)

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