![[Mapleshade lying down as she bleeds from a wound, saying "Leave me alone. I don't need anyone."]](https://blogclan.katecary.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Mapleshade-740x555.jpg)
Fan ArticlesWildpaw shares why they think Mapleshade wasn’t the real villain of her story.
Hey again, Hey again. This article will be about how Mapleshade wasn’t the real villain. Anyway, I feel very strongly about this, and this will basically be my rampage on defending Mapleshade. Enjoy:
So, the only reason Mapleshade was evil is because of Ravenwing. Ravenwing the Medicine Cat. So, if you haven’t read Mapleshade’s Vengeance, Ravenwing is the old ThunderClan Medicine Cat who served under Oakstar’s leadership. So, one day, Mapleshade was watching her kits swim, and Ravenwing just happens to see it. Mapleshade begged him not to tell the clan, but he tells Oakstar anyway. This leads to why Oakstar was also a villain. He should have understood why Mapleshade lied. He should have known she would try to hide it, especially when you think that the kits father killed his son. But the thing is, Birchface, Oakstar’s son, fell of of Sunningrocks. Appledusk didn’t kill him. So anyway, Frecklewish is another villain. I have the feeling Oakstar would have given Mapleshade a different punishment had Frecklewish not interfered. She TOLD Oakstar to exile Mapleshade, leading to the death of Mapleshade’s kits. If Frecklewish hadn’t had interrupted Oakstar, Mapleshade might not have been exiled. This leads to why Appledusk is also a villain. After he saved Mapleshade from drowning, he told Mapleshade is was HER fault the kits died. He said that SHE, a THUNDERCLAN CAT, should have known their was a flood. How was a THUNDERCLAN CAT going to know there was a flood! For the last time, she’s from THUNDERCLAN! NOT RIVERCLAN! Appledusk and Darkstar kind of the into one in this. When Darkstar refuses to let Mapleshade join, Appledusk calls his relationship with her a MISTAKE! Mapleshade loved Appledusk enough, she tried to join RiverClan after she was exiled from ThunderClan, but then Appledumb calls his relationship a MISTAKE! Appledusk was her only reason left to live! SO, that set off the murder spree. Also, if you think about it, Mapleshade never killed Frecklewish. She was bitten by an Adder. Also, Appledusk never even asked for the names of his kits. Never even once!
If you have read all of this and are confused, honest I’m saying is Mapleshade is innocent.(kinda). It was Ravenwing who started everything. It was Frecklewish who demanded Mapleshade be exiled. It was Oakstar who listened to his daughter. It was Appledusk that pulled the final straws, saying it was Mapleshade’s fault the kits died, and then destroyed her last reason to live. So yeah. Thanks for reading my rampage.
Birchfoot![[an orange tabby stretches comfortably beside a pillow as they're petted by their owner]](https://blogclan.katecary.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/owner-petting-adorable-cat-scaled-385x300.jpg)
Embers of an Autumn Dawn | Emberdawn![[an orange cat crouches atop newspapers strewn across the floor]](https://blogclan.katecary.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/cat-newspaper-385x300.jpg)
Goldenfawn
✧˖°🍾⋆˙⟡ pineblossom (she/her) 🦢💫🩰 ain’t life just awfully strange? 🌨️🧸🕯️mentor to skyshimmer! 🌲⋆✴︎˚｡⋆
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Nice article! As for Oakstar…
In our eyes, our calm eyes, we can think that Oakstar was an idiot for not understanding Mapleshade. But when we are him, we don’t see that clearly. You don’t think Mapleshade had a wondrous reason for saying a lie that involves your dead son. You think the stupid cat used your son as an excuse, and she loved the cat who killed him.
For Frecklewish, maybe she did really think the kits were safe. Anyway, again, in our eyes, she overreacted. But in her eyes, it was absolutely obnoxious. The stupid excuse for a ThunderClan warrior used your brother.
And then for Appledusk, it is true that it’s Mapleshade’s fault the kits died. I’m not a RiverClan cat, or living beside the water or anything, but I think I can recognize a coming flood, and have the brains to know the simple equation:
Kits + Flooding river = death
It’s true Apple x Maple’s relationship is a mistake. All forbidden ones are a mistake, if you think about it. A ‘mistake’ might be harsh, but it certainly isn’t right.
And for not asking for the kits’ names, what was Appledusk supposed to say? ‘Oh, by the way, Mapleshade, what were the kits’ names?’ Honestly. He was probably exiled along with Mapleshade if he didn’t act the way he did.
And you say Mapleshade was innocent. No, she isn’t. Having a sob story doesn’t justify killings. And Mapleshade cornered Frecklewish to the Snakerocks, making the adder bite Frecklewish. Because she’d also killed Ravenwing, she died. So this can lead to the conclusion Mapleshade was Frecklewish’s killer.
And maybe Oakstar would’ve exiled Mapleshade, even if Frecklewish didn’t say so. He was the direct kin of Birchface, so…
Honestly. Ravenwing was doing his job, Frecklewish was angry, and Oakstar was angry as well. Appledusk probably regretted it, wanted to stay in RiverClan, so he lied.
They did break the warrior code, and I’m not saying Oakstar’s the best for distantly killing three innocent kits, but simply breaking the warrior code doesn’t make you a villain.
I believe Mapleshade was the true villain, and the others were those who made wrong choices.
i absolutely love Mapleshade, but *almost* completely agree with you! heres why:
there were half-clan relationships before Oakstar banished Mapleshade, and we never see exile as a suitable punishment in the warrior Code, so maybe Oakstar was being a bit irrational. i agree that he was suffering, and of course he would be angry with Mapleshede. who wouldn’t? but he should have been able to control himself. and so should have Frecklewish. she literally full on attacks Mapleshade, which is completely against the warrior Code, just because she was angry at the kit’s father? and some say Mapleshade overreacted! Frecklewish and Oakstar looked at these three innocent kits that would never do anything to hurt them or their Clan, and they can only see Appledusk? thats… really unstable. now you may bring up the omen Ravenwing had. Ravenwing did have this omen portraying doom on Thunderclan, but heres how i interpreted that omen. it was about a river, right? because of these three reeds in the river, it ran wrong and caused problems. three reeds, IN the RIVER. what if it meant something else entirely? what if Starclan was trying to tell the Clans that if these three kits drowned, it could doom Thunderclan and Riverclan? my evidence for this? thats exactly what happened afterward. Maple became a killer and would go on to almost doom the clans. Ravenwing might have misinterpreted his omen, (wouldn’t be the first, last, or only time btw) leading to the death of the kits. and Maple not sensing the flood? you defend Oakstar with being angry and confused, but so was Mapleshade. how can you assume Oakstar’s reason for instability and then ignore an instability that is outright STATED in the book? that is my opinion, but i agree with you on everything else!
Floods… are pretty obvious. Also, you’re excusing murders by saying they’re out of grief, but apparently exile is too much? According to your logic, Oakstar should’ve killed Mapleshade and Appledusk. Also, that adder was obviously a trap. That’s like saying a poison dart trap isn’t the fault of the person who made it.
I do feel sorry for Mapleshade, but that doesn’t mean that she wasn’t responsible for the things she did. Ravenwing was only being loyal to ThunderClan and the warrior code telling his leader. I’m not saying that Ravenwing would be wrong not to tell Oakstar, but what I am saying is that Ravenwing was faced with a hard decision. Either way had its benifits, and either way had it’s cons. I do think that Oakstar banishing Mapleshade was harsh. She should have been given a second chance. But Oakstar wasn’t the one to kill all those cats. Now Frecklewish is a completely different story, and I think she is actually similar to Mapleshade in some ways. Both made bad decisions because of their grief, even if Mapleshade’s were worse. But Mapleshade had told Frecklewish that Frecklewish’s brother, Birchface, was the father of her kits. I’m not saying that Mapleshade was wrong to do this, because telling ThunderClan was a hard choice too. But can you imagine how Frecklewish felt when she found out that the father of Mapleshade’s kits was not her brother, but the cat who had killed her brother? I can’t. I completely agree with you about Appledusk. He was absolutely terrible, no questions about that. Sometimes I think that Appledusk drove Mapleshade out just so he could be with Reedshine instead. And Mapleshade set Frecklewish up to be bitten by the adder, so Mapleshade still kind of killed her. I still feel bad for Mapleshade, but Mapleshade is the one who killed those cats in the end. I wish she had listened to Myler, but it’s too late for that. Maybe she’ll turn good like Snowtuft, but I know that’s unlikely. Great article though!
I’ m just going to point out that Darkstar DID have a small role in this if he had let her stay there would be no death
*sob* treat your Mapleshades with respect!
okay, let me just say, Oakstar is an idiot. He exiled Mapleshade, a loyal warrior, JUST BECAUSE she had kits that were half clan SO WHAT. SO DID BLUESTAR, GRAYSTRIPE AND SQUIRRELWHISKER. THEY WERN’T EXILED. so, thats why oakstar is a COMPLETE IDIOT.
AGREEE!
why did they have to exile mapleshade when half of it was not her fault but she did broke the warrior code and ravenwing was following it, so ravenwing is loyal but a bit harsh.
BUT Mapleshade broke the warrior code so she is not loyal, Appledusk was following the warrior code all along but he was Mean and lier the whole time!
Darkstar gave mercy because he was a loyal cat but giving not true love to mapleshade was sad and for me if i was Darkstar i would kill him and help her.
Yes it is a sad story but Mapleshade is not loyal but she is a bit innocent.
Her kits were draging her appart that made her murder more cats that made her life horrible. So its half kits fault, she was killing cats for her kits that were forcing her too. So mapleshade has a love in her heart and loyalty for her kits. And Oakstar is stupid ofc because instead he could give mercy to Maplshade since she was fooling around with Appledusk who is a villian in the whole story. But Maplshades kills,dis loyalty did made her go to dark forest were her kits were not there
I 100% AGREE WITH WHAT YOUR SAYING, like why didn’t Graystripe get banished then? ON TOP OF IT GRAYSTRIPE’S KITS ACTUALLY SURVIVED! MAPLESHADE’S DIED! Mapleshade deeply loved her kits, and Appledusk shouldn’t have lied. Oakstar shouldn’t have exiled Mapleshade and her kits either. Feathertail, Stormfur, Hollyleaf, Lionblaze and Jayfeather weren’t exiled and they are all halfclan! Very unfair for Mapleshade and even Graystripe didn’t get banished!
I think Mapleshade is in between a little, because when Mapleshade fell in love with Appldusk, she had kits and Graystripe also fell in love with a RiverClan warrior, Silverstream, and she had kits and brought them to ThunderClan. After Graystripe brought them to ThunderClan, he wasnt exiled or even really punished. When he tried to join RiverClan, HE WAS ACCEPTED AND MAPLESHADE WASNT! Graystripe was even accepted back into ThunderClan! In my opinion, Mapleshade was treated unfairly but she is still a villain, because she killed all those cats, but for a reason. I think Oakstar is the main villain. He shouldnt have banished Mapleshade for that. Also because he banished Mapleshade, her kits drowned. But also Appledusk should have just told her the truth, and if he did, her kits wouldnt have drown because she wouldnt have tried to bring them to RiverClan (probably). I think the villains are partly Mapleshade and Oakstar.