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

Mapleshade: Cool or Corrupt? by Rockpelt

Rockpelt takes a look at the infamous ThunderClan member, Mapleshade.

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I’ve decided to give my take on a highly debated subject in the warriors series. Was Mapleshade wrong? I don’t mean she did some bad stuff. I mean was she evil? Was she corrupt? Today I’m going to prove without a shadow of a doubt that…
Yes.
Mapleshade was absolutely wrong and had no excuse.
I’m going to start with a question. (Feel free to answer in the comments.) What is the value of a life? Furthermore can we define the value of a life? Keep that in mind as we continue.
In Mapleshade’s Vengeance (Spoilers) Oakstar tragically loses his son. Desperate, he finds out that Mapleshade is pregnant. That doesn’t seem big, but Mapleshade deliberately lets the clan believe that these are Oakstar’s son’s kits. (Page 16) She is trying to stop the clan from discovering that these are her and Appledusk’s kits. When Oakstar discovers that these kits were the sons of Appledusk he exiles Mapleshade from the clan. People argue that Oakstar had selfishreasonsons for exiling Mapleshade, but think of it in Oakstar’s perspective. You just lost your son. You’re deep in grief when you get word that your son will survive through a she-cat.
Then you learn that this she-cat betrayed and lied to you, dishonoring your late son. She also committed treason against the clans. So you banish her.
I do agree that Oakstar acted harshly, (especially against the kits.) but Oakstar isn’t the one who had selfish motives. Mapleshade is the one who lied. Mapleshade is the one who dishonored her dead friend in order to protect her image.
Let’s get into the details of how she was discovered. The medicine cat Ravenwing got an omen from Starclan warning him. He, as his duty calls him to, told the clan leader about it. I can understand, partially, why people blame Frecklewish and Appledusk, but under no circumstances was Ravenwing in the wrong for doing his job that he swore to do on his life.
Mapleshade then goes on to try to swim across a flooded river with her kits. Frecklewish was there and she was so shocked she wasn’t able to do anything. Appledusk was there as well, and he tried to help, but it was too late. All three of her kits died.
When she was led back to camp her mate (who was obviously grieving as I discussed in another one of my articles.) She was cast away by the Riverclan leader. She then murdered Ravenwing, Frecklewish, and Appledusk to aveng each of her kits.
Appledusk has another mate by then who has kits. After Mapleshade dies of an injury, done in self defense, she vows to haunt the descendants of Appledusk’s kits.
She does just that by killing many of Crookedstar’s family.
Are you really arguing that Mapleshade was right to deprive another cat of life? The other cats didn’t intentionally kill her kits. (They should have been punished, but not killed.) She purposely destroyed another cat’s life.
Some say that success is leaving the world better than you found it. Mapleshade failed in nearly every aspect.
She lied to her classmates and dishonored a dead clanmate.
That cannot be excused.
She committed treason and betrayed her closest friends.
That cannot be excused.
She left Thunderclan grieving with the deaths of multiple clanmates.
That cannot be excused.
She haunted innocent cats and had them killed, because of debts their ancestors committed.
That cannot be excused.
I’m passionate about this subject. Do I think Mapleshade can change? Yes! She absolutely can, but her past is dark. She deserves the Dark Forest, at least until she pulls herself together and starts thinking straight.
If you disagree or whatever leave a comment! I’m always down for debate! Goodbye!

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