Looking at Mapleshade’s Story Through Our Morals vs The Warrior Code by Miststream

Miststream takes a look at Mapleshade’s story from different angles.

I am going to examine the story of Mapleshade in two different perspectives. One thing that I always see is that people use our own sense of morality to come to a conclusion about Mapleshade’s story. Instead of doing just this today, I am going to also be looking at it through the lens of the warrior code.

First, using the warrior cats code of morals, the warrior code.
Oakstar: According to the warrior code, Oakstar did nothing wrong. He did not know that Mapleshade would take the kits across the river, so therefore he did not endanger kits. Also, the leader’s word is law, so he had every right to banish Mapleshade and her kits from Thunderclan.

Medicine cat: I think his name is Ravenwing so that’s what I’m going to call him lol. Ravenwing got a prophecy from Starclan and fulfilled his role as a medicine cat by telling Oakstar. He also was completely innocent.

Freckewish: She also did not break the warrior code. There was no wat she could have saved the kits anyway. She did not endanger kits.
Appledusk: His only crime was a forbidden relationship with Mapleshade. To the warrior cats he was on the moral high ground when he was cheating on Mapleshade because in their eyes he ended a forbidden relationship. He also tried to save the kits, therefore doing the opposite of endangering.

Mapleshade: Now Mapleshade is very guilty. She had a forbidden relationship and murdered three cats. She also endangered kits when she forced hers to cross the river.
Now I am going to use our morals.

Oakstar: He is somewhat guilty. It was wrong for him to banish the kits, but not Mapleshade. She broke an important rule and mislead him to think that her kits were also his dead son’s. He wasn’t awful.

Ravenwing: He’s pretty neutral in my opinion. Mapleshade would have been caught eventually and he just made her be discovered sooner.

Frecklewish: She was a jerk to Mapleshade’s kits, but besides that she is innocent. Once again there was no way for her to rescue the kits, and trying to would have been suicide.

Appledusk: He was a bad cat for cheating, but besides that he didn’t do much wrong. It was totally reasonable for him to blame their kits’ death on Mapleshade, because it was her fault.

Mapleshade: Mapleshade chose to have kits in a forbidden relationship and chose to mislead her clan mates. She murdered to practically innocent cats, and then attempted to murder a pregnant queen who had no idea Appledusk was cheating on Mapleshade with her. She also takes Appledusk’s apprentice hostage, and he was completely innocent, just like Reedshine. She is also responsible for the death of her kits, as she could have gone over the bridge. Yes she was hallucinating her kits, but that still does not justify murder.
Another thing I would like to add is that I like Mapleshade. This is not a Mapleshade hate article because I think people do her character a disservice by trying to make her look like a good guy. People will complain about how there are no female villains, but as soon as we get one they try to make her look innocent. Once again I am not a Mapleshade hater, I love her, but she is a villain, both by our standards and by the warrior cats’.