Mapleclaw yawned and blinked slowly, the morning was bright and sunny. She looked down to notice her kits missing, she poked her head out of the nursery to see the three kits bouncing around. It had been almost two moons since the kits were born and they were growing fast, Mapleclaw felt a surge of pride as she watched blazekit playing carefully with his sisters. Two more kits had been born in the past moon to Mintfern and Thislefang, the two were much smaller but very aggressive towards tawnykit. Mapleclaw noticed blazekit was standing between them and his two sisters, she managed to catch what they were saying.
"Awww does little tiny need her bigger brother to protect her," sneered Applekit, his brother was just as bad.
"Yeah does little tiny need her bigger brother to protect her pathetic," sneered Branchkit, Mapleclaw was about to go to her kits rescue when blazekit stepped forwards.
"Says the youngest kits in the nursery, we will be warriors before you now stop teasing my sisters or your going to regret it," Blazekit spat, applekit and branchkit turned and ran back into the nursery. Mapleclaw padded over to her three kits, she felt proud of blazekit.
"You were very braves to protect your sisters against the two mean kits and I know that one day you will make a great leader," Mapleclaw purred, Blazekits eyes were wide with pride and joy.
"It's not right to tease others unless it is playfully but those two never play properly," Blazekit meowed, Mapleclaw gave him a lick between his ears.
"Always trust your heart instead of your head or you could end up doing bad things," Mapleclaw meowed now serious, blazekit nodded his eyes filled with confidence.
"I will make you proud mama," Blazekit squeaked, Mapleclaw purred.
"I know you will now go play," Mapleclaw meowed nudging her kits, the three ran towards the hunting stones. She puffed out her fur at how strong blazekit was, but a twinge of guilt stabbed at her as the way tawnykit walked looked more like a riverclan cat like her father. The clan guessed it was because she was so tiny and her bones were more for that of swimming but the clan thought of it as weak and not formed, Mapleclaw wished the kits father had been Oakclaw but she could not rewind time and change history. Leafheart padded over, her face filled with fury.
"Mapleclaw a word please," she half hissed half demanded, Mapleclaw followed worriedly.
"What is it?" She questioned as they arrived in Leafhearts den, Leafheart turned her tail lashing.
"Why did you not tell me that those kits were half riverclan!" She spat, her eyes burned into Mapleclaw like fire.
"I-I was going to tell the clan but......" Mapleclaw began but she was cut off, Leafheart unsheathed her claws.
"No you weren't I am going to tell Viperstar about this and you can't stop me traitor!" Leafheart spat, Mapleclaw was shocked and quickly gathered her kits together incase. Viperstar came out his fur bristling, his eyes burned into Mapleclaw like claws swiping across her fur.
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around to hear my words, we have a traitorous cat amounts us, Mapleclaw did not have kits with Oakclaw like we thought, she had kits with a cat who killed him, Reedpelt, this is why tawnykit walks the way she walks and why blazekit looks so alike to Reedpelt, I hereby banish her and her kits from Thunderclan forever!" Viperstar yowled, Mapleclaw looked around at all the faces filled with horror. She instantly grabbed her kits and padded quickly out of camp, she went straight towards the riverclan border hoping to see, refuge there. Mapleclaw saw the stepping stones and crossed one by one with her kits, soon they were all across and rushing as quickly as they could go towards a solid patch of ground. She set tawnykit down and let them rest, she heard rustling and out came three riverclan cats.
"Why are you on our territory?" A dark brown tom asked, his head tilted when he saw the kits.
"I got exiled from Thunderclan and I couldn't leave my kits they would have died," Mapleclaw meowed her voice shaky, the tom sniffed the kits.
"We shall take you to our camp but no promises you can stay," the tom meowed picking up one of the kits, the other two cats grabbed the last two and lead her towards riverclan camp. When they got there most cats looked confused, all except for Reedpelt who looked angry and shocked.
"Why have you brought this Thunderclan queen and her kits here?" Lakestar questioned his gaze steady, the three cats placed the kits down.
"She was exiled from her clan for reasons we do not know," the brown tom meowed, Lakestar thought for a moment.
"Why were you exiled and do not lie to me," Lakestar half demanded half asked, Mapleclaw knew she had no choice.
"I was exiled for having half clan kits, their father is Reedpelt you can tell by Whisperkits fur," Mapleclaw meowed, gasps of shock spread through the clan. All cats turned to Reedpelt who looked furious, his mate had moved away from him with her kits.
"Reedpelt you have some explaining to do," Lakestar meowed his voice cold, Reedpelt instantly looked innocent.
"It's not my fault she kept going to our border of a night, she insisted we keep meeting and I had to get rid of her somehow but when she said she was having kits I knew they were mine but I hated the fact they came from that, and the fact they are halfclan," Reedpelt spat looking at Mapleclaw, her faced changed to that of horror.
"You shall have to prove yourself worthy of being in my clan again Reedpelt, as for you, you are not welcome here, leave with your kits and never return," Lakestar hissed, a few warriors came and picked up her kits and escorted her to the windclan border before leaving them. Mapleclaw was furious, Blazekits eyes were filled with fear and sadness. Mapleclaw grabbed Tawnykit and lead the way through windclan territory, thankfully they met no windclan cats as they arrived at the barn where rouges usually lived. She went through the slightly opened door into the abandoned barn, she let her kits rest on the hay as they needed sleep. She lay down and curled around them, she forced herself not to cry as she fell asleep.