Note: I do not condone Mapleshade’s actions AT ALL. Grief isn’t an excuse to kill people. While I hate cheaters, Appledusk didn’t need to die. I love Mapleshade but I don’t condone her actions.

Mapleshade and Ravenwing were born to Deerdapple and Oatspeckle. She was born during leaf-fall, and maple leaves and raven feather had lined the nest during her kitting. She had other two littermates that were stillborn. She and Raven were spoiled by her parents as a result.

She loved training under Bloomheart and was a model apprentice. She had a fierce rivalry with Frecklepaw. Birchpaw often had to break up the fights. During this time, she met Applepaw and Reedpaw at a gathering. She latched onto Applepaw instantly. She also gained a sister when Deerdapple gave birth to Doekit.

Oakstar made Mapleshade a warrior pretty early, when Frecklewish and Birchface got their names.

The events in Mapleshade’s vengeance occur like normal except more interactions with her mother, Mapleshade and Frecklewish becoming mates, and the rising tension between Mapleshade and Ravenwing. Mapleshade starts to see her kits as tools somewhat to rein in Appledusk.

During her exile, Mapleshade isn’t stupid with crossing the river. The Floodwatchers practice was dying out and she had no idea it was going to flood. Patchkit is the only one to make it. She takes Patchkit to the barn and stays for a while with Myler.

Mapleshade wants revenge and the “calling” of her kits start. She kills Ravenwing for betraying his kin.

What Mapleshade doesn’t know is that Petalkit lived because Doepaw managed to save her against Frecklewish orders. Doepaw begs Ravenwing to help her and he begrudgingly does. Deerdapple and Doepaw take care of Petalkit. Petal trains as a Thunderclan warrior but is constantly harassed for being half-clan.

Mapleshade kills Frecklewish who was Petalpaw’s mentor which causes some cats to blame Petalpaw for the murder. She is banned from gatherings and is a prisoner in her own camp.

Patch after training under Mapleshade goes to Thunderclan and is recognized by Ravenwing and Deerdapple. He is allowed into the clan and has the name Patchshade. He gets close with his sister, Petaldusk and is one of the only cats who talks to her. Patchshade keeps some eyes on Nettlebreeze, knowing that he helped his mother live.

Patch and Petal were in a constant brawls with their half siblings Applefrost and Willownose, shyheart was soft and was kind to them. Patchshade took Deerdapple, Petaldusk, and Doefeather to see Mapleshade. Mapleshade has become an unknown terror in the clans for attacking cats at night. She is mates with Myler. (Maple gets spayed). She was overjoyed to see that her daughter was alive. Deerdapple had a few choice words for Mapleshade, she figured Maple killed Raven and Freckle. Petaldusk had her own two cents for Frecklewish’s death while Doepaw was just happy to see her big sister.

Oakstar needed an heir since both his kits were dead. He took Petaldusk as a rather unwilling mate and had Pinekit. Patchshade and Nettlebreeze got together (more like Patch kinda manipulated Nettlebreeze during his grief over Dawnfeather dying) and had Rookkit through a surrogate (sired by both toms through Starclan’s magic). Rook took the brunt of the insults about Mapleshade while Pine didn’t since he was the leader’s kit.

Mapleshade has died at this point from killing Appledusk and Perchclaw killing her like he did in the book (biting/clawing the back of her neck <- that’s how she died, her throat WAS NOT CLAWED OUT)

Patchshade wanted to help Petaldusk since he was furious at Oakstar and it gave the chance for Doefeather to become leader since Pinekit was too young and sickly. Patchshade had killed Bloomheart for his “betrayal” of Mapleshade. Patchshade felt powerful so he and Petal came up with the plan to kill Oakstar.

They settled on using deathberries since full on attack wouldn’t work. Patchshade would sneak them away from Cloudberry or find them himself. Oakstar kept both cats on a tight leash mostly Petaldusk and had her eat most if not all of her meals with him. Petaldusk took the time to plant the deathberries. She would avoid the seeds and kept yarrow around if needed. Oakstar slowly lost the rest of his lives and since Pine was too young, Doefeather became Doestar.

Petaldusk died from greencough and Patchshade died fighting against Applefrost. Both earned their spot in the dark forest along with their mother. They were there to give Pinestar a life.

Petaldusk, Larchkit, and Patchshade were reincarnated as Stonestorm, Mistyfoot, and Mossthorn. Bluestar is very aware of this fact as is Mapleshade.

Goosefeather became aware of his lineage to Mapleshade when he talked with Rooktail.

Patchshade is Mistyfoot. They started saying “Mapleshade is the best mom ever” Both Stormjaw and Bluemoon knew who she was talking about.

Larchkit is Mossthorn. Moss had a fear of water for the longest time say “they didn’t want to drown like last time”. It freaked everyone but Bluemoon out.

Petaldusk is Stonestorm. Was very uncomfortable around Tiger for a while but stopped during his last apprenticeship but never let his guard down.

The cats can/could talk with their past lives. Reincarnations have a mark from where their past life died. Only Mistyfoot has a mark since Patch’s death was the only physical one while Stonestorm and Mossthorn had/have cough issues.

Here’s Mistyfoot and Patchshade:

(Warning: old)

I’ve been wanting to do this shit for ages now.

I’ve always loved Mapleshade back when I first read about her in Crookedstar’s promise and she was amazing. Then I got Mapleshade’s vengeance and...I don’t like it. I’m on the wagon that Mapleshade should’ve had a super edition.

I want there to be more dark forest cats and have them have personalities and stories. So I’m going to do that with the current dark forest cats: ones that have been said in canon and ocs of my own design.

I have my own headcanons about these cats and the lore of the dark forest and Starclan in general so let’s get it started.

My rewrite:

Mapleshade’s story from her novella doesn’t change apart from two factors: Patchkit lives and the ending. She still gets injured by Perchpaw and makes it back to Myler’s barn but she lives by the help of the twolegs.

Mapleshade:

She helps raise foster kits.

The Twolegs call her Patches and she had a pick collar.

She’s bisexual. Her and Frecklewish were mates before the secret was spilled.

Her and Ravenwing are siblings. Oatspeckle is their father and their mother is Shadesong (oc) who died to a fox.

She felt absolutely betrayed when her clan casted her out but even more so when it was Ravenwing who exposed her. 

Ironically Ravenwing had a maple leaf as his flower. Mapleshade shredded it when she killed him.

It hurt Mapleshade to kill her brother and ex-mate but her bloodlust won in the end.

She and Myler become mates and have a kit named Rook. Mapleshade trains Rook alongside his brother Patch. She tells them both what she did, held nothing back and was very blunt.

Myler is completely aware of what is happening around him but he gave up on trying to make Mapleshade stop. She doesn’t make him do anything he doesn’t want to do so that’s a plus. Mapleshade truly loves Myler, he’s a better mate than Appledusk (applefuck in her words).

Mapleshade becomes a terror of the clans, killing cats and causing all sorts of mayhem she can.

She and Myler had three more litters of kits who helped lead The Bloodlust with Patchshade.

Mapleshade killed Oakstar twice.

She earned her place and the dark forest and she knew it. What made it better was that Oakstar was there as well.

She and Sparrowfeather are close and are mates. She goes to see Myler who resides where Kittypets usually go.

She became known as ‘The Dark Mother’ among Thunderclan. She punishes bad parents like Stormtail and Rainstorm (flower).

She haunts Appledusk’s line. She was mostly a mother to Stormstar. She still made him promise but did ultimately care for him like a son.

She went for Bluestar instead. She started training Bluestar the night her mother died and hasn’t left her alone since.

She also haunts Oakstar’s line through Tiger-roar and Nightshade.

Rooktail:

Rook is non-binary

The twolegs called him Blacky and he had a blue collar.

Rook wants to hear more so they leave to join Thunderclan with their families blessing. They join Thunderclan around when Pinestar was an apprentice.

Rookpaw gets guilted for not being clan born but Daisypaw stuck up for them. Rookpaw ends up talking and over hearing things about Mapleshade. They but in and says “maybe Mapleshade deserved it but the kits were innocent right?” Oakstar laughed and said they deserved the death they got.

It set something off in Rookpaw and they snuck away one night to see their family.

Rookpaw comes to their parents and brother about what Oakstar said and it sets Mapleshade and Patchshade off. Mapleshade told Rookpaw that Oakstar’s demise will come but pathetic was needed, she also said not to worry you’ll get your chance to kill but let your mother and big brother handle it for now.

Rookpaw worked hard and earned the name Rooktail. They and Daisytoe became mates not long after.

Rooktail knew Oakstar’s time was coming to a close. So Mapleshade called on them and Patchshade.

Rooktail took Oakstar out hunting when Oakstar’s back was turned they struck. They may have trained but the old tom managed to get the upper paw. Thankfully Patchshade and Mapleshade were waiting in case this happened. Mapleshade had pinned Oakstar down and Rooktail took one of his lives. When Oakstar came back, he and Mapleshade fought and died to each other’s claws. Mapleshade’s dying wish was for her kits to take her body back to the barn to bury her and not to leave her body for Thunderclan cats to find.

After Rooktail brought Oakstar’s body back to camp and made up a story, they made it back to the farm for Mapleshade’s burial.

They lived the rest of their life bloodfree. Being a great mate and father to their kits. They would scold Stormpaw harshly when he made fun of Goosepaw.

They died to greencough. They surprisingly went to Starclan.

They bring Larchkit and Petalkit to see their mother and brother. Their’s kind of an outcast in Starclan for being close to a serial killer but they don’t really care.

Patchshade:

The twolegs called him Patch jr. He had a yellow collar.

The kits Mapleshade raised lead by Patch who renamed himself to Patchshade form a group called ‘The Bloodlust’.

They helped rike havoc on the clans. This continued even after Mapleshade and Patchshade’s death.

Patch is gay as hell. He became mates with a tom named Joel and they were the power couple of ‘The Bloodlust’. Had and adopted a lot of kits.

Is a momma’s boy

Patchshade killed Oakstar once.

The Bloodlust now live in Twolegplace and are Bloodclan’s biggest rivals. (Crystal (jake’s mom) came from this group, Jake lives in this group currently under the name of Frost.

Patchshade died fighting Perchdusk (adult Perchpaw) and Applefrost. Taking them with him.

He was the one to truly mess with Stormstar’s head. It was mostly without Mapleshade’s knowing

Here’s Rooktail bringing Larchkit and Petalkit to see Mapleshade and Patchshade.