The Fox : Beginnings (Ongoing)

Chapter 7

The walls of the stone hollow were just barely visible over the thorn barrier and through the heavy snow. Rays of sun peeked cautiously around the trees, clouded out by the snowfall but still visible enough.

"Is that your camp?" Shadowpaw stuttered. His voice had grown weaker and weaker, but the slightest bit of warmth still seeped from his pelt into Foxpaw's. Foxpaw didn't answer him, only trudged onward.

Yowls erupted from the hollow, and cats began flooding through the thorn barrier.

"Foxpaw!"

"Where were you?"

"What happened?"

Then the questions that Foxpaw had been worrying about came. Briarpaw padded up beside her, running her tail along Foxpaw's side while casting an untrustworthy look at Shadowpaw.

"Who is he?" Briarpaw flicked Shadowpaw's frozen ear, flicking off a clump of snow.

Shadowpaw wearily lifted his head to meet the lithe she-cat's gaze. They filled with a type of awe Foxpaw didn't understand. "Are you a WindClan cat?" He mewed, his eyes wide.

Briarpaw looked appalled. "WindClan? Do I look like a WindClan cat to you?" She snarled, tail lashing and fur bristling. "If you hadn't brought my sister back, I'd've shredded you for that."

"Alright, alright." Foxpaw swished her tail around to keep the two apprentices apart. "Briarpaw, I know you were worried. Shadowpaw did save me, so how about we show him some ThunderClan hospitality?"

"Foxpaw's right. No cat that saves one of our apprentices shouldn't be treated with hospitality." Lionstar butted in, craning his neck to politely dip his head to Shadowpaw. "Stonefern," He added. "Foxpaw and Shadowpaw need your attention. And someone get this little tom some fresh-kill!"

Stonefern was out of the medicine den in an instant, but paused as he stood in front of Shadowpaw.

"What's a ShadowClan kit doing here?" The tabby tom stood stiff, his emerald green eyes staring in horror. "Get him out of here as soon as possible! Get this rat out of my sight!" He shouted, eyes wide with shock. His fur bristled and his claws slid out from his paws. "Foxpaw!" Stonefern thrust his head in front of her. "Why do you bring trouble everywhere you go? Into my den, now!"

All the cats of ThunderClan turned to Stonefern, who smoothed his fur and padded off to his den as if nothing had happened. Silence fell upon the hollow. A cold, crisp wind blew over the rim, but that was not the reason they had chills.

"What in the name of StarClan was that?" Foxpaw yowled angrily. "Shadowpaw saved my life! He's not a kit, he's an apprentice! And he fought a fox for me!" Outraged, Foxpaw tore at the earth with her claws unsheathed until she reached the damp soil that lay beneath the snow.

What right did he have to say that to Shadowpaw? Mouse-brained little...

Shadowpaw crouched to the ground, stiff and trembling. Oakfur and Sunmask immediately hurried towards him, and began licking him to warm him up and calm him down. The rest of the clan stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

Were they really going to kick out Shadowpaw because of this?

"Stonefern just had a long day," Oakfur soothed, stroking Shadowpaw's back to flatten his bristling fur. "I'm sure he didn't mean any of that."

"Yes, he isn't very friendly to other clans. I'm sure it's nothing personal." Sunmask wrapped herself around the startled tom before guiding him to the apprentice's den.

Foxpaw laid in the snow, waiting for someone to help her reach the medicine den. No cat had come to comfort her, though there was a branch through her flesh and she couldn't walk. Ridiculous. "Hello?" She called to her clanmates. "I'm still very very injured here."