The Cat and the Fox

Chapter 24

            Another week or so had passed. Things were sort of getting better. The sun's rays of green-leaf were hot, baking the burrow and filling it with heat.

            It was obvious that Daisy wasn't over Sunshine's death. She constantly made sure that her kits were with her at all times. Just the slightest wandering away would result in consequences.

            Hazelnut hadn't been doing too well, but Meadow had comforted him. The two grew close to each other, and Meadow quickly replaced Sunshine.

            Stone still thought of why he had chosen to return. He felt ashamed, but he was beginning to regret becoming a fox again now. The only thing that had happened was death. It was a much different environment than when he had first arrived.

            "Why did you leave me, Lily?" he would whisper at night when the kits were asleep. It was too unbearable. He began to think of his past. Did Ivypaw have a mate and kits by now? How about Cottonpaw? There was no way of telling, but Stone knew they most likely had a better life than him.

            Stone sat near the den, watching his kits play. How did they overcome such sadness so fast? They were young. They still had a life ahead of them to make things better. Maybe that's why they were able to get over it.

            Some nights, Stone felt like slitting his throat, just to escape the horrors. Then he would remember his promise to Lily, and he would stop.

            "Hi, Hazelnut," Meadow said, brushing her tail against his pelt.

            Hazelnut smiled. "Hi, Meadow. Wanna play?"

            Meadow nodded and the two went into full on play-mode. What once made Stone smile, made him sigh. What he would give to be back in the old days with Lily, Daisy, and Arrow. There was so much more he would give just to be back in SnowClan, forgetting all of this.

            The clouds became gray overhead. The first storm of the summer. There was much more to come. Stone would bring the kits inside when it began to rain. Stone soon felt the first drop on his muzzle.

            "Inside!" he yowled. "It's raining!"

            His kits looked at him like he was crazy. "It's barely raining," Honey complained.

            "The first drop goes into a drizzle, then into a steady downpour, then into a full pour, then into hailing, then into a thunder storm!" he growled. "Inside, now!"

            His kits stared hopelessly at each other and then padded into the burrow. There was no point of playing in the burrow, so the kits stood, looking at each other.

            "Just sleep," Stone said. "You kits don't get enough of it."

            Stone waited until the kits were asleep before he closed his eyes, falling asleep as well.      The crash of thunder awoke him. It was much darker now. It was probably nighttime. Stone groaned, tossing and turning, trying to get some sleep. He suddenly sniffed a familiar smell. A really familiar smell. Was it true? No, how could they have found him?

            But it was. He heard boots crashing against the mud. The hunters had found the foxes' territory! Stone gasped. Maybe they won't come here he thought. Maybe they'll just move on.

            That's when he heard the first yowl, followed by many others. His kits soon awoke, and he heard the first nearby scream. Chase stood up against her den, frightened. Rock stood too.

            "What's going on?" Honey whispered.

            "Hunters," Stone gasped. "We have to get out of here.

            Foxes began to evacuate their burrows. Stone couldn't look at the arrow pierced into Rock's side and Chase ran off into the woods.

            Another scream came. This time Daisy had been shot. Her kits screamed in terror. Their screams came short as Pebble was pierced as well, falling dead immediately. Rock was dead well. Daisy sat, dying.

            "Daisy!" Stone gasped, running over towards her. He gasped as an arrow pierced his foot, just like it had done so long ago.

            "DADDY!" Hazelnut screeched as an arrow went through him, killing him immediately.

            "Hazelnut!" Meadow screeched.

            "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!" Stone growled. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US, MOONSTAR?!"

            Suddenly it became quiet. Too quiet. He gasped as he glanced around. Frozen. That's what the world was. Everything was frozen in time. He saw a hunter, pointing his arrow at Meadow. He saw Daisy, her eyes still open, while a pool of blood sat beside her. He saw Rock's shape on the ground.

            "Hello?" Stone called. No one moved. Everything was still.

            He gasped as a white she-cat floated down from the sky, leaving a silver trail behind her. It was Icestar!

            "Icestar!" Stone gasped. "You found out! You came looking for me!"

            Icestar smiled. She looked small compared to Stone's large body frame. Stone smiled as he shrunk down, becoming Stonepaw once again.

            "I can't do this anymore," Stonepaw confessed. "I was wrong! Becoming a fox again was a nightmare!"

            Icestar smiled. "You're lucky I found out in time. Or else you might have already been in fox heaven, out of my reach."

            "What now?" Stonepaw asked.

            "Well do you want to continue being a fox?"

            Stonepaw shook his head. "No. I don't want to see them die. I don't want to see anyone die anymore."

            "That's what I thought," Icestar said. "To StarClan we will go."

            Stonepaw gazed at the injured foxes one last time, and then he was gone.