Fox (creature)

Foxes are medium sized, dog-like omnivores in the canine family that live in underground dens, in woodland and shrubland. They are one of the many enemies of cats.

Description

 * Foxes are not friendly, and in the Warriors series, they are mentioned to be harsh and cruel. Most foxes have bushy tails and straight, pointed ears. They are solitary, nocturnal animals, mainly active at twilight and at night. They have ginger or reddish-brown/auburn coats, with a white underside, white-tipped, bushy tails, black ears and legs, and golden eyes with vertical-slit pupils. Foxes have sharp teeth and a pointed muzzle, and a strong, unpleasant smell. Although they do not appear in the Original Arc more than once, they make regular appearances later. Foxes can live for 10 years in the wild, but most foxes live about 2 or 3 years due to road accidents, diseases, and the lack of prey in winter time..

Relation to Clan cats

 * Foxes are dangerous to cats. They are highly territorial, attacking other animals that step on their territory, so even if they don't eat cats, they will likely attack them on sight.


 * They are usually dealt with by being driven out by the Clan cats, episodes being described in several books. A strong and healthy cat can chase away a fox by him/herself, though it was mentioned that an adult fox can kill a cat.


 * Foxes play a major role in the Clan cats' life. Several cats are named Fox-, like Foxleap, Foxwhisker or Foxheart They have expressions pertaining to foxes, like fox-length, fox-hearted, or fox dung.

Relation to Twolegs

 * Foxes are troublesome creatures as they steal poultry from around Twoleg nests. Twolegs usually set up traps to catch and kill foxes. They can attack baby Twolegs and adult Twolegs. They also eat chickens, animals that Twolegs buy and feed to make them bigger and eat them or lay eggs. Foxes also will attack Twoleg pets, such as rabbits, guinea pigs and kittypets if they don't run or stay out of the fox's way. They are as much as a danger to Twolegs as they are to cats. Some are even made pets by Twolegs, though foxes aren't really good pets, as they are dangerous, wild animals.

Bluestar's Prophecy

 * Bluepaw tries to go into an active fox den because of grief for Moonflower, her mother, and how cats are forgetting about her, but is stopped by Sunfall. Bluepaw is chased by a fox, but it is stopped by a falling branch that was on fire. Her mentor, Sunfall, scolds her afterwards and gives her a lecture, that opens Bluepaw's eyes to the living world.

Firestar's Quest

 * Firestar and Sandstorm chase away a fox to protect a she-cat with kits, later revealed to be Clover.

Midnight

 * When the six questing cats confront Midnight, she mentions she can also speak fox, but all they talk about is killing.

Moonrise

 * The six questing cats are about to be attacked by a group of territorial foxes, but Midnight convinces them to leave the cats alone. One fox says that he had tasted cat before, and he liked it.

Starlight

 * When the Clans move from their forest home to the lake home due to Twoleg destruction, they find a place where the Clans stay until they find territory. Foxes show up at the Gathering place, but the warriors chase them off.

Twilight

 * Squirrelflight falls into the brambles. With a failed attempt to save her, Ashfur goes in as well. A fox shows up and nearly mauls the two of them, but a ThunderClan warrior, Brambleclaw, drives the fox off and saves the two.

Sunset

 * Although foxes do not appear, the fox traps set up on ThunderClan territory play a major role. In a Clan meeting, Daisy says that Twolegs use them to protect their sheep. While exploring, Berrykit is caught in one and loses half of his tail. Near the end of the book, Hawkfrost traps ThunderClan's noble leader, Firestar so that Brambleclaw could become leader. Brambleclaw saves his leader from almost losing a life.

The Sight

 * A dead fox is found on ThunderClan territory, and from the scent of it, ThunderClan realizes that it's a mother vixen. Firestar sends out patrols, but Hollykit, Lionkit, and Jaykit decide to join in and find the fox cubs. They end up getting chased, and Jaykit falls into the ThunderClan camp. The patrols get rid of the fox cubs.

The Fourth Apprentice

 * In Jayfeather's thoughts, it is revealed that Firestar had lost a life defending his territory from a fox that had trespassed on ThunderClan territory.

Night Whispers

 * After a fox is found in ThunderClan territory, four patrols fail to drive it away and Lionblaze decides to use his gift to fight the fox alone. He goes to Firestar with this idea, but is ordered to take Dovepaw along with him, so she can run for help if he needs it. Lionblaze sends the fox running for its life, and Yellowfang later tells Jayfeather that it is a sign that ThunderClan must stand alone against the Dark Forest.

The Forgotten Warrior

 * When Molepaw, Cherrypaw, Brightheart, Foxleap, and Rosepetal are having a training session, a fox attacks them, and they fight it off. It comes back, but a mysterious cat scares it away. The cat was later revealed to be Hollyleaf, one of ThunderClan's former warriors.

References and Citations
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