Fox (DotC)

"You sent them straight at me. Besides, you could have caught them yourself, you know."

— Fox to Petal, after catching mice in The Sun Trail, page 9 (Bonus Scene)

Fox (DotC)
The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation.
Affiliations
Current:	StarClan
Past:	Clear Sky's Camp, Rogue
Biographical information
Cause of death:	Killed by Gray Wing
Names
Name:	Fox Fox Fox Fox
Book appearances
Living	The Sun Trail
Living	The Sun Trail
Dead	Thunder Rising,The First Battle, A Forest Divided
Dead	Thunder Rising,The First Battle, A Forest Divided

Fox is a large brown tom with sharp yellow eyes.

History

In the Dawn of the Clans Arc

The Sun Trail

A badger kills Petal and Fox's mother, and they cower in front of it. As Petal warns the badger to stay away, Fox is at her side, fur bristling, and adds for it not to come back. Petal hears the tremor in his voice, and knows that his body shakes as violently as hers. Petal then asks what to do, and Fox turns and touches her ear with his nose, replying that they would look after themselves, but they would be fine. He turns his face away from the sight of his mother's corpse, and Petal notices that Fox was trying to sound braver than he feels. She then looks at him, noticing that he is smaller than the prey they needed to hunt, but sees how unprepared they are, and wonders what chance they have in the wild. Then, Petal and Fox begin to cover their mother with dead leaves, until she is completely covered.

Afterwards, Fox tells Petal to come, cleaning his claws, as they would go and hunt, not looking at Petal in the face. The latter notes that he sounded uncertain, but knows that he tries to help, and was doing his best, as they would have to survive on their own. Side by side, they pad through the forest, and Petal knows that Fox is frightened, no matter how hard he tries to hide his fear. Fox sniffs around the roots of an oak tree, but finds nothing, grumbling about their possibility of finding prey in the cold, and Petal notices that none of their prey was scared of them, as they were kits. He then sniffs the air, and claims that there were cats, eyes gleaming with excitement.

He states that they would be saved, as the cats would share their prey. Three cats are near the kits, and Fox greets them, skidding to a stop in front of them. When a gray-and-white she-cat asks the two about their purpose of being there, Petal notices Fox's fur starts to stand up on end, and wills for him to calm down. They then back away, and Fox asks why she didn't want them to stay, and Petal replies that she doesn't know. They turn away, and trudge on into the forest, and then a rustling is made in the undergrowth, making Fox tell his sister to look, and points with his tail.

However, the gray-and-white she-cat nears the two kits, and Fox creeps on for another paw step, before letting out a squeal as the older cat cuffs him around his ear. A tom flashes past them, and catches the squirrel, making Fox protest that it was their prey, but gets cuffed in the ears again. The she-cat pushes her face close to Fox's, and snarls that all the prey around was theirs, and the two cats leave, pleased to leave Fox and Petal with nothing to eat. Petal then tells Fox to come find somewhere else to hunt, as she did not want to let themselves starve. Fox questions about the older cat's hostility, bringing up the rear, and it is noted that all of his bravery has melted away. Petal replies that it didn't matter, as they had only themselves to rely on, and walk further into the forest.

He and Petal slide through the undergrowth, senses alert for prey scent. It is said that after many moons after their mother's death, they spent most of their time alone. When Petal spots two mice, she glances at Fox, who pads along at her shoulder, and signals for him to stay in position. As she hunts them, Petal believes they needed the prey, as they hadn't eaten in a period of time. It is noted that they came a long way since their days as orphans, and managed to survive alone. Occasionally, they join in a hunt with other cats, but mostly hunted alone, and Petal does not let them forget that Fox and herself had only themselves to rely on.

Petal then leaps toward the mice, making them scuttle straight at Fox, who slams down a paw at one, and grabs the other by the neck with his neck in a movement. Petal congratulates him, but Fox replies that she sent them toward him, and that she could have caught the mice herself. It is noted that Petal prefers to hunt by setting up the catch, and letting Fox kill the prey, as after their mother's death, and the gray-and-white she-cat's rejection of assistance, Petal believes she and Fox needed to work as a team.

Petal also is noted to prefer to work with her brother, believing it was better for him, while remembering his appearance when they left as hungry kits, and thinks it was important for them to work together. Petal informs Fox that it didn't matter, as they caught the mice, and Fox blinks at her affectionately, not pushing the matter. The two settle down, and eat their prey in quick bites. When Petal spots a robin, she mutters to Fox to stay in position, despite normally hunting as a team. As Petal chases the prey, Fox inquires about her doings, and Petal shakes her head at him quickly, making him silent.

Fox and Petal are seen by a silver tom and a white she-cat, and they begin to run, thinking they are being chased. They try to escape over the stepping stones, but Petal slips into the water. Fox is frantic as Petal struggles to swim, and is surprised when she is saved by the silver tom. Fox is wary around their former pursuers as they are helped back to shore, and the two cats reveal themselves as Clear Sky and Falling Feather. Fox and Falling Feather warm Petal up by lying on either side of her, and Petal is surprised at how easily Fox obeyed Clear Sky.

Clear Sky goes to hunt for Fox and Petal, and Fox tells him about a good place to find shrews. Fox points out Petal's hunting skills to Falling Feather, although Petal protests. Falling Feather is sympathetic when Fox reveals what happened to his and Petal's mother. Falling Feather then offers them to join Clear Sky's group, and Petal notices how Fox and Falling Feather are gazing at one another. Clear Sky then returns with prey, and Fox and Petal share a vole. Clear Sky and Falling Feather start persuading them to join their group, and Fox and Petal consider the offer. Fox is hesitant, but then he decides to join, asking for Petal's opinion. Petal agrees, and the four cats head into the forest, where Clear Sky's camp is.

Although not named, Gray Wing and Storm face Fox while rounding a bramble thicket. He asks him who was he, and states it was Clear Sky's place. Gray Wing informs him that Clear Sky was his brother, stating that they were on their way to visit him, and asks if that was a problem. Fox answers only if he made it one, and narrows his eyes. He adds that Clear Sky didn't like strange cats wandering around close to his camp. Gray Wing snaps that he wasn't a strange cat, but his brother. Fox narrows his eyes again, and tells him that just in case if he wasn't telling the truth, he would bring him to Clear Sky himself, and tells him not to even think about trying anything. He then beckons them with his tail, and leads them the way down a narrow track between ferns. The two cats follow Fox, until they emerge from the ferns, and into the sheltered hollow.

Fox stalks across the clearing, and then stands in front of Clear Sky. He announces that he had found Gray Wing and Storm on their way there, flicking his tail to the two cats, and adding that the tom said that he was his brother. Clear Sky confirms that he was, and as the two cats pad towards Clear Sky, Fox is noted to look disconcerted. Clear Sky then introduces Fox to Gray Wing and Storm, and as Gray Wing touches noses him him, Clear Sky adds that he decided to join them. Falling Feather also introduces his sister, Petal, to them, and her eyes shine as she gazes at Fox. When Jackdaw's Cry explains to Gray Wing how he failed to see his sister, Gray Wing states that he was sure it was just a misunderstanding, and remembers how Fox halted him on the way to his brother's new home.

When Gray Wing decides to visit Clear Sky once more, Fox and a white tom step out of the undergrowth and block his way. The tom asks him what he was doing there, and Gray Wing replies that he has come to visit Clear Sky. Fox puts in that he was Clear Sky's brother, but states that it didn't give him the right to hang around there anytime he felt like it. The white tom sneers that it was a good excuse, and he thinks he was there to steal their prey. Gray Wing asks him how was it their prey, and Fox snarls that Clear Sky didn't see it that way, sliding out his claws. He tells him that he thinks he should shove off, before they made him.

Before Fox and the tom can do so, Storm comes and greets Gray Wing. When Frost explains that Gray Wing was stealing their prey, Storm explains that he wasn't, and calls them a pair of crow-food-eating flea-brains. Fox protests that they were only doing their job, and Storm rolls her eyes, explaining to him that Gray Wing was Clear Sky's brother, and that Fox had met him before, as well as Petal. After finishing, she pushes past the two toms, and leads Gray Wing to Clear Sky. Gray Wing asks her why they were so hostile, and she replies that Clear Sky thinks it was important to build a strong community, and he believed part of that was keeping other cats away from the prey they hunted.

As Gray Wing explains to Clear Sky about Jackdaw's Cry's problem, he shrugs, stating that he knew Fox and Frost could be a bit too keen of guarding the boundaries, but it was the only way to keep cats safe. Clear Sky explains that he was trying to defend his new home, but Gray Wing states that he worries Clear Sky was creating divisions between the cats. Clear Sky insists that it wasn't true, and that Gray Wing was welcome to visit any time, and Gray Wing begins to say that he should tell Fox and Frost that. Gray Wing then follows the path to Clear Sky's camp, which was guarded by Fox. He draws back from Gray Wing as he appears, and Gray Wing is slightly disappointed, as he for once itched to sink his claws into some cat's fur.

After failing to chase a squirrel, Fox faces Gray Wing, neck fur bristling, and tail bushed out to twice its normal size. He calls Gray Wing a prey-stealer, but Gray Wing retorts that the prey wasn't his. Fox then informs him that it was Clear Sky's territory, taking a threatening pace forward, and adds that the prey belonged to him and his cats. When Clear Sky arrives, Fox leaps at Gray Wing, bowling over him, and cuts off his words. Fox pushes his face close to Gray Wing's, eyes glazed with fury, and teeth a paw-length from Gray Wing's throat. Gray Wing thrusts at Fox with his hind paws, but he notices that Fox was big and muscular, and he cannot free himself. He feels Fox's claws dig into his head, and slash across his forehead, which makes blood trickle into Gray Wing's eyes, and half blinds him.

Panic then throbs through Gray Wing, and he realizes that it was no light skirmish, and Fox meant to hurt him. He wonders if Clear Sky wanted Fox to tear him apart, and summoning all his strength, Gray Wing lashes out with his forepaws, and is unable to see more than a blur of Fox's pelt, which does not allow him to aim his strikes. He knows that he has to get Fox off him, and as he gathers all his strength, he strikes hard with one forepaw, which makes Fox let out a choking cry. Blood gushes over Gray Wing's paws, and the weight that pins him down suddenly vanishes. Gray Wing staggers to his paws, swipes blood out of his eyes, only to see Fox lying on his side among the debris of the forest floor. Blood pours from his throat over the dead leaves, and Gray Wing is sticky with it, and it clogs his paws where he dealt the blow. Fox then gives one last powerful kick with his hind legs, then is still.

Clear Sky bounds forward to stand over Fox's body, and turns a look of horror and accusation to Gray Wing, stating that he killed him. Gray Wing stammers that he didn't, but Clear Sky interrupts him, telling him that they were finished, as he had killed Fox when he was doing his job. After Clear Sky tells him that he no longer considered Gray Wing to be his brother, Gray Wing thinks that killing Fox was an accident, but Clear Sky would never believe him.

Afterwards, Storm tells Clear Sky that if he didn't throw his weight around, Fox would have been alive. After she leaves, Gray Wing apologizes that he was sorry about killing Fox, and he didn't mean to, but he attacked Gray Wing first. Clear Sky replies that he was doing his duty, turning to go. When he takes Thunder to Clear Sky, Frost, Petal, and a black-and-white tom halt him, and Petal states that he killed Fox. He remembers that Fox was Petal's brother, and can not blame her for her anger, and states that Clear Sky knew that.

Thunder Rising

After the fire, Gray Wing catches a furious glare from Petal, and assumes that she is still angered at his decision to kill Fox. When recalling Fox, Thunder remembers being told stories of how he attacked Gray Wing for trespassing, and how he was killed in self-defense by Gray Wing. While Petal fights Misty, Clear Sky explains to Thunder that when Petal and Fox were kits, Misty refused to give them help, and Petal never forgot. Clear Sky kills Misty when she did not give in. When Misty is killed, Clear Sky stares at her, and notes that Misty rejected her when she and Fox were kits. When recalling his fight with Fox, Gray Wing regrets killing him, but believes he had no choice when Fox attacked him.

The First Battle

During the battle at Fourtrees, Petal throws herself at Gray Wing, determined to avenge Fox. She tries to kill him, stating that he had no right to kill Fox, but fails as she is driven away by both Gray Wing and Thunder. As spirits rise from the bodies of the dead cats, Fox appears as a spirit alongside other cats that died during and before the battle.

A Forest Divided

In the prologue, Fox is seen in StarClan, crouching around River Ripple, with Petal and Frost.

Character Pixels

The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation. Kit Version Rogue Version Early Settler Version StarClan Version

Kin

Members

Mother:

Petal and Fox's Mother: Status unknown

Sister:

Petal: Status unknown

Tree

Unnamed ♀

Fox ♂

Petal ♀

    = Tom

    = She-cat

    = Gender unknown

Quotes

Gray Wing: "Who are you?"

Fox: "Who are you? This is Clear Sky's place."

^{The Sun Trail}

Fox: "He's Clear Sky's brother. But that doesn't give him the right to hang around here anytime he feels like it."

Frost: "Well, that's a good excuse. I think you've come to steal our prey."

^{The Sun Trail}

"All the prey is snug down their holes. How are we expected to catch anything when it's as cold as this?"

―Fox, checking the roots of an oak tree ^{The Sun Trail}

"That's for my brother, you murdering snake-heart! You had no right to kill Fox!"

―Petal fighting Gray Wing ^{The First Battle}