Old man Fox was once was a gentle young soul, he died saving children, he loved them so . . .
But the very next day, he came back and killed them
He comes for your fur, to wear like a coat, he comes for your paws, to wear on his own, he comes for your eyes, so blue and so white, he wears them on his neck, with a string made of tendon from your left hind
So beware the tale of Old man Fox, if you tell it once, he'll come for you twice, if you tell it again, he'll kill us all and that will be thrice . . .
Sparrow
"Foxes! So many foxes . . ."
I hurried over to the panting, blood-smeared, apprentice who had raced into camp, my clumsy kit paws taking me there in far more time than I wanted.
"Dappledpaw, are you alright?" I meowed, eying the apprentice's heaving chest.
Dappledpaw's tortoiseshell fur was drenched in sweat and her eyes were wild with fear.
My littermates, Eaglekit and Dovekit raced over, screeching to a stop when they saw the splayed out apprentice.
By this time, a crowd of warriors had gathered around the bloody apprentice and worried murmurs sounded among them.
Our mother, Larkbreeze hurried over, herding us into the nursery.
"Mama!" I protested, looking back to see Gentlewind, our medicine cat pushing through the crowd.
Despite her name, our medicine cat wasn't the easiest cat to get along with. Nor was she light with the sarcasm when annoyed.
The night sky twinkled with stars, as I crept towards the medicine cat den, murmurs drifting out on the cool breeze.
I flattened my ears as I heard Rushstar's voice and tip-toed forward, peering through the brambles.
"Tallwing, Jayheart and Willowbark haven't come back yet. I told the clan we would send a patrol out to look for them in the morning." Rushstar sounded weary, and she paced back and forth.
"Then we'll send out a patrol in the morning, Rushstar." Morningheart, the deputy, meowed, standing. "But, for now, get some rest. I'll send the first search patrol out at dawn. Hopefully we'll only need one patrol."
Pawsteps padded my way, passing my hiding spot and disappeared into the warriors den.
Finally, the night was silent again and I slipped back into the nursery, laying beside my brother and sister.
I would figure out what was going on tomorrow, with my litter-mates beside me ….