Yes, I have returned at long last. This chapter took me two day to start and finish, and I'm very proud of that. Mistakes are probably many in number, and if you could tell me about them if you find them, I'd be very grateful. ^^
In this chapter, the vixen will be introduced. I hope you like her as much as I do!
Thoughts should be in italics, but they might not be. It didn't play fair when I first uploaded it....
The course of true love never did run smooth. - William Shakesphere
First Impressions
A young vixen pushed her way through the heather, nudging aside the golden fronds as she silently crept along. She paused, swiveling her ears forward and back vigilantly. When sure she hadn't been spotted, she continued on leisurely. The sun was just peaking over the rise of the moor when she spied the trees across the stream.
Blood dribbled out of the sides of her jaws, sticking in the fur on her chin and around her muzzle. The rabbit, still warm, tapped gently against her chest as she padded along. Its thick fur and blood made it difficult to smell, so she set it down, raising her head to inhale deeply. A blast of wind buffeted her, bringing with it a strong scent of cats.
When she was once again sure there were no cats around, she picked up her rabbit. The marshy ground squelched between her toes. Mud clumped in her dark leg fur and she shook it off impatiently. The water lapped against the shore, splashing softly. Besides the wind and the rustle of the heather, there was no sound on the moor.
The fox clambered onto a dead log, holding her tail high to retain her balance as she strode gracefully across to avoid the wet dirt and grass. She leapt down and increased her speed to a trot until she reached the stream. She dipped a paw into the slow moving water and shivered.
The last thing she wanted to do was go splashing into the cold water, which seemed especially cold so early in the morning. But she had her reasons for what she was doing, and nothing was going to deter her from succeeding. Clenching her jaw determinedly, she waded into the water and quickly swam to the other side, shaking furiously to rid her pelt of water.
Sniffing along the border, she found a patch of moss that was soaked with the pungent odor of cat scent marks. Wrinkling her nose with a huff, she pushed her shoulder into the mark and rolled over it. When she was sufficiently covered and her eyes watered from the over-powering scent that would hopefully disguise her own heady smell, she loped into the brush with purpose. She was a fox on a mission.
"Hey, Brambleclaw?"
Shadowheart yawned tiredly, glancing up as Thornclaw spoke. Mousewhisker bummed into his tail, and mumbled an apology. Shadowheart shook his head and blinked rapidly to clear his sleep blurred vision. He hadn't gotten any sleep again last night. Guilt does that to a cat.
Dew clung to his pelt, a thick morning miss stifling the sounds and scents of the forest.
Brambleclaw answered the senior warrior without looking back; he kept his eyes and ears forward watchfully.
"Yes, Thornclaw?"
"Mind if we hunt? I didn't get a chance to eat before we left." Thornclaws' belly rumbled noisily as though to back up his words.
The rising sun broke through the leaves and shone brightly in Shadowhearts' bright amber eyes. He winced and ducked out of the beam, slinking around the brown warrior and trembling as cold dewdrops fell from the disturbed leaves of a fern onto the thinner fur of his shoulders. Shadowheart curled his lip; how he detested dawn patrol…
Mousewhisker padded past him, snuffling under a bush, then looked up pleadingly at the dark striped deputy. Shadowhearts' belly echoed Thornclaws' grumbling, protesting its emptiness insistently. 'I should've grabbed a mouse before we left,' he mused.
Brambleclaw kinked his tail in thought, and then meowed, "Alright. You two can hunt if you like." He nodded at Mousewhisker and Thornclaw in indication. He looked at Shadowheart. "Shadowheart? Shadowheart?"
The golden and black tom was now lost in thought:
'I wonder what happened to that fox. Aw, whatever. It can rot for all I care! Hmm…I'm hungry…I really hate the dawn patrol. I need more sleep. I wonder why the sky is blue. Why can't I think straight? Why is Brambleclaw staring at me?'
"SHADOWHEART!"
"Huh?" mewed Shadowheart dumbly.
Brambleclaw sighed and gave him a heated amber glare.
"Will you pay attention? You come with me and we'll renew the border with ShadowClan. Okay?" When the younger tom nodded, yawning again, he added reprovingly, "And do try to stay awake, hmm? I know the dawn patrol isn't very exciting, but some cat has to do it."
"Uh huh," mumbled Shadowheart, trotting obediently after Brambleclaw. He shot a look over his shoulder at Thornclaw and Mousewhisker. The younger of the two twitched his whiskers with amusement while the brown senior warrior turned away and disappeared behind a bramble bush.
Shadowheart flicked his tail resentfully, breaking into a sprint when Brambleclaw began to run. 'Pushy furball,' he thought crossly, his paws thudding loudly as he caught up with the deputy. He longed to stop and catch a plump squirrel or a juicy vole. It wasn't fair that he was stuck marking borders while Mousewhisker got to stuff his fat face.
Ahead of him, Brambleclaw was pacing along the ShadowClan border, raising his tail to spray his scent on a tree and sniffing occasionally for signs of any crossings.
Shadowheart sat and watched him irately, tail tip rustling against the dry pine needles. 'Hurry up!' he thought, urging Brambleclaw on silently; he could help, but he was tired. 'I want to hunt!' His belly snarled in agreement, and he winced at the ache that was developing. He had gone too long without eating again.
"Psst!"
Shadowheart flicked his ears back towards the sudden hiss, whipping her head around. Listening intently for a few moments, he slowly turned to face the border, where Brambleclaw had finished marking and was wandering farther away to check the corner of their territory.
"Hey! Little cat! Over here!"
The yew bush to his left rustled loudly, and Shadowheart started badly, jumping to his snowy white paws, his hackles raised.
"Who's there!?" he snarled distrustfully, flattening his ears. He pushed his way through the yew bush and yowled in surprise when he bumped noses with the long, dark muzzle of the vixen he had set free the day before. He backpedaled frantically, slipping on the damp grass and falling flat on his tail. His heart pounding loudly, he stared wide-eyed at the fox.
"What are you doing here?!" he meowed.
"Is everything alright?" Brambleclaw called from a short distance away.
Shadowheart was about to call him over, when he abruptly realized that if the deputy found him here with this talking fox, he could get in a lot of trouble, especially if the vixen couldn't keep her mouth shut about the previous afternoon's incident.
"Uh, everything's fine, Brambleclaw," he replied hesitantly. It most certainly was not fine! This was awful! Protecting a mangy fox! He would never live this moment down.
"Hi, little cat!" the vixen barked cheerfully.
She seemed startled when he unexpectedly barreled into her, shoving her back into the cover of the shrubs. He caught a whiff of cat scent, and figured she had probably rolled in ThunderClan urine to mask her stench.
"Are you completely insane!? Beat it, fox! I told you not to come back. What are you doing in my territory? You promised you'd leave!" He was so angry he couldn't see straight. This is what he got for trusting a fox.
"Calm down, little cat," she growled soothingly. She sat down, smoothing her ruffled fur with her long tongue. "I never properly thanked you for saving my life," she explained, "so I got you a gift." She turned her head and grasped the rabbit that had been hidden under her bushy tail. She tossed her head, throwing it to Shadowheart, who was keeping a fair distance between them.
The rabbit thudded at his feet, its brownish fur glittering with morning dew. He curled his lip disdainfully. Though the fox had successfully hidden her own scent with cat markings, the rabbit still reeked of fox and he stepped away from it.
"I don't care," he hissed callously. "Get out of here before I rip your fur off. I'll be in enough trouble if any cat finds out I let you go."
The vixen didn't seem at all bothered by his hateful tone. She bared her teeth in a foxy grin. "Oh, don't get your tail in a twist, little cat. I'm not going to hurt you or any of your kitty friends."
"Right, I'm really going to trust a lying, crow-food eating fox." Shadowheart meowed contemptuously. "Keep your rabbit." He nudged the prey aside with disgust. "I can't very well bring back fresh-kill that reeks of fox anyway."
The foxes' ears drooped in disappointment. Her eyes sad, she murmured, "Oh… I see. Well, I just wanted to thank you in any case…I'll leave now." She seemed genuinely upset now that he wasn't going to accept her gift. His heart clenched pityingly, for the second time, despite the hatred that burned in his gut.
Shadowheart sighed and the vixen looked up at him. "Ok, ok, thanks for the rabbit. And…" he held his breath and forced out, "you're welcome."
Her tail thumped against the ground with pleasure.
"Now, get out of here, mange-pelt," he ordered witheringly.
The foxes' tail stopped wagging and she narrowed her eyes. "My name isn't 'mange-pelt', or 'piece of crow-food', you know. It's Kira."
"Good for you," Shadowheart growled. If this fox- Kira- didn't beat a fast retreat soon, he was going to lose it. "Now, go away."
"Alright, don't be so pushy." Kira rose to her paws and dipped her head respectfully at Shadowheart. "Thanks again."
"I get it, you're grateful!" Shadowheart snapped. "Hurry!" He could hear Brambleclaw approaching, and there was no possible way to explain this situation; he'd only be digging himself a hole with no escape. He'd be on apprentice duties for the rest of his life if any cat found out about Kira.
He shoved Kira back and she barked, "Wait, I didn't get your name!"
Without replying, Shadowheart bit her rear. He almost purred with delight when his fangs sank in deep and blood gushed into his mouth; he'd wanted to do that since he first met Kira.
"OUCH!" Kira cursed angrily and sped off, her claws tearing into the damp earth. "Alright, I'm going, I'm going! Bossy, fluffy-tailed hair-ball!" she spat over her shoulder.
Just as she vanished from view, Brambleclaw appeared, his tail fluffed out. "What's going on?" He took a deep breath and gasped. "Fox! And it's extremely fresh! Shadowheart, what happened?"
Realizing he must have looked panicky, Shadowheart tried to look nonchalant, willing his golden fur to lie flat. "Um…I-I caught this rabbit and, erm, I came across this fox scent," he meowed lamely. So much for nonchalant; his tail lashed uneasily and his voice shook badly.
The deputy sniffed the spot Kira had just been sitting in, his fur bristling. "The fox must have been here just moments before you caught that rabbit."
Shadowheart sighed in relief at his words; Brambleclaw didn't suspect him at all. "Probably," he agreed, nudging the rabbit that still had the scent of fox on it farther away. No need to incriminate himself by being stupid.
"We should follow it and make sure it's left our territory. We can't have a fox running amuck in ThunderClan, not with so many younger cats in camp."
"No!"
Brambleclaw stared at Shadowheart, shocked by his outburst. The gold and black tom looked away anxiously. "I mean," he stuttered, "I-I could track it, so you can finish the patrol."
The striped deputy continued to scrutinize him. Then, to Shadowhearts' great relief, he nodded slowly. "It'd be better if you didn't go alone…but, alright. Be very careful, though."
Relaxing a bit, Shadowheart mewed excitedly, "I promise I'll just see if sh-it has left. If not, I'll report it right away." He winced; he'd almost said "she", and it wouldn't be wise to sound so familiar with the fox he supposedly just stumbled across.
Brambleclaw dipped his head in acceptance and cautioned him again. "Keep your distance. You know how unpredictable foxes can be."
'Unpredictable; that's a rather accurate description,' Shadowheart thought. "No kidding…" he mumbled to himself.
"Report back to me or Firestar as soon as you find the fox," the tabby added.
Shadowheart returned his nod respectfully. "Yes, Brambleclaw.
Brambleclaw turned and raced off towards the spot where they'd left Mousewhisker and Thornclaw.
Shadowheart sighed loudly. "I can not believe I just covered up for a fox."
"I know what you mean. I can't believe it either!"
The golden and black tom jumped, his fur standing on end, with a frightened cry.
Kira grinned sheepishly at the young warrior when he whipped around to face her. "Oops. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
"I was not scared!" Shadowheart snarled defensively. Which was a lie, and they both knew it. He flushed beneath his pelt, ear flat and his whiskers twitching with embarrassment. "It's just not every day a fox pops out of nowhere and starts talking to you!" 'Or at least it shouldn't be everyday,' he thought pensively. 'That's working out like a dream.'
"I'm sure you weren't," agreed Kira; Shadowheart could tell she wasn't sure at all. And he didn't blame her. But being teased was not something he enjoyed, and it was made worse by the fact that this stubborn vixen would not leave!
Kira eyed him warmly, and again discomfort stole over him at how much she seemed to like him. It wasn't natural for a fox to be so calm around a cat, and frankly, her affection was disconcerting. He didn't understand her and that scared him. Fear, as it turned out, was not something he reacted well to. In fact, he had a tendency to overreact to things that scared him.
"Thanks for covering up for me, little cat."
And that nickname was getting really annoying.
"Right, whatever. Now, do me a favor and get out of my territory. And stay out, so I don't have to do this again. Ever," he added, lowering his head and looking away sulkily.
He was impressed with himself, actually. He rarely held his temper in check so well. Shadowheart told himself it was because he was tired and hungry.
"What's your name?" Kira asked as though he hadn't spoken.
Shadowheart sucked in a breath, reaching down deep for his last shred of patience. He was twitchy with agitation and guilt, and he really needed to be alone.
"If I tell you," he replied through clenched fangs, "will it make you leave any faster?"
The fox grinned again. "Possibly…"
'Don't claw her face off, don't claw her face off. It won't help; it will only make matters worse.' Shadowheart tried desperately to control his temper, squashing it down to the best of his abilities and telling himself it wasn't worth it, but he was about to snap. His head hurt and nightmarish images were flashing behind his eyes.
"It's Shadowheart. Now please, for StarClan's sake, leave."
The fox looked entirely too please with herself and the young tom dug his claws into the dirt to stop himself from leaping onto her back and clawing her to pieces.
As though she could sense his murderous desires and had decided that she'd pushed him far enough, she stood, barking, "Ok, ok. I'm going." She strode off into the trees, her tail waving amiably. "Bye, Shadow-kitty."
Hunger, anger, and exhaustion had finally taken its toll on his mind. Once Kira was out of ear-shot, Shadowheart let out a formidable yowl. He vented all of his rage out in the loud call, raking his claws down a tree truck. He yowled and slashed the bark, imagining he was rending fox-flesh, until his paws and throat ached
Spent, he collapsed in a heap, cursing himself and the monster that had caused him all this pain.
He rose shakily to his paws. Disregarding the rabbit, he stalked off towards the camp, going slowing to ensure he would have enough time to compose himself. And, hopefully to fool Brambleclaw into thinking he had really tracked a monster half-way across their territory.
Upon entering the camp, the first thing Shadowheart saw was the fresh-kill pile. The prey, only just caught that morning, was still warm, and the delicious scents wafted across the clearing, making Shadowhearts' head swim. He was so hungry, he completely forgot about reporting to Firestar. He also failed to notice that the clan had gathered beneath High Ledge, where Firestar stood in all his fiery glory.
He made a beeline for the fresh-kill, mouth watering as his eyes locked on a fat squirrel that was practically calling his name.
On the edge of his hearing, he heard Brambleclaw speaking to some cat, and the quiet murmuring of the other cats, but he paid them no heed. Swiping the squirrel from the pile, he immediately sank into a crouch and tore into its warm flesh, groaning pleasurably as its blood filled his mouth.
He absently listened to Brambleclaw give his report, devouring his squirrel ravenously.
"- and I scented a faint trace of ShadowClan on our side of the border," the deputy was meowing. "I figured it was just an accidental crossing. It's happened before."
"Yes," Firestar replied. "Still, it'd be good to keep an eye on that border for a little while. Better safe than sorry."
Shadowheart listened without actually hearing much. Never had a squirrel tasted so good. It wiped his mind of all the unpleasant things that had happened recently, and he was grateful when his belly no longer yowled its' complaints.
"Oh, and we found fresh fox scent as well, not to far from the border," Brambleclaw went on. "Shadowheart- oh, he's here."
Shadowheart purred, licking the last traces of blood from his whiskers and closing his eyes in contentment. He could really use a nap now.
A full belly, lack of sleep, and the warm sun on his pelt made it almost impossible to keep his eyes open, and he welcomed the drowsiness that relaxed his body.
"Shadowheart!"
The golden and black warrior closed his amber eyes tighter. 'Oh please,' he prayed wordlessly, 'please go away. Be a figment of my imagination. Please tell me I'm losing my mind. Don't make me get up. Please, please, plea-'
"Shadowheart! Come over here!"
With great difficultly, Shadowheart opened his eyes, stumbling to his paws and making his way wearily through the mass of cats. His paws dragged, his tail trailing in the dust.
He stared at Brambleclaw miserably, wanting nothing more than to lie down and have a nice, dreamless sleep. It was so rare that he desired sleep, and he wanted to indulge himself for once.
"Yes?" he muttered dully.
"Did the fox leave?" Firestar asked, and Shadowheart turned his head to look up at his leader.
"Yeah," Shadowheart meowed, exhaustion urging the lie on so that it rolled smoothly off his tongue. "It left. Into WindClan territory. It was probably passing through. Can I go now?"
Surprised by his bluntness, Firestar nodded. "Yes, you may. Thank you, Shadowheart."
To Brambleclaw, he mewed, "But we can't be sure if it left, so warn the patrols to be on alert for foxes too."
"Yes, Firestar."
Shadowheart needed no more dismissal than that. He padded to the warriors den as fast as his aching legs would allow, shoving aside his clan mates in his haste.
Curling up the first free nest he came across, he wrapped his tail over his nose and fell into a mercifully nightmare-free sleep. Kira, the talking fox, hadn't cross his mind once since returning to camp, which he would be eternally appreciative for later, when he discovered that she would be around a lot more than previously expected.
Litte foreboding for ya there ^^
Please let me know about any and all mistakes you find. I'd really appreciate it. And constructive critisim is also extremely welcome.
Hope you're enjoying the ride so far!
~SS