Chapter 18

There was no time to think. With a ferocious yowl, Foxpaw launched himself at the huge fox attacking his brother, his blood like fire in his veins. Not again! I'm not going to almost lose you again! The red-furred apprentice landed square on the fox's shoulders, digging his claws in deep. The fox let out a pain howl, instantly beginning to shake itself furiously.

Foxpaw couldn't hold on, his claws tearing free as he was shaken off, hitting the ground hard beside his brother, whose silver pelt was stained with red. "Don't worry, Hailpaw, I'll have this taken care of before you can say mouse." He stood again, barely noticing the pain in his shoulder as he did so. The fox crouched before him, snarling and snapping its jaws, as if taunting Foxpaw to attack. You asked for it. Again, the apprentice lunged forward, dodging quickly to the side as the fox retaliated. Flitting past it, Foxpaw raked his claws across its back leg, then bit down hard on the other before it could turn around. He was faintly aware of the fact that he had been cuffed by its wide paw more than once, and he knew that the blood in his eyes was his own, but he didn't care. Anything that dared to threaten his Clan—anything that dared to harm his brother—had to be taken care of.

Again, the fox shook him loose, but the apprentice was ready this time, twisting in the air and landing (albeit heavily) on his paws. The fox, seeming to sense that Foxpaw wasn't going to back down, immediately leapt after him, his fangs bared. Foxpaw curled his own lips into a snarl, darting to the side as the predator attacked. He didn't have time to get an attack of his own in, as the bigger animal whipped to the side, snagging Foxpaw's scruff between his teeth. With a growl, the fox began to shake the red-furred apprentice back and forth, like a kit would a piece of fresh-kill.

StarClan, no! Not like this! Foxpaw clenched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth against the pain. I won't let you harm my ClanMates! As he thought of them, he thought of his training—of the times when Brambleclaw would trick him in battle training using Fireheart's favorite move. Without wasting another moment, he forced himself to go completely limp, sagging in the fox's jaws. It was then that the large fox dropped the apprentice, and as it lunged forward close its fangs around Foxpaw's throat, he sprang forward, sinking his claws into the thick fur on either side of the fox's neck and burying his teeth into its throat. The red-furred tom couldn't breathe through the thick orange fur and blood, but he held on firmly until the fox fell limp on top of him.

"Hailpaw…!" Foxpaw scrabbled desperately at the ground, clawing his way out from beneath the dead fox. "Hailpaw…" He stumbled to where his brother still lay motionless on the ground, his chest faintly rising and falling. "Don't worry, Hailpaw… I'll get you home." He shook the blood out of his eyes before bending down and gently grasping his brother's scruff, lifting the slightly smaller tom as far off the ground as he could as he staggered back towards the camp. We were farther out than I thought… The trees wavered in his eyes, and more blood was steadily dripping down to fog his vision. But I have to make it back to camp… I have to get him to Yellowfang…

"Bet I can beat you there!"

The bushes began rustling suddenly, bringing Foxpaw to a staggering halt as a blur of tortoiseshell and white fur nearly barreled into him. The bloody apprentice barely managed to shield his precious cargo, crouching low over his brother's mangled form. Instead of an impact his felt only a startled stare, a faint gasp reaching his ears. "F-Foxpaw…?" The apprentice shook the blood from his eyes again, glancing up to see Sorreltail, her amber eyes wide as she took in the sight before her.

"Hey, why'd you—" Brambleclaw emerged beside her, his eyes instantly growing to match the young she-cat's. "Foxpaw, what happened?"

Foxpaw shook his head. "Hailpaw needs help."

For the first time, the large tabby seemed to notice the bloody pile of fur between camp as fast as you can and tell Yellowfang to get her herbs ready."

The pretty tortoiseshell vanished without another word, leaving Brambleclaw to move beside Foxpaw, helping the smaller tom lift Hailpaw's limp form. Their pace was excruciatingly slow between Hailpaw's awkward weight and Foxpaw's injuries, but the red-furred tom wouldn't stop moving forward.

It wasn't until they reached the ravine that Foxpaw's strength finally gave out, sending the tom half-stumbling, half-sliding down the tumble of rocks, leaving Brambleclaw to support all of Hailpaw's weight. To the young warrior's relief, Fireheart and Dustpelt were both waiting at the bottom, both lurching forward to catch the apprentice. Dustpelt reached his apprentice first, shoving his shoulder beneath the red-furred tom and supporting his weight. The dark tabby flicked his tail up the ravine, towards Brambleclaw. Immediately, Fireheart bounded up the ravine, taking Foxpaw's place and carefully bringing Hailpaw down to the gorse tunnel.

"Hailpaw…" Foxpaw struggled to support his own weight, turning away from Dustpelt's support and moving towards the ravine.

"No, Foxpaw. Fireheart and Brambleclaw will take care of him, you need to see Yellowfang." Even through the thick fog in his mind, Foxpaw could hear the stern, "mentor" tone in Dustpelt's voice. With a rough nudge, the older warrior pushed his apprentice through the gorse tunnel, taking a position on his side as to shield him from the stunned gazes of his ClanMates. Yellowfang was waiting at the fern tunnel, Sorreltail beside her.

"Bring him right in." She rasped, beckoning towards the medicine den with her tail.

Foxpaw staggered to a halt, again shaking his head. "N-no. Hailpaw first."

A small growl escaped the old medicine cat's throat, her eyes narrowing as she ground out, "You truly are the spawn of Fireheart and Cindercloud, aren't you?"

It was then that she caught sight of Fireheart and Brambleclaw, Hailpaw still held carefully between them.

"Oh StarClan no…"

"Hailpaw first." Foxpaw rasped softly, stepping aside to allow his father and Brambleclaw to bring his brother into the medicine den.

"Dustpelt, stay with Foxpaw, I'll send Sorreltail out with some cobwebs to start cleaning up some of the blood. I need to see to Hailpaw right now."

The dark tabby gave a reluctant nod, turning to his apprentice with eyes that were steadily growing darker with concern as he watched the young tom sway on his paws. "Lie down, Foxpaw, you need to save your strength." He nudged the young tom's shoulder, wincing slightly as the apprentice stumbled, then seemed to collapse into a laying down position. Sorreltail emerged from the medicine den with cobwebs, as Yellowfang promised, beginning to press them carefully to his wounds. "Yellowfang said to wash as much of the dried blood off as we could," the young warrior mumbled through the cobwebs. Without any hesitation, Dustpelt bent over his apprentice, rasping his tongue gently across one of the wounds lacing the red-furred tom's shoulders. Sorreltail seemed surprised, hesitating slightly in her task before blinking and continuing.

Foxpaw sighed, letting his eyes slip shut as he felt Sorreltail and Dustpelt tending to his wounds. Yellowfang, you better save him… You did it once, you have to find a way to do it again…

When Foxpaw woke again, he was tucked in a nest of moss and feathers. Sunlight was spilling through the gaps in the ferns, and soft murmuring reached the apprentice's ears.

"A fox, you say? Dead?"

Immediately, the red-furred tom pushed himself into a sitting position, grimacing at the aches radiating through his body. Is Bluestar here…?

"That's what Whitestorm reported." The answer came from Fireheart—Foxpaw easily recognized his father's voice.

Slowly, the apprentice pushed himself into a standing position, staggering further into the medicine den. "Foxpaw!" Before he could take another step, Cindercloud was there, covering his face and ears with licks. "Thank StarClan you're okay…"

Foxpaw sighed, letting his mother do as she felt she needed, idly noticing that he was taller than her now—so much so that he had to duck his head to allow her to reach.

"I'm glad you're awake, Foxpaw." His midnight blue eyes rose to meet Bluestar's startlingly calm gaze. "There's a lot about what happened yesterday that needs to be explained."

Foxpaw opened his mouth, but Yellowfang cut him off. "While you explain, sit and let me rewrap your wounds."

With a sigh, Foxpaw complied, sitting down before returning his attention to Bluestar. "Hailpaw and I were out hunting—he was going to gather herbs for Yellowfang on the way back," he began, "Hailpaw stalked something under some foliage, so I let him be and started looking for something else. Then I saw this plume of red-orange fur, and this smell hit me… By the time I realized what was going on, it was stalking Hailpaw. I tried to call out to him, but then it attacked. I… I didn't really know what was happening, I just saw its teeth clamp down on Hailpaw and I attacked it."

"…and killed it…?" Fireheart's eyes were wide.

Foxpaw shook his head. "I don't know… It stopped moving and I immediately brought Hailpaw back. Or tried to, anyway…"

Fireheart nodded. "Brambleclaw and Sorreltail found you."

Foxpaw glanced at Bluestar again, feeling discomfort creep through his veins at the amazed look he saw in her eyes.

"I see." She finally murmured. "I'll be returning to my den now. Fireheart, send Dustpelt to me the next time you see him. Now let's leave them both to rest."

"Yes, Bluestar." Firehart dipped his head, and Cindercloud echoed the motion, before slipping over the where Foxpaw could see Hailpaw's pale silver flank rising and falling as he slept.

"Sleep well, Hailpaw… Come back to us soon…" The queen ducked her head, pressing her nose into the small tom's pelt before taking a deep breath and moving to Foxpaw. "Take care of him, Foxpaw, and get plenty of rest…"

"Yes, Cindercloud." Foxpaw touched his muzzle to his mother's shoulder, trying to reassure her. He'll be okay… We both know he's stronger than we think. He's as much of a warrior apprentice as I am.

They were still for a moment, before Cindercloud finally sighed and left, flicking Foxpaw's shoulder with the tip of her tail-tip as she went. As her dark gray pelt vanished intot he fern tunnel, Foxpaw stood and moved to Hailpaw's nest. Yellowfang followed, standing beside the red-furred apprentice.

"It's not as bad as it looks." She mumbled, sighing softly. "It's not nearly as bad as when Blackfoot got him."

"So you're saying he'll be okay?" Foxpaw looked at the old medicine cat, who nodded.

"Only thanks to you, Foxpaw. You saved his life. Truly." She then shook her head. "And to kill a fox… That's truly amazing, Foxpaw."

The warrior apprentice shrugged. His ears flicking back in discomfort. "I just did what I had to do… It wasn't that amazing…"

Yellowfang rolled her eyes. "You really are Fireheart's son…"

Despite the heavy atmosphere, Foxpaw felt his heart warm at the medicine cat's words. "I think I'll lie with him." His blue eyes fell on Hailpaw's small form again, and Yellowfang dipped her head.

"I've got herbs to gather," she meowed. "Keep an eye on him."

"I will." Carefully, Foxpaw crawled into his brother's nest, curling gently around his brother's slender form. "You'll be fine, Hailpaw… You'll be awake before you know it…" He laid his head down, suddenly exhausted. Please be okay…

Foxpaw didn't even realize he had fallen asleep until he felt Yellowfang nudging him awake. "Foxpaw, Bluestar has called a clan meeting; Fireheart told me she requested you to be there." Slowly, the apprentice stood, feeling every muscle in his body screech in protest. "Take your time."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Foxpaw meowed dryly, giving his brother's ear a gentle lick before following Yellowfang into the clearing. Bluestar was already speaking, all of the Clan Gathered beneath the HighRock.

"Yellowfang has confirmed that they will both make a full recovery. And now that Foxpaw has joined us, it is time for the real reason of this meeting." Foxpaw had just reached Stormpaw's side when Bluestar motioned him forward with her tail. "Come forward, Foxpaw." His midnight blue eyes grew wide, but the apprentice did as he was told, stepping forward as Bluestar leapt down from the High Rock.

"Foxpaw, yesterday the life of your Clan-mate was threatened, and you met that threat with no hesitation, accomplishing something that we have never seen before by killing a fox single-pawed. You reacted instantly and with courage, and that is exactly what I look for in my warriors.

Foxpaw's breath caught in his throat, his heart suddenly pounding in his chest. He threw a glance over his shoulder, looking for help in Stormpaw's bewildered amber eyes. She can't be serious…!

"I, Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. Despite your treachery, he has trained hard to learn the ways of your warrior code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." Foxpaw felt chilled, as if icey water was seeping through his pelt. Those aren't the proper ceremony words… Bluestar, what are you doing…?

"Foxpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?" Bluestar's ice blue eyes met with his, and in that moment Foxpaw knew there was only one answer. Forcing all of his misgivings aside, Foxpaw held his chin high.

"I do."

"Then by my power as the leader of ThunderClan, I give you your warrior name. Foxpaw, from this moment forward, you will be known as Foxtail. ThunderClan honors your courage and quick-thinking, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Unease rippled through the Clan, before Featherpaw suddenly appeared at Foxpaw's side, her eyes bright. "Congratulations, Foxtail!" A purr was rumbling in her chest, and despite the tense atmosphere, Foxtail felt his shoulders relax. Stormpaw was right behind his sister, giving the new warrior a good-natured head-butt.

"Yeah," the gray apprentice rumbled. "Congratulations. You've earned it, Foxtail."

The red-furred tom felt his heart drop slightly. "You should both be with me…"

Featherpaw shook her head. "None of that. We'll be with you before you know it."

Slowly, others came forward to congratulate him, Dustpelt and Cindercloud among the first. Eventually, Bluestar raised her voice again.

"Due to his injuries, Foxtail will hold his vigil in the medicine den, watching over Hailpaw." With that, she ducked back into her den, and the Clan broke into small groups, whispering amongst themselves. Foxtail didn't stick around to listen to their bewildered murmurs, slowly making his way back to the medicine den. Yellowfang was already there when he arrived, tending to Hailpaw.

"How is he…?" The young warrior moved to lie beside his brother again as Yellowfang stepped back, and the old she-cat offered a small nod.

"Getting better every moment. He's going to be upset that he missed such a huge ceremony, though."

Foxtail sighed. "I wouldn't have minded missing it…"

The medicine cat shook her head. "Don't fret about it too much, Foxtail. Bluestar's mind is clouded now, but there's no denying that it's past time for you to have your warrior name. And after what happened yesterday, Bluestar saw some of why she wanted to be leader again—she saw members of her clan doing everything in their power to help their Clan-mates. She saw the ThunderClan she wanted to build, and that's why she gave you your warrior name. She may have stumbled through the ceremonial words, but her heart is in the right place—as is yours. Now get some sleep."

As she finished speaking, Foxtail yawned, letting Yellowfang's words sink in as the old queen left for her own next. For the sake of ThunderClan, the warrior though silently, resting his chin on his paws and closing his eyes, I hope you're right…

Hey! Sorry about the forever wait again, but… What do you think? I know the "cat killing a fox thing" is kind of (and by kind of I mean really) unrealistic, but… I needed something, and that's what popped into my head so I rolled with it. I hope no one is too disappointed about his warrior name… After flip-flopping around for a while and deciding and forgetting and deciding and changing my mind I finally just went with one that I felt matched his appearance well, because when all else fails—appearance names xD Really though, how do you feel about this chapter? There's much more to come, so I hope I haven't completely lost all of you…

Thanks for reading, and be sure to drop a review to tell me what you think! I'm always open to constructive criticism!