A noodle-y, short-furred orange and white cat.

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In the future:

A lithe, long-limbed orange and white cat with striking yellow eyes.

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Unlike the rest of their siblings, Foxpaw takes the most after their mother, Cloverpelt. Their orange and white coat is a departure from the dark pelts prevalent in Sparrowbelly's family. Every day, they wish they looked more like their father, and they often skip over puddles to not catch their reflection in the water. They're an even mix of orange and white, with their top half being primarily orange, and their belly and legs being white. The orange mask on their face is uneven - something one day someone will think adorable, but for now, only bothers Foxpaw with its lack of symmetry.

Physically, Foxpaw was built to be a tunneler. Though they're small now, one day they'll be a long, lithe cat, the exact sort who can zip quickly through the tunnels. That same leanness will lend to them being a skilled hunter, able to cross long distances swiftly to catch fleeing prey.

Foxpaw's story begins with neglect: the neglect of the code as their father pursues the love of a kittypet, and the neglect of the two-legs that toss their mother to the side when she grew round with Sparrowbelly's kits. They're born last in their litter, when their mother is tired and weak from her labor. Their personality at birth reflects their mother's exhaustion; Foxkit makes no sound when they're born. They hardly move, except to get closer to Cloverpelt's warm stomach. The medicine cat seems unconvinced of their survival.

But they survive anyway.

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At two moons old, it's clear Foxkit is different from their siblings. They're less energetic, almost reserved, and prefer to spend their days curled up in dark corners of their nursery, watching their siblings learn to play with other kits. "You could join them," their mother says, hesitant in a way she isn't with the rest of the litter. She's lively with them. Encouraging. Friendly. With Foxkit, she feels like a stranger, barely able to string a whole sentence together for them.

Foxkit curls into a tighter paw and murmurs, "no, thanks."

-

"Foxkit," Wolfkit whines, gently kneading his paws into Foxkit's spine. "C'mon! Let's play!"

"I'm tired," Foxkit says. It's not a lie. They're usually tired. So far, Wolfkit seems to be the only one who understands.

"Okay," their brother says, not an ounce of excitement lost. "Then let's go see the elders!" Though they're still tired, Foxkit gathers enough strength to rise to their paws and follow Wolfkit, unwilling to let their brother down twice in one day.

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Lynxkit and Coyotekit don't play with them the way they play with each other. Foxkit is four moons old when they overhear another queen call the two of them troublemakers. Cloverpelt and Sparrowbelly aren't in the nursery - they're training, Foxkit thinks, getting Cloverpelt accustomed to her future expectations as a warrior. And so the queens left in the nursery don't realize Foxkit is here, tucked away in the dark as usual. "They must get it from their mother," one queen says, like it's a disappointment. "Sparrowbelly comes from good stock."

"What do you expect?" Another queen says. "It takes at least a second generation to breed the kittypet out."

The words aren't spoken harshly, not quite. They're said like the queen pities Lynxkit and Coyotekit. Like it's a shame Sparrowbelly's good stock is wasted on Cloverpelt's kittypet heritage. Foxkit feels anger hot under their pelt. Maybe the queens aren't talking about them, but the insult is heard anyway. Lynxkit and Coyotekit are disappointments, and so Foxkit must be, too.

-

"You doing alright, baby?"

Like always, their father is gentle with them. Foxkit doesn't think their mother knows how to talk to them, but Sparrowbelly never gets it wrong. He's sweet. Patient. A little funny. No different from how he talks to his other kits, except when he pretends to be stern to get Coyotekit to settle down. Foxkit practically glows under his words. "I'm okay."

"You excited to be a warrior?" Sparrowbelly nudges them with his nose. "It's coming up. Next moon!"

Foxkit purrs, soothed by their father's joy. "I'm ready," they say. "Did Littlestar tell you my mentor yet?"

"No, but I bet it'll be Crowleap." Foxkit fluffs up in delight. They like Crowleap, their father's brother. He's a lot like Sparrowbelly, except sillier.

"I hope so!"

-

Shortly after their fifth moon, Coyotekit lashes out at an apprentice, Wheatpaw. Foxkit doesn't know why, but they hate Coyotekit for doing it. There's talk of delaying Coyotekit's naming and every time Foxkit hears it, they can only hear unspoken threats. If Coyotekit is delayed, Lynxkit should be, too. And then we should do the whole litter.

Not Wolfkit, though. He's a good kit. He's like Sparrowbelly.

But the others take too much after their mother. Especially Foxkit. Kittypets can be so difficult, can't they?

No one says these things to their face, but Foxkit imagines they hear them anyway. 

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Foxpaw is named at six moons, standing alongside their siblings under the newly titled Cinderstar, not a single one of the litter delayed. They can't believe it. Their eyes are bright when they touch noses with Houndjaw - not Crowleap, but he seems nice, anyway. And big. Foxpaw hasn't caught up with the rest of their siblings in size, and so Houndjaw looms over them. But he's not intimidating, and he doesn't seem disappointed with his new apprentice, so Foxpaw's anxieties are soothed, at least for the moment.

Then, Coyotepaw is dropped by his mentor, and the harsh words start flying again. He's a problem, they say about Coyotepaw. Unwilling to participate. Not a real PrairieClan apprentice. Foxpaw shrinks every time they hear it. They feel anger for their brother - anger that he's spoken about like this. But more than that, they feel anger toward their brother. Anger that Coyotepaw couldn't get it together, like Wolfpaw, and now the whole litter is under scrutiny, like everyone is waiting for Foxpaw or Lynxpaw to mess up next.

It's awful. Foxpaw can't stand it. They try to withdraw, try to pretend they aren't Coyotepaw's sibling, but the words reach them anyway. Worthless. Waste of time. Difficult.

They're not talking about me, Foxpaw tries to tell themself. But they are talking about Coyotepaw, and Lynxpaw, and even Cloverpelt.

And really, what's the difference?

Pre-Plotting: When it comes to PrairieClan's plot, Foxpaw hasn't experienced enough of the world to form an opinion on the politics. Because of their own heritage, they're welcoming toward outsiders, but only those that actually join PrairieClan. Everyone else they feel neutral toward. As for the tunnels, Foxpaw likes the idea of having a place to go and hide, and so they support keeping up the traditional practice.

Foxpaw comes from Coyotepaw's wanted ad, Here's to my Future. They will also fill a role as Wheatpaw's future love interest.

Family: Foxpaw wants to love their family, only because it seems easier than making friends, but they can't help the anger they feel toward Cloverpelt for bringing them into a world where they're judged. Right now, family (and their kittypet heritage) is something that sets them apart from their fellow apprentices, and so they put little value in it.

Friends: More than anything, Foxpaw wants friends. They want cats to like them. But between their reputation as Cloverpelt's child and their own shyness, they struggle to connect with other cats. Wolfpaw is the only real friend Foxpaw has currently, and they're not sure their brother really counts.

Romance: One day, Foxpaw will want to be loved just as much as they want to be liked. For now, romance is just an abstract concept to them.

Rivals: Bitterness comes easily to Foxpaw. They hold grudges and, as a young apprentice, haven't had time to learn how to let things go. Thus, it's really easy for them to feel negatively toward other cats, even those that don't interact with them, just because they saw or heard them do something they didn't like.