Foxtail carried by wind

Tribe of Floating Stones

small ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Foxtail is on the smaller side. She’s short, small and lithe with a build closer to her mother than her father.

Her fur is a bright ginger that can be almost blinding at times. She doesn’t have long fur, but it’s thick and plush, billowing out on her cheeks, her toe pads and tail. Her tabby stripes are the most distinct on her forehead and along her legs. The rest of her fur is too messy and thick, so it hides most of her stripes. Foxtail always seems to have something in her pelt. Random sticks and leaves get caught in her fur. Her signature feature is a long, feathery tail that fluffs up like a foxtail.

Foxtail has a large, rounded face with wide eyes. She has a young, innocent air about her. Every single thought in her little head is conveyed through exaggerated expressions. Her eyes are a bright amber.

Foxtail has a matching pair of jagged crescent scars on the left and right side of her neck. They are from a run-in with a badger that broke Foxtail's throat and killed her. She only lives now because Fog gave her his remaining lives.

Foxtail is a bundle of sunshine and happiness. She grew up without a single bad day thanks to her mother’s careful attention. Foxtail loves to play and bring joy to those around her. She’ll do whatever it takes to get someone to smile. After being killed by a badger, Foxtail has started to lose some of her endless positivity but she tries not to show it. No matter her mood, Foxtail does her best to put forward a smile and acts as though she's happy.

Foxtail is creative. She’s got a vivid imagination and often spent her time as a kit making up new games and imaginary friends. When describing something, Foxtail will exaggerate facts and add in extra details to give it the flair she’s craving. Only recently has it become apparent that some of the dreams and nightmares she's experienced are messages from the tribe's ancestors. She has an unusually strong connection to them, and when interacting with them she sees vivid, chaotic images, and things beyond the normal plane of existence.

Foxtail is naive. She doesn’t understand tribe politics and assumes everyone can get along. She can be easily persuaded one way or another with the simplest of arguments. Stepping into the role of Teller, Foxtail has a long way to go to be able to handle inner-tribe and tribe-to-clan politics. Due to her naivety, Foxtail is easy to manipulate and persuade.

Foxtail is not very smart. She’s a bit of an airhead and always has her head in the clouds. She’ll get distracted easily and has a hard time picking up on critical thinking or strategic planning. She has an awful memory. She's often lost in a world full of visions and dreams, some real and some not. When conveying information, Foxtail can be rather confusing as she uses metaphors and often exaggerates.

Foxtail carried by Wind is born under Sumac's reign to prey-hunter Moonlight broken by burning Branches and stone-guard Martin that leaps from Stone to Stone. Her mother as a pregnant prey-hunter would be well fed and cared for. But not her father. Under Sumac’s rule, Martin was not allowed to take from the fresh-kill pile. Instead, he was forced to hunt while hungry and take unnecessary risks. Martin makes what would be his last journey to find food at one of the furthest islands. But while he's out, a storm hits the island. It's a brutal storm with thunderous rain that floods the islands. Martin never returned that day.

Not long after her mate's death, Foxtail is born in the peace and quiet of her great-great-uncle Boar who breaks Boulders’ den. Moonlight forbade Boar from fetching Sumac while she was giving birth and for a few days after. Despite the lack of a Teller, Foxtail is born healthy but small and runty. A few days later, Sumac arrives to give Foxtail her name. He brought a vision of a quiet field with a single foxtail drifting gently through the air. Foxtail carried by Wind would be her name.

Had Sumac been a true teller, he would have seen a violent storm that tore the earth apart. Caught in the middle of the storm was a small sprig of foxtail unable to escape the vicious winds. She was a cat not meant to be born, and her existence foretold chaos and change. Foxtail swept away by Storm was supposed to be her name.

It had started with the birth of Foxtail’s mother Moonlight. When Moonlight and her sister Star were born, Fog received one vision. It told of a tree that held the moon and stars between its flowered branches. One moment it was strong and sturdy, but the next it burst into flames. Fire and smoke rose into the sky, covering the moon. But the stars remained. Even partially covered up, they continued to shine brilliantly. Fog knew which kit was which. Moonlight and Star: two kits but only one would survive.

The fire was devastating. It happened just like the vision Fog saw. A tree caught fire and fell onto Moonlight’s family den, trapping Star and Moonlight inside. When a tribe patrol arrives to help, only Moonlight is left. Her father Flint had saved her but was unable to save himself. Star and Sky, Moonlight’s mother, were gone and presumed dead.

Unbeknownst to the clan, Fog’s prediction had come true. Away from the rest of the tribe, Star survived. Despite all odds, she persisted. But Moonlight was alive as well. Flint had defied fate and brought Moonlight to safety.

As a young kit, Foxtail was sheltered from the politics of the clan and was rarely let out to interact with the rest of the tribe. There were few cats her age. She played alone in their family's den. But she wasn’t lonely. Foxtail had her imaginary friends to play with. She’d spend hours playing pretend with herself, and when asked, she would describe in vivid detail the setting of her performance. In the darkest of days, she was the light for her family. The motivation they needed to push on.

Often Foxtail would wake up in the middle of the night tormented by horrible nightmares. She saw a great storm that stole her away. Only when Fog returned to the island did her dreams take a turn. At the end of the dream, thick fog set in and blocked the storm. The ancestors had chosen her to be the next Teller. It wouldn’t be until she was six moons old that the pieces fell into place.


On Foxtail’s sixth moon, Star and Sky rejoin the tribe. The tribe celebrates their return.

Foxtail heads to the tribe stone to begin her training as a to-be. She stepped forward and looked at Fog for the first time. Wind, only known to Fog and Foxtail, rushed past the pair and everything fell into place. Foxtail would be the next Teller of the Stars. 

Foxtail starts to train under the guidance of Fog, Sunrise and Talon. She’s a welcome change from all the pain the tribe suffered moons ago. But on the eve of Foxtail’s 10th moon, she receives a startling dream. She saw a great storm that turned into a monster with black spinning eyes and lightning streaking through its fur. Foxtail and Fog go to the Estuary to investigate but are attacked by a badger.

Foxtail had foretold her own death. The dream was a warning: a warning they did not heed.

Foxtail dies from the badger crushing her throat and Fog is blinded. Unwilling to let Foxtail die, Fog gives his remaining lives to Foxtail. He steps down as Teller but is still there to guide Foxtail and teach her what she needs to know. Just like her ancestor Fawn, Foxtail is made Teller of the Stars at a mere 10 moons old. She vows to never again ignore a warning from her ancestors.