A petite, longhaired black mackerel tabby with low white and soft green eyes.

Bearing the typical thick, muted coat of Ridgeclanners, Birdie's heritage is obvious to anyone who knows the clan. Her base coat is a pale taupe brown, striped with black tabby markings that are muddied by her long fur. White gloves her paws and splashes her chest, ending in a blaze that reaches up half her muzzle and stops between her eyes. Her pelt is heavy and warm, but not as long as her relatives. It flows out from her like a gentle waterfall.

She is small, however, and beneath her coat she is frail from living on her own the past few moons. Even before then, she was light and bony. Her legs are a little short, but they don't stop her from climbing like a squirrel. The smallest of tufts tip her ears, and her nose is delicately pink. Birdie has big, wide eyes in a shade of gentle green. The tabby has numerous scars but they are all hidden beneath her pelt, only betrayed by the odd uneven patch of fur.

Kithood Born to fathers Creekfur and Minknose, Birdkit and Stonekit were two peas in a pod since they took their first breaths. Coming from a long line of guardians on Minknose's side, and an equally old and respected family on Creekfur's, the kittens had big paws to fill. Mainly in the eyes of their grandparents and other relatives—their fathers would adore them no matter what they became.

Birdkit remembers lots of cousins and aunts and uncles, but a cat who stuck in her mind was not blood-related to her at all. Cougarpaw, her father Creekfur's apprentice, often played with and babysat her and her brother. She was gentle and encouraging, patient in spite of how cautious little Birdkit was. She felt understood, in a way she wouldn't feel outside of her kithood.

Stonekit was growing like a weed, but older Birdkit seemed to be staying quite small. The medicine cat assured the parents that she was just a late bloomer, and that small size had its benefits as well. Minknose just worried she would be scooped up by a hawk, and Stonekit—guardian in the making—promised his father he'd look out for her. No raptor would get Birdkit on his watch!

With the kits growing closer to their apprentice ceremonies, their fathers began
teaching them warrior skills. Stonekit had already been having lessons with Minknose and his mother on how to be a guardian, but Birdkit always sat out. Creekfur was happy to take over so his daughter didn't feel alone, showing her how to pounce on leaves and pinecones. She turned out to have a knack for it.

Apprenticehood The rest of the pair's kithood goes by quickly, and before long both are being named apprentices. Birdkit hopes that she'll get Cougarcloud as her mentor, but when she asks Creekfur about it he worries she's too young. She still holds hope out until the day she becomes a 'paw, and Russettail is named her mentor. The molly is older than her parents, kind but firm. She too, is small, and teaches Birdpaw to use her size to her advantage.

Stonepaw is apprenticed to one of his aunts, Minknose's sister, who is a well-respected guardian. Even though she isn't in the training for it, her brother still teaches her the techniques he learned. When she tries them in her next hunting session, Russettail is impressed that she managed to catch a sparrow midair. Though too small to take on the bigger birds, she'd still found a way to honor her family's tradition. When she tells her parents about her feat, they purr and are proud of her.

And Birdpaw became only more of a bane for flying creatures as she grew in skill. Her name was almost a premonition, of how she could leap and nearly fly. With her light frame and strong legs, she could out-jump most cats who stood up to her. She especially enjoyed climbing trees with Russettail, using their small size to more easily chase squirrels through Ridgeclan's pines.

Though not on the path of guardian as her grandparents had hoped, they found solace in knowing their granddaughter was a good hunter. Minknose especially couldn't wait to hunt as a group when his children were made warriors. The time was only getting closer.

Stonepaw remained Birdpaw's closest friend, though she didn't mind listening in on her peers conversations, she rarely spoke to them. She could hear the ease with which they bantered, and her voice felt slow and clumsy in comparison. She was prone to long pauses as she sorted out her thoughts, especially when she was nervous. Cougarcloud remained a big sister figure, and she enjoyed talking with someone who was just as in their head as her.

Warriorhood Birdpaw's warrior ceremony came as a surprise. Russettail hadn't told her that she was doing a warrior assessment. She knew the time was coming, but when her name was called alongside her brother's she was shocked. Birdwhisker, and Stoneclaw. Newly named warriors. Their parents were ecstatic, and as soon as the pair's vigils were over, dragged them out on a dawn hunting patrol.

Russettail tagged along too, as she was practically family. Birdwhisker had realized that she and her fathers looked to be friends. When she asked her mentor why she hadn't told her about the assessment, Russettail purred and explained that she didn't tell Birdwhisker because she would have worried so much she wouldn't have been able to catch a leaf!

Birdwhisker was relieved that her mentor hadn't done it out of malice, though she knew she shouldn't have worried with Russettail. But it sparked an idea in her. Her family always seemed to... tiptoe around her. Be gentle, in a way they weren't to anyone but her. They almost seemed to soften themselves for her. In a way, she knew it was because they cared. But she also wished they'd treat her like anybody else.

She was a warrior. She could be tough.

So she does her best to work hard, hunt hard, catch the biggest game she can manage. The new warrior is the among first to volunteer for patrols, and her clanmates find her a reliable, if not quiet companion. Birdwhisker all but throws herself into her duties, and by the time leafbare comes around, she has worked herself to the ground. Her parents and brother had noticed and tried to get her to rest, but she always dismissed them.

It was when she got sick when she realized she had to start taking her health more seriously. She remembers the moon or so of her illness in a feverish haze, her fathers fussing over her, the medicine cat apprentice bringing her watered moss. Most of all she recalled a white cat with gemlike eyes standing over her, who in her fog she wondered was a Starclan cat. After slowly recovering and rethinking her memories, she realized who it had been.

Orchidgaze. The oracle's apprentice, newly named. Though they were only a few moons younger than her, the oracle's training was far different than what was expected of a normal warrior. They hadn't interacted since they were kits, and at the time Orchidgaze had barely looked at her. But now, the vision of them haunted her. They were almost... ethereal. Truly, like a Starclan cat on earth.

It surprises her immensely when they suddenly approach her one morning, and ask for help fetching herbs. She was immediately curious as to why the oracle had a need for herbs, and why they'd chosen her and not a real guardian to protect them. But she was too nervous to ask, so she nodded and agreed to join them.

Orchidgaze didn't seem to mind her quietness. They asked few questions, and gave her time to answer them. And they didn't look at her like everyone else did. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was different. Hours pass in what feels like moments, quiet companionship with the oracle making time melt by. When the task of gathering herbs is done, Orchidgaze thanks her, and asks if she might help them again. Birdwhisker agrees.

Slowly, she allows herself to find comfort in the other's presence. When Birdwhisker speaks, Orchidgaze listens. And however busy they are, they always seem to have time to spend with her. A late greenleaf evening is the perfect time for stargazing, and Orchidgaze invites her. Birdwhisker asks what they need help with in reading the stars, and the white cat laughs. "Because I would like you there, is that enough?"

It was. And far faster than it takes for Birdwhisker to trust them, she realizes she is falling in love.

-

She had to fight, she didn't want to fight, it made her feel sick. But she had to keep an eye on Cricketpaw. She had to, to keep him safe.

-> becomes pregnant and orchid is ecstatic, can't wait to meet the kits. bird is flattered by all the attention. a few moons later, a single kitten is born
-> as soon as the kit is born, orchid switches and becomes cold to bird. pretty much ignores bird and tries to take control of raising the kitten
-> bird does her best to protect her kit and stand up for herself, but orchid knows all her soft spots and easily manipulates her
-> kitten is made apprentice, orchid gets even more tough on them.
-> battle with mistclan and wolfstar dies as well as minknose and stoneclaw. orchid is soon demoted and grows even more sour and short-tempered.
-> the pressure was too much for orchid and bird's kit, and they run away. the clan assumes them dead, after finding tufts of their fur and blood in some bushes. bird is the only one who believes they're still alive, and is pitied as a grieving mother.
-> she doesn't give up on the idea, though. even after the loss of her child is no longer a fresh wound. the clan who appeased her notions has grown tired of her, and still no one believes her. she is continuously belittled by orchid, leading more to her declining mental state.
-> she leaves ridgeclan to look for her child. she roams the clanless lands in search of them, and finds nothing. meets a friendly housecat who nicknames her birdie.
-> the leafbare is tough on her, she is sick and weak and lost. until...?

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