MoonClan's ambitious story/(1): The First Four Leaders/3/37

### Chapter 37: Thymepaw & Birdkit

Thymepaw left the apprentices' den and looked up at the sunlight of the early morning. As always, he was looking forward to training with Violetrain. He recalled his kithood to be an excellent one, regardless of the dire problems of the Clan that had happened during late at that time, including witnessing Goldenlily and Mousekit's deaths and Birdkit's peculiar birth. And he wanted his apprenticehood to be just as excellent, even if the three injured cats had fallen in a day after his apprentice ceremony.

The young apprentice glanced at the medicine cats' den and wondered if Lilypool, Whitestripe, Rainpaw, Birchcreek or Swanpaw had woken up yet. Every Clanmate was important to him, especially one who had saved others like Birchcreek. Birchcreek and Rainpaw were also his mother's much younger cousins, by twelve moons. It was ironic to him because they were only seven moons older than him, so he was much closer in age to them, similar to the age between his mentor and Fireclaw and Shadowclaw and Icemoon, and between Whitestripe and Robinpaw and Soarpaw.

Thymepaw went up to the prey pile and thought about eating, but he decided he wanted to hunt first. But since he was too young to leave camp by himself, even at day, and it was still dawn, he needed to wait for his mentor to wake up. So in the meantime, he decided to visit the nursery and see if anyone was awake since queens and kits typically didn't need to follow the schedule of warriors and apprentices.

Surprisingly, he saw Birdkit awake in bed next to her parents and siblings, including Petalkit. He felt pride for the younger kit as she was still ever optimistic and determined about life despite her condition and played and joked with others in a way that almost no one thought about her condition even if they had to wait for her to respond, similar to Swanpaw and Primrosepaw, and was also ready to take on the hard task of medicine. Apparently, she had said that being a warrior would be harder than being a medicine cat even if she had no condition. So MoonClan was glad she wouldn't be at all sad about not being able to be a proper warrior anyways.

Of course, Birdkit didn't react to his presence until a few seconds had passed. “Hey, psst, Thymepaw, is anyone else awake? I've been laying here for an hour and still couldn't fall back asleep!”

“No, it's just me. But you can still leave with me if you want, there's no rule that you can't,” Thymepaw replied.

Birdkit looked at the ceiling, then frowned at him. “Yeah, but my parents and Shadowclaw and Primrosepaw don't want me to leave by myself, especially at night or even dawn!”

Thymepaw also frowned, and remembered that Birdkit somehow escaped the nursery at only a half-moon old while everyone else was sleeping and Primrosepaw couldn't catch her due to her reflexes. *That was definitely not pretty.* “It might have been because of... you know.”

Birdkit sighed into her paws. “That happened when I was young.”

Thymepaw smirked. “You're still young. I mean, you're still a kit.”

The she-kit smiled back. “So are you. You're only three-quarter-moon an apprentice, otherwise you were just like me!”

“Yeah, but still. I can catch my own mice now.”

“I wonder why Redwater let you go out with your uncle, anyways? You were also the same age as me!” she abruptly asked, looking at the sky.

“Maybe she trusted me with him. I don't want to rub it in or anything, so no offense, but I was also careful to stick with him at all times and not even leave his touch, much less his sight.”

She played with the moss of her bed. “I promise I won't do that, either.”

“You can always go with me, not outside of camp, of course. Even I can't do that yet, especially not at dawn.”

Birdkit continued playing with the moss until her eyes lit up. “Really? That's great! Because there's nothing fun to do in here when they're all sleeping!”

Thymepaw remembered when Primrosepaw had told him and Lilackit and Jumpkit her story while she was still a kit, and she had said that she had felt the same thing which was why she decided to explore. “Well, try not to escape camp again, because Primrosepaw told you why, right?”

His kit friend scratched the floor. “She said that since she was too shy to talk to other cats other than her mother and sister and also because she had slow reflexes, she wanted to have fun by herself.”

“Yep, so I am pretty sure your parents and Shadowclaw and Primrosepaw want you to understand the moral of her story,” the yellow tom-apprentice tried to say politely, trying to reassure her. “I'm sure they want you to have fun, too.”

“I know it's not because of my condition, but still,” Birdkit replied. But her eyes lit up again. “But anyways, let's go out! I wouldn't want my family or denmates to be irritated! And I'm also hungry!”

Thymepaw nodded, and they both left the nursery together. “If you look at the sky, you'll see it's very beautiful.”

Birdkit went to the prey pile and picked out a thrush. “I know right? The pink and yellow colors remind me of you, Swanpaw, Primrosepaw and Flowerkit! And of course, my grandmother.”

Thymepaw nodded and sat next to the prey pile. He remembered when he was trying to play with Birdkit when they were younger and that he, Lilackit and Jumpkit had gotten a little annoyed at her for not being able to keep up. He really didn't want to be annoyed at Birdkit since he already knew her condition and he wanted to be a good Clanmate and let her play, but at the same time, he wanted to be able to play the games perfectly. Thymepaw also remembered Waterkit and Flowerkit were shocked to hear that their littermate had a life-changing condition, and Birdkit herself was shocked to hear that most cats didn't see things the same way she did and she had previously been wondering why cats were acting slightly weird around her and not around anyone else.

Then Birdkit looked at him and asked, “Why aren't you picking one out?”

Thymepaw just smiled. “You know queens, kits, elders and injured eat before warriors and apprentices. Oh, and medicine cats can also eat before.”

“Even younger ones?”

“You have to get used to the routine once you become a warrior apprentice since you're going to be a warrior for most of the rest of your life, especially if you're a tom or don't have any kits and don't retire.”

She wolfed down her thrush and continued, “Well, that's a bit weird for me if I can't eat whenever I want. I like to eat lots of food!”

“Birds, especially, right?” Thymepaw chuckled.

Birdkit beamed. “That's my name!”

“No wonder you think being a medicine cat is easier.”

“I am great at memorizing facts, not as much moves, you know. I would do much better in mental challenges than physical, as ironic as that might sound. In fact, I'm thinking about learning early, just like Rainpaw and Primrosepaw and you!”

Thymepaw nodded. “I'm glad for you, too.”

Birdkit continued, “You know, I was wondering, if MoonClan's supposed to be peaceful, why are there more medicine cats in the other Clans and not as many here? There was only three so far, and one died!”

“I don't know, but my best guess is that MoonClan cats like to mate.”

Birdkit played with the soil, then smirked. “Really? That sounds boring.”

“I totally agree, the only reason I became a warrior was to hunt for my Clan, just like Whitestripe. Other cats, however...” Thymepaw pretended to be annoyed, but he smiled. “Well, based on how much they gossip, it shows how much they're interested in it.”

“Also like Birchcreek and Rainpaw, right? We're like both of them! And Lilackit, too! Maybe Oakkit?”

“Yeah, obviously them, too. It's kind of interesting that we're second cousins.”

“Yeah, our maternal grandfathers are brothers! It's very interesting that we're both related to Snowstar!”

“You're also related to Moonstar on the maternal line.”

“Yeah, her, too! I wonder what she was like, because she died way before I was born.”

“Well, same for me, but the warriors said that she was mostly calm and reserved like Snowstar.”

“That's interesting, was she like how Mountainpaw and Primrosepaw and Whitestripe and Petalkit used to be?”

Thymepaw suddenly remembered Stonetooth. He had no idea if Birdkit remembered her that much since she was only one moon old when that traitor left. *Well, that traitor was also just like that.* He figured Petalkit might remember her somewhat, being a moon older, but he didn't know. “Robinpaw and Soarpaw were also shy but they became better. Berrypaw *does* talk to me a lot, though, even though she is very quiet to others. Swanpaw was probably not that talkative, being mute, but she was open to everyone, though.”

“I noticed that you usually talk an awful lot with her, so I can see that.”

Thymepaw knew she meant Berrypaw. “I think Petuniaheart and Blazesky were also shy as kits, and maybe Moonstar, too. I think Snowstar was more outgoing but mellowed with age.”

Birdkit picked out a sparrow while he was talking and said, “That's *great!* But Dustkit and Shadowclaw and Dandelionpaw and Rainpaw and Birchcreek and the rest of us kits, including you, were very talkative!”

“I know, which was probably why everyone liked me, especially Berrypaw and Mountainpaw.”

“I especially like you, too, and so do Waterkit and Flowerkit and Petalkit and Lilackit and Jumpkit! You are very interesting!”

Thymepaw smiled at that, as he knew MoonClan adored him, especially his only uncle, Flameeye, and of course, Mountainpaw and Berrypaw. “That's true. But are you seriously going to eat another bird?”

Birdkit was already finished with her sparrow when she replied victoriously, “Already did!” Thymepaw just sighed, but in a good way, since he knew they had a vast surplus anyways, being so close to green-leaf.

Then coincidentally, he saw a few cats starting to wake up in the apprentices' den, and two of them were his older friends.

“Thymepaw and Birdkit? You're *awake?”* Mountainpaw exclaimed when he saw them. Berrypaw also smiled at both of them.

“It's dawn, not night, so yep,” Thymepaw replied with a smile. “Speaking of which, is Violetrain still sleeping? We really need to hunt.”

“Feeling hungry, eh? So do I,” his friend chuckled.

“Guess what, I already ate *two* birds!” Birdkit exclaimed.

Mountainpaw smiled at his mentor's granddaughter. “Looks like someone's a foodie!”

“So are you, you know,” Thymepaw also chuckled.

“As a kit, though. Not that much as an apprentice for obvious reasons.”

“I am glad that we can hunt together, though!” Berrypaw said happily. Mountainpaw and Thymepaw smiled at that.

“That is why I will be a medicine cat, so I can eat whenever I want!” Birdkit replied smugly.

“Sure, but you know you will have to learn so much, right?” Mountainpaw replied to her.

Birdkit looked at the prey pile longingly again. “As if that's bad! That's *wonderful!”*

“Already awake, young cats?” Spottedpaw quipped, also padding to the prey pile.

“Yep, but I think Birdkit's going to take another,” Thymepaw replied humorously, looking at his younger friend. *She is sure a lively cat, just like her siblings and parents and uncles and aunts.*

“Yes, I'm *already awake!”* Birdkit yipped. Then she looked at her older friend mischievously. “And that's perfectly fine, *right?”*

“Obviously, since we will hunt and demonstrate my awesome skills!” Then Thymepaw looked at the other three apprentices. “But speaking of which, since you three are senior apprentices, I can go with you right?”

The older apprentices' eyes sparkled. “Why wouldn't we? We're your friends after all,” Spottedpaw said with a smile.

“Good luck with your awesome skills! While in the meantime, I will be honing mine!” Birdkit quipped back with a wink.

“Good luck!” Mountainpaw, Spottedpaw and Thymepaw said at the same time, while Berrypaw just smiled.

“Where should we go?” Berrypaw asked.

Mountainpaw replied, “Perhaps nearby, since it's still dawn, so that way we can easily alert the camp if...” He frowned, and so did Berrypaw.

“I heard about that battle a few days ago,” Thymepaw whispered so that Birdkit couldn't hear. *Birdkit shouldn't have to worry about things completely out of her control.* “I know that it was terrible considering what had happened. I wish I could have helped, but I'm so new and even younger than Robinpaw and Soarpaw.”

“I know. I wish Petalkit, Birdkit, Waterkit and Flowerkit didn't have to see Birchcreek, Whitestripe and Swanpaw like that,” Mountainpaw whispered back sadly. Thymepaw knew that the four of them were shocked to see the three when they all explored the medicine cat's den together, but they had quickly accepted it since they were too young to understand the terrible effects of their injuries.

Spottedpaw also frowned. “I'm just glad you didn't get injured, though, thank *StarClan!”*

“We should probably go now,” Thymepaw said quickly so that they didn't talk about it. It was painful for him because he wished he could have slashed all their faces hard enough for them to remember even as elders. *But I should keep training until I can do that. For MoonClan.* He bolstered his confidence enough to go out on his first patrol without his mentor. Even if it was with older apprentices, two who were just a quarter-moon away from warriorhood and the third quite experienced enough already.

Birdkit seemed to hear the part of their conversation where Mountainpaw mentioned her as she said with a smile, “Don't worry, I already figured out that Birchcreek needed to save them and Whitestripe and Swanpaw needed to fight for our Clan. I want to be more like them, in a medicine-cat sense, of course!”

The older cats smiled at her optimism about the entire situation and Thymepaw figured he didn't need to hide everything bad from her after all. *She is probably the best kit, and also cat, I have ever seen.*

“I'm glad, too, but let's not waste moonlight!” Spottedpaw said, beaming even more. “Let's go into the forest! And Birdkit, don't forget to tell Snowstar that we left!”

The other three apprentices nodded and so did Birdkit while eating yet another thrush, and the party went into a nearby forest in the direction of Rabbit Residence.

“Do you want to hunt birds?” Mountainpaw asked his younger apprentice friend.

*Most likely in the spirit of Birdkit,* Thymepaw figured positively. But he frowned since he didn't get the hang of that yet. “I usually stumble while trying to catch them, so no.”

Spottedpaw reassured her mentor's nephew, “Don't worry, we can show you how to do it! We just need to wait for birds to come out since it's almost day.”

“We can hunt mice while waiting,” suggested Berrypaw quietly.

“I can do that!” Thymepaw said confidently. He scanned the area for any burrows that mice might come out of or escape into. Then he heard a almost imperceptible sound of leaves rustling. He turned in that direction and looked for it, and saw a small, long tail poking out. Thymepaw knew that it was trying to hide, but its slight movements had given it away. He very carefully went into position so it wouldn't try to run, and pounced on it.

The mouse almost got away, but Thymepaw managed to hold his paws on it and swiped it, and it died. His fellow apprentices smiled at him in pride.

“You did excellent!” Mountainpaw exclaimed.

“Yes, you managed to do it!” Spottedpaw added cheerfully.

Berrypaw simply nodded, but she was still proud of him. Thymepaw took in the praise confidently and buried his mouse. *Squirrels,* he suddenly remembered. *Are they awake?* “Are squirrels there at dawn?”

“Not typically on the ground or even on the trees, but yes,” Mountainpaw replied. “But you would have to climb to find them.”

Thymepaw frowned at that, but he nodded. “Well, the sun is rising, so there might be some birds now.”

Spottedpaw perked up her ears. “True, and I think I hear one!”

The other apprentices also listened for it and true enough, they heard some chirping in the distance.

“Should we go to it?” the young apprentice asked.

Mountainpaw looked in the direction of the chirping. “Maybe after we're finished hunting mice, since it seems to be a little while away.”

Thymepaw simply nodded, and tried to look for more. After catching another mouse and Mountainpaw, Berrypaw and Spottedpaw caught three each, Thymepaw got curious about something, since he noticed Berrypaw was sticking closer to him and Mountainpaw. “Berrypaw, are you friendly with Spottedpaw?” Thymepaw whisper-asked her.

“Yes, since we're close in age,” Berrypaw whispered back. “But not as much as with you and Thymepaw. And Orchidmoon and Maplestripe, obviously.”

“I had been wondering why, though,” Thymepaw continued.

“Well, we can always chat in camp, so dig up your mice!” Mountainpaw instructed while already doing so. *Is he feeling uncomfortable talking about it in front of Spottedpaw?* Thymepaw wondered.

“I suppose,” the younger apprentice replied and looked for his mice.

Then Spottedpaw joined them with her three mice and announced, “Well, this was a plentiful haul! We can feed all the kits with this!”

*“Excluding* Birdkit, right?” Thymepaw joked.

Mountainpaw and Spottedpaw smirked while Berrypaw just smiled. “We won't need to give her any, don't worry!” Mountainpaw replied.

Thymepaw pretended to look relieved, then found his mice and dug them up.

#### Small while later

After they returned to camp, they found the camp awake and lively, and a lot of cats looked at them, especially their mentors, Violetrain, Maplestripe, Petuniaheart and Flameeye.

Then Birdkit, still at the prey pile along with the rest of her family, also noticed them and exclaimed, “Guess what! I told the Clan about you leaving!”

Her mother joked, “After leaving the nursery and then coming back? How sneaky!”

“She *was* with Thymepaw, though!” Flowerkit said. “But I guess she came back after he left?”

“I'm just glad Birdkit is smart in a lot of ways,” their father replied with a glint of pride.

“Well, I *was* hungry!” Birdkit mewed. Then she looked appreciatively at him. “And thanks, Nightnose!”

“Well, of course, but just wake me me or Nightnose next time so that we can know where you are, alright?” Sandleap replied caringly. “We promise we won't be irritated.” Birdkit just nodded while playing with a mossball.

*Well, she* is *a mischievous kit,* Thymepaw thought, recalling that it was Birdkit's idea to explore every den, including the leader's den and medicine cats' den, and that she also somehow sneaked in two small birds in her part of the bed without anyone noticing so that she didn't have to leave her bed to eat. *She also ate a few juniper berries while on her exploration mission before Rainpaw and I caught her.* He smirked at the memory.

Redwater and her apprentice, Soarpaw, were about to leave through the entrance, until they noticed the former's son and the older three apprentices. “Hello, Thymepaw, Mountainpaw, Berrypaw and Soarpaw, we were just about to leave,” Redwater greeted.

The older apprentices greeted her back, though Soarpaw stayed silent, looking down shyly. Afterwards, Spottedpaw rushed to the prey pile and deposited her prey, then playfully asked Birdkit how many more birds she ate after they left.

“That's good, I hope StarClan makes everything go well,” Thymepaw replied to his mother, then looked at Soarpaw. “And Soarpaw, how's your training?” Since Soarpaw was only two moons older than him and also his mother's apprentice, he felt more closeness to her than other cats, and he really wanted to befriend her. He wondered how Icemoon, Quailclaw and Mountainpaw managed to do it, but he figured he could do it too being outgoing and friendly just like how he did with Berrypaw, similar to Birchcreek.

Soarpaw just said without looking up, “It's fine, I guess.” *I guess she just needs to finish her training, and maybe then she can be more comfortable with me,* Thymepaw thought.

“I guess we should deposit our prey now,” Berrypaw said quietly, and Mountainpaw and Thymepaw nodded. Their mentors, including Flameeye, also joined them at the prey pile, and Thymepaw noticed that Birdkit had somehow disappeared.

“Since you already hunted, I guess we can do fighting training,” Flameeye told Spottedpaw. Then he smiled at Thymepaw and said, “Also, that's good that you did your duties, Thymepaw. Birdkit told us, of course, including Snowstar.” Thymepaw smiled at the praise, then picked out a rabbit.

“Yeah, we can do fighting training instead, Thymepaw,” agreed Violetrain happily. “And likewise, great job, even if you went while we were sleeping! Since you went with them. But of course, you can rest if you want.”

“No, I would like to train, being an aspiring warrior,” Thymepaw replied confidently. “After I eat, obviously.”

Berrypaw also asked her mentor if they could train, and Maplestripe nodded. “We should make sure to get you prepared for your warrior exams, obviously.”

“You also did that for Violetrain, right?” Thymepaw asked excitedly.

Maplestripe, Violetrain and Berrypaw all smiled. “Well, of course he did! And he did a very good job, along with Littleclaw with Fireclaw!” Violetrain replied.

“It's pretty interesting that your mentor's mentor is *my* mentor,” Berrypaw joked.

“I know! Generation differences, I guess. Also I guess Snowstar wanted to make sure she was ready,” Thymepaw replied.

“Don't forget your mother's mentor is mine!” Mountainpaw added. Thymepaw smiled at that, too.

Petuniaheart smiled at her apprentice and her mate's great-nephew, then said, “That *is* interesting to have so many interconnected relationships. And of course, Mountainpaw, like Maplestripe with Berrypaw, we have to prep you for your exams, since they're only in a quarter-moon.”

“I obviously know, so let's do it!” Mountainpaw replied excitedly.

“How is it like almost being a warrior?” the younger apprentice questioned curiously.

“It's *great!”* But then he frowned, definitely remembering Swanpaw. “I hope Swanpaw heals quickly enough to become a warrior with us, or at least very soon after us.”

Petuniaheart, Maplestripe, Flameeye, Violetrain and Spottedpaw looked a little sad, especially the former first and Violetrain, since their immediate family member was also injured. “I hope so, too,” Petuniaheart said solemnly. But then in a happier tone, “Well, we should be training now!”

The three older apprentices nodded and went with their mentors to a clearing. *I wish I could join my friends in warriorhood already.* The yellow tom-apprentice really wished that he could be able to fight back properly against the dangers against the Clan, especially with what had happened a few days ago.

Then Rainpaw, Birchcreek and Primrosepaw came out of the medicine cat's den looking for something, or rather, *someone*. “Where did that boisterous kit go? She scattered a few juniper berries!” Rainpaw asked humorously.

“She might have eaten one, in fact,” Birchcreek added, still limping. Thymepaw secretly hoped that his mischevious friend's uncle would heal soon.

“I think she likes... the taste too much,” Primrosepaw replied with a smile. Even though Primrosepaw was only three moons older than him, she seemed to be a lot better of a warrior and leader than him. *I guess due to age differences.*

“Well, you can't deny they are great!” Rainpaw laughed. Thymepaw felt glad that both her and her brother saved the other two and Birchcreek himself.

“I think she's hiding in the nursery,” the younger apprentice suggested. “She usually hides there, ironically.”

The three older cats nodded, then called out for Birdkit in the nursery.

Violetrain smiled. “I hope she doesn't do that as an apprentice! After all, we're trusting her with the herbs!”

“Haha, don't worry, with me as her mentor, she'll be extra vigilant not to!” Rainpaw chuckled.

*Since I know Birdkit the best, I should help,* Thymepaw figured. He entered the nursery and looked around, and saw Waterkit and Flowerkit playing Mossball with Dustkit and Oakkit while Petalkit was just watching them. He had taken it upon himself to tell Dustkit and Oakkit about their uncle and Birchcreek and Swanpaw, especially Whitestripe and Swanpaw since they couldn't visit the nursery yet. MoonClan appreciated it, especially Peonyclaw, his mentor, Fireclaw, Shadowclaw and Icemoon. So far, Dustkit and Oakkit had a good idea of them and what they looked like, but he had yet to tell them about their personalities. But he wanted to try his very best to inform them. He did not want to say anything about Stonetooth, of course, and neither did any of the other cats, including Whitestripe himself. Being six moons older than them since he became an apprentice the day after they were born, similarly to his mentor's younger brother to his mentor's mentor's daughters, and perhaps Robinpaw and Soarpaw to Birdkit, Waterkit and Flowerkit except with a half-moon addition, he thought he might be wise enough to teach them in their eyes.

Flowerkit was the first one to notice them and she looked excitedly at Thymepaw, almost in a idolizing way. “Hey, Thymepaw! And Birchcreek and Rainpaw and Primrosepaw! We're playing Catch!”

Applefall smiled at him. “Ready to tell Dustkit and Oakkit more stories, Thymepaw?” she asked. Fireclaw, who was visiting his kits before he went out on patrol nodded, smiling as well.

“I want to learn more about the legendary Birchcreek and Rainpaw!” their son exclaimed happily. “Birchcreek's also our paternal grandmother's apprentice and grandfather's nephew!”

“Well, the legendary Birchcreek and Rainpaw are right here!” Birchcreek announced, limping in while also smiling. The kits all looked excitedly at him when he entered.

“Sure, Birchcreek, Rainpaw and I can tell you more, but first, where's Birdkit?” Thymepaw asked cheerfully. “She went into the medicine cat's den, I'm pretty sure.”

“Is that true?” Sandleap asked, amused. “I have to admit, I'm also curious where she went.”

“I promise I was just trying to feed you!” Birdkit exclaimed before anyone had to say anything. She came out of a moss pile, somehow.

“She told me that, too!” Waterkit chuckled.

“Really? I already administered them, but okay, that's perfectly okay!” their aunt replied proudly. “Except, of course, if you actually were trying to feed yourself!” A few cats chuckled.

“Well, I wanted to give them more!” Birdkit abruptly said with a smile. “After all, they should heal!” She paused for a moment, probably to listen to Rainpaw's second statement, then continued, “I was just trying to sniff them if they were the correct ones!”

Thymepaw just smirked. “You can do that without touching them, I'm pretty sure.”

“I have to agree with that, definitely!” Rainpaw added.

“Well, being a medicine cat is interesting, so I should learn!” Birdkit replied cheerfully.

Primrosepaw's eyes sparkled. “I can help Rainpaw and... Lilypool teach you!”

“After all, I should be one of the best in the Clan!” Birdkit continued. Then she replied to Primrosepaw, “That's great! We can both learn together! Where is Lilypool anyways?”

“Don't you remember? She went on patrol with Orchidmoon, Nutclaw, Heronwing and Rosepetal!” replied Petalkit politely.

Violetrain entered the nursery and looked at her nephew and niece proudly, then looked at Birdkit. “Well, then, Birdkit, will you take on the honor of being a medicine cat?”

“I was hiding, *remember?”* Birdkit replied to her foster sister humorously. Then she looked at Violetrain and replied, “Well, obviously! As long as I can get to *heal!”*

“Birdkit's just like Lilackit! She is very weird!” Waterkit said, looking slyly at his littermate.

“That is good, though! Weird cats are funnier, like Shadowclaw!” Flowerkit exclaimed.

“I obviously know that!” Waterkit replied with a laugh.

“Okay, but is Thymepaw going to tell us more about the four cats now?” Dustkit asked no one in particular.

Thymepaw looked at his mentor, who just shrugged. “Well, I have to train, but once I finish, I'll get right back to you,” he promised them.

Dustkit and Oakkit looked slightly disappointed, but they nodded. Birchcreek reassured them, “Don't worry, I can always tell you in the meantime, along with other cats like Rainpaw and Primrosepaw.” The two youngest kits looked more excited and intrigued at that.

But then Dustkit looked at Birchcreek directly and replied, “That's great, but I'm sorry if we were ill omens for your fall. I promise we didn't want it.” Oakkit nodded sadly.

The other cats in the nursery looked sadly at them. “It wasn't your fault,” Sandleap consoled them.

“Yeah, you weren't ill omens, it was just lack of luck,” Fireclaw added reassuringly.

“We didn't know that fateful day that the encounter would be tragic, either,” Birchcreek told his former mentor's grandchildren in the same way. “It was simply supposed to be a *SnowClan* border patrol.” Thymepaw knew that the AdderClan border patrol was ironically not attacked that day.

“Yeah, you had nothing... to do with their... issues,” Primrosepaw said, too.

“I also know that my apprentice ceremony wasn't an ill omen, either. It was supposed to be a defense against the odds,” added Thymepaw thoughtfully. “So you don't have to be sad about your births.” The other cats in the nursery nodded at that and a few smiled at his wisdom, and Dustkit and Oakkit looked a little relieved.

Thymepaw then looked at Violetrain again who nodded this time and they both left the nursery. Then Thymepaw remembered what he wanted to do during hunting. “Well, actually, I want to learn to catch birds.”

Violetrain smiled. “Well, that's what I was going to teach you originally! So sure!”

Thymepaw also smiled and they both left to go into the forest. As he remembered, he perked his ears up to listen for any bird calls, and so did his mentor. Then they heard several birds chirping in the distance.

“Do you hear that?” Violetrain whispered, and he nodded. “We should try to see where it is coming from.”

Thymepaw nodded again, and tried to hear where it was. He realized it was coming from the direction of the sun. “It's over there!” He pointed in that direction.

Violetrain nodded. “That's good, now we should follow it.”

They both padded quietly to the east and found a few sparrows on the same tree chirping to each other. *Okay, so this is it,* Thymepaw sighed silently. *The part where I usually stumble.* He was okay at climbing, but while trying to pounce on a not-so-thick branch, he usually lost his balance.

“Okay, try to make sure your balance is perfect, so that you won't stumble,” instructed Violetrain, demonstrating on an adjacent tree. Thymepaw watched her do it so easily, and he felt some doubt that he wouldn't be able to do it, especially not in the perfect way she was doing it. *No, I need to overcome it to be a better warrior.*

His mentor climbed the tree a bit more. “Also make sure to hide behind leaves so that way they can't see you and stay still until you get an opportunity.”

The sparrows were still calling to each other, not noticing her, until she went into pouncing position and made a giant pounce at them. Thymepaw was amazed at the fact she managed to catch one sparrow in her mouth and swipe another. *I suppose she inherited Peonyclaw's skills like Birchcreek said.*

All the other sparrows quickly flocked away, but the one that got swiped fell off the tree, and Thymepaw decided to catch it before it could fly. Violetrain made a graceful leap down from the tree with the bird still in her mouth and she put it down.

“How did you *do* that?” her apprentice asked in amazement.

Violetrain smirked. “That was actually pretty lucky. The chances of that happening are usually low, so I guess we can thank StarClan for that.” Then she looked encouragingly at Thymepaw. “You can do it, too, if you try hard enough.”

Thymepaw looked down, worried that he might fail again. “Is it actually *as* easy as you make it look?”

“Well, I can answer that with an anecdote of my own,” Violetrain replied thoughtfully. “You see, Fireclaw, Firepaw at the time, and his mentor, Littleclaw, used to go with me and Maplestripe sometimes as double training, since that is usually the case with littermates. Of course, this was before you were born, but also before Shadowclaw and Icemoon and Quailclaw, too! Since we were new apprentices just like you, of course. We were trying to catch birds, but we kept failing and and one time, Firepaw nearly broke his leg from falling from a great height! Peonyclaw was a little mad at Littleclaw and Maplestripe, but Firepaw managed to heal. But we were wondering how our mentors did it, and after that fall, we were disheartened. It was leaf-bare as well, which definitely didn't help. Until suddenly, we managed to find finches in an open area on the ground, and we managed to catch them without having to climb a tree!”

Thymepaw was surprised at her story, but he realized that most warriors just simply learned how to do it, as much as they should try.

“Oh, and it was also smart of you to catch that sparrow before it could fly away,” his mentor added proudly. Thymepaw nodded, also feeling proud for *something* at least.

“Anyway, let's bury these birds and go search for more,” she continued, and her apprentice nodded. After burying the birds, they went a little deeper into the forest. Thymepaw was looking up at the branches for any signs of birds, but he was also making sure to look down once in a while to check for any dangers or obstacles. Then he suddenly spotted a robin on a open patch of ground, probably looking for worms.

His mentor also noticed it and they both stopped. Violetrain smirked again, probably at the coincidence of the situation and her tale, then gestured for him to go on. Thymepaw silently nodded and tried to pad very quietly towards it. The robin didn't notice him since it was faced away from him and looking on the ground where there were small holes, most likely worm tunnels. The apprentice made sure to stay completely silent and not touch any leaves. But he also didn't want it to fly away since it looked like the robin wasn't finding any worms. So he tried to quicken the pace just a little. Then when he figured that he got close enough, he went into pouncing position. *I sincerely pray to StarClan that this will be my first bird, and that I will be proud to say that I caught my first bird which is Robinpaw's namesake at only six and three-quarter moons.* Then he made the giant leap towards it.

The robin noticed him and almost escaped, but Thymepaw managed to snag it by his claws. The robin chirped very loudly and tried to scratch him with its talons, but Thymepaw decided to swipe it so that it would stop moving. When the robin stopped struggling, Thymepaw inspected it to make sure it was dead, and then blinked a few times to see if it was actually real. *I did it. I* finally *caught a robin. My first bird. I finally caught something else other than mice!* He couldn't help smiling at his victory and achievement that he was finally able to catch a bigger type of prey. *And also Birdkit's favorite and namesake, obviously.*

Violetrain came closer and grinned at him, which made him feel even better about himself. “Wow, StarClan gave you a miracle! That tale really helped, didn't it?”

Thymepaw nodded, still looking at the bird. He was glad that he could finally help the Clan in a bigger way. “I am extremely glad, too. Should we take this back?”

“I guess so, but why don't you try hunting one more? It can just be a mouse, since other birds might harder to catch for you. Just so that we can bring back four pieces of prey,” his mentor replied, looking in the direction of camp.

The apprentice nodded and looked for one more mouse. He saw a very tiny mouse speeding frantically through the clearing, though Thymepaw thought it might be too small to even feed a kit. Then he saw a much bigger mouse following that mouse at the same speed. *What are they running from*? Thymepaw wondered, until an eagle suddenly swooped into view with its talons out trying to catch the bigger mouse. Violetrain spotted it and tried to pounce on the eagle before it could fly away.

Thymepaw watched wide-eyed at his mentor trying to fight it off, but he hoped she could succeed. The eagle was about to catch the mouse, but it noticed Violetrain about to scratch it and it flew upwards instantly. Thymepaw spotted the bigger mouse running away and immediately tried to pounce on it. He felt it underneath his paws and immediately bit into it.

“Oh well, it went into the sky, but I can't catch it from below it, anyways,” Violetrain simply commented about the eagle while he was catching it, before seeing her apprentice catch the mouse.

“Yes, but we got the mouse at least, which is good enough,” Thymepaw replied.

His mentor nodded. “That's great! As for me, eagles are *very* hard to catch from the ground, so I'm not surprised. For our warrior exams, we did it from the trees, and the eagles were on a lower branch from us.”

“I have to catch an eagle for *mine* as well, right?”

She nodded again. “Of course, and I need to help you get there. Luckily we still have seven more moons to go!”

“Sadly a quarter-moon more than that, but great!” Thymepaw looked back in the direction of camp.

“Anyways, let's dig up our prey!” Violetrain said cheerfully, walking back to the place where she buried her birds. Her apprentice did the same with his robin.

While walking back to camp, Thymepaw was still extremely cheerful over his victory. He was so excited to tell Mountainpaw, Berrypaw, Lilackit, Jumpkit, and Petalkit, Birdkit, Waterkit and Flowerkit, his closest friends. He wanted to tell Primrosepaw, Dandelionpaw, Robinpaw and Soarpaw as well, and perhaps also Whitestripe, Birchcreek and Swanpaw, though he wasn't sure if they were finished with their duties, or if he was close enough in friendship to them. *Well, I guess Birchcreek was the most equivalent in personality to me as kits, so we must understand each other the best.*

#### Short while later

When they got back, Snowstar, also his great-uncle, spotted them and simply smiled. Violetrain and Thymepaw smiled back and deposited their prey in the pile. The young apprentice saw three of his friends, Mountainpaw, Berrypaw and Birdkit, and his mother and her apprentice there and they all seemed to notice the robin. Thymepaw decided to tell them about it before they could ask if it was his catch. Of course, all five looked proud of him.

“Wow, you finally did it!” Mountainpaw was the first one to respond, looking joyful.

*“Great job!* I knew you can catch birds for me!” Birdkit replied, smirking all the way.

“I am also proud of you, Thymepaw,” Redwater added, smiling as well.

Berrypaw and Soarpaw didn't say anything as usual, but they beamed at him. Thymepaw appreciated the praise from all of them, but he was thinking about Soarpaw's reaction and if it meant that she in fact, *did* want to be friends with him, and that she was just a bit shy before. *Well, I want to befriend her, too, and everyone else, of course, but especially her, being my mother's first apprentice, so great for me!*

Thymepaw nodded at all of them, the sky seeming to soar above him in his pride. “Thanks all of you! I'm very proud of myself, too!”

“Yep, he did a wonderfully amazing job!” Violetrain added with a smile, taking a mouse.

“Can *I* taste it? I usually never got to taste your prey,” Birdkit asked excitedly.

“Sure, since you've been hooked on your namesakes ever since your first bite of prey, anyways,” Thymepaw joked, and Mountainpaw chuckled in response to that, though his mother, Berrypaw and Soarpaw also smiled at that.

Birdkit beamed, and took a bite of the robin. Then she exclaimed, “It tastes *great!”* much to Thymepaw's joy.

Thymepaw smiled. “I *obviously* knew you would.”

“I would also like to taste for quite *obvious* reasons,” Mountainpaw chuckled.

*“Only* a *little,”* the she-kit replied mischievously.

“Don’t be greedy!” Violetrain joked. “Alright, Thymepaw, I’ll go and visit Dustkit and Oakkit now! See you later!” she said while leaving.

Thymepaw nodded, then started reminiscing about his kithood, especially with the optimistic though disconnected Birdkit. When she was born, he was already four moons old, so he became an apprentice by the time she would start fully remembering things anyways. He remembered the times he had gotten a little irritated with the fact Birdkit couldn’t play properly as her senses were always delayed by a few seconds, making quick physical play, especially between kits, impossible.

*I doubt she cares that she had a hard time integrating into our games, but I should probably apologize, anyway,* Thymepaw thought. The previous kit with a similar condition, Primrosepaw, didn’t normally play with him since she was too shy, but despite her being three moons older, he had still wanted to play with her. *Would having tolerance of Primrosepaw helped me to have tolerance of Birdkit?*

“Hey, Birdkit, I just wanted to say, sorry if I did anything to hinder you from having a good time with us,” Thymepaw whispered to her softly.

Birdkit just grinned. “Don’t worry at all, I still enjoyed it even if things were weird for me!”

The apprentice smiled. *Of course Birdkit would not care and simply shrug it off.* Then he remembered Soarpaw, looking shyly at the prey pile. *I hope she will be willing to talk with us now.*

So he whispered to her, “Hey, Soarpaw, I know Redwater is a good mentor.”

Soarpaw sheepishly nodded. “Yes, she is.”

“What kind of training did you do?” asked Thymepaw inquisitively.

She still stared at the prey pile. “I guess hunting, then fighting.”

“Soarpaw, I know you’re also going to be a great warrior!” Mountainpaw added happily, and the younger she-apprentice smiled.

“I like Soarpaw for being a great apprentice and Clanmate!” Birdkit exclaimed.

Thymepaw added, “Yeah, the Clan knows you and Robinpaw will do well. You both have my mother and Mountainpaw’s mother as mentors!”

Soarpaw smiled and nodded sheepishly, but didn’t say anything. *I guess she’s warming up more.*

Redwater smiled. “I guess you can talk while I visit the nursery to see Birdkit’s mother, too, so goodbye!” She also left while Birdkit beamed at that.

“Sandleap is cool,” Soarpaw said softly.

“I also think she’s cool, which is why she mentored Whitestripe,” Thymepaw replied humorously.

“That is why I love Sandleap!” Birdkit grinned.

Thymepaw nodded and was about to respond to Soarpaw, but then Berrypaw looked at him in a peculiar way. *Is it because they’re both shy?* he wondered. He knew she had many similarities with the shy littermates, one being that their fathers, Lionrain and Blackfur respectively, had died when they were too young or not yet born. Thymepaw didn’t have a father, but at the same time, he didn’t care since he could always be a good Clan member without one. And Berrypaw, Robinpaw and Soarpaw, as everyone knew, were all painfully shy as kits, and still a little bit now.

Thymepaw remembered that he wanted to ask how friendly Berrypaw was with cats other than him, Mountainpaw, Orchidmoon and Maplestripe. But first, he wanted to make better friends with his mother’s apprentice.

“So, Soarpaw, how is Icemoon and Quailclaw?” he asked.

Soarpaw’s eyes lit up. “They are really looking forward to mating or mentoring!”

“She loves Whitestripe immensely, doesn’t she?” Mountainpaw joked.

“It is interesting that so many cats like to mentor or mate,” Birdkit added.

“I suppose kits are the biggest thing she desires,” Thymepaw replied thoughtfully. “Maybe she thinks that Whitestripe would have good warrior genes to pass down to her kits. But as for Birdkit’s uncle, he seems to really like your siblings, Birdkit.”

“I hope they inherit them!” Birdkit said with a smirk, then paused for a bit. Then her eyes glistened at Thymepaw. “I surely hope one of them gets him!”

“I hope so, too,” Soarpaw replied with a hopeful smile.

“I also hope that you get a good apprentice, too, Mountainpaw and Thymepaw,” Berrypaw added.

Thymepaw just smiled. “My apprentice is most likely going to be one of the kits of cats of your age group, since they are definitely not born yet.”

“That’s obvious, right?” Mountainpaw replied with a grin. “But I am sure that I will get Dustkit or Oakkit! Or maybe I can get one of my siblings.” He chuckled at that. “Our ceremonies are like my cousins, which is interesting.”

Thymepaw knew that his mentor and Fireclaw were eight moons older than Whitestripe, and same for Mountainpaw and Lilackit and Jumpkit, so it made sense that they would share their apprentice and warrior ceremonies with their siblings.

Birdkit exclaimed, “I would also like to mentor my niece like Rainpaw is doing with me!”

Berrypaw just nodded. “I probably don’t need an apprentice, however.”

Thymepaw frowned at that, since it felt like she didn’t want one because of her shyness. “But I know that you can be a great mentor.”

“I can probably become a mentor,” Soarpaw murmured. “It would probably be fine.”

Berrypaw seemed to understand what Thymepaw was thinking as she whispered back, “It’s not for that reason. It’s just that I don’t want to mentor right now.”

Then suddenly, they heard Sandleap call out for her daughter. Then Thymepaw looked at Birdkit and joked, “That’s your cue, Birdkit!”

Birdkit looked at Soarpaw before glancing in the direction of the nursery, then at Thymepaw. “I hope it’s for a good reason!” she joked back before running off.

“I hope so, too!” the apprentice called out, making sure that she would catch it. But he surely hoped that he would have more good times with her. Then he looked at Berrypaw and Soarpaw who seemed to be a little awkward around each other.

“I should probably find Robinpaw and Quailclaw,” Soarpaw muttered anxiously before Thymepaw could say anything appropriate. He frowned at her leaving, but he figured that she must have been feeling anxious around him and Berrypaw by herself. *I hope Redwater can encourage her to socialize with me more at least. Soarpaw would probably accept, me being her mentor’s son.*

Berrypaw looked a little relieved when she left, making them three the only cats left at the prey pile. Then she looked at Thymepaw. “I guess I can tell you now.”

“About the reason why you don't talk to anyone else but us?” Mountainpaw asked, clearly confused, probably because he didn't think it needed to be told.

"So, what is the reason?" Thymepaw asked curiously.

Berrypaw shrugged. "I don't have many friends or speak much because I usually feel burdened by having to talk so much, and I fear what other cats would think if I talked to them for some time and then stopped suddenly."

"So what about with us, then?" Mountainpaw asked. "You're as calm as a mouse without any predators around near us!"

"I don't want to be pressured with other cats for that reason, but with you, I can speak as less as I want since you don't expect me to talk much. You do all the talking for me, so I can just listen and reply when necessary."

Thymepaw smiled at that. "I am sure that's also your motto with Orchidmoon and Maplestripe, right? I'm glad that you know we understand and support you."

Berrypaw smiled back. "It sure is. For me, other cats don't interest me much anyways since I am perfectly comfortable being by myself."

"That must be why you are always okay not being outgoing, right? Though I do have to disagree with other cats not interesting *me,"* Mountainpaw replied with a chuckle.

"Well, it helped with my solitude, but not fully. I *was* getting a bit jealous of other kits having so many friends and playing group games all they wanted, because there isn't too much to do as a kit by yourself, and you know the same, Mountainpaw. Mothers are fine, but they don't always fulfill every need of yours the same way other kits do. And to top it off, Lionrain died only a quarter-moon of my birth, so I didn't have a father, either, or maternal grandparents, only paternal. Whitestripe and Primrosepaw had littermates who talked to them, but even *they* mentioned that they got terribly bored as kits, which is why what happened had happened."

Thymepaw decided to ignore the subtle mention of Stonetooth since he and MoonClan likewise did not want her being mentioned even indirectly ever again. But he felt a little sympathy for Mountainpaw and Berrypaw since even shy kits with littermates got bored, and even more for Berrypaw because most of her family members died in her kithood or before she was born, which was quite a contrast to Birdkit's situation. Even Thymepaw had an uncle, grandfather and mother, even if he didn't have much more than that. "I guess so. It is a bit peculiar to think about now."

But then Berrypaw smiled at Mountainpaw, who smiled back. "But I *am* happy that Mountainpaw warmed up to me as a kit. That way, we each had a close friend to talk to before you came along."

Thymepaw smirked. "I remembered how you warmed up to me ever since I was born. It was almost like you had an affinity to me."

"You could say that," Mountainpaw chuckled and Berrypaw smiled.

"I am also grateful for Birchcreek since he indirectly inspired Mountainpaw to pass on the favor," the red she-apprentice continued. "It is a great virtue to show enough kindness to someone and open them up enough to give that to someone else."

"I also plan to do the same since you did to me, technically," the yellow tom-apprentice replied. *With Birdkit and Soarpaw,* he thought valiantly.

"I am also glad I managed to extend his kindness to more cats than me," added the light-gray tom-apprentice.

"Kind of ironic you're speaking so much, Berrypaw," Thymepaw said humorously.

"You know I sometimes have an urge to speak when it's important, like now. Understanding me better is what I consider to be important," Berrypaw replied.

Thymepaw nodded. Then he remembered how Quailclaw usually got shipped with Primrosepaw, and likewise Whitestripe with Icemoon. *Mountainpaw and Berrypaw always hang out together alone much more than Primrosepaw and Quailclaw do, and* definitely *more than Whitestripe and Icemoon.* He thought it was interesting and wonderful that the two had such a great bond, being best friends, but he silently wondered if there was something more between them. *Just because* I *don’t like to mate doesn’t mean they won’t, either. Mountainpaw is pretty gossipy if not teasy, and Berrypaw still adores sweet things.*

“Hey, Mountainpaw and Berrypaw, just to understand you more, so no offense or anything,” Thymepaw started with a whisper, “*do* you love each other? You’re the exact same age *and* hang out the most with each other alone!”

His two older apprentice friends looked at each other with slight surprise for a moment, then Mountainpaw awkwardly chuckled and Berrypaw simply smiled.

”Well, that’s a bit hypocritical of logic, isn’t it?” Mountainpaw replied humorously. “Since you claim to not be in love with anyone, but you also hang out with other she-kits and apprentices!” Berrypaw nodded in agreement.

”Not alone, last time I checked,” Thymepaw chuckled. “Unless you mean with Redwater which definitely does *not* count.”

Berrypaw replied warmly, “I *do* agree with Mountainpaw. However, we *are* good friends due to our bond since kithood and we have the most understanding between each other, so we usually hang out with each other alone the most.”

“I could already guess, but you know I just needed clarification on that, since I can’t see that properly, being a third cat,” Thymepaw replied politely. “Because you never know since you’re almost warriors! And of course, I would keep it secret since I’m not a gossiper, it’s only for personal reasons.”

”We understand, because we’re your friends and indirectly mentors!” Mountainpaw replied, and Berrypaw nodded.

Then he noticed Birdkit come out of the nursery towards the prey pile. "Thymepaw! Guess what, Sandleap just wanted to tell me a story about how she mentored Whitestripe! I hope it can help me in the future!"

Mountainpaw smiled. “That’s great! After all, Sandleap *is* my mother’s apprentice and Whitestripe my maternal cousin!”

”She is also my third cousin through Orchidmoon, Stormlight and Sandpounce,” Berrypaw added, quieting down again.

“That’s *great!*” Birdkit replied excitedly. “That means you’re my mother’s mentor’s son! And *we’re* third cousins once removed!”

“Don’t forget maternal grandmother’s apprentice!” Mountainpaw added.

Thymepaw smiled, but then he remembered that he needed to tell Dustkit and Oakkit about Birchcreek, Swanpaw and of course, Whitestripe himself.

”Oh, I should also give Dustkit and Oakkit what I promised!” he quipped.

”*Alright!* We’ll see you in there!” Mountainpaw replied cheerfully.

”I want to join in for the story with you!” Birdkit replied excitedly.

”That’s fine! You should also get to know more about them, too!” Thymepaw replied and gestured for them to come.

Running into the nursery, he knew that he wanted to be one of the best warriors and Clanmates he could be. *Birdkit is going to be one of* my *best friends,* he thought positively. *And hopefully, so will Robinpaw and Soarpaw, and Waterkit and Flowerkit, and Dustkit and Oakkit. Just like I am with Mountainpaw and Berrypaw.*

**This is a chapter subpage of MoonClan's ambitious story (1): The First Four Leaders.**

*← Previous Chapter: Chapter 36: Insult to InjuryNext Chapter: Chapter 38: Icemoon & Flameeye →*

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