"Robinkit? Robinkit! Wake up now!"

Robinkit awoke with a start, letting out a gasp. Her mother stood over her, jabbing at her with her paw. The kit stumbled to her paws, giving her mother a sheepish look as she did so.

"Do you have any idea what today is?" she asked, her tail-tip twitching.

Robinkit rubbed her ear with her paw, avoiding her mother's gaze. The nursery was small to her now, to the point where she could feel her mother's breath hitting her face. Behind her mother was another queen, who she noticed was just now starting to wake up.

"Dovesky, the sun has barely come up. Let Robinkit rest a little more," Rainpelt mumbled, pulling her two sleeping kits closer to her. "I don't think even Shadestar is awake yet."

Dovesky scoffed, turning her head to look at the groggy she-cat. "My daughter is about to become an apprentice. I would prefer for her to be awake for her own ceremony."

Rainpelt didn't respond, seemingly choosing to try and sleep for a while longer. Robinkit licked her chest in embarrassment, still not meeting her mother's gaze. "I'm awake now, at least..."

Dovesky hurried her daughter out of the nursery, nudging her forward with her head. Robinkit didn't protest, though she hoped nobody would see. As she emerged from the nursery, she could see that Rainpelt was right; the sun had barely come out yet. She noticed that only a few of the older warriors were awake this early, each cat giving her an odd look as her mother pushed her forward. She stared straight down as they finally arrived at the center of camp. The familiar cave walls used to seem so big, she thought, before sitting down.

Dovesky's tail lashed back and forth as she stared at the leader's den, made from a thin crevice at the back of the cave. It seemed even smaller than the nursery, Robinkit thought, though she figured a den made for only one cat would be small anyway. She glanced at her mother, wincing at the agitated expression on her face. She prayed her mother wouldn't cause a scene-

"Why isn't Shadestar awake yet?" Dovesky demanded. "It's dawn and there are already warriors outside!"

"Well, they're the dawn patrol, so…"

"Their leader should be here."

She's your leader too, Robinkit thought, though she stayed quiet. She tried to ignore the looks she was getting from the growing number of warriors surrounding them, but she could feel their eyes locked onto her. A few moments of tense silence passed before Shadestar finally emerged from her den, followed closely by her deputy. Robinkit always wondered why Shadestar and Willowleaf shared the leader's den, but she figured it wasn't worth thinking about right now.

"Shadestar! Robinkit is six moons old today, and she needs to be made an apprentice now-"

"Yes, Dovesky, I'm aware of how old she is," Shadestar sighed, flicking an ear as she walked toward them.

"What Shadestar means to say is that we'll proceed with her ceremony shortly," Willowleaf added, touching Shadestar's shoulder with her tail.

Robinkit looked up at Shadestar, feeling a sudden nervousness inside her. Shadestar was large, well-fed and strong, like most of the members of SunClan. Robinkit was considerably small for her age, but so was her mother. And her father. She wondered if it would put her at a disadvantage compared to the other apprentices; SunClan cats tended to be large compared to the other three Clans, anyway.

Dovesky narrowed her eyes, nodding at Willowleaf before turning to join the group of gathering SunClan cats behind her. Robinkit wished she could be anywhere else; anywhere but at the center of attention. Shadestar gave her a concerned look before jumping up to the small overhang above her den. She looked around for a moment, as if gathering her thoughts, before raising her voice to address her Clan.

"Cats of SunClan, gather beneath the Highstone for a Clan meeting!"

Any remaining cats that hadn't yet woken up emerged from their dens, gathering together beneath Shadestar. Quiet murmurs traveled back and forth until the entire Clan had come together. Shadestar looked at Robinkit, then at Willowleaf, before finally addressing her Clan.

"As all Clan cats know, there comes a time in each kit's life when they must take their first pawsteps toward becoming a serviceable warrior for their Clan. When a kit reaches the age of six moons, they must become an apprentice and take on an apprentice name. It is during this time that they train under the watchful eye of a mentor in order to able to serve their Clans to the best of their ability. As the warrior code dictates, we gather here today to witness this transition for one of our own."

Robinkit felt a certain awe as she listened to Shadestar speak. She figured it was a quality that any leader needed to possess; the leader speaks for the Clan, after all. Still, she wished the ceremony would just happen already. One kit-much less herself-was not worth the time.

"Robinkit," Shadestar spoke, turning her gaze toward the small she-cat. Robinkit once again felt a surge of anxiety flood her, but she forced herself to look back at her leader. "You have reached the age of six moons old. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Robinpaw. Your mentor will be Cloverpath. I hope she will pass down all she knows on to you," the leader continued.

Robinkit-now Robinpaw-turned to look at her new mentor. Cloverpath was a warrior she did not know very well; not every warrior visited the nursery, she figured. She watched as the calico she-cat stepped forward from the crowd, a neutral expression on her face as she looked up toward Shadestar. For a moment, Robinpaw glanced at her mother, who seemed somehow angry.

"Cloverpath," Shadestar began, flicking her tail. "You are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Willowleaf, and you have shown yourself to be loyal and observant. You will be the mentor of Robinpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Despite the morning only having just begun, the Clan erupted into cheers, each cat chanting Robinpaw's name as she touched her nose to Cloverpath's. The newly-made apprentice couldn't help but feel encouraged by her Clanmates; they all seemed so proud of her. But through the crowd of SunClan cats, Robinpaw searched for just one face.

"Robinpaw," Cloverpath spoke, raising her voice through the cheers. "I would suggest you go greet your mother. Your father isn't here."

What could you possibly know about my father, Robinpaw thought, though she knew that Cloverpath was right.

"I...I know," she replied, turning to go find her mother amidst the now-dispersing group of cats.

When she didn't find Dovesky among the crowd, she felt a heavy weight in her chest. She saw Dovesky heading toward Shadestar's den, disappearing into the small crevice. Robinpaw closed her eyes for a moment, searching for some possible reason her mother could still be unsatisfied. She found nothing, leaving her wondering what her mother could be doing. Pressing the subject was pointless, she realized, as she turned to go find her father instead.