Update! Update! Update! *updates*

I closed my eyes. "Shut up, Ravenkit... Go back to sleep, you furball."

He was standing a few paces away from me, tail twitching, smiling in amusement and pretend hurt. "I thought you wanted to play with me! I'll tell Mom."

"Yeah, you go do that," I muttered, my head burying back into the mossy nest. "While you're there, try to let me get some sleep, shall we? I had a long day today, and it's our ceremony tomorrow. Remember?"

Ravenkit wasn't there anymore. I moved my head back slowly, almost expecting to see his black rounded shape before me, but all that was there was emptiness. Something else stirred in my mind- before, there was only annoyance, but now, a jolt of uneven emotions flooded through my head. I didn't know when, or how, but I knew one thing.

I was scared.

OoOoO

I blinked open my eyes and gazed around the nursery, half expecting Ravenkit to appear, but of course, as I reminded myself for the thousandth time, he was gone. Dead, because of me... I shook away that thought. It was my apprentice ceremony today, wasn't it?

Behind a sheet of willow, my mother was sleeping fitfully, tail stretched full length across the ground. I sighed. She would have to let me go then, wouldn't she? She couldn't keep me in the den forever... I shivered a bit at that idea. Of course, unless she did something else. Something so that I would have to stay by her all the time.

There was a flash at the back of my mind, but I couldn't conjure up anything and so stared at the entrance, waiting for the sun to rise. Outside, the air was warm and musty- just the right temperature for a ceremony, I thought glumly. Just the right temperature for her to... to...

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below the Great Rock," Falconstar called out, his green eyes gleaming in the sunlight. "We have one ceremony to conduct today."

I felt terribly lonely, and even more when he said 'one ceremony.' Like my brother never existed. I stared at the shadow behind me, and wished that the shadow was actually Ravenkit, hiding behind the bramble thickets, teasing for me to come with him.

"Hawkkit, come here. It's been a great honor to be with you today."

My mother was glaring at me, and I took that as a sign to move forward. Padding to where Falconstar's shadow lay, I dipped my head just a bit as he went on. "Hawkkit, are you ready to become an apprentice and be trained to be a warrior of this mighty clan?"

"Yes," I muttered, and Falconstar nodded in approval. "Then it shall be so. Raindrop, our very own senior warrior, will be your mentor. Touch noses, you two."

There was a murmur, and a dark gray tom, eyes blue like a river, leaned forward to gently dab his nose towards my forehead. I nodded again, wasn't sure why. Raindrop then stopped to look up at Falconstar; all was silent for a few moments, until one cheer broke out into many.

"Hawkpaw! Hawkpaw! Hawkpaw!"

The part of me that felt heavier than usual seemed to be a bit lighter to carry.