No, this isn't technically an update.
I'm splitting the chapters so it's easier to read, as suggested by multiple people ^^

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"So I was speaking to my senior warriors, and we decided to let you become apprentices as normal. Your sisters would have been most disappointed. As it's not their fault, why 'punish' them. And as for you, Skunk-kit, I get the feeling that you were pulled along onto this 'adventure'. Again, it's not your fault." Owlstar finished with a pointed looked at Rock-kit.

Yeah! Blame me for everything, as usual. Don't mind my feelings. Trod all over my tail, see if I respect you even more! Rock-kit thought bitterly but managed to let out a half-hearted "Yes!"

Skunk-kit bowed his head and sighed loudly, "Oh, thank you, Owlstar!"

They were sitting just outside Owlstar's den, the HighMound, inside AirClan camp. Four cats padded out of the den behind her, the senior warriors of AirClan. Foxnose, the ginger deputy, glanced thoughtfully at the two kits. Wolflungs, a white tabby tom, smiled warmly at them. Then came Mousefoot, a a thickset grey tabby, who pursed his lips and looked as if he was holding back a mean comment. Finally, Scarclaw trotted out of the hollow mound of earth, pushing against the wall of ivy that hid the inside from view. His scars stood black against his dark fur in the shadows of the giant cave. Scarclaw nodded at the two kits, looking at Rock-kit with a half-hidden smile.

When they had gone, Owlstar continued. "However! Your punishments must be most severe! I can't make exceptions for you, just because you're my son." With the last sentence, Owlstar looked at Rock-kit and spoke to him alone.

Fury rose in Rock-kit's throat like bile, he was getting blamed for everything again. He lashed his tail at Owlstar and roared boldly, "But we-"

Owlstar cut him off with a flick of her thick, fawn tail. "Rock-kit, you will be on elder duties for two moons." She mewed half angrily, not meeting Rock-kit's eyes.

He felt the bubble of rage in his throat pop. Whipping his long, thin tail in the air, Rock-kit growled at Owlstar, "WHAT?! But I- we- I-"

His leader bared her teeth, making Rock-kit's anger be momentarily replaced by fear and anxiety. "Silence! Skunk-kit." She turned to the shivering, black-and-white tom, who flattened his ears. "You will look after the younger kits and see to the queens' needs."

"H-how long?" Skunk-kit muttered.

"The same amount of time as Rock-kit - two moons." She replied briskly.

Rock-kit sneered indirectly at Owlstar, then whipped his head around to insult her choice to Skunk-kit, "Ha! You got the easy job! Caring for kits. How boring is that? Nothing compared to those stinky furballs in the elders' cave!" Rock-kit couldn't help himself. He stared defiantly at Owlstar as she surveyed him with emotionless eyes.

"Yeah..." chuckled Skunk-kit weakly, before falling silent as Owlstar turned her gaze to him.

"May I remind you, that four of those kits are your kin. They are barely half a day old, and the fact that you find it boring to look after them, is highly disrespectful. I expect- Actually, considering your behaviour recently, I don't know what to expect of you." Owlstar cast half a glance around the den, at the bramble bush nursery. "I am very disappointed with both of you. I wouldn't have thought that my kit, would be the one to miss his apprentice ceremony!"

What?! I didn't even miss it! And Skunk-kit 'missed' it as well! Rock-kit growled in his head. Why do you treat me like a badger covered in fox-dung? What did I ever do to you?

"Sorry," Skunk-kit mewed quietly.

Owlstar looked expectantly at Rock-kit before whipping her tail and announcing, "Sorry is right. I hope the two of you understand the severity of your actions!" the fawn she-cat stared at them, waiting for an answer.

Shuffling his paws, Rock-kit mewed disgruntledly, "Yeah, sorry Owlstar."

Skunk-kit meowed softly, "Yes, Owlstar, sorry."

She narrowed her hawk-like eyes, apparently doubting Rock-kit's words. Owlstar nodded stiffly, "Good, now get ready for your ceremony." She stalked off towards the nursery, waving her tail irritably.

After a few moments, Rock-kit turned to Skunk-kit and sighed jokingly, "I was sure our ceremony was going to be cancelled and postponed!"

Black-and-white fur still bristling, Skunk-kit smiled weakly and nodded, "Yeah. I thought we were done for."

"Skunk-kit!"

"Oh, fox dung!" he cursed.

Apparently, you're still are. Rock-kit thought gleefully.

A sleek black-and-white she-cat strode over to them from the nursery, her belly plump with kits. She had a well-groomed black pelt with a white muzzle, chest, and patch on her back. Her eyes were a pale copper colour, like dry oak leaves in Autumn. A long, thin, black tail flew out from behind her. The young queen marched up to Skunk-kit and tried to put on an angry voice. "What has been happening? Owlstar told me all about your little kerfuffle! How dare you go out of camp without me knowing? I was worried sick!"

Skunk-kit looked at his paws and mewed apologetically, "I-I'm s-s-sorry, T-T-Tall-L-Leaf."

Tall-Leaf bit her lip and barely managed to put on a furious face, "You should have seen how disappointed your father was! It was hard enough for him, trying to find his only son before he missed his apprentice ceremony. Then, it turns out you ran away to StarClan knows where, on the outskirts of our territory!" Her breath was coming in short and shallow gasps. Rock-kit tried to edge away unseen, but Tall-Leaf started again, eyeing him with half-concealed fury. "What if you got lost on another Clan's land? What if a fox or badger got to you? I hope Owlstar is punishing you properly!"

"Y-yes. Sh-she did..." Skunk-kit muttered,. Casting a glance at Rock-kit, he whispered, "Only son?" Rock-kit looked at Tall-Leaf's giant belly and started to sneak back again.

Grabbing Skunk-kit's scruff, Tall-Leaf pulled him close and sighed, "Good! Come here - I need to get you cleaned up before the ceremony. Look at the state of your fur!"

As she started licking Skunk-kit, Rock-kit creeped away, around HighMound and towards the nursery. He glanced back at Skunk-kit, who was struggling to free himself from Tall-Leaf's grip. Smugness but resentment filled Rock-kit at the same time. Thank goodness his mother didn't spoil him like as if he was the most important cat ever. But, it would be nice to get some appreciation.

"Rock-kit, there you are!" a voice called quietly but shrilly behind him.

Rock-kit jumped, Almighty StarClan, Blossomkit! That scared me... "I thought you were mute..." he turned to see his two sisters running towards him, from the bramble den.

One of them was a white she-cat with a pale fawn tinged back, and small darker fawn patches on top of that. She had copper eyes, the same shade as Scarclaw's. The other one was slightly bigger, but younger than the first, she had a light brown pelt with brown tabby stripes and Owlstar's yellow eyes. The first she-cat was called Blossomkit, Rock-kit's 'mute' sister, and the other was Treekit. They were both older than him, Blossomkit being the first-born, while Treekit being born afterwards, then, finally, Rock-kit.

"I am!" Blossomkit mewed, in the same soft-but-loud tone.

Treekit waved her tail, and padded up to Rock-kit, "Don't. Where were you? Dad looked so angry, and mum was FURIOUS!"

The brown tom flicked his tail, "Ugh! Nothing happened. Me and Skunk-kit just went on an early expedition to explore the territory." This lie didn't make him feel bad, Rock-kit had lied on too many occasions to regret this one. Irritation especially swatted guilt away from his heart.

However, Blossomkit didn't look convinced. On the contrary, understanding flashed in her coppery eyes. "We're not new-borns.... We know you found something interesting... We know you have a secret..." she whispered lightly.

Treekit looked mightily confused, "We do?"

Blossomkit tilted her head, nodding, "Yes?"

Dread and guilt snaked their way up Rock-kit's spine. Had Blossomkit followed him to the dead body? How else would of she known? Or had she been sneaking out too, and found it as well? Fear flooded Rock-kit, What if she says something? What will I do then?! He tried not to stammer as he meowed, "Um... I-I don't kn-know what you're talking about!"

"Don't you?" Blossomkit asked softly, narrowing her eyes.

Owlstar doing the same thing moments ago blared in Rock-kit's mind. His mother had stood in the exact position that Blossomkit did now. She had bent her knees the same amount as Blossomkit and stared at Rock-kit with the same fire in her eyes. Had Blossomkit seen that exchange? No. She was inside the nursery. Then how did she know what Owlstar had done, whisker-by-whisker?

"Ugh... No!" Rock-kit shook his head slowly, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.

"What? Never mind. Look - Owlstar's calling the Clan. Let's go!" Treekit mewed excitedly, pointing with her tail at the HighMound.

Owlstar must have exited the nursery without Rock-kit seeing her. She had leaped onto the HighMound and faced the direction the bramble bush, her back to the entrance of the camp. "Let all those old enough to tunnel, gather under the HighMound for a Clan meeting!" she called across the camp.

The camp itself was a Twoleg-made cave inside tallest mountain in the whole forest. Inside, it was extremely dark, except for a few gaps in the rock, where light was allowed to flood in. A long tunnel, starting from the Southern side of camp, went underground, leading to the outside world. At the other end, it was covered in brambles, to hide it from outsiders. A stream ran through the camp, cutting it roughly in half, a large piece of bark formed a bridge halfway across. If someone were to be entering the camp, a yew bush would sit on their left, this was the medicine cat den, the stream started here. On the edge of the medicine den, near the wall of the cave, a cylindric rock perched, cracked halfway through the middle. The medicine cat stored their herbs there and slept inside as well. All around the medicine den, there were mossy nests for sick patients. On the opposite side of the entrance of the tunnel, a small gap in the cave wall led to a smaller cave - the elders' cave. In between the mouth of the tunnel and the elders' cave, the fresh-kill pile was filled with rabbits and even an eagle.

In the middle of the medicine den and the elders' cave, there was the HighMound. It was a pile of dried earth, overgrown with grass and weeds. Facing the tunnel, a hole led to the hollow shell inside, where Owlstar, the leader, slept. Ivy slithered down to from a thick wall in front of the hole. Parallel to the HighMound, there was the nursery, a thickly-woven bramble bush. The stream gnawed into a small hollow, just past the bramble bush, leading outside. A large gorse bush grew out from the wall, where the warriors rested, not far left of the nursery. Between, this and the medicine den a fallen oak tree, which Twolegs most likely put there, was surrounded by a tight ring of rocks. That oak tree was hollow, and an ancient owl hole marked the entrance, where the apprentice's dozed.

Cats started streaming from dens to gather in front of the nursery, under the HighMound. Foxnose sat in the deputy's place, at the left base of the HighMound. Morningheart settled next to him, her belly swollen with their kits. Tall-Leaf and Skunk-kit padded to the front, sitting solemnly. Flamepelt came to rest near Skunk-kit, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

Rock-kit rose to his paws and made to trot towards the front. Silverwhisker barged into him, almost knocking him off his paws. She settled at the back of the crowd, only a fox-length from the nursery. Rock-kit sniffed and padded forward, quickly followed but Blossomkit and Treekit.

He heard Twilightear mew, "I heard the older kits are getting apprenticed!"

Then, Rosesong, a newly-made warrior, said happily from beside him, "It'll probably be Owlstar's kits! Oh, she must be so proud!"

Silverwhisker huffed bad-temperedly, glancing at the nursery as she spoke, "Well, I don't care who's kits they are, let it be quick. I don't want to leave my kits for too long."

Wolflungs turned from where he sat next to Snowtail, their white pelts merging into one, "I'll have you know that I'm mentoring one of them."

Mousefoot, his brother, meowed protectively, "I'm not, but don't be rude to Silverwhisker! She's had a tough night." He rested next to her, and curled his white-striped, thin grey tail around her fluffy blue one. Silverwhisker purred and flattened her ruffled fur.

Something pushed Rock-kit's hindquarters. Scarclaw was nudging him and his sisters forward, one by one. They quickly passed the rest of the Clan. Icefang and Frosttail sitting side-by-side, undistinguishable only from their eyes and scent. Crystalwing wrapped her blue tail around her paws, from where she sat, opposite Foxnose at the front. Redsplodge and Blackeye chatted quietly together, near the entrance to the elders' cave. Halfheart led Dapplewind towards the side of the crowd, staying near the other elders. Fallenbranch limped over to sit near Twilightear, tucking her stump of a leg under her thick tail.

Rock-kit settled a tail-length from Skunk-kit. Blossomkit and Treekit stayed together next to Scarclaw. When the three kits reached the front of the crowd, Owlstar announced to the awaiting cats, "We are gathered here today, because four kits have reached the age of four moons. Blossomkit, Treekit, Rock-kit and Skunk-kit. Today, they shall become apprentices, and come one step closer to completing the destiny StarClan has set out for them."

Rock-kit noticed, that at these words, Owlstar's gaze rested on Blossomkit, and Blossomkit alone. For a heartbeat, he thought he saw something more than pride there, something like...

Fear...

What's Owlstar so afraid of? Rock-kit thought, as he saw that faint glimmer disappear.

Word Count: 2441
No, this is not an update, not technically. I'm splitting the chapters so it's easier to read.