Warriors: Cobwebs

34. The Trial

        Many intimidating sets of eyes focused on the traitorous cat that was Webpaw as he was marched through the camp. He could feel his peers boring deep into his tainted soul and momentarily scorned them all. They didn't understand. He saved them.

     His torn ear was wrapped in old cobwebs, cleaned with snow slush and careful licks from his mentor who did not dare to show emotion. Webpaw could see Goldpaw's crystal gaze through the corner of his good eye and he knew that she hated him. All of DarkClan hated him. Tigerkit was just an innocent kitten!

     No, she was evil.

     He had sat in deafening quiet in the bramble prison the entire night, lying in the mud and staring at the wall of thorns, the only sounds coming from his long, drawn out breaths. He had sat in the silence and thought to himself about his dreams, and the truth. He thought of how Tigerkit would soon become the scourge of DarkClan. He wanted to convince himself that his Clan did not understand the favor he had done for them, but it just wasn't possible. They treated him like dung.

     Webpaw watched as Fallenstar sat upon her ice-covered rock and looked down upon her Clan. Hisses echoed through the camp as the murderer took his place before the boulder. Fallenstar sighed in a forlorn fashion, and all cats when mute, a calmness spreading through the air.

         "Webpaw," Fallenstar said in a monotone voice. "You came to us many moons ago, and we saved you. You promised, offering your life to the Clan, to protect us from harm by working alongside Clearwhisker. And you use your knowledge to murder a cat of DarkClan: Tigerkit, an innocent kitten." Webpaw risked a fleeting look at his clanmates. He saw nothing but disgust and hatred.

     "Clearwhisker, please step up beside Webpaw," the leader requested. Webpaw' s eye widened, and he snapped his head around. Clearwhisker, just as startled by his apprentice, took a few steps away from the crowd and uncomfortably took his place alongside the younger cat. Fallenstar began speaking again.

     "Webpaw is your apprentice, and I need your say in this. Clearwhisker, Webpaw must be punished."

     The old tom dropped his head. "Yes, I know." He appeared shameful, as if to blame himself. He seemed to blame himself for the crime that was committed, likely feeling he had failed his apprentice and his Clan.

     "You know Webpaw better than anyone, so the decision rests on you. Is he to be exiled or killed? Would it be well enough to drive him away?" Fallenstar looked pained as she announced the two choices and dropped the choice on the shoulders of the old tom.

     Webpaw squinted as he awaited Clearwhisker's answer. The medicine cat seemed conflicted, and even frightened to answer. He was looking around at the Clan before gawking at Webpaw, ears pinning back in panic. "I believe.. Maybe.."

     "Kill him!" spat Froststrike from the back of the crowd. "He killed a kitten! Do you really want a monster roaming around?!"

     "If he feels guilt, then leaving him alive would be a worse punishment," Webpaw heard from the group of cats to his right. It sounded like Rainfall.

     He turned to Clearwhisker, who was absolutely terrified as he met the narrowed stare of the green-eyed traitor. "Please choose," Fallenstar chimed in.

          "I.. I believe he should be exiled. Like Miststep said-"

     Why do Miststep and Rainfall have to sound so alike? Webpaw snarled, swishing his tail.

     "-it'd be a worse punishment to exile him. He'd be forced to live with his guilt if he was driven away."

     Webpaw swallowed the stone in his throat and, as the sun began to peak up above the trees, illuminating the dawn, he heard the official announcement,

     "Webpaw, from this day forth you are banished from this Clan. If you are seen on DarkClan territory after today, my cats have the right to kill you. Now, leave."