Unusual Punishment [CLAN MEETING!!]

Starlingflare's single eye glared up at his leader. Understanding the instruction of moving towards one area or the other to make his choice, but instead stayed where he was in the middle of the clearing. He sat back down, remaining still while others made there choice. He wasn't going to make a choice, there was always another way and all of them refused to see it.

Dovefrost who had been there the whole time, just silently observing the way everyone spoke, and came to their own conclusions. He had sat at his den most of the meeting, but when the time came to make the choice he moved, joining Wolfblaze. While he didn't agree with this punishment, it was better than some other solutions. "Let them come to their own conclusions in their own time Wolfblaze. It's better for them to think it through and make their choice instead of rushing them." The medicine cat said to the warrior.

Stoatfur sent a side glance in Starlingflare's direction. Of course, he agreed with Wolfblaze when it came to the matter of respecting their leadership. But hearing the rather pointless back and forth arguing, the tom couldn't help but wish they would both tame their tongues. He looked up to Minkstar and noted that this was simply logical, not weakness, but a smart play. If Skyclan cared enough to send protection for a killer, perhaps having two Skyclan cats in their camp could eventually work to their advantage.

Although he wanted to yowl at the younger warrior, he stayed quite, a steel looked in his gaze. There was no more to be said, not that would help anyways. He settled back on his haunches, craning his neck to look up at the ginger leader. You know what you're doing, I need to stop questioning it so much. Stoatfur blinked slowly. The thought scared him - to have so much faith in another cat, and it threatened to send him fleeing to the other side of the clearing. Swallowing, he held his ground. This wasn't about him, and it never would be.

Thymepaw sat in the crowd next to Wolfblaze, only half listening as their mother exchanged retorts with Starlingflare. They’d been barely more than a newborn at the time of Robinloft’s death but the impact it had had on the clan had been obvious. Skyclan cats living here will definitely be… odd.

The apprentice was surprised by their clanmates’ harsh words. Thunderlcan certainly had reason to be mad but didn’t letting another cat starve seem extreme? Their own mother, speaking of telling Briarthorn, a cat who had already switched clans once, that she belonged in the Dark Forest or living as a rogue? Thymepaw couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for the prisoner-to-be. Judging from cats’ reactions Thunderclan had no intent of making the Briarthorn’s stay easy or letting the guilty forget what she’d done for even a minute. The Skyclanner murdered an innocent cat though, what was Thymepaw doing sympathizing with a killer?!

They were suddenly wrenched out of their own mind by Wolfblaze’s movement and finally noticed what was going on when she settled next to the High Rock. What had Minkstaar said? Something about a vote? Thymepaw looked over at their mother uncertainly, not knowing which side to choose. Briarthorn had committed a horrible crime and deserved to be punished, but if the rest of Thunderclan’s warriors couldn't keep their tempers in check it might only lead to more violence.

Nobody noticed Kestrelswoop's presence by the camp's entrance. The tabby tom had made it just in time to hear the tail end of what the meeting was about and the chaos that erupted thereafter. He'd suspected this type of reaction would have occurred seeing as the topic had already been a bit touchy. His father was trying his hardest to soothe the clan however, not everyone seemed happy with the decisions that had been presented to them. He didn't blame them or disagreed entirely either. They were essentially stuck with a lose-lose situation and with seemingly no silver lining. However, his father was a smart tom and in his heart, Kerath believed that Mink had chosen the best option. Things happened for a reason and life had a funny way of dishing out karma to those who've wronged others. Perhaps this was the first step to getting the justice Robin and her kin deserved.

However, there was a small thing that was bothering him. Why SkyClan's leadership refused to exile the she-cat was beyond him. They could've even had dealt her a physical punishment but that seemed out of the question as well. Why were they protecting a murderer? Exactly who was she to them? He had so many questions and he could see no answers in the immediate future. It was a frustrating situation overall and Kerath needed to think about everything carefully before he let his voice be heard.

The warrior's gaze traveled across all his clanmates' familiar pelts and soon landed on his mate and their kit, Thymepaw, as well as his former apprentice, Starlingflare. His heart did a few flips as he witnessed Wolf's headstrong arguments. There were many reasons why he loved her so much. Thymepaw seemed to be following their mother's lead and he was proud of them for trying to participate, in their own way of course. The tom believed it to be time for him to head over. Starlingflare was as outspoken as always and he made sure to make his opinions heard. Before long, the brown and white tabby's paws moved on their own and led him over to the gathered cats. He desired to be close to his family and friends, after all.

"Everyone who's spoken so far has made plenty of valid points," he began as soon as he'd reached his mate's side, "However unfair the decisions presented to us seem to be, we cannot afford to stray into another, much more dangerous path than this. None of us are remotely satisfied with this and I'm sure we all wish something much worse would befall Briarthorn. Unfortunately, we cannot act upon our wishes lest we wage a brutal war with SkyClan." The tom's calm yet strong voice rang out. "However, if there was truly no other option other than this and if we can assume that Wolfstar could not be swayed in the slightest, we must make do with what we've been dealt with a level-headed outlook and some self-control. As Stoatfur had brought up, there is no need for us to receive these SkyClanners with any semblance of warmth. For whatever reason, SkyClan's higher ranks seem to be attached to Briarthorn and refuse to properly punish her misdeeds, as good leaders should. We must be the ones to serve the necessary justice. Murders do not deserve to have a nest prepared for them nor have the right to eat our prey. If Briarthorn or her SkyClan escort desire food, they will either have to find something other than our prey to eat, bring their own clan's prey, or deal with their hunger silently. We don't even have to provide them with anything at all. Little by little, these kind of acts stack up and begin to wear someone down. Since we cannot deal physical harm, we must get crafty with our punishments. You all have the right to be hostile however, refrain from acting out these impulses so we don't bring more misfortune to our clan. Slice with your words not your claws. Let Briarthorn wallow in guilt and misery for what she had done. It's the barest of justice we can serve, for now."