Chapter 1
Greystripe was limping after Firestar, tail dragging along the ground. He was weary and wounded, a long bleeding gash on his shoulder where Russetfur's claws tore his flesh. They tried again to convince ShadowClan to leave the forest, along with the other Clans, as the Twolegs were slowly taking over the territory and scaring off the prey. However, their warning met deaf ears, and they were attacked and chased away.
"How can they be so mouse-brained?" Firestar growled. "We stand no chance against the Twolegs, we must find another home. But we cannot leave until all Clans agree to follow."
Greystripe did not argue; he knew his friend's opinion on the matter: the Clans should leave or die together. "These are difficult times," he murmured. "Our forest destroyed... my kits disappeared..." Feathertail and Stormfur have been missing for almost a moon. Firestar brushed his tail lightly along his best friend's flank in encouragement, but his heart sank too as he remembered the missing cats. Squirrelpaw, her daughter also vanished, together with a young warrior of the Clan, Brambleclaw.
They arrived to the ThunderClan camp and pressed through the gorse tunnel. The warriors and apprentices emerged from their dens and looked at them expectantly, but Firestar shook his head. Graystripe padded away to the medicine cat's den, and Cinderpelt pressed a generous amount of marigold and cobwebs on his wound to stop the bleeding. "At least we aren't running short of cobwebs," she remarked. "There are always plenty in this forest."
Greystripe lay down to rest a bit, waiting for his strength to return. Suddenly, he heard a commotion from the clearing, as if the camp was attacked: terrified yowls of cats mingling with strange clicking and hissing noises. The warrior sprang to his paws and pushed through the ferns to join the others.
The sight made him stagger. Gigantic spiders, each as large as a fox, were pouring into the ravine, climbing gracefully across the thickets sheltering the camp. They had hard, chitinous shells, and their long, jointed legs were barbed and razor-sharp.
The largest spider stepped forward and clicked its mandibles. "I am Pauk, leader of the sword spiders. We came here to protect our smaller kin, who live in this forest. You furry mammals have been persecuting them since you moved here, tearing apart and stealing their webs made with hard work, to plaster them on each other's fur. We will put an end to this now."
The cats eyed them warily, fear gleaming in their eyes. Of course, they did not understand spider-talk; all they could hear was something of a "click-click-hiss-hiss-click."
"I don't know what their problem is, but they seem hostile to me," Graystripe murmured to Firestar. More cats appeared from the dens, joining the others, determined to give their lives for the Clan.
"We can defeat them," Firestar replied, but as he looked again at the army of the angry arachnids, his confidence started to ebb away. "We must defeat them."
He stepped forward and addressed the creatures. "What do you want from us? We have no quarrel with you. Leave this forest now, and your lives will be spared."
The large spiders eyed him with their many eyes. Of course, they did not understand cat-talk; all they could hear was something of a "miauw-miauw-miauuuw." After a long moment, Pauk clicked its mandibles, and the creatures jumped forward to attack.
Greystripe launched himself at the closest enemy, but it batted him away easily with a sweep of his leg, sharp barbs tearing new wounds in the grey warrior's body. He got up and charged again, raking his claws across its abdomen. It staggered and turned to face him. Brackenfur and Whitepaw arrived to help, and the three of them ripped the spider apart with sharp claws.
They whipped around to face another of the attackers, and saw with clenched throat that several warriors were already lying lifeless on the ground. Thornclaw lay with a broken spine, Ashfur had a deep gash on his neck, and Cloudtail was impaled on the razor-sharp leg of a spider, spasming in agony as life bled away from him. There were too many enemies; this was a lost battle.
A faint light of hope showed its glimpse to Greystripe as he saw Dustpelt's large patrol appearing from the gorse tunnel. The patrol froze in horror as they took in the massacre in the ravine, then jumped into the battle with a fierce yowl, and Greystripe joined to help them. It seemed for a moment that the odds were reversed, but the spiders gained the upper hand in the end. Dustpelt went down as powerful mandibles grabbed his throat, Sandstorm was bleeding from several cuts, and Greystripe was flung aside by a hard blow.
Firestar appeared from nowhere, helping the deputy to his paws. "To the nursery, quick! We must rescue the kits!" They ran off in the direction of the bramble walls, hearing the high-pitched wails of the kits from inside. The spiders could not push through the brambles, but used their mandibles to tear the branches apart.
Greystripe jumped on the back of an attacker, trying to dislodge it, but it was standing firmly on its eight legs, and managed to throw the warrior aside, then raked its barbed legs over his body. The cat fell to the ground with a crash, and fell back when he tried to stand up, realizing that his hind legs were broken. He looked around in panic, hoping that Firestar would come to his aid, but the ginger tom was pinned down under a creature, spasming as powerful venom was pumped through his body from the fangs that sank in his neck.
The grey warrior's vision blurred, his body weakened from the wounds and blood loss, and closed his yellow eyes for the last time. At last, I will be reunited with my dear Silverstream, he thought as he slipped out of consciousness.
After the fight was over, Pauk glanced around to take in the devastated clearing, looking at the lifeless bodies of the cats and some of the fallen arachnids. They avenged their kin.
"We are done here," it clicked its mandibles. "The small spiders of the forest will not be bothered any more by those stuck-up mammals. We may return home."
Another spider scuttled up to it. "If it is all right with you, Pauk... some of us wish to remain here. There is prey in this forest, and we could protect our smaller kin."
"Very well," the leader replied. "Thanks for your help... I will miss your friendship." It climbed across the thickets, followed by most of the other creatures.
Note: This takes place during Moonrise, in the old forest camp. I pitied the poor spiders constantly being ripped off by those mean kitties, so here is a fic about the odds getting reversed. I intended it as a humorous writing, but in the end it turned out the opposite. I am so evil... :'( Oh well, it is only a fic, please don't kill me.