Hello my fellow readers! I hope you are enjoying this fanfiction! I know I am! If not well then...bite my butt! I hope you all have a merry christmas and a happy new year! Well, onto the chapter! XD

0o0o0o

"Will you stop that?" Squirrelflight snapped as Spiderpaw raced past her once again, where he found the energy she didn't know. She felt a fleeting spark of regret as a guilty look passed over the long-limbed black apprentices face. It was a fleeting regret however, the hunger that drove this hunting party had shrunk her patience.

"I'm sorry," Spiderpaw mumbled, padding back towards the hunting patrol that consisted of Squirrelflight, Whitepaw and his brother, Shrewpaw.

"Sorry catches no prey!" Squirrelflight retorted, she gazed over the three apprentices that were assigned to her hunting patrol. She was there to assess their hunting, but she had a feeling that it was a cover to try and distract the apprentices from the trouble the Clan seemed to be in at the moment. Although she saw no need to worry the apprentices, she also thought they had a right to know what was going on in their own territory and the danger that ThunderClan was in.

"Now, I believe the smaller the group the more likely we'll find prey," Squirrelflight meowed, a bit of excitement curling in her chest as she direct the hunting patrol. Sure, she had led hunting patrols before, but this was the first one with her as the only warrior and overseeing apprentices. "Whitepaw and Shrewpaw, I would like you to hunt close near Fourtrees. While me and Spiderpaw will hunt near the ShadowClan border."

"But isn't that part of the territory dangerous to hunt at the moment?" Spiderpaw meowed, his amber eyes looking unsure.

"Not unless you have a warrior with you," Squirrelflight reassured, blinking friendly down at the young apprentice. "I'm here, so don't worry. I won't let anything hurt you." Spiderpaw nodded, and followed after Squirrelflight as she led the way towards the ShadowClan border. She had another reason for wanting to hunt near the ShadowClan border, she wanted to gaze across the Thunderpath and wonder if she could spot one of their patrols. She wondered if she might even catch a glimpse of Tigerstar, or maybe even his deputy, Blackfoot. She always teased the thought of seeing one of their patrols and calling out, asking how her father and siblings were. It was always a passing thought, but she still wondered about them.

"Where do you want me too-" Squirrelflight turned back to Spiderpaw, his paws itching with energy that Squirrelflight didn't have at the moment.

"Try the rotting tree, there might be some prey hiding inside it's hole." Squirrelflight meowed distractedly, her green eyes sweeping over the ShadowClan side of the border.

"The one that's overgrown with moss?" Spiderpaw questioned, his eyes lighting up when Squirrelflight gave a moww of agreement.

Spiderpaw slinked off into the shadows, his black pelt blinding in seamlessly as he left Squirrelflight to her thoughts. She slowly padded alongside the Thunderpath, her mind wandering once more. Was she doing right by ThunderClan when she decided to stay when her father offered her a place in ShadowClan? She couldn't envision herself in the dark, marshy swamp pine territory then she had as an apprentice. But now with the forest practically being torn apart all around her, she kept rethinking her life decisions. What if she had gone to live in ShadowClan? What if she had grown up in her fathers Clan? But everytime she reflected on that idea, a sense of guilt and betrayal twisted her heart to think she could ever leave ThunderClan, her mother's Clan.

She could no longer see herself without the comfort of her mother and ThunderClan siblings, she couldn't envision a life that didn't consist of waking every morning without Cloudtail's loud complaints whenever he had dawn patrol. She couldn't begin to think of leaving her friends behind, Sorreltail, Cinderpelt, Sandstorm, and Whitepaw, Sootfur...she couldn't leave them behind, she had to stay to see things to the end, she needed to stay in ThunderClan in order to greet Spottedfeather when she came home, she-

A loud crack made Squirrelflight jerk out of her inner musing. Her head snapping around towards the direction of the sound, and her paws flying in long bounds as she headed in the direction of the sound. Her mind reeling at what her eyes gazed upon as she approached the scene and only a moment to late.

Her eyes took it all in as her mind was left far behind, the shattering of wood came crashing down in a spray of tiny bits of bark, a terrified screech of fear as a small, black shape fell with rotting wood. Until both the shape and tree slammed hard onto the Thunderpath in a sickening crunch. The sound echoing in her ears as much as the loudest thunderstorm, as much as her first battle. But this wasn't a storm or battle. Cause laying across the Thunderpath, underneath a tangle of branches lay the unmoving body of Spiderpaw.

Squirrelflight stared in shock, her legs quivering and briefly feared that they would crumble under her. "I'm here, so don't worry. I won't let anything hurt you." Her own words ringed in her ears, giving strength to her legs, making them move towards Spiderpaw's crumpled form.

"Spiderpaw! Spiderpaw!" Squirrelflight wailed as she raced along the fallen tree, fear of the Thunderpath long forgotten in her haste to look under the branches in search of the apprentice. "Spiderpaw, answer me!"

"I'm here, so don't worry. I won't let anything hurt you."

"Spiderp-" Squirrelflight's call died in her throat. Sticking out from one of the broken pieces of wood was one of Spiderpaw's legs, bile rose in her throat however as she realized that it was twisted in a backwards angle. A shunder raked her form as she hopped off the tree and walked cautiously along its side. A numbness fell over her as she rounded a broken off branch, and stopped dead in her tracks.

"I'm here, so don't worry. I won't let anything hurt you."

It felt as if Squirrelflight was a million miles away as she gazed upon Spiderpaw's broken form. His front paws curled against his chest as if readying for a run, his head was tipped back, with his tongue hanging from his open mouth as if he was in mid-yowl. His back leg twisted against his side with the other tangled in the branches. A trickle of blood trailing across one ear as it fell in droplets upon the wretched black top.

Squirrelflight approached him cautiously, detached completely from the situation as if watching from the sidelines. Her body worked on it's own, only when she pressed her nose to the black toms chest did she give out a long, mournful cry.

"I'm here, so don't worry. I won't let anything hurt you."

Because Spiderpaw wasn't breathing.

0o0o0o

Well how does that make you all feel? I know how it makes me, but I don't think you'll like the answer so I'll keep it to myself! XD

Facts:

Squirrelflight is heavily going to blame herself for this, and it will show throughout the rest of the series!

This is the first of MANY deaths...so...good luck with that! XD

R.I.P Spiderpaw! (honestly I never really liked Spiderlegs…)

I hope you review, fav, follow! AND HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS! XD Mwhahahahhahah!