Heya! This is Shadow and Fwirl! We're going to co-author this fic with each other, an dyou get to see the results, lucky you. Isn't it great to be a reader? We're gonna be switching off every chapter, starting with Shadow. Maybe some of Fwirl's happy can even out Shadow's depressing! So we'll let the creativity flow and let's see what happens!

The pale light of the full moon cascaded down upon the backs of battling cats, illuminating bared teeth and unsheathed claws. Ear-splitting yowls echoed off of stones and tree trunks as the heaving mass of cats continued their battle.

A black-and-brown tom and a light brown tabby rolled away from the main battle, hissing and spitting. Their fight churned up the grassy ground at their paws, turning it to mud.

The tabby pinned down the other tom. Drawing in a ragged breath, he panted, "I've got you now, Spiderleg. ThunderClan think they're so great… but they're not!"

Spiderleg glared up into the tom's sky blue eyes with contempt. "Yes, because RiverClan are much better," he taunted. "Why don't you go back and hide in the reeds where you belong, Streamclaw?"

With a yowl of rage, Streamclaw bent his head to deliver a painful bite to Spiderleg's shoulder, but the ThunderClan cat was too quick. Whipping away from Streamclaw's powerful teeth, he squirmed out of the RiverClan warrior's grasp and turned to face him, panting.

"You… you need… to leave." Spiderleg's voice was shaky as he gasped for breath.

Streamclaw took a step closer to the ThunderClan warrior. Extending his claws, he mewed, "I'm not leaving until you and your Clan are finished fighting. RiverClan aren't going to be hassled by a Clan full of kittypets. We have things to protect." He crouched down. "This is your last warning."

Spiderleg narrowed his amber eyes. "ThunderClan is not intimidated by your threats, Streamclaw." He also crouched. "We can take your Clan anytime."

The two warriors circled each other warily, each anticipating the other's first blow. Streamclaw narrowed his eyes in concentration; he had to win this fight. An image of Otterheart flashed in his mind and he hesitated for a heartbeat, overcome with emotion. That was all Spiderleg needed. Taking advantage of the RiverClan warrior's lapse in thought, Spiderleg launched himself toward Streamclaw, his teeth bared in a fierce snarl.

Streamclaw let out a hiss of surprise as Spiderleg's teeth latched onto his throat. He thrashed frantically, but Spiderleg's weight pressed down on him, trapping him between the cold mud and his enemy. He lashed out with a flailing forepaw and caught Spiderleg on the muzzle. Blood sprayed from the wound. The warrior let out a hiss of pain and relinquished his hold on Streamclaw, digging his claws into the warriors thick throat fur instead and shaking his head.

Streamclaw heaved with all his strength, but Spiderleg's hold was firm. The black warrior was half-blinded by the blood in his eyes as he raked his hind claws down Streamclaw's flank. The RiverClan warrior snarled in frustration, and slammed his heavy paw into the side of Spiderleg's face, but by doing so, shifted their weight and dislodged the precariously thin ledge they were battling on.

Yowls of surprise rose from both cat's throats as they began to roll down the slope towards the lake. Spiderleg let out a wail of fear, and redoubled his grip on Streamclaw's fur.

Streamclaw tried desperately to break Spiderleg's hold on him. He looked around for something, anything firm enough to stop his fall. Just as he turned his head, the battling cats collided with a large, hard rock. Streamclaw, propelled by Spiderleg's extra weight, smacked his head right into the side of the cold, cruel stone.

Immediately, Streamclaw knew something was wrong, and it was not a normal head wound. A deep, slow ache filled his body. Tipping back his head, he saw a growing puddle of blood glinting in the light of the full moon. A horrible chill had begun to creep through him turning him to ice. He was barely aware of Spiderleg's presence, could barely hear the ThunderClan cat calling desperately for help.

"What happened here? Streamclaw!" He faintly recognized the deputy, Mistyfoot's voice raised in horror. He felt a nudge to his numbed shoulder, a voice frantically calling him to stay.

"Explain yourself, Spiderleg!" Slowly, like an old cat, Streamclaw turned his head to see who was talking. A white tom bristled in front of his eyes, blurred so much that he looked like a snowflake. Snow, he thought distantly. It must be snowing. I hope Otterheart is warm; the kits are due any day.

Thoughts of his mate filled his fading mind. They had been apprenticed around the same time, but Streamclaw had always been to shy to speak to the beautiful brown she-cat. They had finally gotten together, and were planning to start a family.

Streamclaw had been ready to burst with pride when Otterheart told him the news. He could still picture the look in her light green eyes when she told him she was expecting kits. Would they look like him? He could picture a light brown tabby with Otterheart's green eyes, or a dark kit with his blue eyes. All his dreams were about to come true; he was a trusted warrior, a proud RiverClan cat, and a soon-to-be father.

Then the Great Battle happened. All thoughts of his new family fluttered away. Streamclaw, in his confused state, could only remember that ThunderClan was somehow involved, and he was in their territory. Try as he might, he couldn't recall the purpose of RiverClan's invasion, couldn't see how all the glory of battle had come to this.

But he didn't want to think about battles, not now. The ice chilling his veins had put him into a stupor, making his thoughts wander away from him, as if he was trying to grasp a struggling fish. He could barely hear the three cats standing over him over the pulsing of his own heart, beating the blood from his body with every traitorous pulse. He would never see the river again, he realized. He would never meet the kits he had been so proud to have sired, never see the beautiful eyes of his mate again. Otterheart, a voice within him whispered. With a deep sigh at the thought of his mate, Streamclaw closed his eyes and let himself sink into the darkness, falling from the familiar world and into the shadows.

Whoohoo! Since I, Shadow, wrote this chappie, it was destined to become depressing. :D Fwirl's chapter's next!