Jimmy's Death

**Warning - This story is not recommended if you don't want to cry.**

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Characters:

•Sparkle

•Timmy

•Crystal

•Jimmy

•Sage

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Crystal hauled herself up the tall tree. She was old, but strong. She climbed and climbed, till very high, almost able to see their chimney from up in her position.

Sparkle and Timmy sat at the highest strong branch, which was obviously higher than the branch Crystal perched on. They sat together, Sparkle with her head on Timmy's side, and watched the sun set behind the Rough Grey Trees (skyscrapers).

Crystal watched Jimmy climb up to her. "Oh, Jimmy," she said, "come up beside me."
She shifted slightly to the left to allow Jimmy to sit down beside her.

"We are so high up," Jimmy barked. He looked down on the small humans, looking like they were the size of a rabbit.

"I know." Crystal turned to face her mate and cocked her head to one side. "It's the tallest tree any wolf has ever climbed. Falling down it would be a nightmare..."

"Just thinking about falling is making me grip tighter." Crystal watched Jimmy's claws dig into the bark. He was frightened of falling down the tree. She knew he was.

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Later on they continued to chat on the tree as the wind picked up and became strong. It was already dark. Sparkle and Timmy retreated to a lower branch.

"Should we get down?" Crystal whispered into Jimmy's ear as the wind ruffled their fur. "It's dark already."

Crystal heard the 'beep' sound the beasts make. Jimmy replied to her. "Just a little longer."

Jimmy had completely forgotten he was up on a very high branch connected to the tallest tree known to wolfkind. He kept his grip very loose, and when the wind picked up he slipped down the bark, and eventually fell.

"Jimmy! No!" Crystal shouted with panic, but a heartbeat later she recovered when she noticed Jimmy holding on to a smaller, thinner branch.

"Help, Crystal! Help!" Jimmy tried to grip on, digging his claws in as hard as possible. But the branch was too thin. As Crystal climbed down the bark as quick as a squirrel, the branch snapped and Jimmy fell.

Panicked with shock, Crystal raced down the trunk of the tree. Sparkle and Timmy noticed her panicking face, and scrambled down after her. Even Sage, who was hunting, had seen what had happened and ran over.

Jimmy was underneath the branch he was hanging on, laying on one side to the ground. Sage pulled the log off him and was relieved when he saw the faint rise and fall of his body, which lay in a pool of blood. Crystal was breathing rapidly as if her breath were a cheetah. Sparkle and Timmy crossed their paws.

"Jimmy?" Sage whispered to him. "Jimmy, you alive?"

Jimmy twitched his ears, very slightly. His amber gaze was still in his eyes. His tail flicked feebly. "Crystal..." He turned to his mate. "Tell everyone you and me knew that I love them. Goodbye." Suddenly, Jimmy's breath quickened.

Sage was relieved. He wasn't going to die after all!

But Jimmy's breath only got faster, and faster, and then finally began to slow down.

Slower and slower, Jimmy's breath went, until it stopped entirely. His tail stopped flicking, his chest stopped rising and falling, and his amber eyes faded, making him stare at nothing.

"No! NO!" Crystal lay her head onto his body. "Why? Jimmy, why did you die?" She buried her face in his fur and cried on his body.

Sparkle bowed her head in sorrow, while Timmy wiped his paw along his runny nose.

Sage sighed, tears appearing, and walked off, thinking he was responsible for the death of Sparkle's grandfather.