One of my first forts (40d) went in a serious downward spiral, that came to an end on the first day of Spring. Please understand, I didn't get farming, and had trouble doing anything (I never looked at the wiki, while I learned to play) that could get me food, so my fort was surviving on fish, and the food/drink I brought. Now I shall tell the tale of Boatspaddle:
So during the first several months I was doing fine, my Dwarves had beds, rooms, food, and even some crafts, but then one day towards the end of summer my Jeweler went off to grab some rough gems, to my surprise she was slain by a Giant Cave Spider. Fearing for my fort I sent all of the Dwarves after the GCS. Luckily my miner was a proficient wrestler/miner because otherwise they would of all died , but because of his skill they were able to kill the Spider. Though there was a major problem, my fisher Dwarf was missing her right lower arm, and left leg. During the next few months my Fort survived on the leftover food, and river water. But then winter came, without food and water my fort, suffered, and I sent my leader out hunting, she came back with in the arms of her fellow Dwarf (though she managed to get some food). At this point I had a miner, a woodcutter, a carpenter, a stoneworker, and two critically injured Dwarves, all of which are hungry, and thirsty. Next I send my woodcutter out with a crossbow, and he never returns (Evidentally a few batmen thought it would be funny to throw him down a chasm). Giving up hope, my leader goes berserk and attacks her own hunting dog, yet another Dwarf dies. After that the poor crippled Dwarf dies, despite the stoneworker's constant wish to feed her. Soon after all of the Dwarves will die, one to starvation and two to dehydration, two of them just die in their rooms, but the last Dwarf to survive refused to give up. This last Dwarf was the stoneworker who fed his crippled lover, the Dwarf who kept trying to get food for his fellow dwarves, the Dwarf who never gave up, and so as the spring warmth thawed the ice he ran for water, dropping dead halfway there.
Damn that fort was dramatic (to play at least).