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Sorry for the wait, but I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Leaf had grown used to being alone, mistrusted, and cast off to the side. This, however, took loneliness to a whole new level. Ever since he was found and taken into the Clan as the age of a young warrior, he had never stopped trying to prove himself. And now, he would never get the chance.

It's funny, he thought to himself grimly as he looked over the devastation in SkyClan's camp through slitted green eyes, how I was thought of to be the least SkyClan of them all, yet I'm the only one left.

He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, trying to calm his overwhelmed mind, at least just for a short period of time. Shaking out his short grey tabby pelt, a million thoughts went through his head, but there was one that stood out the most. The gathering! Some of my clan mates might still be alive—Lilacstar!

The graceful young leader had been one of the only cats to accept him and had been welcoming when he had first arrived. She had defended him, only a moon after he arrived, when he was blamed for the death of a young apprentice, and convinced his clanmates that it was an accident when a ShadowClan warrior had attacked him and ended up dead. She was always there when he needed support, and he had begun to see her as more than a friend; he had grown to love her.

There had been so many times he was on the verge of confessing his love, but he never did, knowing that if they became mates the clan would lose their trust for her, simply because they didn't trust him. So he kept silent, something that he had grown good at, though it pained his heart.

Refocusing, Leaf found his paws leading him out of the camp and into an equally ravaged forest. Ignoring the splinters that stabbed into his paws, he pressed on, leaping over trees that had once stood tall and strong, and now stretched across the torn up earth. Each paw step felt heavier than the one before as he began to notice the destruction seemed to only get worse as he neared the lake. Maybe it doesn't mean anything. I don't know. I just don't want to lose her. No! I won't lose her! She'll be fine, and I'll finally tell her how I feel! Determined, he picked up his pace, sprinting through the devastation.

Leaf's breath was coming out in ragged gasps by the time he noticed the tree line thinning up ahead. I'm so close. I can almost see the lake! He broke into a full-on sprint, each step bringing him closer and closer until finally, he could see it. And all of a sudden, he wished he hadn't. Because as soon as he laid eyes on the island, his world came crashing down.

The island, if he could even call it that, had been demolished. The bright light had crushed it and left a crater in its place. The water had lowered astonishingly, due to the fact that it was flowing into the huge dent left in the ground. There was no way anyone had survived.

The strength seemed to drain from Leaf's body as his gaze focused on the crater. His legs crumpled beneath him, and his vision blurred. "She's gone," he whispered, his voice hoarse. He remained there, in a semi-conscious state, overwhelmed by shock, simply repeating those two words. It felt like someone had ripped his heart out of his chest and snapped it in two. Reality swirled past him, and there was no telling how long he had been lying there before a surprised gasp cut through his shocked state.

Through the blur, he could see a tortoiseshell face leaning over him, and could hear the noises of others nearby. Slowly his vision cleared, and his strength seemed to restore itself. He noticed the she-cat leaning over him had large amber eyes, swirling with emotion. Pulling himself to his paws, he faced the cat, noticing the three others standing behind her. His voice cracking, he looked into the she-cat's sad eyes and found himself saying one last time, "She's gone."

Leaf took a step forward, and the dilute tortoiseshell took a step back in response, her eyes narrowed and her lip curled and she looked him over.

Leaf cleared his throat, the attention beginning to bother him. He looked at the three others, and one, a large, mostly white tom, asked, "So, which Clan are you from?"

Leaf parted his jaws to answer, when a cool voice answered for him, "He's SkyClan. His name is Leaf. And he's a murderer." A sleek black she-cat stepped forward, her multicolored eyes hard despite her even tone. "He killed a cat very close to me."

Leaf took a small step back. "I'm not a murderer," he argued. "It was an accident. Your ShadowClan friend attacked me, claiming I was too close to the border. I defended myself, and in the heat of battle, I injured him, badly. Everything went by so quickly, I guess I didn't realize how much blood he was losing. And if it makes you feel better, I never heard the end of it from my clanmates."

"And where are the rest of your clanmates?" The white tom spoke up again, though by looking into his yellow eyes, Leaf knew he already had guessed the answer.

"Dead," Leaf spat, forcing his voice not to crack. "I'm the only SkyClan cat left." His voice sounded distant when he said it like his mind wasn't able to comprehend what was coming out of his mouth.

The black she-cat's whiskers twitched. "You're the only SkyClan cat left?"

Something clicked in Leaf's mind as he glared at the ShadowClan warrior. "Wait, what right do you have to taunt me?" he growled. "Aren't you the kittypet?"

The third cat, a copper colored tom, spoke up. "Her name's Ebonyshade, and she earned her place in ShadowClan. She earned the respect of her clanmates."

Ebonyshade nodded to the spotted copper tom, before turning her odd gaze back to Leaf. "There's not many of us left anymore, so I suppose I won't turn you away if you wish to come with us to check the other Clans. But keep in mind that I will be watching you."

That's comforting, Leaf thought sarcastically. It'd be nice if cats could just trust me. Sighing, Leaf decided, "There's nowhere else for me to go, so, yes, I suppose I will tag along."

Leaf dropped to the back of the group as they walked towards ThunderClan's territory, not wanting to have to talk with them. Listening in on their low conversation, he managed to learn the names of the other ShadowClan cat, and the two RiverClan cats. He followed them in silence, the whole time keeping an eye out on their surroundings. Something moved in the destruction to their left, and he hissed, "Stop!"

Surprised that the others did what he said, he stared at the spot where he had seen the movement. There was definitely someone there. "Show yourselves," he demanded. There was a pause, before a ginger and white kit dashed out from behind a fallen log, and a ginger and brown tabby tom, who Leaf recognized as Nettlestep—one of ThunderClan's medicine cats—followed quickly, leaping over the log to grasp the kit in his jaws. The scent of WindClan was obvious as two scrawny apprentices and an older cat, who Leaf thought could be old enough to be an elder, stepped out as well.

"RiverClan, ShadowClan, and SkyClan," Nettlestep noted, looking over Leaf's patrol. "I'm assuming you are all the only survivors from your Clans?"

Leaf nodded, and Snowhawk sighed, "I'm afraid so. And if I remember correctly you are, Flamestripe, Sunpaw, and… Lightpaw of WindClan, along with Nettlestep, and whatever this kit's name is from ThunderClan."

The kit giggled, the first time Leaf had heard any semblance of humor since the destruction. She's too young, Leaf reasoned. She hasn't quite wrapped her head around what's happened.

"I'm Maplekit," the kit declared, "Maplekit of ThunderClan!"

The group of cats was quiet for a few seconds, before Lightpaw broke through the silence, asking the question that was going through everyone's head. "So what's next?"

Leaf found his gaze wander to Flamestripe, as the older tom surveyed the group before announcing, "These are unfamiliar times—dangerous times. And none of us should stand alone. There is no saying what the future holds, but if we survived this, together we can survive anything."

Leaf looked around, expecting someone to argue, but instead saw the same expressions on all their faces. Certainty. Determination. Agreement. They were more than cats from a bunch of different clans. They had one similar task.

To survive.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review telling me what you thought!

Now that you've met all of the survivors, who do you like the most?