Chapter 1: The Morning After

*knock knock* "Clementine!" A knock at the door startled the 21- year old vixen awake. Her alarm clock said it was 7:15 AM, which was very late for her standards. Last night had been a bit crazy, which might have gotten her a little bit more tired than usual.

"Coming!" she sighed as she got up from her very comfortable bed and opened the door to see who it was. The face was a familiar one. It was that of Jesse, a 23-year old arctic fox, wearing a red t-shirt with jeans, as well as a jacket only for protection purposes, knowing that the cold didn't bother him.

"Sorry," Clementine said, embarrassed. "I totally overslept. Just give me a minute and I'll get dressed."

"I heard you got quite a night after I left," he smiles smugly. Clementine's eyes widened in embarrassment.

"I…" she takes a moment to collect herself and just says it outright. "She kissed me. It was just Skye being Skye. We were both a bit drunk, so…she didn't mean anything by it." Jesse looks at her like he had just seen a ghost. Clementine feels like she might have overshared.

"I was…talking about your fight with Gerald, wait you kissed Skye?" Fuck, was all that was running through her mind at that moment. She really wanted the earth to swallow her whole right then and there.

"Oh…" is all she manages to let out after a bit of time looking at each other. "I thought that's…"

"We're broken up one week and you're already making moves on my girl?" he interrupts, getting Clementine even more flustered with his words.

"No…I…It was just…she was probably just trying to make you jealous or something. I would never…ugh shit this is awkward…"

All of a sudden, he lets out an audible snicker.

"I'm messing with you, Clem. I don't care. Get dressed." And the awkwardness ends there. She's thankful he understood and didn't make a whole thing about it. God knows she wanted to forget as much of last night as anyone…maybe not the kiss though.

"Ugh, you're the worst," she says in a joking manner. When she goes to close the door, he puts his paw on it to stop it, now with a more serious look. Did he get offended this time?

"Hey. It was kinda messed up you did that." She grunts, now finally shutting the door on his face.

Now in her room, she could finally dress in peace. There was not much she had to take since she was already wearing a hoodie and jeans. It was way too cold to sleep on skimpy clothing, and her house didn't really have any kind of heating, unfortunately.

She smells one of her armpits, feeling for the smell of the hoodie. "Eh, it smells fine."

"Get your stuff together, we're already late," pushed Jesse, Clementine still hearing him through the door.

She went up to her office chair that currently harbored her brown jacket, something she would need for the outside. Just a hoodie would not really suffice for the low temperatures of the Bunnyburrow winter. At her desk was already her trusty gun, a 1911 pistol, and her backpack. She hesitates about taking her notebook, but she ultimately decides to take it, thinking there would be some great drawing opportunities along their way.

On top of her desk, she sees a figure of an astronaut. She reminisces about how she got it as a gift from Nick a few years back, probably the first birthday she spent together with him and Judy. They had been acting so weird that day, until they told her that they were getting married that weekend. She screamed so hard she probably broke the sound barrier. She had always been adamant about them dating, and that just solidified the whole deal. They were in it for the long run.

Sadly, the figure did not elicit as many fun images anymore.

"Hey, is Nick up?" She asks, grabbing the knife currently stabbed into a wooden nightstand. Conveniently enough, her brown gloves were also on it.

"We got reports of savages out north," said Jesse, still with his voice muffled through the door. "Vicky sent him and Gideon early to scout."

"That sucks."

"Yep. Can't imagine they got too much sleep. Definitely not as much as you," he teases again. Clementine grunts once again.

"Ugh, shut up. I was about to get up before you came knocking like a crazy guy."

"Mm-hmm," he said, unsure of her statement.

"I was," she insisted.

With that, she was out the door and into the cold. The chill of the morning breeze startled her a bit before finally getting used to it. She envied Jesse and Skye every time he saw them act so casually around the snow.

"Missed you, sweetie."

"Say that again and I break your nose," she put her closed fist close to his face, making him laugh nervously. They chuckle and begin heading their way.

"Heads up, you're the talk of the town this morning." Great, she thought. She wouldn't just have to deal with Jesse's questioning, but probably more from Judy, and Bonnie, and what the heck, probably even Vicky. She was not waiting for any of those conversations.

As their conversation started, they passed through many greenhouses containing some of their highest quality vegetation for spices and other goods. Bunnyburrow was a goldmine when it came to farming, so seeds of any kind were never under any kind of scarcity.

"Let me see if I got this right: you kissed Skye-"

"She kissed me," Clementine corrects.

"Which triggered Gerald to call you a… highly inappropriate term."

"Yep."

"Then Nick decked him?"

"Ummm, more like a push actually."

"And then you got mad at Nick? That part threw me off." She had no interest in talking about that subject with him. She shot down any segway into that conversation right away.

"It was a weird night, man. Let's leave it at that." Jesse noticed her serious tone and stopped digging.

As they passed the greenhouses, they reached some houses. She never got tired of being around such an incredibly wholesome community that was so close-knit. This apocalypse had brought nothing but pain this past decade, but she couldn't deny she was one of the few mammals having it that easy, and she will never take that for granted.

"Hey," greeted one of the house owners as she was passing by.

"Hey," she answered back.

They cut in between two houses until they reached a small round fence. Jesse let her open it and go in first.

"Hey so," she said, looking at him as he repositioned himself back to the front. "We're okay, right?"

"You and me? Yeah, of course, Clem. I wasn't lying when I said Skye and I were done. I'll tell you again: We're done."

"I know, I just didn't want you think that I-"

"Clem, we're cool. I promise," he said sincerely.

"Thanks." She did truly appreciate it. She didn't want to feel like she was fucking up more things. She was trying to fix everything wrong with her life, and she didn't want a mistake like that to ruin another friendship.

The center of Bunnyburrow was as loud and busy as ever, with kids of every species running around playing in the snow. She smiles as she looks at some little bunnies, some of them Judy's siblings, throwing snowballs at each other and treating it like a battlefield. Five years ago, she would never think she could ever see something like this again. It gave her hope that someday, this will be a common sight again.

She notices the warm aura of Gus, the town's best musician, playing a magical tune with his Ronroco that she couldn't help but feel familiar about somehow. Maybe that's why they called him the magician.

The smell of food was intoxicating in the meat market. It was a saving grace that they still had quality meat this winter, and Clementine had to stop herself from going into one of those stalls and take one meat clean off. Even if she could buy it, she was already too late to where she was going. Her stomach rumbled, hating her for leaving him unattended. She hopes her patrol is easy today.

Seeing the blacksmith shop always reminded her of fantasy shows and videogames, where you had to give them an insane amount of loot to get the strongest weapon. Sadly, the weapons in this world relied on your skills rather than an invisible power stat. Lame.

Finally, she arrived at her least favorite place at the moment. The Tipsy Boar. The infamous place where she had shared the kiss with Skye before getting hate crimed by a pig, before said pig getting a death glance and a power push from her father. Yup. Very normal night at Bunnyburrow.

"Want to grab some breakfast?" Jesse asks. Her stomach grumbles once again, but refuses it.

"No. Where's Vicky?" She asks, as they enter.

"In the back."

She gets in between a group of people quietly conversing, and before she even thinks of looking around, there was Vicky, front and center, with another familiar face with black-tipped ears.

"Clem! There you are, come here," said Judy, smiling at her and waving at her to get close. Judy could be hard to read sometimes, so she approached gently and carefully, hopefully to not get chewed out by her adoptive mother.

"Gerald has something he wants to say to you." Oh. Of course Judy would try to make peace with it all. She was one mean mediator and problem-solver in the town. She didn't think this relationship needed mending. She could do without some homophobe pig in her life, thank you very much. Despite her wishes, she knew she had to do this. Only for you, Judy, she thought.

Gerald's fat pig self went through the kitchen door with a package wrapped like a gift. She didn't expect him to look so sullen, as if he'd been the one that was publicly humiliated, In a way, he was, she guesses.

"Hey," is the only thing he can manage to say first, the awkwardness felt through everyone. She says hello back much quieter and distant.

"Look, last night… I was drinking too much."

"Sure."

"I'm trying to say I'm sorry." She barely cares for it. She just feels like getting out of here. She looks at him coldly.

"Judy tells me you're both heading out with Skye, so… I made y'all some sandwiches." Wait, did she hear that right? Was Judy going out with them this time? She usually patrolled somewhere else. Anyway, her stomach will definitely accept Gerald's apology.

"Okay," she says, drily.

"They're emu," he specifies.

"Thank you, Gerald," Judy said, taking the sandwiches and putting them in Clem's paws.

"Well, uh, you be safe out there, kay?" With that, he was gone. She could finally look at something other than him.

"I appreciate that, Clem," Judy thanked.

"Don't mention it. Least I can do is try to forgive." With this comment, Judy tenses up, which made her realize the weight of those words.

"Whatcha got there?" Jesse asks behind her.

"Bigot sandwiches. Want one?" She puts one of them on his chest and he takes it.

"Mmm, delicious."

"Well, you can have 'em all," she throws all three of them on his paws. "Unless you want one, Judy?"

She sighs and shakes her head, a little smile forming in between her lips.

"Alright, lemme walk you guys out. You better explain to me what happened between you and Skye, Clementine." She gulps. Maybe that's why she was going with them this time. Was she trying to keep an eye on them? Could she be against their relationship? It's not like there was a relationship to begin with. Fuuck, why is this so hard?

As they get out of the cursed restaurant, they head in the direction of the stables where the ostriches are located.

"Judy, is it true you're going with me?" asks Clementine, hoping to get a clue as to why she would do that.

"Yeah. When I go out, me and Nick are gonna trade off. He's been up far too long fending off on those savages with Gideon."

"And Jesse here will trade off Gideon," said Vicky, matter-of-factly.

"Where are we gonna meet them?" Asks Clem.

"Jesse will go first. Nick and Gideon are expected to arrive at the northwest lookout. I'll check the creek trails with you and Skye and then head that way."

"But isn't it better to just go straight away with Jesse?"

"Can't I have some good bonding time with my favorite daughter?" she asks, granting an embarrassed look from Clem.

"I'm your only daughter. There's a difference."

"Awww, you two are too cute," said Jesse. She really wanted to punch him.

"I'm gonna give that a pass, young man, but don't you call me cute again."

"Yes, ma'am," There's no need to punch him. He had been put in his place by the toughest bunny (maybe toughest mammal) in all of Bunnyburrow.

"Hey, Clem, can I talk to you for a sec?" Judy said, calmly, pulling Clem away from the rest of the group and stopping by the Bunnyburrow Daycare.

"Look, if this is about what happened with Skye, I…"

"It's not about that, sweetie. We'll talk more about Skye soon. It's about the other thing." Oh no. She knew perfectly well what the other thing was about. Judy continued talking.

"I know you and Nick don't have the best relationship-"

"Oh really?" Clem asks sarcastically and in a sassy tone. Judy sighs.

"The point is, you really should cut him some slack. He cares about you, Clem, and it hurts me to see you two like that." You should've left him, was what she thought, but she wasn't cruel or suicidal enough to say it out loud.

"Look, we're fine, alright? Trust me."

"You sure?" She asked.

"Positive." Clem replied.

"Okay." With that conversation done, they went back to business.

"I'll go get the ostriches ready. Jesse and you can go get Skye. Meet you there, alright?" She makes a quick jump and gives her a kiss on the cheek, then happily skips towards the stables. She could never stay mad at Judy.

"Be safe, you four," said Vicky.

"Thanks, V." She hugs her aunt. "We will."

Going through yet another round fence, it didn't take too long to finally spot the arctic vixen that would be accompanying them. She was at the kids playground, laughing while throwing snowballs at them. She was wearing a brown jacket that was similar to Clementine's and black jeans. Clementine could swear she was the fox with the whitest fur she'd ever seen, which played a lot in her attractiveness. She didn't hate whenever her fur turned brown during the summer, though.

"Hey, Skye. Assignments," said Jesse.

"Just give me a second!" she says, readying another snowball to throw at the kids.

"Will you get your girlfriend to the stables, please?" he teases, earning another hard look from Clem. He walked away before she could deny anything.

"Oh my god." She rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Skye," she began. It was time to bring up the elephant in the room. Skye's right ear twitches at the sound of her voice, and she looks back to Clem. "Can I talk to you?" she asks timidly.

"I give up, guys. You win!" She said, waving an imaginary white flag.

"Aw come on, Skye." The Otter kits she was playing with seemed very disappointed. In a few seconds, Skye was finally by her side, the railing of the playground separating them.

"Hoo!" She says tiredly.

"Hey." Clementine greets first.

"Hi."

The tension between both girls could be cut with a knife. None of them knew how to start talking.

"Sorry I ran off on you last night," Clem says.

"Oh it's okay. I totally get it. I just…I felt bad."

"Why?" Part of her was disappointed by that response. Was the kiss that bad to Skye?

"Because I started the whole thing. Getting you chewed out by that dumb pig. I shouldn't have kissed you in front of all those people." She was kinda glad about that answer.

"It's fine. I'm not reading into it or anything, we were just drunk. That pig can also go fuck off"

"Hehe, yeah, I agree with you on that." She looked at the ground while leaning on the railing.

"You know what I love about you?" She asks, catching Clementine off guard. "How you let me finish my sentences." She didn't really know what to say to that, so she just went on to the next topic on her mind.

"Alright, I think we should get going."

"Yeah."

All of a sudden, a freezing projectile falls directly on Clementine's cheek, scaring her. It also hurt a little bit.

"Ow!" she exclaimed.

"What the fuck?" asked Skye, in the direction of the perpetrator.

"I'm not even playing!" Clem screamed, her mood soured by that ball of coldness on her face.

"Why, cause you're a chicken? Ha ha!" The otter kit was definitely enjoying making fun of them.

"I hate this kid so much," said Clem. Skye looked at her with a provocative look.

"You want to mess him up?" she asked, with a wide maniacal smile. Clementine looked in the direction of the stables, wondering if she should be playing at a time like this. She made up her mind soon enough.

"Yeah, I do," she looked back to Skye and then jumped the fence, ready to begin the deadly combat.

"You asked for it!" Skye began creating her first snowball, launching it straight at the otter's face. Luckily for him, he ducked at the last second, hiding behind a slide.

"You better run, you little shits!" Clementine joined in, launching a snowball to one of the bunnies playing.

"Holy shit, get to cover!" said a very familiar bunny.

"Hey, Cotton! Language!"

"Sorry, Clemy!"

"Sorry won't cut it, now you die!" She launched a snowball at poor Cotton, hitting her straight on her brown dress.

"Aww, no fair!" she quickly dodged Clementine's next attack, quickly assembling another ball of death. Out of nowhere, she jumped as high as the monkey bars and threw it at a top speed, managing to grace one of her sides.

Meanwhile, Skye was in a fight with the otter kit, both throwing a cascade of snowballs at each other, one missing the other by an inch every time. Skye made a desperate move and maneuvered herself on the monkey bars, tactically sending a shot from above that went right atop the otter's head.

"Ha ha! Gotcha!"

He grunted, going on the offense again, arming himself with two snowballs by running low and just gathering snow on his paws. He threw them quickly but Skye was faster, doing a backflip to avoid both shots. Suddenly, a third shot she never saw coming got her right on her face, making her fall hard on the ground.

"What?" she said, dumbfounded as to how that was accomplished.

"Secret tail snowball, my most feared technique." Then she saw it. With his tail on the ground, he could easily collect snow off of it and launch it as a secret third snowball. Skye knew at this point that she was dealing with professionals in their craft. She would have to up her game in order to defeat them.

On the other side of the playground, Clementine was cornered. Cotton had called some of her siblings. While they were smaller, safety in numbers granted them a higher number of snowball throws.

"Oh boy," she gulps, getting ready to run the opposite direction.

"Attack!" Cotton commands, a barrage of bunnies throwing what seemed to be millions of snowballs. If she didn't get something to cover herself with, she'd be covered ears to tail in snow, and she wasn't about to go on patrol drenched.

She ran towards the wooden fort, managing to hide behind one of the walls of the castle. This wouldn't hold for long, so she needed another place and fast. She saw one of the swings and had a crazy idea. She ran towards it at full force and jumped on it, causing it to go up and make a loop due to inertia. At its highest point of altitude, she let go, flying on top of the sea of bunnies.

"Woah," said Cotton, amazed at what her niece was doing.

Now out of their view, she created as many snowballs as she could, throwing them at each of them at full force, knocking them out one by one.

"Gah, she got me," screamed one of her victims.

"Run for your lives! Retreat!" All of the bunnies got scared and started running away from the playground. Clementine was victorious.

"You win this time, Clemy. But I'll get you next time!" Clementine smiles, enjoying the time playing with her aunt. Yeah, it was weird that a five-year old bunny was her aunt, but she didn't care.

Soon enough, Skye was done wiping the floor with the otter kit.

After his tail technique, they went back to their normal fighting, sending each other a torrent of snow bullets at each other, not able to hit the other. The otter kit made another risky move by jumping on top of one of the slides, sliding down it and sending two more shots.

Skye dodged them with ease and proceeded to arm herself with two snowballs, just like the otter kit. She didn't count on the fact that him sliding had a playing factor to it. The slide was filled with snow prior to him being on it, and now it wasn't. Using his most feared technique once again, he sends another shot, hitting her on the stomach and sending her to the floor.

"Any last words?" the otter kit asked, about to finish her off.

"Yeah. Eat this!"

With both her hands, she grabs the biggest snowball the otter kit had ever seen and shoots it at him, striking him directly in the face. As he fell to the floor, only snow lingered on his battle-hardened remains.

"Eat it, Shrimp! How's it feel?" They laugh, the otter kit going in to hug her, reassuring her that it was all just a game and that there were no hard feelings involved.

"Alright, we actually have some work to do, you guys. Scram," said Clementine, the voice of reason.

"Awww." the kits said, bummed out.

"Phew, that was good, right? Let's get out of here," said Skye. Clem did have to admit, it was pretty fun. It's not always they did something nice like this before starting patrols, so it was a nice change of pace. To think this was all because of Skye. She truly was an amazing mammal.

They finally exited the playground, heading towards the stables.

"Sooo, me and you are gonna do the creek trails. Jesse and Judy are going in to relieve Nick and Gideon."

"Oh, it's nice they assigned us together."

"Actually, Judy's also coming with us. Only half of the way, then she'll meet with Nick at the northwest outpost." Skye was surprised.

"Really? Why?"

"Mother-Daughter bonding, is what she said. I don't buy it though, she definitely wants to talk to us about last night," Clem said, looking at Skye's reaction. Her eyes were raised.

"Oh. Should I be worried?"

"It's not like you're meeting her for the first time, besides we're not a couple, we can just tell the truth."

"Yeah. Of course, right." Skye seemed unsure, and she could also swear that she was hurt by Clem's declaration of them not being a couple.

"You're gonna like the creek trails," Skye changes the subject. "It's a good route." Clem looks away, not sure what to even do. Without even knowing it, they arrived at the Bunnyburrow Ranch, where they kept all their mighty ostriches.

"Morning, girls," said a nice ferret at the front who was keeping watch.

The farm covered about 10 percent of Bunnyburrow's terrain, the ostriches being a very important medium of travel for the patrollers and for about anyone who needs to work outside collecting materials. Most of the food that gets scrapped is donated towards the stables to feed the birds.

"Hey, ladies," said a young rabbit. "I'll bring 'em in."

"Thank you," replied Skye.

Now inside one of the stables, Clem and Skye approached their ostriches. Judy and Jesse were also seen getting their birds ready. Clem approached her own.

"Hey, Shimmer," she pets her in the head, leading the ostrich outside of the stable.

"Look who decided to join us," said Jesse.

"Took you guys a bit, what were you doing?" asked Judy.

"Just some snowball fight. Cotton and the other kits hassled us to play with them."

"Oh, Cotton. She's such an energetic little girl."

"I'd say she's a lot like you," said Clementine. Judy couldn't deny it.

"Alright, one for you," Jesse began handing out their weapons, all of them M1 Garands. He gave one to Clem first, then Judy, and finally Skye.

"Open it up!" he commanded the guards on the door, pushing it open. Now was the moment for Jesse to begin his serious speech, knowing that patrols were very important and could be dangerous. The trio began mounting their ostriches.

"You all know the drill," he began. "Run your routes, mark your logbooks. Clear any savages you see. If you happen to get in a situation you can't handle, come back right away. Be smart." He looks at the girls with a deep look, wishing them luck on their way.

"Alright, get going."

Judy gives both Skye and Clem a smile and a nod, signaling the beginning of their route.

"Hyah!" Clem commands the ostrich to move, followed by Judy and Skye right beside her. The breeze on her face was uncomfortable but she kept the speed. All three of them marched quickly towards their destination, without much of a care, unknowing of the terrible events about to occur that day.

"Gyaah!" She woke up with an inhale, the nightmares of last night still prevalent in her mind. Her heart raced at an alarming pace, but she managed to slow it down with breathing exercises, slowly but surely calming herself.

Abby sits up, still getting herself together, ready to begin the day. She notices a smell by the big glass pane, and looks over to it, finding Owen leaning on it, looking at the blue exterior of the early morning. So far, it was only her and him awake. She still couldn't see Mel, so she guesses she was still sleeping in the living room. Finally, she gets up to join him.

He was dressed on his normal attire, ditching his sleeping clothes, which led her to believe he had been outside before she had woken up.

As she gets closer, Owen finally notices her.

"Hey," she says. He acknowledges her and looks back out the window. She didn't know what to say to him, and she wasn't even sure if he was mad at her for what she said to Mel last night.

"What were you dreaming about?" he asks.

"Was I talking?"

"You were grinding your teeth again," he says, smiling. She looks away embarrassed. She proceeds to put a paw on his shoulder, feeling that his clothes were cold.

"Where have you been?" he doesn't answer, instead opting to look down in thought.

"Grab your gear, I wanna show you something," he commands her.

"What is it?"

"Trust me."

She didn't pry into it anymore and just did as he said, grabbing her black jacket and beanie. She put a flashlight in her chest pocket and grabbed her backpack, ready to go out.

They exit out from the house's garage and close it up again, as quietly as they can so as to not wake the others.

"Come on, this way."

She couldn't handle it anymore. She needed to bring it up.

"Hey, sorry about Mel yesterday. I didn't mean to say that to her."

"It's okay, she's a bit more moody after…" he hesitates.

"After…what?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Can't you tell me now?"

"No, sorry. After you see what I'm going to show you then I'll tell you." She did not enjoy his secrecy, but she knew there was nothing she could do to change his mind.

As expected, it was terribly cold outside. Thankfully, the trail seemed fairly linear. They jump across a broken fence, Owen still leading the way.

"So what were you doing, wandering around by yourself?" she asks in an accusatory manner.

"Couldn't sleep. I've been thinking a lot."

"You too?" she confessed.

"Seems like the farther south we go, it gets prettier. What do you say, should we drive all the way to New Zooxico?"

"I've thought about it. We could see Manny's hometown." She ducked on a fallen tree, heading more and more into the forest. He scoffs.

"Yeah, I don't see that living up to his stories somehow."

"Probably not. He's one lying wolf," she said.

Despite the cold, the forest had a strange beauty to it, the branches struggling against the wind being the only sound. This whole trip had been so chaotic she had forgotten to appreciate some of the natural beauty of this environment.

"You did all this in the dark?" asked Abby, wondering how he could've traveled so far away from the cabin.

"Yes," he responds, as if it was the most obvious answer. "Now c'mon." He climbs on a minor rock elevation, prompting Abby to do the same.

"We keep going like this, we're gonna be tired for today's trip. There's still a few miles to walk."

"It's not that far, we're almost there."

"Are you sure you can't tell me what's wrong with Mel? You know I worry," she pressed again.

"She'll be fine."

"Can you stop acting so weird? You're freaking me out."

"I'm not acting weird. I will tell you soon enough." She sighed again, resigned to just keep following him. They get to the top of a waterfall with a bit of jumping distance to the other side. Owen manages to jump pretty easily,but Abby is not so sure. Don't look down, Abby.

With that in mind, she makes the jump, quickly running to a safer location away from it.

"Are you breaking up with Mel?" She couldn't help but keep pushing. They climb another elevation.

"What? No. You wish," he teases.

"Um, I've had my fill, thanks."

They get to yet another place to jump, now with a tiny chasm below. She jumps it but can't quite land, pushing herself with her arms to finally make it on top. She hit her stomach pretty hard doing it.

"Ouch," he said, reacting to her hit.

"We can't all be as graceful as you," she said, catching her breath.

"Clearly."

"Wait, what the hell is that?" Abby freaked out at how high up they actually were. She could see many rivers and mountains below them, and the fall would be absolutely deadly if she were to slip. She started to breathe harder.

"You'll be fine."

"It's too high!" She realized she had to carefully slide herself through a very narrow path and began breathing rapidly.

"Hey. Abby!" She looks over at him, his green eyes shining in the morning light. "Eyes on me, okay? Don't look down."

She did as he said, completely fixated on his eyes. She was too scared to look anywhere else. The narrow path ended in a few seconds. She was glad it was over.

"Owen…do we have to go back this way?" she asked fearfully.

"Consider it an opportunity to work out your phobia."

"How about I work my foot up your tail?"

"Abby, please. I'm taken." She laughs, her tension from a few seconds ago now erased.

They had to go in between two rocks, but to her this was nothing. The scary part had already happened. Finally, they had reached the spot Owen wanted to show her.

Overlooking the cliff they were currently standing on was a town. A big one. It seemed to be covered by a huge wooden wall. It was also filled with electricity, something Abby scarcely saw anymore.

"Is this it?" she asks with anticipation.

"Yeah. This is it, alright. We made it." He smiles at her. She returns it.

"Holy shit. That isn't just a town, it's a fucking city."

"Yeah."

Now that she saw it, she could foresee her 4 year long journey coming to an end, and it was incredible, but at the same time terrifying. Owen looked at her expectantly, her tongue still tied from what she just witnessed.

"Have you told anyone else?" she manages to ask.

"I wanted you to see it first. I saw an armed patrol going from the city to an outpost over there." He points toward the outpost, also containing electricity. "There are a few more outposts in between, and as you can see they have electricity, and guns. It's a lot of people," he warned.

"We can figure it out," Abby said. There was no way she was backing down now.

"Okay. Assuming he's in there, how do we get to him?" Owen asked.

She hesitated, not sure how to answer. She paced back and forth on the place she was standing in.

"We can get one of the patrols to confirm he's there, and then, well, find a way to lure him out, somehow."

"Yeah, sure. Let's just walk up to one of them and ask, I'm sure they'll be more than happy to oblige," he snarked.

"We make them, then," she said, coldly. Her eyes brightened with anger.

"Are you listening to yourself right now?"

"Do you have a better idea, then?" she asked, getting agitated. "What is going on with you?"

Owen hesitated for a moment, but gave up. "Mel's…she's been feeling moody because she's pregnant."

Silence. That's what she felt when she heard that. Silence, then the sound of her own voice, making a disgruntled noise. Owen was still unmoving.

"Oh…" she makes an ironic grin, trying not to laugh sarcastically. "Should I say congrats then?"

"It's not just about that," Owen continued. "When everyone sees this, they're gonna want to turn back."

"We can convince them. Right?" she pleaded, now with a weak voice.

Owen did not respond, letting her know his decision. She was hurt, but she wasn't about to cry in front of him.

"I fucking knew I couldn't count on you." She looked away in despair.

"Abby. I want what you want. But I will not sacrifice everything for it. This is my future too. You understand right?" He tried reaching for her shoulder, but she pushed it away instantly.

"Don't!"

He looked at her sadly. He knows how important this is to her, but he just couldn't be involved in such a big scheme. He hopes she'll understand. As she keeps looking at the town, he starts walking away from her.

"I'll see you at the lodge." With that, he was gone. Abby growled, still staring at the town.

As she turned back to leave, her peripheral vision caught sight of the outpost. That annoying building was seemingly mocking her, so far yet so close. If she went back to the lodge, there's no way she would be able to convince them to go with her. None of them knew the true pain or how much it meant for her to finish this mission. They would turn back and leave the beast untouched. Well, she won't have that.

"Fuck it."

With determination and anger in her eyes for everything that happened leading up to this moment, she kneels down and drops on lower ground, heading straight towards the outpost.