Path to the Apocalypse

Two days later, Cathryn moved into Andrew's house. "You're sure this is okay?" Cathryn asked hesitantly, carrying her backpack stuffed with clothes, while Andrew followed with a few garbage bags full of the rest of her stuff. Cathryn thankfully didn't have much to bring with her, so once she had everything organized, the two of them had snuck over while both her parents were out, gathering everything up within half an hour, before bolting. Cathryn had only left a note explaining her decision.

"Of course, dear!" Helen replied, pulling her into a hug. "Even if you weren't Bonded with my son, we couldn't turn away someone so desperately in need of help. The fact that the Bond makes you practically our daughter now only reinforces that."

Cathryn flushed, hesitantly returning the hug, while Andrew grinned, moving past to take the bags to her new room, a small guest suite with a private bathroom and sitting room for her. It even had its own fridge and microwave for food, though anything more intensive would require a trip to the kitchen. "I- I could at least pay rent-" Cathryn began, before Andrew let out a sharp laugh.

Helen pulled back, fixing Cathryn with a serious glare. "We are not misers who need to penny pinch over the miniscule addition to our expenses your presence will entail." She scolded Cathryn sharply. "The best payment you could give us would be to focus on building a firm foundation for your future, not running yourself ragged trying to repay us out of some misplaced sense of pride, understand?" Cathryn nodded, unable to do anything else under Helen's stern gaze. Helen immediately smiled brightly. "Excellent! Let's get you settled then, shall we?" She continued, dragging Cathryn inside.

Helen showed Cathryn around, before helping her put away her things, along with Andrew, heading off as soon as they were done, leaving Cathryn sitting on the couch in the sitting room, looking stunned. "How are you feeling?" Andrew asked, sitting next to her.

"It's just so surr- was that a joke?!?" Cathryn asked, smacking Andrew as he burst out laughing.

"It's a big change. Admittedly not the biggest you've been through in the past few days, but… big nonetheless." Andrew commented seriously after they calmed down. "It's normal to feel a little off. You'll get used to it."

Cathryn sighed. "I just- at the beginning of the week, all I wanted was to pick up some extra shifts, so I could bring home some more money to help my mom out… now- I learned that literal monsters exist, and I'm connected with one! I left my home, I'm not even sending money to my mom anymore, and- and- what is she going to do? How is she going to handle this? Did I give her enough time? Maybe- maybe if I'd waited a bit longer, given her time to prepare-"

Andrew interrupted her. "It would have made less of an impact, yes, but that's not a good thing. The impact is what might finally convince her to change! My dad has this theory… people get into these patterns, these systems of thinking, and if nothing shakes the system up, they're just going to keep falling into the same pattern, over and over. If you want to change behavior, you need to break the system, shake it up, and hopefully the pieces fall into a healthier pattern."

Cathryn let out a frustrated sigh. "I hope- I hope you're right." She paused, looking over at him. "Thank you. For everything… I know- I know all this is inconvenient for you." Cathryn snorted. "Everything about me is inconvenient for you… I'm sorry- I'm sorry you had to be bound to a mess like me."

Andrew raised an eyebrow at her. "You're sorry? Cathryn, this Bond is actually pretty good for me. I was stuck doing shit work for shit pay, but now I can actually go out and hunt. I don't have to worry about taking risks anymore! You're like the safety line that lets me climb the mountain! If anyone should be sorry it's me. Your entire world got turned upside-down. Plus, you got attached to me. As we've established, I'm kind of an asshole."

Cathryn smiled slightly, shaking her head. "No you aren't. You at least want to help people, in your own, weird way… I still think you need to listen to people more."

"I've been thinking about that actually. I get the whole respect thing, and I'm not saying it applies to how I treated you before, but if someone obviously isn't in a place where they can make reasonable points, then consulting them would just cause an argument, right? Like, if someone is doing something objectively wrong, then you wouldn't stop to consult them. You'd just stop them!" Andrew replied. "Plus, the fact that they're doing something wrong shows that they have faulty reasoning. Why would I listen to someone who is objectively wrong?"

"Because what if they aren't wrong? What if you're the one who's wrong?" Cathryn asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Plus, even if they are wrong, how are you supposed to help them if you have no idea where they're going wrong? Someone who lashes out out of spite is much different than someone who lashes out out of fear or insecurity, even if it looks the same on the surface."

"I mean… I guess?" Andrew responded noncommittally. "There are still things that are objectively wrong though. I don't think you can deny that."

"Oh, like what? Murder?" Cathryn asked.

Andrew nodded absently. "For one, yes."

"Yet you seemed to think it justified the other day, didn't you? Was that wrong?" Cathryn immediately replied before Andrew could continue, a bit of smugness in her tone.

Andrew froze. "That- there's a difference between killing and murder. Murder is killing just to see someone die or for your own convenience. Killing someone because there's no other way to prevent them from causing other people harm, someone who has proven they're irredeemable, isn't murder, it's justice."

"How do you prove someone is irredeemable? How do you know there's no other way to stop them?" Cathryn asked.

Andrew paused, considering it for a moment. "Unrepentance? Consistent, repeated actions with no signs of remorse? People who know what they're doing is wrong, and do it anyway. The people who, for whatever reason, refuse to change, no matter what. Maybe they have reasons, sure, but they're still hurting people, and you can't just let that go on without doing something about it."

"Okay, sure, but how do you know that? What if someone is going around killing people, but the people they're killing are all awful people who, by your definition, deserve to die? How would you know that without talking to them and listening? If you just saw them killing people and assumed they were objectively wrong, you'd end up making a huge mistake!" Cathryn retorted.

"So don't go around killing random people? I never suggested that in the first place. But when you find someone you know is wrong, who continues to hurt people, and no one is able to stop them, then yes, I wouldn't have an issue with killing them." Andrew replied with a shrug.

"But how do you know?!?" Cathryn shot back in frustration. "How are you getting this information! You have to be listening to someone, right? You can't make a decision like that in a void! You need information!"

Andrew cocked his head. "Yeah? I never said otherwise."

"You- that's the whole point of this conversation!" Cathryn exclaimed. "All I'm saying is you need to listen more! I'm not arguing over whether you need to fucking investigate before you fucking kill someone!" She yelled, before her eyes widened and she covered her mouth, looking around like she'd just broken her mother's favorite lamp.

Andrew gave her a weird look. "What is your issue with swearing?" He asked, genuinely confused.

"It's vulgar." Cathryn hissed.

Andrew grunted. "It's just a way to emphasize your statements. More cathartic than anything. Sure, excessive swearing could be an issue, but the occasional curse to get your point across shouldn't be an issue. Your last statement was a perfect example."

"It's still not something you should get in a habit of." Cathryn muttered back.

"Fair enough." Andrew shrugged, before getting to his feet. "I should probably go, let you get settled in."

Cathryn began to nod, before freezing. "Hey! You aren't getting out of this that easily!" She exclaimed. "Admit it! You need to listen to other people more!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Andrew shook his head, suppressing a grin as he walked out of the room.

"Get back here!" Cathryn jumped up, chasing after him. Andrew laughed, running just fast enough to stay ahead of her as she chased him through the house and out into the woods. Cathryn showed a surprising amount of stamina as she chased him all the way to his territory, where he jumped up into his tree, resting on a sturdy limb as Cathryn glared up at him, panting breathlessly from the run. "Just. Admit. I'm right!"

"See, in order to do that, I'd have to listen to you, which would mean I listen to people, which would make you wrong, so no." Andrew retorted with a grin.

Cathryn let out an aggravated yell, before collapsing backwards onto the grass. "You're a jerk." She pouted, giving him the stink eye.

"As long as I'm right, who cares?" Andrew snickered, sliding down a ramp of hardened space to land next to her.

Cathryn grumbled bitterly, ignoring him as she rested after that run. "What is this place?" She asked after she'd recovered, sitting up and looking around. It looked like a normal clearing, except… she felt a weird sense of comfort here. Like- like she belonged here. More than she'd ever belonged anywhere.

"This is my territory." Andrew replied. "I control the space here, and I can observe everything inside it. It's the ability of my Tiger form. Weak in the wild, but in our territory, we are king."

"I thought you were gods." Cathryn joked with a grin.

"Who says we can't be both?" Andrew chuckled.

"Was that your mom's side?" Cathryn asked. "Ruling as kings instead of gods?"

"No, Tigers are more focused on defense, the primary bulwark between the Clans and the rest of the Outside. They base their territories along the walls of the City, keeping them hidden and protected. Only a few Tigers have ever had much of a presence on Earth." Andrew explained.

"Right… I forget about that sometimes. The Outside. An entirely different world… It's crazy." Cathryn sighed. "So that's where your mom's parents are? Outside?"

"I'm not actually sure… Beasts can go decades without contacting each other." Andrew shrugged. "They could be on some extended hunting trip deep in the Outside, or a few towns away, raising their own family. Who knows? Hell, it could be both. They're not necessarily together right now."

Cathryn frowned. "What do you mean?"

Andrew paused. "Well, you see, most Bonded practice a form of… let's call it limited monogamy. They don't commit to lifelong relationships, because… well, that would be a really, really long time. I'm mean, think about how often mortals get divorced, and their lives usually last less than a century. So instead, Bonded commit to being with each other for a certain time period, usually something like thirty to forty years, depending on how many kids they're planning on having. Then, once they're done, they go their separate ways. There are those who settle down more permanently, and some who do the whole polygamy thing, but those are much less common. Particularly polygamy… that always seems to get messy for people so it never lasts very long."

"I guess that makes sense…" Cathryn muttered, before letting out a sigh. "This is going to take some time to get used to. A bunch of immortals all sleeping around with each other… huh, maybe you are gods."

Andrew clicked his tongue. "You still don't get it. Cathryn, you're Bonded now. What we are, you are. So if we're gods, what does that make you?"

Cathryn's eyes widened in realization. "Shit."

*

Andrew spent the next few days teaching Cathryn what it was to be Bonded, starting with teaching her the Outerwords. "Ugh, can't they all just speak English?" Cathryn groaned.

"Do you know how much English has changed over just the last few centuries?!?" Andrew retorted. "The Outerwords are there so that Bonded can be gone for a few centuries, and not worry about coming back to everyone speaking a new language, if not several. Now focus."

Still, as much as Cathryn complained, she was learning quickly. Something about their Bond made transferring knowledge a lot easier. It wasn't anything like knowing everything the other person knew, but they communicated in a way that shared their own understanding of the knowledge, which helped the other understand it more easily. It only took Cathryn a day or two to get the basics of the Outerwords down, after which Andrew began teaching her about Bonded history and culture, all using the Outerwords to help her practice.

In between all that, they had to deal with Andrew's family and Jack's friends. Andrew's family wasn't terrible, they were just a little… invasive. They insisted on making Cathryn as much a part of the family as Andrew was, and Cathryn wasn't adjusting to it well. She appreciated it, but she just couldn't help but feel like it was all too much. She couldn't help but feel like she was taking advantage of them, even when she knew they were doing everything willingly, insistently.

As for Jack's friends, the moment they saw Andrew with a girl, particularly after they saw him take her back into the woods, there was no convincing them that they weren't a couple. And since there was no way to actually explain otherwise, at least not without giving away the secret of the Bonded, the two just had to put up with it. Cathryn didn't seem to mind for some reason, but Andrew quickly got tired of the innuendos and probing questions that came every time he had to take Cathryn back into the woods for a lesson. Thankfully, it didn't last long.

The group's visit ended and it was finally time for Andrew and Cathryn to head to the Outside to hunt, as well as look around at a few potential organizations. Andrew had talked to his parents and gotten a few recommendations that he planned to check out, figuring Li Jing would have done the same. Andrew paused as he thought of Li Jing. Boy did they have some catching up to do.

"Ready?" Cathryn asked nervously, clutching her bag. She wasn't sure what to expect out there, but she knew she'd be meeting Andrew's girlfriend. That had been a shock when Andrew had told her about it. Of course, girlfriend was sort of a loose term for Bonded, but still. What was she like? What would she think of her? Would she be okay with the fact that she and Andrew were Bonded? What about when the two of them were- they figured out that strong emotions got through the Bond very easily. Would she have to watch while they- Cathryn flushed deeply. This could get awkward.

"Ready." Andrew nodded with a sigh. He had to agree with Cathryn. This could be awkward. But… he wasn't about to give up on Li Jing.

The two headed down to the basement, taking the railcar to the portal station, before stepping into the portal square. Andrew looked around, until he saw Li Jing waving at him from nearby. He quickly walked over, unable to keep from smiling. "Jing!" He greeted her, pulling her into a hug. "You would not believe how much I missed you."

Li Jing smiled, returning the hug as she pressed herself against him. "I missed you too." She replied. After a good few seconds of holding each other, they pulled apart, Li Jing finally noticing Cathryn standing awkwardly off to the side. "Who is this?" She asked, turning to Andrew.

Andrew hesitated. "This is Cathryn." He paused, wondering where to start, before letting out a sigh. "We have a lot to talk about."

*

"And now she's living with us and I'm teaching her about the Bonded." Andrew finished explaining as they arrived at the cabin they'd claimed at the base camp.

Li Jing was silent for a moment as she processed everything she'd just been told. It was… a lot to take in. "This… Bond. How do you think it happened?"

Andrew shrugged. "I honestly couldn't tell you. Something about the situation? The danger? The fear?"

Li Jing frowned, considering it for a moment, before shaking her head. "Weird. But with you, what isn't?"

"Rude." Andrew snorted, poking her. "Come on, let's get settled. After all that, all I want is a nice, relaxing week of hunting things down and killing them."

Li Jing gave him a weird look. "That's relaxing?"

Andrew glanced at Cathryn. "Now that I actually have a Bonded to return to? Hell yeah it is."

Li Jing frowned. "You're weird."

"Isn't he?" Cathryn agreed.

"Hey, if I wanted to be judged, I would have invited Karen." Andrew complained.

"Who's Karen?" Cathryn asked.

"A friend from our first hunt." Li Jing explained.

"Friend." Andrew added, making air quotes.

"Stop it." Li Jing poked him. "She was nice."

"She hated me!" Andrew protested.

"She was nice to me." Li Jing elaborated with a grin. "Plus, she only hated you at first. She was the first to cry when we thought you were… lost."

Andrew paused. "Huh… that's something, I guess. Still, she ignored me for the rest of the week. I wouldn't exactly call that friendly."

"She's shy. Give her time." Li Jing replied.

"Okay, no. I refuse to believe Karen is shy. No fucking way." Andrew shook his head in denial.

Li Jing rolled her eyes. "Stupid."

"He really is." Cathryn sighed in agreement.

"You know what? Fuck it." Andrew threw up his hands in exasperation. "I'm going to go out there and kill shit. You two have fun doing… whatever this is." He snorted, turning into an ant and zooming off, leaving a pile of clothes.

The two girls stared at the pile of clothes, wide eyed, before turning to each other. "Did you know he could do that?" Li Jing asked hesitantly.

"I knew he could turn into an ant, but… I thought it was a big ant." Cathryn replied, dumbfounded. "I mean, where does all the mass go! He can't- does it just poof away?!?"

"The current theory is a specialized pocket dimension, but there's no proof of it." Li Jing replied, releasing Li Mei, who ran off towards the gate. "If it is there, it is hidden even from the most powerful Horses."

Cathryn pinched the bridge of her nose with a groan. "Right, freaking magic."

Li Jing smiled. "Yes. Magic." She paused. "Would you like to get lunch? I believe we should get to know each other."

Cathryn glanced at her, before nodding. "Yeah, we should."