Heart and Claw Update

2k words. Am sorry for the delay I was busy and definitely not playing video games pls believe me. We're in the final act of the fic now so get excited.

-xXx-

Cooper clipped his sword to his belt, keeping his fingers clear of the button that would engage the shocking element, walking down the lobbying tunnel of the mine, each pace followed by a whir of motors. He’d stepped into the power armour frame once again, the suit a lot less bulky with most of its armour components now lying discarded in the chamber behind him, too damaged to be refitted. Only the back and the helmet were intact, which should provide at least a bit of protection.

Over his shoulders were his two weapons, his old ballistic rifle on one side, the new laser gun on the other. He wanted to take some practice shots with the latter, but his energy cells were limited, and he didn’t want to waste them. It’s previous owner had fired the gun well enough, so he was confident it wouldn’t fail him when the fighting began.

He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the morning glare, the whitewashed landscape growing in size. The pack was waiting for him, slinking just beyond the entrance, the billowing snowflakes falling to their swept horns. Matriarch, the runt, the two laborers, and one other deathclaw huddled together, looking about as uncomfortable as overgrown reptiles could be.

Cooper paused as his eyes met the unknown deathclaw’s. The beast was taller than the runt, but smaller than the laborers, maybe eight feet in all. It’s scales were a dark green hue, fading into a beiger tone as they travelled towards her underbelly. It’s horns were curved into tight loops, like a ram’s, its tongue flicking out to taste his scent as he walked by. He had barely seen this one during the previous day, but it seemed to recognise his scent, or the pack’s sent rather, giving him a low grumble that might have been a greeting.

“All set?” Pearl asked, stepping into view from one side of the tunnel. She was draped in her signature robe, her hood drawn so her features were hidden. He noted the tip of her tail was lifting the hem of her disguise a few inches off the ground, the white scales just visible from this angle. He wondered how he’d never seen it, and then wondered over all the other thing’s he’d missed that would have given away Pearl’s secret if he’d taken the time to think about them.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Got a big walk ahead of us, better get going while we have the light.”

“Did you turn the oven off?” Pearl asked Matriarch, the feral giving her a blank stare. “Nice. On me, everyone, I know the way better than anyone.”

The group set off into the cold, Cooper taking a look back at the mine as they went. It felt strange to leave the place behind after spending so long cooped up inside it, and the thought that he might not ever see it again made him oddly anxious.

“You alright, Coops?” Pearl said, walking up beside him, perhaps sensing his changing mood.

“I’m not sure, I feel… weird, for lack of a better word, and not just because its colder out here than in there.”

“I think that’s a bit of homesickness you’re feeling,” Pearl said, draping an arm over his shoulders. “You’ve spent more time in my den than anywhere else, right?”

“Up till recently,” he agreed. How could he feel for a location, and one of such… low standards than what he was used to? He should be longing for NCR if this was indeed what homesickness was like, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

He tore his eyes from the slowly fading mountain, electing to ponder on these thoughts later.

They walked past the rock where he had given Pearl his handbook, the pack bringing up the rear as the pair retraced their steps. The fog that had blanketed this area had lifted during the night, the windstorm gently abating to allow most of the sparse woodland to be visible. The mountains on the horizon were still shaded away, however, as was the sky.

“Check it out,” Pearl said after a while, pointing to the left. Cooper could see footprints marching into the haze, following their general heading. They must belong to the woman that Pearl had spared, Jade. Cooper wondered what Pearl would do if the two encountered each other again at the lodge, and if her show of mercy was just a one-off.

-xXx-

The day of travelling was mostly uneventful, save for the pair of wolf howls travelling on the wind sometime in the afternoon, the group’s reaction varying wildly. While Cooper thought it best to keep moving, some of the pack decided they could use a late snack, bounding off and quickly vanishing into the snow. Pearl decided it was for the best, the pack finding their own food would help keep Cooper’s rations from dwindling too fast.

He'd packed as much brahmin meat as he could manage, and once night fell, he set about cooking himself a steak, wishing he had something else to go with it. While he was a fan of meat, a bit of sauce could have gone a long way to vary his meals up. He looked up with a startled expression when he heard movement, relaxing as the pack reappeared into the light, carrying a furry wolf in their arms.

The ferals feasted on the carcass while he and Pearl acted a little more civilized, Cooper passing her a giant sirloin once he’d sizzled it over the flames to her liking. He’d become so used to the regulated temperature of the mine that the cold air was a bitter surprise, but Pearl came to his rescue, draping her cloak around the both of them so they shared their body heat.

“I missed this,” Pearl mused, staring into the crackling flames. “I know it was literally less than a week ago, but bundling up with my mate, our arms wrapped around each other… Oh, sounds like something out of one of my romance books.”

“Haven’t seen Jade’s tracks in a while,” Cooper said, not wanting to spoil her mood, but unable to help but bring the topic up. “She might have gotten lost, but if she didn’t… the lodge will know you’re still out here.”

“They don’t know we’re planning on coming to them,” she replied. “Hopefully they’ll send out another group, and the lodge will have even less defenders for us to deal with.”

“Still think you shouldn’t have let her go,” he said, Pearl giving him a surprised look. “They’ll be on alert in any case, but we could have done with a bit of surprise on our hands.”

“So, what, should I have butchered her on the spot?” she asked, her brow furrowing. “I’m not a wild animal, I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that.”

“I know you’re not,” he said. “but still, she didn’t tell you anything useful, and now she knows you can talk, knows that I’m working with you… we’re at a disadvantage now.”

“She’d surrendered, and was completely defenseless,” Pearl argued, her tail thumping into the snow, leaving a long groove. “if I’d killed her, I’d be no better than a feral, and that’s the exact justification everyone who wants me dead uses. I want to be better than that, and if that means putting us at a disadvantage, then I’m willing to pay that price.”

“I get that,” he assured. “but that price might be one of us dying.”

“Nobodyis dying,” she snapped. “I’m not losing anyone, not the pack, and certainly not you, Cooper. Not after I just got you. Look,” she said, her voice softening. “maybe it was a mistake letting that woman go, but the alternative was proving Hendrix and the Enclave right, that I’m just another mindless beast that’s better off putting down, or being controlled. Showing mercy is the one thing I have left.”

“And what about Hendrix?” he pressed. “Once we corner him, will you let him go, too? That won’t exactly tie up that loose end, which is what this whole attack is for, right?”

“I… I don’t know what I’ll do,” Pearl admitted. “I’l… I’ll try and reason with him, make him give up this hunting game, same way as I did to you. Maybe I can convince him to leave.”

“And if you can’t?”

“Then... we’ll see,” she replied, averting her gaze. “Let’s think about our plan of attack first, cross that bridge when we get to it, y’know?”

He could tell she was being evasive, but he could tell pressing her any more wouldn’t get anywhere, so he dropped it. She’d have to figure this one out on her own, Hendrix wasn’t his target after all. He was hired help, as was usually the case, though his employer had never been his bedmate before…

“Let’s get some rest,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist. He felt her apprehension melt away as he held her, encouraging her to lay back, the pair using her cloak like a bedsheet. They stared up at what few stars glittered through the clouds, sleep soon taking them.

-xXx-

Cooper felt a lot safer with a pack of deathclaws watching out for him, even though they encountered very little on their return trip. He was no longer afraid to be surrounded by them after their proclivities the other night, and he felt a sense of belongness around them that he didn’t feel around other humans. Did that make him some kind of outcast? It might have, but what did that matter if he was content? He wished they had connected like this sooner, instead of pumping their bloodstreams full of tranquilizer.

The runt sidled up to him from behind, placing her head underneath his gloved arm, encouraging him to pet her. He laughed, scratching at the base of her horn, the beast rumbling in contentment.

He looked at the other pack members as they kept moving. Pearl and Matriarch were chatting, while the laborers were chasing around the deathclaw he’d yet to give a nickname, their movements quick and playful. The creatures didn’t seem all that worried about their coming attack on the lodge, and he found himself envying their simple-mindedness.

Another day came and went, the pack using the river to guide them back to the area of the valley the lodge was located in. The mongrel that he’d blown apart with his explosive bullet was gone, bones and all, perhaps a yao guai had come through at some point and scavenged it. Copper chuckled under his breath as they walked past the sight, Pearl scrutinizing him with her amber eyes.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“That dog I shot around here kinda started all this,” he said. “We’d have never met if you hadn’t heard the shot.”

“That’s true,” she said. “Granted, shooting a dog isn’t’ exactly the most romantic beginning to our relationship, but who cares.”

“Hey, speaking of which… what were you doing out here in the first place anyway? Don’t tell me you were just sitting here waiting for someone.”

“I was drawn to you by the power of friendship,” Pearl said, giggling at him when he stared at her. “C’mon, not even a smirk? Alright seriously, I was going to do some recon on the lodge at the time, then you distracted me as you so often do.”

“Were you planning on attacking Hendrix before I came into the picture?”

“Of course I was! You would too if you had a thorn in your ass all the time, especially after said thorn captured you and tried to sell you off.”

“It’s thorn in your side,” he corrected.

“You try saying that with several needles sticking out of your butt.”

“We’re getting close now,” Cooper continued, changing the subject. “Maybe a day and a half out if we keep this pace. Wanna go over the plan again?”

“Sure,” she said. “Gather round, girls,” she added, the pack closing in on the pair from all sides. “First things first,” Pearl began. “We’ll split up into three teams, A B and C…”