Heart and Claw Update

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***

After dusting himself off, they proceeded deeper into the mine, coming across the runt again after a few minutes. Like before, it was rushing down the mineshafts, taking the turns that didn’t intersect with Cooper’s path. Maybe it was exercising, or trying to keep itself warm by doing laps, but it was an amusing sight either way.

He could hear noises coming from down one of the passages, and he followed it, vaguely recognizing the area from his initial sweep of the den. The passage curved to the left, then ended in a square-shaped room, two deathclaws standing inside. Their dark scales caught the light of the overhanging bulb as they shuffled from the left side of the room to the right, their muscular arms flexing as they chucked giant rocks into piles. One wall of the room looked like it led into another passage, but was caved in by a wave of rubble, the creatures removing the debris one rock at a time.

They stopped what they were doing when they noticed Cooper, peering at him curiously from between their sweeping horns. Their scales were somehwere between black and dark brown, with their bright, creamy eyes standing out harshly against their deep complexions. They looked identical at a glance, but there were subtle differences between them if he looked long enough. A shorter horn, a longer claw. The way their horns swept out from their faces was the most obvious distinction.

They inched closer, giving him a few cursory sniffs, one grumbling to the other in their strange dialect. Cooper would have held quite the grudge at someone who’d shot him full of sedative, but these creatures seemed like they’d forgotten the whole ordeal, or maybe they didn’t care now that he smelled like their alpha.

They started to pick at his clothes, Cooper trying to relax as their roaming claws caught on the fabric, one of the creatures giving his laser rifle a tentative flick with a talon. His ward sensed his growing discomfort, the two beasts backing off when it loosed a growl that might have been a warning. It seemed to hold some authority over the other members of the pack, so it wasn’t just Pearl who could order them about. Maybe this one was the second-in-command, or the unofficial matriarch to the others, it certainly gave off fussy mother vibes. That seemed as good a name as any for it, Matriarch.

The two deathclaws returned to what they were doing as Cooper and Matriarch lingered off to the side, watching as one handed off a rock the size of Cooper’s chest to the other. One seemed to be in charge of hauling, while the other was responsible for organizing the rocks into stacks, piling them around the edges of the room so there was space to walk.

One passed off another large stone, the deathclaw struggling to lift it, even with its monumental strength. Matriarch narrowed her eyes as Cooper set his rifle down, moving over to the panting deathclaw. He motioned for it to put the rubble down, and after a bit of thinking it seemed to get the message, placing the huge stone down with a thump.

Cooper moved behind the stone, bent down, and then shouldered all his weight into it, the rock rolling a few inches forward. The deathclaw seemed to get the picture, and the two of them started to roll the rock towards the back of the room. Cooper was heaving for air by the time they finished placing it, but the deathclaw seemed grateful by his efforts, reaching down with a clawed hand and ruffling his hair, a display that Pearl must have taught it.

The deathclaw by the rubble handed off another rock, and its counterpart rolled it away, Cooper stooping to pick up another from the rubble. He tested its weight, finding it practically impossible to lift, then settled for one that was about the size of a pistol. He wasn’t contributing much, considering the deathclaws were flipping rocks the size of his body, but he helped the pair along anyway, the two laborers huffing in what might be their version of a chuckle at his measly efforts.

“Join in anytime you want, Matriarch,” Cooper panted, fully aware it couldn’t understand him. Just when he thought the beast would stay content watching, it walked over, working in tandem with the hauler to tunnel away into the rubble.

Cooper had to rest his hands and back frequently, but the deathclaws went at it, drawing on their seemingly endless energy reserves. While they were strong, it took two of them, sometimes all three to move the larger, heavier pieces of stone, the rocks so jagged they had to be flipped rather than rolled. If only those giant digging machines deeper in the mine were still intact. He’d seen similar models restored by NCR engineers, the things able to move mountains of rock in mere days.

The thought gave him an idea, and he got to his feet, snapping his fingers to get the pack’s attention, telling them he’d be right back. They seemed to get the message, as Matriarch didn’t follow him out when he turned to leave. He backtracked his way to where he’d seen the excavator machines, but he wasn’t naïve enough to think he could find one that still worked after all this time. Instead, he turned towards the scattered equipment laying around the mineral deposits, kneeling in the gravel to pluck through them.

He tossed powered drills over his shoulder, their bearings long since melted away into uselessness, stuffing aside other broken handtools until he found what he was looking for. Alongside all this advanced equipment was more traditional tools, like pickaxes and chisels. The metal was rusted away in places, the wooden shafts rotting and splintered, but he found a few that were mostly intact, and he bundled the ones in good condition under his arms, returning to the blocked passage (giving the energetic deathclaw that was still running laps a friendly helloas he went).

The laboring deathclaws stopped what they were doing when he dropped the tools, the metal echoing down the passages. He clutched a pickaxe above his head, preparing to strike the largest piece of rubble. The deathclaws didn’t need to be told to move away, they shuffled away, tails flicking in what might be confusion as he brought the pick down hard, a spiderweb crack weaving down the middle of the piece of granite.

With a few more heaves, he succeeded in cracking the boulder in two, the deathclaws rumbling their approval as they collected the two pieces, carrying them away. One of the deathclaw laborer’s tried to mimic him and use a pickaxe for itself, but it couldn’t quite get used to the movement, as much as it tried.

The clicking of his pick joined the grumbling deathclaws as they worked at the blocked passage, Cooper wiping the sweat from his brow as the hours passed. The rocks just kept coming, spilling in from a pocket in the ceiling, but their progress through the rubble was steady, if a bit on the slower side, the passage slowly gaining in depth as they cleared it. Together, the four of them bored out the earth, the mystery of what lay beyond the rubble fueling Cooper’s efforts.

The rocks began to subside, a sliver of open darkness revealing as they cleared out the next mound of dust and rock. With one last swing, Cooper split the final bits of stone apart, the two laborers hurrying over to clear the way. The newly opened passage was pitch black, Cooper reaching into his pocket and flipping open his lighter. He flicked the gears, the deathclaw’s eyes catching the resulting spark. The candle of flame provided a pitiful light, but it was better than nothing.

The beasts stood to either side of him warily, and it was Matriarch who dared to lead the way, the two others falling in behind her. Cooper brought up the rear, ducking his head to avoid their winding tails, their bodies already fading after a few paces on their long legs. The way the creatures blended into the dark never ceased to amaze him.

He followed them into the revealed room, the walls branching out after a short distance. What had they uncovered? Could it be an armoury, an entrance to a Vault, maybe?

It was nothing so extravagant. The room was barely big enough for the three deathclaws, the beasts touching shoulders as they scanned the new surroundings. It was a carbon copy of the intersection near the entrance, the path splitting into two more passages, each one caved in by even more rubble. Cooper swore he saw on eof the beasts sag its shoulders at the revelation that the work hadn’t bore fruit.

“Ah well,” Cooper said, the deathclaws peering back at him. “least we’re all warmed up after a long day’s work, right?”

They probably would share the sentiment, cold-blooded creatures like them probably hadn’t felt so hot in a while, which was better than nothing.

The two laborer deathclaws sidled up to him, the one that had ruffled his hair before doing it again now, the other pushing its face into his arm. His use of tools had helped him keep up with their efforts, which seamed to impress the pair. They couldn’t express their gratitude in words, but they could do so through gestures, the one touching his hair running its claws over his scalp, the tingling sensation reminding him of when Pearl groomed him like that.

He felt hot air on his neck as one of them leaned down, a forked tongue not unlike Pearl’s worming out between its fangs. It lapped at the beads of sweat clinging to his skin, tracing them up his neck, one of the tapered ends flicking at his lips. He winced as he smelled its foul breath, his grunts of discomfort turning into ones of arousal as one continued to massage him with a hand, the other with its tongue.

The sensations he was feeling were so like Pearl’s; the sharp claws, the pinch of an errant thorn or spike as scaled flesh rubbed up against him. He began to sag, one of the deathclaws wrapping an arm around him before he fell. IT was so good, but… but they weren’t Pearl, and that realization jolted him back into reality, and he shoved the two beasts away, retreating back a few paces and raising his hands.

“That’s enough,” he panted. “No touching Cooper, got it? I’m already taken.”

They appeared to understand his tone to a degree, the two laborers glancing at each other in confusion, while Matriarch looked concerned. He backed out of the passage, the deathclaws following at a safe distance. Couldn’t they smell Pearl on him? Surely coming on to the alpha’s mate was a no-go, even for animals. A shiver passed down his spine at the thought of them licking and touching him, and what else they might do if given the chance. He’d spent a whole night in Pearl’s arms, of course, but this was different. The pack were animals, beasts, he wouldn’t ever consider crossing that line.

But the guilty bulge in his pants betrayed his thoughts, Cooper blushing as he tried to suppress his wondering thoughts. He’d spent too long coddled up against scales and thorns, and his body was reacting to it, that was all. He mumbled excuses under his breath, convincing himself he hadn’t stooped to that level.

“Cooper … per… per…” echoed down the passage.

He perked up at the voice, hurrying into the previous chamber. The stacks of rubble trailed all the way into the passage beyond, here must have been a hundred rocks at least, and he caught a sliver of pink and white as Pearl stepped over the haphazard piles, her orange eyes blinking as she appraised the cleared path.

“Keeping busy I see,” she said, giving him a coy grin as he walked up beside her. It felt good to be able to hold a conversation with someone again. “You’re getting along with the pack, too! Colour me impressed.”

He asked her where she had been these past few hours, Pearl’s expression darkening as she scratched her neck. “Went out for a little stroll. I know, I know, bad idea after I was literally being shot at this morning, but I needed some space on this one.”

“What ‘one’? Are you alright?”

“Yeah! Well, sorta…” Pearl said, turning around. “Walk with me, need to tell you something.”

She shortened her long strides so he could keep up, the pack following behind them, the tall beasts leaning in and listening in on their conversation even though they couldn’t understand what they were saying.

“I was thinking about what you said,” Pearl began, holding out an explanative hand. “About me reuniting with my hybrid sisters. I don’t want to be the pessimist and say it’s hopeless – even though I did – but the only way I’ll be able to even entertain the thought of taking up the search again, would be to take out Hendrix first.”

“You… You want to attack the lodge?” Cooper asked. “Are you insane? That place is built like a fort.”

“You think I don’t know that? Hunters from that lodge have been combing this valley for me ever since they moved in, and today they finally found me, it won’t be long before I’ll be forced to pack my things and move, and that’s not going to happen.”

“Why not? You’ve moved from other hideouts before, haven’t you?”

“That’s not the point,” she replied tersely. “Hendrix’s people will just come after me again, or some other group will take up where they left off. The bounties will never stop as long as this loose end doesn’t get tied up. Hunters never let a juicy target just walk away, you should know that better than anyone.”

It was hard to deny her logic, considering he’d tracked her for over several days just for a shot at getting his fortune. “How does wiping out Hendrix have anything to do with finding the other hybrids?” he asked.

“Remember when I questioned that woman about my pack’s capture? To me, it seemed awfully convenient that after years of elluding the hunters, suddenly all seven of us were captured in just one night. There are other deathclaws in this valley, not many, but they’re there, so why us in particular? What happened to cause them to switch up tactics, and target this pack specifically?”

“… Omegahappened,” Cooper muttered.

“Exactly!” Pearl replied. “There’s only one other group in the Wastes that knows how valuable I really am, and is willing to pay for my recovery, intact may I add.”

“You think Hendrix is in league with the Enclave?” Cooper asked. “I thought you said they hated outsiders.”

“They’re not above employing help if it means reaching their goals,” she said.

“What if it’s just coincidence?” Cooper countered. “You don’t exactly blend in, Pearl, you’re exotic, and no offense but you’d make a fine trophy to any aspiring hunter.”

“It makes sense though, right? The Enclave needs to find a valuable asset hiding out in the wild, of course the first people to employ would be the local hunters. Where’s Hendrix getting all the reward money from, huh? Does he have a Vault full of caps or something?”

“He’s a businessman,” Cooper explained. “He’s the only one that trades in exotic wildlife this side of the country, that’s bound to bring in wealth and influence.”

“That might be the case,” Pearl said, the way her tail flicked behind her indicating her disapproval. “Let’s say that you’re right and this is all just coincidence, but the fact that old codger still a threat to me isn’t speculation. Either he goes, or I do, and I’ll be damned if it’s gonna be me.”

Cooper chewed his lip in thought, hesitating under Pearl’s gaze. He didn’t hold the same biases against Hendrix as Pearl did, but he couldn’t deny that she was in danger because of him, and it was obvious who he’d choose over the other.

“We’ll need a plan then,” he said, Pearl tilting her head in shock.

“Does that mean… you’re in?” she asked. “I thought you’d need more convincing, I had a whole speech planned and everything.”

“Why? We’re friends, right? I haven’t exactly had a lot of them before, but this is what they do, yeah?”

“They help each other assault highly defended compounds, that’s a widely known fact,” Pearl said, chuckling weakly as she rubbed her horns. “You’re sure you want to, though? I don’t think attacking your former employer will do wonders for your reputation.”

“Pearl, you’re something else,” he laughed. “You spent the better part of a week yearning for my company, and now the second I agree to join you, you start pushing me away?”

“I wasn’t yearning,” she defended, hiding her grin behind a claw. “well, maybe a tiny bit, but don’t start telling everyone that. If we’re gonna do this, we should probably start heading out sooner rather than later.”

“I don’t see how just us two are gonna take out a whole compound full of guards,” Cooper added, Pearl nudging him with her elbow.

“Did you forget we’ve got five other deathclaws ready and willing? I’ll have a chat with them.”

She turned around, addressing the two laborer’s and the Matriarch with a string of growls, the beasts hissing in reply. Cooper couldn’t follow the conversation, but it seemed that the two sides were arguing over something. As he waited, he saw the runt appear down the mineshaft ahead of them, attracted by all the chatter. When Pearl addressed it, the deathclaw simply nodded, the way it acted so human always appearing uncanny to Cooper.

Pearl had the final word, and she turned to Cooper, a smirk on her face. “They’re a little tired after all that clearing you guys did, but they’ll help, after a bit of rest. We’ll set off tomorrow morning. Hmm…”

“What is it?” he asked.

“We’re one short,” Pearl explained, glancing left and right. “Guess she’s a little shy of you, Coops. I’m sure she’ll come around once we set off.”

“Now that you mention it,” Cooper began. “There were seven cages back in the lodge, and there’s six of you here, so where’s the last one?”

“Oh, him!” Pearl replied. “We didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye on who got to be alpha. We’ve sparred it out several times in the past, and being captured ticked him off again. I won like always, but he got a bad case of sore loser and took off, for good this time. Can’t blame him, he missed out on a damned fine harem if I do say so myself.”

“Yeah, noticed that you’ve referred to everyone so far as a she,” Cooper muttered, glancing between each deathclaw, who all blinked back at him in turn. “Might go tinker with the power armour frame, could help with our attack on the lodge, assuming someone hasn’t completely ruined it.”

“My bad,” Pearl said, her tone unapologetic. “don’t exhaust yourself, we got a big day ahead of us.”