#stray grandma | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nyrandrea · 2 years

Text

Of Blood and Oil

Summary: The little stray cat had brought salvation to the inhabitants of the Walled City in their darkest hour, now it was time for them to return the favour.

(Takes place after the events of the game, so there will be spoilers!)

Also available to read on AO3!

Enjoy!

A lone tree, surrounded by intertwining vines and flowers that little insects danced around as if they were celebrating the purpose that it gave them; to spread its seeds and have life thrive in yet another cycle.

No sign of them here either.

Murtaugh paid the insects no mind as they angrily buzzed around his ear as if to chastise him for trespassing. He circled around the tree once, twice, three times just to make sure, sniffing every inch before finally giving up, granting the bugs their wish as he turned tail and left.

Perching on the edge of what once trapped an entire civilization, the little ginger tabby washed his face as he watched the robotic inhabitants below living their daily lives, taking time to face the sun and appreciate it for a few moments before going back to whatever task they were doing.

It had taken them a while to accept that the Outside was even really a thing that existed. Most of them had still to leave the city; only a handful had dared to step a foot out of what had been their sanctuary—their prison—for their whole lives. A stubborn few even had to be coaxed out of their homes, but with the cat’s presence—and persistence—they finally stepped out.

A little furry pest, they had called him, but there was a fondness in their tone.

The Outsiders had started building a few settlements outside the city, with Momo and Clementine heading the project while Doc provided some technical know-how every now and then, his main priority being making up for lost time with his son. Zbaltazar didn’t provide much help physically, but made sure his fellow companions took some mindful breaks, with a little persuasion.

Murtaugh took it upon himself to teach the robots how to hunt as they seemed clueless on how to feed themselves properly. They were interested, if not a little fearful when he brought them live prey, encouraging them to make the killing blow.

At first it was thought that perhaps the cat that they had grown to trust was about to betray them and eat them like the Zurks had done, but a little explanation from Doc about how organic predators worked had put them at ease. Though they would still take pity on whatever poor soul was dropped at their feet, and would usually try to release them, much to Murtaugh’s annoyance.

Without B-12, there was a language barrier that neither species could overcome, which would often result in crossed-wiring as the cat would try and make sense of their garbled sounds and vice versa. Eventually one would get tired of the other and leave; this became more and more common until it was decided there wasn’t much point anymore.

The robots had their own lives to rebuild and families to raise, and Murtaugh had to find his own, so he had decided it was time to leave.

He hadn’t travelled far though, only wandering a few miles outside the wall as he felt somewhat compelled to stay. Ever since birth he had always had his family watching his back, and B-12, through his own strange ways, had kept him safe within the walls of the city. This was the first time he had truly been alone.

All the more reason to find them.

The last time he had been with his own kind was when they were on the outskirts of the wall, yet there were no scent trails or marks to follow. It was as if they had completely vanished off the face of the earth.

Just how long had he been trapped inside?

The cat flicked his tail a little. No, they wouldn’t just leave the territory like that. They wouldn’t abandon him. Unless there was a pressing reason. They always kicked the competition out, and their competitors were fierce, especially during the winter when prey was scarce. But they always managed to get out of a scrape with their rivals fleeing with their tails in-between their legs.

So, what could have driven his family out?

Getting up and stretching, Murtaugh decided to do another patrol. They were always on the move; perhaps he had just missed them.

There wasn’t even time to react when jaws sank into his flesh.

xxx

“A little more to the left,” Clementine called out, beckoning to the poor construction crew worker as he heaved a massive sheet of metal that would act as a roof to one of the many houses they were building next to a lake they had found near the outskirts of the city.

She remembered that night well. They had just stepped out for the first time, wandering amongst the trees that towered over them like buildings when they stumbled upon it. The sun dipping itself into a massive body of water as its fiery glow blinded them before sinking entirely. The color reminded her of the little outsider.

The sky eventually darkened, the stars started to appear, and there was a moment of anguish and panic that they were trapped inside the city again and their escape was some kind of cruel illusion, but Clementine was the first to realize that these were real stars. She laid there all night, completely mesmerized by the very thing that used to strike dread into her hard-drive.

“How about now?” The worker drawled out in a bored tone.

“Little more.”

“It doesn’t have to be perfect, y’know,” Momo piped up from behind, flinching when she gave him a sharp look.

“What would you know about perfection, with that ugly garb?” Clementine snapped back, instantly feeling guilty when he put a hand on his chest in mock offense, a broken heart lighting up his screen.

“Sorry,” she said. “It’s just...we only get one chance to get this done right.”

“And plenty of time to do it,” Momo replied, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Besides, I think my hat is quite fashionable.”

“I wasn’t talking about the hat.”

“We shouldn’t rush, is what I’m saying,” Momo nodded and waved the worker off for a break, and the guy didn’t need telling twice as he rushed off to his poker-playing buddies.

Clementine hummed thoughtfully, gazing off towards the lake.

“Did you ever think we’d make it out?”

“No,” Momo admitted. “Not until that little furball showed up.”

She huffed a laugh. “After everything we tried. The sacrifices we made. All it took was a cat and a tiny drone to save us all.”

“You sound disappointed,” Momo noted.

“No. It was impressive, just...,” she sighed. “I don’t know. Thought we would have played more of a part.”

“Speak for yourself.”

This time her laugh was genuine.

“Say, you haven’t seen the little rascal about, have you?” Momo asked, looking around his feet as if the cat would magically appear.

“Not recently. Why?”

“Haven’t seen him for a while now, that’s all. Used to visit me quite often. Interrupt my work. Try to knock my hat off.”

“Maybe he was trying to tell you something,” Clementine said, smirking when he looked truly offended this time.

“I haven’t seen the little one either,” a gentle voice chimed in from behind, both robots turning to see Grandma, sitting on the ground with her legs crossed and hands busy. She had insisted on joining them on their project, offering kind words of encouragement and repairing the worn-out safety vests of the workers when they were on their breaks.

“The last time he visited, there was...an uneasiness about him.”

“How do you mean?” Clementine prodded.

“He would make those cute little sounds and when I talked back, he seemed reserved, almost agitated. Even when I tried to stroke him, he would swat at my hand and then leave. It didn’t hurt but I was concerned for the poor dear, he was always so friendly,” Grandma shook her head as she knitted absent-mindedly.

“Yeah, I noticed that too, he’d leave whenever I started talking to him,” Momo said as he put a hand up to his chin. “He must not be able to understand us without that drone of his. I wonder how Doc is getting on with transferring that data.”

“I’m working on it,” Doc’s voice turned everyone’s heads as he and Seamus walked towards the group, with the former carrying a pair of fishing rods and a sloshing bucket.

“Uh-huh, I can see that,” Clementine directed an unamused look at the pair. “What do you plan on doing with those?”

“What kind of father would I be if I didn’t take my son fishing at least once during my life cycle? Besides, our ancestors would keep them as pets. An aquarium, I think it was called, fascinating stuff...”

“ Anyway, even with the drone, we couldn’t understand him ,” Clementine pointed out. “And we didn’t act all sullen and depressed about it, so what gives?”

“I... I think it’s more than that,” Seamus timidly added.

All eyes silently turned towards him.

“Do you guys remember the way I was? When dad disappeared and I was...alone?”

Seamus awkwardly rubbed his arm as his father looked away, there was a moment in which he raised a hand to comfort his child, but decided against it. The topic was still raw for both of them.

“I do,” Momo nodded. “It was a difficult time for you. You didn’t leave the apartment for months and when you did, you wouldn’t talk to any of us.”

“Right, now the cat’s acting the same way.”

“So... you’re saying... the cat misses his dad?” Clementine asked.

Seamus rolled his eyes, as much as a robot could.

“Well, maybe not his dad per se, but he lived on the Outside before he was trapped in the city, right? Maybe he had other cat friends or family or something.”

“Seamus, cats are relatively solitary creatures,” Doc tried to gently explain. “In fact, in ancient times, there were these exceptionally beautiful cats called ‘Snow Leopards’, who would spend their entire lives isolated on...snowy...mountains...,” Doc trailed off as his son’s screen warped into an angry shade of red.

“Solitary or not, everything has a family, right? Our ancestors, us, even the snow leopards,” he shook his head as red changed to blue. “Look, I just...I just know, okay? And the fact that he can’t understand us without that little buddy of his probably makes him feel even more lonely. And loneliness leads to frustration, see what I’m getting at?”

“Then perhaps he went off to find his family?” Doc tentatively offered. “Maybe he even found them! Probably why he hasn’t returned for a while, too busy off doing...cat things.”

“We should check up on him,” Seamus said. “Just to make sure.”

“Look,” Clementine put her hands up. “It’s a nice sentiment but we have to be smart about this, we’ve barely been beyond the wall and who knows where the cat is or what else is out the—”

“I quite agree, Seamus,” Momo interrupted, resulting in bewildering looks from all around.

“What?!”

“Really?” Seamus gaped.

“Momo...,” Clementine warned, though he took no heed.

“Come now, where’s the brave Clementine who defied all the rules and recklessly put herself in danger at every given moment?”

“That Clementine had nothing to lose back then. But now we have a future to build, for the generations to come.”

“Which wouldn’t have been possible if not for our furball friend, no?”

“He has a point,” Grandma spoke up. “If not for him, none of us would be here now, where our ancestors once basked in the sunlight and sang under the stars.”

“I... I agree,” Doc added, finally finding the courage to put a hand on Seamus’s shoulder. “If not for that cat, I wouldn’t have been reunited with my boy. We owe it to him to remind him that...we’re his family too, language barriers be damned.”

“Dad...” Seamus didn’t need to say any more as both their screens lit up with hearts.

“Then it’s settled!” Momo said, though everyone still looked to Clementine for final confirmation.

“Suppose I did say that he’s one of us now,” she submitted. “Fine, but I’ll go look for him. Everyone else can finish off building here.”

“Not without me, you’re not,” Momo chided, a newfound air of confidence about him.

Clementine smiled. “You really have gotten braver, haven’t you?”

“And what about me?” Seamus shoved his way in. “I want to come with you.”

“Son,” Doc took him by the shoulder. “How about you help me finish restoring the drone’s data to its new body? That way the little one may have one more friend to return to.”

With a determined nod, Seamus let his father lead him back to their lab, Grandma started knitting a blanket with new-found vigor and even a few construction workers that had been listening in started putting together a new house from spare metal, one that was far too small for any robot.

With a small smile, Clementine and Momo made their way towards a small opening of trees towards the lakes edge, where Guardian had posted himself. Inside or out, he still took it upon himself to be their first point of protection.

“Hey,” Clementine greeted, earning a small nod in return. “We’re gonna head out for a little while.”

“May I ask why?” Guardian enquired. She knew he wouldn’t try to stop them, but they would still need a good reason should they attract anything dangerous towards their camp.

“The little orange cat,” Momo replied. “We were starting to get a little worried about him, you wouldn’t have happened upon him by any chance?”

Guardian nodded. “A couple of days ago. Wandering amongst the hedgerows, seemed to be heading up the pipes near the wall.” His fingers tightened around his staff. “I have seen other beasts up that way. My database came up with the term ‘Dogs’; quite big but seemed easily scared off by my presence. Still, be cautious.”

“Will do,” Momo nodded, though his confidence had waned a little, as noticed by Clementine.

“Not too late to head back,” she offered as they walked. Secretly—and ashamedly— hoping that his fear would get the better of him.

“No. I promised myself to stop being like this. Besides, if what Guardian says is true, the little fellow won’t last long on his own.”

Clementine made a noise that resembled something of a snort. “Please. That cat was more resourceful than all of us combined. He’ll be fine.”

“That may be. But he had help, from us and that drone. He must be awfully frightened if he’s completely alone out there. Wouldn’t you be?”

“Well then, let’s just hope he found his buddies.”

Momo nodded, before turning to her again.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

And she never would.

xxx

Oooooh don't we all just hate a cliffhanger? :)

Chapter 2 ---->