Ok on your own (A Hat In Time fanfic)
Summary: As a young cat starving on the streets of the Metro, Emily decides the only way to make a place for herself is to join one of the notorious gangs who control her home.
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Word count: 3,038
Warnings: Mentions of death, injury, blood, mentions of gang violence, manipulation
Author's notes: Hey! Here's the backstory for my version of Empress. This can be read as a standalone but it ties into this AU's timeline. Anyway, Emily is young Empress in case you hadn't figured that out. The title is because I feel this chapter fits with the song "Okay on your own" by mxmtoon and Carly Rae Jepsen. Enjoy!
Cold?
Cold.
Her mother was cold.
Her siblings were cold.
She let out a pathetic mewl and curled up to sleep against them anyway.
So small.
So unaware of what had happened.
Days had passed.
Her mother and siblings hadn't woken up.
Emily prodded her mother one last time before dragging herself up.
Her muscles ached from lack of use as she stumbled out of the cardboard box she called home.
She opened her mouth, trying to take in the scents nearby.
There was a distinct smell; something indescribable that seemed to be everywhere here. It clung to her fur a little bit and carried a stench closer to her mother and siblings.
Then there was another - food.
The kitten chirped and walked as quickly as she could out onto one of the main streets.
That first distinct stench grew stronger and clogged up her nose, making food detection practically impossible.
Emily stuck to the edges of the open space, away from the large expanse.
Open space was dangerous, that much she knew.
She leant up on her hind paws, tipping a bin over.
Metal echoed over stone as it crashed to the ground.
Emily crawled into it, grabbing a half eaten slice of pizza and dragging it back out with her.
A shadow fell over her.
“You seem lost.”
A voice, probably belonging to a gang member.
Her fur bristled and she dropped the food, running.
Gang members meant danger.
And she'd rather starve than get caught by one of them.
Emily darted between alleyways, scavenging through bins.
Would there be a single scrap of food?
A soft meow from inside a bin further down the dark path.
Emily trotted over to it and peered inside.
A small ball of black fluff, hiding under a paper thin piece of red fabric that had a grubby badge attached to it.
“Name?” She asked.
The younger kitten looked up at her, ears flattening back against their head.
A hiss to her left. “Not yours.”
The young grey cat spun to face another black cat about her size.
“Hungry,” she argued, claws flexing as much as they could.
The black cat tilted his head to the side, eyeing her curiously. “Hungry?”
He walked quickly past her, pulling a half eaten takeaway box out from behind a bin.
“Share?” He offered, sitting down a foot away.
Emily cautiously moved closer, sniffing the food before diving in.
The black cat's tail flicked as he eyed her patchy fur and thin frame. “Name?”
“Emily,” she replied between bites.
“Claw.”
“Thanks.”
“Friend?”
Emily stared at him, large eyes blinking a couple times before she spoke.
“Friend.”
Claw walked over to the bin, pulling out the small kitten and its fabric.
Emily pointed at it with her tail. “Name?”
“No,” Claw answered.
Emily finished her mouthful before walking over and looking down at the tiny thing.
“Badge,” she decided.
Claw nodded beside her, repeating the name. “Badge.”
Badge was asleep, Claw curled up around them, occasionally grooming the smallest of the three.
Emily sat on top of a nearby box, watching out for danger.
“No food?” Claw asked.
Emily shook her head, a growl coming out of her stomach at the mention of something to eat.
“Gangs have food,” Claw continued.
Emily's fur stood on end and she bounded over to him.
“Gangs are dangerous!” She hissed, quiet enough to not wake up Badge.
“Gangs have food,” Claw repeated adamantly.
Emily lashed her tail, pacing back and forth.
Claw would do whatever she would.
They both had to look after Badge.
Which meant this decision wasn't for her: it was for all three of them.
Emily stopped in front of her two companions, looking at them.
They were so thin, there was never enough food to go around.
“Fine. Gangs.”
“Stay here,” Claw ordered as Emily lifted Badge into a cardboard box.
“Why?” They asked, so small still.
“We're going for a bit,” Emily said.
“Why?”
“Food.”
“Oh.”
“Stay.”
“Okay.”
Claw and Emily began towards the open area at the middle of the metro.
There were always a few gang members hiding around there, waiting to find new recruits.
“Are you sure?” Emily asked Claw, both of them hovering by the outskirts of the open area.
“We have to,” Claw responded with a shrug.
“For Badge.”
“For Badge.”
The two of them prowled into the middle of the clearing, muscles tense.
Emily let out a yelp as a set of paws roughly picked her up.
She was roughly handled into a bag, claws sinking into her skin slightly.
Claw was thrown in beside her.
Darkness consumed her surroundings a second later.
Pain?
Pain.
Her left shoulder ached, sore and red as she looked at it.
Blood crusted around the claw marks left there.
Emily tried to stand, getting about as far as dragging herself halfway up before her hind paws clanked.
Shackles?
The metal rubbed at her ankles as she twisted her head around, trying to gather her bearings.
The room was dark around her ring of light from above, but she could make out something moving in the shadows.
A deep reverberating growl filled the room as an orange cat stepped out into her small patch of light.
It must've been four metres high, and almost twice as long.
Emily tried to run before tripping and remembering her situation.
The orange cat crept up to her before flopping onto its side and purring.
Emily stared in astonishment at the beast of an animal.
The light above her made a tutting sound before lights flooded the room.
She stared around at what was seemingly a large cage, dozens of black cats crowded around outside.
All able to stand on their hind paws for longer than a small amount of time.
Every cat surrounding her had a red scarf tied around their wrist or neck, save for one.
A door swung open in front of her.
The tabby cat that stalked forward had a red jacket slung around their shoulders as they crouched down to Emily, undoing her shackles.
“You understand me?” The cat with the jacket asked, staying crouched beside the young cat.
Emily nodded before quietly speaking. “Where's Claw?”
“The little black cat? I could only take one of you, your friend is with the other gang.”
The cat with the red jacket held up Emily by her armpits, spinning around to show her off to the other cats.
“New blood!”
The crowd let out a cheer of enthusiasm before dispersing.
“What's your name kid?” The jacket cat asked.
“Emily,” she answered.
“I'm Majesty,” the cat replied.
“Badge!” Emily suddenly gasped, trying to scramble out of Majesty's grip.
“Woah, okay, slow down, what the peck is Badge?” Majesty laughed.
Emily twisted around to look at the tabby. “Badge. My little sibling. Very little and very hungry.”
Majesty hummed as he thought. “Okay kid, we can go pick up your sibling. We're a family here so everyone looks after each other, okay?”
Emily nodded and Majesty set her down.
“Which gang?” Emily asked.
Majesty pulled out a red square of fabric from his jacket pocket, dropping it onto Emily's back.
“Welcome to the Fallen Angels kid.”
“I don't know how you scraps have managed to survive for so long but you're okay now. You'll never go hungry again,” Majesty said as he carried Emily under one arm and Badge under the other.
“Claw helped,” Emily mewed.
“Where is Claw?” Badge asked.
Majesty put both of them down into a tub of warm water and both small cats let out complaining yowls.
“Oh, be quiet! You're both filthy, you need to be cleaned,” Majesty growled, scrubbing at Badge as he held them in one paw.
Emily held her head up in the water, trying to keep breathing.
Badge let out a pathetic mewl as Majesty placed their sodden form on a towel next to the tub, picking up Emily and roughly cleaning her fur.
“You really were caked in dirt,” Majesty mused and Emily looked down at her fur.
Gone was the dark grey she was used to, giving way to a light grey and white fade.
Soap bubbles brushed over her left shoulder and she hissed, spitting at Majesty.
“I know, I know, it hurts. It'll heal over soon, I'm sorry you got picked up by those Demon brutes, my Angels would have handled you and your friend more gently,” Majesty sighed, placing Emily next to Badge before towelling each kitten off in turn.
“Demons?” Badge parroted.
“Chosen Demons, the other gang. You see a cat wearing blue, you run,” Majesty instructed before scooping both of them up again.
Emily watched as hallways flitted past, cats lounging about or running up and down.
They eventually turned off into a room, stacks of blankets and pillows there.
A couple other kittens were curled up in a pile on one side of the room as Emily and Badge were set down.
“This is the crèche. You'll sleep here at night and be taught during the day. Be nice to your roommates, you are all family now,” Majesty ordered. “Now get some sleep.”
Emily nodded, picking Badge up by the scruff of their neck and carried them over to an empty patch of blanket.
She dropped them onto the soft fabric, curling around them.
“Where's Claw?” Badge questioned.
Emily sighed, sweeping her tail round to rest over their flank.
“Don't know,” she admitted.
Badge let out a whimper, pressing closer to her. “Miss him.”
“Me too.”
“Practise standing upright. It's the first step to survival. It will take anywhere between a week to a month to master it,” Majesty explained before quickly gnawing on one of his claws. “Once you've mastered that, we'll move onto assignments.”
“Who is going to supervise us?” A black kitten on the other side of the room asked.
“No one. You don't have to do anything. But you'll get kicked out of the gang if you can't earn your keep.” Majesty shrugged. “I'll visit you in the morning and evening. What you do in between is none of my business.”
The gaggle of black kittens in the crèche set about trying to stand as Majesty crossed over to Emily and Badge.
“So, I've got a feeling that you're going to do great at this,” the tabby said with a grin. “Come find me when you're able to stand, okay kid?”
Emily nodded. “Okay sir.”
“Please, call me Majesty.”
The tabby left the crèche with a sweep of his tail and Emily looked down at Badge.
The small ball of fur was staring around with wide eyes, ears flat against their head.
Emily licked the top of their head, hoping to provide some comfort. “We'll be fine.”
“Want Claw,” Badge mewled.
Emily's possible response was cut off as one of the other kittens walked up to them.
“New,” he purred, eyes glinting with curiousity as he circled them.
Emily's spine arched and her fur stood on end. “Leave.”
“Nice fur,” he continued as he stood back in front of them.
Emily reached out a paw, batting Badge behind her.
“Leave,” she repeated quietly.
The cat's features twisted into a scowl and he hissed at her. “You stick out! Not right!”
One of the other kittens hesitantly added a comment. “Weird fur.” They proceeded to point to Badge. “Weird eyes.”
A growl reverberated in Emily's throat and she spread her stance slightly. “Leave. Won't ask again.”
“Or?” The first cat taunted.
Emily sprung at him, barreling him back onto the floor.
Her and Claw had had a few playful fights before.
This wasn't the same.
The black kitten let out a yowl as she bit down through his ear, tearing out a chunk of it before releasing him.
“Leave,” she panted, chest rising and falling rapidly as a tang of iron hit the back of her throat.
The kitten raced out the room, ear leaving spots of red in his wake.
She glanced challengingly at the other members of the crèche and spat out a small chunk of the other cat's ear.
They all went back to practising standing.
She turned to Badge, replying to his earlier words.
“We'll be fine.”
It took about ten minutes of practising for Badge to give up.
“Hurts,” Badge moaned, sitting back on their haunches.
Emily pushed her front paws off the wall again, teetering on her hind legs briefly before dropping back down to all fours.
She leant over, grooming a bit of hair that stuck up behind their ear. “Practice makes less hurt.”
Badge flopped onto their side. “Need rest.”
Emily sat down next to him, muscles still tense from earlier.
Heavy pawsteps sounded behind her and Emily panicked slightly as Majesty sat down next to her.
“Kid, I heard you beat up Rex. Is that true?” The tabby asked.
Emily's tail protectively rested over Badge as she replied. “He was mean to Badge.”
The leader let out a bark of laughter. “I like you kid, you've got spunk. Come straight to me once you learn to stand. I'll set you up with a nice job on the surface.”
“The surface?” Emily parroted.
Majesty nodded, brushing the side of his jacket briefly. “Yeah. Down here we don't get the sun or plants or the sky. But up there you've got opportunities galore! Oceans, deserts, cities, the moon! So much food you'd never go hungry again.”
Emily stared hopefully up at him, wishing that what he was saying was true.
The surface sounded like paradise.
“But- it all depends on you learning to stand. So you better be quick about that, okay? I'll even let you take the little one up there with you once they can stand.”
The tabby stood, stretching slightly before leaving.
Emily flicked her gaze to Badge’s sleeping form and Majesty's words rang in her head.Never go hungry again.
Emily gritted her teeth and walked back towards the wall.
She would learn to stand.
After all, she'd come here to help feed Badge.
Weeks passed.
Emily mastered standing and Badge soon followed suit.
But it wasn't without price.
Emily remembered her words as they sat together in front of Majesty.
“If you stand, we can see Claw.”
It was rotten but it seemed to be the only way to motivate the younger kitten.
The way Badge had beamed up at her once they could stand made her feel even worse.
“Alright, we need to set you up somewhere you can learn how to talk more,” Majesty said, drumming his claws on his desk.
Majesty's office was cold, the walls a mix of concrete and corrugated metal.
The floor was coated with plush red carpet, dark wooden furniture mostly up against the walls.
The leader was alternating between scrolling on his phone and clicking away at the computer on his desk.
The fluorescent lights above them hummed with electricity.
Emily's tail flicked to curl over Badge's spin, subtly nudging them closer.
“I could send you to school but that place is full of annoying little brats. And you'd get expelled for starting fights,” Majesty explained before pausing and giving Emily a levelled look. “That's rule number one. No starting fights. Or joining fights. If I don't give you permission to fight, don't do it.”
Emily nodded and Badge copied the movement.
The tabby paused his scrolling before a smile broke out across his face. “Oh that could be useful. Learn how to talk and it will help develop your lying skills.”
The cat muttered to himself before letting out a small purr.
“Congrats kids. You're going to be part of a theatre group.”
“Theatre group…?” Badge said.
Majesty grinned. “You'll learn to act! It will also help with memorisation, lying, mimicking… Peck, this could lead to some good exploitational skills.”
Emily understood about half of what he was saying.
“I have high hopes for you two.”
Emily's fur stood on end as she stood in the hall beside Badge, the smaller kitten practically sticking to her side in the room of birds and cats.
She bristled even further when a reddish coloured owl walked up to them.
“Hi!”
Emily had spotted her earlier, walking around and introducing herself to everyone else there.
“Who are you?” The owl asked, smiling at them.
She seemed fairly nice, despite how glaringly brightly coloured clothes were.
“Emily,” the cat hesitantly replied.
The owl nodded and turned to Badge. “And you?”
“Badge,” Emily replied for them, worried about how wide-eyed they seemed to be.
“Can we be friends?” Scarlett asked, suddenly seeming shyer. “Um, no one else here seems to want to be friends with me.”
Emily blinked blankly, taking a moment to process.
“Friends?”
“Mhm.”
Scarlett moved to hold her arms close to her chest, shifting nervously from one foot to another.
She was just as nervous as they were.
“Okay. Friends,” Emily decided.
Scarlett seemed to brighten again, features stretching as she grinned.
“Really?”
Emily turned to Badge, nudging them. “This is Scarlett. Friend.”
The kitten still seemed shook-up but managed a quick hello.
“Where do you live?” Scarlett asked, sitting down on the floor.
Emily coaxed Badge to sit down before also joining them. “Not here.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, where do you stay?”
Emily's head tilted to the side.
“Do you want to stay with me?”
They didn't have to report back to Majesty for three days.
And she didn't fancy going back to alleyways.
“Please,” she whispered.
Scarlett nodded. “Mummy won't mind much. She'll be happy I have friends.”
The owl’s face fell slightly.
“That's why I'm here.”
She seemed to remember something and brightened up.
“Have you ever watched Cinderella?”
“What?”
“We can watch it this evening.”
They continued to chat until Badge piped up.
“Can we see Claw now?”
Scarlett looked between the black kitten and the grey and white kitten.
“Who's Claw?”
Emily dipped her head to speak quietly to Badge.
“He asked to play a game. He's hiding. We'll find him soon.”
She straightened back up to address Scarlett. “No one.”
Scarlett seemed sceptical but continued their conversation.
Emily's heart hurt.
She wasn't sure why.
But why couldn't Claw be here?
