You Make Me Feel Alive

Day 1 - Humble Beginnings

Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. Ratchet Appreciation Week 2021 prompt list by weeksofrac of Twitter/ weeksofratchetandclank of Tumblr.

Title is in honor of a friendo, because Ratchet is their favorite character of all time and they give me so much inspiration to write and further study the Lombax mans.

((Ratchet Week took place during the week of March 7th through March 13th. I am uploading my fics late, but late fics are accepted.))

You Make Me Feel Alive

Day 1: Humble Beginnings

The wrench had been with him for as long as he had been alive.

From what the Veldin orphanage had told him, the massive Omniwrench had been the only thing in the pod he had arrived in, strapped tight to the inside of the pod to keep from hurting the little Lombax kitten. Besides a cushion that fell apart not a year after Ratchet had arrived on the desert planet, Ratchet had nothing to his name.

Technically, he hadn't even had a name. No note, no indication of who built the pod, no data backlogged to see which planet he had come from...

Only the wrench.

Sand crunched under his clawed feet, only to end up sliced in half by the weight of the wrench dragged behind him. Heat beat down on his yellow fur with very little wind to ease the strength of the three suns' rays. Screams and yells echoed in his large ears, and the tiny seven-year-old Lombax winced as two lizard-based children tore past him with shrill voices.

The orphanage's playground was pretty small, but there was a tiny corner tucked near the back that nobody went to. Rumors that a rabid Horny Toad built a den back behind one of the few trees to grow on the plateau ran rampant through the child population, and anyone that went there was assumed to have some kind of death wish or had something to prove.

It was the perfect place for Ratchet to have some quiet away from the kids that bullied him mercilessly.

Ratchet picked up his pace. He ducked under the plastic slide, wincing again as more happy screeches hurt his sensitive ears. A dull ache filled his arms, but he pushed on toward the corner, fingers tight around the enormous wrench's grip.

It took a good couple of minutes for the little Lombax to reach the edge of the playground. Once a few of the minor bullies took notice of his attempted escape, they raced by him, pushing and jostling both him and his Omniwrench. Green eyes narrowed and anger flashed on Ratchet's face, but he didn't swing his wrench at them.

It scared him to think what damage a wrench slam to the head would do.

Once the minor bullies had their fun and ran away to play with on the shoddy swings, Ratchet continued his trek. It took a minute for him to reach the edge of the playground, and even though his orange T-shirt and dark-green shorts stuck to his sweaty fur, the Lombax grinned.

His large feet stepped over the dark wood of the playground's edge. A huge sigh of relief left Ratchet, and renewed energy flooded his body. Finally... a place to himself.

He toddled over to the tree by the rock wall of the orphanage. The sounds that had pierced his ears throughout his walk began to die down to a bearable volume, and Ratchet's smile softened with each step toward the tree.

A few shrubs and bushes covered the corner of the wall, a miniature landscape next to the tree. Roots snaked under the dirt, just enough to form a line under the sand but not enough to break the surface. Mystery and danger hung over the tiny place, something that both scared Ratchet but kept him going back for more.