Protector (TFP)

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱɪx -ᴄʀᴇᴇᴘʏ ᴄʀᴀᴡʟɪᴇꜱ-

ʙᴀꜱᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴘɪꜱᴏᴅᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴅᴀᴛᴏʀʏ

Tall tree trunks surrounded us, their lanky overhanging limbs darkening the area below them. Shadows danced in my peripheral, but whenever I turned my head to the movement, it was still, and I couldn't stop the chills from running up my spine.

A stick cracked, interrupting the silence, and I turned toward it, trying my best to keep the fear on my face from showing. I let out a barely audible breath when my gaze met with blue hues, and I raised an eyebrow. Jack gave me a sheepish grin, revealing the broken wood underneath his shoe.

"Oops." He mumbled. I turned back around with a slight shake of my head, more annoyed at myself than at Jack for getting startled so easily. Usually, I wasn't so jumpy, but I couldn't help it.

The forest was nothing less than creepy. With its ominous fog and unsettling silence, I couldn't stop myself from being on edge. Arcee's footsteps thudded steadily ahead of me, and I moved faster to not stray too far behind the femme.

At least Arcee's with us. I thought positively. However, the thought didn't give me as much comfort as I thought it would.

Why was I in the woods, you ask? Earlier, Ratchet had detected an underground Energon deposit in the area and asked Arcee to check it out. Initially, only Jack was going to go with her, but I somehow managed to convince the Autobot to let me come with them. So here I was, walking into what looked like the beginning of every horror movie I'd seen.

I should have stayed at the base or tried harder to convince Arther not to let me take the day off. I thought, stuffing my hands into my coat pocket. Movement in my peripheral caught my attention, and I stifled my laughter as I watched Jack wave his arms from beside me, attempting to hit the many bugs flying around him.

"Ah!" He exclaimed, slapping a mosquito that had landed on his arm. "Really wish I packed some insect repellent. The mosquitos out here on this routine recon are the size of vampire bats... and they drink as much blood." The teen spat, hitting his neck, where he felt another bloodsucker. His eyes landed on me, his brows furrowing as I continued to walk unbothered.

"Why aren't any of them attacking you?" He wondered. I shrugged, looking toward him with a teasing smile.

"Maybe your blood is just more delicious than mine." I mused. Jack rolled his eyes at my explanation, and I couldn't help but snort quietly. It felt good to tease the male like this, especially since it's been weird talking to him lately.

Ever since the incident with the Groundbridge, an awkward silence had fallen between us, and it only worsened when I asked him not to tell anyone about it. It wasn't like I couldn't trust the others, but I didn't want them to worry about me, especially when they had better, more important things to focus on. With Megatron gone and Starscream in charge, the Autobots had a real chance of ending the war, and I wasn't going to distract them for something that didn't matter.

"Why am I the only one who has to suffer." The black-haired boy muttered, once again slapping a spot on his body. Arcee stopped her movement, looking over her shoulder toward the both of us.

"Quite the outdoorsman, aren't you, Jack." The femme taunted, the device in her hand blinking as it scanned the area around them for Energon.

"You wouldn't be making fun of my survival kit?" Jack asked, his lips lifting into a playful smirk.

"Maybe," Acree answered, a small smile on her face.

"I may not have stinger-proof skin, Arcee, but in a pinch, I can use my multifunction pocket knife and magnesium fire starter to cook up some freeze-dried Mac-and-Cheese." The teen bragged, patting the fanny pack that rested on his hip. I chuckled at his statement, my amusement rising when he sent me a narrowed glare.