The Love We Let Go Of [Completed]

3

I landed outside the cave. The red glow of dawn glazed the land around me. I heard a few chirps of discontent then the three sparkling trotted out of the cave. Glacier led the group most likely because he was a morning bot. Shabina was next then Archer, they didn't appreciate the morning. "Hey Jaws," Archer said sitting down and leaning against my leg. Shabina climbed my back and started making her way across my wing. "Hey Archer," I mimiked smiling down at him, "I don't wanna be awake yet." He said laying down next to me and shutting his optics.

I layed down and brought my wing over him, having had no good rest to speak of the night before I let my head down. "Neither do I," I agreed curling my tail around him considering sleep. Shabina tapped the blue disk on my wing, "What's that?" She asked. "Oh," I said realizing that Saw Back was on my wing. I deployed him, he stood in a defensive stance as if he were about to be faced with combat. He stood normally after a moment realizing there wasn't actually a combat based reason for his deployment. "Guys this is Saw Back," I announced, "Saw Back this is Glacier, Archer, and Shabina." I said before putting my head back down and dozing off with Archer. Leaving Saw Back at the mercy of the two sparklings... maybe not my best idea. But give me some credit, I was heavily sleep deprived at the time.

I awoke to being pawed by Mudslide next to him was Onyx. I rolled over, "Need something?" I asked shutting my optics, "Yeah, there's a dog up a tree." Onyx said. "What?" I asked rubbing my ear to see if maybe I had heard wrong. "Um, over there." Mudslide points with his talon. I turned my gaze and spotted Saw Back up in a tree hiding from Shabina and Glacier.

I couldn't resist chucking as I rose to my feet, Archer noticed his blanket leaving and whined clearly still not ready to be awake. I had to head off any way, I don't know how much longer that tree will be a usable defence. I noticed Shabina beginning to use her claws as a means to climb the tree. "Hey!" I barked getting their attention, the sparklings turn their attention to me. "Leave Saw Back alone," I said approaching the tree "He's not a chew toy," I explained as I walked my front half up the tree, standing on my back legs and using it for balance. I raised my head to his level allowing him to climb on. "Thanks," he said, he climbing up before sliding down my back. "No problem," I answered turning back from the tree.

He transformed before latching to my wing. I nodded content, before my gaze reached the other members of the pack. As I sat gazing at nothing for a moment my mind wandered to what had happened last night. I needed to discuss Lockdown's activities with my second. I set off to find Dark, I was forced to a screeching halt to a stop at almost running over Bee. "Sorry,"  I apologized, but must have seemed distracted. "No worries, but why were you running?" He asked pulling himself onto my back. "I gotta find Dark, I found something very... interesting last night. I need to fill him in." I say my speed picking back up. Bee glanced at my wing and spotted Saw Back, "A mini con?" He asked, "I'll explain when I find Dark," I responded.

After running a few more laps around the territory I found him sitting on a ledge above the cave. "Dark! I have something we need to discuss," I said my words betraying the severity of the information. He turned his gaze to me, tilting his head a little indicating he was intrigued. I spread my wings and in seconds joined him on the ledge before settling next to him.

"Last night I came across what seemed to be a still functioning con base." I started, Bee and Dark were shocked into silence for a moment. "What?" Bee asked before Dark got a chance to open his mout. "I'm not sure what its purpose is but I found Lockdown running it," the sound of his name made us all tence up just a bit. Dark Horse glanced at my wing, "Is he all you found?" Dark asked, "That's Saw Back, he helped me at the base," I explained.

I began to recount the night to Dark and Bee. They both kept up with the story, nodding in all the right places and keeping their questions until I had finished. "So are we going after Lockdown?" Dark asked.
"I'm not sure, what concerns me more is that there were two new predacon clones. And crates upon crates of Predacon bones." I said my tone lowering as I thought.
"With so many bones they could raise an army." Bee said catching on. I nodded, my wings drooping a bit.
"Then we have to take out the lab where they are creating them." I resolved my voice getting a bit more serious.
"Shouldn't we just tell the elite guard?" Dark asked, "The the safety of Cybertron is really their department not ours." Dark presented.
"No, this group has clearly been dodging them for years. They wouldn't stand any more chance of finding them now than they ever had." I answered. "We should go after them." I declared.
"But we were just..." I cut Dark off.
"A pack of some of the strongest predacons ever to walk the face of cybertron? Yes, we are." I say a smile growing on my face.
"Getting comfortable, I was going to say getting comfortable." Dark contradicted, I gave him an apologetic look.
"I know it isn't supposed to be our fight anymore, but come on, those are predacons, our kind. If that doesn't make this our fight what does?" I asked towards Dark Horse. "So are you in?" I asked.
"Always." Bee answered first. We both turned pleading puppy dog optics to Dark Horse who caved. "Fine, it has been rather slow around here."