Of Myths and Legends.
She was tired. No, she was more than that. She was at the point where exhaustion takes over and starts to shut down the body. Her lungs burned with every short ragged gasp of air that she pulled into them. The muscles in her now weak and shaky legs were on fire. She was sick to her cramping stomach, although she was sure that it was mostly due to coming down off the medications that the doctors had been giving her. No matter how exhausted she was, no matter how horrible she felt, she knew that she couldn't stop running. She couldn't go back to that place of nightmares.
As it started to get dark, she knew that she'd been running for many hours. The Earthquake had struck sometime shortly before sunrise. Between the explosion, fires, the damage to the lab facility, the confusion, and the problems that the staff were having in controlling the other 'patients', she'd managed to make her escape. She'd been running away ever since. It was strange really, when she thought about it, because running away had been what had gotten her there in the first place.
Her mother had died of some kind of untreatable cancer not too long after she'd turned eight, and her stepfather had started abusing her shortly after that. Finally, she'd had enough and run away from home. After the three hundred dollars that she'd stolen from her stepfather had run out, she'd been reduced to begging for hand outs. That was how one of them had found her.
He'd pretended to care, to be concerned about her, about her problems. But it had all been a huge lie. She knew the stranger that she'd never seen since had put something in the food he'd given her, and she'd woken up in the lab. At first, in spite of the paper hospital gown, lack of any kind of bed, and missing toilet, she'd thought that it might be better than putting up with the things her step fatherhad done to her, but that was before they had started to give her the shots, before things started being... different.
The first time it had happened, the men had put her in a locked room with a strange man. Then they had done something with the ceiling and the lights. The cramps and pain were worse than anything she'd ever experienced in her life, and she'd begged for the man to help her. Afterwards, when she woke up, there was blood and bits of bone everywhere and there were dim hazy memories of hurting, and killing the man she'd been in the room with. She had many such memories like that, and she was frightened by every last one of them.
She had no idea how long she'd been locked up in the place where they'd kept her, because none of them would ever speak to her. They gave her nothing to do, and wouldn't even let her attend school after she'd tried asking. She'd seen her neighbors treat their dog better than the way the people at the lab had treated her. With only a third grade education to draw on, she had no way of understanding what they'd done to her, but she knew that whatever it was, it wasn't anything good. She knew that she'd been kept there a long time because her hair which had been pixie cut, was now almost to her waist.
With absolutely nothing else to do, she'd spent her time doing jumping jacks, or side straddle hops, as her P.E. teacher had called them. At first she'd kept count of how many she did, but later she hadn't bothered. What she didn't know, was that those cardiovascular exercises had conditioned her for this moment. Even with the drugs in her system, she was able to keep going, and she knew she had to. She would rather die than go back to that lab.
She thought back to the morning's events. How she'd been doing those endless exercises after breakfast, when she'd been thrown to the floor by the Earthquake. The door to her room had come open when the wall made of large cement bricks had broken. At that instant, she made her desperate bid for freedom. With the floor and walls still shaking, she didn't even bother trying to get up and run, instead she had scrambled out of her room on all fours. She'd ignored the panicked cries and screams of the others, and as soon as she saw a damaged wall with the outside world beyond, she'd scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she possibly could. In spite of missing both lunch and dinner, she had no regrets about taking her chance to escape, and not even hunger pains could make her look back.
As her right foot came down on a rock, she stumbled from the pain it caused in her bare foot. It wasn't the first time, and she knew that it would keep happening until she got some shoes from somewhere. She climbed to her feet once more and stopped for just a moment and held her breath to listen for any sounds of pursuit. The total silence surrounding her was a vast relief, and she started forward again at a slower pace to try catching her breath, and relieve her burning muscles.
She had no idea where she was, but she didn't care as long as it was away from that hated lab. The paper hospital gown had offered no protection against the scraping branches and underbrush of the woods that she was going through, and had long since been torn to shreds. She couldn't have cared less as long as she was free. She finally staggered to a stop and leaned up against a tree to rest for a minute or two.
It took her a while to catch her breath, and the brief rest had done her good by giving her a chance to look around and realize that she couldn't keep running through these woods as dark as it was getting. She'd either have to find someplace to hide, or find a road of some kind that she could follow. She was just about to start moving again when she heard something rustling through the woods not too far behind her.
Panic filled her mind, even as adrenalin flooded her aching muscles with a fresh burst of speed as she dashed forward through the trees. She burst out of the woods and into a clearing right as the first body wracking cramp hit her. She didn't stop running though because she did not want to go back. The pain from her cramping body was so bad that she didn't see what was in front of her as she ran smack into someone, knocking them both down.
"So, how soon will she get here?" Sam asked eagerly for perhaps the tenth time as he looked up at the massive blue and red mech.
Optimus couldn't help but smile when he heard that question once more. He'd slowly come to realize that it didn't matter how many Autobots the young man had met, the chance to meet another was like a whole new adventure to him. He could see that Mikeala felt the same way; she just controlled her anticipation better.
"Moonracer should be arriving very soon Sam. She was already close to entering orbit when she last contacted me." Optimus replied still smiling.
"You're excited too aren't you Bee?" Mikeala asked as she watched the antics of the yellow scout.
Instead of speaking, Bumblebee answered by playing one of his infamous sound bytes, this one from 'Wayne's World'.
"Dude! Whenever I'm around her, I get so excited and nervous that I just want to hurl!"
Mikeala winced when she heard that. "Not the best way to impress a girl Bee! I mean, come on! You know how to be smooth and charming. Look at the way you set me and Sam up. Both of us know that I'd never have given him a thought without you in the background playing the slick matchmaker." She chided with a smile.
"You know that's true! And I can't ever thank him enough for that either!" Sam said smiling at his girlfriend.
"All I did was create the opportunity Sam. You were the one who took advantage of it." Bee replied.
"Yeah, well it never would have happened without ya buddy!" Sam said grinning.
"Look! Here she comes!" Mikeala called out as she pointed up towards the moon which was a quarter way above the horizon.
Two sets of sapphire blue optics and one pair of brown eyes looked to the star filled night sky where just to the right of the rising full moon was an Autobot's comet form making a spectacular blazing entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
Everyone's attention was so focused on the descending protoform that none of them noticed as a young girl came bursting out of the woods to smash into Sam, taking them both down in a tangle of bodies and limbs.
She knew that she'd fallen on top of whoever it was that she'd run into, just as she knew that she had to get away from them. The new cramps and pains that were tearing through her body had nothing to do with how tired or exhausted she was, but instead had everything to do with the type of pain that had always happened in the locked room with whoever was intended as a victim for what happened there. She knew the "different" time was coming, and she knew there was nothing she could do to stop it.
She had never wanted to hurt anyone, not even her stepfather for the way he'd beat her nearly senseless on innumerable occasions. She certainly wasn't going to stay around and hurt someone if she could help it. She felt the person's hands grabbing her, and she was sure that they were going to do something, but she didn't know what, and wasn't going to take any chances.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Just... Just let me go. I don't want to go back!" She cried out in a bare whisper, her voice hoarse from lack of use, as she finally got to her feet and ran staggering back into the woods in a different direction than she'd come.
"Okay, what the hell just happened?" Sam demanded as he got to his feet.
"I believe you were just tackled to the ground by a naked girl, who seemed very frightened of something. I think we'd better try to find her if we can and see if she needs our help." Optimus said quietly as he looked in the direction the girl had gone.
"Wait! What about Moonracer?" Sam asked quickly.
His question was rendered moot as the blazing form raced overhead to crash in the woods some distance away from where they were standing.
"I'll send her a message so she can join us in the search. Who ever that girl is, she is obviously in serious trouble, and since we know about it, it's our obligation to help if we can. Besides, she's headed straight towards Moonracer's location. Bumblebee, you take Sam, I'll take Mikeala so we can divide our efforts and find her more quickly." Optimus ordered as he reached down to pick up Mikeala.
Both Optimus and Bumblebee could hear the sounds the girl made as she fled through the woods. She was making every effort to get as far away from them as possible, which meant there were no attempts at stealth of any kind. In open ground the larger size and longer strides of the two mechs would have made catching up to her a simple task of a few steps. Pursuing her through the dense tree cover however was another matter. Even Bumblebee's smaller frame was having a difficult time maneuvering through these woods without leaving behind damage that would be easily recognized by anyone who saw it, as that of a large being breaking a trail.
She ran blindly through the trees, with pain clawing at her insides, feeling as if she were being slowly ripped open from the inside out. Stumbling into another clearing, she collapsed as the pain became too great to ignore any longer. She sensed someone approaching, and hoped that it wasn't someone coming to take her back to the lab. Then she thought about what was happening to her, and prayed that it was.
Moonracer looked down at the whimpering human in front of her and conducted a quick scan. This was definitely the human that Optimus had asked her to help him find. Now that she'd finally seen the being for herself, she understood why Optimus was concerned, since the human was obviously in some type of physical torment. She started recording everything in case the information was needed later and watched in silence for just a few short seconds as she observed the agonized movements and hoarse, nearly silent cries of agonized pain. Stepping forward towards the human she knelt down next to it, intending to offer some reassurance.
"P... Please. Just go away. Leave... me... alone, please."
The words had been croaked out in a near silent whisper between the spasmed contractions of a body in what appeared to be unendurable pain.
"I won't leave you alone like this. My friends are on their way, and we can get you some help. Just stay calm and try to relax." The Autobot said in a comforting tone.
"No! You don't understand! They... did something to me... Arghhhhh!"
Whatever warning she'd been trying to deliver was lost in a hoarse cry of agonized tormenting pain that ended in a snarl of primal fury. Moonracer stared in stunned silence as large ripples flowed across the human's body in ways that did not appear to be normal. A loud snapping, cracking sound could clearly be heard, as the cranial structure began flattening, elongating to become another shape entirely. Fingers formed long deadly looking claws on the ends of them, and a thick coating of hair began growing rapidly across the entire form.
Seeing that the transition was finally complete, Moonracer reached out and gently picked up the still whimpering creature that now bore only a vague resemblance to a human. Almost at once, the creature was snarling and snapping at her fingers with long, sharp teeth that would have easily mangled organic flesh. Claws that would have torn and shredded muscles were scrabbling against her alloyed digits in an attempt to cause damage.
"Stop that!" Moonracer demanded in a loud firm tone.
The creature in her hand looked up at her and tilted its head to the side, ears swiveling independently as it apparently tried to make sense of the command. Eyes the color of gold looked back at her as she studied the new form she held in her hand. The thick hair covering the creature was both coarse and soft at the same time. A scan revealed that there were actually two types of hair covering the body in her hand. The creature never took its eyes off of her optics as it opened its mouth to reveal dangerous looking denticular formations, and Moonracer's optics widened in surprise as the creature slowly and deliberately bit down on her right index finger.
"I said stop, and I meant it. I won't let whatever it is you were running from hurt you, but I'm not going to let you hurt me either." She snapped in irritation, not that those teeth could cause any damage, unless they hit her wiring or lines, but still, it was the intent that mattered.
A piteous whine was the only answer she received, as the creature laid its ears back flat against its head. Just then, Optimus and Bumblebee made their way into the clearing caused by her landing and stepped forward to greet her.
"Hello Optimus, Bumblebee. It's good to finally see you both again, but with everything you've sent me about the natives of this world, I believe that you neglected to inform me that these human allies of ours can also transform." Moonracer chided gently.
"What do mean, transform? Humans can't transform." Optimus replied giving her a puzzled look.
"Really? Then what is this?" Moonracer said as she held out her hand to provide a better look at the creature she held.
Optimus looked down at Moonracer's right hand, and Bumblebee started chuckling. "That is not a human, Moonracer. These are what humans look like." Optimus said as he pointed out Sam and Mikeala.
Moonracer quickly scanned both of the indicated forms sitting on the shoulders of the two mechs, and pointed straight at Mikeala. "Well this creature had a slightly smaller version of what is almost the exact same frame as that one a short while ago." She said defensively as she sent them both a data burst transmission containing the recording of the transformation.
Optimus' optics narrowed in confusion after reviewing the recording. "That's... not possible. Humans do not convert into canine like forms."
"Wait a minute. Are you saying that's the girl that hit me like an NFL linebacker?" Sam demanded in an amused tone that said he didn't believe it, after taking one look at what Moonracer was holding.
"Yes Sam, it is. Moonracer even recorded the change." Optimus replied right before one of Bumblebee's sound bytes was heard.
"A little old lady got mutilated late last night... Werewolves of London again... Aah-Ooooooo... Werewolves of London."
"Not funny Bee! That's not funny at all. Come on, giant alien robots are one thing, but werewolves? No way!" Mikeala said glaring at the scout.
"Hey, don't blame me. She's the one that caught it." The scout protested pointing at Moonracer.
"Her! And don't get me started on the whole 'person' versus 'it' thing." Mikeala snapped irritably still glaring at Bumblebee.
The low ominous growl had started softly, with only the three bots being aware of it at first, but it slowly grew in volume so that the two humans present heard it as well. Mikeala heard it first, but Sam soon became aware of it as well, and when they did, the hair on the backs of their neck stood on end and goose bumps rose everywhere.
"Okay, you can call me chicken, a coward, or whatever you want, but that is the scariest sound I've ever heard!" Sam stated after swallowing a huge lump of fear in his throat.
"Uh, Sam... cowards don't smart off, or talk back to Megatron, okay? And I don't care what you say, that growl has me ready to pee my pants!" Mikeala retorted as she moved for a little more cover behind the struts on Optimus' shoulder.
As Moonracer and the other two Autobots looked at the creature in her hand, they could see those yellow eyes focused mainly on Sam, but occasionally switching over to Mikeala. Once more struggling to get free of the large hand that held it, the creature's growls increased in both volume and menace until Sam and Mikeala were visibly shaking with fear.
"You can both relax. You know that we will not allow her to harm either of you." Optimus stated in a resolute tone.
"I know Optimus, but there's just something about that sound just scares the crap out of me." Sam said before looking up at Moonracer. "Maybe you could, like try petting her or something."
"Stop that!" Moonracer ordered loud enough to make sure the creature heard her.
The beast in her right hand stopped growling and turned its head to look at her, then bared its teeth and once more tried chewing on her index finger.
"How would I go about 'petting' her?" Moonracer asked curiously.
"Uh... Well, I guess just take your finger and start at the top of her head and just sort of slide it down her back. It works for dogs." Sam replied uncertainly.
Moonracer hesitantly took Sam up on his suggestion and it appeared to work as the creature in her hand pressed itself into the oversized digit that was stroking it. After a few seconds of this the creature whined and tried to chew on the finger once more.
"Okay, this may sound crazy, but I think she's hungry. Why don't we swing by a store and pick up a steak or something. I mean, it might distract her if nothing else." Mikeala suggested while keeping a wary eye on the werewolf.
"A steak? Are you kidding? That thing looks like it could eat a whole cow!" Sam retorted.
"Sam, enough with calling her a thing already!" Mikeala demanded hotly.
"In case you hadn't noticed Mikeala, that. She!" Sam corrected at Mikeala's angry glare. "Looks ready to eat both of us, and that includes you, miss female power trip." He shot back while rapidly pointing his finger back and forth between them to make his point.
"So you have a point. A point! But, you might want to look at the company we're keeping for a second. Terms like 'it', 'that', and 'thing' aren't going to win you any popularity points. So, let's see if can find a store to get her something to eat. At least until she changes back. I mean, Moonracer seems to have her under control so she's not killing anyone." Mikeala replied.
"By the way, sorry for not doing this earlier, but I'm Mikeala. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, and it's good to have you here on Earth. Welcome to our world, I hope you'll like here." Mikeala said sincerely as she smiled at the femme.
"Yeah, and I'm Sam. Like she said, welcome to Earth." He chimed in with a wide grin.
"I am Moonracer, sniper for the Autobot femme contingent. From what I've seen so far, you've got a very lovely world here." The femme replied also smiling.
"We need to move closer to town. Not only does Moonracer need to find an alt mode, but we'll also need to get that werewolf something to eat." Optimus instructed as he began making his way back through the woods.
Moonracer looked down at the creature in her hand, and saw that Sam's suggestion was helping. The gentle stroking did seem to sooth the creature somewhat, and since it was helping, Moonracer decided to continue, besides, she found that it was oddly soothing to her as well.
As her captor continued to stroke her down her back, she looked up at it again and whined once more. She could smell many things nearby that she could eat, and she was hungry. Every time she tried to chew lightly on the strange paw that held her she was told to stop. It was a voice, tone, and presence that seemed familiar somehow, even though the scent was not, she still knew that this was a far more dominant, and possibly an alpha female. She could smell and hear the two others, whose scent was so much like those who'd so often brought her pain, but they weren't hurting her, and they were keeping their distance, and as long as they did, she was content. She whined softly as another hunger pain tore through her stomach.
As they entered the clearing, where they'd originally waited for the femme to arrive. Mikeala looked over at the werewolf speculatively. "How are we going to get her into town? It's gonna take hours if we have to walk all the way to the freeway."
"Actually, once he transforms, I can scan and duplicate Bumblebee's alt mode for a short period, since the two of us have approximately the same weight, even though it's distributed differently." Moonracer informed her.
"Yeah, but what are we going to do about 'miss chews on metal fingers'? No offense, but I don't trust her enough to ride with her." Sam stated worriedly.
"That's easy. I'll transform first so you two can get in, then Optimus can hold the puppy girl while Moonracer scans my alt mode and transforms, then he puts her in Moonracer's cabin." Bumblebee said easily.
"That is an excellent idea." Optimus said as he placed Mikeala on the ground.
The yellow scout didn't say anything as he placed Sam on the ground and transformed. He opened his doors the instant he was in car mode, and closed them as soon as the couple had climbed inside.
All three watched in silence as Moonracer carefully handed the werewolf to Optimus to hold while she acquired a temporary alt mode. Bumblebee felt himself being scanned as the brilliant blue flash passed along his frame, but neither Sam nor Mikeala felt anything as the latest addition to the Autobot ranks on Earth borrowed the scout's alt mode.
Optimus was careful as he placed the creature in Moonracer's cabin. He didn't want her to escape, but he didn't want to hurt her either. As soon as he'd released the creature, Moonracer had closed her door.
She bolted away from the massive paw that had been holding her for a short time, because while the scent was similar to that of the dominant female, the presence was different. Hearing the thump behind her she turned to see what threat might be there. There was no threat near, but the scent of the dominant female was now surrounding her. She was now in another place that she couldn't get out of. She knew from past experience that she couldn't get through the places that she could see through, and that only served to increase her desire for the freedom that she could see right on the other side. She whined as she began scrabbling with her claws to get the space open, but it wasn't yielding, and her hunger was becoming painful now.
Moonracer grunted in pain as the werewolf began scraping her claws against the sensitive interior trying to escape, and she could smell what she knew had to be fear coming from the creature.
"Stop that!" She ordered firmly. "I'm not going to hurt you." Moonracer continued in a soothing tone.
Somewhere in the shadowy depths of her mind were the remnants of the human she'd previously been, and it was this part of her mind that recognized both the words and the tone in the Autobot's voice. With one part of her mind yielding to a more dominant female, and the other listening to a soothing tone that brought up distant echoes of remembered comfort, the creature settled down in a crouch on the seat to watch as the world passed before her eyes. She started whining again as the hunger pains grew to a constant ache in her all too empty stomach.
As Moonracer drove down the roads of this world that she now found herself on, she couldn't help notice a faint rumble emanating from the abdominal cavity of the creature that was crouched in an almost defensive posture in her passenger seat. Utilizing a tool that Optimus had recommended long before she landed, she hit the world wide web or internet as the native humans called it, and started pulling up everything she could on werewolves. Most of the sources of information she found was in direct conflict to other sources of information, but there were a few pieces of general information that were accepted as inarguable facts; werewolves were exceedingly dangerous, they primarily emerged during the full moon, they were reportedly strong, fast and cunning, they were killed by silver bullets, and they were all converted from humans.
With these facts in her processors, Moonracer began looking up basic information on human anatomy, and behavior. The sheer wealth and volume of information that she found at her disposal stunned her. Why, if she were to download all of that information, and use it in conjunction with her standard Cybertronian scanners and sensors, she would be able to competently serve as one of their doctors!
Moonracer didn't download even a tenth of what was available, but she did download quite a bit, and a quick scan of the werewolf told the femme exactly what the problem was. Mikeala's suspicions had been correct; the werewolf was hungry.
"Optimus, I've downloaded some information on both werewolves and humans which suggests that Mikeala was correct. This werewolf might be hungry enough to start chewing on my interior, and I won't be able to handle it if she does that. What should we do?" Moonracer asked through her comm system.
"Turning her loose is not an option. She will present too much of a threat to the rest of the local inhabitants. They are also a threat to her, and may try to kill her out of fear. If it becomes necessary, I'll transport her in my cab. Whatever her form now, she is still human." Optimus replied in the same manner.
"There's a store straight ahead on the right. Sam and I can run in and grab something for her to eat." Mikeala's voice sounded over the scout's comm system. "Yeah, a few cans of Alpo might do her some good. Maybe a box of Milk Bonez too, or one of those little squeaky toys. That might do the trick." Sam was heard to quip.
"We are not getting her dog food, doggy treats, or toys! Now drop it! Anyway, as I was going to say, we can run in grab her something and then go someplace where she can eat it. Because somehow, I don't think she's going to use much by way of table manners, and I doubt that Moonracer wants bloody meat all over her interior." Mikeala suggested thoughtfully.
As they pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store, Moonracer scanned a black Dodge Challenger with a fully blown super charged Hemi engine. She decided to keep Bumblebee's paint scheme until she found one she liked, because for now the rich golden yellow with black stripes wasn't too bad in her opinion and it was preferable to anything she'd seen so far. She knew from her scans that the human built version wasn't very reliable, in that it needed constant maintenance to function, but with her Cybertronian alloys, and her self repair systems, she knew that such an engine would serve her well and be more than enough to handle anything else on the road.
Once in the store, Mikeala grabbed a shopping cart and headed straight for the meat section. The butcher was gone for the day, but that didn't stop her from grabbing several sirloin steaks, a small rack of beef ribs, and a bone in leg roast. She then saw Sam pick up a family sized package of ground beef and shook her head.
"Unh uh! That's gonna make too much of a mess, and I don't know about you but I'm not about to try cleaning up a werewolf!" Mikeala said with wide eyes at the thought of getting that close to the creature.
"Good point, but what about getting a couple rolls of paper towels anyway? If we unroll the whole thing and wad it up, then Moonracer might be able to use it to wipe her down some. It might not help much, but it should at least work a little, shouldn't it?" Sam said after thinking about it for a second.
"Good thinking. Get at least six rolls, while I grab a couple more packs of meat. I'd rather have way too much than run short, if you know what I mean." Mikeala finished nervously. "Grab a box of trash bags while you're there!" She added as he sped off.
Mikeala was about to grab a few more steaks when she spotted the briskets. A slow sly smile creeped across her lips as she thought of how long one of them should last a hungry werewolf. She loaded five of them in to her shopping cart with the reasoning that if the werewolf didn't eat them she might, just might be able to talk Epps into doing one of his famous Bar-B-Ques. Just the thought of his southern style cooking made her mouth water.
She met Sam at the register, and was surprised by the three bottles of hand sanitizer, but didn't say anything about it; instead they discussed their plans for the rest of the night. She paid for everything on her card. It was a Government expenditure account, so it wasn't as if she were the one to have to pay for it. Besides, this was a matter of personal safety, and she knew she could justify it if any questions came up. After getting the purchases loaded in Bumblebee's trunk, they headed out of town in the general direction of the base they would be heading to, and went to a secluded area and stopped.
On a dead end road in what would eventually become a new residential subdivision, this cull de sac would give them the privacy they needed. The two humans quickly began unloading the scout's trunk so he could transform.
"Optimus, I'll see if I can get her to move over to the driver side, and then you can grab her." Bumblebee suggested as he knelt down next to Moonracer's alt mode.
Moonracer watched in concern as the werewolf backed her way into the driver's seat growling loudly the whole time, and the femme silently opened the door when she saw that Optimus was in position and ready.
As soon as she opened her door, Optimus reached out and caught the werewolf in a firm but careful grip. Regardless of how dangerous she might be at this exact moment, he was sure that from what little she'd said during her accidental encounter with Sam, that she didn't want to hurt anyone, and she would eventually return to being human once more, at least, the Autobot leader hoped so, which was why he didn't feel that she deserved to be needlessly injured.
Moonracer transformed as soon as the werewolf was safely in her Commander's grasp, and reached out to once more take possession of the werewolf. The series of loud snarls and growls were intermixed with pitiful sounding whines as the werewolf locked her yellow eyes on the various meats that Mikeala was unwrapping.
"I figure we can feed her the steaks first, then go for broke and give her a brisket. If she's still hungry after that, then we can go with the ribs and leg roast. I don't know how much she can eat, or how often she'll need to eat, but I'm pretty sure that I got more than enough." Mikeala said as she finished tearing the plastic off the brisket.
Moonracer knelt down and held out her left hand so Mikeala could give her the steaks and brisket without getting too close to the now clearly upset werewolf. As she moved her left hand closer to the werewolf who was now whining constantly, one of the creature's paws snapped out and tried to grab the brisket. A loud pitiful sounding whimper was clearly heard when the large chunk of meat slipped off her claws and fell to the ground. Moonracer saw that the creature's gaze was so locked on the now lost brisket that she didn't notice that the femme's hand which was filled with half a dozen choice steaks was now well within reach.
The femme nudged the muzzle of the werewolf to get the creature's attention, and the feral gaze snapped up angrily, but quickly focused on the all too accessible morsels of meat in front of her.
Her stomach was now cramping painfully from the intense hunger that she felt, and it was that painful hunger which was in full control, driving her to satisfy that hunger. When the dominant female nudged her, she looked up angrily to find that more food was within her reach. She quickly grabbed a piece of the food and stuffed it in her mouth, downing it in two swift bites. By providing food to her instead of killing her, she knew that this strange smelling female was accepting her as a member of this new pack.
Mikeala whistled softly as she watched the werewolf tear her way through the steaks. With her attention solely on the meat in front of her, Mikeala figured that it would be safe to retrieve the fallen brisket. She stepped forward and ducked under Moonracer's hand to grab the dropped meat, and then just like an NBA superstar made a free throw style toss to land the brisket in Moonracer's hand. Stepping back, Mikeala saw that it had been perfect timing because the werewolf was in the midst of shoving the last of the sirloins in her maw.
Moonracer was observing the creature closely and immediately saw the ears snap forward as soon as the much larger chunk of meat landed in her hand. Seeing that it would be just out of the werewolf's reach, the femme used her thumb to push it closer to the hungry organic. She watched with interest as the ravenous werewolf reached out with both claw tipped hands to grab the cure for her hunger problem.
Three Autobots and two humans watched as sharp deadly teeth tore into the brisket as soon as it was in biting range. The chunk of meat that was torn off was chewed only enough to be swallowed before those teeth were again tearing away at the main portion. It was now obvious to everyone that the werewolf was desperately hungry and cared only about assuaging that hunger.
Optimus scanned the werewolf in Moonracer's hand and found that beneath the thick coating of hair that she very thin and rangy, even to the point of emaciation. With no data on an actual werewolf existing, the Autobot leader knew that he'd have to turn her over to the care of Ratchet, but it would take several hours to make the return trip back to the base where they were now stationed, and he considered the possible consequences of that long of a trip.
"Mikeala, go ahead and let her eat as much as she wants. Underneath all that hair she's nothing but skin and bones as you would say, and she needs the sustenance." He told the young woman. Then he turned to Moonracer. "It's likely that she will expel her version of waste during the trip to the base..." He paused when Bumblebee shuddered with a loud noise of revulsion. "If she does, it will not be pleasant. If you want, I'll carry her in my cab, and deal with those results myself."
Moonracer looked down at the gelatinous substance that had leaked onto her hand from the meat that had lain there. It was disgusting, of that there was no doubt, but she'd often had to endure far worse during this Primus forsaken war. She also knew that one of the qualities that made Optimus the type of leader that made his followers so loyal was the fact that he would never ask anyone under his command to do something he wasn't willing to do himself, no matter how undignified it might be. With that in her processor, Moonracer had pretty much reached her decision.
"Look, I know it'll be really gross for who ever takes her, but however bad it gets, I'll clean it up when we get back to the base, and I'll even scrub until Sunstreaker would be satisfied if it were him." Mikeala offered.
Moonracer laughed musically. "That is a very kind offer Mikeala, but I don't think anyone can get a frame clean enough to satisfy Sunstreaker. As for this one, she seems to understand what I'm telling her, and I think she has tried to express her wants, so I think I can tolerate transporting her for now. Besides, I need to become accustomed to our new allies, and this is as a good time to start as any, is it not?"
Optimus smiled and nodded his head. He knew that though some of his troops would prefer not to associate with humans, or any organic for that matter, there were many others that would welcome the possibility of new friends; what ever form they might have. He was glad that Moonracer was willing to give this werewolf a chance when even the other humans at the base might raise some rather strong protests. As he thought about this he noticed that the werewolf had finished devouring nearly a fourth of the brisket. Optimus looked down to where Mikeala was standing, intending to ask her to open some more meat, but saw that she was already on top of it.
"Here, let's see if these will help curb her appetite some." Mikeala suggested as she laid the beef ribs in Moonracer's hand.
"So what's next on her menu? Another brisket?" Sam asked with a snarky grin.
"No, I'd like to save those if we can. I'm hoping that we can talk Epps into a Bar-B-Que." Mikeala answered with a smile.
"Oh, God, I love you!" Sam quipped before turning to the yellow scout. "'Bee, I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Thanks buddy. You da man!" He added with a huge grin. "I still say that had to be the best four thousand dollars that will ever be spent."
Bumblebee slumped his shoulders in embarrassment as he was once again reminded at how he'd literally been sold. "Can we please not mention the disgusting and insultingly low price that I was sold for?" He asked in shame.
"Oh come on 'Bee. It's not my fault the guy was such an idiot that he gave me the best deal in human history." Sam retorted. "I mean so what! So I paid four thousand dollars for my best friend, and my best man, it was still the best deal ever made!" He finished with a smug grin.
The yellow scout gaped at Sam for a few seconds before he promptly sat down on his aft... hard, and even Optimus showed his surprise at the implications through his wide optics.
"You. You mean. You two? And you want me?" 'Bee stuttered as he stared at the couple in shock while trying to wrap his processor around what he'd just been told.
Sam actually managed to look believably hurt by the Autobot's disbelief. "Well, I mean who else would I get besides the bot that brought us together. But, there's just one little problem you gotta solve first..."
"Just name it, whatever it is I guarantee that I'm the mech for the job!" Bumblebee exclaimed excitedly as he got to his feet.
"We want you to talk Optimus into performing the marriage." Mikeala chimed in with a smile.
Bumblebee turned to his commanding officer with wide pleading optics. "Please Optimus. You have to! It's Sam and Mikeala we're talking about..."
Whatever else the scout had been about to say was cut off by the Autobot leader's upraised hand as Optimus knelt down to face the young couple on their level.
"Sam, Mikeala, I would be honored to perform the ceremony for the two of you, but I'm afraid that it would only be legal in Cybertronian eyes. I am not licensed to do such things on Earth." Optimus said in a heavy tone of obvious regret.
"Really?" Mikeala smirked. "Then what was the deal about that little Justice of the Peace title you got?"
Optimus narrowed his optics in suspicion. "How did you know I received that title? I'll admit that I was awarded that six months ago, but..." he broke off and gaped at the smirking and laughing couple in shock as a realization struck him. "You two planned this entire scenario! You've been planning this that long?"
The two humans could only nod their heads in answer as they laughed at just how effective their plans and efforts at secrecy had been.
"So tell me. Just how long has Jazz been helping you two on these secret plans of yours?" Optimus asked thinking he knew who the main culprit was.
"He doesn't know anything about it." Mikeala snickered.
Now Optimus was really surprised, and it showed in his features. "You two, managed to plan this out, make certain that I would be legally able to perform the ceremony, and still keep this a secret from Jazz?"
Loud bursts of laughter were the only response he received from the two conspiring perpetrators.
"So you and the others were able to keep this a secret from Jazz. Jazz who loves nothing more than an excuse to throw a party, Jazz who would throw a major party just because you were discussing it, Jazz, who lives his entire life to throw parties? Now, I am impressed." Moonracer said with a light smile.
"I'm curious though. Why would the two of you announce this now?" Optimus asked with a slight tone of suspicion.
"Well, now that Moonracer is here, I'll have two femmes who've already agreed to be among my maids of honor." Mikeala replied smugly.
Both mechs instantly rounded on the lone femme. "You knew about this? Prior to your arrival?" Optimus demanded somewhat harshly.
"Of course. Arcee has been discussing this with me at length. I understand that this particular ceremony is going to be an interesting blend of both human and Cybertronian customs." Moonracer answered smoothly.
"So who else knows about this?" Optimus asked as he once again faced the conspiratorial couple.
"Well, Wheeljack insisted on making the gown for me, so he knows. Then there's Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, who have spent months brewing up a special batch of high grade for the Reception. Secretary Keller and his wife know. She's one of my bride's maids, and he's going to give me away since my father died. Both Sarah and Rochelle are going to be among my bride's maids as well, and Prowl is helping with the organization of it all. So now that you two are finally in on it, the only one left to tell who will actually be involved is Jazz and we want him to be the DJ at the reception." Mikeala said smiling brightly.
The optics of all three bots had widened in surprise as Mikeala had listed off everyone, and Moonracer wasn't able to keep her mirth out of her voice when she spoke. "I think you two have already spent more than enough time around Jazz, if you've managed to leave him out of the loop until the very end." She said while laughing lightly.
"It seems that the two of you planned this out very well." Optimus added.
"Well, we didn't plan on meeting up with a werewolf, but we decided not to let that stop us from going through with our surprise." Sam stated a little ruefully.
Their discussion was interrupted by the disturbing sound of breaking bones as the werewolf bit right through the first of the ribs and began crunching it noisily between her powerful jaws. They looked at the creature still being held securely in Moonracer's hand to see her holding the rack of ribs in the left hand while using her right hand to brace the single rib that had been forcibly separated from the rest and was being loudly broken down into pieces that could be swallowed.
"Okay, I'm not getting my fingers anywhere near that." Mikeala muttered softly.
"You mean her don't you?" Sam quipped unable to resist.
"No. I mean that jaw power. I am not getting near it." Mikeala clarified softly.
"Hmm. A wise decision Mikeala." Optimus said as he ran a quick scan of the werewolf. "She is exerting slightly over three-thousand pounds of pressure per square inch, and she does not appear to be straining either."
"Sam, you might want to open that leg roast, because I don't think those are going to last near as long as I'd hoped." Mikeala said in a hushed tone of both horror and awe.
As Sam watched the werewolf, he couldn't help but voice the thought that went through his head. "It's like watching a hungry kid tear into a candy bar."
She finished eating the food in her claws, and began licking both her claws and her muzzle to get them clean. Her stomach was bulging from the amount of meat that she'd consumed. She was full, and no one was hurting her, or trying to hurt her, but she started keeping a watchful eye on the two with a scent like those who had hurt her in the past. Smelling blood from her meal on the strange paw that held her, she began licking that clean as well.
Moonracer scanned the werewolf in her hand and saw that what she would have thought to be the creature's tank had expanded to hold an enormous amount of meat. When the werewolf started licking the fingers of her right hand clean, she held out the last piece of meat to the two humans. "I don't think she can eat anymore. Can this be saved for later?"
"Sure. We'll need it later when she gets hungry again." Mikeala answered as she grabbed the leg roast and wrapped it up in a trash bag before setting it next to the briskets. When she finished she looked back up at Moonracer.
"You know, I'll bet if you held your other hand out to her she'd probably lick that one clean too. I know it might be gross, but dried slobber is a whole lot easier to clean off than dried blood." Mikeala suggested thoughtfully.
The femme looked down at the slowly hardening substance on the palm of her left hand and nearly shuddered in revulsion. It was one thing to understand in her processor that organic beings held such fluids inside their bodies, but it was an entirely different matter to see and feel those same fluids being caked on one's chassis. It was neither a pleasant thought, nor feeling to have such a thing happening to her. Like all Cybertronian femmes, Moonracer usually kept herself very clean at all times. This was because a clean frame was a properly functioning frame, and one which would produce properly functioning sparklings. So it was with some small amount of hesitation that she took Mikeala up on her suggestion to let the werewolf lick her hand clean, because in her processor, she was merely exchanging one disgusting fluid for another.
As she offered her messy hand to the creature being held in her right, she saw the organic's nose begin to twitch right before the creature's full attention focused on her left hand. The werewolf showed no hesitation in reaching out to pull her hand closer as she began lapping up every drop of the disgusting substance. Moonracer could have groaned in relief as the stuff was easily removed by the creature's long wet, slightly rough, and very persistent tongue. She watched in silence as the werewolf used what was apparently a highly developed sense of smell to track down every last remaining drop of blood on her hand. Even before the werewolf had finished, Moonracer's sensors could hardly detect any traces of the stuff, and the femme was surprised at just how effective Mikeala's suggestion had turned out to be.
"Thank you for suggesting that, Mikeala. It is, as you said 'gross' and I'm not sure I like the idea of doing that very often." Moonracer said sincerely.
Mikeala was about to say something in response when her eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as she realized that the werewolf was loose!
She'd eaten everything she could, and had even lapped up the blood from the strange paws of the dominant female that held her. Her hunger pain had been replaced with the discomfort of having eaten far too much at one time, but the food had been offered to her, and not wanting it to be taken by another from this very strange pack, she'd eaten it all. When she felt the grip of the strange female loosen around her, she knew that she could regain her freedom, and she did. Wary of the two on the ground with a scent that was like those who'd given her nothing but pain, she ran up the arm of the paw that had been holding her to stop near the head of the strange female to find a safe place from which to rest and watch. She knew that those two down there were long time members of this pack because of the way their scents were all over each other, and as the newest member of this pack, she was now the lowest ranked female.
She'd never had a pack before, but she knew what it meant. There would be strength in numbers. Strength meant more hunters to find food for the pack, more hunters to bring down the prey. More members to help care for the cubs of the alpha pair. Although this strange alpha female had accepted her, she hadn't been introduced to the other members of this strange pack by exchanging scents, and until that happened, she knew she had to be wary, because she knew that if one pack member turned on her, they all would.
Bumblebee reacted as fast as he would have done if Moonracer turned out to be a Decepticon. He snatched Sam and Mikeala up and held them close to protect them, ready to use his own body as a shield if he had to. He'd watched plenty of movies with Sam over the past nine years, and many of them had featured werewolves, and there was no way that he was about to let his charges become a chew toy for a living nightmare.
"Mine!" It was more than just a statement that came out of the scout's vocal processor, but a warning directed at the werewolf.
Much to everyone's surprise, the werewolf seemed to cower behind Moonracer when Bumblebee had made his lunge for the two humans. It was obvious that she was trying to hide, but no one was really certain as to why. Moonracer slowly spread her hands to be ready to catch the creature if she tried to jump or lunge at either Mikeala or Sam. Optimus stepped forward to place his impressive size between the werewolf and her possible targets. As he did, a soft whine was heard from the werewolf as she turned and jumped to the ground behind Moonracer.
She landed hard, but still scrambled back away from the other members of this strange pack. Once she had gained some distance she lowered herself to the ground and whined softly to show that she was willing to accept their dominance.
As soon as she felt the werewolf's weight leave her frame, Moonracer spun with reflexes that only thousands of years of combat experience can bring. Once again she smelled what she was sure had to be fear coming from the creature.
"Optimus, would you mind waiting for just a moment? She positively reeks of fear right now. Let me see if I can try something since she doesn't seem to be as frightened of me." Moonracer said as she faced the werewolf who was now crouched on the ground watching them warily.
"Very well. But I will not allow her to harm our friends." Optimus answered gravely.
Moonracer stepped slightly to her right so that Optimus and the others would be able to see the werewolf as well, and began approaching her slowly. As she moved closer, the creature's whining grew louder. She could see the werewolf literally pressing herself into the ground while slowly backing away, and whining continuously.
From what she'd read on the internet, Moonracer knew that the werewolf could be exceedingly dangerous to any one or any thing she met, and therefore had to be taken back to the Autobot base, even if it was for no other reason than to contain the werewolf until she reverted back to being human again. Knowing very little about the behavior of humans actually proved to be beneficial to Moonracer as she studied the werewolf while approaching her. She knew from what she could smell that the werewolf was scared, and seeing that she was several times larger than the werewolf, she crouched down so she'd present a smaller appearance.
"Hold still. No one's going to hurt you." Moonracer said soothingly.
"Yeah. No one's going to hurt her, but what about us?" Sam muttered sourly.
"Actually Sam, I think Moonracer's right. I can smell the fear as well." Bumblebee said quietly while watching the femme prepare to recapture the werewolf.
"Yeah. Uh just what reason would she have to be scared of us?" Mikeala muttered huffily.
Optimus Prime's optic ridges rose in surprise when he heard that question. He took a split second to regain his self control before turning to look at the two humans on Bumblebee's shoulders.
"You honestly don't see any reason for her to be afraid of us?" Optimus asked doubtfully.
"Uh... no offense Optimus, but why would a werewolf be afraid of us?" Mikeala asked nervously.
"Um, yeah what she said." Sam added quickly.
Optimus smiled at the two humans in good spirits. "That has to be the most genuine compliment I've received to date."
"What do you mean?" Sam asked as he kept a wary eye on the werewolf still backing slowly away from Moonracer.
Optimus smiled at the two humans in good spirits. "It tells me that you two have spent enough time with us, that neither one of you really notices any of the differences between us anymore, and I am honored by that, as well as by your friendship."
"Those who don't know us, and aren't familiar with us, think of us as machines of war, when that is not the case..." Optimus said before breaking off as the werewolf suddenly launched herself forward and ran straight up Moonracer's arm.
Quick and agile, the werewolf had used all four limbs along with her preternatural strength to propel herself up Moonracer's right arm to her shoulder. Even as she was reaching towards the werewolf, she saw that it was crouching down into her plating and whining softly.
"Are you going to stay put this time?" Moonracer asked firmly, directing the question at the werewolf on her shoulder.
The werewolf cocked her head to the side and perked her ears forward as she crouched lower on the metal plates of the Autobot's shoulder, and Moonracer was almost sure that the creature had signaled her assent by lowering herself further into place.
"Fine. You can stay there, but not for long. We'll be leaving soon, so that means you'll be riding in my cabin, and I don't want you trying to chew on my interior this time." Moonracer told the werewolf firmly.
The optic ridges of the Autobot leader rose in surprise when the werewolf laid her ears back and lowered herself even further into Moonracer's shoulder armor. With those actions, he became convinced that there was at least some level of understanding between the two. He wasn't sure just how much the creature could comprehend, but there was obviously far more intelligence behind those actions, than that of a simple canine. Optimus stepped forward to get a better look at the creature, and was slightly surprised to see her scuttle behind the femme's neck in an effort to hide.
Sapphire blue optics peered at pale yellow eyes which were peeking from behind the neck and head of the Autobot femme. Optimus watched curiously as those eyes looked into his optics for just a split second before they looked away.
"Hmm... I think you're right Moonracer. She does seem to understand you on some level. I'm not entirely certain of it, but it's possible that she may still possess some remnant of her human intelligence. That would explain her level of comprehension." Optimus said after thinking about it.
"Wait. So you're saying she understand us? I mean really understands?" Mikeala asked from her position in Bumblebee's hand.
"As surprising as it sounds, I believe the answer is yes. There is very little information available on werewolves, and most of that is contradictory." Optimus told her.
"So, we need to get her to the base then, don't we?" Sam asked cautiously.
"Yes Sam, we do. Not only does Moonracer need to be checked out by Ratchet, but if I know him, he'll also want to examine this werewolf for any medical problems she might have. He should also check into the possibility of creating a vaccine for her condition." Optimus answered.
"That's a good idea! I really don't want to start howling at the moon you know." Mikeala muttered emphatically.
Bumblebee took a few steps further away from Moonracer when he heard the young woman's muttered comment. "I don't want to see you howling at the moon either, and I'm not taking any chances." He said to Mikeala before directing his attention at the femme. "Moonracer, as long as you keep the puppy girl away from these two, there won't be any problems." The yellow scout warned seriously.
Moonracer didn't take the warning too well, especially when she considered that the werewolf in question was making a decided effort to keep at least some part of the femme's frame between her and the other two Autobots.
"She isn't threatening anyone right now, Bumblebee, and incase you haven't noticed, she's been trying to keep her distance. The one thing she had time to say to me was a warning that I should leave because 'they' did something to her! The only time she has done anything that could be considered aggressive, was when I first picked her up, and that was in self defense, because I think she was most likely in pain. She hasn't done anything except try to escape from us, and the one time she's gotten loose, she headed away from Mikeala and Sam..." Moonracer halted her tirade when Optimus held up his hand, signaling her to stop.
"Both of you need to stop this! You've both made valid points. However, whether she is currently a werewolf or not is beside the point, she is human! Therefore, she is not to be harmed. Do I make myself clear?" Here Optimus directed his attention at Bumblebee, who nodded in understanding. The Autobot leader then turned his attention back to Moonracer who narrowed her optics in suspicion. "I will also not allow the werewolf to harm anyone else. She will be contained or restrained if necessary. I realize that she hasn't tried to hurt anyone, and I sincerely hope it stays that way." He said firmly.
"Now, since she seems to understand you to some extent, and she doesn't seem to be as afraid of you as she is of the rest of us, I want you to be responsible for her for the time being. You are to make sure that she isn't harmed, and that she doesn't harm anyone else, understand?" Optimus said in a gentler tone.
Moonracer stared at commanding officer of the Autobots in surprise. "You're appointing me to be her Guardian?"
An inarticulate gasp of shock emerged from the yellow scout's vocal processor at the implications that had just been voiced.
"No, Moonracer. I am not appointing you to be her Guardian. You will simply be her guard. Since we know almost nothing about her, it wouldn't be fair to assign that position to anyone. All we really know about her is that she was human a short while ago, that she has the potential to be dangerous to other humans, and that for now at least, she seems to listen to you. I would like you to use that advantage in dealing with her. Because, from what little she said before her transformation, she's running from someone, and she's clearly frightened of them." Optimus said heavily.
This was a problem he definitely did not need. Granted, the war had pretty much come to an end during the past few years, but there were still some Decepticons who felt that they had some type of grudge to settle, or those who were simply trying to make a reputation for themselves. True, Megatron had been slain once again, but many others were still out there, and many of the officials in the various human governments were insisting on, among many other things, some type of reassurance. Adding a werewolf to the ranks of organics who, either knew the Autobots, or knew about them, would only add to his problems.
Optimus was thinking about the possible consequences of having a werewolf on the base as he watched the creature try to hide herself among the various parts of Moonracer's shoulder armor. He could see that the creature was watching him, but was also trying to hide at the same time. The Autobot commander wasn't sure what to make of this, so he decided to worry about it later. He turned his attention back to Moonracer just as the femme spoke.
"She may not be as talkative as Sam or Mikeala, but I don't see that as a problem for now. I really don't want to be appointed as her Guardian at this time. I understand that she's afraid of something or someone, but I don't see that a Guardian would help her any, not right now anyway. So thank you for that. As for letting her damage someone else, well, I'm not going to let that happen." She stated matter of factly.
"Good. Now, we should begin heading back to the base. It's going to be at least a four hour drive to return to Nellis Air Force base. Moonracer, I'll hold her if you want to transform." Optimus ordered.
"No offense, but I'm not putting these two down until she's contained." Bumblebee said bluntly while eyeing the werewolf warily.
Moonracer blew overheated air from her oral vent in what sounded like a sigh of resignation. She then raised her left hand up to her right shoulder where the werewolf was still trying to hide in her armor. "No one is going to hurt you, but I need you to get in my hand, so we can get ready to leave."
She eyed the massive paw warily. There was a part of her that understood the words, but there was another part, the more dominant part of her that was still afraid of the pack members that she hadn't exchanged scents with. Until that happened and ranking positions were established she knew that she would be vulnerable to assault from the rest of this strange pack. The only problem was that this dominant female had made it clear where she was to be, and what she was supposed to do.
The yellow scout had all of his systems on full alert, and was ready for action while he watched what was happening. His was more than a little surprised that the werewolf obeyed the femme's instructions, and he noticed that the creature watched both him and Optimus carefully. If he didn't know any better, Bumblebee would have almost sworn that the werewolf was ready to bolt for cover with the slightest excuse.
As the creature was crawling slowly into her hand while keeping a watchful pair of eyes on the two mechs, Moonracer decided that she was going to try something a little different this time around. As soon as the creature was in her hand, she quickly stooped over and placed the werewolf on the ground. "I want you to wait right there until I transform, then you are to get in." She instructed.
She turned her head to the side and looked at the female curiously. She hadn't forgotten about the other members of this strange pack, but the tone this female had just used, made it clear what she wanted done. She saw the female begin to get smaller and closer to the ground, and then the female was something else entirely. The scent hadn't changed, but the appearance had. Approaching cautiously, she focused all of her senses on the female. An incredibly keen sense of smell and hearing made up for the fact that past a few dozen yards, all she saw were blurry shapes. She recognized her own scent coming from inside what had to be the female who had been holding her. She was down on all fours and sniffing heavily as she inched closer. She knew that she'd been held in this place, and she didn't like that, but then she knew that she hadn't been hurt while in here either. She climbed in slowly, using her sensitive nose to re-examine these surroundings, and realized that it was still the same dominant female that had fed her and was accepting her into this pack.
"I don't believe it." Sam gaped as Moonracer closed her driver side door after the werewolf had gotten in.
"That makes two of us, Sam. I don't believe it either. I might have believed that she could understand simple commands the way Mojo did. Things like 'sit', 'stay', or 'heel', but nothing as complex as that." Bumblebee replied softly.
"Well? We're ready to hit the road whenever the four of you are." Moonracer stated with just a hint of smugness while ignoring the comments being made about the werewolf.
Bumblebee shut down his vocalizer as he placed his charges back on the ground. He didn't say anything as he transformed, but Mikeala made up for that with a well chosen comment of her own.
"Leave it to a girl. Whenever a guy says she won't; you'd better watch out because you can bet she will." Mikeala snickered as she walked around to the scout's passenger side.
Sam and Bumblebee both said absolutely nothing in response to that. They both knew that they couldn't without getting themselves in more hot water than they knew what to do with, so they left it alone.
Optimus ignored the banter going on between the three friends in favor of looking at the werewolf who was leaning over the front dash and looking out the windshield. As he watched, the creature sat back in the passenger seat and seemed to be waiting for something. With a slight shake of his head, the Autobot leader transformed and without saying anything began the long drive back towards the base.