Disclaimer: I do not own Noble/Savage, Nightscream, or Beast Machines. They all belong to Hasbro. Please don't sue me.

Note 1: I wrote this fanfic because I came on here and found, to my surprise and dismay, that there were absolutely no fanfics for this beautiful bond and friendship between Noble/Savage and Nightscream. Now there is.

Note 2: This is written from Noble's POV. If you had to put it anywhere in the timeline, I'd put it right before The Sparkwars, though it's placement timeline-wise isn't much important past being after Megatron had left Noble's body (duh). On that note, Noble's "inner voice" I picture as being remnant of Megatron's, since he doesn't have a voice of his own. This is why Noble's thought have much of the same speech pattern as Megatron himself.

Note 3: Holy crap, are you still reading these things? Lol Sorry, couldn't resist. In all seriousness, if you were looking in my profile for the eight fanfics I'm supposed to be updating…this was a result of putting off doing them. Not that I don't love writing my fanfics, but right now I'm having a tough time with anything outside of Beast Machines. Blame that show, it's killing my brain (lord knows Nightscream and Noble/Savage totally saved me from it) because it's by far the worst Transformers show I've ever seen. Okay, I'll shut up and get to the fanfic now.

Guardian

My name is Noble. The circumstances of my existence are a painful memory, and to tell you what I am would require that I understand it myself. Physically, I am two creatures sharing the same form. A form of a wolf, to which others call me by the name I have given. And the form of a dragon, which they then call Savage. An apt title, if blunt. I am unable to control that half of me, as I am not conscious when it appears. It is vicious and destructive. The only thing I do not mind of it is that it seems to share the same fondness as I with him.

Him. The child. From the memories I retain from the evil one who had born me from his hatred, the child had been mechanical once. During a great tragedy, though, circumstances beyond his control forced him into being that which he has become. In that way, I suppose he is like me. The difference, though, is that he learned to be what he is without shame. Two creatures in one form.

Not that I should be bias, as both of his forms are still the same child, unlike myself, but I willingly admit to preferring the second. The one with the large eyes. While the winged form bares no changes in his child-like personality, somehow it simply doesn't carry the same charm. No, his eyes in the other form are something his flying one somehow couldn't emulate. Large and blue, expressive and shining. It was something I had to protect, some clinging remnant of innocence in this time where hope was a fleeting memory.

Right now, though. No, his eyes were closed. The mechanical creatures had hurt him, and he could not heal in his flying form as fast as this one. The device the rat had given him seemed to be working, keeping the mechanical creatures from knowing where he was. I do not claim to know much of what is going on or how it works, as ever since the evil one left me I have had little but my instincts and loyalty to guide me. But what I did know was the child was important to me. I had to protect him while he rested, while his wounds healed. No one would be allowed near him. I trusted no one, not even those who claimed to be his allies enough to risk him.

"Noble…?" I turned quickly, growling, startled from my thoughts. I stopped, though, as the child recoiled. He feared me when I reacted in such a way. I should have known better. But I cannot control my instincts. He paused a moment, I assume to evaluate whether he could speak again, before continuing. "Where are we?"

I couldn't answer. I never had a voice of my own, the evil one speaking through me with his spark. I tried many times after, but could never manage more than a growl or howl. Instead I stepped aside to allow him to observe for himself. His eyes passed over the dark, dank surroundings. "The underground?" he finally guessed. I growled in response, which he seemed to understand as my 'yes'. "How…? Agh!" he cringed and grabbed his side as he tried to stand. I was there in seconds, allowing him to lean on me for support. I growled again, but this time louder. It wasn't a threat, but a warning. If he moved too much his wounds wouldn't heal. He smiled a bit. "I'm fine. Really. But what about the others?"

I turned my head to the side in confusion. Others? "My friends," he tried again. Oh, right. Them. I hadn't even thought about them until now. I didn't really care about them, honestly. "Come on, Noble! I can't just leave them…hn…!" He cringed again as he tried to push off of me. I instead gently forced him back down so he was at least sitting. I mostly didn't care about his friends because, unlike him, they weren't my concern. However, I also knew that they would be fine on their own. Both from the evil one's remaining memories and my own observations I knew that they couldn't be defeated so easily.

"Noble-!" I cut off his next protest with a more forceful growl. I felt almost unclean having to use a scare tactic on him, but it was the only thing I could think to do. The child was too stubborn for his own good. After a moment he finally conceded defeat. "…okay. You win. I'll rest. But I'm not going to heal as fast without being able to leech some energon from someone." He then lay back down and closed his eyes again. I waited to make sure he was really asleep and not just pretending before I left him alone to search for something for him to eat. I hated leaving him vulnerable while he was injured, but I knew what he had meant. His healing would accelerate if he were to consume the strange food this planet held. I, myself, couldn't eat it, but I somehow always managed to find something among the remains of this world.

It took me a while to find something suitable for him, but returned not long after. I was relieved to find that the child hadn't left to find his comrades, nor had our enemies found him. I dropped the food nearby where he could reach it when he awoke and was about to return to my post diligently watching over him when one of his eyes opened sleepily, looking at me unfocused. He then shivered. "…Noble…I'm cold…" he muttered. I wasn't surprised by this, as the underground temperature tended to vary. I leaned back and sniffed the air. He was right, it was unusually cold in this part. He opened the other eye and pushed himself up on an elbow, looking at me expectantly. It took me a moment to realize what he wanted. But I smiled inwardly as it came to me and lumbered over, plopping myself down and draping a paw over him. He smiled contently and lay his head back down, snuggling back into me.

It must have been an odd sight. This child so happy to lay enfolded in the warmth of such a strange creature as I. He yawned and his large eyes closed again. I almost marveled at the fact that he could feel so comfortable entrusting himself to a monster. Then again, I realized that he likely had little choices in companionship anymore. While he considered his allies his friends, his relationship with them was shaky to say the least. Part of the reason I did not care for them was because much of the time they spent together someone was berating him for something. All other creatures on this world were trying to kill him. I wouldn't allow it, though. He was too important to me.

That, of course, is something I did not fully understand myself. I sometimes questioned why I cared so much for him. Part of me, a part I did not want to listen to, often whispered that it was simply a remnant of the friendship he had with the evil one when he was using me as a ploy to hurt him and his friends. The same part said that was the only reason he considered me a friend as well, because something inside of him longed for the Noble that wasn't real. The one the evil one had been.

I shook my head and lay it above his, curling my form protectively around him. Whatever the reason for the companionship we both craved, we had indeed developed a bond that I would not sever even to save my own life. That thought calmed my mind as I joined him in sleep. No matter what, I would remain his companion. His friend. His guardian.

Fin