Here is the promised chapter four. Enjoy.
Since the Energon-treat-incident that he and Hound called the first accident involving the seekerling Ratchet felt lucky that at least the little one was able to take in and consume the energon provided for it through the feeding lines that he had activated during the first orn, when they realized that they were stuck with it.
How well it sustained the seekerling was yet to be seen, but so far its health seemed just like when it first had emerged from the sparkchamber of its biological carrier.
Ratchet reminded himself of the last again and again. It would not do to attach himself to the seekerling more than he already was with the bond.
The little one was still in risk of dying.
It was out of its element with providers that knew barely anything about its specie. If he was lucky it might survive until it would be able to be released back into the wilderness.
He didn't know how the seeker kind of bonds worked, but at some point the transformers own creator/creation bonds faded and left space to form closer bonds with others, he just hoped the same occurred to the seekers.
At the moment, Ratchet was alone in the medbay, preparing for a major surgery within a cycle. Down the hall in the common room Hound had the seekerling playing and just socializing. For once Ratchet was completely alone, with no responsibility.
Hound had decided to move in with him when they realized that the seekerling would not let any of them out of sight for long. The first orn when Hound had left the little one in Ratchets care and went home to his own apartment Ratchet had had no rest. It had stayed awake all night cycle wailing and only when Hound on the medics request arrived did it finally silence and fall into recharge. They had just resigned and before long gone into recharge themselves then and there.
Yes their little one knew how to rock them its way. That was sure.
Hound was thrilled. He was marveled and astounded still by the connection that had formed just a few orns before.
Even if he didn't understand what the seekerling said with its wide-ranging and exotic sounds he sensed it in his spark. Ratchet had called the sounds Seeker-cant.
He felt the joy overshadowing any other feeling at the moment. It was so pure a feeling that he himself couldn't stop feeling joyful himself.
At the moment the seekerling studied cubes of different size, shape and coloration. On the floor beside Hound lay a huge ark showing some pictures of figures resembling some of the cubes placed before the seekerling.
It would then point and when Hound held the chosen cube he would show it to the little being. Then the seekerling would study it and when Hound sensed that it was ready he would point at each of the pictures until he got a positive response through the bond.
So far the seekerling had not missed once.
How strange it was to watch a being that everyone in their own society thought of being lesser sentient, manage at task like the one currently done.
The thoughts woke memories of the dying carrying seeker that he had found. Beyond their frame type and cultural differences were they then so different?
Hound returns his attention to the seekerling when a suffering sound comes from the little being. The seekerling is fanning its wings wide and is scratching the surface with its little claws. Something is clearly irritating the little one.
Frowning Hound lifts the seekerling to see if he can find what is disturbing it so much, that it resolves to scratch as deep as it has and draw energon to the surface while doing so. But as his optics roam the lite wings he can see nothing else than the deep scratches littering the previously smooth surface.
"What is the matter?" he asks the seekerling, feeling through the bond the irritation grow in the little being.
A weak chipping devoid of the usual happiness is the only response, while the yellow optics sends what he already has deduced as a wordless plea. Unfortunately it was a plea for something that he didn't understand.
/hurt/pain/itch/ the seekerling communicates through the bond.
Hound meets the pleading optics when he gets the response, with an empathic look in his optics.
Gently he strokes the suffering wings, trying the remove the clear tension that he senses in them, but it only results in the seekerling trying to shy away from the touch. Confused he tries to comfort the seekerling again by stroking and it just keeps shying away from the touch.
Not sure what else to do he contacts Ratchet.
"Ratch. Got a klik?" he asks through the comm. when the medic responds.
"Well beside the complicated processor surgery that I am to being on in less than five breems, sure." The medic snarks.
"Our little one seems to have an issue with its wings. Tried stroking, not working. Got any ideas?" Hound explains.
Turning serious Ratchet is silent for some time.
"I might have some salve you can try apply. But I have no idea what could be the problem. Tried taking it outside?" the medic suggests and explain. After all seekers live their lives outside, not cramped inside buildings.
"I'll try that. A little air should not hurt after all." There is a smile clearly in the trackers voice at that, and he closes the comm. deciding to take the seekerling outside immediately.
Outside wasn't like outside would be if the seekerling had lived where it belonged – in the forest. No outside in Iacon meant the countless roads upon roads intertwining each other. Even the air was occupied by the massive skyscrapers build to house the growing population of transformers seeking to live in the city state.
That meant that Hound actually had to travel some distance before they could get a look at the sky. And when the skyscrapers become less and more and more of the sky came into view he senses calm settling in the seekerling. When the wind begins to blow across his frame he revels in the sensation. This was why he on his orns off traveled the uninhabited areas. The city was simply too cramped to his spark.
Unfortunately he hadn't been able to get outside since the seekerling came into his life. He didn't want to burden Ratchet with the seekerling while he took the freedom to get away from the city.
But it seemed that the seekerling shared his need for the freedom of the forests. And of course it would. Hound laughed; it was almost a part of the forest itself, some of the wild life living there. He tended to forget where the seekerling actually came from.
Smiling he raises his servo holding the seekerling and let the wind caress its delicate frame. The sensation produces a satisfied purr from the seekerling and it flares its wings proudly, completely at home in the feeling of the wind blowing across its wings.
Yes. The seekerling was sure a wonder from the wilderness.
Cycles later just as the seekerling had entered recharge peacefully for once, his comm. went off.
"Did it work?" the tired voice of Ratchet sounded.
"Yes. I am on my way back now." The tracker replies. The time had flown while he had enjoyed the intriguing antics the little one had showed and he himself had not registered the cycles passing while being outside. Only the slow darkening of the sky told him finally that it was time for him to head back.
Laughing he adds one last comment to the medic before closing the comm.
"We are finally getting a decent amount of recharge tonight."
If only for that he would gladly take the seekerling with him more often in the future.
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