Chapter 10: Survival Instinct

South America was warm and moist most of the time. Will Lennox stayed with Lexa as she began her training. On the first day she learned to hunt, kill, skin and cook large mice that occupied the lush foliage. The Mosquitoes were awful and she had to wear much more clothes than she wanted to prevent them from eating her alive. Will showed her how to make a makeshift tent and how to judge where to put it. That night they sat by a fire thankful for the smoke.

"Lexa, I have something to give you," Lennox said sitting next to her. He pulled out a knife in it sheath and handed it to her, "your bowie knife will be your lifeline. As long as you keep that, you can make any other weapon. A spear is just a stick with a point. An arrow is the same thing you just need to make a bow to use it more efficiently. It makes a nice short-range killer too. Keeping this on you can help you survive in the most desperate of situations." She looked at the knife and took it out of the sheath. It was intimidating, the blade itself being the length of her forearm. She held it in her hand then stood and practiced moving fluidly with it, using it as an extension of herself.

"Ironhide taught you swordsmanship?" Lennox asked surprised.

"No, my parents put me in fencing classes when I was about ten," she said putting it back in its sheath, "Although he might have taught me had he not known that." Lennox nodded and looked up at the night sky.

"I think you should head off to bed," he said, "I'll take first watch. Learn to sleep lightly; your life can depend on it." She nodded and walked into the make shift tent and laid down.

It was the middle of the night when she heard a twig snap near her sleeping area, but she kept her eyes closed. She soon heard the almost silent breathing long and slow. Human. She rolled onto her side hiding her hand under her pillow where the bowie knife was lying. Half a step closer and the person would be too close, so she rolled off her makeshift bed and launched her pillow at the man's face. She stood up jumped on the man where half a second after she first moved he was lying on the ground, disarmed and had a knife at his throat. The black man smiled.

"Very good job, Lexa," Epps said with a smile, "good instinct." She helped Epps off the ground and smiled.

"Thanks," she said and laid back down ready to sleep.

The next morning came early and Lexa woke up quickly but took her time getting up. She rolled off the makeshift mattress and changed. She wore a long sleeve light color shirt with tight fitting long pants. Heavy, but protective boots adorned her feet.

"Ready to go?" Will asked as he walked into her makeshift tent.

"Almost," she said quietly. Will noticed she wasn't as perky as the day before and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Tired?" he asked and she nodded, folding up her sleeping bag. "You did great last night, but one win won't keep the enemy away. In battle they will keep coming back until they die or their resources are depleted."

"I would have killed him," she said tiredly.

"You'll never know," Will said, "You cannot say whether you would have or wouldn't have, because you knew we were testing you. You knew it wasn't actually a life or death situation."

"I would have if I had needed to," she said defiantly.

"Wait until you kill someone the first time," Will said softly, "you will either thrive from it, or you will hate yourself, until the numbness overcomes the agony." She looked at him, eyeing him closely.

"Speaking from personal experience?" she asked and Will sent her a laugh.

"No, I always have killed men who were trying to kill me. My first kill was followed closely by my second and third. I never had time to think about it. That was the best part. It's how I can still do it and be seemingly unaffected."

"I see," she said, not wanting to make him think about it. He patted her shoulder.

"We'll be leaving this spot in ten minutes, be ready."

The next several days followed with a routine regiment. They would wake up with the sun and walk about the tropical forest. They would hunt for animals and often found natives that helped them find edible herbs. Lexa learned a lot through these experiences. She discovered that they were in Brazil most of the time, venturing occasionally into Columbia. Her Spanish was fine-tuned as she listened to Will speak with the Natives. Most of the time when Will translated he translated perfectly, but sometimes he tried to filter things, such as the stories of the monsters that lived in the forest.

"No es un monstruo que acecha en la parte profunda de la selva. Se trata de un gato gigante. Tiene pelo negro como la noche y los ojos amarillos como un canario. Es un asesino silencioso, dando un gruñido bajo que uno debe estar escuchando a escucharlo," said the Brazil Native.

"He said there is a big cat lurking," Will said unhappy, "We'll need to be cautious."

"¿Cuántas personas han sido atacados?" Lexa asked.

"oh, muchas de las personas. La bestia ha matado a cuatro hombres, tres mujeres y seis niños," said the man solemly.

"¿Dónde han estado estos ataques?" Lexa asked and Will stared at her.

"You speak Spanish?" Will asked her, but the man spoke.

"No muy lejos de aquí. A veces visita el pueblo también,"

"Gracias, señor," Lexa said with a smile.

"You couldn't tell me you spoke Spanish?" Will whispered as the man walked away.

"You always translated mostly right so I didn't worry about it."

"I wouldn't have had half of those conversations with you around had I known!" Will grumbled angrily.

"And I would not know the actual dangers of the forest," Lexa said facing him, "Will, this is supposed to be survival training. If I were captured by somebody here I could not let them know that I know what they are saying. What if I were kidnapped and they were discussing top secret plans thinking I was ignorant of the language? I would be at an advantage and if I could get away, I could tell somebody.

"Plus with pretending not to know what you were saying I now know that there is a giant cat that is killing men, woman, and children. I think I needed to know that Will," Lexa said putting her hand on her hip.

"I still wish you would have told me," Will said with a grumble, "where did you even learn?"

"I went to a public school in the Southwest United States. Aside from two years of a foreign language being required in high school, half of my friends were Hispanic."*

"I guess that's a good point," Will said and they began walking into the jungle.

The rest of the day was quiet and for dinner, they ate beans (which Lexa hated before her journey) and some rabbit like creature. Lexa noticed she was keeping her bowie knife close to her and closer to the fire as the day drifted into the night. Will was fast asleep while Lexa slept softly listening for 'un gato gigante' incase the cat made a visit. That night, nothing happened.

Nor the next night.

Nor the night after.

"Lexa," Epps spoke as she walked out to meet Will one morning. She jumped at his presence then smiled.

"Hello, Epps," she said, "How have you been?"

"Just fine," he said smiling back, "Today and tomorrow are going to be your final test to see how well you've learned."

"You're gonna be flying solo," Will said picking up all of his equipment.

"You'll meet us at the town not too far from here and tomorrow evening we'll be picked up by a helicopter to take us to an airport," Epps said watching her cautiously. Suddenly he pulled out a radio. "Use this; if you need any help, let us know. While we want you to do well on your own, we like you. We want you stay alive."

"Thank you, but I will probably keep it off. It is supposed to be a lesson in survival," she said taking the radio.

"If you hear any noises, don't hesitate to contact us, Lexa," Will said grabbing her arm, "That cat has killed more people and it seems that it has been following us." Lexa nodded.

"I'll keep it near," she said, "if it would make you feel better."

"It would," both Epps and Lennox, said at the same time. She smiled and waved good-bye as the two men left her makeshift camp.

Lexa spent most of the day traveling towards village. She wanted to be near the town before nightfall for it meant less traveling in the morning. She didn't stop traveling until it was near nightfall and her stomach growled with hunger. After setting up her makeshift home, Lexa searched around the immediate area for something to eat. Soon she found a green iguana. She was not excited about eating the creature, but she was hungry and meat was meat.

Lexa sat near the fire after eating the cooked reptile and looked around her camping area. She had picked a place that was in the open, a place where the full moon could shine down and illuminate the night. Soon she would douse the fire so her eyes could adjust to the night. With a sigh, she listened to the nighttime noises of the rainforest. A Macaw nearby screeched out its call and the mosquitoes buzzed near her head ferociously, but would not come too close for she sat under the smoke. As the moon shone brightly, Lexa decided it was time. Once the fire was out Lexa retreated to the makeshift tent.

Lexa slept peacefully for the most of the night it was very near sunrise when Lexa awoke to silence. Her eyes snapped open and she looked around her area unmoving. She noticed two walls of the makeshift tent had been disturbed. As she glanced towards the opening, her heart sank with fear. Staring back at her was a large black shadow with eyes as yellow as a daffodil. Lexa Raine could not believe how in time of fear such as she was in, she could think of such a likable comparison.

The beast stared at her with his tail switching back and forth. She waited until it glanced away from her to move her hand to her pillow. She gripped her bowie knife tightly prepared for the beast to come closer. Her small gun, Lexa knew, would not make a difference against the beast. It'll make a difference, Lexa thought, It'll piss that big beast off. The cat let off a low growl as it began to inch closer to her. Lexa felt her heart in her throat and felt her heart beat rapidly increase. The cat hissed at her; it knew she was awake. Lexa tensed, her hand tightening around the bowie knife.

The beast jumped at Lexa and she rolled onto the ground next to her makeshift bed. She ran out to the open area with her knife in hand, as the beast lunged at her again. Lexa cried out in pain as its claws slid across her back. She spun around and swung at the beast's face, catching the left side of its nose and left cheek with her knife. The beast growled out in pain and recoiled. Lexa backed up against a tree and cringed as the bark touched her wounds. The beast lunged at her and she moved to the side as it crashed into the tree. She stabbed it, trying to hit a spot on its spine to paralyze it. She missed and jumped away, knife in hand, as the beast swung at her again. This time it caught the left side if her face. She fell back and gripped her face with her empty hand.

"I guess we are even now," she whispered to the beast and it growled at her poising to strike again. She noticed how it kept weight off its right front leg. She must have struck that shoulder. It moved to strike and she move out of its way again and jumped onto its back. The beast thrashed about and tried to knock her off his back. She gripped its skin tightly and aimed. She struck the animal's neck with ferocity and it cried out sharply then collapsed onto its side. She cried out in pain as its weight felt like it crushed her left leg.

She stepped in front of the beast watching as it remained motionless and dropped her bowie knife. She breathed heavy, adrenaline still coursing through her body. She turned and began to walk to her tent when there was an excruciating pain in her ankle. She screamed out and looked down. The beast was digging into her legs with his claws. She reached down to grab her knife and it bit her wrist. If it's going to die, it wants to take me with it!

Lexa grabbed her knife with her other hand and stabbed the beast in the head and it finally fell slack. Its claws retracted slightly so Lexa could at least move her ankle, but its jaw remained tense along her wrist. She tried to open its mouth, but found it difficult. After a few minutes of trying, she succeeded. Her wrist was in horrible pain as well as her ankle and back, but she would be O.K. on her own, in that she was confident. She moved to her makeshift tent and began packing to leave.

After a few minutes, she realized she was bleeding more that she realized and she began bandaging her wrist and ankle. She finished packing her things and looked at the radio sitting next to the small gun Lennox gave her. She picked up the radio and turned it on.

"Will? Rob?" she said into the radio. It wasn't until she heard her own voice that she realized how tired she was.

"Lexa?" Will responded quickly, "what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," she said with a sigh, "but can we meet at the village now?"

"We'll be there to get you in a few minutes, over-"

"No, Will-!"

"- and out!" She sighed and set down her radio, putting it in her bag. She picked up her bag and gun and moved out into the clearing. She didn't want to fall asleep as she sat there, feeling she was not in a good enough condition. She looked over at the large cat. It was lying on its side, its eyes still open. She walked over to it slowly; worried it might still be alive somehow. When it didn't flinch, she stepped closer and closed its eyes.

"Lexa?" Rob Epps called for her.

"Right here," she called standing up from the giant cat. Will saw her first and ran at her then saw the large black cat lying behind her.

"Lexa watch out! That big cat is," he paused slowing as he saw her scratched face and the motionless cat, "is dead behind you."

"I killed it," she said with a sad smile, "one of us had to die for the other to survive. Perhaps we could start on our journey to the village."

"Yeah," Lennox said watching her closely, "this way." They led the way to the village and as dawn lit up the area, the two soldiers began to notice the bad shape Lexa was really in. Rob was the first to notice Lexa was limping. He moved next to her, put his arm around her back and began to pull her closer to him, until she yelled out in pain. He moved his arm quickly to see blood on his hand. He noticed her backpack was covering her back and the part closest to her body was dark.

"What is that?" Epps asked looking at her back.

"That cat got my back pretty good," she said quietly, "I tried to bandage it good enough until we got somewhere to take care of it. Don't tell Will yet."

"Are you kidding?" Epps said staring at her, but she looked back defiantly. "Hey, Will. We need to stop and take a look at her back."

"Epps!" she hissed mad at him.

"Don't 'Epps' me!" he said, "If we don't make sure it's okay now, it could get infected by the time we do. Infections can take your life. Your pride isn't worth it."

"I'm not proud, I'm just trying to wait until we get to somewhere a little more sanitary," she said with a pout on her face.

"What are you talking about?" Will said, "Let me see your back." She slowly took off her backpack and hissed in pain as she did.

"Holy Hell," Epps said staring at her back.

"Alexandra!" Will yelled at her. "Why were you keeping this from us?"

"I could ignore the pain, until it was touched," she said, "I didn't want this to happen."

"Let's at least wash it out for now and get it clean," Epps said before Will could yell at her again. Lexa nodded and sat on the ground. They washed the wound out with water then Epps opened a bottle of something brown.

"This'll hurt like a bitch," he said, "scream all you need to." He began pouring on the liquid – which Lexa quickly realized was whiskey from the odor and sting – and Lexa let out a scream of agony.

"Jesus!" she gasped as Epps quit pouring the whiskey on the wounds.

"That will keep you sanitized for a while," Epps said as he lifted what was left of her shirt to put the bandages on.

After her bandages were on, they traveled for two and a half hours to the nearest village. Upon arriving, Epps began looking for a medicine man or woman. After a little over ten minutes he found a woman. When Lexa was introduced to her, she was smoking an herbal cigar.

"Hola," Lexa said with a tired smile, "Gracias por recibirme tan temprano en la mañana."(Thank you for seeing me so early this morning).

"Ah, que mi hijo no es ningún problema en absoluto! Debemos entrar. Este aire no es bueno para sus heridas," said the old woman leading Lexa into her small hut (Ah, my child it isn't a problem at all. Let's go inside. This air is not good for your injuries). Inside seemed almost mystical, Lexa realized and began wondering if the woman was a doctor like figure or a voodoo woman.

"Alexandra relajarse. Será más fácil que curar si se calma," said the old woman (Alexandra relax. It will be easier to cure if you are calm).

"¿Cómo sabes mi nombre?" Lexa asked. The woman knew her name, but how? (How do you know my name?)

"Yo sé muchas cosas, porque los dioses me lo permite," she said with a sly smile (I know many things, because the gods let me.) Lexa lied on the bed she was shown and relax. The woman lit a group of herbs that were lying in a bowl and began singing as she placed the bowl under Lexa's nose. The world became hazy and the woman's singing faded into a strange dream.

When Lexa awoke she was sleeping on a bench, her head resting on Master Sergeant Epp's leg.

"What happened," she asked drowsily. Epps looked down and smiled.

"Welcome to the living," Epps said with a smile, "we're on our way stateside."

"I was in that woman's hut," she murmured.

"She healed you pretty good," Epps said, "Don't know what she did, but your healing quickly. She said you wouldn't have much pain from now on. How do you feel?"

"Fantastic," she said sitting up slowly.

"Oh she gave me this, said she found it in your arm," Epps said holding up a woven necklace with a canine tooth hanging from it. He laced it around her neck and tied it on.

"You know kid, you did pretty well," he said, "That was one big cat that attacked you, and you did a pretty good job killing it. I think you'll be an asset to our team."

"Thanks Epps," she said with a smile, "but I think I'm going to catch up on a little more sleep that I missed on this trip." He nodded to her smiling and she laid her head back on his legs and fell fast asleep.

A/N: here's to you guys! As a thanks for staying with me this entire time I tried to make this one longer. It will be updated because I know there are parts that need to be revised, but I wanted to give this one to you. There was no Bee or Cade in this one, but there will be next chapter. I actually wrote most of it a while ago so it should be out fairly soon.

Also, with Lexa knowing Spanish, it is actually part of the reason I chose the Amazon in this chapter. I was actually thinking of using India, but I only know a little bit of Spanish, so that way I could get a general idea of what I was trying to get the characters to say. Hopefully between me and the translator I got the language right. Also, if you speak the language fluently and you saw some major errors, Please let me know so I can fix it. I'm not afraid to admit part of my translating was probably not correct, plus I understand that Spanish is much like English (and I suppose any other language) containing colloquialisms. If the language needs to be changed let me know. :)

Also, the bowie knife... you may ask why I had that be her primary weapon... simple answer, its what I was taught! :) My grandpa was basically special forces in WWII and he taught me to, if nothing else, keep a knife on you. If you are stuck in the woods with nothing else... if you are in a situation with a choice of any weapon... choose a knife, because with knives you can make any weapon. It's something that has stayed with me, and has actually saved my ass more than once. Nothing like Lexa, but its prevented me from getting really hurt.

To my Readers:

ultimateanime12: I wanted to keep it appropriate for the rating I have my story at so I left out a lot of the original banter, just to be safe, so some of it may not have made sense, unfortunally I have not revised it since I originally wrote it. I'll look at it again though and see if there is anything I can do to fix it up. Thanks for still reviewing!

Ninjastar-117: Well something happened! I'm sure you were thinking it would be something to do with the Decepticons. I thought hard about that, but she really needed to be trained, so I stuck with a survival training. Don't worry though, I'll make it up to you ;)

AutobotJena: Hiya! No Bee and Cade will probably never get along again, especially with Lexa involved now. Their relationship before was sketchy at best, but now its full blown war between the two to see who can get the prize... but who shall it be, hm? ;)

Lunar Mist: Yup, Hide, luuuuuvs Lexa, but in an almost fatherly way. He's very protective of her. And no Barricade didn't like it. I've got to work on writing that into the next chapter, because I intially had a something else going on, but this was much better.

Midnight Eternial: thanks for the vote of confidence! I try to do my best on the stories, so I actually scrap a lot of stuff, because I get bored reading it... So glad your reading and ejoying my story still! :)

Everlasting Life: I know! But whoever doesn't get her this time, I'll make a story for later ;) thats the only way I can stand myself for choosing between them lol

AlarataraWitchIce: Well, I'm thoroughly greatful that you enjoy my story! Hope this chapter lived up to your expectations!

Sgt. Scruffy: Firstly, I love your name :) Secondly, thank you! I'm glad to hear you like my story! Hope this one was enjoyable as well.

And finally my disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. The only characters I own are -well there's actually only one - Lexa. This is done purely for fun... :D*cheesegrin*