"It's back where my father is, it's down a few halls, past there." Soundwave replied. "You have a father? Wait Decepticons don't have pups, do they?" Sideswipe questioned curiously. "They do Sideswipe, how the hell do you think there is that many Cons?" Ratchet growled. "I've never seen any Con females before?" Sunstreaker added. "There is no more, they all died off from giving birth, or hunters." Ratchet answered. Soundwave suddenly halted, spinning around, turning the group around. He released the wolves in the cells, leading them back towards Megatron, and Optimus. As they closed in on the corner to the next hallway, Lazerbeak flew around and landed on Soundwave. "Megatron and Prime are back in the cage, the humans tricked them in, there is three men there guarding. One seems like the alpha, watch yourself." The raven warned. "Ironhide, you and I can hold off the men. Soundwave you seem to know how to unlock these cages, while we distract you unlock the cage. Then we will make our escape." Jetfire spoke up. "I'm ready to go!" Ironhide smirked. "Hey hey! Just remember those sticks that shoot, keep away from they paralize you." Ratchet warned before the two took off.
Jetfire and Ironhide charged snarling before the men could lift their guns Ironhide and Jetfire both leapt locking their jaws onto the weapons, and beginning a game of tug of war. Soundwave quickly ran to the cage and began to unlock the latch, not noticing uncle with a loaded shotgun aiming at him. Hearing the shotgun ready to fire Soundwave looked over to see Uncle aiming. "Alright you have cuased enough trouble, you little mutant!" Soundwave pinned his ears and shut his eyes tight, as Uncle fired! BANG! YELP! Out of no where, a red and black blur along with a, snarl and yelp came. Soundwave opened his blue and red eyes, too see Mirage bleeding like a waterfall, but hanging onto the gun with all his might. "AAAAH!" Uncle screamed as Mirage crushed the bones in the hand that held the barrel of the gun. Making Uncle drop the gun, he pulled out a knife with his free hand and only managed to slash Mirages right eye. While the wolves screamed at Mirage for his crazy actions. "MIRAGE!" Optimus jumped out of the cage after Soundwave unlocked it. Megatron instantly leapt onto the Uncle, pinning the knife to the floor, as he snarled. Mirage dropped and landed weakly. He shook off his wounds, still bleeding rapidly, he ran with the others toward the exit. Soundwave lead the way as Uncle and a bunch of new men began to give chase.
Jumping out the loading dock doors to outside, both packs ran towards the forest. Mirage weak from his wounds, tripped and stumbled. Bumblebee turned around to help the wounded youngling back up. "Shoot them both dead! Especially that red one!" Uncle ordered to the man with a rifle. Sam walked up and saw what the man was aiming at, and leapt into action. "No don't shoot!" Sam grabbed and pushed the gun down, making the man fire next to the wolves. Soundwave jogged back and helped Bumblebee with Mirage and all three took off into the forest. "Sam, what are you doing!?" Uncle snapped. "Saving meaningful lives! Uncle you can't kill them! They are puppies, they're special, you can't just test and hurt them and expect them to like you!" Sam hissed. "Sam I'm not hurting them so they can be friends with me. I'm doing it for scientific reasons, scientific pays well. Making friends with rainbow wolves dosen't." Uncle smirked. "Don't think I haven't seen you warming up and trying to be friends with the yellow and red pups. They're wolves Sam! Wild animals that are born to hunt and kill. Not to be house pets." Sam frowned and shook his head. "They've killed less then you probably! I joined you because, I wanted to be with wolves, not too kill every wolf insight!" Sam argued. "Sam if you haven't noticed, those wolves are no ordinary species. And they can pose as a threat to humans. An unstoppable pack of mutant Dire wolves. It's bad enough Dire wolves are supposed to be extinct, but they are more than normale Dire wolves." Uncle hissed at his nephew. "I don't see how any of them pose a threat to humanity. They are a unique species. We don't know anything about them, that's why you think they're a threat. Humans kill if they don't understand something, and only think of to dispose of the unkown!" Sam snapped. "Well they won't get far anyway, they are running straight for the city. They are quite a ways from home." Uncle smirked as he hopped in a large truck full of men. "You can't trust wolves Sam. You'll learn that eventually." Sam watched as the truck began to drive off. "No you won't kill them." Sam watched as the truck dissapeared. Sam kicked a rock in frustration, looking down at the dirt he saw a thick trail of blood. One of the wolves must have been injured bad. Sam just hoped it wasn't one the pups.
Hound sniffed the ground and air around them and sighed. "This dosen't smell anything like our territory Optimus." Optimus and Megatron trotted over to the dark green and yellow wolf. "The humans must have taken us to their territory, far away from ours. We have a long way too go." Optimus sighed, as Megatron and Hound walked ahead a little further. Optimus looked back to see Ratchet and Bumblebee helping a struggling Mirage. "Optimus I do not know how much further Mirage can travel. He is still bleeding, and Ratchet said the human rock they shot at him is too far to pull out." Ironhide approached the prime. Optimus pinned his ears as he watched the small red youngling continue to struggle. "Mirage just rest for now." Ratchet sighed allowing the youngling to lay on the cool ground. Mirage gave a small whine as he lowered himself, shutting his eyes. Bumblebee gave a comforting lick too Mirage's cheek, laying down next to the injured youngling. "I'll be right back, don't move a muscle." Ratchet said as he walked over to Ironhide and Prime. As the medic left Soundwave approached, Bumblebee not being so sure about Soundwave growled. Soundwave showed no signs of aggression, as he calmly layed himself on the other side of Mirage. Mirage opened his eye to see those blue and red mixed eyes that hid in a mask of blackness staring at him with concern. "Why did you save me?" Soundwave questioned in a very quiet soft voice. "I don't... know... Instincts." Mirage weakly sighed. "Out of all of us they were shooting at you chose to jump infront of me? That was your instinct?" Soundwave continued his questioning. "Yes. Why I do not know but I did." Mirage gave a weak smile. Soundwave shook his head and sighed, licking Mirage's scar on his right eye clean.
"Mirage isn't going to make it. I fear that rock inside him is poisoning him." Ratchet told the prime as Megatron approached. "It will devastate the other young ones." Ironhide sadly looked over at the young wolves surrounding Mirage. "Don't you think I know that! Winter is coming and he has lost a tremendous amount of blood, he will not survive this journey." Ratchet growled. Megatron gazed sadly at the dying youngling that had saved his youngling from certain death. "I will carry him on my back if I have too! This pup will live!" Megatron growled. "Megatron he is knocking on the Allspark now. Even if you did carry him, that rock inside will slowly kill him." Ratchet shook his head.
"You're going to make it Mirage... Just hang in there buddy." Sideswipe cooed. As branches snapping cuaght Sunstreakers and Jazz's attention. They both turned and growled at the bushes. "Optimus, we have company!" Arcee alerted the pack leader. Optimus, Megatron and the others came rushing over to surround Mirage. All snarling and baring their fangs, as the rustling got louder. Then Sam came through a bush with a first aid kit for animals, freezing in his tracks at the snarling packs. Bumblebee quickly recognized the boy, and pranced over wriggling, and wagging his tail happily. "Hi boy! How are you?!" Sam cooed playfully as Bumblebee kissed his face. "It is alright, he is a friend!" Bumblebee smiled. "Are you sure?" Ironhide questioned, still baring his fangs. "Promise." Bumblebee barked. "I followed the trail of blood to you guys, who is wounded, I can help." Sam announced to the pack. The packs cleared the way revealing the seriously injured Mirage. "No, not one of the pups!" Sam gasped, rushing over with the kit. "Must have been my uncle's shotgun it tore your chest right up." Sam examined the damage. "I'm just going to put you on your side so I can take a better look ok?" Sam began to roll Mirage onto his side. Mirage cried out in pain, and Ratchet snarled right beside the boys head. "I didn't mean to hurt you boy sorry!" Sam apologized. Ratchet calmed hismelf, and sat watching the boy preform his medicine. "It was a double barrel so two bullets." Sam spoke to himself, putting on gloves, and looking for the tweezers, in the kit. Ratchet gave a whine getting the boys attention, as he held the tweezers in his mouth. "Oh you have them! Thanks... boy... girl?" Sam questioned the green and red wolf. Ratchet growled at Sam calling him a girl. "Boy! Ok you're a boy." Sam corrected himself and wait straight to plucking out those bullets. Sam had a lot of flesh and fur to go through, finding the bullets were pretty much impossible. Mirage whined in pain, screwing his eyes tightly. "Found one!" Sam announced, pulling the bullet out carefully. Mirage yellped as it came out of his tender flesh. Sam placed the bullet on the ground, and went straight back to searching for the other. "The should be right next... to... it. Got it!" Sam pulled the last one out, with another pained yelp from Mirage. Mirage whimpered for a few moments as the pain began to pulse. "Ok hang on, healing creans where are you! Thank you boy!" Sam thanked Ratchet for handing him the creams. "Ok I'm going to warn you, this is going to sting." Sam warned as he applied the creams. Mirage yelped, and whined as the cream stung like hell. "I'm hoping that will do you some good. I don't know how much poison has coursed through your body. I know my uncle poisons his bullets. But he usually shoots other wolves, not anything like you Dire wolves." Sam sighed cleaning up the first aid gear. Ratchet helped place thing back in the first aid carrier, Sam smiled and patted his head.
Optimus smiled warmly at the helpful human, and hoped the humans remedies would work for Mirage. "Uuh, Optimus you want to come take a look at this!" Hound called from up a hill. Optimus turned and quickly joged over to the green wolf. "What is it Hound?" Optimus asked as he reached the top of the cliff. "What is that?" Optimus gasped seeing a bunch of odd shaped rocks. "Those must be human dens?" Hound tilted his head. "What is it?" Ratchet and Ironhide trotted over with the human. "We are very far from home, my old friend." Optimus sighed, as Ratchet and Ironhide gasped at the scenery. "Whitehorse city." Sam smiled. All four wolves turned and gazed at him. "A city is where humans live, and wolves don't. You guys get cuaght up in there you may end up back where you started. In my uncle's lab. He's probably waiting for you there right now." Sam explained. "Well wen can't go that way anyway it's the wrong way home." Ironhide mentioned. "We have to go back the other way." Ratchet added. "But what about the humans?" Hound asked, as the headed back down the hill. "The boy just said the bad one was in the city den. If we move quickly we can get past the bad place with out incident." Optimus through out a game plan. "But what if Mirage isn't quick enough?" Megatron joined the conversation. "What are... you talking... about not fast?" Mirage weakly stood up on all fours. Optimus looked at Ratchet then looked at Mirage. "Well let's go before it's too late." Mirage trotted off. "Well he's feeling better." Ironhide scoffed. Optimus chuckled and chased after the youngling. "Where are you going? Are you crazy they will kill you!" Sam chased after the wolves. Bumblebee playfully ran beside the boy. Optimus and Megatron both led the packs back to the facility.
Mirage lagged back a tad but was keeping up. Although Starscream kept bumping into, and cutting infront of him on purpose. "Keep up pup or you'll die alone out here!" Starscream teased. "Mirage growled and sprinted past the annoying adult wolf. Starscream smirked, and nipped Mirage's back paw. "YELP!" Mirage yelped tumbling to the ground, getting lots of dirt in his chest wound. While Starscream cackled. Mirage growled shaking off his pain, ran catching back up to Starscream. Starscream rolled his eyes, and kicked Mirage in the chin hard, send the red youngling to the ground again. Before Mirage or the boys could snarl. A flash of blood stained fangs and cried for mercy echoed in the air. "If you ever do that again! I wil make sure the humans kill your sorry soul!" Megatron snarled viciously, at the pinned wolf beneath him. "I'm sorry my lord!" Starscream whimpered curling up in a scared manner. Megatron gazed up at the boys and Arcee who had their teeth bared at Starscream. "Feel free to nip at his heels." Megatron sneered at Starscream, before catching back up to Optimus. Starscream gulped and quickly slunk off, with the boys giving chase. "You ok Mirage?" Soundwave asked, pulling Mirage back up by the scruff. "I'm good, thanks." Mirage sighed catching up with the pack.
The pack stopped at the edge of the woods, the facility in site. A team of men stood outside with real guns. "Uncle must be really angry with you guys, they all have real weapons." Sam sadly mentioned. "Ok Sideswipe, Sunstreaker. You two distract and dodge their rocks from those weapons. Ironhide myself and Megatron will take one man each. Jazz, Arcee you do the same with those men. Jetfire, Ratchet, Hound, and Prowl you take those ones." Optimus ordered. "Got it." Bumblebee and Mirage trotted both over to the group. "What about us?" Mirage asked. "Mirage you stay put with Bumblebee." Ratchet answered. "That's not fun." Mirage complained. "It is what is safe for you!" Ratchet growled. Mirage lowered his head and rolled his eyes. "Come on we can do something to help." Mirage insisted. "Mirage you have done enough to help, we don't need you out there at the moment." Optimus said getting into position with the others. "You'll get your chance again kid." Ironhide chuckled trotting off with Ratchet. Mirage and Bumblebee stayed behind with watched the pack go into action, taking down the men with ease, while Sam grabbed the dropped weapons and went to hide them. "Ok you two come on." Prowl called over to the two younglings. Prowl quickly followed the pack while the two caught up. Mirage and Bumblebee quickly trotted past the downed men, not knowing one was still fit enough to grab Bumblebee's hind leg. "Yelp!" Bumblebee panicked, as he tried pulling free, as the man brought out a hand gun. Mirage quickly spun around snarling, the man shot Mirage's front right paw, cuasing the youngling to slide on his face. "Mirage!" Bumblebee cried fratically wriggled his leg, as the man aimed the weapon at Bumblebee's head. Mirage got back up, leaping at the hand, he snapped his jaws tightly on the mans hand cuasing him to fire. Bumblebee yelped, as Mirage continued to wrestle the man, who was attempting to fire at Mirage. Mirage had no choice but to put the human down, quickly snapping the mans neck in his jaws. The others came sprinting around the corner to see what the racket was.
"Bumblebee, Mirage!" Optimus gasped running over. "I'm fine paw. The human only got my ear." Bumblebee sighed, as Optimus gazed at the tip of his younglings left ear missing. "Mirage are you ok!?" Jazz asked the red and black youngling, that was unmoving ontop of the deceased mans body. "You...are safe now..." Mirage smiled at Bumblebee, before closing his eyes. "No Mirage!" Bumblebee cried, trying to get Mirage's body to move. "Mirage get up! Get up Mirage..." Bumblebee cried, sitting. Ratchet sniffed Mirage. "The man shot him in heart Optimus." Ratchet pinned his ears. "Bumblebee Mirage isn't getting up." Optimus sadly put Bumblebee's head under his, in an embrace of comfort. Bumblebee cried hard, his tears staining his fathers fur. Megatron and Soundwave trotted up to the scene after taking care of some men. "No..." Soundwave pinned his ears with grief. "What happened!?" Megatron pushed passed through Starscream. "Hey!" Starscream growled. "The man got him for good. Through the heart. There's nothing I can do." Ratchet sadly replied. "Savage beast!" Megatron snarled, and ripped the mans body and away from Mirage's body. The boys and Arcee cried laying next to Mirage, laying their heads on him. Bumblebee gave a howl of sarrow, and the pack followed in song. Soundwave even joined the Autobots in song. Megatron sighed and threw his head back and howled.
A few moments of song. "We must move on." Optimus sadly sighed. The elder wolves were the first to follow, then the boys and Arcee reluctantly follwed, heads and tails held low. Bumblebee and Soundwave stayed for a few moments. "Thank you for save my life. I said I owed you my life. But instead you did the amazing and saved another." Soundwave praised Mirage, before following the pack. Bumblebee pinned his ears tight. "Mirage you were always there for others. Always the silent strong one, not letting your size be underestimated. You have always been there, and yet I feel like I was just beginning to know that stubborn, skilled, brave saviour, that you were. And now you're gone... I will truely miss you..." Bumblebee pressed his forehead against Mirage's neck fur. Bumblebee sighed, before quickly catching up to the packs.
Moments later. "Those damn mutts, must've ambushed you idiots!" Uncle yelled at the men getting off the ground. "And one managed to take to kill." Uncle shook his head at the dead man in the dirt. "Sir I think this is the culprit." A man, kneeled next to Mirage's lifeless form. "Well look at that. The bastard that broke my damn hand, good ridence." Uncle scoffed. As Sam walked out. "No..." Sam noticed Mirage laying lifeless on the ground. "Sam there you are, help take this young wolf to the incinerator." Uncle called is nephew. "No!" Sam cried out unexpectedly. "Excuase me?" Uncle scowled. "I mean couldn't I keep him Uncle?" Sam asked. "You want a dead wolf? Oh you wish to mount him on your wall! Of course you may." Sam's uncle cackled. Sam didn't answer as he picked up the body and took it to his room.
Bumblebee walked sadly beside his father, as they tracked through the forest. Ratchet looked over his shoulder to see the boys and Arcee sadly hanging in the back of the pack, with tails and heads hung low. "Boys Arcee, come on catch up." Ratchet called. The four just gazed up at the medic for a moment, before returning to mournful trudging. "Leave them be, Ratchet." Ironhide called Ratchet. "Well I'm just hoping if the humans find us, the boys don't do something stupid." Ratchet replied to the black and grey wolf. "Don't worry we won't the humans don't seserve to claim anymore of our lives." Sunstreaker and Sideswipe grumbled. As both packs stopped to look at the mountains they were about to conquer. "We keep moving at night, get as far away from the humans as possible." Megatron and Optimus announced. "We will get to the next mountain at least, then we rest." Optimus finished, as he lead his pack down the cliff carefully.