"Let us see if we can rewire their brains, and make killer hunting hounds out of you." Uncle chuckled evily to himself inside his scientific tent.
"Uncle they are dead. You killed them, they will never be monsters." Sam hissed.
"Ha that is where you are wrong Sam. You see they already are monsters but not only are they monsters they are aliens." Uncle travled over to Prowl's lifeless body.
"You can't rewire them they are not machines." Sam argued.
"No. But it is as simple as taking memories and DNA from my prized hunting dog, and transfering it into their bodies." Uncle scoffed. "And if you ever get in my way again, I will rewire you!"
"I don't understand? Why do you want the same creatures you are trying to kill? To hunt for you, what are you going to do with them if you succeed in killing them off?" Sam watched as all of Uncles men infused the lifeless husks with junk. "They are dead you cannot bring them back anyway."
"Exactly what you just explained, my dear nephew I will kill them. And you are wrong, if you could bring these monsters back so can I." Uncle grined.
"Sir your Hell Hounds are ready."
Way up North in the dead of night, the arctic winds were wild, and bone chilling.
"Can we stop for a rest now?" Arcee complained.
"No we must keep moving." Optimus replied, his voice bearly audible over the winds.
The winds began to grow stronger as they reached the edge of the forest. Optimus sighed, seeing his breath in the air, he gazed back at his exhausted pack. "We can rest for a moment."
His pack happily took advantage of the pause in their journey, laying down for a quick power nap.
Everyone but Mirage who was antsy, pacing back and forth. He kept his ears errect and aimed to the forest behind. He sniffed the air, catching familiar scents.
Mirage's behaviour caught Optimus's attention. As the youngling took a few steps toward the forest. Glowing red eyes could be seen.
Mirage growled a quiet warning, confused by the scent. Optimus rushed over hopping infront of the youngling, he snarled at the now many glowing eyes. Mirage drooped his ears crouching low to the ground submissively for his leader.
Three sets of eyes were blue with blood red taking over. Sickening snickering was audible, as the strangers emerged.
"Prowl?" Mirage stood up straight.
"Sure, he he he. Whatever you want to call me you pathetic excuse of a Direwolf." Prowl uncharacteristically replied.
"What did you say?" Mirage growled stepping out from behind Optimus.
"You heard him you little assassin, he he he." Jetfire snickered, as Hound and Tracks circled the two with Prowl.
His hackles raised "Ignore them Mirage. How are you alive, we watched you perish?!" Optimus snarled not trusting his old friends.
"You cannot hide the past Optimus, I watched this little monstrosity train. He is technically supposed to be doing our job!" Jetfire cackled.
"Join us youngling, or run back to your original pack!" Prowl hissed.
"What is he talking about Optimus?" Mirage gave a confused gaze.
"They are not well Mirage. They are under human influence wake the others!" Optimus snarled at Mirage.
Mirage growled irritated by everything being said to him. He obeyed unwillingly, waking the others.
Optimus followed moments after a quick brawl. Leading the pack straight to a frozen ocean. "We must cross." Optimus announced spitting fur out of his teeth.
"Optimus we do not know how thick the ice is?!" Ratchet replied.
"We have no other choice!" Arcee looked at the approaching Hell Hounds.
Unwillingly Optimus led the pack onto the ocean. The venomous pack of beasts followed them intensely, gaing the small pack quickly.
Bluestreak held up the rear, running directly behind Mirage. Running over a large patch of thin ice the pack raced over it quickly, hoping not to fall in. Mirage growled, seeing a large block of solid ice. Mirage jumped off it and stomped as hard as he could onto the thin ice. The sound of cracking ice soon followed, the crack spread directely under himself and the approaching hell hounds. As the pack reached a solid large ice berg they continued.
"Blue!" Mirage yelped struggling to stand on the slipery ice, as the hell hounds approached with snapping jaws.
Bluestreak gasped leaping backwards to Mirage. Landing on the damaged ice, it began to shatter. Grabbing Mirage by the scruff, he tossed the youngling to safety. Before falling into the freezing black water. The hell hounds quickly retreated, Only the transformed demon dogs Hound and Tracks fell in. Not wanting to go without a fight, they swam over to Bluestreak and finished him off. Before finally freezing and sinking to the bottom.
"Bluestreak!" Mirage cried out, finally gaining some traction he ran over to the hole in the ice. Only to see three bodies sinking into the blackness of the sea. The ice continued to crumble around the hole. Mirage's front left paw gave away and fell through the jagged ice cutting his leg on the way down.
In a panick he backed out of the trap. Turning giving a mournful gaze at the black water he ran to catch up with the pack. Leaving a trail of blood.
"Dammit, they got away!" Prowl snarled, his angered breath could be seen, by the glowing red eyes beside him.
"Ha, do not fret over nothing. The Assassin child was kind enough to leave us a trail to hunt them down." Jetfire snickered, smirking at the trail of blood.
"How much ice can there be!?" Sideswipe half complained as the pack continued to jog.
"Idiot we are in an arctic region, there's going to be ice!" Sunstreaker snapped.
"I meant the ocean, and where did those psycho recreations of Jetfire, and the others go?"
"We must have lost them. But no sense in letting them catch up." Jazz replied.
"Wait where's Bluestreak and Mirage?" Bumblebee skidded to a halt.
"They were right behind us when the ice began to crack." Arcee turned facing behind them.
Optimus, Ratchet, and Ironhide exchanged worried looks. Optimus trotted past the young Dire wolves and stopped a few feet in front. Gazing into the night time fog for any moving shadows.
"You don't think they fell in do you?" Bumblebee asked nervously.
"What if the hell hounds got them!?" Jazz panicked with the yellow youngling.
"Be quiet!" Ratchet growled, muffling the youngsters whines.
It fell silent, then deep blue glowing orbs headed straight for the pack at a good rate of speed cuaght Optimus's attention.
Optimus prepared for the worst. But was relieved when the young wolf that emerged from the fog was Mirage. "Mirage thank Primus." Ratchet sighed with relief.
"Where's Blue?" Arcee wondered, licking the younglings forehead.
"He fell in with Hound and Tracks." Mirage gave a guilty reply.
"Primus it's like we're cursed." Ironhide thought aloud.
"Ironhide!" Ratchet snapped.
"It's only us and the youngsters now. We no longer have a full strength pack of hunters, trackers, and spies." Ironhide snarled. "Megatron was right about our pack depleating. We aren't going to live much longer."
"So then leave, if you are so unsure of our survival get out of here!" Ratchet growled intimidatingly standing over the black and grey wolf.
"I will stand and fight with this pack until I die!" Ironhide replied offended by his old friends words.
"Well then stop being so negative about the situation!" Ratchet continued to snarl, raising his tail.
"It's hard not to be negative when everything around you is turning to shit! We are losing pack members left and right, we have our dead pack members hunting us down like possessed hell hounds, and you want me to be all sunshine and flowers for you!" Ironhide snapped attacking the medic, starting a brawl.
"Stop this!" Optimus growled trying to break the two apart.
Bumblebee watched with fear for his pack. The elders were acting like cons, snapping, and attacking eachother. They were all starting to fall apart at the seams, death lingered over them and this arguing was not going to solve anything.
"It will be ok. The old timers are just... acting like..." Sideswipe tried to make reassuring excuses for the arguing.
"Like you two?" Arcee raised an eyebrow at the twins.
"At least we argue about little things." Sunstreaker defended proudly.
"It's the little things that makes it annoying." Jazz rolled his eyes.
Bumblebee turned his gaze back to the fight. Optimus was still trying to get the two old ones to stop arguing.
"Why can't they just get along?" Bumblebee sighed watching his breath enter the crisp air.
"Because we are starving, exhausted, and weak." Sunstreaker replied codly.
"Sunstreaker he dosen't know any better." Arcee warned.
"That was a little harsh." Jazz added.
"He wanted an answer, I gave him one. He's not a pup anymore, he needs to wake up and smell the blood. This is war, between humans and Decepticons." Sunstreaker replied approaching Bumblebee. "The younglings need to grow up and understand this isn't some petty game that will blow over in a week. This is our life. We are either hunting or being hunted, Killed or killing." Sunstreakers royal blue eyes burned through Bumblebee's icy baby blue mixed ones.
Mirage growled deeply, fed up with the bickering and nonsence. He continued on walking off into the fog. Passing the arguing elders with little emotion, only a quiet growl rumbled in his chest.
"You, my dear friend, are the moron in thi..." Ratchet caught site of the dark youngling heading off on his own, and climbed off of Ironhide.
Both Optimus and Ironhide followed the medics gaze to the same youngling.
With no questions asked Bumblebee followed. He carried with him only a disappointed look, heavily directed at the adults of the pack. The young adults followed the yellow youngling lead by the dark red and black youngling.
The adults pinned their ears disappointment in themselves for their behaviour. They should be guiding their youngsters, not bickering like a couple of chihuahuas.
Optimus did not hesitate to follow the lead of a determined member. Especially a young member that has the power to say enough is enough without even saying a word.
In tow behind Optimus were Ironhide and Ratchet. No further words were said between them.
Moments later Ratchet's old eyes caught site of something red on the ice. Quickly putting his nose to the ground Ratchet's head shot up as fast as his nose touched the ground.
"What is it Ratchet?" Ironhide looked over his shoulder.
Pinning his old ears "Somebody is injured. It's not you is it, you stubborn, old, badger?" Ratchet gave a frustrated growl.
"No it's not me. Besides you were the only one to bite me in the last 15 minutes." Ironhide hissed, as Ratchet trotted by him.
"Optimus someone is injured. It must be one of the young ones."
"We don't need anymore injuries. I will help seek out who it is." Optimus sighed, fanning out with the old timers into the group of young wolves.
Ironhide was quick and keen. His course was set for the front of the pack.
Mirage's ears were still pulled back almost in an irritated manor. As he continued to lead the pack.
"If only I had red fur. I could cover up blood just like you. Then Ratchet wouldn't be on my ass everytime I got injured." the familiar gruff voice did not startle the youngling. But further darkened his mood.
"Im fine, just a scratch." Mirage grumbled.
"If only that worked as an excuse to keep Ratchet from healing you." Ironhide snorted.
Mirage growled quickening his pace to get away from the scar covered elder.
"It would be wise to get rid of the blood then leave a trail for our enemies to track us with." the barritone voice slowed the red youngling to a stop. Allowing Ratchet to come tend to his wounds.
"Dude you keep spilling enough blood to make a new pack member." Sideswipe teased as he and his twin shielded the winds from the red younglings face.
Ratchet cleaned what he could and sighed. "The opening froze stopping the bleeding. We should be good to continue, as long as you do not reopen the wound."
Night soon turned to early morning, the arctic world still dark. Mirage dropped back behind Optimus who took back the lead. Bumblebee strolled happily beside his father who seemed a bit uneasy. "Pa what's wrong?" Bumblebee took a couple of long strides.
"Something seems familiar. But I do not know if it is a good or bad feeling." Optimus replied to his son.
Bumblebee sniffed the crisp air, trying to get the feel of the atmosphere. "We are no longer on the ocean."
"Bee's right there's permafrost under this snow." Jazz bounded up.
"Well that's a bit of a relief. We no longer have to worry about falling through ice." Arcee added sniffing the ground.
"Finely the sun is rising." Sunstreaker gave an annoyed sigh.
"Aw does Sunshine need his Sunshine." Sideswipe teased nipping his brothers ear.
The twins quickly began a friendly brawl. Bumping into Mirage, he quickly entered the brawl. Bumblebee couldn't hold back his excitement and bounded towards the friendly battle that took place on a small snow bank.
The twins growled and snarled at eachother. Meanwhile Bumblebee tackled his adopted brother down the other side of the snow bank.
Thinking a possible cliff could have been on the other side. The twins quickly sprinted to the top of the bank, the pack follwed quickly in tow.
Tumbling down it was just Mirage's luck to get stuck underneath the yellow youngling who landed on top of him. "I pinned you!" Bumblebee yipped leaping off the downed red youngling.
Mirage shook the snow off his fur and sighed in annoyance. Getting a look of the land it was a barren waste land of snow. Some how it looked familiar to his deep blue eyes.
"You guys ok!" The twins and Jazz rushed over to Bumblebee.
"Yep, just wrestling." Bumblebee wagged his tail.
"Well next time be careful. There could have been a cliff on the other side of this bank!" Ratchet snapped in his usual cranky tone.
"Nope Ratch just more powder." Sideswipe swated a pawful of snow at the medics right side of his face, while his brother got the left.
"Twins have a death wish." Arcee snorted, sitting next to Ironhide.
Ratchet didn't falter, he chased the twins like there was no tomorrow.
Optimus simply grined shaking his head, at the medic chasing down the twins. Jazz played with Bumblebee, while Arcee and Ironhide were entertained by Ratchet's pursuit. Giving a chuckle Optimus did a quick head count, only to be missing one member. The alpha looked around, to find the last member a small distance away from the pack. Standing in a stance that read he was in shock at something he was staring at.
Optimus didn't hesitate to jog over to check up on his adopted youngling. Halting beside the red youngling. What was seen was just as much of a shock to his eyes as it was to the younglings.
