"Let's explore a bit. The night's still young," Terra chimed while getting on her feet. They had been sitting together for a bit, just enjoying each other's company. Terra had to move around to avoid getting too tired and missing out on some much needed time with her friend.
"Any place you have in mind, Terra?" Starscream asked as he stood to his full height. Terra thought for a moment before she remembered one place they could explore.
"I came across a huge cave a few days ago. I had wanted to go in, but it was dark and I didn't want to go in all alone. You could come with me and protect me if there are bears in there," she suggested.
"Bears? What are those?" Starscream asked, cocking his head in confusion.
"Oh...Um...They're big furry mammals. They usually avoid people, but we're in their territory and they can be very dangerous when provoked," Terra explained.
"Nothing is more dangerous than me, my little friend. I won't let some miserable earth beast harm you," Starscream crowed, flexing his claws with a dark chuckle. Terra smiled up at him sweetly. She could only imagine what would happen if they came across a bear. It would probably run off at the very sight of Starscream or it would be bold and unfortunately be torn apart as a result.
"Well, let's go back to the cabin so I can get a flashlight," she said as she began to walk in the direction of the cabin. The cave entrance was located at the base of the mountain. She was sure it held all sorts of wonders that she hadn't seen before.
"You really have no use for a flashlight, Terra," Starscream said while pointing to his eyes which began to light up with a red glow.
"Oooh. That's quite handy," Terra replied, gazing up at the glow in wonder.
"It is. Lead the way, my little friend," Starscream said while gesturing for her to keep walking. Terra nodded and turned to walk ahead of him. It wasn't a long walk from where they were located right now.
All was quiet around them besides Starscream's footsteps which shook the ground around her. She looked to and fro for anything of interest, but she saw nothing besides a rabbit that ran off at the sight of Starscream. She noticed Starscream's curious expression at the creature as it ran.
"Organic life is so strange sometimes," he grumbled to himself.
"It really can be," Terra replied.
A few minutes had passed before they came across the base of the mountain. She found the cave entrance and smiled at the sight of it. It was big enough for Starscream to walk inside without bumping his head.
"Here we are," Terra said, turning back to him. Starscream appeared uneasy at the sight of the cave. He took one step back, looking more unsure about going in.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Well, the last time I was in a cave like this, Megatron tried to kill me which resulted in an awful cave-in. The autobots and their little pets were there too and they forced me to hold up a boulder that could have crushed me. I had to beg for Megatron to consider saving me later. It was dreadful," Starscream explained. Terra frowned. Megatron would pay for all the abuse he had inflicted on her friend. She also didn't expect the Autobots to do something so cruel to him. What other terrible things had they done to him?
"That's awful! If I had known that you had a bad experience with caves, I wouldn't have brought you here," she said.
Starscream looked up at the cave and then down at her with a conflicted expression. He sighed, breathing a cloud of steam as he took a step forward.
"Megatron isn't here. We're safe. You looked so excited to explore this place and you will get that opportunity, my friend," he said while puffing up his chest in order to look brave. His chest glowed much brighter now.
"We are safe. No one can hurt us here," she chimed as she turned to the cave entrance. Starscream's optics bathed the entrance in an eerie red glow. It looked unsettling, but she thought of the wonders that might be inside the cave.
"Just the two of us," Starscream murmured as he walked into the cave. Terra had to pick up the pace to stay by his side. Her heart was beating a mile a minute in excitement.
Starscream looked down at Terra and saw how she practically had to run to catch up with him. It was kind of cute seeing her trying to keep up on those scrawny little legs, but it was dark in the cave and she could easily trip.
"You're going to run into something and fall, my little friend," he chuckled while stopping to gently pick her up. Terra didn't object as he placed her on his shoulder. She held on to a protruding piece of his armor while he began walking once more. He could only imagine what a sight the two of them were at a moment. He would never allow any other human to sit on his shoulder like this.
"Comfortable?" He asked, glancing over at her and bathing her in the red glow of his optics. She nodded in response, looking overjoyed at the experience. Starscream chuckled as he continued to walk. He could feel that pain in his chest, but he had quickly learned to ignore it. Terra was humming a happy tune to herself. He had missed hearing such a wonderful sound. It relaxed him and made him less uneasy about being in a cave again. Hopefully she would sing soon.
They eventually came across two paths that led to different tunnels. Starscream examined them quickly before turning his attention back to Terra.
"Which path shall we take?" He asked.
"Hmm, not sure. Go...right," Terra said while pointing to the tunnel to the right.
"Excellent choice," Starscream crowed before going in that direction. Nothing felt out of the ordinary in the cave. No other humans and none of those beasts Terra referred to as bears. It was nice being alone with her. The pain in his chest began to turn into a different sensation. Why did it feel pleasant now? He would have to ask Knockout what that meant, but he was sure the doctor would bring up him being in love again. He was sure this was a different form of affection he was feeling for his friend. Nothing more extreme than actual romantic love.
He took another look at Terra and the pleasant sensation grew much stronger. She was such a sweet sight with her flower crown on her head. He recalled freezing when he first saw her like that and being overcome with such intense feelings. He wanted more than anything to protect her from Megatron.
"There's something glowing up ahead," Terra's voice said, knocking him out of his thoughts. Starscream looked ahead and saw a familiar blue glow in the distance. Energon.
"This can't be. Our energon sensors would have detected this cycles ago," he murmured as he walked in the direction of the glow. This wasn't good. If Megatron found out about this source, Terra would be in grave danger.
Starscream walked into a giant cavern filled with energon crystals. He looked around in awe and noticed a glowing blue lake in the center of the cavern. There were crystals in the water, giving it the blue glow.
"Wow. This is amazing," Terra said in awe, her eyes sparkling in delight. She looked over at Starscream and saw his serious expression.
"Megatron can't know about this, Terra. He'll strip the mountain and the surrounding area clean of any sign of energon, putting you in danger," he said while offering his hand to her. Terra climbed on, gripping one of his fingers as she was lowered to the ground.
"Then don't tell him. This can be all ours for the taking," Terra replied while rushing to the edge of the lake. She got on her knees and looked into the water with wide eyes. Starscream walked over to her side, watching her curiously.
"I knew these crystals could be big, but I never expected anything like this," she said while carefully dipping her hand into the water. She looked so happy and serene in this very moment. So...human.
Terra looked into the water again and let out a soft gasp while plunging her hands into the water.
"What did you find, Terra?" He asked.
"There's gold in there!" Terra exclaimed while cupping her hands as she pulled them out of the water. Starscream had to bend all the way down to see what she had in her hands. He could see tiny flecks of gold. It wasn't that impressive, but the beaming smile on Terra's face said otherwise. He couldn't help but stare at her smile, feeling that wonderful pleasant sensation within his chest.
"Is...Is gold valuable to humans?" He asked.
"It sure is. I like gold, but there are so many more rocks I adore. My absolute favorites are amethyst and black onyx...and energon," she chimed while pocketing the gold. Starscream had no idea what those first two earth stones were, but he was sure they were quite lovely if Terra was so excited about them.
"You'll have to tell me more about them, my friend," he crowed.
Terra looked absolutely excited before she began talking about her favorite rocks. Starscream only smiled at her while listening. Most of what she said didn't make much sense to him, but it clearly made her happy. He had questions, but he was going to let her talk.
At one point, she reached into the water and pulled out a small piece of energon while still talking about the potential healing properties of amethyst. She delicately turned it around in her fingers before looking up at him with that adorable smile.
Oh…
It hit him like a punch from an Autobot. His hand immediately went to his chest as he let out a disgruntled sigh. He had to keep it together. He couldn't break now.
"Am I boring you?" Terra asked, her smile starting to disappear.
"Absolutely not, my...friend. I'm just in need for...for a recharge soon. Keep talking about your rocks," Starscream replied while trying to compose himself.
Terra gazed up at him in concern before she went back to talking about her amethyst collection that she kept at her house. Starscream's thoughts were all over the place as he watched her. He couldn't deny it any longer now. He had somehow fallen in love with her. The very statement made him shudder a bit. Terra was in grave danger now. Megatron couldn't know about this. If he did, he would torture her or kill her before his very optics. He wouldn't let that happen. He wasn't going to let Megatron lay a claw on her. If he did, he would tear him apart with his very claws even if it meant being horribly injured in the process or worse.
Another thought came to Starscream which made him worried. Did Terra have similar feelings? She was always so happy when she saw him, but was there something else? She probably saw him as a great friend. He had no way of knowing what she felt unless he confessed to her. He couldn't do that now. He needed time to think about his feelings. What was going to happen when he got around to confessing? Would she accept or reject him? It all was so confusing.
"And that's that on amethyst. I'd talk about my onyx collection back home, but I think I've talked enough," Terra said with a giggle.
"You can keep talking, Terra. I like listening to you," Starscream said, resting his head in his palm as he watched her, grinning like an idiot. Terra smiled back at him, her cheeks turning red.
"I've been rambling too much though. I think I can take a break for a bit," she said while scooting over to sit next to his thigh. He sighed softly when he felt her soft skin against his own. He would somehow make this work with her. He wasn't going to confess right now. He needed to spend more time with her.
A deep rumbling purr emanated from his chest as he imagined confessing to her. He would do it here another time.
"You're purring again. It sounds lovely," Terra commented. She then looked away, appearing embarrassed about something and looking all the more adorable.
"Something the matter, my friend?" Starscream asked. Terra looked back at him, her cheeks redder than anything.
"Well, this might sound a little silly, but when I first heard you purring earlier, I wanted...um...I kinda wanted to know what it was like to...lay on your chest while you...you purred. It's really silly and I'm sure you...wouldn't enjoy something like that," Terra said. He cocked an eyebrow as he listened to her. Such a request would have disgusted him before, but this was an opportunity to be closer with her. He wouldn't let such an opportunity pass by.
"It's not silly. You're just being your regular curious self. I shall grant you this opportunity, my little friend," he crowed, adjusting his wings so he could lay back comfortably. He tapped his chest with a single claw, beckoning her to come closer.
"Are you sure? I don't want to make you...uncomfortable or anything," Terra said.
"It's okay, Terra. You weigh next to nothing so you won't crush me if that's what you're worried about," he said with a chuckle.
"I'm not worried about that," Terra murmured before she crawled up his arm and onto his chest. She sat down, her smile growing. Starscream began to purr at the sight of her. A surprised expression replaced the smile as she began to shake a bit from the rumbling his chest made. She then laid down, resting her head right next to his glowing core. If only she knew how he felt for her…
"How's that feel, Terra?" He asked.
"You're surprisingly warm," Terra replied, sighing a happy sigh. Starscream's smile grew in response and he carefully ran a finger along her back. She was so soft and wonderfully warm. Warmer than him to be exact.
Terra shivered a bit when he touched her back, but she quickly relaxed into his touch. What was going on in her head right now? Was she having conflicted feelings as well? He looked at her face and saw that she appeared half asleep on his chest. She was really enjoying this and so was he. He rested a whole hand over her body, smiling at how comfortable she appeared. He closed his optics for a bit and imagined a life with her where they were safe away from the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. It would be difficult, but he would figure something out.
Terra was asleep now. Starscream took a moment to take in every little detail of her. She reminded him of a video he saw of a sleeping dove. So tranquil and at peace and quite cute. He reached forward and pushed a stray hair away from her face. Terra smiled in her sleep at that.
His optics soon went to her new hands and he frowned. He was fully responsible for the horrible pain she went through that resulted in her losing her hands. He had watched the footage of her freeing herself only once. Her agonizing screams haunted him. He didn't want to hear those screams again nor did he want to see her in that kind of pain. He didn't expect her to actually go through with degloving her hands in order to gain freedom. It was a reckless stupid move, but it did result in him spending more time with her and ending up here. Did she feel any anger toward him for the pain he caused? He would ask, but he didn't want to bring her back to that horrid day.
He let out a sigh as he went back to looking at her sweet face. Her crooked smile was enough to calm him down from those horrid thoughts. She was going to need someplace soft to sleep soon
"Let's get you back to your house, my little dove," he purred softly while patting her back. Terra groaned in her sleep, her little hands balling up into fists against his chest. He didn't want to disturb her precious sleep at the moment. He would let her rest for a moment while he collected some energon. He carefully picked her up and placed her on the ground before getting up to collect what he needed.
He began to hum the tune Terra was humming earlier. It was quite pleasant. He would have to hear her sing it sometime soon. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was still there. She was still fast asleep while curled up into a ball.
"I gotta get you somewhere warm, Terra," he crowed.
He walked around a particularly large energon crystal and paused when he came across a sight he thought he would never see again. It was a small patch of blue energon flowers. He immediately thought of Terra and how curious she was when he told her about energon flowers. This was perfect! He stepped forward and plucked one that was small enough for her to properly handle. He opened a panel in his chest and placed it there next to the other flower Terra had plucked for him. He would leave it with her if she was still asleep by the time he got her back to her little home.
"It's been a good day," he whispered to himself while going back to Terra who was still asleep. He knelt down and scooped her up in his hands. He took a moment to admire her once more before turning to leave. He wanted to come back here again with her someday.
Going back to the Nemesis was going to be rough. He could just stay here, but he didn't want to face the Autobots or Megatron's wrath if he were to track him down. He let out a sigh as he proceeded to make his way out of the cave.
Terra made a noise in her sleep and he looked down, smiling when he saw her move around until she was nestled safely within his claws. That wonderful sensation grew within his spark again. The glow from his chest bathed Terra in a blue light, making her almost angelic.
"Ah, sweet dove. You have no idea," he murmured as he continued to walk.
It wasn't long before he made it out of the cave and was out in a clearing. He looked up at the night sky and swore he saw a few falling stars. Terra had told him at some point that wishing on a star would make ones dreams come true. He thought it was ridiculous at first. Why would humans do such a foolish thing? If you really wanted something, you had to act on it. Now he thought a little bit differently as he looked down at the precious cargo in his claws.
His thoughts were interrupted when a flapping of wings filled the air. Starscream looked up and noticed a rather large bird perched in a nearby tree. It gazed at him with wide eyes as if trying to figure out what it was looking at.
"What are you looking at?" Starscream growled.
"Who?" The bird hooted back at him. Starscream cocked an eyebrow, unsure if he wanted to shoot the creature or let it be. The bird repeated its odd question before letting out a series of other sounds.
Terra groaned in her sleep before she began to wake up, rubbing her eyes.
"What's going on?" She asked, looking up at him with sleepy half-lidded eyes. Frag, she was too cute.
"We have a guest. What bird is that?" Starscream asked while pointing to the bird. Terra looked in the direction he was pointing and gasped softly at the sight of the bird. Was that a good sound? It didn't sound good.
"That's a great horned owl. I've never seen one in the wild before," she said while trying to sit up in his claws. The owl hooted at them again and to Starscream's surprise, it turned its head all the way around. How odd!
"These are safe creatures, right? It won't attack you?" He asked, ready to engage if they were dangerous.
"Well, it's safe for us, but not for little critters," Terra replied, gazing at the owl in awe. A minor predator. Knowing they weren't in any immediate danger, Starscream relaxed and looked at the owl. It looked back at him before it hooted once more and flew off on silent wings.
"What a fascinating creature," he said while continuing to walk in the direction of Terra's cabin.
"There's so many more owls out there. I think you'd like certain ones," Terra said.
"Oh? What might those be?" Starscream asked, eager to learn more about these strange creatures.
"Well, there's the screech owl. The name sounds ominous, but they make the cutest sounds. And then there's the barn owl, which I believe deserves the screech owl's name," Terra said. Starscream listened to her as she talked about different owls. Some of it he didn't understand, but he still enjoyed listening to her talk.
"I look forward to coming across these creatures someday," he said once she was done talking.
They weren't far from the cabin before Starscream heard footsteps somewhere. He paused, looking for the source of the sounds. They were human.
"What's happening? Megatron?" Terra asked in a whisper, looking absolutely terrified as she immediately looked to the sky.
"No. There's a human somewhere. Stay behind me," Starscream whispered back. He lowered Terra to the ground and she immediately hid behind his legs.
"What are you going to do?" Terra asked. He looked down at her and saw the fear in her eyes. He would have loved to just be rid of the intruder, but doing so would make Terra fear him.
"We shall see. This intruder is going to be in for a good scare," he whispered, looking ahead with a faint smirk on his faceplates. He heard movement to his side and he looked over just in time to see a man stumble through the trees. He had a flashlight which he shone right on Starscream. The man froze at the sight of Starscream, eyes wide with terror. Starscream chuckled as he lowered himself so that he was right over the poor terrified human.
"Mothman!" The man cried out while pulling out a phone. Starscream had no idea what that was, but from the way Terra giggled, it was probably something ridiculous. He let out a growl and grabbed the man, pulling him closer. This was going to be fun.
"I'm far worse than some fictional creature," he crowed, giving him a faint squeeze and making him drop the phone with a cry. Terra rushed forward and grabbed his phone, pocketing it and going back behind him.
"Wha-What are you?" The man questioned.
"I'm your worst nightmare. If you're smart, you'll run fast when I release you," Starscream growled, slowly lowering the man until he let him drop to the ground. The man scrambled to his feet, still never taking his eyes off of him. A small bag of something unknown fell out of his pocket, but the man was too scared to notice.
"I...I'm gonna call the park ranger and...and the cops!" He cried out.
"Go on. No one will believe you," Starscream said, flaring his wings to make himself look bigger. The man screamed before turning to run. Starscream let out a wicked laugh as he watched the man disappear. Once he was sure the man was gone, he turned to look at Terra who had picked up the bag the man had dropped. She inspected it carefully before her eyes went wide.
"That poor man was higher than a kite," she said before bursting into a fit of giggles.
"Higher than a kite? He didn't appear to be floating," Starscream said, confused. What was she talking about?
"He was smoking weed. It's a drug that...can really mess with your head if you have too much," Terra explained, looking at the bag again with a huge smile. Starscream cocked an eyebrow. A strange substance that altered the mind? That sounded very familiar.
"It's been a while since I had this stuff," she commented while pocketing the bag.
"Sounds like dark energon," Starscream said.
"Weed doesn't turn a person into a crazy lunatic like Megatron. This is perfectly safe in moderation," Terra replied.
Starscream was still unsure about this strange earth substance, but he wouldn't go any further with it.
"You snatched that man's phone. You should give it to me so I can dispose of it," he said, lowering himself to be at eye level with Terra. Terra appeared reluctant at first, but she soon reached into her pocket and pulled out the phone, placing it into his palm.
"I still don't have a phone yet. I thought I could use it and just delete any pictures the man took of you," Terra said.
"Phones can easily be tracked, my little...friend. We don't need any authorities sniffing around your house," Starscream replied while crushing the phone between two claws. Terra appeared crestfallen at that, but she said nothing else before letting out an adorable yawn.
"Poor tired little thing. Let's get you back to bed," he crowed, offering his hand to her.
"I can walk," Terra replied, rubbing at her eyes as she stepped forward. She appeared wobbly as she tried to traverse over some thick tree roots. She was quite resilient. Starscream chuckled as he walked close behind her, making sure she didn't trip or fall.
"God, there's so many roots around here," she grumbled while pushing through without much trouble.
Some time had passed before they finally got back to the cabin. Terra walked to the door and paused, looking back at Starscream with a sad look in her eyes.
"Are you going back tonight?" She asked.
"Unfortunately, I must. I will try my hardest to come back here as soon as I possibly can, my friend," he replied, looking up to the stars with a frown. It was going to pain him greatly to leave her alone here. He would do all he could to get back to her.
"Can...Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?" She asked, suddenly growing red in the face while wringing her hands. What did her body language mean? Was she being nervous about something or did this mean something else? It was a mystery to Starscream.
"Of course, my friend. I'll be right outside your balcony," he said. If it meant staying with her longer, then he would stay and hope she stayed up just a little bit longer.
"Thank you, Starscream. You're such a wonderful friend," Terra chimed despite looking a little bit off when calling him her friend. What was that expression on her face? She must have been really exhausted.
Terra went inside and it was a few moments before he saw her appear in her bedroom. He smiled at her and she smiled back shyly before she went to the balcony window.
"Gotta get changed real quick. It won't be long," she said while closing the curtains of the window. Starscream still didn't understand why humans had to change clothes. It was the weakest kind of armor for their soft fleshy bodies. He would have to ask Terra about that at sometime.
"Humans are odd," he murmured to himself. They were a strange species, but Terra was an obvious exception.
He heard movement and he looked over in time to see the curtains being pulled back. He swore his spark jolted when he saw Terra wearing a knee-length black nightgown. It was so simple, but he loved it. He breathed a cloud of steam which he quickly blew away while composing himself.
"You look...comfortable," he said. Terra giggled in response and spun around, showing it off. Hiding how he felt was going to be difficult…
"Thanks. There's not much in pajamas here, but this is my favorite," Terra chimed, opening the balcony and going to her bed. She crawled under the covers, turning to smile at him sweetly.
"See you soon," she said, yawning once more.
"Sweet dreams, Terra," Starscream replied, carefully resting his arms on the balcony as he watched her get comfortable. She gazed back at him sweetly, her eyelids going lower and lower. The poor thing was truly fighting to stay up.
Starscream slowly hummed a tune he had heard from her. It made Terra smile sweetly as she listened to him. He had no idea what the words were, but he would learn them eventually.
He felt so at peace here. It would be quite a while before he would live peacefully like this with her. He looked forward to those days. He would have loved to take over as leader of the Decepticons, but that dream was growing smaller and smaller each time he looked at Terra. He would rather be with her...or she could rule the Decepticons with him. They would figure something out eventually.
Starscream looked over at Terra and saw that she was fast asleep. That was his cue to head back to the Nemesis. He stayed by the balcony for a moment and opened the panel where he stored the energon flower. He handled it delicately before looking over at Terra. He was sure she would love such a beautiful surprise when she woke up. There was a nightstand next to Terra's bed. The perfect spot to leave his present. He reached in and carefully placed the flower on the nightstand. It left a beautiful glow on Terra, making her look all the more beautiful.
"I'll see you again, my little dove," he purred as he turned to go. He glanced over his shoulder to get one last look at her before he went to find a source of water to clean himself off. There was an actual pain within his spark the further he walked away from her.
He rubbed at his chest as he walked away from the cabin. It wasn't long before he came across a lake. He went to the edge of the water and dipped his claws into the water. He couldn't stop thinking about Terra as he tried his hardest to wash her scent off.
"Someday I won't be able to hide this," he grumbled when he was sure he was rid of her scent.
He stood up and paused when he saw something floating in the water not too far away from him. He took a few steps forward and realized that it was the man he had scared off earlier. He was floating facedown in the water. Dead.
Starscream smirked as he looked around and saw a rocky cliff nearby. The poor fool probably didn't see the cliff while running blind through the forest and fell down into the water.
"It looks like our secret died with you. You're lucky my sweet Terra was here. Your fate would have been far worse if we were alone," he crowed while plucking the body out of the water. The man's face was frozen in a contorted scream, his eyes staring into nothingness. There were some serious wounds across his head and chest and it looked like he had broken his legs. The idiot probably got paralyzed from the rocks and ended up drowning.
"You humans die too easily," Starscream said while tossing the body onto the shore. He was sure the flesh-eating animals in the area would make quick work in devouring him.
Starscream went to find an area clear of trees and soon found himself in a field. It was a quiet clear night. Absolutely peaceful. He looked back at the mountain and smiled at the thought of coming back here soon.
"Sweet dreams, my little dove," he whispered before getting a running start and transforming into the night. The pain within his spark was immense, but he would avoid it for now.