Disclaimer: Beast Wars, Beast Machines and all characters related to those series are the property of MainFrame Entertainment and Hasbro Incorporated. The Transformers and all characters related to that series are the property of Hasbro Incorporated. This fan fiction is dedicated to the cast and crew of all three Transformer generations.
The following story, the personal histories of the characters, the history of Cybertron both past and future, and the briefly mentioned Valnatron are all my creation.
Special thanks goes out to Ben Yee of www.bwtf.com for the use of his "Cybertroninan Dictionary" and reviews of the episodes of Beast Wars and Beast Machines; to Gemini83 for his persistence in making sure I stayed on my schedule; to the talented voice actors who brought the characters to life and the people who worked behind the scenes to give those voices a frame to dwell in and adventures to endure.
Beast Wars: Basic Program
Chapter 6; The Student and the Master
Again the dawn broke over the hills.
Again the mist rose above the forest floor.
Again the Maximals trudged through the dense underbrush.
Cheetor had his nose pressed to the ground, trying to pick up Optimus' scent. Rattrap and Tigatron followed a few nano-klicks behind him. Dinobot, still groggy from the sedative, followed behind them with Air Razor at his side. Bringing up the rear was Rhinox. They were all in beast mode.
"Aww, man." Cheetor groaned "I'm a cat, not a dog! You want a tracker, let's wait until another protoform falls and give him the beast mode of a dog."
"What makes you so sure it will be a 'he'?" Air Razor asked
"No offense, Razor." Cheetor said, lifting his head up from the ground "I'm just saying~"
"We don't have the time to wait." Rhinox said "The next protoform to crash won't do so for another month."
"En I do NAHT wanna be leada fa dat long!" Rattrap snapped
"Then why not hand the responsibility over to one who can handle it, Vermin?" Dinobot demanded
"Cuz Rhinox all ready turned it down." Rattrap said sourly
Dinobot snarled and shock his head.
"Say, how come we're not using the scanners to find Optimus?" Cheetor asked "The energon field in this area isn't that strong, they should work just fine."
"What," Rhinox smirked "and miss this opportunity to explore our beast modes?"
"Yeah, who knows it might give us an uppa-hand 'gainst Megabutt!" Rattrap laughed
An ear shattering roar pierced the morning air as Cheetor whirled around and pounced on Rattrap, claws bared and teeth showing. He young Maximal pinned Rattrap to the ground and growled
"That was not funny!" Cheetor roared
"Wow! Hey! Cool it, Spots!" Rattrap yelled as Rhinox raced over to stop the mounting fight.
Rhinox shoved Cheetor away from Rattrap and back a few feet. The young Maximal snarled at Rhinox and snorted. Dinobot rose one brow, intrigued by Cheetor's sudden ferosity...but not surprised.
"Back down, Cheetor! What's gotten into you!!" Rhinox demanded
"Geez," Rattrap hissed, getting to his feet "what's your design flaw?"
"Optimus could be hurt," Cheetor growled "or worse!! He could have been captured by the Predicons or gone off line!! He could be in danger right now and you two are making JOKES!! You're his best friends! You've known him longer than any of us and you're making jokes!"
"We make jokes BECAUSE we know Optimus that well." Rhinox explained "They're harmless pokes at his personality, we used to do that all the time when we were Spark, and if it kills the mounting tension in a situation we'll do it now. So, just calm down and don't take everything so personally."
"Harmless?!?" Cheetor gasped "They're only harmless when the bot you're poking fun at is with you! When it's behind their back it's slander!!"
"You betta bite ya tongue while ya still have it, Kiddo." Rattrap growled
Cheetor snorted and turned away.
"We know you are worried about Optimus, Cheetor," Tigatron said "We all concerned for his well being~"
"Then this is no time to be making jokes." Cheetor snorted, turning towards Tigatron "This is serious!"
"Ya think we don' know dat?" Rattrap demanded
"You sure don't ACT like you do! You're the leader, now, you're SUPPOSED to be serious!"
"Well, since you seem ta know so much 'bout bein' a leader, Pussy-Cat, den why don't YOU take ova!!"
"ENOUGH!" Dinobot's voice rumbled through the jungle sending birds flying off in a panic.
Cheetor, Rattrap, Tigatron and Rhinox lifted their heads and looked the old warrior in the eyes. Dinobot stomped over to the bickering Maximals, disgusted, and snarled at them. Cheetor took a few steps back, remembering Dinobot's eariler threat.
"How easily you Maximals fall apart under new leadership!!" Dinobot growled "It is a miracle your program has lasted so long as rulers of Cybertron!!! Now, heed the voice of experience or fall to it's might!!" Dinobot pointed towards the dark jungle and trilled. "THAT is where we will find Optimus. Somewhere in that mass of vegetation is our leader and it is our mission to find him!! THAT is what you should be concentrating on and THAT is goal for which you should aim!!"
"Heh, dis from a Pred." Rattrap snorted
"A Predicon who knows the chain of command and who wishes it to return to normal, yes." Dinobot snorted "You said yourself that you do not wish to retain this post, so you of all bots should not be instigating a fracture in our ranks that could KEEP you in said position....which is where you will remain if Optimus goes off line. Now, put your emotion chips in neutral and focus on the mission at hand!"
"Dinobot is right." Tigatron added "Now is not the time to be fighting amongst ourselves. We must find Optimus before anything happens to him."
"I know that," Cheetor snorted "tell that to them."
"I wonder what caused Optimus to go ape." Air Razor said to herself, not having paid any attention to the argument. The others turned towards Air Razor, twisted looks of surprise and disgust on their faces.
"What?" Air Razor asked, shrugging her wings
Dinobot covered his eyes with one hand and groaned.
Tigatron chuckled and said to Rattrap "At this rate we will never find Optimus. I suggest we split up."
"Well, seein' as we've all 'ad a good helpin' a humility from, of all bots, Choppa-Face, I'm open ta suggestions. Anyone got a betta idea?"
Cheetor glared at Rattrap and started towards the forest "Like I care."
"I will go with Cheetor." Tigatron said "I will talk to him, tiger to cub."
"Jist be careful dat 'e don' bite ya head off." Rattrap said "Rhinox en I will head towards da riva, you take da Kid ta where we saw da gorillas en check it out. Choppa-Face, you en Air Razor head fa da hills en see whatya kin find."
The group spilt off into their assigned groups before Dinobot had the chance to protest. Air Razor looked the disgusted Dinobot over with narrowed eyes.
"What?" she asked "You disapprove?"
"I prefer to work alone." Dinobot snorted as he started off "And that joke was not amusing."
"What joke?" Air Razor asked
* * * * *
Optimus slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was surrounded by bright green trees and tall swaying grass. The scent of four-o'clocks filled the air and the buzz of some insect echoed in his ears. Optimus rolled over on his back and looked up. The sun's warm rays filtered down through the leaves. Optimus closed his eyes and smiled. This was more like it. Much better than that metal cave those monsters lived in.
Suddenly the sun's rays were gone. Optimus opened his eyes to come face to face with a young female gorilla. She stared at him with narrowed eyes before she finally poked him in the rips. Optimus got up on all fours as fast as he could and barked at her to keep her distance. The she-gorilla took a few steps back and growled. She wasn't afraid of him.
Optimus growled back. She was about half his size, but she looked like she could take Optimus out with one blow. Optimus didn't want to test that theory. The two stared at each other for a moment longer before the she-gorilla snorted at him, disgusted, and walked away. Optimus' face twisted in confusion as he watched disappear around a group of trees. After a moment of two, Optimus followed her.
Rounding the corner, Optimus saw a tribe of gorillas spread out in a thick forest of bamboo and four-o'clocks. The young she-gorilla had joined a few other gorillas who were happily munching away at some bamboo stalks.
The she gorilla glanced up and spotted Optimus. She snarled at him and watched him with narrowed eyes. Optimus smiled, but he was a little too nervous to make it look authentic. He slowly made his way through the tribe, more importantly away from the she gorilla, in an attempt to find Silverback.
Two toddlers tumbled and wrestled near a thick of berry bushes. As Optimus passed them the youngest of the two bumped into his arm. Optimus stopped and looked down at the youth, who looked up into Optimus's eyes. The two stayed like that for a moment, just looking at each other, before the youth got to his feet and took a step back. He rose to his hind legs and pounded on his chest, trying to look tough, but wound up toppling over backwards. This little one had a head of wild, spiked fur, so Optimus decided to call him Spike.
As Spike got back to his feet Optimus continued his search for Silverback. Spike followed, calling for Optimus to wait up. Optimus looked back long enough to bark at Spike, telling him to go away. Spike followed anyway, chattering happily. Optimus stopped, whirled around, and snorted in Spike's face. Spike tumbled backwards laughing. He thought it was a game.
As Spike got to his feet the she-gorilla appeared and scooped him up. She growled angrily at Optimus, her eyes told him to stay away from her brother. Optimus took a step back as the she-gorilla started back to her group, Spike complaining the entire time.
Optimus was hurt and confused. Why was he being treated so poorly, like he was a stranger. Optimus sat down and looked around. Few of the gorillas paid him any heed, and those that did looked him over in distrust and fear. Optimus sighed and grabbed a bamboo stalk, breaking it in two, and began to eat.
A heavy hand grabbed Optimus' shoulder. Optimus lept to his feet with a startled yelp. He whirled around to see Silverback standing behind him, his battle scar gone. Optimus and Silverback gazed into each other's eyes, practically into each other's very being. Optimus felt as thought he had been reunited with an old friend, one he had lost contact with for years, and he didn't know what to say or where to start.
Silverback smiled and motioned for Optimus to follow him. Silverback turned and made his way through the forest slowly, his age showing with every step. He was heading towards the mountains that shadowed the forest, and Optimus followed...with Spike following his shadow.
The jungle never gave way. It clawed and gripped the mountain side, refusing to abandon its rocky face. The trees swayed in the breeze, shaking lose all sorts of fruit and leaves. Optimus paid little heed to the trees until one dropped a melon on his head. Optimus grabbed his head, grunting at the impact. The melon rolled a few feet in front of him, unharmed. Optimus growled at his bad luck and was just about to throw the melon into the forest when Spike lounged for it. He scooped up the melon, chattering happily, and raced after Silverback.
Silverback stopped and turned as Spike came up to him, proudly presenting the ancient gorilla with his prize. Silverback smiled and nodded as Spike tried to bit through the hard covering to get at the meat. Optimus approached Spike wryly. The she-gorilla was probably near by and if Optimus got to close to Spike she'd pound him. After several failed attempts to open the melon, which included banging it against a sharp rock, Spike whimpered and handed the melon to Silverback.
Silverback took the melon in his left hand and crushed it into five large pieces. Optimus was impressed. Spike was thrilled; he could have his snake! Spike gathered the five pieces together, giving the largest to Silverback and the second largest to Optimus.
Optimus sniffed at the strange fruit. The shell of the melon was as hard as stone, but the meat inside was soft. Optimus ate the meat first, following Spike and Silverback's example, then tried to eat the shell. After several attempts to bit through the thick shell Optimus gave up. He really didn't want to break any of his teeth.
Silverback took the shell of his piece between his thumb and index finger and snapped it in two with no problem. Optimus' eyes widened in amazement. Giving off a deep grunt, Silverback motioned for Optimus to follow and continued up the mountain path. Optimus threw his shell fragment into the bushes and followed after Silverback. Spike quickly finished his meal then raced after the older gorillas. The wind raced threw the trees once again, shaking lose several hard fruits.
Cheetor side stepped a falling melon and continued on with his sulk. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He couldn't believe Rhinox and Rattrap would make such terrible jokes. Or that Tigatron would stick up for them....
....or that he had just snapped at them.
There had been a instant, not too long ago but before the program block had been deleted, that Cheetor had snapped in a similar manner. Only then his weapon wasn't his words, but a practice lance.
Determined to prove to Dinobot that he was no Spark, Cheetor made it a point to train in the Practice Hall while Dinobot was using one of the smaller practice rooms for meditation. The only way in and out of these rooms was through the Hall, so there was no way Dinobot could miss seeing Cheetor practice.
But up until a while ago, Dinobot's meditations lasted longer than Cheetor's training.
Then one day, Dinobot existed the smaller training room and watched Cheetor practice. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaned against the wall and watched. Cheetor did his best, fought better than he ever had. When he was finished and asked Dinobot for his opinion the Predicon merely shock his head and said 'Amateur'.
'What?' Cheetor shouted 'That was the best drill I've ever done!'
'Well, if that is the truth, I now know why Optimus never sends you on a mission alone.' Dinobot snorted
'Hey! I can take care of myself!!' Cheetor growled 'You want proff? Come on and fight me, One-on-One!'
Dinobot narrowed his eyes and looked Cheetor over. He seemed to be measuring the young Maximal on a scale he had created, had used to judge his oppoents on the field and in the ring (facts Cheetor had just recently learned). Finally, the Pred pushed himself off the wall and started towards Cheetor
The two fought for what seemed to be forever. Every now and then Dinobot would stop fighting and yell at Cheetor for leaving an opening or for not doing an attack properly. The scolding was quickly followed by a step-by-step teaching of the move or a better defense.
How it happened, Cheetor wasn't sure, but it was during the last battle. Tired, sore, but still determined, Cheetor tapped into a power reserve he never knew he had. His anger, his frustration, his exhaustion, his determination opened a flood gate; the world went red, everything in the universe disappeared and it was only Dinobot and Cheetor on a battle field. Cheetor got a second wind. He lounged at Dinobot, letting out a battle cry seconded only by the Predicon's, and slammed his practice poll into the Pred's chest. Dinobot was sent flying. He crashed into the wall, denting it, then crumpled to the floor.
Seeing Dinobot down caused something to snap in Cheetor's conscience and the power disappeared, bottled back up and hidden. In it's place was fear, confussion and awe. Dinobot stood and approached Cheetor, a satisfied grin on his face.
'Well done.' Dinobot said as he passed Cheetor 'We'll work on your stance another time.'
It took Cheetor a while to figure out what Dinobot had done, but even then he refused to believe it. Cheetor was a berserker; a bot who could tap into an emotional power reserve for ultimate strenght, agility, and speed in battle. He was untrained, which ment the incident between himself and Dinobot was rare. Until he was trained, until he knew how to control this...power, Cheetor would only go berserk if he was pushed over the edge. Maybe he could convince Dinobot to train him.
As Cheetor mused over his memories, the wind picked up and it shock the tree branches. Several melons tumbled towards the ground, one of which quickly brought Cheetor back to reality.
"RRRROOOWWW!" Cheetor growled, shaking his head "That hurt!"
The melon that had fallen on Cheetor's head bounced along the grassy jungle floor, then rolled towards Tigatron, who stopped it with his paw.
Tigatron laughed gently "Poor Little Cat. Living on Axalon has made your head soft."
"Hey!" Cheetor said, his feelings hurt "No fair, Big Cat! You'd have done the same thing!"
"I do not doubt that," Tigatron said "were I unaware of my surroundings, as you are."
"Now, why are you melting my processor?"
"I am not melting your processor, Cheetor, I am merely teasing you."
"Yeah, well, I wish you won't."
"Have you had a chance to cool down?"
Cheetor sighed "Look, I'm sorry I snapped at everybody, okay? It's just that....they had no right to say those things!"
"Making jokes is how Rattrap and Rhinox deal with unnerving situations. They do not mean to sound bitter or cruel or sparkless, they just don't know of any other way to deal with what is going on around them."
"I guess." Cheetor shrugged
"And would you really want them any other way? Would you really want them to be realistic about this situtation, and say that they think we'll never find Optimus? or that we will but not in working order? We are the way we are for a reason. You will understand that some day, Cheetor, just give it time."
"Yeah." Cheetor sighed "I know. I'll....appologize when we get back with the other."
Tigatron nodded "Very wise, Little Cat. Now, let us look for our missing leader, but be carefull. You must be cautious and alert when in the jungle. It is a wild place, and you must be on your guard at all times. You never know what is going to~OWW!" Tigatron cringed as a melon hit him on his head. Cheetor fell over onto his side, laughing.
Tigatron grinned sheepishly "Well, that I deserved." then he added
AUTHOR'S ASIDE: In "Feral Scream" Cheetor gets a major power jult and morphs into his Transmetal Two form. The power jult's ability to change our sweet Cheetor into a monster always confused me and got me thinking. My theory (and this is ONLY my theory and probably is not held by the creators of Beast Wars) was that Cheetor must have all ready had this savage power in him. The jult released all of Cheetor's berserker abilities as a second, savage personality, which Optimus manages to tame and merge with Cheetor's dominate personality.
The following story, the personal histories of the characters, the history of Cybertron both past and future, and the briefly mentioned Valnatron are all my creation.
Special thanks goes out to Ben Yee of www.bwtf.com for the use of his "Cybertroninan Dictionary" and reviews of the episodes of Beast Wars and Beast Machines; to Gemini83 for his persistence in making sure I stayed on my schedule; to the talented voice actors who brought the characters to life and the people who worked behind the scenes to give those voices a frame to dwell in and adventures to endure.
Beast Wars: Basic Program
Chapter 6; The Student and the Master
Again the dawn broke over the hills.
Again the mist rose above the forest floor.
Again the Maximals trudged through the dense underbrush.
Cheetor had his nose pressed to the ground, trying to pick up Optimus' scent. Rattrap and Tigatron followed a few nano-klicks behind him. Dinobot, still groggy from the sedative, followed behind them with Air Razor at his side. Bringing up the rear was Rhinox. They were all in beast mode.
"Aww, man." Cheetor groaned "I'm a cat, not a dog! You want a tracker, let's wait until another protoform falls and give him the beast mode of a dog."
"What makes you so sure it will be a 'he'?" Air Razor asked
"No offense, Razor." Cheetor said, lifting his head up from the ground "I'm just saying~"
"We don't have the time to wait." Rhinox said "The next protoform to crash won't do so for another month."
"En I do NAHT wanna be leada fa dat long!" Rattrap snapped
"Then why not hand the responsibility over to one who can handle it, Vermin?" Dinobot demanded
"Cuz Rhinox all ready turned it down." Rattrap said sourly
Dinobot snarled and shock his head.
"Say, how come we're not using the scanners to find Optimus?" Cheetor asked "The energon field in this area isn't that strong, they should work just fine."
"What," Rhinox smirked "and miss this opportunity to explore our beast modes?"
"Yeah, who knows it might give us an uppa-hand 'gainst Megabutt!" Rattrap laughed
An ear shattering roar pierced the morning air as Cheetor whirled around and pounced on Rattrap, claws bared and teeth showing. He young Maximal pinned Rattrap to the ground and growled
"That was not funny!" Cheetor roared
"Wow! Hey! Cool it, Spots!" Rattrap yelled as Rhinox raced over to stop the mounting fight.
Rhinox shoved Cheetor away from Rattrap and back a few feet. The young Maximal snarled at Rhinox and snorted. Dinobot rose one brow, intrigued by Cheetor's sudden ferosity...but not surprised.
"Back down, Cheetor! What's gotten into you!!" Rhinox demanded
"Geez," Rattrap hissed, getting to his feet "what's your design flaw?"
"Optimus could be hurt," Cheetor growled "or worse!! He could have been captured by the Predicons or gone off line!! He could be in danger right now and you two are making JOKES!! You're his best friends! You've known him longer than any of us and you're making jokes!"
"We make jokes BECAUSE we know Optimus that well." Rhinox explained "They're harmless pokes at his personality, we used to do that all the time when we were Spark, and if it kills the mounting tension in a situation we'll do it now. So, just calm down and don't take everything so personally."
"Harmless?!?" Cheetor gasped "They're only harmless when the bot you're poking fun at is with you! When it's behind their back it's slander!!"
"You betta bite ya tongue while ya still have it, Kiddo." Rattrap growled
Cheetor snorted and turned away.
"We know you are worried about Optimus, Cheetor," Tigatron said "We all concerned for his well being~"
"Then this is no time to be making jokes." Cheetor snorted, turning towards Tigatron "This is serious!"
"Ya think we don' know dat?" Rattrap demanded
"You sure don't ACT like you do! You're the leader, now, you're SUPPOSED to be serious!"
"Well, since you seem ta know so much 'bout bein' a leader, Pussy-Cat, den why don't YOU take ova!!"
"ENOUGH!" Dinobot's voice rumbled through the jungle sending birds flying off in a panic.
Cheetor, Rattrap, Tigatron and Rhinox lifted their heads and looked the old warrior in the eyes. Dinobot stomped over to the bickering Maximals, disgusted, and snarled at them. Cheetor took a few steps back, remembering Dinobot's eariler threat.
"How easily you Maximals fall apart under new leadership!!" Dinobot growled "It is a miracle your program has lasted so long as rulers of Cybertron!!! Now, heed the voice of experience or fall to it's might!!" Dinobot pointed towards the dark jungle and trilled. "THAT is where we will find Optimus. Somewhere in that mass of vegetation is our leader and it is our mission to find him!! THAT is what you should be concentrating on and THAT is goal for which you should aim!!"
"Heh, dis from a Pred." Rattrap snorted
"A Predicon who knows the chain of command and who wishes it to return to normal, yes." Dinobot snorted "You said yourself that you do not wish to retain this post, so you of all bots should not be instigating a fracture in our ranks that could KEEP you in said position....which is where you will remain if Optimus goes off line. Now, put your emotion chips in neutral and focus on the mission at hand!"
"Dinobot is right." Tigatron added "Now is not the time to be fighting amongst ourselves. We must find Optimus before anything happens to him."
"I know that," Cheetor snorted "tell that to them."
"I wonder what caused Optimus to go ape." Air Razor said to herself, not having paid any attention to the argument. The others turned towards Air Razor, twisted looks of surprise and disgust on their faces.
"What?" Air Razor asked, shrugging her wings
Dinobot covered his eyes with one hand and groaned.
Tigatron chuckled and said to Rattrap "At this rate we will never find Optimus. I suggest we split up."
"Well, seein' as we've all 'ad a good helpin' a humility from, of all bots, Choppa-Face, I'm open ta suggestions. Anyone got a betta idea?"
Cheetor glared at Rattrap and started towards the forest "Like I care."
"I will go with Cheetor." Tigatron said "I will talk to him, tiger to cub."
"Jist be careful dat 'e don' bite ya head off." Rattrap said "Rhinox en I will head towards da riva, you take da Kid ta where we saw da gorillas en check it out. Choppa-Face, you en Air Razor head fa da hills en see whatya kin find."
The group spilt off into their assigned groups before Dinobot had the chance to protest. Air Razor looked the disgusted Dinobot over with narrowed eyes.
"What?" she asked "You disapprove?"
"I prefer to work alone." Dinobot snorted as he started off "And that joke was not amusing."
"What joke?" Air Razor asked
* * * * *
Optimus slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was surrounded by bright green trees and tall swaying grass. The scent of four-o'clocks filled the air and the buzz of some insect echoed in his ears. Optimus rolled over on his back and looked up. The sun's warm rays filtered down through the leaves. Optimus closed his eyes and smiled. This was more like it. Much better than that metal cave those monsters lived in.
Suddenly the sun's rays were gone. Optimus opened his eyes to come face to face with a young female gorilla. She stared at him with narrowed eyes before she finally poked him in the rips. Optimus got up on all fours as fast as he could and barked at her to keep her distance. The she-gorilla took a few steps back and growled. She wasn't afraid of him.
Optimus growled back. She was about half his size, but she looked like she could take Optimus out with one blow. Optimus didn't want to test that theory. The two stared at each other for a moment longer before the she-gorilla snorted at him, disgusted, and walked away. Optimus' face twisted in confusion as he watched disappear around a group of trees. After a moment of two, Optimus followed her.
Rounding the corner, Optimus saw a tribe of gorillas spread out in a thick forest of bamboo and four-o'clocks. The young she-gorilla had joined a few other gorillas who were happily munching away at some bamboo stalks.
The she gorilla glanced up and spotted Optimus. She snarled at him and watched him with narrowed eyes. Optimus smiled, but he was a little too nervous to make it look authentic. He slowly made his way through the tribe, more importantly away from the she gorilla, in an attempt to find Silverback.
Two toddlers tumbled and wrestled near a thick of berry bushes. As Optimus passed them the youngest of the two bumped into his arm. Optimus stopped and looked down at the youth, who looked up into Optimus's eyes. The two stayed like that for a moment, just looking at each other, before the youth got to his feet and took a step back. He rose to his hind legs and pounded on his chest, trying to look tough, but wound up toppling over backwards. This little one had a head of wild, spiked fur, so Optimus decided to call him Spike.
As Spike got back to his feet Optimus continued his search for Silverback. Spike followed, calling for Optimus to wait up. Optimus looked back long enough to bark at Spike, telling him to go away. Spike followed anyway, chattering happily. Optimus stopped, whirled around, and snorted in Spike's face. Spike tumbled backwards laughing. He thought it was a game.
As Spike got to his feet the she-gorilla appeared and scooped him up. She growled angrily at Optimus, her eyes told him to stay away from her brother. Optimus took a step back as the she-gorilla started back to her group, Spike complaining the entire time.
Optimus was hurt and confused. Why was he being treated so poorly, like he was a stranger. Optimus sat down and looked around. Few of the gorillas paid him any heed, and those that did looked him over in distrust and fear. Optimus sighed and grabbed a bamboo stalk, breaking it in two, and began to eat.
A heavy hand grabbed Optimus' shoulder. Optimus lept to his feet with a startled yelp. He whirled around to see Silverback standing behind him, his battle scar gone. Optimus and Silverback gazed into each other's eyes, practically into each other's very being. Optimus felt as thought he had been reunited with an old friend, one he had lost contact with for years, and he didn't know what to say or where to start.
Silverback smiled and motioned for Optimus to follow him. Silverback turned and made his way through the forest slowly, his age showing with every step. He was heading towards the mountains that shadowed the forest, and Optimus followed...with Spike following his shadow.
The jungle never gave way. It clawed and gripped the mountain side, refusing to abandon its rocky face. The trees swayed in the breeze, shaking lose all sorts of fruit and leaves. Optimus paid little heed to the trees until one dropped a melon on his head. Optimus grabbed his head, grunting at the impact. The melon rolled a few feet in front of him, unharmed. Optimus growled at his bad luck and was just about to throw the melon into the forest when Spike lounged for it. He scooped up the melon, chattering happily, and raced after Silverback.
Silverback stopped and turned as Spike came up to him, proudly presenting the ancient gorilla with his prize. Silverback smiled and nodded as Spike tried to bit through the hard covering to get at the meat. Optimus approached Spike wryly. The she-gorilla was probably near by and if Optimus got to close to Spike she'd pound him. After several failed attempts to open the melon, which included banging it against a sharp rock, Spike whimpered and handed the melon to Silverback.
Silverback took the melon in his left hand and crushed it into five large pieces. Optimus was impressed. Spike was thrilled; he could have his snake! Spike gathered the five pieces together, giving the largest to Silverback and the second largest to Optimus.
Optimus sniffed at the strange fruit. The shell of the melon was as hard as stone, but the meat inside was soft. Optimus ate the meat first, following Spike and Silverback's example, then tried to eat the shell. After several attempts to bit through the thick shell Optimus gave up. He really didn't want to break any of his teeth.
Silverback took the shell of his piece between his thumb and index finger and snapped it in two with no problem. Optimus' eyes widened in amazement. Giving off a deep grunt, Silverback motioned for Optimus to follow and continued up the mountain path. Optimus threw his shell fragment into the bushes and followed after Silverback. Spike quickly finished his meal then raced after the older gorillas. The wind raced threw the trees once again, shaking lose several hard fruits.
Cheetor side stepped a falling melon and continued on with his sulk. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He couldn't believe Rhinox and Rattrap would make such terrible jokes. Or that Tigatron would stick up for them....
....or that he had just snapped at them.
There had been a instant, not too long ago but before the program block had been deleted, that Cheetor had snapped in a similar manner. Only then his weapon wasn't his words, but a practice lance.
Determined to prove to Dinobot that he was no Spark, Cheetor made it a point to train in the Practice Hall while Dinobot was using one of the smaller practice rooms for meditation. The only way in and out of these rooms was through the Hall, so there was no way Dinobot could miss seeing Cheetor practice.
But up until a while ago, Dinobot's meditations lasted longer than Cheetor's training.
Then one day, Dinobot existed the smaller training room and watched Cheetor practice. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaned against the wall and watched. Cheetor did his best, fought better than he ever had. When he was finished and asked Dinobot for his opinion the Predicon merely shock his head and said 'Amateur'.
'What?' Cheetor shouted 'That was the best drill I've ever done!'
'Well, if that is the truth, I now know why Optimus never sends you on a mission alone.' Dinobot snorted
'Hey! I can take care of myself!!' Cheetor growled 'You want proff? Come on and fight me, One-on-One!'
Dinobot narrowed his eyes and looked Cheetor over. He seemed to be measuring the young Maximal on a scale he had created, had used to judge his oppoents on the field and in the ring (facts Cheetor had just recently learned). Finally, the Pred pushed himself off the wall and started towards Cheetor
The two fought for what seemed to be forever. Every now and then Dinobot would stop fighting and yell at Cheetor for leaving an opening or for not doing an attack properly. The scolding was quickly followed by a step-by-step teaching of the move or a better defense.
How it happened, Cheetor wasn't sure, but it was during the last battle. Tired, sore, but still determined, Cheetor tapped into a power reserve he never knew he had. His anger, his frustration, his exhaustion, his determination opened a flood gate; the world went red, everything in the universe disappeared and it was only Dinobot and Cheetor on a battle field. Cheetor got a second wind. He lounged at Dinobot, letting out a battle cry seconded only by the Predicon's, and slammed his practice poll into the Pred's chest. Dinobot was sent flying. He crashed into the wall, denting it, then crumpled to the floor.
Seeing Dinobot down caused something to snap in Cheetor's conscience and the power disappeared, bottled back up and hidden. In it's place was fear, confussion and awe. Dinobot stood and approached Cheetor, a satisfied grin on his face.
'Well done.' Dinobot said as he passed Cheetor 'We'll work on your stance another time.'
It took Cheetor a while to figure out what Dinobot had done, but even then he refused to believe it. Cheetor was a berserker; a bot who could tap into an emotional power reserve for ultimate strenght, agility, and speed in battle. He was untrained, which ment the incident between himself and Dinobot was rare. Until he was trained, until he knew how to control this...power, Cheetor would only go berserk if he was pushed over the edge. Maybe he could convince Dinobot to train him.
As Cheetor mused over his memories, the wind picked up and it shock the tree branches. Several melons tumbled towards the ground, one of which quickly brought Cheetor back to reality.
"RRRROOOWWW!" Cheetor growled, shaking his head "That hurt!"
The melon that had fallen on Cheetor's head bounced along the grassy jungle floor, then rolled towards Tigatron, who stopped it with his paw.
Tigatron laughed gently "Poor Little Cat. Living on Axalon has made your head soft."
"Hey!" Cheetor said, his feelings hurt "No fair, Big Cat! You'd have done the same thing!"
"I do not doubt that," Tigatron said "were I unaware of my surroundings, as you are."
"Now, why are you melting my processor?"
"I am not melting your processor, Cheetor, I am merely teasing you."
"Yeah, well, I wish you won't."
"Have you had a chance to cool down?"
Cheetor sighed "Look, I'm sorry I snapped at everybody, okay? It's just that....they had no right to say those things!"
"Making jokes is how Rattrap and Rhinox deal with unnerving situations. They do not mean to sound bitter or cruel or sparkless, they just don't know of any other way to deal with what is going on around them."
"I guess." Cheetor shrugged
"And would you really want them any other way? Would you really want them to be realistic about this situtation, and say that they think we'll never find Optimus? or that we will but not in working order? We are the way we are for a reason. You will understand that some day, Cheetor, just give it time."
"Yeah." Cheetor sighed "I know. I'll....appologize when we get back with the other."
Tigatron nodded "Very wise, Little Cat. Now, let us look for our missing leader, but be carefull. You must be cautious and alert when in the jungle. It is a wild place, and you must be on your guard at all times. You never know what is going to~OWW!" Tigatron cringed as a melon hit him on his head. Cheetor fell over onto his side, laughing.
Tigatron grinned sheepishly "Well, that I deserved." then he added
AUTHOR'S ASIDE: In "Feral Scream" Cheetor gets a major power jult and morphs into his Transmetal Two form. The power jult's ability to change our sweet Cheetor into a monster always confused me and got me thinking. My theory (and this is ONLY my theory and probably is not held by the creators of Beast Wars) was that Cheetor must have all ready had this savage power in him. The jult released all of Cheetor's berserker abilities as a second, savage personality, which Optimus manages to tame and merge with Cheetor's dominate personality.