Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 6

Enemy

by Switchblade X

Soundlessly, a black wolf of unnatural proportions stalked through the forest, breathing in the clean, crisp scent of the early morning world. The sun hadn't even begun to rise just yet; this was one of her favorite times of day.

The birds were just beginning to sing as she passed by. She smiled, feeling the dew sink through the fur of her paws and touch the skin beneath. Mornings like this were one of the finer things in life.

A sparrow landed on her head. For a moment, she wondered what it was doing, but then she heard other sparrows chirping nearby. This was a dare, a game that the young birds played to see who was the bravest. They also did this when a car was coming, but that was in the future; right now, all they had to settle for was her.

This was perfectly fine with her as long as the sparrow didn't pull out her fur or leave her a nasty little present.

Soon, another sparrow landed on her shoulder, and then another, and another. She now had one bird between her ears and three on her shoulders. Again, this was okay with her as long as there was no funny business.

The quartet of sparrows hitched a ride for quite a while, and then decided to head back home. In a way, she wished she could turn into a sparrow and follow them; she, too was a long way from home.

Home. A place several billion light-years and one inter-dimensional jump away from here. …Well, in all honesty, she didn't have a home. Her home had been literally ripped apart a long time ago, and the Axalon was definitely not what she would qualify as "home". She only had Dinobot now; he was the one thing she always returned to, no matter how far away she had gone. So, in a way, he was her home.

"You look miserable."

She looked up to see Cheetor landing. "I was just thinking."

"Looks like your 'thoughts' were pretty deep." He fell into step with her, watching her warily. Cheetor had always heard that half-breeds were far more dangerous than full bloods, and Shadow Stalker had proven that several times, so he was naturally a little leery.

"…Look, about the other day…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"Ah, it's okay."

"No. No, it's not okay." She sighed, "I don't mean to be a bitch. I really don't. But, I have this temper that's becoming increasingly difficult to control… I had no right to say to you what I did. So, I apologize. I was out of line."

"Hey, it's okay. Everybody has bad days."

"No, it's not okay. I have entirely too many bad days, and I don't need to be taking it out on everyone else."

He paused for a while, sensing that he needed to change the subject. "…So, uh, you 'n Rattrap used to be buddies, huh?"

"Used to be."

"What was he like as a kid?"

"If you can believe it, he was rather shy and withdrawn. I think that came partly from the way certain other children treated him."

"What do you mean?"

"The local bullies used to pick on Rattrap almost exclusively."

"What'd they do to him?"

"Ah, you know, the usual bully stuff; stealing his lunch money, picking on him because he was short, making his life a living hell, the usual. I finally got fed up with it, and began beating the shit out of anyone who bugged him. After a while, though, I had no choice but to teach him how to fight. Rattrap used to be really wimpy. …I taught him everything he knows."

"I don't get it; you an' ol' Ratface don't fight anything alike."

"I taught him everything he knows. I didn't teach him everything I know."

He nodded, "Ooooh."

She then decided to ask the question that had come to her when he had first spoken to her. "What're you doin' out here this early, anyway? Ordinarily, you wouldn't have even rolled over yet."

He shrugged, "I was bored."

"Bored, eh? Y'know, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were out here looking for me."

"What gave you that idea?"

She stopped, and looked at him. Her gaze was not a friendly one. "Cheetor, it is six-thirty in the morning. Ordinarily you would still be asleep. You said you were bored, so you decided to take a little fly. And you just happened to follow my patrol route? I don't think so. What gives, kid?"

Cheetor was cornered, and he knew it. He sighed, "Okay, so I did follow you out here."

"Might I inquire as to why?"

"I…I want to know what happened between you and Silverbolt last night."

"We talked."

"That's what he said. But, something tells me that he only told half of the story. I want the other half. What happened last night, Shadow Stalker?"

She stared at him in disbelief for a long moment. "Are you insinuating that I am having an affair with Silverbolt?"

"No."

"Liar."

He shifted uncomfortably, "All right, then. Yes. Yes, I am."

"I can't believe this! I spend half an hour talking to Silverbolt, and all of a sudden, everyone thinks we're having an affair?! Who the bloody hell thought that shit up?"

"I did. I haven't told anyone else, though. I wanted to get the story from you first."

"What do you take me for, a slut?! I would die a billion horrible deaths in the deepest pit of hell before I ever even thought about cheating on Dinobot! I can't believe you thought that I was messing around with Silverbolt!" She shook her head, trying to control her anger. Needless to say, it wasn't working too well. "I'm not a slut, Cheetor. I would never ever do anything like that. I am very much hurt by your accusations." she said, before breaking into a run and disappearing into the shadows.

"Wait!" he called, but it was too late. So, he took to the sky, hoping to spot her from there, but he had no such luck. Shadow Stalker was gone.

................................................................................................................................................

Tarantulas followed the black wolf as she zipped through the forest. If his sources were correct, this was Shadow Stalker, the female that Megatron had scratched from the mission at the last possible minute. If he was lucky, maybe he could convince her to rejoin the Predacons. If not, she would also make a nice throw rug.

Megatron was a fool to eliminate her from the mission. he thought. Look at her! She's magnificent! With speed and agility like that, she would prove to be a major asset! Not to mention her electro-disrupter! …Hmmm… Convincing her to defect would be hard, though. If it weren't for that blasted Dinobot, I might have a chance. We shall see, though… He got ahead of her and dropped out of a tree, transforming as he fell.

Shadow Stalker began skidding to a halt, transformed, and had her gun cocked and aimed before she ever came to a complete stop.

Tarantulas raised his claws, "I mean you no harm."

She snorted, "Yeah, right. And I'm gonna sprout wings out my ass and fly away. What the hell do you want, Tarantulas?"

"I wish to talk."

"About?"

"Eh, perhaps this would be easier if you were to put your weapon away."

"Uh-uh. I've learned to never trust a spider."

"So true." He sighed, "Well if you must have it your way… My comrades and I have been talking. We want you back. We realize the folly of Megatron's decision to cut you from the team, and we are willing to accept you back into the fold, regardless of what our 'leader' says."

She was silent for a long time, thinking, calculating, weighing the positive with the negative. However, her steely gaze never left the Predacon tarantula, nor did the aim of her pistol. After several more moments of debating, she finally asked, "Can Dinobot come, too?"

He shook his head, "No. There is no place in our ranks for the likes of him. If you come, you come alone."

"Then my answer is no. Wherever Dinobot goes, I go. And if he can't come with me back to the Predacons, then I'm not interested. Megatron is my enemy, now. As are you and the rest of the team."

Tarantulas sighed, "Oh, now that is a pity. We were so looking forward to your triumphant return. But, if that's your decision, then there's nothing I can do about it." He turned, looking like he was leaving the area, "I hate for it to end like this, Shadow Stalker. But, you give me no choice." He spun around to face her, and opened fire.

Author's Note; Yes, yes, I know; I updated twice in one day. It's Saturday, I'm skipping the family reunion (gag!), and I am on SUCH a sugar high! Mwahahahahahehehehehehehahahahahaha!!!! More to come!