A/N: I absolutely love this story, and since it's new, here's another chappie for my lovelies!

(Meaning meh dear readars...)

Also, last chapter, a year and a half passed when it said, 'months pass', just to be clear, and there will be no humans in this FF. Sorry to disappoint! (I never really liked any of them, and I thought Jack was ugly, Miko was annoying, and Raf just didn't seem to serve the plot any. Sorry if you don't like this!)

~*O*~-~*O*~

Darkflame's P.O.V.

I roared angrily, smashing my tail against the wall, ignoring the red medic as he tried to weld the large gash over my optic.

"Those Autobots! They knew I was weakened outside my radius! Those sick fraggers!... "

I raged, digging gouges into the walls and floors, smashing my tail against anything close by.

The medic, Knock-Out was shouting, waving his welder about, but I simply ignored the smaller Cybertronian.

"Alright, you foolish beast! Destroy one more thing of mine and you'll pay!"

My tail came crashing down on a table, denting it deeply down the middle.

"What did I just tell you?! Don't make me get Starscream!"

I crunched up a medical tool, ignoring the medic's screech of horror.

"Fine! Megatron, then?"

I stopped, glaring and hissing. "It's about time you settled down from your tantrum you big sparkling!"

"I am not a big sparkling!"

"Yes, you're a sparkling, now get over it, I gotta weld this shut and clean up the mess you made."

Grumbling, I sat down, letting Knock-Out weld the gash shut. "I'll see if I can get Shockwave to expand the radius, that way I won't have to deal with another tantrum."

I growled, only to be smacked on the helm with the welder. "Quiet! You're making me turn into Ratchet! That deplorable Autobot medic... Leave!"

I walked from the room, heading for the outdoor room I was supposed to sleep in from now on. At least my radius will be extended...

Megatron stalked suddenly toward me, an angry look in his optics. I steeled myself. Show no fear... show no fear... It's nothing, he probably is mad at Predaking...

"You, beast!"

It is me... Xineohp, help me!

"You should have not allowed the Autobots to fool you like that!"

He pulled a chain from his subspace, the links clinking a warning of what was to come. Show no fear, show no fear, SHOW NO FEAR!

The first chain whistled through the air, wrapping around my neck. I whined, and he yanked me off balance. I grabbed the next lash, dropping it on the ground.

Big mistake.

He aimed for the tender, less armored spots, peds, servos, faceplates, tail, underframe.

The Energon made the floor slick, causing me to slip when I tried to stand. Megatron kept his footing, lashing me over and over with the chains.

I fell mercifully into stasis.

~*O*~-~*O*~

"You are not very bright. Getting a beating like that for the second time? Well, the good news is, your radius is extended."

I woke to Knock-out's babble, and pain. Great, hot pain like before.

Why does he enjoy other creature's pain so?

"That's the second time some of your armor was destroyed as well. You've got to be more careful. Blame it on someone else if you can."

Moaning softly, I raised my helm weakly, then let it flop back down. I was in my kennel, with Knock-out's instruments lining the one wall.

"Okay, done here for now, just stay off your peds and you should be fine until next-You're a Predacon, you couldn't possibly understand me!"

Once he left, I raised myself slowly onto my peds. The beating was not as bad as last time, but that did not mean it did not hurt.

"Someday, Megatron, someday." I moved out of the puddle of Energon that I had lain in, eating the Energon crystal that had been left for me, then lay in the corner.

Maybe the Autobots would be better...

~*O*~-~*O*~

"Lord Megatron," Shockwave said, turning to his leader. "It is advisable that you cease beating the female Predacon. Weakening her before battle is not a logical plan."

"It does not have the slave coding the male Predacon does, so she must learn who's master around here. Besides, I cannot have it making mistakes on the battle field. Prehaps a few scars would remind it."

"As you wish, Master Megatron."

~*O*~-~*O*~

Two months pass

~*O*~-~*O*~

My wounds were mostly healed, my armor repaired, and the Energon stain on the deck where I had been beaten was still there.

Nothing could wash it away.

Just as nothing could wash away the scars on my frame and my spark.

I no longer went flying with Predaking, and he didn't seem to pleased with that idea. He would ask me at least once a day, but I would decline, going to sit quietly in a corner or my kennel, where my Energon stained the floor there as well.

I wanted nothing but freedom, and to stay out of Megatron's reach.

And, Predaking went to drastic measures to take me flying.

He threw my dinner off the side, but only was punished by his meal taken away and given to me. When that did not work, he tried pushing me off, but I was too far from the edge, and though he was bigger, I dug my serrated claws in and would not move.

So he left me alone, save for asking once a day to fly.

Then, one day, he almost convinced me. It was a particularly windy day, and the wind felt good, so I was standing on the deck.

"Come fly, Darkflame?"

"I-I don't know..."

"Please?"

I was startled. Predaking never asked politely for something before.

"M-Maybe..."

I stood at the edge, looking down. I just didn't feel like it. "No tha-AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Predaking pushed me off!

I free-fell for a moment before I remembered my wings, snapping them open and flapping hard.

"I guess I did need to fly, Predaking!" I roared, dipping and spinning. Ah, this felt so good!

He just grinned, mimicking me.

~*O*~-~*O*~

As I tried to recharge that night, I thought back over the past year and a half.

Four chain beatings, courtesy of Megatron of course, and a few days without Energon. Life here was hard, and the only ones that weren't mean to me constantly, was Predaking, Knock-Out, and Soundwave.

Would the Autobots be any different? I wondered, slipping from my kennel to look at the night sky.

Deep in the shadows, I stared up at the tiny, twinkling lights. Xineohp, please, save me! Anyone, anything!

I was interrupted by the noise of a space bridge. Knock-out crept inside, and I followed the second he disappeared.

The bridge shut behind me quickly, and we were transported just below the Nemesis. "Yieeieee!" Knock-Out nearly shrieked when he saw me behind him. "What are you doing here, beast? Go! Go back to your berth! Go sleep with Predaking for all I care!" I hissed at his words.

"What are you doing out here, medic?"

"Go! Don't growl at me! I'm the one who takes care of you!"

I huffed, then flew up towards the Nemesis.

I kept a optic on Knock-Out, and the second he transformed and drove off, I followed. Winging silently overhead, Knock-Out drove quickly into a small cove. The top was covered in vines and trees, and no overhead bots or satellites could see anything.

I landed, folding my wings away and sneaking to the entrance.

"Hello?" Knock-Out was standing in the middle of the clearing, moonlight filtering through the tiny cracks of the foliage overhelm.

I heard a faint, rasping noise, peds against grass. A bot stepped out behind Knock-Out, approaching him slowly.

Should I warn him? I waited.

Knock-Out suddenly turned, spying the bot. "Nightsteel!" They hugged, and I turned my furnace down.

Not an enemy.

"I was hoping you'd come! Sending you that message was risky." Knock-Out was saying, still holding on to the bot.

The wind shifted just then, bringing me the bot's scent. Femme, Autobot! I held back a hiss. No wonder Knock-Out sometimes smells differently!

I slunk into the clearing, creeping up behind the kissing pair.

I snorted a hot breath onto the femme, and she gasped, freezing. "K-KO?!" They whirled at my growl, and I bared my denta at the femme.

"Slagging Autobot! And you, Knock-Out!" I reached for the femme, but Knock-Out stood in my way.

"No! Bad Predacon! Bad! My femme! MINE!"

I snarled, my furnace heating up with a whine. An answering whine from behind Knock-Out made me look. The femme Nightsteel was pointing a large gun at my helm. "Back off, beast!" She snarled, and I returned it.

"Listen here, Predacon! We aren't harming anybot, so just go!" I could smell Knock-Out's rising fear, and hissed, crouching low.

"N-Nightsteel, I don't think the gun's helping. Please, p-put it away?" Knock-Out said, reaching one servo out towards me.

"Seriously?!" The gun did, however, go into her subspace.

I lashed my tail, and discontinued with the hissing. "There, there, it's all right..." I growled.

"I am no sparkling that you must comfort! Back away! I shall return to my berth."

I towered over the two, then stalked from the clearing, flying away. If one would like to risk his aft for a mere femme, so be it. It shall not be my problem.

~*O*~-~*O*~

I stared at Knock-Out as he crossed the large deck, keeping my optics on him the whole way. He sensed my stare, and looked at me uncomfortably, then hurried on.

I snorted satisfactorily, wrapping my spiked tail tightly around my faceplates. The spikes on my tail folded back, keeping them from impaling my helm. (Like a Deadly Nadder's, if ya know what I mean)

From over the top of my tail I watched the world go by, orange optics not missing a thing.

Predaking was sleeping as well on the other side, but he soon woke, watching over the edge of the cloaked ship as we flew over farmland.

"Go practice your mauling upon something, you're in the way!" Starscream said, waving his skinny servo at Predaking.

Predaking roared in reply, snapping at the mech before taking flight. I followed him.

Predaking was heading for a group of farm houses, looking for something he was allowed to kill to work off steam at Starscream. He landed, roasting a whole herd of black-and-white organics in one breath. The rest ran bawling in terror.

The organics that took care of the black-and-white ones ran out of their home, yelling. But when they saw Predaking, their yelling turned to shrieks and they ran back for the safety of their homes.

Which Predaking promptly smashed.

Their fields burning, their organics dead or nearly so, and their homes destroyed, I felt like destroying something myself.

Predaking.

I hurtled into him, roaring loudly.

"How DARE you attack something smaller and weaker than you! Shame!" I hit him over the head with my tail, spikes still folded.

"You dare hit PREDAKING, KING OF THE PREDACONS?!" He replied, lashing back at me.

"Yes! No king goes around killing innocents, especially smaller and weaker ones! At least no a STRONG king!"

Predaking's tail smashed into my faceplates, and Energon leaked out of my mouth. I roared furiously, carefully watching that I did not destroy too much of the organic's items.

My tail spikes shot open, and I stabbed Predaking's ped. He roared, I hissed, acid bubbling in my maw.

"I am king! And you will obey me!"

"You are king of nobot! Not when you treat smaller ones like so!"

I ducked under his slashing claws, leaping up into his underframe and knocking him down. "Return to the Nemesis, and cease and desist of this petty destruction!"

Predaking roared at me, sullenly flapping into the air. "I will destroy something of greater size and strength, if you'd like. YOU!"

He dove at me, plowing me into the organic filth. My chassis dented in painfully, blocking off my flame-ducts so I could not blast fire.

I pushed him off, standing slowly. "At least let us take our fight to another location!"

"Why? So you can escape to the Nemesis?"

"Of course not!"

I had to cut myself off as I ducked under his flames.

My tail swung through the air, scraping along his sides. We snarled at each other, and I leaped, landing on his back between his wings.

He couldn't blast fire onto me because of his wings, but he could roll, and he did, but before he knocked me off, I scored several good clawings in, and a big bite on the back of his helm.

My wings were safely folded up in my back.

My wings.

I suddenly flung them out, the razor-sharp edges on them gleaming in the weak sunlight. As Predaking charged, I flapped into the air, slicing his wings with my own.

Not wanting to do permament damage to my only surviving kin, I did not spray acid upon his exposed back like I would have normaly done.

"Wait! Predaking, think. Would you really like to kill your only kin?" I folded my wings away as I said so.

He hesitated, flames licking out of the corners of his gaping maw. "Prehaps not, but it is fun to fight an equal oppent."

"How about this. No more killing innocent weakling organics, and I will spar with you whenever you like, provided it is in a reasonable hour."

He thought, the flames slowly dying down. "I will agree."

He flew away, and I slowly layed down, Energon seeping from my various wounds.

The organics were hiding in the forest, but a few brave ones ventured out, leaving behind their shocked kin.

The largest one spoke, but I did not understand. I was pretty sure he was thanking me though.

I nodded in reply, standing slowly and unfolding my wings.

"You have my protection, small organics."

They looked startled, as if they understood me, but I knew they couldn't have, so I took flight, heading for the Nemesis and a meal.

~*O*~-~*O*~

:Breaking News: A farmer says a dragon defended his farm and his neighbors, from another dragon:

"It was a peaceful day, when all a sudden this great big red and yellow dragon thing lands in the middle of my farmyard! I didn't see what it was at first, all's I saw out the winder was fire burnin' up my cows! So's I ran outside to stop it when I saw it was a dragon! A great, fire breathin' dragon! My family had come on out with me, and when I saw what it was, I said, "Y'all head to the basement!" But that dragon there smashed our home! *Camera pans to destroyed farmhouse* And so's we were all thinkin', we're gonna die here, and then this red and black one comes swoopin' done and saves us! And they fought somethin' turrible, and they's was leakin' this blue blood all over the place! And the strungest thing wus, they seemed ta' be talkin' to each other, then the first one flys off, and the red and black one just kinda falls down, and so me 'n the neighbor boys, we come over ta say our thanks, and it nods and is gonna fly away, then it says, "You have my protecytion, small organics," then just flys off and disappears inta thin air!"

The reporter looks astonished, and then begins talking. "There you have it folks! Straight from the horse's mouth! No pun intended, hehe... So what about this, 'blue blood'?"

The reporter bends over it, hand extended toward the large puddle.

"Ahah! Don't touch it, it burns ya somethin' aweful!" The farmer warned.

Ratchet turned the screen off, and turned to Optimus. "Optimus, that sounded an aweful lot like the Predacons! But what were they doing, fighting?"

Optimus narrowed his optics. "Do we have any sattellite feeds from that area?"

"Hmmm, one. Here." Ratchet put the picture up onto the screen. It depicted the Predacons from overhelm, the new red-and-black one crouched in front of a small group of humans.

The older red-yellow one had a ped raised, about to slash down at the crouching one.

"Maybe there's more to these Predacons then meets the optic, old friend."

~*O*~-~*O*~

A/N: Whadya think? To OOC in some places?

Anyhoo, I think I'm getting pretty good at this long chapter thing... hehe, the last chapter was 3,409 words long! That's a record so far for me!