Chapter 9
The Lunar Queen
…two long months passed…
Although it was nothing short of an eventful two months. After getting over the initial fear and awkwardness of the situation, Orb Weaver began to adjust to her new living conditions and it took a surprisingly short amount of time for her to develop a strong friendship with both Moonrise and Freefall. And she was a good influence on two, trying as hard as she could to keep both of the human girls out of trouble, (And out of the way of Knockout who she avoided like the plague…) of course it was easier said than done, since trouble had practically become Moonrise's middle name since she and Laserbeak had become inseparable. Still Weaver tried her best, as to her it was a small way to repay Songbird for all the kindness she was showing her… especially since kindness was not something that Weaver was used too. But as time continued on Weaver was able to indulge one of her favorite hobbies, reading. The teenage techno-organic would devour any information that she could get her servos on and she was always first in line to request stories from the Predacon femme.
Of course the teen was not the only one enthralled by the tales that the gryphonformer's words weaved… Songbird's popularity amongst the Vehicons and Eradicons had soared, primarily due to the fact that she actually gave a damn about them. Whenever she found herself fighting alongside them in a battle with the Autobot's she always did everything she possibly could to protect them. Even at the cost of her own well-being. Her actions led them to adore and trust her completely; not to mention that she continued to tell them stories as or sing to them every night. Hell, even the Insecticons began to converge on her room in order to enjoy the evening activities. Needless to say this had led to an unforeseen problem; namely it led to one very overcrowded room and one completely packed hallway. Megatron was not happy when he found this out and demanded that the nightly visits stop immediately… Since they just could not have all of the troops convening in one spot on the ship. This was not a popular move… not with the troops and definitely not with Songbird. So she came up with a simple remedy to the problem, rather than have everyone come to her room at night she would go to them. So from then on every night Songbird would go to the barracks and things continued on with no further issues in regards to the subject.
Although there had still been plenty of issues…
Like the time that Starscream found himself the subject of Songbird's prophetic abilities…
Naturally the Seeker wasn't happy. He wasn't happy that the Predacon's were still there, he wasn't happy with the fact that the gryphon's human brat and Soundwave's little pet drone were making his life a living Pit, he wasn't happy that he was competing with Shockwave for Lord Megatron's favor and he was definitely not happy that the Vehicons were so fragging cheerful! Everywhere he went he could hear the usually quiet submissive peons chatting with one another about the dumbest things, either talking about one of the damnable Predacons stories or her predictions… or Primus help him if they were singing! Since there wasn't a single one amongst them that could carry a tune! Overall it seemed that everything just managed to irritate him more and more. It was a shame that he had been so focused on his inner misery that he failed to look where he was going and he ended up walking straight into Songbird just as she rounded a bend in the hallway. He indignantly fell on his aft…
"Grrrr! Watch where you're going you stupid beast!" He snarled angrily at her as he stood up and brushed himself off.
Songbird narrowed her optics at him. "Well, aren't you in a bad mood… as usual." She grunted coldly. Much like Pedaking she had developed an immense disliking for the Seeker, however unlike P.K. Songbird was making an attempt to see some good in him. Not because he deserved it because he didn't, not in the slightest… The only reason she was doing it was because Steve was very much in love with him. Songbird couldn't understand it to save her life and she had told Steve outright that he could do so much better. But the little Vehicon had just shook his head and said that there was something inside of the Decepticon Second in Command… Something special and rare; something good. And for his sake and his sake alone Songbird had resisted any and all urges to pummel the little jet into the ground and was trying very hard to see what it was that Steve saw. But it was difficult… SOOO difficult…
"Just get out of my way!" Starscream growled as he shoved past her and went to continue on his way.
"You know, maybe you'd be less miserable if you stopped being such an obnoxious little bastard." Song said darkly. This did get the Seeker to pause before turning around to face her, his optics blazing with growing anger and frustration.
"I would be less miserable if you and your fellow Predacon monstrosity dropped dead! Along with Airachnids unholy spawn and your annoying pet humans!" Well, that did it… without even consciously acknowledging it Songbird lashed out and pinned Starscream to the wall with her sharp talons before screeching loudly in his face which unsurprisingly made him start screaming in panic, afraid that the beast was going to kill him!
"Why do you keep trying my patience?! I have given you more chances than you deserve to show me that there's something redeemable about you! Well no more, let's see just where your fate lies…" And with this she drew one of her tarot cards from her satchel. Praying that when she would use her fortunetelling talent to look inside the sniveling mech's soul she would see that Steve was wrong and that there was nothing redeeming, nothing worth saving. "A flip of the card… will now determine whether I let you go or reduce you to ashes…" Just after saying that she looked at the image; but whatever it was that she saw reflected on that card stopped her cold. And after what felt like an eternity to Starscream she released her grip on him allowing him to slide down the wall and onto the ground. But he couldn't run the matter how much he wanted to because Songbird was still blocking his way. Song remained still before she fixed her sapphire optics on him, only the emotion reflected in them was… almost fearful.
"Three swords… You are in danger Starscream. Terrible danger." It must've been something pretty bad for her anger at the Seeker to dissipate as quickly as it did. She may have been ready to tear his head off mere seconds ago, but she got a glimpse of something… She wasn't completely sure just what it was, but she knew that it was so terrible that even a complete jerk like Starscream didn't deserve it.
"A-Are you trying to scare me?!"
"No I'm not. It's a shadow that looms over your future… Somebody means you harm." She explained whilst putting the tarot card back in her satchel with the rest of her deck. "It was a quick vision, but what I saw of your future is that it is dark and it is silent… Take it however you will, but it would appear that there is someone else who hates you a lot more than I do. Maybe you should take this as a wake-up call and get your act together? Just saying… if you ever find yourself in a situation half as bad as whatever I just foresaw will there be anyone around who is willing to help you?" And with that Songbird turned and went on her way leaving Starscream alone… From that day forward the Seeker made a conscious effort to completely avoid both Predacons. Not only that, it would seem he became sort of paranoid. Always looking over his shoulder and taking extra-long flights on his free time. The logic in this being that no one could catch him or hurt him while he was airborne.
But on a more positive subject Predaking couldn't have been more pleased with Starscream trying to stay as far away from him as possible. In fact the dragonformer found himself considerably happier than he had been in a long time. It would seem that with each passing day his friendship with Songbird grew stronger and over time the two became almost constant companions. This turn of events couldn't have pleased Moonrise more and Predaking had to admit it was hard not to get attached to that child. Freefall had taken quite a bit longer to warm up to him, her cautious nature was understandable especially when Songbird told him some of the stories about what the young girl had experienced prior to coming into her care. But with time and patience Freefall also began to come around, even if she was yet to fully trust him. (This was relieving in a way, because it meant that Predaking didn't need to worry about getting another spear in his optic... or at least he hoped he didn't have to worry about that anymore…) Orb Weaver had initially been wary of him since he was obviously so much bigger and stronger than she was and her prior interactions with other Cybertronians had been crappy at best, but since arriving Predaking had been nice to her so she was quick to befriend him… in Predaking's opinion she was a sweet kid, if not somewhat of a scatterbrain. Yes, things had been going well and with much persuasion Predaking even managed to convince Songbird to try her servo at transforming…
…and that was one thing that did not go over well at all…
At first it just seemed that she was having difficulty beginning her transformation, as some of her plating would shift around as though it was trying to transform but it would always halt barely after it began. Predaking hadn't been too surprised by this, it had taken him some time to master transforming himself. But over time it became more and more apparent that this wasn't just trouble, there was something very wrong… It was starting to appear that Songbird physically could not transform at all! It was a troubling discovery and Predaking went to the only individual he could think of who might be able to help… his creator, Shockwave. The one-eyed mech offered his help, but he would need to examine Songbird in order to properly diagnose the problem.
Songbird refused outright. She did not trust the scientist one bit, but Predaking persisted in trying to get her to allow Shockwave to examine her. Since it would only take a minute and it was meant to help her in the long run… Finally she reluctantly agreed… Shockwave did some basic scans of her imposing frame, took some small scrapings from her body before determining that he also needed to draw a sample of her energon. The second he approached her with a large needle she shot upright, turned around and kicked out with her back legs slamming him into the wall. And after that she proceeded to storm out of the Med Bay, which was where Shockwave had chosen to give the examination… She bolted through the hallways before reaching the flight deck and once she was there she proceeded to vent deeply, trying hard to resist the urge to purge her tanks.
Not only was she agitated by being poked and prodded by the Cyclops, but it had also been her first trip to the Med Bay and the place had reeked of a long dead and rusting corpse…
And she was also pretty pissed at Predaking for dragging her down there in the first place. So pissed in fact that she hadn't spoken to him since the event occurred three days prior. Which brings the timeline up to the currently situation, namely Predaking stalking through the Nemesis's halls in search of Songbird. Even though he fully intended to apologize to her… he simply could not fathom why she hated Shockwave so. He had been their Creator after all. But putting that aside he had a pretty good idea of where she would be at this moment, which is why he was heading to the Vehicon barracks. By the time he stood outside the door he could already hear her siren like voice singing a song that he had never heard before. Which was really no surprise there since he hadn't heard any songs at all prior to knowing the gryphon femme. Still he opened the door only to see many of the Vehicons sitting back listening and enjoying the melody.
Merrily we sailed along
Though the waves were plenty strong
Down the twisting river Rhine
Following a song.
Legend's faded storyline
Tried to warn us all
Oh, they called her, "Loreley"
Careful or you'll fall.
Oh, the stories we were told
Quite a vision to behold
Mysteries of the seas
In her eyes of gold.
Laying on the silver stone
Such a lonely sight
Barnacles become a throne
My poor Loreley…
And the winds would cry
And many men would die
And all the waves would bow down
To the Loreley.
And the winds would cry
And many men would die
And all the waves would bow down
To the Loreley.
You would not believe your eyes
How a voice could hypnotize
Promises are only lies
From Loreley.
In a shade of mossy green
Seashell in her hand
She was born the River Queen
Ne'er to grace the land…
And the winds would cry
And many men would die
And all the waves would bow down
To the Loreley.
And the winds would cry
And many men would die
And all the waves would bow down
To the Loreley.
Oh, the song of Loreley
Charms the moon right from the sky
She will get inside your mind
Lovely Loreley.
When she cries, "Be with me
until the end of time"
You know you will ever be
With your Loreley…
And the winds would cry
And many men would die
And all the waves would bow down
To the Loreley.
And the winds would cry
And many men would die
And all the waves would bow down
To the Loreley.
And the winds would cry
And many men would die
And all the waves would bow down
To the Loreley.
And the winds would cry
And many men would die
And all the waves would bow down
To the Loreley.
Immediately when the song ended the Vehicons burst into applause and many of them cheered. Oh how good it was have someone who actually cared about their well-being and their happiness and they would happily show their gratitude in any way should the Predacon femme ask. Predaking also applauded noting how Songbird moved and how she smiled at them. From what he had learned about Song he knew that she didn't really care about the praise she received, what mattered to her was that she could make others happy. That was the real reward for her…
"You know, that song is based on fact." Songbird explained whilst stretching out her wings slightly and adjusting the position she was standing in. "Loreley's voice truly does have the power to hypnotize all who hear it. She makes me sound like a yowling cat in comparison." This got some surprised whispers from the Vehicons who had been listening to her.
"You've actually met the Loreley? She's real?" One of them asked.
"Yes I have, but she does not always go by the name of Loreley. She has many names." Song chuckled while taking note of Predaking's presence in the back of the room.
"Does she really have golden eyes? I thought humans don't have gold eyes?" Another Vehicon inquired particularly curious about that tidbit of information.
"Humans don't have golden eyes and neither does Loreley. Her eyes are actually purple, a deep amethyst color." The gryphon said just before something happened. Without any obvious reason, her Predacon symbol began to glow seemingly on its own accord and the crescent moon and wing emblems that had appeared when Songbird had first healed Orb Weaver reappeared. Song also noticed this and she seemed quite surprised but not overly alarmed. And after a moment she returned her attention to the Vehicons who were still staring awestruck at what they had seen. "Sorry to cut this evening short but it would appear that I have somewhere to go. See you all tomorrow night." She explained quickly before heading to the door and passing Predaking without giving him as much as a glance. Of course the dragonformer quickly followed after her as he still needed to speak with her…
"Song we need to talk." He said as he managed to catch up with her. But Songbird didn't lose stride as she continued hurrying through the warships winding corridors.
"Later P.K, something important has come up." She muttered not even looking back at him. "I promise we'll talk when I get back. Could you please tell Orb Weaver to watch my girls? I'll be back in a few hours."
"What is going on? Is something wrong?" Predaking asked suddenly getting worried about what was going on.
"Nothing is wrong Predaking, I just have somewhere I need to go." No sooner did the words leave her mouth did she bolt as fast as she could away from him. She raced out onto the flight deck and took to the air, silently disappearing into the night sky.
Predaking growled in annoyance before turning around and going to inform Orb Weaver of her current duty…
...like he was really going to let her go off like that without him…
It took him nearly two hours, but he eventually managed to track Songbird back to an area that bordered her original territory. Predaking couldn't imagine why she was suddenly compelled to return to this area but he was intending to find out. Following her scent led him to the side of a mountain that would have been situated about fifty miles from Songbird's original lair. Predaking slowly circled the area figuring that there must be some sort way inside. Only after a great deal of looking did he eventually find an entranceway into the mountainside and it was there that he caught another whiff of Songs scent; without giving it much of a thought the massive dragon slipped inside. He immediately entered a long tunnel that he could walk comfortably in while in his beast form. The further down this passageway he walked the more he became aware of the soft, pulsing, bluish light that was steadily illuminating the walls. He also began to hear voices, one he could make out to be Songbirds but he did not know the other. Finally the tunnel ended and Predaking stepped into a massive cavern of sorts.
And looking at the sight before him Predaking could not help but stare in awe…
The cavern was rather large and spacious and also seemed to be completely circular. It was also extraordinarily clean with no dirt or dust to be seen on the stone floor. In certain sections scattered around the room were a series of stones that had at one time been arranged in a certain way, possibly to form an altar of some sorts. There was a shallow pool right in the very center of the room and directly above it was a perfect circular hole in the cave ceiling where the nearly full moon shone down and reflected perfectly in the water. The ceiling itself around the hole seemed to be alive with small glowing lights, adjusting his optics slightly Predaking saw that these lights were in fact glow worms. Overall the entire place gave off a very haunting feel, although it was not unpleasant merely… strange, even otherworldly in a sense. But it was then that he suddenly spied Songbird sitting near a section of the old altar it was at that exact same time she had suddenly noticed his presence and she immediately stood up, her optics clearly shining with anger.
"What do you think you're doing here?!" She snapped just as Predaking approached her and quickly transformed.
"I was looking for you." He answered honestly while still looking around the interior of the cave. "What is this place?"
"It is a place that you should not be! Get ou-"
"It's alright Songbird. I have wanted to meet this Predaking for some time now, let him step forward so I can see him better." The silken voice of a stranger interrupted the argument before it could get started, alerting Predaking to the presence of an individual he had not even noticed was there until this moment. Songbird immediately calmed down and returned her attention to someone was sitting in one of the altar stones.
"I'm sorry Lady Yue, I didn't know he was going to follow me here." Songbird spoke softly to this individual before motioning to Predaking to come closer, where he finally got his first look at the individual named Yue.
He was definitely not expecting what he saw…
Mostly because he was not even sure what it was that he was actually seeing! For at first glance it would appear that Yue was a tiny human child probably no older than eight, only slightly older than Moonrise. But upon closer inspection one would realize that that was not quite the case… Yue did indeed look like a human child but her skin was as white as the tundra's snow and she had long white hair that cascaded down to just above her hips. But that was all that looked human about her… from what he could see of the structure of her small body it was riddled with purple biolights more like one would expect to see on a sparklings protoform. He could already make out what appeared to be silver spikes that were just beginning to grow out from her shoulders. Her eyes were not eyes per say, but were in fact large solid purple optics with no visible pupils. Directly underneath her eyes were two lines that went from the base of her eye, down her cheeks and finished at her jaw line. She wore very loose fitting clothing, a cream colored tunic of some sorts with the shoulders ripped off so her shoulder spikes could be noticed, baggy gray shorts that exposed her prominent silver knee spikes and showed that she also had silver pedes with what appeared to be small blades growing in near her ankles. Her hands were actually sharp servos that looked as though they could easily shred through human skin. And finally atop her head was what Predaking originally thought might have been some sort of headdress, but upon looking closer it was revealed what it really was… a pair of polished silver horns… and right in the center of her forehead was what appeared to be a small grayish blue circular stone but since it was so small it was hard to make out.
It became obvious that she was not quite human…
But not quite Cybertronian either…
"Predaking, allow me to introduce you to my dear friend, Lady Yue." Songbird said with a slight gesture of her claws, although the tone of her voice indicated that she was still rather annoyed with the dragon's sudden appearance.
"Yue?" Predaking questioned, more than a little surprised.
"It is a pleasure to meet to Predaking, I've heard a lot about you." Yue said as a smile began to form on her small delicate features just as Songbird settled herself down into a more comfortable position and she motioned for Predaking to do the same.
"I have heard of you Miss Yue, but only briefly. To be honest I expected you to be… older?" Predaking commented as he sat down with some difficulty getting into a comfortable position.
"Do not let your optics deceive you, I am far older than I look." Yue chuckled slightly as her large purple optics seemed to glow brighter as she quickly looked him over. "Appearances have a tendency to be deceiving. Let's take this cave for example; did you know that it was once considered to be a holy place? A place for healing?"
"Healing?" P.K asked not quite sure what it was that Yue meant.
"Centuries ago humans would bring their sick and dying here." Songbird began to explain motioning with her head over to the pool in which the moons image reflected. "They would bring them here, and then perform a ritual to beg the help of a deity."
"Did it ever work?"
"Yes and no…" Yue answered. "It would depend on the situation as well as the alignment of the individuals' soul. Some would immediately be healed of their ailments or injuries while others would have their life taken from them altogether. For some nothing would happen and others would be given a new lease on life… but for those ones it would come with a price." Predaking was silent for a moment as something began to register within his processor. He then turned to look at Songbird, his optics wide.
"Is this were you were healed? Right after we were sent on our first mission?" He questioned, as he remembered the gryphon's words from back when they first met. How she had mentioned that she had been reborn…
Songbird shook her head. "No, I wasn't here when that happened. All I remember that day was that I was flying… then I was falling… and then I died." She then turned her head and looked at Yue and smiled. "And then Lady Yue brought me back."
Predaking's processor nearly shorted out at this…
"You weren't entirely gone Songbird." Yue corrected. "Your spark hadn't gone to the Well, it was still in your body. All I did was heal you… and… admittedly I did tweak a few other things."
"And how may I ask you perform such as a feat?" Predaking remarked coldly. "Forgive me if I find this a bit hard to believe."
"Do not be rude!" Songbird growled warningly.
"It's fine Song. If I was in his position I would have a difficult time believing it as well." The girl chuckled, her words while not entirely calming Songbird down at least prevented her from saying anything else on the subject. "It is true however, I was the one to heal Songbird all those years ago… For you see Predaking, I possess several unique abilities. The first of which is my ability to heal, I can save someone even if they are only an inch from death. Whether it is due to an injury or disease…" She paused for a moment and Predaking suddenly took notice of a strange, soft glow that seem to be coming from directly above Yue, he looked only to see what appeared to be three glowing orbs floating directly above her silver horns. One was a deep blood red with faint traces of what appeared to be light grey static dancing in its center. The second orb was somewhat larger than the other two and was a brilliant gold with traces of dark blue static and finally the third was a deep navy blue with traces of lighter blue scattered throughout it… bizarrely this orb looked a bit dimmer than the other two, like half of its color scheme and energy was missing. Yue then returned her attention to the large dragon her optics suddenly seeming to come to life with a newfound fire and she smiled revealing a pair of large, sharp, oversized canines on both her upper and lower jaw. "But there is also my favorite power, one that truly suits me… I can mutate anything living creature I choose in any way I want. Look at Songbird you will see some of my handiwork; what was once fire is now lightning and what was the gold is now blue. I also gave her a healing power since I knew that she would have no one to help her should she get injured."
"I am grateful for that ability Yue, it came in handy for healing Orb Weaver when the red medic refused to treat her injuries." Song acknowledged. But at the mentionable Orb Weaver it was as though something clicked inside of Yue and her attention was immediately drawn away from the subject at hand.
"Oh yes I almost forgot about her! Please apologize to her for me, I didn't mean to scare her. Poor thing was in such a state after her ship crashed, I only wanted to see if I could help. But I'm afraid that I ended up making things worse." She explained apologetically.
"You certainly shook her up. It took me quite a while to convince her that there wasn't some sort of demon living on the moon." Songbird said as she recalled the time when Weaver had described what had happened when her ship crashed landed on the moon and why she was in such a panicked state even before getting shot at by the Autobot's. Predaking had also listened to her tale but he had believed that she had sustained some processor damage and that would explain everything she saw…
Since he refused to believe that she had seen any creature that stood at least five times his height…
"Well, it would not be the first time I was referred to as such. But do not be so hard on the medic dear Songbird, he has his troubles." And with that Yue quickly reached up and grasped the golden orb above her head and brought it down, seeming to cradle it in her arms. "I… no… Not I, 'we' we know his troubles. We know what burdens he has weighing on his spark." In spite of her confusing words, it became obvious that Yue was actually talking to the orb her hands and as though it was responding to what she said, it seemed to pulse on its own accord… almost like it was alive. Her optics then refocused on Predaking only now it appeared that there was something else behind them, something dark… A feeling that was only strengthened when she spoke again. "Tell me Predaking what do you know about the dead?"
"The dead?" The dragonformer repeated, finding the conversation to have suddenly taken an ominous turn. "When a Cybertronian dies they go to The Well of All-Sparks… I suppose humans must undergo a similar process? But what does that have to do with anything?"
"That is a good answer even if it is not entirely correct. While this is the case for most souls not all of them pass on to the next world… some choose to stay behind." She began to gently stroke the surface of the orb she was holding. "The most common reason for this is that they have something that keeps them here, or more appropriately put they have someone that keeps them here. Sometimes love can be so strong that the departed cannot leave their loved ones, for their passing has caused so much pain to those whom have been left behind… they stay near and try to ease their pain, until the day they can go hand-in-hand to the afterlife whatever it may be. There are times I can see the souls and I can converse with them, both human and otherwise… There is the soldier whose partner still mourns his death and he cannot move on because he never told her how he really felt, he never told her how much she really meant to him… There is the warrior whose life was cut short and his corpse was desecrated by a sniveling worm of a human; he cannot move on because his death has left his mate in utter turmoil… especially when another tragedy came to pass at the hands of the Cyclops… And then finally there is the honorable one whose brother is trapped in a living hell, unable to live and unable to die. Damned for all eternity to wander alone in the shadows." Yue went silent after this, she closed her optics and slowly released her grip on the golden orb which hastily floated up until it was floating high above her head and completely out of her reach. When she opened her optics again a few minutes later where there had been something cold and dark now there was a great deal of sadness clearly reflected in them as she looked up at Predaking and she smiled slightly. "I watched the Autobot's destroy your fellow Predacon's that day in the cave and every day since then I have regretted not intervening… since nothing would have given me more joy than to see your race return and live again."
Predaking blinked in surprise at this revelation. Here he was thinking that this could not become any more bizarre than it already was turning out to be. "While I appreciate your words and sentiments, there is nothing that you could have done… And dare I ask, why? Why would you wish to see my race returned? You are not a Predacon."
Yue chuckled slightly at this. "I may not be a Predacon, but I do have a personal reason for wanting to see Predacon's thriving again. You see, back when I was a child my mother told me stories about dragons and gryphons and other creatures that are considered to be mythical by humans but in reality they were Predacons. Even though I was unaware of this until I first laid my eyes on you two… As silly as this is going to sound, it was a dream come true!"
"Forgive me for asking Yue, but you've mentioned that you have the power to change any creature in any way that you want. Why not just create your own dragons and gryphons?" Songbird politely inquired.
"Because it wouldn't be the same." Yue answered, truthfully she had been expecting the question. "While I may have the power to do so, it just would not be the same. And I did not want to tarnish the creatures within the stories my mother told… Those memories are sacred to me."
"I take it that your mother is no longer amongst the living?" Predaking guessed solemnly. "It's a bit odd that you refer to yourself as a child when you still are one."
"Clearly you didn't listen to me earlier when I said that I'm much older than I look. I take on this form because it's convenient and does not require a lot of energy to maintain. In reality I am ancient to humans but relatively young by Cybertronian standards. And yes, my mother has been dead for many, many years."
"What about your Sire?" He asked.
"You mean my father? He's not dead… per say… But I don't have any contact with him." Yue suddenly started to laugh a cold dark that seem to make her purple eyes shine with a new emotion... a cold, pain-filled light. "My dear father doesn't know that I exist. He thinks of me and my mother as nothing but part of a distant dream, something that was never real."
"Oh Yue…" Songbird whispered, her voice soft and full of pity. "I am so sorry."
"Don't be." Yue said firmly having abruptly seemed to shrug it off. "My relationship with my father is not important. Although I am grateful to him, for if his blood did not course through my veins I would not have the impressive powers that I have mentioned… and all the ones that I have not yet mentioned." While it may not have been intentional, her tone when she said the last part barely concealed a truly malicious streak within it. Predaking was hardly able to believe that he was getting unnerved by a creature not even one tenth of his size while Songbird seemed so completely calm about everything she was saying.
"What… what are you?" He asked before he could stop himself. While Songbird gave him an irritated look for that comment; Yue merely laughed only there was no trace of the maliciousness that was sometimes concealed within her voice.
"I am human and yet I am not, I am Cybertronian and yet I am not. I have hundreds of different names some of my favorites being Yue, Luna, Eris, Artemis, Loreley, Diana, and Enyo. I do not follow the set path of either light or darkness… I am the balance between the two, I am also a firm believer in justice. My personal belief being that evil and cruelty be repaid with such that good things happen to good people… Even if I have to be the one to make these things happen from time to time. You asked me what I am? Well my answer is that I am me…" This wasn't the answer Predaking had been looking for and he had a funny feeling that Yue knew this and was deliberately screwing with him. Still something seemed to catch her attention and her eyes fell on the pool in the center of the room. "Would you believe how quickly time flies? It would appear that dawn is coming. It's almost time for me to leave."
"So it would seem." Songbird agreed almost sadly. "I probably won't see you for a long time dear friend."
"Fate is ever-changing Songbird, you might be surprised." Yue said as she stood up from her position on the altar and she suddenly focused her entire attention on Song as she just realized that she had forgotten something. "Songbird you must forgive me, I just realized that I've forgotten something. What we were discussing prior to Predaking's arrival, your ability to transform."
"Oh that's not important Yue." Songbird said with a wave of her claws indicating she really didn't care one way or another about it. Yue just shook her head.
"Actually it is, I believe it is my fault that you cannot transform. I might have made a mistake when I healed you… It's only right that I fix it now. Come down here so that I can see your Predacon insignia." With a sigh Songbird obeyed and knelt down so that her mark was at Yue's height. The considerably smaller creature extended her hands and gently touched the emblem. After a few seconds all of the purple biolights on Yue's body suddenly began to glow brighter and a gentle, white light traveled down from the tip of her horns and went down her arm into Songbirds Predacon mark. It was as though Songbird had just been struck by lightning! Her entire body was suddenly enveloped in what appeared to be waves of blue electricity! She screeched loudly before unintentionally backing up…
And transforming for the very first time…
Predaking had to stare, for where a gryphon had just stood mere seconds ago was now probably the most beautiful femme he had ever seen.
Songbird's alt form was very attractive, her color scheme remained black and onyx colored in most places with splashes of various shades of blue on her legs, knee spikes and torso. Her wings had folded up until parts of them elegantly framed her sides; her long arms were adorned with bits of blue and she had four razor-sharp fingers. She had only one dominant spike in either shoulder that was dark blue in color. Her helm was ornamented with several spikes and was mostly blue in color, her face was a very pale gray like Predaking's was but her optics were light blue orbs with dark blue slits situated in a sea of black. After a moment of getting over the shock Songbird managed to shakily stand and looked down at her own body, her optics widening in shock.
"Wow…" She breathed as she managed to adjust to the rather abrupt change of going from walking on all fours to walking on two legs. "This is… wow… Um, Predaking are you staring at me like that?"
"You are beautiful." He spoke the words out loud unintentionally and he would have given anything to shove them back in his mouth immediately afterwards. Songbird felt her cheeks flush at these words and Yue could not help but giggle slightly.
"He speaks the truth Songbird, you are beautiful." She complimented before once again setting her optics on the reflection in the pool that she used to indicate the time. "Before I go I will leave you with a suggestion… tomorrow night the Northern Lights will adorn the sky in an area just north of North of here; it would be a good night to take dear Moonrise and Freefall out for a flight. And as far as I know Predaking has never flown under the lights, have you?"
"What are Northern Lights?"
"I rest my case." Yue chuckled just as the first rays of the sun began to reflect in the water. "I bid you farewell Song, please give these treats to your daughters for me. I made some extra for you, Weaver and Predaking as well."
"What is she talking about?" Predaking asked turning his head to look at Songbird for not even a second before looking back to where Yue had been standing…
She was gone…
Yue was gone! Vanished! It was like she was never even there… But in her place there appeared to be a large bag of some sorts that was actually proportionately larger than Yue had been. Songbird chuckled and shook her head at this like there was nothing strange about it at all.
"Yue rarely stays past dawn." She explained as she walked over (still a little shakily) and picked up the bag. "As for these, well Yue loves Mochi cakes. So she occasionally make some for me and the girls." She paused as she took note of the completely confused look clearly written all over her companions face. "Trust me they're delicious, especially with some energon crystals sprinkled on the top." Song paused as she once again looked over her new frame. "This is going to take some getting used to."
"It will not take long, maybe a day or two at most." Predaking explained remembering how it was for him when he was just beginning to transform. But then he realized something else much to his embarrassment. "Songbird please forgive me for following you here, I was just worried."
"I was pretty irritated at first… but since you didn't send Yue into a murderous rage that could decimate the human race I've cooled off. However… If you ever stalk me again I will rip out your vocal box." And with that she turned back into her gryphon form and picked up the bag containing the Mochi cakes in her mouth before motioning for Predaking to follow her out of the cave.
He carefully made note of her threat because he knew for a fact it was genuine…
(Back at The Nemesis)
Starscream was quietly muttering to himself as he stalked through the halls of the warship. But every now and again he would stop and look over his shoulder, in fear that he might find someone following him. His paranoia not allowing him a moment's peace. Damn that Predacon! Damn her and her stupid predictions! It was then that something suddenly dawned on him; that glitch she had done this deliberately just to drive him mad! That must be it! No one was out to get him… well other than Predaking but that was one he was already aware of so didn't really count. Unfortunately for him he was so lost in his own thoughts that he failed to notice Shockwave until he had literally walked right into him and proceeded to indignantly fall on his aft once again.
"Ah! Oh… It's just you Shockwave. What are you doing outside of your lab at this hour?" He grumbled realizing that it wasn't anyone important like Megatron.
"I was just returning from one of my other labs that are concealed on earth. The more appropriate question is what are you doing Starscream? It is not logical for you to be at this hour." The scientist questioned though he didn't really seem interested in the answer.
"I was just returning from a flight." The Second in Command answered honestly as he began walking further down the hall as he was talking now being accompanied by Shockwave. "I feel inclined to ask this… Have you made any progress on how to get rid of our Predacon problem?"
"Negative. I have been spending my time on a more important task." He answered in his usual emotionless tone of voice. But his words invoked nothing but ire from Starscream.
"More important?! What could possibly be more important than ridding the Decepticons of those two wretched creatures?!" He snapped angrily.
"I have been working on a project that might be vitally important and finally give the Decepticons what is needed to end the war." Shockwave explained calmly seeming to completely ignore the irritated mech.
"Oh? And what might that be?" Starscream asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Another monstrosity you've created in a test tube?"
"That is an accurate deduction." Shockwave commented, sounding surprised that Starscream could even figure it out. Immediately a look of complete shock and horror crossed his face as he stared disbelievingly at the one eyed mech.
"Wh-What? You're what?!" He stuttered barely believing his audios. "You're creating another Predacon?! After the mess we've been having with the last lot?! Does Lord Megatron know what you're doing?!"
"Your deduction is not entirely correct. The primary specimen that I'm working on re-createing I believe to be a mutant aberration of the species. Something that was considerably larger and more dangerous. If my hypothesis is correct, this particular creature is responsible for the Great Cataclysm that drove the Predacon race to its extinction." Shockwave explained calmly not even so much as breaking his stride as he continued further down the hall.
"Oh joy! Something that's even bigger and nastier than the two were already dealing with?! I can't believe Megatron approved of this!" Starscream exclaimed drawing his hands into the air. Now at this shockwave stopped and turned his red optic onto his fellow Decepticon.
"Lord Megatron does not know about this." He said calmly and watched as the realization dawned on the Seeker's face.
"What?"
"I have recently come across something that calls into question Megatron's ability to lead the Decepticons. Records from before the war began indicate a connection between him and the Prime… Something I simply cannot overlook at this time." He said completely serious. But by this time Starscream was starting to back up, fully intending to find Megatron and inform him of the scientist's intentions. But Shockwave had already suspected this and was slowly closing in on the smaller aerial and in spite of his usually emotionless exterior, an aura of complete hate could be felt coming from him…
What happened next was so fast the Seeker never even had a chance to scream…
Yes that is it for now! As usual I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I would really like some feedback on this one in particular since I had so many issues getting it just right… As usual please remember to Read and Review! And remember more reviews I get, the quicker I will update! ^_^