Shadow continued to mope around base for the next few days, her antennae laid back flat as usual. Everybot skittered nervously away from her when she slinked down the hallways, not daring to even speak for fear of saying something wrong and upsetting the Gladiator further. The results were quite hazardous, as Prowl had unfortunately found out, costing him a doorwing. After the incident, everyone stayed as far away from her as possible.
It was about one in the morning when the Autobot Second In Command finally left his office and strode off towards his quarters for a good recharge. Prowl looked up from his data pad as he stopped in the hallway, his doorwings flicked up into the normal "relaxed" position for the Praxian. His ocean blue optics focused on Shadow Stalker, who was stumbling down the corridor, clutching her chest plates, the claws on her digit deployed. The black and white mech arched and optic ridge, subspacing the data pad and quickly moving over to the femme.
Shadow collapsed heavily against the wall, dragging her claws down it as an audio splitting screech echoed throughout the hallways. Her lips were pulled up in a grimace, her optics narrowed in dim as she slide down to the floor.
"Shadow Stalker?" Prowl asked, kneeling down by her side, only to recoil back to avoid a startlingly swift swing.
"G-Go away!" she snarled in reply, curling up with a hiss.
"Shadow Stalker, be reasonable. You are obviously in pain," Prowl tsked, leaning forward to gently grasp her shoulder spike.
"I said.. g-go away!" Shadow hissed, shooting forward and digging her claws into the Praxian's chasis. Prowl let out an unprepared yowl, slamming back into the floor as Shadow towered over him. She bared her denta, her shoulder spikes flaring out dominantly, with Prowl's doorwings instantly reacting by hitching up into a perfect "V", challenging the irate femme's boast.
Not the wisest play.
Shadow screeched, instantly upon his doorwings. Prowl cried out, rolling away from the femme right as she dug her claws in and yanked.
A terrifying clash of metal and a wail of agony sounded as the doorwing broke apart from Prowl, Energon splattering everywhere. Prowl writhered on the ground, clutching at the stump and wailing, his optics flickering.
Shadow just stared emotionlessly, dropping the doorwing as Hound's green arms locked around her and dragged her away from Prowl.
"What the frag..?"
"Holy Pit, Shadow Stalker's lost it!"
"Prowl! What the slag?"
"Someone get Ratchet!"
"He's on his way!"
"Shadow... What have you done?"
"I'm sorry, Trapjaw."
Shadow stopped in her tracks, taking a detour around the site where it had happened. She swore she had heard Trapjaw saying something to her, the pure white wolf drifting in and out of the mechs that had gathered around.
Maybe she had finally lost it. Shadow slipped towards the hallway filled with Bots' personal quarters, scouting out one in particular.
The black femme stopped in front of the door, checking her internal clock for the time. 11:30 pm. Most Bots would be peacefully recharging. She should have been recharging like a sparkling right about now.
Shadow shook her helm with a vent. She hadn't recharged peacefully since Trapjaw's death. Most of the nights Ratchet had to put her into forced stasis, yet luckily, she had escaped him tonight.
Three taps and a scratch. The door creaked open, revealing two sapphire blue optics. Just like his mother..
"Aunt Shadow Stalker? Why aren't you recharging?"
"Wildfire. Shouldn't I ask you the same thing? I believe we both know the answer to that question."
"Agreed. Come in, please," Wildfire whispered, opening the door further and stepping to the side. Shadow bobbed her helm, slipping in as the door shut behind her.
Her ice blue optics darted about the unusually clean quarters, optic ridge arching. "I thought Hot Rod taught you to be dirtier then this?"
"I can't stop moving. I have to be doing something or else.."
"The memories haunt you. Trust me, I know," Shadow replied softly, her antennae flicking back as her optics dimmed. Wildfire glanced down at the ground, before moving forward and hugging his aunt.
"You have to be hurting. She was your sister, after all," Wildfire mumbled into her chest plates. Shadow blinked, fully onlining her optics and wrapping her arms around her nephew.
"Trapjaw was your carrier, Wildfire. You must be hurting as well," Shadow murmured, stroking his helm gently.
"Aunt Shadow?"
"Yes, my little Wil?"
"Can.. Can you stay with me tonight?" Wildfire asked, looking up with wide optics. Shadow looked down, her expression soft.
"Of course I can, Wildfire," Shadow replied softly, hugging him again.
"I miss her so much! First Aurora, then Carrier!" the burnt orange mech abruptly sobbed, burying his head into the cape of Shadow's neck.
"Shh shh. I know, Wil. Rory's spaceship crashing was an unfortunate tragedy. But loosing both her and Trapjaw within a three year period is too much death for our already fragile family," Shadow choked, pulling him close protectively.
"I miss her Aunt Shadow, I miss her so much," Wildfire whimpered, wiping his optics.
"I know, Wil," Shadow soothed, stroking his helm again with a shuddered sigh. "You should head off to recharge, now."
"I want you to sleep with me."
"Alright, but come on. It's almost midnight. And I believe you also have monitor duty in six hours, correct?"
"Mmhm."
Shadow gently guided Wildfire to the berth, watching as he hopped out and swung his legs up. He adjusted, snuggling into the thermal blankets, before looking up at the black, gold, and green femme with wide, innocent sapphire blue optics.
Shadow gracefully swung up onto the berth and over him, landing with a soft thud by his side. The young mech instantly snuggled up against her, curling up against her abdomen tightly. Shadow draped her arm over his shoulder, stretching out.
"Good night, Aunt Shadow."
"Good night, Wil."
Shadow felt Wildfire drift into recharge shortly after, while she tended to her own train of thoughts. As her optics offlined, a translucent white femme sat by her side with a soft smile.
"Be strong, Yin. Keep him close, and protect my family."