The wind whistled softly in the night, long after Warrior Star and her brothers had bedded down for the second time. Moonflight still patrolled the night skies, so the four wolves knew they were safe to sleep. Deep in the network of caverns the pack called home, Warrior Star lay in the main cavern, her massive frame motionless as a fire burned in the middle of the cavern. The flames painted mysterious patterns and shapes across her thick bronze armor, every scar telling a part of the story of the life she had led as her brothers snoozed comfortably in smaller caves not far away. Outside of the crackle of the fire, the cave was almost eerily silent. Almost…
The shuffle of pebbles across dirt brought a flicker of movement from Warrior Star's scarred ears, though she was still in recharge. Her defense protocols settled after nothing else could be heard, then she tensed as the sound came again, closer now. Waking from recharge, she raised her head and turned to look, wondering at what was causing the sound. Her brilliant cobalt blue optics met the gaze of a creature that she was well familiar with, and she relaxed immediately.
Not only was the cavern system home to Warrior Star and her pack, it was also home to a family of mountain lions. Both groups had learned to tolerate each other and they mostly left each other alone. For one of the big cats to have come this close to her, Warrior Star knew there was a problem.
Seeing that he had the femme's attention, the big male cat turned, heading deliberately for the exit before stopping and looking back to ensure that Warrior Star was following. Getting to her feet silently, the huge femme stepped forward, slowly following the mountain lion outside and into the snow as Moonflight continued his slow circuits in the night sky.
The cat moved rapidly, bounding through the snow easily as the femme followed carefully, mindful of how small he was in comparison to her. It didn't take long for the cat to get to his destination, and when he paused and looked at her again, Warrior Star came forward, finding herself at the edge of a cliff. Puzzled, she looked back at the cat, then watched as he looked down. She did the same, her optics searching the cliff intently. Then she saw them.
Tracks in the snow, huge tracks. Cybertronian in size. Instantly Warrior Star's optics narrowed, and she opened a comm link with Moonflight immediately.
"Moonflight. Anything happen tonight that you forgot to mention?" Her tone was calm and not accusatory, but Moonflight instantly sensed that something just wasn't right.
"No, I would have told you. Why?" His tone was confused and ever so slightly defensive. Good. I need him focused.
"Come to my location…there is something you need to see." She said, then closed the link. Let him see what has me so uneasy.
Less than a minute later, Moonflight was there, dropping from the sky to land in bi-ped form alongside the femme as he looked at her expectantly. She jerked her head downward, indicating where it was he needed to look. And she could tell the moment his processor registered what he was seeing, when his optics went wide with shock and confusion, and ultimately, anger.
"How did you miss this, Moonflight? We're barely two miles from the cavern." Warrior Star asked, feeling her spark twisting in her chest as the Predacon turned to face her.
"I don't know! Are you sure they aren't from one of your brothers?" His question was a good one, so Warrior Star turned and leaped off the cliff, falling to the bottom like a stone and landing gently before lowering her head to take in the scent from the tracks. A few good sniffs later and she raised her head to stare at the Predacon.
"No, not from them. One of the mountain lions showed them to me…they're fresh, Moonflight. Really fresh. Whoever made them is nearby…we have to find them. Quickly." She was about to lower her head again when Moonflight's optics flashed dangerously and he leaped into the sky and transformed. Curious, she looked back at him, then the sound of trees cracking made her whirl to look behind her. But she was too slow.
The musk of Decepticon surrounded her as her attacker landed solidly on her back, sending her muzzle-first into the snow as Moonflight dove to assist. Warrior Star felt it when the mech made contact, sending both himself and her attacker tumbling as she rolled back to her paws and turned to face them.
Moonflight was already airborne again, and Warrior Star found herself facing off with Rampage. Baring her lethal silver dentals and snarling low in her chest, she began to stalk the lone Predacon, wondering how this turn of events was making her friend feel, being a Predacon himself.
"Don't worry about me, Warrior Star. Finish him." Moonflight called, having accurately read what she was thinking as she stalked Rampage calmly.
"As you wish, Moonflight." She called, spotting an opening and charging Rampage head-on. The mech snarled, hurling himself towards her, but before they made contact, something hit the Predacon like a freight train and sent him sprawling. Slamming to a halt with a snarl, Warrior Star snapped her head up, finding that Shadowfang was posted solidly in front of her, his flame red optics glowing madly as Swiftpaw and Keystone fell on Rampage, ripping the Predacon to pieces as his energon stained the pristine snow.
"I was fine, brother." She growled, shouldering past Shadowfang to approach the now offline Rampage, studying the downed mech as Keystone and Swiftpaw disappeared into the woods to search for any more Decepticons.
"I know, sister." Shadowfang said softly, but something in his tone made her tense before she spun to face him.
"Do you have something you wish to say?" Warrior Star snarled, her cobalt blue optics gleaming as she stalked forward until they were face to face. To his credit, Shadowfang didn't flinch even as she bared her massive dentals right in his face, merely staring straight into her optics calmly as he spoke again.
"You can't hide your…condition, I guess I should call it, from us, Warrior Star. We're your brothers…we can feel what's happening to you. Face it. That mech was on you before you even knew it. You have never been that slow to turn before, nor have you ever been so lacking in attention that a mech could get that close. You are growing weaker by the day." Anything else he may have had to say went unheard when Warrior Star's huge forepaw slammed into the side of his helm, knocking the big mech sprawling as Moonflight dropped from the sky to land between them. The Predacon's dark red optics were wide with shock and uneasiness as he stared at the enraged bronze femme before speaking cautiously.
"Was that really necessary? You asked his opinion, Warrior Star. Now you are angry that he gave it?" From behind the Predacon, Shadowfang rose to his feet, working his jaw carefully before he called out to the other mech.
"Don't bother, Moonflight. I knew she would react badly, because she knows it is true. War Beast's loss has really torn her up and we all know it." Warrior Star took a step forward and snarled, preparing to say something, when she suddenly tensed, and her optics shot to the sky. Moonflight and Shadowfang both looked up in time to see a huge meteor go streaking by, leaving a trail of fire and debris in its wake.
Slowly, the bronze femme brought her head down to stare at the steel gray mech, and the look in her optics made Moonflight fall back a few steps. Then she spoke, her voice cold and hard and edged with a rage that made both mechs shudder.
"Let me guess…you knew and didn't tell me. Out of concern for my condition." Shadowfang shifted on his paws as Swiftpaw and Keystone erupted from the trees behind him.
"We…didn't want you…to get too upset…and make anything worse…" The mech mumbled softly, and she cut him off with a snarl.
"No matter. Now whoever that is that just flew over is here, and we have to deal with it. Come. Let's go deal with it." Warrior Star wheeled and raced in the direction the meteor had gone, leaving her brothers and the Predacon scrambling in her wake.
A/N: I know this isn't Warrior Star like we all know her...kinda what I was planning on. Not sure what kind of hell I'm going to put her through in this story yet...working on something though.
She's just really, really pissed right now. Can't sleep and no one is telling her those important little things that you kinda sorta want to know in the event that the sky decides to fall on you.
She'll be better in a few chapters. I think. LOL
And thanks for my readers out there, and my two reviewers as well! ^.^ You guys make a writer's world go 'round! And thanks for the faves and follows as well!
As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take whatever you care to dispense.
Until we meet again...
Kani