Breaksteel felt his jaw drop open when the bronze femme moved. One moment, she was still at his side, snarling her rage at his brother, and then she was in midair, jaws wide and ready to tear Steelbite down. She hit the dark mech with the force of a freight train, bowling him over and sending them both rolling as every other mech present exploded into action. The black mech with golden optics shot past him, slamming into one of Steelbite's mechs as he tried to strike at the bronze femme. A wild laugh erupted from somewhere behind him, and Breaksteel turned in time to see the small, lean gold mech chase a spooked Beastbot off the field, his green optics gleaming with excitement and the love of the hunt. From nowhere came the massive steel-gray mech with flame red optics, leaping high to rip down a mech that had transformed into an aerial alternate and tried to flee. And even the mech Moonflight was causing havoc, not letting his shattered arm slow him down as his energon blade gleamed and danced, separating enemies from their body parts as they fell screaming around him.
Suddenly Breaksteel was struck from behind, sending him staggering to the side as a massive sword sliced into the armor of his shoulder. Twisting sharply with a pained snarl, the storm-gray mech spun to face his attacker, putting his uninjured side towards his opponent. He found himself facing a bi-ped mech with hellfire red optics and heavily scarred, ugly brown armor.
"Traitor!" The mech yelled at him, then he leaped, his blade positioned to run him through. Breaksteel fell back a step, turning neatly despite his injured shoulder, and lashed out with a massive forepaw, slamming the mech's sword down and pinning it against the ground. Unable to stop his forward momentum, the mech staggered forward with a shocked cry, the blade snapping under the pressure, and then he fell. Breaksteel turned to finish the mech, his jaws spread wide, when a sudden yelp echoed across the battlefield, and he tensed uneasily. He froze with one paw still in the air when a horrific screech followed, and then he spun to find the source. His yellow optics swiftly scanned the field before falling on one of the femme's brothers. Across the battlefield, Warrior Star spun as well, her cobalt blue optics searching, and then they fell upon her brother. Her optics widened, and she let loose with a horrified scream that cut through the air like a fiery blade.
"Swiftpaw!" The golden wolf was down, his green optics wide and filled with a searing agony as two bear-like mechs worked feverishly to tear him apart. One of his hind legs was useless, a skilled cannon blast having ripped into his hip and leaving the joint shattered beyond repair. Breaksteel stared for just a moment, then found himself in motion. The massive storm-gray mech tore across the field faster than even he thought possible, and then he was on the enemy mechs, paws, claws, and jaws ripping into them with a fury that he didn't even know he possessed.
The startled cries of both mechs brought the entire field to a standstill as Breaksteel's jaws severed cables and energon lines and his claws tore through armor like a hot knife through butter. His attack was so ferocious that he drove them both back all the way to the treeline, where he locked his jaws into the throat of one and ripped the helm off the other. Ending the first with a stunning, crushing bite that left the enemy's head hanging onto his torso by a mere few cables, he turned and reared onto his hind legs, slamming his forepaws down onto the other mech's back and snapping his spine. Before the mech's agonized screech could even fully leave his throat, Breaksteel's huge forepaw smashed down on the mech's face, shattering his skull and leaving his processor in pieces.
Slowly the massive beast-mech turned, his yellow optics glowing with a mad light that made even his brother cower in fear. Sweeping his optics across the field, Breaksteel's gaze lingered on Warrior Star, Moonflight, and the rest of the pack where they gathered around the downed gold mech, then he let his gaze go to Steelbite. Bounding forward several strides until he stood between Warrior Star and the enemy, Breaksteel lowered his head, then spread his jaws wide and let loose with a guttural roar that sent the mechs still able to move and online running for their lives.
The storm gray mech watched them run, then a whimper from behind made him turn to face Warrior Star and her pack. With the exception of the bronze femme, most of them watched him uneasily as he slowly approached, and the big gray mech with flame red optics snarled warningly when Breaksteel lowered his head to examine the gold mech's injuries.
"Shadowfang. This mech is not our enemy. If he were, he would have left Swiftpaw at the mercy of the enemy." Warrior Star's voice was soft, her cobalt blue optics sad as she lowered her head and gently touched her nose to Swiftpaw's cheek. The mech was whimpering in spite of his best efforts, his energon spread across the dirt and pooling around him as his family crowded around him in an effort to bring the mortally wounded mech comfort. Even Breaksteel knew that the wolf was bleeding to death. There was nothing any of them could do to save him. Slowly, the storm-gray mech stepped to where Swiftpaw could look at him, and he waited until the mech's forest green optics locked onto him, then he spoke.
"I am sorry, mech, for not reaching the enemy sooner. I am sorry that you and your family are suffering for my brother's anger and his arrogance. And I am sorry that Steelbite has once again spilled the energon of another innocent being. He will rot in the Pit for what he has done; I swear it. Even if I offline trying, I will see to it that he will suffer for what he has done." Swiftpaw's optics stayed on his the entire time he spoke, and Breaksteel tensed when he saw the light of the mech's optics fading. He stepped back in deference to the mech's siblings and his friend, watching with sorrow in his spark as the other three wolves crowded around Swiftpaw. Warrior Star pressed her face into his chest as Shadowfang laid at his brother's side and leaned into him. The big black mech sat and reached out with a huge paw, laying it over the top of his brother's as Moonflight knelt in front of the dying mech and gently placed a hand on his head, scratching lightly at the gold wolf's ears.
Breaksteel sat down, lowering his head as one by one, Swiftpaw's systems started shutting down, and then the light of his optics flickered and died. All was still and silent for several seconds, and then Warrior Star slowly raised her head, taking a step back, and then she raised her nose to the sky and she howled.
A/N: So. Been one of those sprees where either I can't find the time to write, or the muse took a vacation, or a combination of both. I'm so sorry. :( Hopefully now that I got this chapter finished, the rest will flow a little easier.
Yeah. I killed Swiftpaw. I loved the little guy, I really did. He was really fun to write, so energetic, so silly. Unfortunately it was starting to get too hard to track all the separate personalities in my head. That and there's nothing like the bitter taste of loss to fuel vengeance. Warrior Star's gonna rip someone apart later.
Anyway! To my lovely reviewers and favoriters and followers, you peeps are awesome! And to Repenned, good catch on my slip in Chapter Five. Yes, Steelbite knows that Warrior Star and her brothers are Saber and Stardust's creations, I just totally wrote that wrong. And the whole Lennox thing will be put to rest in the next chapter (or two). Appreciate the thoughtful review! :)
As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.
Until we meet again...
Kani