There was a pond. It looked shallow, but it was deep and it hid several things from view. The first was the toad and frog spawn, some eggs still anchored to the grass and stick debris at the bottom. The second was a full-grown metalic dragon. But Jeremy Wade didn't know about that last one.
He cast off. He set the hook. Optimus was waiting beside him, his frame trembling slightly as if in excitement. Then he whistled lowly and everything changed.
The line was begging torn from the reel. It squeeeeeeeeeeeed its protest as whatever was holding it tore across the large pond. Then it stopped.
"Optimus, if this is your idea of a joke..."
Suddenly there was a splash and Jeremy looked up and saw with wide eyes that Mama was at the end of his line.
She was massive. He didn't know how big Predacons grew, but they obviously never stopped growing. When she landed, she dropped carefully behind Optimus and watched Jeremy slowly reel in his line. She dropped the mangled hook in his hand when he held it out and Optimus stroked her helm fondly. Her optic was as big as his servo.
"I bet you hardly recognize her. You will not be able to recognize Lilylion either. She has...grown."
Mama lifted her head and made a high-pitched whistle form. Water sprayed out in a fine mist from her nostrils.
Heavy thuds and the feeling of the earth rock under Jeremy's feet announced the arrival of the clutch of eggs he had helped wrangle up.
Lilylion's neck was still twisted, but she was recovering slowly. Her neck had only a five-degree angle in it now, but her jaw looked no better and no worse.
"So...you build a pond, fill it with Predacons, and let me cast off?"
Optimus shrugged and knelt, producing a hook to replace the one Mama had mangled. Mama offered her own apologies by touching her cool snout to Jeremy's head and she fanned her wings.
"The Predacons are back in business. Predaking has sired three more clutches of eggs, and Starburst in heavily carrying."
Jeremy looked at her rounded belly and he touched it. She hummed, her whole body vibrating from the force. "Impressive."
"I thought that was what you would say."
"I would have liked to meet them without getting one of my better hooks mangled."
Optimus smiled a bit. "Next time, I will make sure that no hooks are destroyed."