(Here is the next and updated chapter to my story. Enjoy.)

Transformers (C) Hasbro

Wolf Designs (C) antubis0 (Used with permission)

Talia and her pack (C) Me

Jazz had been pacing about after he had managed to arrive back at his packs den, because he had Sunstreaker and Sideswipe go out and search for Bumblebee. So far there was still no sign of the twins or the pup. "Oh, where are they? If they don't come back soon, Ironhide is going to kill me." Jazz said to himself quietly.

He had to keep his voice down so as to not awaken the other members of his pack; they were all still asleep and he didn't want to risk waking them, especially the big, tough black wolf by the name of Ironhide.

"Come on, come on. They need to hurry or else-"

"Morning, Jazz."

Jazz, caught by surprise by the voice from behind, leapt into the air and yipped before turning around to see who was behind him. He was relieved to see that the voice was not Ironhide's; it was none other than his leader, Optimus Prime.

"Oh, Prime. Good morning. Uh, how..how did you sleep?" Jazz asked, trying his best to not show his nervousness by keeping his tail low so as to show respect.

"I admit that I was having a hard time resting last night, the thunder kept waking me up and the lightning startled me form time to time. However, I did get some rest by the time it weakened." Prime replied to Jazz. "However, I do remember that neither you, the twins or Bumblebee returned when the storm hit. What happened?"

Jazz explained that as the storm got much more violent as they tried to get back that they had to find some shelter and wait the storm out. Optimus smiled at the young wolf and licked him, congratulating him and his good decision. It did do the Prime proud to see that the younger members were maturing very well.

"I hardly got any rest at all. That blasted storm kept me awake for half the night." yawned another Dire Wolf that Jazz and Optimus knew all too well. It was the old yellow, red and grey Dire Wolf named Ratchet. Ratchet was among Prime's most faithful members because he had known Optimus when the red and blue Dire Wolf was a puppy, found by his past leader, Sentinel Prime. Ratchet, however, wasn't the only one who had known Prime as a pup. Ironhide was also close to age as Ratchet, around 8 years old (56 in canine years). Ratchet tiredly came on over, his eyes still partially shut as he mumbled to himself. "Storms and I do not go well, because when a storm hits us one night I get frustrated and irritated the next day."

"Easy there, Ratchet. I will allow you some rest after Ironhide, the twins and I return from the morning hunt," Optimus smiled at his old friend.

"Sure, you will. But first, you need the to have the twins and that lazy bear of a wolf up and ready." Ratchet said.

Jazz immediately remembered and gasped. "Oh, about that..Uh..."

"What is wrong?" Optimus asked.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that...well...the twins and Bumblebee are...uh.." Jazz had to find an excuse and very quickly. What could fool these two older wolves? "...going to relieve themselves! Yeah! That's it!" he suddenly beamed. "They are relieving themselves at the moment."

Just then, a black Dire Wolf with a white muzzle came out of its den and came over to join Prime and Ratchet. Jazz gulped in total fear now; if Ironhide found out who knows what he could do to him. "Oh, hey. Hi, Ironhide."

"Hey, Jazz," Ironhide greeted in a low voice. "Have you seen Bumblebee? He usually sleep with me and is the one that wakes me up."

"He and the twins just went to relieve themselves." Jazz told him, his ears going down a bit in nervousness, clear evidence to Ironhide that something was up.

Before Ironhide could speak, the twins finally arrived, the two of them panting after searching everywhere for Bumblebee. However, their arrival was not the kind of hope that Jazz was hoping for; not only did they return without Bumblebee, but they also told Jazz that they looked and looked but found no sign of Bumblebee. All the warmth from the grey wolf's body dropped drastically in fear now that the secret was let out by mistake. But, the true terror of all was when he felt a large body push him to the ground, and a snarling face stared down before him.

"YOU IDIOT!"

Optimus, Ratchet and the twins were quick to try and get Ironhide off the very second the black Dire Wolf punced upon Jazz, ready to rip him apart.

"Ironhide, stop it! Let go of him! He's still a youngling!" the others all cried out as they tried to pull Ironhide away, but the black one was not going to let Jazz go free without a stern lesson.

"Hi, guys!" cried out a happy voice, among all the others turn their heads over to the right, where a small area of bushes and ferns grew. There, standing there with his little tail wagging high in the air was Bumblebee, safe and unharmed. Ironhide immediately left the others and came to Bumblebee, pulling him close and licking him all over.

"Oh, Bumblebee. What happened? Are you hurt? Any broken bones?" He then let go of Bumblebee and perked his ears. "How many ears do I have?"

Bumblebee just laughed and said that Ironhide still had two ears. "I'm fine, Ironhide."

"Thank goodness you are alright," Optimus cooed as he came over and Bumblebee barked joyfully and began licking his leader's face.

"Prime, I am very sorry. It was my fault again. I was trying to get everyone to shelter during the rain that we left Bee behind." Jazz apologized.

"That brat cannot be with Bumblebee ever again, Prime! I will not let him near Bee ever again!" Ironhide growled as he charged at Jazz again, snarling viciously.

"Ironhide, tha tis enough!" Prime barked at him. "What Jazz did was wrong, but he cares for Bumblebee the same as we do."

"But, Prime-"

"No 'Buts'. Now, for attacking Jazz, you are not permitted to hunt for three days, Ironhide." Prime ordered and Ironhide sighed in defeat. He knew he couldn't' defy his own alpha, even though he had help raised him in Sentinel Prime's pack. As Ironhide left to his den Optimus turned his attention to Jazz. "Now, Jazz. While I would punish you the same as Ironhide, I have seen that you are taking full responsibility like a true adult for your mistake. For today, you will not be on lookout. Understand?"

"I do, Optimus." Jazz nodded.

"Good. You are free to leave now."

Bumblebee followed Optimus as he went on over to the twins; he elucidated about the morning hunt and which part of the vast territory they will be going to. After Sideswipe and Sunstreaker agreed with Prime they went over to their dens for a quick rest, and Optimus turned to see Bumblebee was with him and smiled at him. "Now, Bumblebee, what is the idea of following me?" he asked.

"No reason." Bumblebee giggled.

Optimus shook his head and went over towards his den, fully aware that Bumblebee was in a playful mood. A sudden bite to the tail made him stop, but he didn't turn around and bark at his little pup. Prime merely grunted slightly and turned to see Bumblebee biting his tail and pulling at it like a toy. " Bumblebee, I need to rest for the hunt," he calmly stated as he managed to free his tail. "I will play with you as soon as Sideswipe, Sunstreaekr and I return."

"But, I want to play now." Bumblebee yipped as he grabbed onto Optimus's back leg' this action made the alpha chuckle and carefully walked to the entrance of his den and gently shook off Bumblebee. "Awe, come on. Please, play?" Bee asked, bringing his ears back and tilted his head slightly to make a very cute face. This face he made was often used to get his friends to do what ever he wanted.

Optimus just smiled and licked at Bumblebee's face. "How about you tell me about what happened last night, during the storm?"

"Okay," Bumblebee beamed and began. "Well, while I was running through the rain I was having trouble figuring out which was which, since the rain was pouring very hard it kind of blinded me. Before I thought I was going to melt into a puddle I spotted a cave that was big enough for me to hide in, so I hid inside."

"That is a very good idea, Bumblebee." Optimus acknowledged. Optimus had always treasured the moments he would spend with the little puppy; the little one's lively spirit and sweet personality almost made Optimus think that this pup was meant to be with him and his pack. Several years ago while out on a hunt, Optimus had stumbled upon little Bumblebee when the pup was barely a day old. The mother was caught in a hunters trap and Optimus just couldn't bare the thought of leaving him alone. Although he was the one that had found Bumblebee, Ironhide was the only one that actually raised him because Optimus was very busy. Yet, both of the Dire Wolves were his main guardians.

"Oh, the rain and thunder outside the cave was very loud and scary, but I wasn't scared one bit," Bumblebee went on.

"I am very proud to see that, little one." Optimus smiled.

"Yep, we were alright."

"We? I thought you said you were in the cave by yourself." Optimus said.

Uh oh, Bumblebee was in deep water now. He was quiet for a few seconds as he thought about what he should say. Should he tell Optimus that he had slept with the Dire Wolf cub that belonged to the pack that had tried to kill him, or say nothing at all. Would Prime be understanding, or would he be upset. Bumblebee certainly did not want Optimus to be upset, or angry on that matter, but he didn't want to lie either. That's when he got an idea.

"Uh...Me, and...my imaginary friend! Yeah, that's it. I made and imaginary friend that night." he blurted out. To his relief, Optimus was fooled.

"Oh, I see. Can you describe this imaginary friend to me? I remember having one of those when I was your age."

"Okay. He is a Dire Wolf; like me and you, and he is super cool and very friendly. He wouldn't even hurt a fly."

Far from the very center of the woods lay the bad lands, a landscape covered in dried, yellow grass, parched riverbeds and leafless trees. This was the territory of Megatron and his pack, Barricade's family.

There was hardly any noise in the air, all except the sound of a small fly buzzing about. But, it wouldn't be buzzing for long. A black, white Dire Wolf pup leapt into the air, catching the fly and swallowed it whole. It was Barricade, satisfying his hunger after what happened last night. After burping he went into the direction that led to his packs den, and there he spotted two other members that he knew. A big, grey Dire wolf with grey fur and a sort of mustache on his cheeks with small ears and a docked tail, and a light brown Dire Wolf with dark-brown markings and stripes on its tail. It was his guardians, Blackout and Bonecrusher.

"Barricade!" they shouted as they ran over and began licking and caressing Barricade, happy to see he was alright. Even though he loved them, Barricade often grew tired of his two companions treating him like a newborn pup.

"I'm okay, guys. Stop! You act like I have been gone forever." he growled.

"We have every reason to feel like that Barricade," Blackout cooed. "Don't you remember what happened last time when we were not there to watch you? Optimus and his pack captured you and threatened your very life if we didn't return their pup."

"So, what? I could beat that dumb mutt any day."

"Well, that 'any day' will just have to wait." Bonecrusher returned as he took Barricade by his scruff and carried him to the den that he slept in. After Barricade and Bonecrusher were in their den, Blackout sat himself outside and stood watch, keeping vigil. His vigil did happen to catch the sight of his leader, and two other members of the pack. A grey, black striped one, a white, purple and blue one, and a light brown, orange and dark-brown one. Megatron, Soudnwave and Starscream. They had returned from hunting, and from the looks of their panting and tired appearance, it was a failure.

"Welcome back, Megatron." Blackout welcomed his leader, but it was not that very well received.

"What good is it to welcome me when we have nothing for our lunch?" Starscream snarled as he laid down to rest while Megatron went to his den and Soundwave stood close to guard his leader. "We should have followed my idea in the hunt. Outflanking the head of the stupid Wisent, instead of going from behind to snatch the young."

"Your idea, Starscream, is suicide. The head of the herd had the largest and healthiest of the herd, where we could have easily gotten injured." Soundwave corrected, since he was an expert at both hunting and patrolling the permitter. Starscream only scoffed and continued to rant. Starscream was not only the fastest of Megatron's pack, but he was also the most sly, cunning, and rebellious due to his jealousy over Megatron's position in the pack.

"If you ask me, we could have had all the prey we wanted if we had remained in our original territory."

"Our territory was lost all because of you, Starscream," Blackout interrupted. What everyone in Megatron's pack knew was that a few days after the riverbank incident, the prey items of their part of the woods became very scarce and it became hard for them to find anything to eat. Starscream, being selfish, had decided to do the impossible; he would sneak into Optimus Prime's territory and would snatch the prey items there, and bring them back to his den to feast. Starscream just scoffed.

"What stupidity? I was only acting the way a TRUE leader should be! Unlike some white, purple Dire Wolf I know." He turned his attention to Soundwave, the quiet, but very resourceful member of Megatron's pack.

"Me? Have I done?" Soundwave asked angrily.

"Well, you remember the day when we took that yellow runt? As Optimus Prime appeared, you and Blackout surrounded him, ready to attack; that's when the rest of Optimus' pack arrived...and you turned and left us to deal with them, when you could have killed Optimus!"

"It was not my place, or Megatron's orders." Soundwave snarled.

"Ha! Not your place, indeed. You were a coward! You could have killed him and yet you didn't! Then there was the day I was bringing you all food from that red and blue mutts area; the minute Prime and the rest arrived and attacked our territory as I brought over a large moose, YOU TURNED AND RAN AWAY! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A BIG, SNIVELING, COWARDLY DOG!" Starscream then yelled. In truth, however, Starscream only brought back a deer fawn.

That was the final straw; Soundwave would never allow his title to be humiliated and mocked by that rat of a Dire Wolf. With a leap and a roar, he tackled Starscream to the ground and bit his ear, pulling at it hard. "YOU SNAKE IN THE GRASS! I'LL TEACH YOU TO MOCK ME!"

Blackout went in to try and stop his friend, but Soundwave only barked at him as he continued to viciously attack Starscream. However, the brawl was quick to dissolve when a loud voice bellowed. "THAT IS ENOUGH!" Megatron stood outside of his den, his mouth showing all of his sharp, large teeth, indicating what his behavior was to the others. Soundwave did release Starscream's ear, but still kept him pinned as Megatron came over to them.

"Megatron, this coward attacked me for no reason!" Starscream said.

"That's not true! He belittled and mocked my loyalty to you and our pack, Megatron." Soundwave interrupted.

Megatron only growled in frustration as he turned to Blackout and he asked him what he saw. Blackout did tell the truth; he told his leader that Starscream had been the instigator form the start and had decided to bring all of the blame for them being sent to live in the desolate area on Soundwave. Megatron nodded and went back tot he two fighters and ordered Soundwave to back away. Soundwave obeyed and watched as Megatron loomed over Starscream. "Do you really believe that placing the blame on another member of my pack is going to make you more superior than I?"

"But, sir. I speak the truth! He was.."

"SHUT UP! I have known Soundwave ever since I was a pup; He is a proud, loyal and wise Dire Wolf, who had fought alongside the Fallen and Shockwave to enlarge our grip on the forest when the Primes were still alive. He has more knowledge of how a real Dire Wolf should do before acting against another rival group, like knowing when a certain dispute would not be successful by attacking Optimus Prime on the day of our territory of the riverbank was taken from, and knew that stealing food FOR YOUSELF AND NOT THE REST OF US WOULD LEAD TO A BATTLE THAT HAD TAEN US BY SURPRISE, ALL BECAUSE YOU WERE STEALING FOOD INSTEAD OF BEING WITH SOUNDWAVE ON PATROL! Soundwave knew that certain battles were not to be won, and left most of the decisions to me. Had I allowed you and the others to attack you would all be killed and that black brat would have had his throat torn apart by Optimus. Soundwave knows that there are moments when I need to make the right decisions without his aid. That's why he left in the riverbank dispute and our banishment to this dry land..." Megatron then stared right into Starscream's eyes. "...All thanks to you and your stupidity. And, the next time you think about putting all of your sins onto others who know more than you, then it is best to be careful of what you say...or else I will personally have you striped apart and be left out for the vultures to eat."

Starscream gulped and felt his body temperature drop drastically with fear. Even he knew that this was one battle he could not win. After snorting at the shivering Starscream, Megatron left to return to his den and rest. Soundwave also returned to his den, but not without biting Starscream's rear to remind him of who he was dealing with. Starscream then went off to his den; nothing but a pile of dead branches and leaves, and nestled down to grumble to himself.

It was a miracle that the confrontation didn't awaken Barricade as he slept. Although, he would have enjoyed seeing Starscream getting beaten up by Soundwave since he didn't like Starscream at all. He found him annoying. All that his mind could do was replay that moment when he had encountered Bumblebee, and wondered why Bumblebee wanted him to wait and stay. Why did he do that? Why?

*Authors Note*
(That's all folks, as Porky Pig would say. In the next chapter, Bumblebee and Barricade will meet each other once again, but will they become friends? Or will they be enemies like their packs? That will be answered in the next chapter to come. It may take a while, due to my new job and finishing up school. )