A/N: The second rewritten chapter of Vocantem Ventis.
Enjoy.
That night the group made camp in a small dell under Rose's suggestion, since she and Blue Diamond knew the area much better than the Trux, even Shade. While the aforementioned trio were helping Skya, Garby and the Tools set up camp Ty, Dozer and Ton-Ton were looking for ore. Well, mostly Ty and Ton-Ton. Dozer, on the other hand, had been, and was currently being, much quieter than usual.
He was rolling to and fro showing that he clearly had something on his mind. The T-Trux noticed this and decided to ask him what was wrong. "Hey, Dozer, relax, buddy. Come on, lighten up, we'll find a new home," he encouraged. "I just don't know what's wrong with me," Dozer replied, looking up at the red T-Trux. "I can't eat, can't sleep. Maybe I'm coming down with something? Whatever it is, it's starting to drive me crazy," the yellow Dozeratops replied.
"Ohhhhhh ho ho ho. Oh, I know what you've got. The L word," said Ty, with an ore eating grin. "Yeah, leprosy," said Ton-Ton, absentmindedly, as he came over to them before realising what he had just said. "Wait what?" The red T-Trux continued to grin. "No, Ton-Ton, no," he said, slyly" it's four letters, starts with "L," ends with "E". Get it?". The Ankylodump thought for a few seconds before giving his answer.
"Ah ha! Lice!" he proclaimed before realising that too was wrong. "No it's not that either. Dozer, my friend, is in love." "Oh, yeah! Love," said Ton-Ton smugly, shooting a look of the same caliber at their friend. Dozer looked at them like they were crazy. "What? You mean with Blue Diamond? No," he replied flatly. "Oh, Blue Diamond's gotten under your paint, dude. Come on, admit it," said the blue Ankylodump slyly.
"A rugged Dozeratops like you," said Ty. "And a more rugged Dozeratops like her, ha ha ha ha ha!" Ton-Ton finished, breaking into small laughter. "No, no, no. You guys are dead wrong," Dozer protested hotly and turned away from them. The second he did, however, the pair both burst out into laughter. "Denial is the clincher! You're in love, Dozeratops!" Ty called after. The pair then started singing.
"Dozer and Blue Diamond, parked beneath a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G." "Real mature, guys. Real mature," said the yellow Trux shortly as he rolled off back towards the direction of the camp. Ty and Ton-Ton continued to laugh and joke to themselves all while they collected some ore followed Dozer back to the rest of the group. Said Trux said nothing as he placed himself on the opposite side of some makeshift Bitbug lanterns.
Noticeably, away from Blue Diamond.
The pair were still tittering to themselves which the others were quick to notice. "Alright, what's so funny?" asked Skya. Ton-Ton was about to reply to her question about what he and Ty had discovered when he received a death glare from Dozer that read - Tell them, especially Skya, and you. Are. Parts! "Nothing," said Ton-Ton quickly, before quickly chowing down on the ore that was in front of him.
"Well, can't we all share it," said Waldo, dryly. "I wish I could find something to laugh at." "I'm sure that you will in time, Waldo," said Rose kindly, "but I think it's time we got some sleep, As if on cue, Ty yawned loudly and stretched his arms out as far as they would go. "She's right. We've still got a long way to go before we're out of this forest and to that oasis Shade mentioned earlier today. Good night, guys."
With that he rolled back into a shelter of rocks he had made for himself. The others did the same thing: making themselves as comfortable as they could, Dozer, Shade and Blue Diamond reversed back into some mounds they had made, Ton-Ton covered himself in rocks, Skya, Rose and Garby were nestled amongst the trees and the Tools were sleeping next to one of the now flickering lanterns. Soon, tired as they were from the days' activities, they were all fast asleep.
Unlike their first stop to rest, which had been interrupted by the Flatirons Gang's meeting with Shade, the group's second one went relatively undisturbed for the most part. All around them the gentle sounds of the night and the creatures that came with it echoed around their campsite, lulling them to sleep. Even Click-Clack, who mostly took a long time to settle down, was sleeping soundly.
On the crest of a hill that overlooked where the group were sleeping peacefully, staring down upon the campsite as it lay bathed in gossamer moonlight, was a dark figure, tall and heavy, and on the top of its head could be several pairs of menacing horns. Then it lowered its head and picked something up from the ground before tossing it over the edge. The rock sailed through the air before it struck another, large, one sticking up out of the ground.
Sparks flew as they connected before the rock the figure had thrown landed still upon the ground. At first it seemed that the sparks had done nothing. The figure turned away, its job apparently done. However, if someone had looked closer, they would have seen a thin, wispy coil of black smoke slowly start to rise up from a patch of grass near the base of a tree where the main body of the sparks had landed.
The smoke grew, and grew before a small flicker of flame appeared at its base. That small flicker began to lick at the surrounding grass and brush that the sparks had struck as it slowly turned into a larger flame. It then began to lick at the nearby trees and they too caught the flame. A sudden gust of wind sent said flames lashing out in an arc of light to hit the tree next to it, and the one after that, and the one after that.
Soon the whole area of trees was alight.
And the group slept on, unaware of the danger they were in.
Revvit was up first the next morning, and as he awoke nothing seemed amiss. That was, of course, before he smelt and then saw the smoke. His eyes widened, and he looked quickly round to see that thick black smoke was encircling the trees around them, and the glow of orange that loomed ominously behind the trees of the clearing made it clear as to what was happening. "Fire! Everyone up, quick!"
The rest of the Trux and Tools were awake in an instant when they heard him yell. They looked in horror as they now heard the crackling of the flames as they watched them get closer and closer. "Let's roll everyone! We have to get out of here! Now!" said Ty and, after loading up Ton-Ton, the group were speeding away through the forest, pushing aside or knocking down anything and everything that got in their way.
"Keep moving, it is getting closer!" Revvit called out as they sped on. "Now's not the time, Revvit!" Click Clack answered. The amber orange rotillian Reptool was still in his original position in Ton-Ton's bed with Waldo and Ace. Ty, who was out in front of the group, was weaving his way amongst the trees when he spotted something off to the left. Turning his head, his eyes widened when he saw what, or rather who it was.
It was the white female Trux.
The one who had shown him the Mirror.
She was standing on a high bank and looking directly at him. Then he saw her look down and, following her gaze, he saw a large black opening in the bank beneath her, hidden by roots and vines. You wouldn't have noticed it unless you were looking for it. Looking back up and seeing that the Trux was gone, Ty immediately knew what she had told him and what he had to do. "Everyone! This way! Follow me!" he called.
Without slowing down, Ty made a sharp turn to the left and headed straight for the tunnel. "Ty! What are you doing? Where are going?" cried Revvit, who was clinging on to the red T-Trux's head and had nearly been thrown off by the sudden change in direction. "Trust me, Rev! I know what I'm doing!" his friend replied. The others didn't argue as they knew that their leader wouldn't do anything without taking into account their safety.
"Everyone! Keep behind me and stick close!" he called to them. "That's something that you don't need to tell us!" Dozer yelled back. The flames leapt about them as they made their way through the burning trees towards the bank. "Hold on, Rev!" ordered Ty as he swung himself round into a spin and smashed his wrecking ball straight into the vines and roots that obscured the entrance to the tunnel.
"High beams!" The others were quick to follow this command as they sped through the darkness behind one another. "How did you know where to find this, dude!" said Ton-Ton, staring at their surroundings as they rushed on. "It's a long story, Ton-Ton! I'll tell you some other time!" Ty replied without looking back. The group tore along the tunnel at top speed and it wasn't long until they spotted light rapidly approaching them from up ahead.
"There's the exit! Hold on, gang!" Ty let out a roar as he charged forward. Like he had done so back at the entrance, he swung himself around and smashed through a line of vines and roots that were barring the entrance. Racing through, the group found themselves leaping off the top of a large rock in front of them before they landed in a clearing down below as a pile of earth fell down behind Garby, blocking the tunnel.
This was quickly followed by a burning tree that crashed down from its original place at the top of the bank above the exit. Everyone could only stare in amazement at both the sight of it and wonder how in the world their leader had known about it. "That was awesome, Ty!" said Skya. "How did you know that tunnel was there?" The red T-Trux cast a glance at the others and saw the same question in their eyes.
Before he could respond, however, they heard a voice call out to them from nearby. "You lot! Over here!" They looked around and, through the fire and smoke, saw a Trux they had never seen before but the fact that she, that much they could tell from the sound of the voice, was trying to help them was obvious. She was a dark blue and silver grey quadrupedal Dinotrux with four tread feet, a water tank on her back, a water cannon on her forehead, a ladder-detailed neck.
She had an extendable water hose for her tails, two black nostrils, a small head and two forward facing eyes. Not wasting any time they quickly raced over just before another flaming tree crashed down behind them. "That was close. Are you all okay?" the Trux asked, concern in her eyes as she looked the group over. "We're fine, but who are you?" Skya asked. "And what are you?" added Dozer.
"To answer your first question, my name is Rain," the new Trux replied. "And to answer your second one, I'm a Hydrodon." Despite the fact that they were in imminent danger, Revvit's natural curiosity overcame his fear. "Fascinating, I have only heard about Hydrodons but have never had the chance to see one up close until now. This is-" "Explanations later Rev," interrupted Ty, "right now, we've got a forest fire bearing down on us."
"You're only too right on that point, kid," said another voice, this one coarse yet warm. It's owner soon made itself known as a second Hydrodon, this one a male, rolled onto the scene, his face hard and grim. He was mainly a reddish grey colour and a much duller shade of grey than the female next to him. "There you are, Flynt. I was starting to get worried," said Rain. Flynt just scoffed in response to this and rolled his eyes at her.
"Worried shmurried. And in case you didn't know, we need to get out of here! The fire's spreading round the sides of the clearing, if we don't move now we'll be trapped!" "But Flynt we can't just run away," Rain protested, desperate pleading appearing in her eyes. "I've told you before, you can't always fight all your problems, Rain," he replied curtly, "and there's nothing more we can do. Besides, better outside a burning forest than in it I say."
"My sentiments exactly!" agreed Shade. With that he took off towards a gap in the trees. Now it was Rain's turn to roll her eyes, though it was evident to the others that she was clearly used to her friend's attitude, before racing after him. The group quickly followed on behind them, knowing full well that they would be better off with two Trux who knew both all about fire and how to handle it at the same time.
Suddenly there was a loud creaking sound from up ahead, and just as Flynt passed under a tree it came crashing down on top of him. He was knocked to the ground and didn't move. "Flynt! No!" cried Rain as the flames started lapping at the tree trunk. Acting quickly, she doused the flaming obstruction with her water cannon. Ty was even quicker to follow by charging forward and smashing the now smoking object off of the male Hydrodon.
But he still didn't move.
Rain hurriedly drove up alongside him and looked down at her fellow Hydrodon. "He's out cold," she announced. "Skya!" said Ty. "Already on it!" the Craneosaur replied before she hooked one of Flynt's railings, while Dozer lowered his blade and started pushing him along as they moved him forward the best they could. Ty, followed by Shade, took the lead and the group continued their quest for escape.
The fire roared all around them and more than once they had to change direction so as to avoid colliding or being hit by falling trees that were on fire. It also didn't help that the smoke made it almost impossible to see these obstacles and, more importantly, to see where they were going. Just when they thought that they were trapped for good, Ty spotted a sliver of light up ahead.
Sunlight.
"There!" he cried, catching the others' attention. "This way quick!" and without hesitation he raced towards what was now a beacon of hope. The flames lashed up from either side and the heat became so intense that it was almost unbearable. But their desperation to escape drove them on. At last the light became brighter and brighter until, after what seemed like an eternity, the group burst through the wall of smoke and into open sunlight.
All of the Trux and Tools bore marks of the fire, their paint blackened and in some areas melted all together revealing the bare metal underneath. But they were all alive and in one piece. They had reached an area of the forest that hadn't yet been affected by the fire but was rapidly becoming overrun like the rest of it while tendrils of smoke snaked their way across the ground like Screwsquitos from a nest.
"Keep moving guys! We're almost home free!" Ty called. That cry put fresh energy into the group's engines and they soldiered on. Bit by bit, the temperature was slowly becoming more and more bearable. At last, they burst out of the forest, splashed through a small stream and then out on a wide flat set of grasslands. The smoke towered over the forest behind them and the flames could be seen reaching up towards the sky.
But the group weren't going to stop for that and kept on.
Finally though, the grasslands gave way to a rocky plain. The group wasted no time in making for the shelter of the closest rock formation. Finding a small alcove between two of the rocks, they slowly moved the still unconscious Flynt into it. At last this allowed Revvit and the three other Reptools a chance to swarm over Flynt and start to check him over and find out how much damage had been done to him.
"How bad is he Rev?" Ty asked as the apple green and bright yellow Reptool finally looked up at him. "He is mostly suffering from the blunt impact of the tree hitting him, but other than that he doesn't seem to be too badly hurt." Rain then pulled up alongside Ty. "Your Tool friends can fix him right?" she asked, worry clear in her voice. The red T-Trux gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course, we do this thing all the time."
"I think it is best we stay here for the time being, until he recovers," said Revvit as he hopped onto Ty's right tread before climbing up onto his head. Ty looked up at Rain. "Can you stay here and keep an eye on him while we check on everyone else?" he asked. "I won't leave his side." With that, and after allowing the other Tools to climb on board, the red T-Trux rolled away leaving Rain to watch over their fallen new friend. After a short while, she noticed him raise his head slightly.
He looked at her through half closed eyes before he began trying to push himself up in an attempt to get to his wheels. "Don't move, Flynt" she told him in a gentle but firm voice. "Just rest and save your strength," she added kindly. Giving a slight nod in silent response, he lay his head back down on the ground and sighed. "Thanks, Rain. It's just... I'm not used to being helped by, or helping others so much."
"Well, here's to firsts then," Rain said kindly before smiling down at him.
It was all Flynt could do to smile back at her while a warm feeling spread through his frames.
While this touching moment was taking place, Ty, Revvit, Ace, Waldo, and Click-Clack had gone back to the others. The group were sitting under the sheltered space offered by the surrounding rocks and allowing their tired bodies time to rest. Skya and Garby had just finished unloading Ton-Ton's bed when the quintet approached them. Normally the blue Ankylodump would have gone ramping but all he did was reverse back underneath a rocky overhang and flop down on the ground.
He was soon joined by Rose who did the same. She didn't say anything and neither did he, but the red female simply stayed there with him as a way of offering him silent comfort. Nobody was really surprised, for they knew that the two Trux had started to form a close bond in the short space of time that they had known each other. Shade was doing likewise alongside Dozer, Blue Diamond, Skya, Garby, and the Tortools who also did the same.
Ty allowed the Tools to climb down from him and make their way to a small rock ledge that provided an ideal resting place. No sooner had they all reached it did Waldo flop down, much like Ton-Ton had done. Ace did the same while Revvit and Click-Clack lay down beside them. The red T-Trux took his own place under a nearby rock and finally allowed himself the chance to rest while his engine slowed to a gentle hum.
An hour passed by in this fashion as the group sat in complete silence and said nothing to each other. This wasn't out of impoliteness but was more out of the fact that they were all stone dead tired from running for their lives, not to mention the fact that they were all in a rather sorry looking state with their paint jobs blackened and melted off in some places exposing the bare metal underneath.
The Tortools were the only active ones. Doing their best to be as quiet as they could, the quartet slowly made their way around the group and began to spray over the melted areas of paint. It took them a while but they were soon finished. Shortly afterwards, Ty spoke. "I know that what I'm about to say is probably the last thing we all want to hear, but is everyone alright?" he asked. The others exchanged glances.
"Depends on your definition of alright, I suppose," Shade replied solemnly. "Yeah," agreed Ton-Ton. "Not gonna lie, dude. That fire was pretty scary." Rose gave him a friendly nuzzle though it was easy to see that there was a deeper feeling behind it that wanted to come to the surface but was being held back. "I'm more confused than anything," said Skya. "You're not the only one," piped up Blue Diamond.
"How did that fire start?" asked the Craneosaur. "Well it certainly wasn't the sun," said Ace. "And there wasn't any lightnin' either," added Waldo. "So that would mean..." ventured Ty. "That it's not a question of what started the fire, but who," finalised Garby. "Do you think it was, Reaper?" Dozer asked. "Not likely, Dozer," said Shade. "Hydraulicus are fast, but there's no way he could have caught up to us so soon."
"So if it wasn't Reaper, then who?" wondered Revvit. "Simple," grunted Blue Diamond. "Someone wanted us turned into molten slag." "Why do I suddenly feel terrified beyond belief," Click-Click muttered to himself. "For once you're not the only one," said Waldo in agreement with his fellow Tool. "Well, whoever it was, they obviously didn't stick around to make sure their dirty work went as planned," said Ty.
Everyone exchanged nervous glances. "Still, we're all here and that's what's important," the red T-Trux continued. "As soon as Flynt's recovered, we'll move on. That fire shouldn't be able to cross the stream and even if it does, there's next to nothing that it can burn here." "Thank goodness for that," said Rose quietly and the others all silently agreed with the red female Ankylodump.
A loud grunt got their attention and they all turned to see Flynt, supported by Rain, come to join them. "You saved our tailpipes back there," he said, leaning against a rock for balance. "We both owe you one." "Just one?" said the latter with a questioning glance and disbelief in her voice. "I think that we owe them more than just one favour, Flynt." "Ok, ok. I hear ya," the male replied.
"Females," he muttered. "What was that?" Skya and Blue Diamond asked, glaring at him. The male Hydrodon gulped as he realised what he had said. "Uhh... Umm... No offense?" Flynt asked nervously. For a moment the two Trux continued to give looks that could kill until Shade burst out laughing from the whole situation. Ton-Ton quickly joined him until the whole group were laughing together.
They all felt better for a good while afterwards.
Later that night, the group, along with the two Hydrodons, had made camp further along the rocky plain. While the others were chatting amongst themselves for the first time since they had left the shelter of the rocks near the forest and eating what ore Ty and Ton-Ton had been able to find, Dozer was sitting by himself on top of a nearby cliff under the pretense of wanting some time alone to allow him gather his thoughts.
All the while he was there his mind was focused on one thing, or rather, on one person in particular.
Blue Diamond.
Ever since he had laid eyes on her back during the group's fight with the Scraptors and eventually Reaper, he just couldn't get the sky blue female Dozeratops out of his mind. True he had seen many females of his kind throughout his life up until that point but there was something about her that set them apart from all the others. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was
His mind was swirling with thoughts as he tried to straighten them out. While he was doing this he didn't notice that he was being watched. From down below, hidden by a large rock, a tall, dark figure was watching the yellow Dozeratops closely with narrowed eyes that held an unfriendly look in them. Said Trux sighed glumly and was about to turn around and head back when a voice drew him out of his thoughts.
"I thought I'd find you here, Dozer. Are you okay?" Blue Diamond had appeared behind him and her optics held a look of concern. "I just miss the crater, I guess," he said slowly, successfully covering up the fact that she was the real reason why he was by himself and had been in such deep thought. She drew up alongside him and gave him a comforting smile that made a warmth spread through his frames.
"Your home may be gone in life, but not in your heart. Besides, you've still got you friends and they'll always take care of you," she said kindly and he slowly started to smile. "Thanks, that means a lot, really." The pair smiled at each other before Blue Diamond asked him something that took him completely off guard. "By the way, why did you give Ton-Ton that look back in the forest?" she asked. "You looked as if you could've scrapped him there and then."
The yellow Dozeratops gulped audibly and began to stumble over words in an attempt to get out a reply. "Well... It's uh... Well you see... It's um... Um... Um... It's... It's..." "Yes," she prompted, moving slightly closer to him. At last, Dozer took a deep breath to calm himself and finally answer her whilst doing his best to keep his voice as level as possible. "It's because... Well... Promise that you'll hear me out okay?" he asked.
She nodded in a silent response so he continued. "Well, ever since we met I've... Well... I've come to like you as more than just a friend," said Dozer slowly and Blue Diamond nodded once again, curiosity now evident on her face. "So in other words, what I'm trying to say is that I..." he broke off abruptly as there came a loud crash from nearby. "Who's there!" they called out but there came no reply.
"It better not be you Ton-Ton! Or you Skya!" Dozer called angrily. Again, there was no reply, only a definite silence. "I think that we better get back and find the others and fast because something tells me we're not alone out here!" said Blue Diamond. Not wasting a second the pair quickly raced back in the direction of the camp. From around the side of a rock, neither of them noticed a tall figure emerge into the open.
And on its back was crouched a dark flier.
Meanwhile Ty was also out on his own nighttime ramble deciding that he needed to work some things out by himself. Revvit had been worried about him going out alone, but he had reassured the Reptool that he would be fine and would come straight back to the group if anything bad happened. He had also decided that he would also take the opportunity to have a midnight snack. Ty had soon put his nose to the ground and started sniffing for ore.
While he was doing this he heard a noise from behind him and turned around quickly to look. There was no one there, but yet. He peered hard into the darkness, trying to see if he could spot anything there. "Hello," he called. "Anyone there." There was no reply and Ty shrugged, thinking it must have been a loose piece of rock that had been dislodged by the wind. He turned back around to focus on his hunt for food and nearly jumped out of his metal.
Staring back at him from the patch of darkness in front of him standing in front of him was a pair of eyes. They stared at him. Unwavering, and unblinking. Regaining himself Ty boldly faced the eyes which stared at him, blinking every now and then. "Whoever you are, I'm not afraid of you." There was no reply for a moment. Than a voice, deep, yet calm, spoke to him. "I have a warning for you... Ty."
Needless to say, the red T-Trux was shocked. "How do you know my name?!" he asked both amazed and shocked at the same time. The voice paused for a moment, an indication that its owner was collecting their thoughts. "The reputation of you and your friends has spread further than you think." Another pause. "You must leave here at once," the voice continued, catching Ty off guard.
"What? Why?" The eyes narrowed at him from the darkness. "There are dangers in these lands that you do not know of. Not all of those whom you will meet are your friends. You may find that you and your friends have more enemies than you realise. I recommend that you leave as soon as possible and quickly," with that the eyes disappeared into the night leaving a stunned Ty a complete loss for words.
Forgetting both his hunger and his muddled thoughts, the group's leader decided to get back to camp and tell the others about his encounter. He turned around and set off back the way he had come. Who else could possibly be out here besides us? he thought. And what would someone have to gain by telling me to- The next thing Ty knew he was sliding across the ground before colliding with a rock with an audible crack.
Groaning, he looked up to see a figure standing over him. It was a T-Trux. Even larger than D-Structs. Ty felt his oil run cold as he took in his attacker. Even in the dark it was easy to see that he was red and black. He was one of the three that he had seen in the Mirror! The ones who had smiled back at him! Unlike the image, however, the T-Trux was now quite real and was far from being an image in his head.
Two pairs of upward curving horns adorned the top of his head, the foremost pair smaller than the other. Three smaller squarish horns ran down his forehead, like the ones that D-Structs had only bigger. His arms were as thick as a fully grown Reptool and ended in large hands with clawed fingers. His chest space was mainly taken up by a massive single gear while two massive hydraulic movers occupied the lower one.
The T-Trux's tail was devoid of side spikes, unlike his own, while the end was formed by what appeared to be a single drill covered in several small spikes that seemed to be split down the middle. The chain ran back to the beginning of the third segment which showed it was a tail with more uses than its apparent one. Completing this fearsome combination was the formidable glare he was giving the red T-Trux he had just knocked flying.
Slowly, and feeling like Dozer had run him over, Ty got to his treads and stared down his opponent, doing his best to show that he wasn't afraid. "Your courage is most admirable... Ty. But your resistance is foolish." The Flatirons Gang leader felt his oil run cold once again when he heard the strange T-Trux speak his name. His voice was cold and calculating yet there was an element of rage carefully hidden behind it.
That alone told him what kind of foe he was dealing with. One who had nothing to lose should he be beaten though that possibility seemed highly unlikely. The two Trux circled each other, though the former knew that this was a battle he couldn't win. Not on his own anyway. Despite holding his own against D-Structs on more than one occasion, he knew that the only reason he had won all those times was when his friends had been around.
"When it's one on one? You lose." Reaper's words from the group's encounter with the Hydraulicus echoed in his head. What disturbed Ty the most was the fact that those words were true. Seemingly sensing this, the red and black T-Trux spoke. "You've always had a friend or two to help you," he said, smirking because he knew that he was right. "There is no one here but you and me. You are all alone. That is your greatest fear."
Some resolve stirred inside Ty. "Just because I'm by myself, doesn't mean I can't fight my own battles!" he shot back. The other laughed, a dark, rumbling laugh. "You cannot beat me!" he replied. "Even if your friends were here now, it wouldn't make any difference." "Are you sure about that?" Ty had barely enough time to react before his foe charged straight at him with surprising speed despite his bulk.
He slammed head first in the rock the red T-Trux had been flung into with such force that a massive crack appeared. At that moment in time, Ty ought to have done something at once. Either he should have gone back as quickly as possible and warned his friends that there was a massive T-Trux at hand, and in a very nasty mood, quite likely to try and turn them into scrap, or else he should have tried to fight his more powerful opponent.
Many of you will agree that the latter option would have been the best, and while Ty still time to have left. But he was still in slight pain from his earlier tumble. That, and he had the (often) fatal trait of being stubborn. While he was weighing his options, the red and black T-Trux had pulled himself free and charged at the red T-Trux once again, his eyes blazing with unchecked fury.
This time, though, Ty was ready for him. Mustering all the strength he could, he swung himself around and slammed his wrecking ball into his enemy's face, making him stop in his tracks. He was quick to return it and the former dodged the swing that passed over his head with mere centimeters to spare. The second swing the red T-Trux attempted ended in his taller opponent catching the chain around one of his horns.
"I see why D-Structs hasn't been able to take you out." He bit down on said chain and wrenched Ty around, making him crash into a rock. The red T-Trux went in for an attack only for his foe to send up a cloud of rocks and dust in his face. Before the latter could recover from this distraction, he was grabbed by the tail and sent straight into another nearby rock. This time though, after regaining himself, Ty knocked his larger enemy back with his tail and in a headlock.
His attacker responded in kind by slamming straight into him and knocking him to the ground. "But, there's a difference between me and him," the Trux said, looming over him. "I don't just want you gone... I want you destroyed!" And he swung around to bring his tail smashing down on Ty's head. The red T-Trux braced himself for the agonising pain and the possibility that he would be-
Kee-eeeee-arr!
The loud screech came out of nowhere and immediately halted the larger T-Trux in his attack. Ty's first thought was that they had been found by Scrapadactyls until he realised that the screech he had heard didn't belong to the flying predators. It sounded like a hoarse scream more than anything else. Whatever had made it was clearly close by. Silence followed until the cry came once again, followed by a deep, bellowing roar.
It was even louder than D-Struct's. A third T-Trux. This time, however, the one above him answered with a similar vocalisation. He turned his head to look down at Ty, his eyes cold and hard. That alone told him that he was lucky to be alive and, had it not been for that screech, then the group leader would not be alive at that moment in time. The red and black T-Trux turned around and lowered his head.
His voice was so close that the words uttered it echoed throughout Ty's audio receptors. "The next time you hesitate like that, it may cost you your life... or the lives of your friends." And with that he was gone. The red T-Trux didn't doubt what he had said for one second. Slowly, and with much pain, he got to his treads and looked all around him. Nothing but silence. Only the broken rocks showed that there had been any sign of a battle.
Ty set his sights back in the direction of camp and headed back.
He didn't look behind him once.