Over the course of the next week since Wheeljack departed from the base, Azura became very focused on learning Cybertronian. She not only played Five Minute Letter Scramble, she and Jack also managed to create a scrabble game with the Cybertronian letters. They made up little blocks with just the Cybertronian letters and no English letter, and they would make words with them, and then check to see if they spelled them right by checking the English letters. It was becoming extremely fun for Azura and the humans to learn the language as it was much easier to learn. In fact, Miko even used the idea for her schoolwork, which seemed to help her a lot. Ratchet and Optimus were both very happy that Azura found a way to learn the language in a way that was fun for her. They both did sometimes sit down to have her write out a few words, but they never made her do anything intense. Having her have fun and learn was the main thing.

The only thing that they did make her concentrate on seriously was her abilities. Azura and Optimus returned to the island a few times during the week, and she was slowly improving. Azura was happy she was getting better at her abilities, though she was sad because she no longer seemed to have a dream world to go to anymore. She was having normal dreams now, and it seemed maybe her training in her dream world was done. Or maybe it was not necessary now that Optimus was training her. She missed speaking to Alpha Trion, but there was not much she could do right now.

And her appetite had also remained the same since Wheeljack's departure as well. Ratchet confirmed with Optimus she is having a growth spurt. She had actually grown several inches already during this week, and she was visibly taller than Jack now. Optimus himself was having to ingest more high-grade to keep up with her appetite, and Ratchet has considered having Optimus mixed his low-grade with mid-grade energon as the mid-grade would be richer in nutrients, but Optimus refused as he did not want to cause Azura to have an upset tank. Even if it was low risk, he still did not wish to do it.

Right now, it was early morning on a Saturday and Azura woke up from her recharge. She had been dreaming about sitting in a large pine forest, and she could communicate with the trees themselves. In the dream, she was rejuvenating it as well, bringing back trees that had been cut down by humans. It was a wonderful dream that she had. But she was now awake. She yawned and stretched out her arms, gathering the plush toys around her and hugging them happily. She was still keeping the metal Stitch toy close to her and she almost never left it alone.

She rubbed her optics and looked around, noticing that Optimus was not in her room. She thought about waiting, but her bladder told her otherwise. She sighed as she wished she could be like the other autobots and not have to worry about using the bathroom, but she had no choice but to deal with it. She grabbed Stitch and made her way down the stairs to get to the bathroom. She was also looking forward to today. She had asked Jack earlier in the week about getting her a couple bumble bee catfish from the aquarium after they posted that they had some in, and he said he would get her some today. She was excited about it as she thought they were really cute, and she knew that Bumblebee would appreciate it and enjoy seeing fish that were of his colors.

Once she finished using the toilet, Azura walked over to her tanks to feed the fish and check the tanks themselves. She hummed softly to herself as she was looking forward to adding another fish to her tank, even if it was just a catfish. She cleaned some algae that was growing on the tank glass and added a millilitre of ammonia detoxifying chemical to each tank. She knew she would be testing the water on Sunday too so she would make sure that the environment in the way was still healthy for her fish.

With that done, she began wondering where Optimus was. It felt like it was unusual for him to not come in when she wakes up. Plus, Azura was feeling hungry, so she was feeling a bit impatient. She figured she would go and check Optimus's room to see if he was there. If he was still in recharge, so he would definitely understand. But she knew she wanted to fed, and she didn't think she could get low-grade without him being awake. She would at least see it was possible.

She walked out of her room and over to Optimus's room. When the door slid open, she saw Optimus was indeed recharging on his berth. His chassis rose up and down gently with each intake and exhale. She smiled as she walked into the room and approached the berth. As she looked at the berth, she frowned as she realized she had no way of getting up onto the berth. She was still too small.

She hummed a little and looked at her toy with a smirk. "If only you were alive and just as strong and adorable as the real Stitch, you could carry me up to daddy." She looked back up at the berth and she thought about how she would do this. "Daddy, wake up, please." She frowned as she realized she didn't speak loudly enough. "Daddy?" She flinched as she heard Optimus intake heavier and move his head slightly, but he did not wake up. "Come on, I'm hungry…wake up."

There was still no movement or any kind of indication that he was waking up. He probably could hear her, but he didn't seem to be stirring. Azura huffed a little as she pouts while wondering what she could do. Her tank rumbled and she tapped her foot as she frowned, looking up at Optimus. She considered climbing up the leg of the berth, but she was a little nervous to do that. The next thing she considered was making a snowball and throwing it at him. But that could get her into trouble.

"Why are you the heavy recharger?" Azura complained as she frowned at him. "That's my job." She sighed and turned around with a huff. "I guess I will go and annoy Ratchet. He's always awake when I get up at least."

Azura made her way out of the room to head to the lobby. She knew that Ratchet probably would not feed her low-grade, but she would see if he would give her a bit. She just wanted to have something that would tie her over until Optimus wakes up. She hasn't had to complain about this, but Azura guessed she might have woken up early, or Optimus was just tired. She and Optimus had been at the island yesterday, and Azura had decided to play tag with Optimus. Though considering Optimus has faced Megatron and the decepticons, she doubted that she was the reason he was still recharging. It was just the fact that she could have woken up early.

Azura walked into the lobby, and she saw Ratchet. He was sitting on a box working on something, and as she got closer, she noticed it was a covering. She knew he and Optimus were working on them, but she was still not sure about wearing them yet. The coverings had no color just yet, but Azura did know she wanted to at least have red as one of her colors, though she wasn't sure about the other color yet. She had time to think on it though.

Ratchet looked up as he heard her footsteps and he smiled at her when his optics laid on her. "I see you have awoken, Azura." He glanced up at the hallway and realized Optimus was not with Azura. "Hmm…" He checked the time and chuckled a little. "Somebody is up a little early. Optimus will be awake soon, Azura."

"Hmmph, I tried to wake him and it did not work." Azura looked up at Ratchet as he was still working on the covering piece. "Ratchet…" He glanced down at her as she spoke his name in a slow tone. "Um…I am hungry…" He raised an eyebrow and nodded in acknowledgement. "This is probably going to be silly, but could I…"

"No."

"What?" Azura frowned a little. "You don't know what I was going to ask."

"Azura, you told me you were hungry. I knew you were going to ask for me to feed you. You are not dying, you can wait." She frowned and rolled her optics with a grumble. "I know you have been hungrier lately, but you can wait. Optimus should be awake in about fifteen minutes. So why don't you go and do something? You could paint or continue practising Cybertronian."

"But…but, I…I can't concentrate while I'm hungry!" Azura responded in a pouty tone. Ratchet did not respond, only gave her a stern expression. She sighed deeply as she hugged her toy tighter. "Fine…I'll do something else…but fifteen minutes is a long time…"

"Azura, I know it might feel like a long time, but if you are distracted it will go by quickly. And besides…" He turned his body slightly to face her. "You are not going to throw a tantrum at this time of day."

Her frown deepened in surprise. "I won't throw a tantrum."

"You are teetering on one."

Azura was irritated as she turned away from Ratchet and walked over quickly to her art platform and muttered to herself. She didn't think she would throw a tantrum, and it seemed silly that he thought that she would. Despite her Cybertronian age, Azura knew better than to throw a tantrum. She really did not want to know how sparklings got punished. She knew she might experience it eventually, but she would try not to make that happen.

She walked up the stairs the looked around at her canvases, sketchbooks, paint and pencils. She needed to think on what to do. She had considered asking Jack to see about getting her some clay as she would enjoy making small sculptures, though she doubted Ratchet would like that since it can be very messy. But it was something she wanted, so she might ask him eventually about clay.

She decided to grab out a sketchbook to work on a drawing she had started a couple days ago. She set her toy down and sat down so she could continue drawing. She was still frustrated that she was hungry, but she would try and be quiet to let Ratchet work. The drawing she had been working on is a picture of Cliffjumper and a racing machine. After Wheeljack told her the story about him being a racer, she wanted to draw an image of him with one these vehicles. She knew she did not know what they looked like, but that didn't matter. It would be a tribute to her fallen friend.

Ratchet was pleased that Azura had taken it upon herself to keep herself occupied while she waited for Optimus to wake up. Azura was definitely way past the age where sparklings will scream and cry if they do not get fed. But at this age, they still can, and Ratchet did know she was on the verge of it by her behaviour. Even if Azura did not recognize it, he definitely did. He has dealt with so many sparklings in his time, he was well trained in caring for sparklings and knowing what to expect. Azura was mature for her age, given her upbringing, so that also is playing into account here.

Azura continued to work on her drawing for about ten minutes. But the grumbling in her tank was just too hard to ignore now. She whimpered a little and put her pencil down. She wanted to say something about it again to Ratchet, but she knew it would do no good. She looked at the picture and she so far had shaded the shadows in at the moment in the drawing, and darkened some of the lines. She smiled a little as she knew that there was a lot to do.

However, she glanced up and smiled as she heard familiar footsteps walking into the lobby. She stood up from the desk and ran down the stairs as she saw Optimus walking into the lobby with a curious expression. "Daddy!" She jumped from the stairs, which made Optimus raise an eyebrow as she ran over to him. "I tried waking you up earlier, but you recharge so heavy!"

Ratchet snorts in amusement as Optimus picked Azura up and cradled her in his arm. "I had thought I heard your voice echoing while I was dreaming. I apologize. I suspect you were trying to wake me up to be fed." Azura nodded and dramatically held her stomach and wiggled to show she was hungry. Optimus just smiled at her in amusement and kissed her forehead gently. "Your wait will be reward, Azura." He opened the panel on his chassis, and he was surprised when Azura snatched the fuel line before he grabbed it and held it, staring at him impatiently. Optimus shook his head as the fuel line began to fill with the low-grade. He looked at Ratchet who was giving him an amused expression. "I hope she did not create trouble while I was still in recharge."

"No, she was able to contain herself." Azura gave him a slight frown as she didn't know if that would get her into trouble. "She actually asked me to feed her." Optimus was surprised and gave Azura a curious expression. She shrugged and placed her mouth on the end of the fuel line to start drinking. "I declined her request, of course. No tantrums were thrown, Optimus. She has good control of her emotions."

"I am pleased to hear that. And I am also happy she's feeding and growing very well." Ratchet nodded in agreement and looked down at the covering he was working on. "How long do growth spurts last again?"

"On average…I think they last about a month. The longest growth spurt recorded was two, and that was one of the council members I believe." Optimus widened his optics at the thought of that, though Ratchet chuckled softly at him. "I highly doubt she'll be going through the growth spurt over the course of two months, Optimus. A month is likely going to be the case. I know it will be draining, as feeding sparklings is rather a tiring process, but she needs it and she should almost grow twice the size she was a few weeks ago."

"Which should mean she will get her first coverings in a month's time." The medic nodded affirmatively and Optimus looked down at Azura. "I hope you are excited. We can start putting the finishing touches of the coverings soon too. But not until we get a better idea of what your size will be by the end of the month." Azura just gave Optimus a thumbs up as she was focused on filling her tank, which was amusing to Optimus. "I at least am happy to know your healthy appetite isn't slowing down."

She smiled back at him and continued to drink. She enjoyed this experience a lot. Azura could honestly say now that she is extremely happy that she found her carrier. Optimus is a wonderful parent, and she couldn't ask for anything more. He is so patient and gentle with her. And despite how they met, and the messiness that was created, Optimus and Azura had an undeniable bond now that made them inseparable.

"I have already started making adjustments to the coverings now that Azura is going through a growth spurt. I had actually expected her to have her first coverings by this week, but she is already outgrowing them." Ratchet did not seem to mind that fact though, which was good. Azura could not control the rate she was growing. "At least she should have another growth spurt later in the year." Optimus did not respond, though he was internally groaning over that fact given how much energy his body's had to endure in making sure Azura is well fed. "She might even be able to start transforming soon."

Azura's smile widened as that idea. She really wanted to experience transformation for the first time. She looked forward to being able to fly as well. She knew that the other autobots were grounded due to their choice of vehicle modes, but Azura knew she should be able to fly due to her dragon side. And she knew she was going to enjoy transforming randomly in the base too. She had no doubt that being playful as a dragon will make things a lot more interesting than as a regular, sparkling, femme.

Optimus turned his head as he heard engines entering the drive way. "Seems like Bulkhead and Bumblebee are arriving early." He smiled as he saw the two bots rolling in with the kids. Miko and Raf get out with smiles on their faces. "Miko, Rafael, I trust your early morning has been pleasant."

"It was okay," Raf responded with a shrug as he walked towards the stairs. "I had to finish a bit of homework before I left this morning. I noticed I have been slipping in my studies recently. Guess I am just being distracted."

Miko scoffed in amusement at Rafael. "Seriously, Raf? I think you should focus on having fun while you are here. You don't need to focus on your studies, that is what the time at school is for."

The boy just chuckled at Miko softly at her comment. "Well, my family are pretty strict when it comes to my studies, Miko. I cannot just leave them alone like you can." He looked up at Optimus to see Azura was still feeding from Optimus. "And I see Azura is having breakfast."

"She is certainly eating a lot," Miko said with a chuckle. "Maybe she should have a human meal as well, just to maybe help her with her hunger." Optimus shook his head, and Azura just chuckled a little in amusement. "I get it! She grows better with the energon, but I was only trying to suggest things that might help."

"Azura does not need human food, especially during this growth spurt," Optimus said to the girl gently. "I appreciate your suggestion, but I am afraid Azura will only need low-grade energon. She doesn't need anything else to prevent her from growing well. But I do promise that when she stops going through the growth spurt, she can have a treat."

"Sounds like a good idea!" Miko hummed as she glanced back at the driveway curiously. "Where's Jack and Arcee? They're normally here about the same time as we are."

"Jack and Arcee will be here soon," Optimus responded gently, smiling as he knew exactly where Jack and Arcee were. He was there when Azura asked him about retrieving the bumble bee catfish. "They are making a stop on the way here for Azura." Miko, Raf and the autobots were immediately curious about what Optimus meant. "They will be here soon, and you'll see why."

"I am going to guess that they are getting Azura some more fish for her tanks," Ratchet said softly as he looked back down on his work. "That sounds like it would be the only explanation, unless Jack is bringing Azura another plush, even though she has her metal toy from Wheeljack."

"You are correct in your assumption, Ratchet. Azura still has room for a few more fish, so I think that is totally okay with me. Plus, I still enjoy watching the tiny creatures swim around in their glass enclosures." Optimus looked at Miko and Raf as they make their way over to the couch. "What do you two plan on doing? I will assume you are going to play some videos game."

"You got that right!" Miko exclaimed while Raf began pulling out some books. "Aw, come on, Raf! You don't need to be doing schoolwork right now! It's Saturday! You don't need to be doing school."

"Sorry, Miko, but I have to do it." Raf had a very apologetic expression on his face as he sat down and began looking over his notes. "I can definitely play some games soon, I just have to some of this. It is more important."

"Aw…" Miko sighed a little as she sat down on the couch in irritation. "Alright, fine…" She grabbed the remove and turned on the TV. "I am going to put on monster trucks instead." Bulkhead's optics light up and he walked over quickly with a smile. "There was a big rally in Chicago last night, and they always put the replays on in the morning." She changed the channel until she found the right one. "Hooyah! Found it!"

"And I can get to enjoy it without having to be sitting in the driveway and watch it on my own," Bulkhead said enthusiastically. "This was a good idea, Miko! Might as well enjoy it while we can."

Bumblebee chuckled a little. "I do believe that Miko needs to focus on her studies more. She still has a lot of years ahead of her to do things she wants, even though I can imagine she will want to be working with us autobots in the future."

"I agree. But we cannot force what she wants to do, Bumblebee. We can only encourage." Ratchet stood up from where he was sitting and walked over to Optimus. "If you would not mind for a moment, Optimus, I wished to get a quick measure of her legs and arms."

Azura gave Ratchet a confused expression and she flinched as Optimus shifted his arm a little and Ratchet used his scanner to scan over her legs. She actually thought he would use some kind of measuring tape, so she relaxed a bit. He hummed as he got the result and moved to her arms. Azura lifts up her arms straight up and Ratchet let out a soft chuckle in amusement at how she was helping him measure her limbs. He was getting the measurements so he could work out the possible size he would need when completing the coverings. Once he finished, he scanned her whole body to get a full body length estimate. Azura felt awkward and she rolled to face Optimus's chassis.

Ratchet smiled and shrugged. "Luckily I just got the measurements." He turned around and walked away from Optimus. "I have to make adjustments to her helm and shoulder pads now."

"I thought your coverings would grow with you," Raf said as he listened in curiously. "You did say that was something that happens."

"You are correct, but putting on a covering that is too tight and uncomfortable would be cruel to the sparkling," Optimus explained to the boy. "Azura does not need to endure the constant feeling of her helm crushing the sides of her face. I am sure you would not like that."

He shook his head as he grimaced at the very idea of that feeling. "That would feel horrible."

Azura agreed as she definitely did not like the idea of that. So she appreciated the helm and shoulder pads being adjusted. Though she did think she would like to input about the style of them. Though while she was thinking about it, she heard the familiar sound of a motorcycle rolling into the lobby. She rolled herself again and smiled as she saw Jack. He had a bag around his stomach and she could see the plastic bags. She already knew that was her new fish. Optimus stopped the flow of the low-grade and she quickly drank it up as Jack got off the bike and Arcee transformed.

Jack looked up as he took off his helmet. "Morning, Azura. I hope you are ready for your new fish."

Azura nodded excitedly as Optimus pulled the fuel line back within his chassis and lowered her to the ground. "I sure am! But…" She tilts her head curiously as she walked towards Jack. "You have two bags…I only wanted two catfish."

Jack smiled at her. "I know. But I discovered they had something else." He pulled out the two bags and Azura gasped excitedly. "They not only had bumble bee catfish, there was also some bumble bee gobies and blue emperor kerri tetras, and I know you weren't expecting these, but I thought you would like them."

"And thank Primus I have enough room for them!" Azura exclaimed as she took one of the bags with the gobies and catfish inside. She looked at the bag smiling as she counted the gobies. There were six in total. "They're so adorable!"

Bumblebee was surprised by this and crouched down to get a closer look. "You got fish that have…my colors?" Azura looked at him and nodded, looking away shyly with a light giggle. "I am…wow…this is so great, Azura! I guess you adore me so much!"

She nodded again. "Yeah, well…you are like a brother to me, Bee. I know we haven't spent much time over the last week, because I have been focused on other things, but I still love you like a brother. So I had Jack get me bumble bee catfish. I did not expect him to the get the others."

"I am so thrilled to know that. Aw, my spark feels like it has skipped a pulse because of this…thank you…" Bumblebee picked Azura up gently, making her flinch in surprise as she held the bag carefully. "I won't bust the bag or cause the fish to die, I promise." He hugged her gently and she hugged him back. "Now go and put those fish into their new home. We don't want them to miss out living their best life."

Azura nodded as Bee lets her go and she turned to Jack. "Come with me to my room. We can wait for the water to climatize to the right temperature together." The boy nodded affirmatively as he held the bag with the tetras. He followed Azura as she walked away quickly. "I am almost tempted to now set up the fourth tank…"

"I could help you," Jack offered the girl with a smile. "You might as well use the last tank. It's a waste to just let it sit there and do nothing."

"Yeah…I guess you are right…I would like angelfish in a tank…so I will probably do just that!" Azura was already starting to think about what to theme the tank and so on. She was already very excited, and she and Jack probably will set up the fourth tank. "Thanks for doing this, Jack. Since I can no longer go and get them myself, I really appreciate it."

"No problem. You are my friend, so I want to help you." Jack placed his arm around her shoulders with a smile. "And I have learned a lot about keeping fish that I am almost tempted to get a tank of my own to start with."

"I at least know where you got that idea from," Azura teased and the two of them chuckle as they walk down the hallway.

Optimus let the two go to Azura's room. He would follow, but he wanted to give them space so Azura would not feel like he was hovering all the time. If she wanted him to go with them, he could. But that was fine. He doubted Azura was fully finished feeding either. Her mind was just on the new fish that have arrived. Although, Bumblebee decided to follow as he was still very intrigued by the new fish Jack bought for Azura. He was feeling extremely happy and honoured that Azura would even do this, and knew how much she loved him now as a brother.