Autumn POV
My father stood there looking haggard as usual, but something was different. Taking a step backwards I noticed he held an old black chain in his hands. My blood turned cold and I backed up, my back slamming against my door. His muddy brown eyes locked on mine, oily brown hair flung everywhere haphazardly.
"I see you're home. Finally come back from your romp you little slut?" Disgust and anger rushed through me. How dare he? He took a step closer and my blade suddenly whipped out. I held it in front of me shakily and silently dared him to take a step closer. He glanced from the knife to me and suddenly started laughing.
"You think that fazes me? I've killed people, and you're no different from others in my book." Suddenly he dropped the chains and pulled out a huge gutting knife. My own small knife clattered to the ground as fear swept through me. He... he wouldn't... would he? As if reading my expression his cold laughter echoed around me.
"Oh I will do it. You're pathetic! Just like your slut of a mother." Angry tears blurred my vision as I stared up at the man I was forced to call father.
Suddenly, Ravage was there! She was driving him back and snarling at him. I couldn't believe it; no one ever helped me. I turned to bolt out the door.
"Go! My father snapped as he shoved me towards the front door. I knew what was coming. I wanted to scream at him so much, but I couldn't make a single sound. As I got inside, I turned around to see a bullwhip in his hands. His wrist flicked towards me, and the bullwhip did the same.
Instead of hitting me, the whip hit Ravage! A long welt appeared on her side, and it began leaking energon. I knew she was bleeding but I didn't know how to help her. My father swung the whip at me again, but Ravage blocked that one too. Then her tail wrapped around me and shoved me out the front door.
I didn't know what to do. Every time my father went to do something to me… every time he was going to hit me, Ravage stopped him! Sometimes she would even get hurt while protecting me. I didn't like that at all, but there wasn't anything I could do about it.
Then, I was staring at the painted lines on the tarmac as I slowly went around that turn. Then Sunstreaker was telling me to floor it, and I hesitated but I started accelerating hard. Then one of them was telling me to hit the brakes. I noted my speed and kept right on going. I transformed and started jumping up and down. I couldn't believe it. I had hit One Hundred and sixty one miles per hour! I'd never gone that fast in my life, and now I was doing it on my own! It was incredible! That's when I saw some of the soldiers giving each other high fives and grinning like they had bet on a winning driver at a race. I saw Ravage there too, and she was grinning at me too. This was amazing! I was so excited that I couldn't help the smile that plastered itself on my faceplates as I jumped up and down. Then I noticed Prowl near the back of the hangar, he'd been watching too. He nodded his helm to me and I felt even taller than that Optimus bot!
This time I was in the main hangar. I was training with Jazz. He was teaching me how to fight. I was trying my hardest, but I still couldn't hit him. The weird thing is, he was still grinning at me.
"Ya know why ya can't hit meh Lil Lady?" He asked me with his grin getting wider.
"Why?" I huffed.
"Cause Ah ain't lettin ya! When ya finally do hit meh, you'll know ya done it for real!"
I heard a weird coughing noise and looked to see Ravage there, watching. Somehow, I knew that she was watching over me, ready to protect me in a sparkbeat.
Prowl POV
I knew when Soundwave released Autumn to her natural recharge which would be ending soon. Along with her, he also released Ravage and I from his telepathic control. I was standing outside his cell glaring at him. I knew that he had altered a great many of Autumn's actual memories to create what I had seen.
"Why did you do that?" I demanded.
"Autobot Autumn possesses very few pleasant memories. Therefore, unpleasant memories needed alteration. Unit Ravage acted independently during altered memories." Soundwave told me flatly.
"Am I to understand that Ravage chose to take that damage in order to protect Autumn?"
"Affirmative. Unit Ravage only assigned to protect Autobot Autumn from physical damage. Protection from emotional damage; done by choice of Unit Ravage."
"So Ravage is actually going to help Autumn?" I asked in clarification.
"Affirmative. Unit Ravage enjoys attention and affections of Autobot Autumn. Unit Ravage chooses to maintain those affections."
"Does Ravage return those affections?" I asked bluntly.
"Affirmative. Unit Ravage enjoys unbiased attention of Autobot Autumn. Condition; never before experienced by Unit Ravage. Unit Ravage wishes to maintain current attitude of Autobot Autumn. Therefore protection was provided." Soundwave said in that emotionless monotone of his.
"Are you saying that Autumn is the only bot who's ever accepted Ravage?" I asked suspiciously.
"Affirmative. Autobots and Decepticons hostile to Unit Ravage. Autobot Autumn's reaction to Unit Ravage; unique. Myself, other Symbionts accept Unit Ravage. No one else, until now."
That was when I knew that a very strange but formidable relationship was being formed between Autumn, and Ravage. Ravage would fiercely protect the only bot who actually liked her. Soundwave and his two remaining symbionts didn't count, because they were a single unit, like family… but Autumn… her enthusiastic affection for the deadly Cybercat obviously made a difference in Ravage's processors. The odds of Ravage jeopardizing a relationship outside her family unit were infinitesimally low. When my battle computer hit sixteen digits of nothing but zeros, I shut off the process before it could finish. There was no use in considering that possibility any further.
Autumn POV
When I onlined, Ravage was right there. Right where she'd been the whole lunar cycle while I was in recharge. As soon as my optics came online, that long metal glossa of hers was making its way up my cheek. I smiled at her and scratched around her audials. I remembered how she had protected me… even in my dreams. I felt… I felt better than I could remember. Somehow, I had actually recharged the whole lunar cycle. I didn't keep coming online every couple of bream, and staying that way for a jour. Believe it or not, but I actually wanted a cube of energon! It was weird, because I usually didn't want one until I had warnings in my HUD for a while.
I tried to sit up, and found that I could, because Ravage wasn't stuck to the berth like she had been. I gathered her in my arms and looked over at Arcee.
"Is… is it okay if I go get some energon?" I asked her. Arcee looked at me like I had just asked her if she wanted to be painted in rainbow colors.
"Of course that's okay! Why wouldn't it be? You need that energon to maintain your frame properly. I will also find out if Wheeljack can start making those mineral wafers as well." She answered with a smile.
She motioned for me to walk with her, and I did, I held Ravage in my arms the whole way there. When we got to the rec room, I walked up to the dispenser and grabbed two cubes before anyone could say anything. Then I went to sit down. I put the two cubes on the table, and Ravage in my lap. I tried to give her one of the energon cubes but she kept using her muzzle to push it towards me. Finally I got the hint. She wasn't going to take any energon until I had mine first. I downed the cube in a couple of long chugs. Like an overly hot human gulping down cool water.
Arcee POV
I had been watching Autumn and Ravage from the start. I have to say that it's strange because it seems like Ravage actually cares about Autumn! The first thing the Cybercat did that caught my attention, was to magnetize her front paws to the berth. That actually forced Autumn to remain in a prone position on her back. It was an excellent position for recharge. Almost as soon as Autumn entered her recharge cycle, Ravage did as well. The two stayed like that for the entire lunar cycle. Then when Autumn got to the rec room, Ravage kept pushing the cube of energon towards her. It was as if Ravage was insisting that Autumn take care of her needs first!
She gulped the cube down like she was simply getting a tedious task over with. After she was done with her own cube, she started trying to get Ravage to drink the second cube. At first, most of the energon was being wasted because Ravage couldn't drink like an average bot. But then, Autumn tore the top of the cube off and held it while Ravage began to lap it up. The Cybercat seemed to enjoy Autumn's attentions, while at the same time, Autumn seemed to be entranced by Ravage.
I sensed another bot walk up to stand beside me, and looked over to see Elita standing there. Because we were fairly close to both Autumn and Ravage, and I didn't want either of them to hear what I had to say, I used my comm system.
:I think it's a bit strange but Ravage seemed to force Autumn into recharge last lunar cycle.: ~ Arcee.
:Good! From what I've been told, Autumn hasn't been recharging properly. Apparently, she wasn't able to do so even when she was human. Ratchet suspects that her recharge is plagued by traumatic memories that the humans call nightmares. He also suspects that because she is unable to endure those memories, she emerges from recharge and refuses to enter it again. Between that and her insufficient fueling, her systems are being strained.: ~ Elita.
:Apparently Ravage may know something about her fueling problems, because the Cybercat just refused to accept energon until Autumn had hers first.: ~ Arcee.
:When you consider the fact that Ravage is one of Soundwave's symbionts, and possesses a link to the telepath; that becomes entirely possible.: ~ Elita.
At that point Elita told me that she would assume watch over Ravage.
Autumn POV
I held the cube of energon steady while Ravage lapped it up. It was so cool to watch her do that. I'd never had a pet before. No dogs or cats, so watching her up close like that was something new. Once she was finished, I knew it was time for my training session with Jazz, and that I'd be just a little bit late. I didn't think he'd be too fragged off at me… at least I hoped he wouldn't.
I carried Ravage into the main hangar where Jazz stood waiting for me. As soon as he looked at me, a big smug grin broke out on his faceplates.
"Tha's a big cat for such a Lil Lady!" Jazz told me grinning widely.
"Yeah, she is!" I shot back with a smile of my own. "Her name's Ravage, and she even protected me in my dreams!"
"Well, sounds ta meh like she likes ya! What da ya think dere Lil Lady?" Jazz asked me still grinning.
"I think she does too… at least I hope she does. She's so cute!" I said as I hugged Ravage closer.
Jazz chuckled at that. "Ah think ya like tha cat, more den anything else Ah seen ya with."
"I never had a dog or cat before… She's a great big kitty!" I squealed happily.
"Ah can see tha. Ah can also see somethin else too." Jazz told me with a smirk.
"What?" I asked curiously.
"Ah can see tha ya gonna have ta put her down so ya can train." Jazz said with another chuckle. "Ya cain't learn ta fight wit Ravage in ya arms."
I nodded my helm and walked over to one side of the hangar to put Ravage next to the wall where she'd be out of the way. Then, I walked over to Jazz who was already in an opening stance, and settled into one of my own.
Jazz started throwing punches at me, and I tried to block them. Some of them I couldn't block, so I had to dodge or duck to one side. I knew I couldn't hit him yet, but that didn't stop me from trying. I got maybe a half foot away from his torso before he blocked me. I wasn't as lucky though. He got me with a kick that resounded through the hangar with a loud clang. I had to grin though… I had never gotten that close to hitting him before!
"Ya see tha Lil Lady? Ya gettin betta! Ya almos got meh dat time! I might be pullin mah punches an kicks but ya ain't gonna be able ta hit meh unless ya do it for real, so keep tryin Lil Lady!" Jazz encouraged me with a smile.
"I just wanna know why she ain't using a holoform for hand to hand combat training. It seems to me that if she was using a holoform, then Lieutenant Akarahito could really teach her some stuff!" One of the human soldiers said to Arcee.
Jazz stepped back out of range to show that the current match was over, before he turned to the human. "Tha sounds like a pretty good idea. The Cons ain't gonna know any human styles o fightin, cause they ain't gonna care. Tha might give ya an advantage if ya have ta defend yaself."
I turned around to see Robert Epps standing there looking up at Jazz and Arcee with a curious expression on his face.
"Dere's only one problem with tha though." Jazz said to him.
"What problem?" Epps asked dismissively. "Akarahito is a Black Belt in just about every kind of martial arts known to man. If there is still such a thing as a Ninja, he's as close it to as you can get!"
"Maybe. But tha Lil Lady ain't got a holoform yet, an tha means she can't train with im. Ah'd have ta talk ta Ratch, but Ah think we might be able ta get tha taken care of." Jazz answered.
Ravage POV
Pridemaster had told me that a Sparkling needed my protection. Pridemaster was right! Sparkling Autumn was afraid. She was even afraid of the small soft ones that were native to this planet. Large for a Sparkling, but still a Sparkling, and I could smell her fear. It was strange… her fear had dissipated when she first saw me. She picked me up and held me as if I were the Sparkling that needed protection! Sparkling Autumn carried me back to her lair, and lay down in her nest. Then members of my new pack arrived. They said I was dangerous… and they were right! I am dangerous. My fangs and claws have shredded more sparks than I can count. I would be dangerous for Sparkling Autumn, but not to Sparkling Autumn! Pridemaster wanted her protected; wanted her safe; wanted Sparkling Autumn to feel safe! I can do that. I will do that. I will enjoy the feast I will make of the spark of any bot that threatens Sparkling Autumn.
Sparkling Autumn is the first besides Pridemaster to show concern for me. I could smell the changes in her. Sparkling Autumn had been afraid of the small soft one, but when she saw me, that scent became one of affection. Sparkling Autumn knows what it means to be a pack member! Pack members take care of each other. This is something that only Pridemaster has done for me… until now… that is why I can and will protect Sparkling Autumn from any threat!
When I scented Sparkling Autumn's fear, I grew wary. I was sure that her pack members wouldn't cause her harm, but she was still afraid. That's when I knew… Sparkling Autumn was afraid that I would be taken away and not be around to protect her. I forced my helm against her servo to show her that I was not so easily dismissed. Her attention was then fully on me, and her other pack members forgotten. That is how a Sparkling is, and that is another way I knew that Pridemaster was right in asking me to protect her.
I could smell her frame's need to recharge, and regain strength. Sparkling Autumn didn't want to recharge even though she needed it. I placed my front paws on each side of her frame and held her to her nest by magnetizing them. One of my new pack members made it dark so Sparkling Autumn could recharge, but she tried to avoid it. Sparkling Autumn was still caressing my frame when she entered recharge.
Instead of dreaming of the hunt; dreaming of chasing the prey; Sparkling Autumn dreamed of her creator. I knew that Pridemaster was allowing me to be in her dreams, and in her dreams, Sparkling Autumn was one of the small soft ones who was being attacked by… her creator!
I wanted to rend his frame until there was nothing left. I wanted to feast upon every drop of energon that could be squeezed from him, but every time I came close enough to do that, her dream changed. That angered me to no end. Still, I made sure that the piece of waste scrap who was her creator never got to harm her. When her dreams changed to learning the skills of the hunt; learning to evade, and pursue, and even fight, her fear vanished, and she became pleased with herself. This was something she needed to keep. She needs to learn to have pride, to be strong, and this is why Pridemaster asked me to watch over her.