Ave Paternum Deo

by Varghjartat

Post-AOE post-apocalyptic AU: Optimus Prime returns to Earth after a very long time in outer space. But he is never prepared to face a completely changed Earth. What have happened? What he finds out will change his life for all eternity. Rated for bad language, blood, gore and nudity.

12. The Wolf That Ventured To The Stars

Now, I do sincerely apologize over the lack of information from the previous chapters. Hectic life changes and the pandemic had caused a lot of trouble for me, causing my motivation for writing to halt completely. Motivation is slowly returning. Also, should this website go under, this fanfic is now posted on my AO3 account. This chapter is extended in AO3. Trigger warning for birth and talks of past corporal punishment

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Chapter 12 - The Wolf That Ventured To The Stars

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The bioluminescence shone weakly in the in-hill earth house, rhythmically responding to every movement like tiny beating hearts. Optimus lay behind Eva's back, arms around her chest and belly while his facial plates was partly covered in the black hair. He inhaled her sweet scent through his olfactory sensor, finding it intoxicating and desirable. His servo resting on the baby belly felt little Hope's moving feet. The baby was slowing down a bit, though still feisty. However, as it happened, he got woken up by a movement. It was Eva who moved, getting up to sit on their new bed. She rubbed her closed eyes. She'd stopped crying a long time ago, although the crying left her with itchy eyes and a nasty spraining ache over her head.

"Eva," he said, noticing the aching expression on her face. "You all right?"

"Oh great..." Eva muttered, gazing down. Her massive belly blocked the view, but she knew what did just happened. She'd received a kick on her bladder and she accidentally peed. "I just peed."

Hearing her saying that made the Prime stare wide-eyed before he gazed down. She was not lying. She had indeed wet herself.

"Oh. We can take care of it right away," Optimus got out of bed, grasping the mattress' edge but stopped when he saw Eva shaking her head.

"We'll do it when the morning sun is up," she replied, too tired to do it right away. Her hand rested on her belly. Then, out of nowhere, she let out a soft chuckle. "This is not the first time after all."

"Heh, yeah," he snorted briefly, leaning closer to give his human mate a soft kiss on her neck. The kiss tickled her so she jerked to the side.

"That tickles," she giggled a little bit, raising her hand to rub on the spot she felt the cold sensation. Though, as it occurred, thoughts came in her mind, thought about the future of her clan and her new role as clan leader. The truth was she didn't want to take the role from her father, but regardless of it, she had no other choice but obey the traditions.

"What's wrong?" he noticed the change on her face.

"Optimus, do you think I'm worthy to bear the role as clan leader?" she eventually asked, doubtful and reluctantly, yet yearning to get an honest answer.

"It depends if you want to take it or not," he gave his answer, a frown shaping on his facial plates. "Although... I would suggest we learn how the Ociena lead their clans."

"Do you think I'm worthy or not?" Eva persisted.

"...No," he shook his head, confessing. "My spark tells me that you can't lead the clan alone. You have me to help you leading."

Silence hung in the air between them. That moment, Optimus felt a hard stab through his spark. Why did he say those words? He thought them out so thoughtlessly without second thought.

"I'm sorry, my love," he apologized her immediately, guilt and regret strong in his voice.

"No, you're right. Leading alone isn't going to help on the long run," she said, looking through the Prime's blue optics. Her hand caressed over her naked belly, temporarily ignoring her baby's movements. Though, she felt her mate's metal servo touching on her skin, searching for their baby's feet. Just then, she began fantasying the future; her and Optimus with their children. "Optimus, I want ten children."

That caught Optimus off guard as he backed away a bit, baffled over the number of children and he stared at Eva. Much to her dismay, he shook his head instantly. "I'm not ready to discuss about this yet, Eva. I want to think throughly first."

"I don't want you to take too long time to think through it."

"Are you so impatient already?"

Silence came again, like a stealthy feline lurking in the shadows, waiting for its prey to come forth. The bioluminescence began to pulse more rapidly, somehow gaining awareness of the tension growing between them. Optimus saw directly the red blushing reddening on Eva's cheeks, which he braced himself for either tears or potential anger.

"Eva, I mean it really. Having that many is a lot of mouths to feed," he stated truthfully, wanting to give his reason. "And there are many risks that will lead to a terrible cycle of your body never catching a break to recover between pregnancies. Think twice before making rash decisions because you'll only regret it afterwards."

"You don't understand a thing. How long time do my clan have left to exist?" she started to growl, showing her teeth in a snarl. But at the same time, she avoided to raise her voice as if she didn't want the other members to hear. "I'd bear as many as I can to ensure the future of the Clan of The Forbidden City."

"You know what, you're thinking just like your father," that was then Optimus growled back, his growl deeper. He moved closer, which made Eva to crawl backwards until her shoulders touched the rock plated wall. He'd cornered her. "The reason why he had his harem and you got so many half-siblings is because he didn't care about the clan's future at all. He cared only about his bloodline. He wanted to ensure that his legacy stays intact, not for the sake of the clan at all."

Eva breathed fast, gasping whereas she expressed nothing but disbelief. A tiny flinch occurred on her face.

"Hasn't it come apparent to you, huh? Your father didn't care about you," Optimus continued, his tone harsh. "He cared only about himself. It's no wonder why he began to care about you when you got-"

Smack!

He barely felt anything at first, but then he felt the stinging spreading over his cheek. Eva had slapped him. Wisely, he backed off to get out of bed, standing on his peds. He saw instantly the thin threatening lines of tears glittering on his human's closed eyes. Her shoulders and arms shook in trembles. "Get out of my sight," came the simple demand from her lips.

"Gladly..." he replied, a hint of hurt behind his tone.

Optimus left the in-hill stone house quickly, gently shutting the door behind him. Outside, he saw the entire night sky, seeing the ocean of stars that brought many memories back to life. That moment, he glanced to his right, thinking to go to the garden hut to be alone, clearing his CPU. Yet, just as he was about to walk, he took a moment to listen through the door. He could hear silent sobs behind the door; Eva was silently crying, all alone and hurt by his words. The Prime sighed, defeated as he walked, leaving the in-hill village, heading to the garden.

He knew he'd crossed the line.

The whole landscape shone in orange, turquoise, light blue and bright pink bioluminescence. All flowers, all trees and mangroves shone brightly, the lights pulsing in rhythmic pattern like a beating heart. The water-filled terraces illuminated up brightly too. He chose to remain in his microform. He couldn't afford the local beasts living in the garden seeing him as a danger should they see him in his true height. But when he arrived there, he discovered that he was not alone. Someone else was standing there, gazing up to the stars. Slowly, Optimus approached closer to the figure, wondering who it was.

That moment, when he was merely ten steps away, he saw who it was gazing up. It was Mido'raioh. Directly, the orca Ociena woman turned her jade-green eyes to the direction where he stood and she got spooked seeing him. This time, Mido'raioh wore her own Chilkat blanket cape. The blanket's weaved designs showed images of an antlered owl with a moon face symbol on its chest, its two wings outstretched and surrounded by images of faces with toothy snarls.

"I-I'm sorry for frightening you," Optimus apologized her immediately, servos extended in apologetic gesture. Mido'raioh stared at him for a moment, then exhaled a sigh.

"The fault is mine. I didn't hear your footsteps," she answered, tightening her blanket around her upper body to stay warm despite the night was pleasantly cool before she inquired. "Too anxious to sleep?"

"No... I had an argument with Eva," he replied, shaking his head. His spark ached hard, torn by the guilt.

For a moment, silence swept between them. The only noises they heard were the buzzing insects, distant sounds of nocturnal creatures that echoed from the marshlands and the calm waves splashing on the beach. Optimus saw the orca Ociena Ílmarii-Väinné had a stoic face when he realized that Mido'raioh wore the blanket over a different streamlined seashell top encircling her chest similar of a harness, and a beaded seaweed hip scarf. His cheek plates heated up as small steams fumed through the thin gaps on his face plates.

"I won't ask you what happened unless you wish to talk about it," Mido'raioh spoke, sounding like she disliked the thought forcing out information or turning inquisitive.

"Actually... I'd like to talk with you," Optimus replied. "If that's okay for you."

As it happened, she closed her eyes and nodded a single nod silently. For a sparkbeat, Optimus wondered if it was an Ociena gesture of agreement or approval. She then walked past him, using a hand gesture that told him to follow her and they walked back to the village, heading to her own home.

The Ílmarii-Väinné's in-hill earth house was a beautiful spectacle. Multiple dried herbs and plants hung from the wood planks at the corner next to the enclosed hearth with its chimney, the two stone cupboards full with ceramic bowls containing herbs, roots and powder of unknown sources, and there was a rolled leather bag containing different clothes. There was a large nautilus shell lying in a coral basket. Thin rope wires hung from the ceiling, carrying suncatchers and dreamcatchers that glittered like diamonds.

On her bed lay the spider-cat creature, sleeping peacefully on the soft mattress. The cat's peacock spider tail glimmered in tracing spots of bioluminescence. Down in the main room, the orca Ociena pointed down at the large pelt carpet lying on the stone plated floor, which told Optimus to sit down. He obliged as he sat down with legs crossed, watching Mido'raioh walking to the hearth to ignite a fire. To his surprise, she had a long iron flint that she then used her sea obsidian dagger to ignite sparks.

The tiny sparks landed on a broad leaf holding dry tall grass, in which embers began to come to life as smoke arose briefly before she put the leaf inside the log pile inside the hearth. Pretty soon, the fire grew alive in the hearth, providing warmth and light in the whole stone house. The dancing lights from the flames made Optimus' armor shine in multicolors at once, and Mido'raioh's seashell harness glittered like pearls in all colors.

"What is troubling you?" Mido'raioh gave her first question to him, sitting down on the floor in front of the Autobot.

"Well... Many things at once," Optimus began, feeling many feelings burst up at once. "I worry a lot. You see, we've lost our own medicine woman, Kay'åh Moonsky. She died on the aftermath of the flood in the mountains. We have been on the edge since then, dealing with tremendous stress over our losses."

Mido'raioh sat there silently, listening intently while absorbing all the information. Her face stayed stoic, yet sympathetically.

"We need a new medicine woman. I worry about Eva's baby. I have no experience about delivering a baby or anything about childbirth at all," he continued, his spark starting to beat faster. The anxiety kicked inside him as desperation gripped his chest plates. "I want to ask you to help us. We've lost so much. First Izi, then Norah, Kay'åh and Ninin..."

"...I will help you and your group. But on one condition," Mido'raioh raised her right webbed hand, holding her index finger up.

"What's the condition?"

"Úllsaautsa."

The word caught him off guard. But then, he questioned. "What does Úllsaautsa mean?"

"It means 'A second chance given from another clan'," she translated.

The translation amazed Optimus, but at the same time, it left him bewildered. What did it mean really? Although, despite his increasing number of questions and awakened curiosity, he listened to his spark that told him the opposite. Be patient and then she'll open your heart. He took the message seriously.

"The Clan of The Forbidden City will give you Úllsaautsa," Optimus said, extending both his servos out. "In return, I and my members will treat you with respect and honor. We'll treat you as one of our family."

The harmless gesture had an unexpected impact. Almost immediately, Mido'raioh extended both of her webbed hands to grasp his servos and their palms touched each other, their fingers and digits glued onto each other. Metal to webbed, soft skin. The sensation was completely different. Optimus felt a shiver tracing through his spinal column. Something awoke inside his chassis, a fast pounding feeling that had no voice, yet its presence wanted his attention.

"Ts'aakwat k'awaatsú áwéii lääu'tée miékkaa waal'gwaúalgg," Mido'raioh uttered a chant that sounded mystical in the Prime's audios, enchanting in an unexplainable way. "Tláik sk'ákka Mido'raioh Sinuá Tlí Sääntya yáá dzíí xákkaag Úllsaautsa väimmó máalaawé."

Then, Mido'raioh let him go as she pulled her arms close to her torso, her right hand placed above her heart. By then, her blanket had fallen off, revealing her whole naked body. Instantly, Optimus tried his best to avoid looking at her melons by concentrating on looking at her facial tattoos instead. That helped somewhat. However, it lasted not long before he found himself mesmerized over the throat tattoo depicting the antlered owl with the crescent symbol. He wondered what kind of creature was the tattoo associating for. Whatever it was, he hoped he'll learn more about it very soon.

"I accept your offer," Mido'raioh spoke, her tone appreciative and her jade-green eyes expressively. Although, there was something behind the eyes that caught Optimus by notice and he quickly noticed that Mido'raioh didn't smile nor grin. Her freckled face stayed stoic. "In return... I shall honor your words and treat your clan as ch'aag-dehéovään, a new family. As Ílmarii-Väinné, I follow my duties as medicine woman and midwife."

What is it you're hiding inside you, Optimus thought, perplexed over her stoic nature, but when he heard her stating her duties as medicine woman and midwife, he felt relief washing through his body. Just then, it came up to him thinking about changing his current form. Although, before he'd utter a word, Mido'raioh had covered her torso with her Chilkat blanket, staying warm despite the hearth's heat had already warmed up the entire earth house. "Um, Mido'raioh, are you freezing?"

Instead speaking, the orca Ociena stretched out her feet, allowing him to touch them. To his horror, her feet were cold, almost like she stood in ice water.

"By Primus, you're cold," he spoke out. "Don't you have any socks to stay warm?"

"I've tried before," she replied, still stoic, although slightly annoyed whereas she tucked her feet back under her blanket. "I've tried wool and leather. None of them has given me the result I wanted. I have very sensitive skin."

"I see," he frowned slightly, then changing subject. "There's something else I'd like to ask."

That lightened Mido'raioh's mood up.

"Do I look like a good swimmer?" he stated his question.

That moment, she gestured a 'stand up' hand gesture, which he obliged without hesitation and both of them got up on their legs. Silently, Mido'raioh inspected the Cybertronian with preciseness, taking her time to throughly check everything on him. Optimus started to appreciate her more, not because of her silence but because of her precise concentration. Politely, he stared up to the ceiling.

Don't think about it, he focused hard distracting himself from looking on the orca Ociena's tattooed chest.

"These things on your shoulders must go away," she grabbed on his movable Knight shoulder gears, stating a critical flaw. "They'll make you slow and clumsy in the water. Being slow underwater will exhaust you quicker and make you an easy target for the beasts in the depth. If you use your magic, maybe..."

That heartbeat, she glanced on her own forearm, especially her elongated cartilage fin that had given Ociena the ability to swim more efficiently. That was then her stoic face shaped into thoughtful as she shifted her gaze back and forth between her own forearm and Optimus' gauntlet forearm. But then, without warning, her eyes caught the glimpse of the Prime's Autobot insignia in the middle of his chest plates and her gaze widened largely as she stretched her left webbed hand to touch on the insignia.

"What's wrong?" he read her body language. There was recognization in Mido'raioh's eyes.

"Come," she said simple, hastily wrapping her Chilkat blanket around her shoulders before she grasped Optimus' servo. Her blanket slipped off her easily, but she chose to ignore it. "Come!"

Everything became a flurry of motion. Before long, they reached to the garden hut when Mido'raioh stopped dead on her tracks, picking up an easily recognizable figure. It was Touishéyagi who'd searched through the mangroves, grumbling and growling in annoyance.

"Onnák, kātaa wēttey'wakka quázaag. Míí cālláq quez ûll'náesch!" he uttered in his tongue, fuming in annoyance. However, instead calling out by word, Mido'raioh used a different sound. She used clicking sounds coming from her mouth, which was enough for the alligator Tse'hrahra to hear the call and he stopped his searching, now coming to the Ociena. "Mido'raioh, have ya seen Onnák by any chance?"

Directly, Mido'raioh shook her head frankly, then pointed at Optimus' chest, right at his insignia. Touishéyagi's blue eyes narrowed a bit, then grew large as the blond brushy eyebrows ridged up in disbelief before he gazed to the Prime's confused, thou distressed face.

"Ámárúq?" his throat vibrated a low bellowing growl, nonthreatening.

"Jáo," Mido'raioh nodded, breathing faster.

Again she grasped Optimus' servo, holding him a tight grip. Despite he really wanted to know what was going on, Optimus kept his lips shut as he sprinted along with the Ociena and Tse'hrahra. This time, they went through a different path Optimus had not seen before. It was a narrow path that hid well among the trees, leading to the northern edge of the Cove where the terraces were bound to an impressive cliff wall where large boulders had become supporters for a steady but narrow staircase built on wood planks.

The cliff was also the end point of the wall placed atop as well. They three walked hastily, though with caution in mind for the wood planks creaked quite aloud, indicating they were close on breaking point to break apart. The trip upstairs took barely long until they reached to steady ground, Mido'raioh and Touishéyagi leading the Prime to the gaping maw of a cave. The entrance shrouded in hanging robe fringes, decorated in colorful fabrics, feathers and parts of corals.

They entered through the cave entrance, walking through the passage that ventured deeper into the pitch darkness. But then, suddenly, Touishéyagi hushed out, his tiny ears wiggling as if he picked up a sound. Both Optimus and Mido'raioh stopped instantly, gazing at the massively tall alligator Tse'hrahra.

"Mido'raioh, I think Réin's outside," he whispered a mumbling growl. "Sounds like he's performing his night chanting."

"Hold on, what is going here?" finally Optimus spoke, now restless to know what was going on. "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll get your answer once Réin sees your mark," Mido'raioh glared at him sternly, her tone dead serious. "And only then you will understand."

That left Optimus only confused. Regardless, he along with the Tse'hrahra and Ociena walked outside again, now relying on Touishéyagi's ears. That moment, they heard whooping calls that mimicked a raven's cawing. Intrigued, they three followed the noises, walking around the corner where they hid behind multiple small boulders, carved in strange petroglyphs symbolizing creatures dwelling in the sea, sky and on land.

That was then they witnessed a spectacle.

Réin danced around a fireplace, dressed in black bear pelt with elongated wings masterly designed in wood planks resembling long feathers, broad bear paws as gloves and his head hid inside a wood head mask depicting a raven's head in masterly designed formline carving, its low beak jerking loosely. The orca Ociena brother had his skirt on, but his white chest was bare, revealing the striking chest formline tattoo. Réin's chest tattoo was a four-winged thunderbird, its wings outstretched intimidatingly and inked in black and red. It was now first Optimus realized that he hadn't paid much attention on tattoos properly at all.

Réin's movements were on a whole different level. Each step, each stomp and each arm motion told the dance's plot. He danced in a trance, guided by his movements and whooping calls. However, just as Optimus watched Réin's dance silently, his spark pulsed rapidly fast without warning when a burning feeling burst to life inside his chest plates. A temptation so powerful that would make even the strongest warrior struggle to resist. For the first time, the laws all Primes had to oblige meant nothing for him anymore. The temptation fired screaming inside his chassis.

"What is he doing?" Optimus whispered his question lowly as possible, yet his optics were transfixed.

"He's communicatin' with the Ancestors," Touishéyagi whispered with a nod. "He always does that every night. That's his duty as shaman."

"Tlé'cháa-ummála," Mido'raioh whispered next to Optimus from opposite side respectfully. "The Matriarch's shamanic son."

"Is he a shaman?" Optimus asked, his optics large in bafflement. If Mido'raioh can accept the second chance, maybe Réin can do the same too! Eva will be so relieved if we get a new shaman into our group.

But then, the dancing stopped. Réin had knelt down on one knee, his arms outstretched over the dusty ground, murmuring a chant.

Júmá káíí tléiḵ yhää táivään'yaa xáaogg rákka'saauma k'áwáe miekkée tlá áwé simo'áwää...

The chant sounded so mystical, it enchanted Optimus almost in an instant sparkbeat as the words penetrated through his audio receptors. Réin's chant sounded like a humpback whale's song, graceful and yet somber as if the song would never get received nor heard by others. It gave fuel to the burning sensation within the Prime's chassis more, now pounding underneath his throat like a bird's frantic flapping. By the time the chanting stopped, that was then Mido'raioh ceased the chance to step in.

"Móioh väämo'veiskóaa," Mido'raioh gestured a hand gesture; three fingers on the right temple of her face, then placing an open hand above her chest. "Yéil'kwáa väii nó áwée taikkii olé ch'aag."

Réin stood up on his feet, taking off his raven head mask swiftly and looked down at her like a dear brother willing to listen his younger sibling. "X'hoo dää'tléi sámá wáo'siskáa?" he asked calmly, though concerned.

Mido'raioh peered over her shoulder, looking at Optimus before walking toward him and her webbed hand touched on his chest plate beside his Autobot insignia. In the warm lights from the fireplace, Réin approached, knelt down before the Prime and cast a swift inspection. The dark gray eyes widened large in amazement. Then his eyes met Optimus' optics. For a single sparkbeat, Optimus felt himself awe in the orca Ociena brother's presence. He could not speak a word nor motion a movement. It was almost like time itself ceased to exist.

"Come with us," Réin spoke firmly.

This time, Optimus obliged without second doubt. He followed the Ocienas and Tse'hrahra. After leaving his bear costume and raven mask in his cave and changing his skirt to corded loincloth, Réin led them to a narrow passage found on the opposite side of the cliff. The passage was so narrow that, in order to walk safely, they had to walk sideways by pressing their torsos and abdomens onto the cliff wall. The walk was slow, but luckily it lasted short until they reached to a long ladder, built by a single thick pine tree trunk with sturdy wood planks used to grab and hold whereas climbing.

They climbed all way down to the cliffs closest to the water where seawater rammed, filling ponds behind them just like the ponds on the other side of the Cove's edge. That moment, Optimus saw another cave's gaping maw, although this one was so well-hidden that anyone would walk past unaware of its location. They four entered the cave, venturing into the dark underground. Although, it was not entirely dark. In fact, the cave walls illuminated in bioluminescence, providing them guidance until Réin stopped at the edge of a water-filled hole. They four entered the hole, and with deepest breaths, they dove.

Swimming through the shining passage, Réin and Mido'raioh swam before Optimus and Touishéyagi swam last on the line. There were many rocks on the way, easily manageable to get past without scraping skin onto acute rock. The swimming lasted short when they reached to the end of the water-filled passage. They'd arrived inside a massive cave chamber, eroded by water within a few centuries. The chamber glowed so brightly that Optimus thought they was in a different world, isolated from the world outside. Just then, the orca Ocienas picked up strange-looking crystals that shone in orange, mimicking the lights of flamed torches.

"Wow..." Optimus wowed in awe of the scenery. Suddenly, he felt a gentle pat on his shoulder gear, followed by a rumbling chuckle.

"First time, aye?" Touishéyagi held his head high with a toothy grin.

That klik, they hurried to catch up the orca Ocienas who'd ventured a bit ahead of them. Catching them up, they went to the center of the chamber where Optimus saw the shadow of a large pole arising high like a tall, silent watcher. Once gathered at place, both Réin and Mido'raioh held the crystals close to the pole and its carved formline lines began to shine up in yellow lights.

The lights traced all over the pole, revealing its astonishing carved images of creatures that reminded Optimus of a pack of wolves when he thought he saw a tiny human figure squeezed between the top wolf creature and the third wolf. In an instant klik, the Prime realized what the totem pole resembled as the yellow lights shone the Autobot insignia on each wolf's body. The totem pole resembled his Autobots and himself. His spark quickened when he paid a more precise look at the human figure.

Cade! He thought. "How is this possible?"

"We apologize for not seeing your mark sooner," Réin apologized sincerely, holding his fire crystal high. "But now... it is rightful for you to learn about the past. It is time for you to learn about the legend."

"What legend?"

"Ámárúq Tlé'yée Tsé'marruk Säyáa Aawatsú," Mido'raioh stated, her jade-green eyes focused on him.

"Ama... What?" Optimus got confused over the words.

Then, without warning, his servo got gripped by the Ociena Ílmarii-Väinné. She guided him to the cave wall ahead. The bioluminescent wall shunned away from the fire crystal, and the crystal's light triggered a chain reaction. The wall revealed cave paintings that, over time, got repainted in regular times until the paintings developed own fire crystal bioluminescence, creating astonishing formline paintings. The crystal bioluminescent lights responded only when a fire crystal was held on close range.

The cave formline paintings symbolized a pack of wolves. The wolves were gigantic, far bigger than anything else. The alpha wolf had three small human figures riding on its back. Optimus dropped his jaw, too baffled to absorb the images. That moment, he glanced to Mido'raioh who gazed him back. Her eyes were enchanting, and equally same with her tattoos. Her beauty was a view he'd describe as equal to Eva's.

"The wolves... They're my Autobots," Optimus spoke, finally understanding. "And I'm the alpha. And the humans... Cade, Tessa and Shane."

Réin walked slowly to right, holding up his crystal to summon more life to other paintings. The paintings revealed the alpha wolf protecting the three humans from multiple enemies; more humans, a large bear and a wolverine. Memories from the time in the past came to life inside Optimus' CPU. He remembered the KSI, Lockdown and most of all, Galvatron. That moment, he realized.

"When I told my story about the time when I and my Autobots were hunted, why didn't you speak to me sooner?" he questioned, wondering why they hadn't taken him to the cave chamber sooner.

"That's because the legend left a message behind," Mido'raioh explained, pointing up the Autobot insignia painted on the cave wall. "Only the mark speaks the message..."

"Your story mirrors the events perfectly," Réin intervened as he continued, describing the paintings. More paintings illuminated, showing a drastic event. It pictured the moment when Optimus left Earth to search for the Creators. The paintings depicted the alpha wolf leaping up to the stars, leaving the pack and the humans behind.

"Ámárúq Tlé'lée Tsé'marruk Säyáa Aawatsú," Mido'raioh repeated, then translated. "It means The Wolf That Ventured To The Stars. And in hope that their leader would return, the Guardians waited and waited. But their leader never came home..."

They moved further, watching the wall changing to reveal more paintings. This time, the paintings showed an unbelievable beginning of a chain reaction. A fallen star crashed down on Earth and many humans were drawn to it like moths to a lit lamp. The next paintings symbolized the star spreading out black roots acting like tentacles, trapping animals and humans alike in its grasp. Then, Optimus met a horrific sight. The paintings told the events of a huge war between the newly mutated beasts and humans, large tanks and planes attacking monstrous eight-limbed beasts, and launching nuclear missiles to stop the beasts.

"When the Fallen Star came, the Ancestors understood nothin' why it came or what its origins was," Touishéyagi added. "But by the time they discovered what it carried, it was already too late. The Fallen Star was the virus' mother that bound every animal together... and same thing with every Ancestors of all Tse'hrahra, Ociena, Kyubian and Sha'hrahra."

"Hold on, are you telling me that the virus came from outer space?" Optimus inquired, amazed to learn the true origin of the virus. "I've thought the virus came from some human laboratory accidentally created by humans."

The alligator Tse'hrahra both nodded and shook his head, confirming it. "The virus ain't from our world. It came from the stars. The elders back in my birth clan told me that the Fallen Star didn't come by accident. It came on purpose... to spread its spawn and reshape our world into its domain."

As it happened, the paintings depicting the war showed the end of the war; four gigantic creatures fought back against the humans, bringing powers of controlling nature elements. The gigantic creatures depicted a bipedal and six-armed dinosaur-like titan that reminded much of Godzilla, a six-winged dragon, a six-flippered orca with three dorsal fins and finally an eight-legged wapiti whose antlers reached up like tree branches.

But the battle left the world bleeding so much that enormous tsunamis spread all over the world, and tremendous wounds were everywhere that seemed never going to heal. The world was flooded in its blood, showing many humans drowning and the sun and moon were missing, leaving the world in total darkness.

"The Four Brothers arose to bring an end to the war," Réin said, pointing at the four gigantic titans. "They were born in the worst time of the ancient war."

"Górr'jiayûll," Touishéyagi had his hand on the wall below the Godzilla creature, uttering its name with such respect as if it was the first ancestor of all Tse'hrahras in belief. "The very Land Creator of all mountains and land, and the very Savior whom saved every Tse'hrahra Ancestor. Including my own."

However, other paintings showed the events the Guardians went through. The wolves together with their humans fled from evil humans, but this time, they got captured. What happened next broke his spark. The wolves had been tortured, forced to produce sparklings in a constant cycle without chance of recovery, in which left them broken. The sparklings were placed inside large eggs, sealed away. As for the humans... one of them went through a transformation. The human figure transformed into a Tse'hrahra.

Please don't tell me it's Cade who got infected by the virus and transformed into a Tse'hrahra, Optimus prayed mentally while absorbing much information. "What happened during the flood?"

They four moved on. More cave paintings illuminated the aftermath. While the world was gradually healing from its bleeding wounds, the survivors clung onto the four gigantic creatures.

Górr'jiayûll had all Tse'hrahra survivors on its plated spine where its plates arose like jagged cliffs. The six-flippered orca had Ociena survivors holding onto its six flippers and three dorsal fins. The six-winged dragon had winged Sha'hrahra riding on its back. And finally, four-armed bipedal feline, canine, mustelidae, primate and vulpes humanoids found sanctuary on the wapiti's tree antlers.

By the time land arose, the Ociena were first to explore land. Although, they were afraid to venture too far. But then, a large eight-legged bear with a raven head walked on a beach, stumbling upon the Ociena ancestors. Instead attacking, the raven-bear creature became a teacher whom guided the Ancestors and taught them about craftsmanship, carvings, language, art and eventually culture. Out from the raven-bear's beaks spread out waves depicting the lessons of formline art, which told one thing.

The Ociena ancestors rediscovered cultures that had persisted long while modern civilizations and advanced technology remained untouched, completely forgotten and dead in memory.

"When the world recovered at last, our Ancestors had to learn new ways to survive in a barren world. However, fear held them back from exploring the land. That was until the Great Teacher walked along the beach and stumbled upon them," Mido'raioh spoke. She traced a finger on her raven-bear tattoo on her chest. "But instead attacking, Great Teacher chose to teach the Ancestors the ways of craftsmanship, carvings, language, art and culture... And our Ancestors rediscovered the knowledges bound to earth, water and sky."

"And it's the Ociena that we Tse'hrahras bear gratitude for passing their lessons from the Great Teacher," Touishéyagi added, nodding to show gratitude to the Ílmarii-Väinné. "Without Ociena, we'd remain all feral with zero brains and all brawn."

"What about humans that survived the aftermath?" the Prime questioned, now intrigued to know.

The answer came as a major surprise. The cave paintings depicting figures of the survivors of the entire humanity emerging from the underground within every mountain range. That left him to realization. There were bunkers that stayed intact despite all odds throughout centuries, but how long did the healing last precisely was something he had yet to know. That sparkbeat, he suddenly thought on Eva.

Scrap, she's probably worried by now, he thought, feeling the guilt inside him. And perhaps... she wants to see me. After all, it's my fault for saying the truth.

"Here we are," just then, his thoughts got interrupted by Réin's words.

The orca Ociena stood in front of three large cave paintings that took the pattern of a triskelion. The first one showed the alpha wolf swimming underwater, the second on opposite side the wolf sitting underneath a tree, surrounded by its roots, but it was the top spiral edge that showed the final painting. The top painting showed the wolf gazing up to the towering figurine of the antlered owl, its wings veiled around the wolf like a cape and the antlers had wisps around with the crescent symbol between the antlers. Optimus began to realize that the antlered owl was a lot more than just an owl. It was a deity, but what kind of deity was something he had no clue about.

"Now when you're here, there is a thing that shall confirm us that you are the Wolf who has returned from the stars," Réin explained, his gray eyes glued on the three paintings. "You'll need to go through the Three Trials. The first trial is the Trial of the Sea; you must learn to listen the songs of the sea. The second trial is the Trial of the Forest; you must learn to listen the whispering voices of the forest's spirits..."

"And the third and final trial is the Trial of the Dream. You must visit the Dream to meet Sääntyían and come back alive," Mido'raioh joined, pointing up at the antlered owl.

Sääntyían. So that's the name of the owl, he thought the name. "The trials sound like a good challenge to me."

"It is easier said than done, fella," Touishéyagi rumbled, his chunky throat vibrating by his bellowing growl. "Ya can only hear the songs of the sea and the whispering voices of the forest if ya truly listen."

"Well... I bet I shall learn to listen to Mother Earth," Optimus replied, taking it as a joke.

Touishéyagi let out a rumbling chuckle. However, as it happened, Réin peered his eyes to the Prime and that was then the strong burning feeling returned inside. "Optimus, when you feel ready to take on the Three Trials, come to me."

"You can also turn to me just in case," Mido'raioh spoke.

"Hey, what 'bout me?" the alligator Tse'hrahra groaned, glaring at the Ocienas as his blue eyes narrowed fiercely. His towering height made him entirely intimidating.

"All right, you can help teaching Optimus," Réin sighed, disliking whenever Touishéyagi acted like a bratty child.

"Goodie 'cause I've grown bored lately," Touishéyagi huffed so blows of air puffed out from his nostrils. "This will be lotsa fun."

"Pft, having too many teachers is better than none," Optimus sneered briefly, an optic ridge raised in amusement. "Anyway, I need to return back to the village. Eva is probably worried about me."

Agreeing, they four left the chamber, but right before diving to swim through the water-filled passage, Optimus looked over his shoulder to see the totem pole a last time. He could not believe in it, then he wondered if either Cade, his daughter or her boyfriend ensured their memories were carried through generations, eventually becoming a legend spoken among the new peoples. It took roughly half an hour until Optimus eventually returned to the village, but when he stood in the center of the village, he peered his gaze to Mido'raioh who was about to enter her own house.

"Wait Mido'raioh," he stopped her. Of course, she turned around to meet his gaze, startled by his soft call.

That moment, silence hung in the air between them, their gazes transfixed onto each other. He felt drawn to her, pulled by an invisible force. Slowly, the Autobot Commander grasped her webbed hand with such gentleness, in which strangely enough she did not reject at all. Their palms touched other, fingers attached to each other. The Ílmarii-Väinné's stoic face changed as her freckled and tattooed face blushed briefly.

"I want to say thank you," he said. "For telling me the translation about Amarug. And... offering your help to my group."

"Ámárúq," she corrected him. However, she was not offended over the mispronunciation. Then she removed her hand from his servo. "I wish you goodnight."

"I wish you the same," he answered, then surprised the orca Ociena Ílmarii-Väinné by giving her a single nod and closing his optics.

As it happened, he thought he saw her lips twitching a bit as she nodded back in silence, although her eyes expressed appreciation. They parted ways as she entered her home, giving him a final glance before closing her door. Optimus felt how fast his spark pulsed, feeling butterflies in his abdomen plates. So many feelings collided between each other, fighting like gladiators battling in the heart of Colosseum. Then he felt the desirable temptation coming back, this time the image of Réin coming in his CPU and he felt his interface panel throbbing madly.

Scrap! He cursed himself mentally as he tried to ignore the throbbing, forcing himself to resist the temptation, only to get his long neglected fantasy blossoming to life almost in an instant second as vivid pictures claimed control inside his CPU. No, you know what, screw the stupid laws. I'm the last Prime and I deserve to have some fun at long last.

Thus, he returned back to the new home. When he entered downstairs to the main room, he found Eva lying in the other double-sized bed, clearly wanting to sleep without a wet mattress. Quietly, he approached to the beaded linen curtain and pulled it to the side, finding Eva lying with her back against him. Her back was supported by woolen pillows. Quickly, he removed his Knight shoulder armor, loin parts and neck guards. Then, cautiously, he lay in bed, coming closer to her until his torso touched his human mate's shoulders and his right arm resting around her baby belly.

"I'm truly sorry, Eva," he apologized to her softly, knowing she was still upset. "For hurting your feelings."

Just then, the human rolled around to lie face-to-face to him. Their gazes met. He could see the dried traces of her tears on her cheeks and the blasted blood veins on her brown eyes. She didn't speak a word. Instead, she neared her lips to kiss on his metal lip plates. Their kiss was soft, full of tenderness. In an instant klik, Optimus moved his arms; one servo behind her head and the other servo caressing the massive baby belly. In their embrace, he gently spread his kisses over Eva's neck, chest down to belly where he stroked his cheek plates onto the skin like a cat. A soft purr vibrated through his voice box as he marked his scent over the baby belly. Eva breathed half-deeply, though she avoided to make the slightly noise.

She didn't want any attention from outside. Submissively, she let her mate kiss, lick and stroke around her body. She had her eyes shut tightly, relying her sense of touch. Cold metal on her skin felt so ticklish, which gave her goosebumps all over her body, shivers through her spinal cord. Then, her lips met Optimus' metal lips again for he moved back up, followed by his digits on right servo caressing her inner thighs. She mirrored his movement by moving her left hand down to his groin panel, the tips of her fingers tapping on steel.

But then, without warning, their moment got interrupted by sharp claws scraping on the wooden door. They gasped, horrified over whatever was doing outside their door. Then, Optimus groaned hearing the whimpering whines. It was Frosty that wanted to get inside. Except... the whines sounded different. He sounded frightened. His panicking whines sounded like 'I need help now. Please come and help me'.

"Something is wrong with Frosty," Optimus said, realizing that Frosty couldn't have come without reason. "I'll be back."

"No, I'm coming with you," Eva denied, not wanting to be left alone. She hastily rubbed her eyes, ridding of her dry tears.

This time, the Prime chose not to argue. After Eva dressed up in her jacket and skirt quickly and Optimus sealing his interface panel up, the couple hurried outside. It was then they discovered what had happened. Frosty's snout and front paws were covered in blood, but thankfully he was not wounded at all. The dog's mismatched eyes were wide and large, full of distress. His whines awoke the other members that got outside. Keiöh, Zeza, Sén and Ezhno got outside. Even Mido'raioh came outside.

"What in Erce's name is going on?" Zeza groaned briefly, mostly annoyed over her wounded leg.

Vaj'ra stood closely to her side, clicking and squawking in response of the Rokan's whines. The striped dolphin-dog could sense that something terrible had occurred. But before Optimus could answer, Frosty barked out before sprinting through the passage leading out from the village to the beach. Without hesitation, the group followed the Rokan. Frosty barked so loud that his barks would be heard for miles away. The Prime ran first with Eva behind him. Frosty led them to the pond, and they found a figure lying on the grass. Optimus felt his spark jumping up under his throat to find who it was.

It was Yáui'higoah.

His torso and arms were exposed and his right ribs bled from four thin but nasty wounds. Behind was Yuiaga, weeping as the mute Tse'hrahra child shook his unconscious brother. Eva gasped as she covered her mouth, then turned around to vomit out pukes. The sight became too much for her to handle. Both Zeza and Keiöh rushed to aid her. That moment, Mido'raioh knelt down to press the wounds. Optimus came to her side, kneeling next to her side.

"How bad is it?" he asked.

"It's really bad. His wounds are quite deep but not enough to cut between the ribs to puncture his lung," she replied, fully concentrated as she moved her hand to her hip, only to find out that she'd left her medicine pouch behind. "Optimus, press his wounds."

"Understood," he nodded, doing as told when he pressed his servos on the wounds as hard as he can.

Everything happened so fast. Then, the Prime looked over his shoulder to see Eva standing unsteadily, in which caused him to get up and rushed to her side. He caught her in time as she lost balance over her feet, fainting in his arms. Luckily for him, Keiöh stepped in to press on Yáui'higoah's wounds, taking his place as replacement. It felt like ages until Mido'raioh and Touishéyagi came. Immediately, the alligator Tse'hrahra rushed to pick up Yuiaga, giving the frightened child a much needed hug of safety.

The Ílmarii-Väinné had her medicine pouch ready. She picked up a water vessel containing antibacterial liquid, a small coral bowl containing a yellow hornwort-like sea anemone, glowing moss and long linen bandages. She preformed her procedure. First, she poured the antibacterial liquid over the wounds, then pulled up the sea anemone's tentacles, squeezing the glowing fluids over Yáui'higoah's wounds before putting the tentacles onto his ribs.

That was then Yáui'higoah hissed aloud in pain, although he did not wake up despite the anguish grimace. The wiggling anemone tentacles melted down, hardening into a resin-like substance covering the wounds. Then, Mido'raioh pressed the glowing moss over the resin, and finally she patched up Yáui'higoah's ribs by encircling the bandages around his chest. It happened so fast, yet so precise. Her skills astonished the group.

"Will he make it?" Optimus broke the silence, giving the question to Mido'raioh. He hoped that they were not too late to save the black mamba Tse'hrahra brother.

"It's too early to say," she answered, her jade-green eyes expressing concern. "All we can do is pray that his body is strong enough to fight back against evil spirits. I've given him shaé'táka to ensure his wounds don't get infected."

"What shall we do?" Zeza spoke.

"I'll take care of 'em," Touishéyagi startled the group when he knelt down to grab the snake Tse'hrahra, then carried him over his shoulder whereas holding the younger brother clinging around his neck. Before long, they watched the alligator Tse'hrahra taking the brothers away.

By then, Eva regained consciousness as she muttered a few groans, rubbing her forehead. "What happened?" she murmured quietly.

"You fainted," Optimus told her, choosing to carry her in his arms. Their gazes met each other. "Touishéyagi is going to take care of the brothers."

"Hey, over here!" just then, Ezhno shouted.

The boy stood next to Yáui'higoah's axe-like blade. The blade's edge was blooded in blood. Faces turned pale as it came apparent.

"He did this to himself," Sén whispered, shocked. "But why in the world would he do such a thing?"

"That is something he has to explain once he wakes up," the Autobot Commander replied, frowning worried for both the snake Tse'hrahras and Eva. "But we shouldn't force him to talk about it. He has to do it on his own terms."

Nobody picked up the blade, thy the fear of the curse of terrible luck brought the painful reminder of the losses the Clan of The Forbidden City had endured through.

---

The next morning

The morning came relatively early. But the weather was not clear nor shiny. Low clouds had arrived over the coastline, coloring the sea horizon in total silverly gray and the sun hid behind the clouds. The clouds brought some mild rain, a welcoming sight. The group had slept quite late in the morning until they got woken by knocks on the doors. Touishéyagi's children had come to woke them up, telling them that breakfast was getting prepared in the garden hut. Though, the atmosphere was very somber as the group gathered in the hut, finding Yáui'higoah sitting beside Touishéyagi.

He had a large woolen blanket covering his torso and arms, staying warm as possible. Yuiaga sat next to him, trembling after the horrific experience from the previous night. Ryssa, Barukoago, Ainosukán and Torokíänn were utterly silent; they were aware over what had occurred. Spíaruto and Akiak lay outside the hut. Lucky sat behind the Céraäuno bull's head frill, grooming through the old bull's mane in search for bugs to feast for breakfast. Xiakka sat outside the hut too, holding her own shell bowl while waiting patiently. Onnák lay in the iron bed, providing heat inside the hut.

But Onnák acted weirdly; it moved like it was having a bad dream for it made small chittering sounds while its legs wiggled endlessly. Frosty circled beside Akiak, acting like an innocent puppy as usual. Kindly, the Tse'hrahra family gave the humans warm clothes for the rainy weather; woolen shirts, thick leather capes and ankle-long woolen skirts. Eva, Zeza, Keiöh, Sén and the children appreciated the warm clothes. Borrowed clothes or not, the Tse'hrahras knew that the gloomy weather meant the day was going to be a cold day. The breakfast consisted a big roasted red snapper, smoked Inikka fillets, star-fruits and freshly harvested kelp.

It was highly appreciative as the group ate quite much as they can fill their bellies. However, Optimus saw directly that Tinni refused to sit in the hut for she sat eating outside instead, something that was seen very inappropriate in standard manners. Nobody brought up the subject about the night's horrific moment. Instead, other conversations came to lighten the atmosphere. Eva sat beside the Prime, staying close by his side. On the opposite side of the fireplace sat Mido'raioh. Silently, Optimus held his optics on the Ociena Ílmarii-Väinné.

She wore her fishnet crochet top and fringed skirt, the same clothes from yesterday. Although, she didn't have her fishnet robe on her. Her snow-white hair hung in waves, dangling on both sides of her ribs behind her shoulders. He couldn't help but feeling his spark beat extra fast. He found her so gorgeous looking, he began to feel conflicted in many feelings at once. Just then, steps were heard coming to the hut. It was Réin. He was silent when he squatted down, wearing his Chilkat blanket cape over his shoulders.

I really want to spend a nice moment with you, Optimus glanced on Réin's thunderbird tattoo. The temptation pounded within his chest, lusting in desire. But then, he thought on Eva's words. No, I don't want to break my promise to Eva. As long I don't become a backstabbing bull, I should be able to have him. But at the same time... Slag.

"We're gonna craft sea crystal daggers for ya," Barukoago announced. "Thanks to ya big fella, ya given us a nice start to craft 'em right away."

"Wait what?" Sén turned confused for a moment, staring at the charcoal painted Tse'hrahra.

"It's a common Tse'hrahra tradition. When new members come to a clan, the crafters create tools to show a welcoming gesture," Touishéyagi explained. "And I've noticed ya lack each own dagger."

"Not me," Eva spoke, showing her sea crystal dagger. "Optimus crafted this one for me as his gift."

The Cybertronian huffed a chuckle, feeling a careful nudge from his human mate's elbow. "She speaks the truth."

"And I have these two Than'sha blades," Sén showed his Than'sha blades. "It's the same Than'sha that gave Optimus those damages on his chest."

"Pft, I gotta say that ya magic will make every smith-master go nuts," the alligator Tse'hrahra huffed, pulling a toothy grin. "Oh, and I gotta check ya armor properly. Ya gotta need get ya self repaired."

Optimus nodded with a hum.

Eventually, conversations came to lighten the atmosphere and to forget the horrific event. It took its time until everyone, except Optimus, got fully fed and were ready to do activities. Zeza planned right away to craft her new hunting bow and check for materials to make a few new clothes. Keiöh planned to explore the Cove to get familiar to the surroundings. Sén planned to spend his time with the Tse'hrahra teenagers to get to learn more about them. Ezhno planned to explore the Cove too, mostly to learn the trees and see which one can be used for climbing practice. Tinni simply shrugged her shoulders, never uttering a single word like usual.

"My plans for today is to gather healing herbs and river plants," Mido'raioh said her plans, then made a head gesture directed to Eva. It told Optimus right away. The Ílmarii-Väinné was going to gather herbs for Eva and her unborn baby.

"Here or in the woods outside the wall?" Réin inquired calmly, although his gaze expressed the concern of a protective brother.

"In the woods. I need päh'yátta from the river," Mido'raioh added, rolling her eyes. "And I can handle it by myself. I don't leave the Cove without my atlatl."

"Wáo'siskáa, tlái'akka st'aaytáilk ráuu'téei ts'áasch aawatsée," he spoke, a worried grimace shaped on his face. He obviously did not like the thought that the Ílmarii-Väinné would walk alone outside the safe Cove of Solitude. He silenced instantly by an annoyed glare from her, daggers thundering from her eyes.

"I... I and my brother will stay close to Touishéyagi today," just then, Yáui'higoah uttered at last. He sounded defeated, broken inside out. "I'm not going to do anything awful. I promise."

"That's good to hear," Keiöh answered.

A single hum came from the snake Tse'hrahra. His brown eyes looked tired, lifeless even.

Soon enough, once everyone got up on their feet, ready to begin the day, Eva grabbed Optimus' servo and pulled him away. She wanted to talk with him privately. Behind a big mangrove tree, she looked at him. "Optimus... what are you going to do today?"

"Well, I honestly have zero idea," he was honest to her. He was unsure what to do. A part of him yelled at him not to leave Eva alone. But another part of him demanded him to follow Mido'raioh alone. "A part of me tells me that you should spend time with Mido'raioh. I mean..."

"What do you mean?"

"Last night, I learnt what Úllsaautsa mean. It means a second chance given from another clan."

Silence hung between them. Eva stood there, her face blank, yet she was thoughtful as if she wanted to choose her words wisely.

"I gave Mido'raioh Úllsaautsa last night. She's going to be our new healer," he gave her the news. "And she told me that she is also a midwife."

"That's... good to hear," Eva spoke softly, although far less intrigued. She then glanced a downcast gaze on her enormous baby belly. Her belly literally blocked the view of her feet. Her ankles and lower legs were quite swollen at this point, aching quite a lot. She felt her baby's slow movements, indicating her baby was taking a nap inside her. She then blew a sigh. "About our argument last night..."

Optimus stood there silently, not wanting to talk about but he knew, in order to solve the tension, they had to deal with it by talking it through.

"You were right about my father," she confessed. "I should've known better, but my anger toward him blinded me from the truth for so long. And all that anger have made me believe I'd bear many children for the sake of the clan. I'm so sorry for being such a stupid bitch."

Spontaneously, the Cybertronian embraced his human tightly in his arms, providing her security. He remained silent, not wanting to cut in. Optimus caressed his cheek plate onto Eva's forehead.

"Are you angry?" she whispered again. "That I'm thinking to repeat the same like father did?"

"I don't want you to feel the burden to continue your father's legacy. You're free from him. You can choose what path you want to take," he whispered back, knowing it was a waste of time and he did not have the energy to argue at all. "But I still stand on my ground. I need time to think before making my decision. I want to think what's best for us on long term."

But just then, before Eva could speak, a loud blow from a shell horn was heard. The couple perked out between the leaves, looking what was going on. They had their gazes on the safe coral reef where they saw multiple enormous canoes arriving at the edge of the atoll wall, guarded by Báso'keen riders. The couple got their interest raised when they saw Nezu'kéinau and Sörentör stepping on the atoll. Tsí'nobua and Ao'vanna were among them too.

However, there was another orca Ociena standing beside Nezu'kéinau's side unfamiliar to the couple. Now interested, the couple chose to get to the beach to meet them. But they were not the only ones who'd come to greet. Réin, Mido'raioh, Touishéyagi and his family, even Keiöh and Sén came. It took not long until the orca Ocienas swam across the coral reef and arrived on the beach, walking towards the gathered crowd. Even Nezu'kéinau's twin sons and young daughter had come along.

"Siskáa Nezu," Réin greeted first, calling his younger sister by nickname. He gave her a warm hug. "Aawákk tlí männé'laq tsé'haykláq?"

"Gwáa'lokka tsá sáramää," Nezu'kéinau chuckled softly, giving her older brother a gentle slap on his tattooed chest. Then she saw Eva. "Ah, there you are. We've been wondering where your whereabouts are. We waited for you to visit us in the Southern Cove but you didn't show up."

"Oh... Sorry. Last night hasn't been a good one precisely," the young woman spoke, feeling embarrassed. She avoided to take up the facts that they'd witnessed Yáui'higoah doing the unthinkable. "We've been sleeping too anxiously."

"Oh. That is understandable," the orca Ociena sister had her webbed hand onto her massive baby belly. She looked like she was expecting triplets. "I didn't sleep well either. I've been excited to get to learn more about you Eva and your clan."

That moment, Optimus saw the unknown orca Ociena woman standing beside Nezu'kéinau. She had her own scallop shell headpiece with the shell suspended on the middle of her forehead, multilayered pearl and cowie chains hanging on both sides of her bald head and supported by a single cowie chain stretched over the middle of her head. Her flattened nose was pierced with double chains decorated with cowie seashells, linked from nostrils to the tiny earlobes with pearl hoop earrings. Unlike Nezu'kéinau, she wore a fishnet crotchet poncho, adorned with countless cowie seashells, pearls and tiny crescent-shaped coral parts and her ankle-long Chilkat skirt's formline images depicted six-flippered plesiosaurs.

Her mandibles, chin, throat, chest and abdomen were heavily tattooed, showing complex formline images of different marine and sky creatures. Quietly, the stranger approached toward Optimus, her brown eyes peculiar but apprehensive. Cautiously, she had her webbed hand on his shoulder gear to feel the steel. Although, she stepped back a few steps, showing respect.

"Is it true that you use magic?" she asked politely despite the skepticism radiating from her face.

"Everyone, step back," Optimus spoke. Keiöh, Sén and Zeza grinned in excitement. Once everyone stood on a safe distance, his entire body shone in white light, growing up to his true tall height. Loud gasps were heard. Sörentör had his broad jaw dropped all way down to the ground in awe. "This is how I'm supposed to be. I'm supposed to be this tall."

"Ya magic's impressive, big fella," Barukoago hissed, thrilled.

Then, in a blink of an eye, Optimus shrunk down back to his microform. That moment, he saw the stranger Ociena giving him a single nod, her eyes closed to show approval. "I'm satisfied. I believe in my wife's words now."

"Wait a heartbeat," Zeza stated, glancing at Nezu'kéinau, swiftly shifting her eyes back and forth.

That was then Nezu'kéinau burst out laughing.

"Ványa'tsée Quietwater is my wife, my Máru'oúllak," her cheeks blushed up. Just then, Ványa'tsée walked toward her and their foreheads touched each other, their flat noses glued onto each other and eyes shut. Their lips shaped tender smiles, expressing deep love bound between them. The little moment lasted barely a few heartbeats before Ványa'tsée let her go, then looked at the humans while Nezu'kéinau continued. "I married her first when I went out to start my life as a Matriarch of the Southern Coast Clan further south from here. But then I started to yearn to have children, so I married Sörentör three years later. We three lead the Clan of The Lake People together."

"Máru'oúllak means 'Sister-Matriarch' in Ociena tongue," Ványa'tsée translated, her round face calm and polite. "It's common tradition that the Máru'oúmma, the Matriarch, to marry a sister-matriarch unrelated of blood to bear the burden of responsibilities of leading a whole clan. As for me, I'm second daughter of Matriarch Chíänna Summerdancer who once led the Southern Coast Clan."

"And it's also common that Máru'oúmma marries with both wife and husband," Sörentör held his head up high, pride radiating from him. "A trio leading an Ociena clan together helps a lot to maintain the balance within the clan."

"In which a marriage can only happen when the Máru'oúllak gives her approval of course," the Máru'oúllak scoffed partly, sneering at her wife's husband amused.

"Jáo, jáo, jáo," the Márok'toúmogk shrugged it off, unbothered.

Optimus noticed Eva looking at Nezu'kéinau, a strange change on her face. He placed himself next to her side and grabbed her hand. His spark told him that Eva would probably want to spend her time with the Matriarch to get to learn more about the Ociena culture. And perhaps, she might get ideas that can improve the survival of the last survivors of the Clan of The Forbidden City.

"What brings you here, siskáa Nezu'kéinau?" Mido'raioh inquired.

"We just came to check the newcomers. And as you see, my fourth baby doesn't want to come out yet," Nezu'kéinau stated, clapping her belly. "But I sense my delayed due time is coming very near. I do hope my baby won't pop on the Midsummer Solstice Day."

The Ociena Ílmarii-Väinné nodded silently, understanding. Shortly afterwards, the visitors called out to the other Ocienas on the canoes and Báso'keen riders to head back to the Clan of The Lake People. Although, Sörentör and Ványa'tsée went back to the canoes. An Ociena clan without leaders would collapse in an instant. Nezu'kéinau's twin sons and young daughter chose to stay, mostly because they wanted to explore the Cove of Solitude's coral reef.

Directly, the whole group returned to the in-hill village. Once gathered, Optimus saw Mido'raioh packing her atlatl darts to carry them on her self-crafted leather weaved quiver, then throwing a bamboo basket around her shoulder and her medicine pouch. Her six-winged raven then flew down to sit on her shoulder, cawing funny sounds. As it happened, Eva grabbed him, forcing him to look at her.

"Optimus, I'm thinking to spend time with Nezu'kéinau," she told him with a low voice.

"It sounds like a good idea," he liked her plan. "Perhaps she can give you advices about clan leadership."

"I really hope so... I'm so scared," she hugged him, seeking the closeness. "I fear so much about the birth."

"Try not to think about it. Mido'raioh will help us," he reassured her, yet he mentally prayed to Primus that Eva will make it through without losing her life, and that little Hope will be born healthy and strong. "Do you want me to accompany or...?"

"No need to. I can handle by myself, and I won't be alone either," she shook her head. The last thing they did was planting a soft kiss on their lips before parting ways apart. "Be careful."

While Eva walked to Nezu'kéinau, who were in the garden chatting together with her younger sisters, Optimus took his own path. He had his optics on Mido'raioh. The Ílmarii-Väinné walked up on a narrow path that slithered between upper water-filled terraces, heading up to the stone wall on the top of the Cove, close to the highest terrace with its lake. With sword and shield behind his shoulders, the Autobot Commander tried to be sneaky as possible; he watched his steps with care to avoid snapping on any twig lying on the ground.

The path was also well-hidden; it hid under the tree canopies. When he reached to the stone wall, he saw directly the gate. The gate door had thin rose stems whirling around, armed with sharp prickles. Luckily, he reached his servo to the handle, pulled and then entered to the other side of the wall. Quickly closing the thorny door, Optimus turned around to meet a glorious view. The landscape was densely temperate forest with many small marshes, bound with thin rivulets. The tall coniferous and broadleaf trees arose so tall that they'd oversized Optimus when he'd be in his true height, and they were absolutely covered in thick moss.

Long vines danged from the branches. Tall reeds, big shrubs with alien-looking leaves and vividly colorful hydrangea flowers, whole ferns fields and bracket mushrooms growing on tree trunks and fallen tree logs were everywhere. There were also coral tubes rising up from the ponds, providing a feasting ground for birds to snatch insects. Tall Geraldton waxflowers arose from the pond edges, taller than human size and the flowers shone in wonderful dark pink color. Here and there, Optimus saw large cherry trees that arose higher than the cherry trees in the Dolphin Clan and the Cove of Solitude.

That moment however, he noticed directly. The pulsing beats underneath his peds pulsed much stronger than anywhere else. Was the area a lot more alive than elsewhere in the marshlands? He was puzzled but very curious, that was for sure. Just then, sudden noises appeared right behind his spinal strut, and before he could react, a webbed hand covered his mouth and a sea obsidian dagger placed right on his throat gear.

"Do you think you could stalk silently? Well, your feet are too loud," Mido'raioh snarled slightly behind his audio receptor. Politely, she moved her hand so Optimus could speak.

"I wish only to talk with you," he muttered, mostly startled by the Ílmarii-Väinné's ambush.

She backed off, sheathing her dagger back in its hip sheath. She gave him a glare of annoyance. Optimus read her body language carefully.

"What is it you wish to talk about?" she asked bluntly, her stern face telling the Prime that she valued her independence.

"I wish to talk about the Three Trials, and I'd like to learn about the botany in these areas," Optimus gave his answer, hoping she'd accept it. "I mean, it would be great for me to prepare myself for everything when the birth comes."

At first, she stared at him in silence but slowly she made the nod gesture.

"I'll accept your presence this time," she told him, tolerably. Though, her mood lightened briefly when Optimus mimicked the nod gesture. "Choose your questions wisely and don't give me too many at once. And don't be offended when I turn silent. I concentrate best when I'm silent."

"I understand," he replied, relieved that he can accompany the Ílmarii-Väinné. The truth was he wanted to learn more about her, to get to know her more. Remember, take it slow and she'll open her heart eventually.

They two walked through the forest. Mido'raioh had her atlatl hanging on her right hip. The activity was entirely wild. Many six-winged hummingbirds buzzed around, competing food sources by fighting or defending chosen flowers. Other six-winged birds tweeted their morning songs despite the gloomy rainy weather. Six-winged paradise birds ceased their dancing for rain always ruined their chances to find a mate. The whole forest was shrouded in thick, wet fog.

Distant rumbling echoes sung across the land. Optimus stayed closely by Mido'raioh, staying vigilant. He respected Mido'raioh's silence, sensing that her concentration must be so high that any disturbance or talk would make her lose focus swiftly and rebuilding it would cause frustration. But as it happened, he remembered the day he joined Kay'åh to learn more about botany back in the Forbidden City. He missed the medicine woman so much.

"We're almost there," Mido'raioh broke the silence eventually. By then, the couple had approached to a steady cliff leading up to a flattop ground platform. That was then Optimus heard the rumbling sounds of rapid water flowing ahead. "The river is up there."

Mido'raioh's raven, named Mischief, flew above them, staying in close range. Sure, the cliff was a steady steep, but it was full of sharp rocks and it would take roughly over fifteen minutes to climb up safely. It led the Prime to switch from microform to his true height, something that came as a surprise for Mido'raioh. At first, she was close to snap out, but when she saw the gigantic metal servo, she reluctantly climbed up onto it. Luckily, the climb lasted so short, it took barely a few kliks until they reached to safe ground. Of course, he lowered his arm down, letting the Ociena Ílmarii-Väinné go on the ground, and he directly changed back to microform.

Their destination was very close now. The destination was a broad river flowing through a low, rocky gully. But just then, Mido'raioh raised her hand, signaling Optimus to get close. Both of them hid behind a birch tree log and they peeked through the gaping hole between rocks and the log. Optimus accidentally stood closely to her side, so close that their axels touched. That was then they saw it. Atop a large rock on the waterfall ahead stood a large, pitch-black creature.

"Miákka'tsíaa..." Mido'raioh whispered, her tone full of respect and awe. "The Great Teacher."

The Great Teacher was an enormous, night-black eight-legged grizzly bear with a raven head. Its four forelegs had long raven feathers, but they were not built nor adapted for flight. The raven-bear's entire neck, shoulders, spine and hips were covered in a feathery coat, the long feathers stretching out like a single mane. The feathers were not regular feathers though. The feathers had long, sharp quills for stems. Its tiny pair of tentacles wiggled behind its outermost hind legs. The raven-bear had its eyes down on the river, positing in a position similar to ancestral grizzly bears ready to catch salmon jumping out of water.

Indeed, the Miákka'tsíaa was there to catch the annual dragon-fly salmon. Soon enough, Optimus saw glittering lights below the river surface, and as he scanned quickly, he discovered the river was completely full with two arm-long salmon that had dragonfly wings as pectoral fins. Then, a big salmon leapt out from the river, attempting to reach over the water as its dragonfly wings flapped elegantly. The raven-bear creature caught it in its beak, holding it like an iron grip and walked to dry land. Because there was so much fish in the river, the raven-bear had its own spot to eat without competing to other predators.

"Come," Mido'raioh whispered. Both of them crept out from the log, walking downstream. "And whatever you do... Change to your true shape when you must. And never, EVER, kill Miákka'tsíaa. The Great Teacher is one of the most sacred deities known in the world."

"I understand," Optimus answered.

"Optimus, I mean it. Killing the Great Teacher brings the worst curse of all curses, far worse than the curse of terrible misfortune," she stopped, turning around and stared right through his optics, her orca teeth barred. Her fierce tone carried a deadly warning. "Killing any highly sacred creature brings the death curse upon the one whom commits the crime. And the curse passes through generations, spreading through everyone who are related by blood."

Hearing the warning caused Optimus' spark to skip a few pulses. Death curse. That was something he hadn't heard before, yet it gave him a shiver through his spinal column. Silently, he shut his optics and nodded a single nod, which told the Ílmarii-Väinné that he was taking it seriously. Their torsos were closely ranged, their faces so close that Optimus could smell Mido'raioh's breath.

"I swear to my spark that I'll respect the Great Teacher," he uttered, swearing his promise. "And I swear I will treat every sacred creature as deities to worship."

The tension arose, only to drop when Mido'raioh grabbed his servo, dragging him downstream. Thankfully, the Miákka'tsíaa barely noticed their presence. The couple wandered down until they arrived to a sand point bar where the river water extended quite outward. More Geraldton waxflowers stretched up on the water edge, taken the place as river reeds. What struck Optimus in awe was she'd put her basket, dart quiver and medicine pouch on the sand bar. Almost immediately, Mischief sat on the basket, guarding over her tools with aggressive determination.

As it happened, Mido'raioh walked out to the water up to her pelvis. Then, she inhaled a deep breath and dived under the surface. At first, he was about to follow her, but something told him to stay put. It took barely long until the orca Ociena Ílmarii-Väinné emerged, this time roughly ten meters away from the spot she dived. The water reached to her shoulders. That moment, Optimus felt his facial plates heating up as steam fumed out when Mido'raioh peered her head over her shoulder, looking at him.

Their gazes met for a single sparkbeat. Then, she swam back to the bar, quickly getting up back on land and went to the basket. That was then Optimus saw the reason why she dived. She held a long, thick river hornwort, heavy in crimson sea grapes. She tucked the river plant in the basket. Directly, Mischief cawed loudly out of excitement as it flapped its six wings eagerly and opened its jaws in a repetitive 'clapping' behavior.

"What is that?" Optimus knelt down, gazing the sea grapes.

"Päh'yátta," Mido'raioh said, ignoring her noisy raven.

"Pah...yatta?" the Prime tried to pronounce the name, only to sound so ridiculous. He sounded like he tried to speak Icelandic.

Luckily for him, Mido'raioh didn't laugh nor glare at him. Her freckled and tattooed face stayed stoic. Thankfully, the raven silenced down, calming down its rocky laughing calls.

"So... Is it for medicine?" he casually gave his first question.

"Yes. In fact, it is one of the most crucial plants you can find," she began. "It's especially crucial during labor, childbirth and postpartum condition."

"How crucial if I may ask?"

"Crucial enough to prevent severe loss of blood and slow down bleeding. Loss of blood and severe hemorrhage are few of many factors that leads to a certain maternal death."

He turned silent immediately, his facial plates pale as he pictured Eva lying dead after giving birth. That terrified him so much.

"I really don't want to think about this question, but... are you the father of Eva's baby?" suddenly, she gave him her own question. She sounded like she'd spent great amount of time to think throughly and thought twice about all outcomes that can and will happen.

Directly, Optimus shook his head with a sad expression. "No. Eva was five months pregnant when I met her. She lost her mate, Árn'wo Lighthunter, who is the biological father," he replied. "I've decided to raise her baby like my own."

Unexpectedly, Mido'raioh's stoic expression turned horrified before she shut her eyes, exhaling a silent sigh. But then, she gazed at him, looking somewhat alleviated. "Your decision will absolutely save both lives. But there is one thing that is worse than maternal death..." she trailed off at first, trying to collect her thoughts.

"Which is?"

"Sk'äyéii gwá'dlawúmma. Desperate arent psychosis."

"Desperate parent psychosis?" that caught Optimus by surprise.

"It's a very devastating condition. I... I was around seven winters old when I witnessed it for the first time. It was a first time mother who was utterly unstable, both in mind and heart. Her family weren't there for her. She was all alone. She got triggered by her baby's cries and grabbed her baby like this."

That moment, the Ílmarii-Väinné held her hands up, describing herself holding an invisible infant and shook it vivaciously. The movement shocked Optimus to the core.

"After the unthinkable occurred, she tossed her infant into the water. There was nothing anyone could do. Shortly after the baby drowned, the mother jumped in the water and took Final Breath. She couldn't handle the shame and guilt over her actions," she continued, now sounding sad for the memory awoke much pain inside her. "Matriarch Männi'rara used to tell me that the sk'äyéii gwá'dlawúmma destroys lives far worse than death itself."

"What are the warning signs?" Optimus intervened. "I mean, I need to know the symptoms if Eva develops it."

"There are many signs to keep an eye for. One critical sign is refusal of attachment to the baby. Other signs are constant crying and high anxiety," Mido'raioh described, holding her eyes at him. "And the worst signs are lack of patience, loss of self-control, uncontrollable temper and Final Breath thoughts."

Silence hung in the air. The only sounds they heard were the river's smooth flowing, the tweeting songs from birds and buzzing insects. As it occurred, Optimus stood up on his peds, put down his sword and shield next to Mido'raioh's basket before walking out to the river. It did startle the Ílmarii-Väinné whom stood up reactively.

"You mind if I join in?" Optimus was polite, yet eager.

Without saying a word, Mido'raioh shook her head. Once again, the raven sat on the basket, watching over the tools and newly harvested hornworts. Then, she entered the river and together, they both dived. The river bottom was full of smooth rocks in different sizes and shapes. The current was quite strong but manageable. The Prime stayed close to the bottom, checking the seaweeds.

Directly, he discovered that Mido'raioh was right. His movable shoulder gears were indeed a hindrance. He was far less agile than he thought, swimming partly clumsy and slow. Sure, he could swim without problem, but remembering what the Ílmarii-Väinné told him, he took the idea to change his current form seriously. While exploring the river bottom, he saw the long hornworts swaying in the current, and the heavy sea grapes shining in bright red light.

There were also a big school of salmon swimming, trying to head upstream. Luckily, since the couple were there to harvest päh'yátta, the dragonfly-flippered salmons had only one thought in mind; to reach to the spawning waters. Optimus observed what the orca Ociena was doing. She used her dagger to slash the plants closest to the roots peeking between the stones. That was then he realized one thing. He couldn't rely on his sword and shield while swimming.

He will need a knife of his own to use during gathering and harvesting herbs. Of course, he had not thought on long term at all. All he'd thought on was the safety of his group. Perhaps, he can ask Touishéyagi for advice and suggestions later. They two spent a good time gathering päh'yáttas until the basket got full to Mido'raioh's satisfaction. By the time they finished it, the sky started to weep a heavy downpour.

Although used to it, the Ílmarii-Väinné looked up to the clouds, mumbling a little curse word in Ociena tongue. Mischief cawed frustrated as it yearned to take flight, but had to endure the wait for the downpour to pass. Then, they began to walk further downstream. The river flowed out to the coastline of the Inland Sea. They climbed down from the higher ground, returning to the forest where Mido'raioh guided through the densely crowded fern field, passing by ponds and climbed over fallen logs.

Just then, they stopped abruptly when she saw hand-sized bracket fungi growing on a broadleaf tree. Curiously, Optimus observed as Mido'raioh sliced multiple bracket fungi and lay them in the basket. She did not utter a single word, although her face displayed an expression that Optimus read as 'I need to experiment to see which benefits thisfungi has'.

"Um, Mido'raioh," he began shortly after the fungi was covered in pine branches to prevent any damages. "When it comes to the Three Trials, do I have to do it in correct way?"

"To be honest... You can choose the Trial of the Sea or the Trial of the Forest to begin with," she replied with thoughtful consideration. "But the third trial, the Trial of the Dream, can only occur once the two trails are accomplished."

"I see. Hmm, maybe I can begin learning to listen to the forest here before I try the sea trial," he added, thinking that he can start learning to listen to the whispering voices of the forest.

"It's your choice to make," she finished, walking ahead of him. "And remember. The trials will be your test of patience. Impatience leads only to prompt mistakes."

After that, they went on herb gathering search. The Ílmarii-Väinné sought up a herb that looked strikingly familiar to lemon myrtle, but still looked completely alien like it came from a different planet. The herb grew closer to the ground soil, its trunk looking more like a tube coral with the evergreen leafs grown out from thin twigs and the twigs shone in pulsing blue lights. Directly, Mido'raioh cut off as many twigs as possible until the tube coral trunk was naked without its beautiful leafs and flowers. But then, without warning, they sensed they were not alone. The pulsing heartbeats below their feet exploded strongly and Optimus' proximity sensor alerted for an approaching threat. Simultaneously, Mischief cawed out a frightened caw.

That moment, behind a tall coniferous tree, they saw an Allosaurus peeking out its head.

Instantly, Optimus got close to grab his sword when he felt Mido'raioh's hand pressed on his chest plates and he saw her shaking her head, her jade-green eyes telling him to make no sudden movements. As it occurred, the Allosaurus creature stepped out from its hideout. It was an Állorva'ya standing at six meters on height and ten meters long from head to tail. While a replica of the ancient Allosaurus, there were many major differences that the mutated theropad had. It had a short but thick mane covering its neck, withers across the spine to the tip of its tail. Movable neck plates protruded out on its maned neck, motioning in waves like a pink cockatoo's feather crest.

Between its two long arms, it had four slender mantis forearms clenched into the chest with multiple sharp clawed talons. Its shoulders, spine, hips and tail were protected in thick, yet flexible body plates. Its powerful legs had many body plates patched up. What struck Optimus by awe was the ash-gray pattern on its head; it patterned the cranium itself, making its head look like a skull. Its horn crests above the eyes gleamed crimson red and four smaller horns extended behind its head, making itself look like a dragon. Seven glowing blisters sat on both sides of its throat, glowing in orange light. Its whole body camouflaged the surrounding trees, a chameleon's ability inherited from an unlikely direction.

What astonished the Prime farther was its eyes. The brown eyes displayed no predatory nor aggression. No, those eyes displayed a huge level of intelligence and self-awareness. Its eyes sent a message to the couple that said: I know you're there. I won't attack you as long you don't attack me. As long you don't bother me, I won't bother you either.

"What is that?" Optimus whispered lowly, his head close to Mido'raioh's head.

"Állorva'ya," she whispered back, stating the name.

He remembered the name. He recalled her telling him and Eva about the Állorva'ya being the only hunter immune to eat the Torro'kaka, thus declared as the only specialist hunter in these lands. Suddenly, a distant roar was heard. The roar came from west. The dragon Allosaurus creature rose its head, listening to the roar before calling back. The final thing it did was glancing on the couple, then left as it sprinted, heading to the caller. Again, the couple were alone, drenched in rainwater. The downpour wept so much that the whole forest sang. The Prime stood there dumbfounded, too stunned to believe what had just happened.

"How in the world...?" he muttered.

"Állorva'ya is smarter than you think. They're aware over who is friend and who is foe," Mido'raioh said. "It takes a lot of time to earn their trust. Take it slow and gently."

"Do they attack humans?" he grew uncertain, now worried.

"They will attack out of vengeance. They remember everything and recognize faces. If a hunter kills an Állorva'ya either by mistake or on purpose, the whole pack will take revenge. However, should you find one injured and you help it, they'll recognize you and see you as an ally."

As long I don't attack them and give them space, I'll be safe, he thought to himself.

Then, Optimus thought on his clan members. They need to know about this. The couple eventually continued on wandering through the forest. Silence hung between them. But for Optimus, it was a whole different story. His spark pulsed so fast under his chest plates, so fast that his entire chassis vibrated. He had his optics on her. Almost immediately, he began daydreaming. He daydreamed his group expending further with new members.

Scrap, he fought hard against the desirable temptation that awoke abruptly in his daydreaming. Heh, the laws of Primes matter nothing anymore.

Spontaneously, he lost awareness of his steps and he accidentally fell in a marsh pond. The loud splash made Mido'raioh spin around, rushing to the pond's edge and helped him up on his peds. Embarrassment radiated from Optimus' face plates once he understood what had just happened. His cheek plates heated up a blush, steam fuming up.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't watch my steps," Optimus apologized to her immediately. He was met by a stern glance from Mido'raioh who looked unimpressed, but there was something else behind her jade-green eyes.

"Are you daydreaming?" she growled at him bluntly with a toothy snarl. Her raven cawed agitated.

"...Y-Yes," he nodded, admitting his mistake. "I was daydreaming."

The Ílmarii-Väinné sighed before staring right at him, daggers thundering from her eyes. "Don't do the same mistake I made. Daydreaming is not tolerable among Ocienas. It's a taboo."

However, Optimus thought he saw her eyes flinching a bit, as if she fought back against inner pains. Had he triggered a hurting memory inside her? Regret and embarrassment filled his CPU immediately.

"I'm sorry. I won't repeat it," he added, gazing a half downcast glance. Although, Optimus felt her webbed hand touching on his scarred chest plate, the tip of her fingers casually penetrating the holes. That caused the throbbing inside his panel to intensify and internal chest plats turned ticklish. The gentle touch tickled his inner chassis structure nerves and his spark pulsed harder.

"Touishéyagi will find a solution," Mido'raioh said, stepping back. "He always finds a solution."

Once again, they marched on. Although, it took not long until, after passing past a gigantic maple tree with its thick trunk coated in green moss, Optimus gripped his chance. "Mido'raioh... How long have you lived here?" he began hesitant.

Dead silence. The rain continued to pour. The raindrops hammered onto his steel violently. Obviously, the weeping clouds were full of sorrow. Mischief shook its head constantly, trying to stop raindrops from touching its eyes while moving its six wings in rapid flaps in an attempt to get dry.

"I've lived here since I was six years old," eventually, Mido'raioh gave her answer. This time, her tone sounded rather sorrowful, a hint of pain deep within her. "And I presume you've figured out that I'm not Männi'rara's daughter by blood."

She stepped a few steps away, only to stop dead on her tracks. She closed her eyes tightly, inhaling deep breaths as she fought back against her own feelings. Quietly, Optimus approached, placing beside her and lay his servo on her shoulder. She did not react to it, although she did not look at him. That led him to place himself in front of her, embracing her in a soft hug. Nonetheless the hug lasted very short, barely a few heartbeats before she pushed him gently away, mostly to break herself free from the harmless hug.

I shouldn't have given her that question so soon, Optimus thought, perplexed and remorseful. Daydreaming. Wait, she warned me not to do the same mistake she made.Why isn't daydreaming tolerable among Ociena? And why is it a taboo?

"We're getting close," just then, her voice caught him up.

"Close?"

"You'll see," came the simple reply.

Mido'raioh quickened her pace, now taking faster steps. Optimus caught up her, jogging right behind her. The ferns rattled by their half-jogging legs. The wet ground had become all muddy. The jogging lasted more than ten minutes until they reached on the edge of a sinkhole's wide maw. The sinkhole had a large water pool farther down. Long vines dangled on the sharp steep cliffs. Just then, the Prime thought he saw something lurking underneath the water surface. He narrowed his gaze, scanning the surrounding pool and he dropped his jaw.

There, in the pool, was a gigantic underwater tree with vast fronds whose extended tendrils created the illusion of lotus flower petals.

That was then Optimus realized suddenly. The pulsing heartbeats pounding through the ground came from the tree, spreading far and vast. The tree's fronds shone weakly in pinkish light. Directly, he peered his optics to Mido'raioh and noticed she stood with arms stretched out, her open palms upward whereas she had her eyes down on the tree. Instead speaking a word, he mimicked her position. Just then, Mischief took flight and flew around in circles above the gaping sinkhole.

K'amóo júu sk'aaóh jumaläuu eeita áikkaa sk'awalg dlánn tlái.

Mido'raioh sang a chant. Optimus stood perfectly still, feeling enchanted.

Sk'aayama ts'näraak tlí áwáa taiällak dláshag xíll k'araa xaa'säúu.

Then, she bent her head backward to look up to the rainy sky.

Sinuá Tlí Sääntya yak'ii ílmaraa oléii x'hoo'agga yhtää'simuu tléi...

Sinuá Tlí Sääntya, Optimus thought, but then he remembered. Wait a second! She said that when she accepted Úllsaautsa. But what does it mean?

"Come," the Ílmarii-Väinné walked, leaving the sinkhole's edge.

Then, once they left the sinkhole, the rain finally stopped. All trees had their branches and twigs heavy of rainwater dropping down. They hurried through the forest. The birds sang once again, full of joy. Optimus stayed close behind her, thoughtful over her chant and fascinated about the tree in the sinkhole. Though, he found her chant sad. It took its time until they reached to a thick pine tree that had a funny structure. Instead standing tall like a pillar, the pine had grown bent outward, its tree crown upward, which made the tree look like a skate bowl. Mischief flew to sit on one of the branches, catching a short break and waited for its mistress to come.

That moment, the Ociena Ílmarii-Väinné stood on the rock next to the pine, rising her left hand and pointed. "There. The Cove is not from here."

Indeed, the stone wall encircling the Cove of Solitude was only less than half a kilometer away. They'd reached to the steep cliff side where the Inland Sea waves rammed onto the sharp rocks down. Then Mido'raioh let out a whooping call to signal Mischief to fly ahead, in which the raven cawed in response and took flight heading to the Cove. Now, thrilled to see the Cove so close, Optimus couldn't help but get excited to tell Eva about the Miákka'tsíaa. But on that moment, he hesitated. What if she'd get upset learning about he'd spent a good time with the Ílmarii-Väinné?

"Um, Mido'raioh... I have three last questions," he broke the silence. "And I'd appreciate honest answers."

She peered her head over her shoulder, listening intently and expressed a willing interest.

"Do you think Eva is worthy to lead the Clan of The Forbidden City?"

Mido'raioh turned thoughtful for a heartbeat, but then she uttered. "A single Matriarch cannot lead her clan entirely on her own."

That left him mazed. Although, it quickly hit him. Eva had zero experience when it comes to leadership and she had a quite rocky relationship with her father. That meant one outcome; she'd pass the role over to him to lead the clan. It was a thing he won't reject nor hesitate to take. And yet... his spark kept telling him.

Learn the ways of Ociena culture and they'll see you as an ally.

Then she added. "What is your second question?"

"My second question is... Do you think my clan members are worthy to listen to the story about Ámárúq?"

"It depends if they're willing to learn about the past. Some humans deny the past, others have forgotten the events entirely. And some wish to never learn about the past."

"I believe my members would love to hear the legend."

"What is your final question?"

"Would you... teach me about the ways of Ociena culture?" he gave his final question, feeling how fast his sparkbeats pulsed so madly that he would risk getting overdrive.

Mido'raioh's stoic face raised an eyebrow, both surprised and questionable simultaneously. Then, she stepped three steps closer so they stood closest. Their gazes were glued onto each other. That sparkbeat, Optimus grew mesmerized on her tattoos, growing eager to learn the meanings behind those tattoos.

"What makes you so interested?" he heard her question spoken from her lips.

"I'd gladly appreciate to learn the ways of Ociena culture," Optimus spoke with honesty, gazing on Mido'raioh's tattooed face. He then traced his left index digit across his throat gear. "Because, by learning the ways, I can become an ally to all Ociena. And perhaps I can get a throat tattoo."

"To earn a place among Ociena, you must go through Tléik Sääntya Chágg-Tíaagúh Úull-Maal."

"Which means...?"

"The Dream Path Between Worlds. Only then you'll be able to see Sääntyían in the Trial of The Dream," she translated, reminding him of the Three Trials.

She turned around, but suddenly stopped as if something silent caught her. Before Optimus could utter a word, she raised her hand in a 'sshh' motion, telling him to stay silent. Then, she grabbed a dart and placed it on her atlatl. As it happened, the Prime felt it. Strong pulses vibrating through the ground that felt very close in range. It was coming towards them. Mido'raioh raised her dart up into a straight line, ready to throw at any minute. However, she didn't throw right away. The pulses beat faster. It was like something was running quickly.

"Wait!" as it occurred, a call was heard. It was Ezhno.

"Ezhno?! What are you doing out here?" Optimus exclaimed, baffled to see the boy. He knelt down, his servos on the boy's shoulder. "You're supposed to be in the Cove."

"It's Matriarch Nezu'kéinau," the boy gasped heavily for air, taking deep, yet quick breaths. "The lake's dried up. Repeat, the lake's dried up!"

Mido'raioh's face paled drained of colors. Then, she grabbed the Cybertronian's arm and pulled him. Without hesitation, they three ran as quick as possible. The sprint to the Cove of Solitude lasted short, yet it felt like an eternity when they went through the stone wall gate, running all way down to the in-hill earth village. However, Nezu'kéinau was not there. Directly the Ílmarii-Väinné left her basket and pouch inside her own earth house, then ran down to the at the beach, Optimus saw his human members, the horned emperor penguin creature and the Tse'hrahra family gathered there.

But Nezu'kéinau's children floated on the water close to the kelp forest. The swan horses were elsewhere, probably spooked away by the sudden activity. Ryssa's Rorak stood like a guard dog; his fur raised across the spine, eyes focused ahead. Frosty mimicked his body pose, although he yelped and whined anxiously over the sudden situation he understood nothing. Mischief flew in circles above the spot, cawing out its mimicking sounds of whooping calls to alert others. As it happened, Mido'raioh sprinted out to the water, swimming fast to the spot where the children were before diving down.

Somehow, Optimus felt drawn to it as he couldn't resist the curiosity to check what was going on. Without second thought, he ran to the water, ignoring Eva's calls. He changed to his true height at the point when he noticed activity halfway underwater.

That was then he saw the reason.

Nezu'kéinau was squatting on a coral bridge with Réin behind her and his muscular arms wrapped securely around her chest, and her younger sisters were on her sides. Nezu'kéinau had a Moraa'goa over her mouth and nose. Silently Optimus stayed at a fair distance, not wanting to disturb the scenery. Mido'raioh floated before Nezu'kéinau, her arms between the squatted legs. Optimus narrowed his optics to scan a closer view, which proved to aid him a lot. Mido'raioh then used sign language too complex for him to , his spark pulsed hard as he saw Nezu'kéinau starting to push hard.

Dark fluids appeared pouring slowly between her legs. Mido'raioh signed more instructions, telling Nezu'kéinau to push again. Tsí'nobua and Ao'vanna assisted the Ílmarii-Väinné. The Prime watched in awe. The Ílmarii-Väinné knew precisely what she was doing. The dark fluids muddied more until Mido'raioh instructed Nezu'kéinau to raise up a bit, in which the Ociena sister half-stood, half squatted with support by Réin who held her behind steadily. Tsí'nobua was beside her side, her hand supporting the enormous baby belly and her other hand on the lower back. By then, Nezu'kéinau's twin sons and daughter had come down to get a closer glimpse over the miracle that was about to happen.

Optimus held his air, witnessing the miracle as Nezu'kéinau pushed for a final time and the water was full of blood as a tiny shadow was thrust out. That sparkbeat, Nezu'kéinau's baby was born.

The Prime felt utterly amazed. He'd witnessed an Ociena baby being born. But what happened next was so astonishing, it will leave him a memory impacting him for the rest of his life. Almost instantly, the orca Ociena baby started instinctively kicking their legs, swimming upward to the surface while a trail of blood traced from their navel, showing a tiny umbilical cord tissue still attached. Guided by Mido'raioh and Nezu'kéinau, the baby swam all way independently, surrounded by family. Optimus managed to have his audio receptors up in time to hear the newborn Ociena baby taking their very first breath once surfaced.

Immediately, Nezu'kéinau had her webbed hands around her infant's chest as she held her baby high up, gasping heavily while Mido'raioh removed the Moraa'goa off her face. Her twin sons and daughter stared at their new sibling. Réin, Tsí'nobua and Ao'vanna smiled, tears welling on the corners of their eyes as they were now uncle and aunts to their sister's new baby. Oddly enough, to the Prime's surprise, the Ociena baby did not start to wail a single cry.

Loud whooping calls interrupted the silence as Touishéyagi and his kids began to celebrate with whooping chants full of rejoice. Directly, Optimus turned around to see the Tse'hrahra family dancing. He reached to dry land before the Ocienas, hastily changing back to his microform height and united with his humans. His smile beamed over his face when Eva neared to him.

"What did you see?" she mouthed to him.

"I saw Nezu'kéinau giving birth. And her baby swam up to the surface," he told her, only to see her troubled expression. His smile died rapidly. But before he'd ask, his servo got grasped by his mate who took him away from the beach. They hid behind a large mangrove tree, surrounded by tall bushes. "What's the matter?"

"You told me that Mido'raioh is a midwife earlier. What did you see?" she answered, her brown eyes revealing anxiety as she breathed quite fast. "Is she good or..?"

Thus, Optimus described everything he saw. The Prime used his servos to show the hand gestures Mido'raioh used for sign language along with Tsí'nobua and Ao'vanna assisting her and their older sister. Though, he started to feel the need to tell her about the Miákka'tsíaa, Állorva'ya and the päh'yátta. However, just as he was about to tell her, a loud grumbling grunt startled them. Eva stood behind Optimus as they swung around, only to see Spíaruto's aging eyes through the narrow opening.

The old Céraäuno's grunt sounded like he was not impressed. Luckily though, the buckskin triceratops stayed calm, moving his head gently to pose a nonthreatening display. Although, the big horns did tell the couple that they must be extra careful. Just then, Lucky climbed over the head frill, his cheeks large like a hamster after he glutted himself full with bugs and parasites off the thick mane.

"Hey, ya better come," that moment, Barukoago peeked his head between the mangrove branches. "It's kinda rude to run off without paying a single look on a newborn babe."

"We're coming," Eva muttered, glancing to Optimus before nodding. The couple left the little hideout to return to the others.

Nezu'kéinau stood with support by Réin and Tsí'nobua. Her baby rested in her arms. That moment, both the Prime and his human's gazes grew massive. The orca Ociena baby was absolutely not tiny. No, Nezu'kéinau's baby was a chubby baby that was bigger and heavier than a full term human baby.

"That is a huge baby," Eva got close to exclaim, thou she kept her voice low. She had her hands resting on her own baby belly, picturing herself giving birth to a heavy baby. Although, she suddenly remembered Mido'raioh telling her and Optimus that her unborn baby was smaller than she should be.

"Tsí'nobua, Ao'vanna, head to my home and prepare the bed," Mido'raioh spoke calmly, knelt in front of the mother and her hands massaged the swollen belly. "Siskáa Nezu, a few more pushes and the placenta will be out."

"No need to remind me. I feel it's coming out," Nezu'kéinau scoffed exhaustedly, yet full of love as she had her eyes on her chubby infant. She stood with half-squatted legs, pushing hard. "And until I've reached to the village, I won't tell you the name of my youngest daughter."

"Perfect. Pojnkár, assist Tsí'nobua and Ao'vanna," Touishéyagi gave an order to his children. He then gazed up to the sky and saw Mido'raioh's raven flying already to the direction of the Southern Cove. "Oh, looks like Mischief is goin' to give the news to Sörentör and Ványa'tsée."

Without asking twice, Ryssa and her siblings were full of glee and excitement as they spread out. Touishéyagi followed after them, leaving the Ocienas behind. The Ocienas walked on a steady pace, leaving the humans alone on the beach. However, as it happened, Optimus shifted his gaze back and forth between Eva and his other humans, counting each one. That was then he suddenly froze.

Tinni was out of sight.

"Ezhno," he called to the boy. Once the boy stood right in front of him, he knelt down, inquiring. "Have you seen Tinni? I've counted everyone and I don't see Tinni here."

That heartbeat, Ezhno's face turned pale as if he had forgotten her entirely. Then he spun around, looking the others to count them as well, and he counted to the same number. Afraid to utter a word, he shook his head. However, the boy's movements was noticed by Keiöh.

"What's wrong?" Keiöh asked.

"Tinni is not here," the Prime spoke. "I've counted everyone here."

"What?" Eva said, now alarmed as anxiety kicked visibly on her. Just like Ezhno, she turned around to count everyone, and predictably, she saw the same result. Her face turned pale. "No, no, no, where can she be?!"

"Prime, we should get help from Touishéyagi," oddly, Zeza stayed calm, her striped dolphin-dog supporting her patched leg. Just then, her face changed as she got something in mind. "What if she left the Cove of Solitude alone?"

No. Please don't tell me she followed after me and Mido'raioh, Optimus felt a shiver through his spinal column.

Everything turned a flurry of fast motions. Everything occurred so rapidly that time felt like it had lost its meaning. First, Optimus and his human members rushed to the Tse'hrahras, telling them about the situation. The Tse'hrahras showed no hesitation. They joined the group, assisting them to search for the missing child. Amazingly, Yáui'higoah offered his help, and once he along with his little brother mounted on Xiakka, they flew over the Cove becoming eyes from above. The group searched everywhere over the Cove. Although, the orca Ocienas were quick to notice the distress, leading Réin joining to help the search. Mido'raioh, Tsí'nobua and Ao'vanna on other hand stayed behind since Nezu'kéinau's condition was their first priority.

That moment, when Optimus gazed up to the cloudy sky, he saw Yáui'higoah had his right arm stretched out, pointing at something as Xiakka flew around in a circle before turning to higher ground toward the forests outside the stone wall. Optimus felt his spark skipping a few pulses. Time seemed to lose its gears when he and his group together with the Tse'hrahras ran to the stone wall, went through the gate and entered the forest. Although no matter how much he resisted, Eva persisted to follow and find Tinni. But right before they'd venture, Touishéyagi had his hand outstretched in a 'wait' gesture.

Almost instantly, Barukoago's ears peaked up as if he picked up a sound. Suddenly, they felt strong pulses beating through the ground as approaching thuds neared their position. Then, in less than a few minutes, the same Állorva'ya Optimus and Mido'raioh encountered appeared. What shocked the Prime and his humans was the Allosaurus creature held Tinni in its jaws. Well, it held her woolen shirt by its lips. The beast's throat vibrated as it growled a low frequency call, something that the Tse'hrahras can hear but the humans can't. The glowing blisters on the sides of its throat shone in a rhythmic pattern of neon lights.

Like a gentle giant, the Állorva'ya bowed its head down to the ground and dropped Tinni once her feet touched the ground. The girl stood petrified seeing the adults, only to get a gentle nudge by the dragon Allosaurus creature, forcing her forward. Except she refused to walk towards them. Anxiety sparked visibly on her eyes. Directly, Keiöh sprinted to grab Tinni and carried her back. However, this time, she did not protest at all. Although, right then, Optimus gazed to the Állorva'ya's eyes and politely bowed a single bow. Outstandingly, the dragon Allosaurus bowed its head in return, its eyelids shut over its eyes. A soft growl purred from its vibrating throat.

But things escalated more once the group returned back in the Cove of Solitude. When they came to the Tse'hrahra family's long house, that was then Eva lost her temper.

"Tinni, what in Erce's name are you thinking?!" she yelled at Tinni. "You could have been eaten by one of those monsters out there! How incredibly unwise can you be?!"

Tinni trembled, biting her lips hard while having her eyes shut. She made no noise, yet she looked like she wanted to cry but feared the consequences too much. Eva's yell was enough to cause everyone to drop their jaws, including Optimus who grew increasingly alarmed as his sensors alerted him for Eva's increasing stress level going skyrocket. All the stress they'd gone through had reached to breaking point.

"Tinni... if you're unhappy to live among us... I won't force you to stay anymore," Eva fought hard to hold her anger under control. She felt her whole face and throat boiling, but she resisted the temptation to give the girl the harsh discipline she herself endured. "If you want a better family, you're free to leave us and search your own new beginning elsewhere."

Hearing her saying those words shocked Optimus to the core. Without uttering a word, he touched his human mate's shoulder, in which she responded by reaching her hand to grab his servo. By then, she was literally trembling so much that he reacted instantly by picking her up, carrying her in his arms and brought her to their new home. Once inside, he took her to the double-sized bed where she finally allowed herself to cry. Optimus sat leaned onto the wall, his arms hugging around Eva's belly while she leaned her back onto his chest plates, her eyes closed and her breathing irregularly. When he attempted to speak a word, he was met by a shaking head that told him to stay quiet. Respectfully, he held her closely in a tender embrace.

---

Less than an hour later

The rainy weather lingered on, seemingly refusing to leave. Sometimes the rain poured down heavily. Sitting in the garden hut, the group waited impatiently for the couple to come back, anxious to have a conversation. Ezhno was not among them though. He sat up on a sturdy mangrove branch, accompanied by Lucky. Keiöh and Zeza had a casual conversation, mostly to distract themselves whereas Sén focused on working on his commissions. The Tse'hrahras was with them too. Touishéyagi, Ryssa and her siblings held a strict watch over Tinni, not letting her go out of their sight. Akiak lay outside the hut, relaxing under the rain.

Frosty on other hand was restless as he walked around, sniffing and marking his territory around the garden. Strangely, Onnák was not on its bed in the hut. Mido'raioh, Réin and his youngest sisters were there too. Nezu'kéinau and her children was not there though. Instead, the Matriarch were in Mido'raioh's earth house by their wish of privacy, something that Mido'raioh respected and allowed them to stay after taking throughly medical and health inspection on both mother and infant. That moment, the group finally saw Optimus and Eva coming. When they reached and entered the hut, silence hung in the air. Nobody spoke a word. It was first when they sat down that Keiöh broke the silence.

"Are you all right, Eva?" he asked rather cautiously, watchful over his tongue.

Eva shook her head. She was not in mood to talk a word. She held an iron grip on Optimus' servo, refusing to let him go.

"Prime, Ezhno's up on the mangrove over there," Zeza pointed at the mangrove where the boy sat, the lemur sitting on his shoulders. "He felt a need to be up there for some reason."

"I see..." Optimus replied, gazing at the boy sitting on the mangrove tree's canopy.

"I hate to tell ya this, but that you told your kiddo that she's free to leave ya group," Touishéyagi joined in. His tone was very sincere, yet he looked troubled. "I don't think anyone in the Dolphin Clan will be willing to adopt her."

"What do you mean?" Sén gazed at the alligator Tse'hrahra, surprised for a heartbeat.

"Ya see, the clan values obedience a lot," he explained. "And should a kid behave in inappropriate ways, like not listening, staying away from all social activities or wandering away on its own without supervision, any family in the clan sees only a burden that benefits nothin' for the clan."

Hearing that made the Prime growing concerned. He did not want Tinni to leave the group. Despite his stern treatment, he'd grown attached to everyone, including the children. He knew he crossed the line, but Tinni needed to face the consequences of her actions, even if it meant he'll give both the girl and boy equally tough love. He glanced at Tinni who avoided eye-contact instantly, which made him to sigh.

"Optimus, we need to do something about it," Zeza said, now looking concerned. "Sure, some tough love is required, but I really don't want to put her inside a cage and leave her up among the trees."

"What?" the Prime turned to her, baffled.

"You see... when we were kids, there used to be a method to discipline us," Eva cut in. "The method was putting us inside a cage on higher ground, leaving us alone while we watched the adults doing their activities below us."

"That's something we don't want to give the same treatment to Tinni and Ezhno," Keiöh added, nodding in agreement. "That feeling that you're left outside and treated like you're nothing is a terrible feeling."

"Bah, sounds like we could've been great neighbors if we'd live in the same region," just then, Touishéyagi spoke, catching everyone's attention. "Back in my birth clan, the adults gave us kiddos a similar treatment of discipline but more extreme. I remember it vividly when I together with eleven other kiddos got placed on a single island, surrounded by bad waters full with nasty piranhas that bites through the toughest skin easily."

Thus, the alligator Tse'hrahra told the group the memory. He told them that he together with other children got punished because they disobeyed a single rule. Never leave the clan out of sight, no matter if you are playing a game or exploring the surroundings. And all that was caused by the kids following a feisty, ego-driven kid that didn't care about the rules and was absolutely disobedient. The Tse'hrahra children had to face more than just piranha infested waters. They had to face the tides that swallowed the entire island, making them easy targets for the piranhas to reach.

Touishéyagi and the other children managed to climb up the single tree placed on the island when he witnessed one of the younger youngsters losing grip and fell down to the rising tides. He watched helplessly as the younger Tse'hrahra child got bitten everywhere, leaving him permanently scarred for life. Luckily, the older children, including himself, saved the badly injured youngster. They faced the terror during the high tide, and by the time low tide came, that was then the home clan intervened to stop the discipline.

"After that, I learnt to never leave the clan out of sight," Touishéyagi stated somberly, his gaze expressing sadness. He raised his left clawed hand to scratch on his blond hair turfs. "But unlike me, the troublemaker who was responsible of this refused to take responsibility and even denied to apologize. I remember him proudly saying that he was not the one to blame and that he taught us a lesson to always follow his lead."

"And I guess it backfired?" Zeza asked.

"Oh jaya, it did," Touishéyagi nodded, his throat vibrating as his words came in a single gurgling growl. "Directly after he said those words, both his family and the whole clan disowned him completely. I remember the days when he tried to get attention, only to get treated like nobody and everyone shunned him. Did he learn his lesson? Nah, he didn't. In fact, he got only worse after that."

"Worse enough to violence got involved?" Optimus inquired.

"Jaya, ya guessed it roight. He got so bad that he started to punch, kick and bite everyone, and that was the final straw," the alligator Tse'hrahra replied, continuing on. "He got labeled as Kúsch'láoch, which means the shameless fool who never change. After all misery he caused, my birth clan took actions and threw him in a rapid river to leave him face his own fate. But right before that, his family gave him their final words."

That moment, Tinni sat trembling. Clearly, the word caught her attention, giving bad vibes.

"His family told him that he embarrassed them much enough to the point they see him unworthy to exist in their memories at all," Touishéyagi finished, his saddened gaze deepened as the memory from that day haunted him pretty much. "And I think that was the final blow for him. As soon he got thrown in the river, my clan turned back against him, never to see him struggling... I did not look back either."

"By Erce, that is horrible," Eva said, horrified to hear the whole story.

"Pa, is that why you've been strict on me whenever I misbehaved?" Barukoago asked. He sounded strangely submissive; the tale seemed to have awoken bad memories of a difficult time.

"Jaya. And the truth is the fear to get disowned and shunned by family and clan to humiliate ya alike has impacted me completely," the alligator Tse'hrahra nodded, both to Eva and Barukoago. "I've told myself that I shall never disobey nor bring shame upon my family and clan. And acting all proud leads only to never-ending suffering. Gettin' treated as Kúsch'láoch is a thing any Tse'hrahra with common sense avoids with their lives. Honestly, I wish that fool found inner peace."

As it happened, Optimus gazed around when he saw Mido'raioh having a downcast gaze. He thought he saw her looking hurt. His spark quickened. Though, she proved not to be the only one with a hurting gaze. Yáui'higoah's eyes expressed the same hurting, gazing down to his little brother. Yuiaga glanced up at his brother, troubled confusion visible on his eyes as he used sign language to ask what was going on. Also, Ryssa, Barukoago, Ainosukán and Torokíänn shared the same somber expression.

Somehow, they seemed ashamed over the troubles and mischiefs they did when they were younger, and the fear to get shunned and disowned gave them a certain message. After the conversation, the group fell in silence for a short time until the Prime decided to talk to Tinni. Firmly, he took with her to a distance from the hut. Although, he was not alone. Touishéyagi, Barukoago, Ainosukán and Eva were with him. Gathered in the centre of the village, the conversation began.

"Tinni, we need to talk," Optimus spoke first, knelt down to have eye-contact with the girl.

Directly she shook her head, not uttering a single word.

"I saw you trembling when Touishéyagi said Kúsch'láoch," he persisted, growing more serious but kept his tone controlled. "Are you afraid to get seen as a fool who never learns nor change?"

No response. No head shaking nor nodding. Yet her trembling body worsened.

"You scared us all up. Do you have any idea how much you made us scared? We thought we'd lost you for good."

That was then Tinni's eyes expressed a feeling. A guilt of her lack of self-awareness of actions and consequences.

"Kiddo, what ya did ain't acceptable," Touishéyagi added, his tone relentless and gaze sharp. "These marshlands ain't friendly to neither to the weak nor the inexperienced ones. That ya walked alone in the woods will give ya a very poor reputation of ya self in front of others. Is that what ya want?"

Those words stung hard. As it happened, Tinni hung her head down in shame. It led the Prime to reach his arms out to try embrace her, only to get rejected as she protested by kicking. But that was then everything changed.

"Leave me alone you monster!"

Tinni's voice was heard at last. That astonished them. Although, just as Optimus let the child go, she ran fleeing out of sight.

"She can speak..." Eva was too bewildered that she could not understand what had just occurred. "She can speak the whole time."

The Prime attempted to go after, only to be hindered by the alligator Tse'hrahra. The alligator Tse'hrahra shook his head, expressing a firm confirmation.

"Sorre to tell ya but we crossed the line. I've seen enough," Touishéyagi then said. "The reason why she stays silent is because of fear, but I see ya have treated her with best treatment. Something tells me that her fear to talk began long before ya discovered her silent voice."

It was then both Eva and Optimus finally realized. Tinni was mute because of fear. Was it possible that she stayed selectively mute among adults? Then Optimus remembered Ninin telling him that the clan found her lost with wounds shortly after the storm in the last winter. It meant one thing. Her fear remained strong as a response of her trauma. Whatever happened to her before the clan found her must have been so traumatizing that the wounds stayed unhealed inside her. Yet, at the same time, the couple yearned to know the reason why she had stayed silent for so long and what caused it on first place.

"Barukoago, Ainosukán, keep an eye on the kiddo," Touishéyagi told to his children, using a head gesture. With a single nod, the siblings sprinted to keep track on the child who managed to flee away from the in-hill earth village.

However, as it happened, the door to Mido'raioh's in-hill earth house opened, revealing Nezu'kéinau's twin sons peeking out. "What's going on?" Ráxou questioned calmly, although annoyed as if he found the disturbance outside invasive.

"Oh, sorre kiddo," the alligator Tse'hrahra apologized immediately with a jolt. "I forgot ya inside Mido'raioh's home."

"It's all right, uncle Touishéyagi. Can you please keep your voices down when you're outside right here?" Zeröutéei asked quite politely, although his face grimaced annoyed. "Mom needs a lot of rest. Argue elsewhere where you can scare the Torro'kaka away."

"Jaya of course," the alligator Tse'hrahra nodded frankly. "We'll respect ya wish."

"Jáo," the twin sons nodded their each own single nod with shut eyes, expressing approval. Then they closed the door.

Just then, Optimus peered his head over his shoulder to the garden when Eva unexpectedly pulled him, heading back to the garden. That moment, an idea popped inside his CPU.