The blankets were spread over the floor, the statues and carvings set on shelves, and the lamps placed in the back corners. Once their house had acquired decorations, the Predacons realized how plain everything had been before.

"We need more!" Darksteel declared.

"I need to ask for more blankets in advance." Ripclaw hummed. "They smell a bit weird, but I still like them."

She returned to the market to speak with Froid about her request. After which, the Predacons transformed to beast mode and found a group of Vehicons and Autobots collecting rubble. Before any of his brethren could tear down more old rusty walls, Predaking signed to them, [Remember, do slow, safe.]

"Oh, was that Cybertronian Sign Language?" a green Autobot called.

The Predacons swung their heads around. Instead of transforming to answer, Predaking raised his forefoot and curled up his claws. [Yes.]

"Everyone, look at this!" She waved to the other Autobots so that they stopped to look.

[We learn CSL. Why? To converse in beast form.] Predaking went on.

"What's he saying?" one of the Autobots said.

The green Autobot replied, "He's explaining that they're learning CSL so they can communicate in beast form."

"Oh, maybe they should work with the police then," another Autobot replied. "We might need them for the Decepticons slinking back to Cybertron."

Predaking flashed his teeth in disgust, then furrowed his eyes in disappointment. Why hadn't all the Autobots learned Cybertronian Sign Language? It was far more useful than just as a police-only tool. And is most certainly wasn't difficult to learn.

"But you can transform," another Autobot pointed out. "So why not just do that? It's faster."

[CSL also fast…] Ripclaw snapped her tail side-to-side as she signed. [VERY fast.]

The green Autobot chose not to translate, which furrowed all Predacon brows further. Although, none of the Predacons wished to transform to argue. They began their careful work of clearing rubble, until Darksteel bounded over with something small clutched in his beak.

[What?] asked Skylynx.

Darksteel set down a rusty eyeball.

[Now, MINE!] He punctuated with a strong pat on his chest.

[You want that? WHY?] Ripclaw huffed.

Predaking covered the eyeball with his forefoot. With the other, he responded, [NOT YOURS.]

[Whyyyy?] Darksteel dropped his foot dramatically.

Predaking hissed, not having all the words yet to explain. He wanted to refer to the field of fallen Predacons and give a lesson about respecting the dead.

[ATTENTION. NOT YOURS.] Predaking let out a growl. Picking up the eyeball, he carried it over and set it at the feet of the Autobots. While they glanced at him in surprise, he quickly turned away. He twitched, remembering making similar deliveries to the Decepticons on Earth.

[You need MORE school.] Predaking signed authoritatively at Darksteel.

Next on their CSL vocabulary list included words about the market and respect. Gathered around their library tablet, the Predacons studied on their blankets by the warmer yellow light of their new lamps. Outside, a storm of howling winds raged, but it could not drown out the voices of hands.

They tried to find a balance between school and labour. And Predaking asked Dominus Ambus discreetly how they could teach Darksteel to not be so reckless or how they could entice him to attend school more. Nodding solemnly, Dominus Ambus replied, "Tell him to come tomorrow; we shall go on a field trip to a special region of Cybertron."

Predaking messaged him.

Darksteel
Where are we going then?

Predaking
You must come to discover that answer.

Altogether, the four Predacons took the next morning ground bridge, passed by the Dinobot guards, and entered the classroom. Beside each of the students' desks, however, stood other Cybertronians beside the New Sparks. Whirl caught their attention beside Whirl Jr., but he only cast the Predacons a quick silent glance. Whirl Jr. waved at them before returning to doodling on her desktop.

"Why are others here?" Darksteel asked.

"To spend special time with their mentees," Dominus Ambus answered. "Now Darksteel, would you like to know where we are going?"

"Sure would!"

Dominus Ambus pulled up an image on the main screen. All the students gasped and widened their eyes at a grand sparkling city with blue crystalline buildings.

"Wow! Did they just build that?" Darksteel asked.

"This is Crystal City," Dominus Ambus revealed. "The home of science and engineering."

He switched the image to one of a shimmering garden of delicate glass artworks. Light poured through them and splashed the ground with rainbows of colour. With brightly glowing eyes, the students soaked it in.

"This is going to be great!" Whirl Jr. exclaimed.

Whirl stroked her shoulder.

"We'll take a walk through the forest around it," Dominus Ambus added. "But that, I won't show and will leave as a surprise for you. But be kind to the forest; do not damage anything in any way. Very bad things will happen if you do."

Raising their brows, the Predacons glanced at each other. Predaking wondered if there would be a Titan or Combiner guardian.

"Well now, let's go!" Dominus Ambus turned off the screen.

Led by the teacher, the students and the mentors ambled to the front of the school. One Dinobot silently replaced Swoop at the back of the group when they headed toward an opening ground bridge.

Bright green and blue light blinded Predaking before he fully stepped through the portal. Softer light then soothed his eyes. A gentle clinking summoned his gaze up blue tree trunks to their white and pink leaves. Five- and six-sided metal plates swayed gently on thin branches, glowing with the warmth of the morning sun. Though the air was warm, Predaking sighed, reminded of sun rays stretching across Earth's snowy lands.

"Beautiful," he rumbled.

Laying his hand on a smooth metal trunk, he closed his eyes. Tuning out the gasps of the other students, he listened to the tranquil chimes of the canopy. At the peep of an animal, Predaking smiled.

His brethren shuffled near him.

"We must see these wondrous lands," Predaking said. "Not just the ruins of cities and the corpses that fill them."

"It's really nice here, like the mountains!" Darksteel exclaimed. "But very different."

Movement and squeaking in the bushes attracted the other students. They crouched down and squealed in delight, peering through the roots and leaves. The Predacons peeked over them, glimpsing tiny creatures with fuzzy brown wire fur.

"Looks like we have shcrews here," Dominus Ambus said while transforming to turbofox mode. Padding ahead, he sniffed the air then guided them. "See what else you can find along the way."

The older bots stuck close to their mentees, pointing into the forest at other animals among the branches or roots. Following their fingers, the Predacons tried to glimpse the same small creatures of smooth or fuzzy bodies, cable or metal tails, and wings or limbs. Predaking's classmates squealed and hopped along, enticing the Predacons to march with a spring in their step.

Patterns of pentagonal and hexagonal light danced upon the ground. Their classmates jumped on the shapes until the ground disappeared. Everyone's feet met the edge of a stretch of rainbow sand. Gasping, the students with the Predacons included, stooped to scoop sand in their hands. Grains of broken glass poured through their fingers, flashing iridescent light.

"What is this?" Gauge asked.

"It's the garden I showed you," Dominus Ambus said.

"What? No it's not," Medix replied. "This is all just glass sand. I don't see the hanging artwork!"

"Let's keep going," Dominus Ambus told them.

Predaking heard the tension in his teacher's voice. As for the mentors, they walked silently with bowed heads and reached for the younger bots' hands. Wading ahead, the mentors led them through the broken glass.

Dominus Ambus climbed up onto the Dinobot's shoulder. He whispered to the Predacons, "Go on."

The Predacons crunched through the glass.

"This is…" Skylynx murmured.

Predaking dipped his head. "Yes."

"How sad," Ripclaw breathed.

Darksteel frowned in concentration. "The garden had a lot of glass… then is this…?"

Whirl Jr. tilted her head to Whirl. "Papa… is this the garden?"

Whirl looked down with a worried eye.

"Papa?"

The other students looked anxiously at their mentors.

"Did it get destroyed?" Rubble choked.

"Yes…" Rubble's mentor murmured.

The jaws of the students dropped. Then beyond the glass sand, an endless field of glossy blue rubble spread around the sparse trees growing there.

"Oh no, is that Crystal City?" Whirl Jr. whimpered.

Whirl wrapped his arms around her. "It's gone, sweet thing. It was destroyed during the War."

The students gasped and covered their faces. Predaking's spark dropped and he looked at his brethren. All gaped and Darksteel bemoaned, "No, why? It was beautiful… I really wanted to see it."

"It was beautiful," Dominus Ambus agreed. "But it is gone now because its beauty was not appreciated. A lot was lost in the War when bots forgot how to care. More than these cities. Even the forest around us was completely destroyed. Every forest, almost every mechanimal. Gone. But now, we have been given another chance. Primus has grown back the forests, remade the mechanimals. Take a good long look around you now. All this can be lost again. So be mindful. Love your world and everything in it. Protect it. Can you do that, students?"

Golden lubricant trickled from the eyes and joints of the mentees. As they swore to care for the world, Predaking's pulse picked up and his spark felt ready to burst from his chest.

"I promise to protect the precious nature of this world," Predaking vowed. "If war once again threatens it, I will be there to defend it."

"I will join you," Ripclaw declared.

"Me too," Darksteel added.

"And I as well," Skylynx said.