Transformers The Hatchling

Hibernation

Stormchaser's POV

I was tired of staying underground. The toll it was taking on me was becoming unbearable, and I could feel it in every fiber of my being. My joints were stiff and creaked with every movement, and the once spacious areas that I used to roam freely in were now inaccessible due to the sheer size I was growing into. I felt like I was trapped in a space too small for my ever-increasing frame. I could barely move without bumping into something, my wings scraping against walls, my tail knocking things over unintentionally. The claustrophobia was suffocating, and I felt the anger building up in my chest more often than I liked to admit.

On top of that, there was the constant lack of energon. My need for it had skyrocketed as my size increased, and I now required three times the amount of energon that Optimus did. The supplies we had were barely enough to meet the needs of the Autobots as it was, and the Decepticons always managed to steal more when we tried to get our hands on it. I could feel it in my processors, the weakness settling in. My temper was getting shorter, and I was snapping at the slightest inconvenience. I couldn't help it. The lack of energon made me irritable, and the frustration built up more and more.

There had been incidents before. Bulkhead almost lost a hand when he tried to stop me from consuming raw energon too quickly, and I nearly went off on him for it. But deep down, I knew I couldn't keep going like this. I needed to reset. I needed to sleep and let my systems repair themselves. Maybe a long, deep sleep would allow me to recover, and hopefully, things would improve for everyone.

So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I walked over to the energon supply and ate at least three days' worth, enough to last me through the sleep cycle I was about to enter. My hunger satisfied, I made my way back to my berth room, my steps heavy. No one noticed me as they argued amongst themselves about something. I could feel the tension in the air, but I wasn't in the mood to deal with it. I was still angry, still upset over what had happened earlier, and I just wanted to be left alone for a while.

Once I reached my nest, I readjusted the soft, energon-infused material to make it thicker and more comfortable, so that when I curled into it, it surrounded me like a cocoon. I lay down, my massive body slowly relaxing, my head nestled in the warmth. It felt comforting to be surrounded by my nest, to feel like I was enclosed in a space that was mine.

I let my core temperature drop slowly, allowing my energon processors to slow down, to maximize efficiency. The stillness of the moment washed over me like a wave, and before I knew it, everything felt heavy, my eyelids drooping as I drifted off into a deep, peaceful slumber. My systems went into a low-energy state, and I let everything go. I would rest, let my body heal, and hopefully, wake up when things were better.

The last thing I remembered before slipping into sleep was the sensation of floating through the skies, the wind rushing beneath my wings. It felt freeing, the vast sky stretching out before me like an endless expanse. The dream brought me peace, something I hadn't felt in a while.

No POV

Hours passed. The silence in the base grew heavy, but Miko, ever the curious one, eventually walked into the berth room, a concerned frown on her face as she approached Stormchaser's nest. She peered over the edge, her eyes scanning the cocooned form of the Predacon.

"Looks like she's taking a nap," Miko said softly, more to herself than anyone else, but there was an odd sadness in her voice. "Hey, the bots are playing lob-ball. You wanna play?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood, though it was clear that Stormchaser's stillness was unsettling. When there was no response, Miko frowned more deeply. "Hey, Storm, come on. I want to see some powerful dragon power before I go home. Hello? Robo rep, anyone home?"