Transformers Rise of the Beasts

Chapter 21: Amy; Ray

It was early in the morning when I awoke to the peaceful sound of birds chirping. There was a slightly cold breeze in the air and I wrapped the colorful borrowed shawl about my shoulders as I lifted my head off the ground. Where was I?

A vast open field surrounded me-and a few feet away there was a cliffside overlooking the village. All at once it came back to me-the Maximals, the natives.

Pulling myself up to a sitting position, I saw Optimus Primal was standing at the Cliffside. He seemed to be staring out over the surrounding valley ways.

I stood up with a yawn and tightened my grip on the shawl as I walked over to him. He must have heard my footsteps for he turned.

"Good morning young one."

It felt strange to be called "young one" when I was a twenty-year-old adult but the fatherly way Optimus Primal said it-I didn't mind. Plus he must be eons older than me judging by the stories he had shared.

"Yes," I stifled a yawn. A thought crossed my mind. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

The Maximal was silent in reply. A few seconds passed, then he spoke. "Do not worry about me-I go many nights without rest."

Because of his loss. I realized the burden that was on the Maximal Leader's shoulder. He had to watch out for the rest of his kind while trying to protect the world after having suffered the loss of his father.

Abruptly there was a crashing and rustling of bushes.

Turning I saw a yellow blur as Cheetor ran into view. He paused in front of Primal. "We have just received word-the Temple has been activated."

"It has?"

Noting the shock in Optimus Primal's voice I looked at the Maximal Leader.

"It is a good thing we moved the other half of the key yesterday," He frowned  "I see my -intuition-whatever inspired it–was right,"

The Maximal Leader turned back to the Cheetah Mech. "It might be a false alarm, but if not, whoever made it this far must not find the real half of the key," Optimus Primal frowned. "Tell Atzu where we will be going and let Rhinox know."

"Yes sir," Cheetor turned and dashed away.

Now I looked up at Primal. "What is going on?"
    "We have had an automatic alert system-set up years ago. If someone activates the Temple entrance the key glows dimly," the Maximal Leader explained gravely. "We must figure out  who activated the temple before they track it back to Atzu's village."

"Could it be a false alarm?" I wondered aloud.

"I do not know," Primal shook his head. "But I will go investigate either way." He turned to leave when I called after him. "It lies in the forest nearby so we shall not be gone long."

"Wait, I want to come with you!"

"No," He shook his head looking back at me gravely. "If the threat is real I do not want to ri-"

"I can handle myself," I insisted. "Plus, I might be able to find my phone and see if I can fix it so that I might be able to contact my brother."

Optimus Primal gave me a hard gaze. I met him head on-not shrinking or even blinking except necessarily.

"Alright, you can ride with Cheetor" He nodded. "But you stay by our side and at the first sign of any danger you will make your way back to the village. Understood?"

My heart leapt. I might be able to find my phone-then I could maybe see if Primal or one of the other Maximals could fix it- after all they did seem very smart.