Through Ash and Dust (ROTB)

Chapter 17

Saphira felt inspired ever since she had seen the Lion King. She felt like she learned a lot, and there were many things that were said in the film that made her realize that she did not need to run from her past. Sure, the pain was not likely to fade away, but she could learn from the past and try to move forward. Facing the past, the fear of the past, was probably the hardest part. Saphira still felt like that life would be easier for the autobots if she just disappeared. They wouldn't have to keep an eye on her, and it would easier for them. But ever since the movie, she has decided that it was best to stop trying to push Mirage away. He and Bumblebee have been great to her, and they seem to care about her.

The food that they had brought to Saphira to eat ended up being eaten. This surprised the autobots. The day after she had seen Lion King, Saphira ended up eating a few of the chips, and chocolate. They had not expected Saphira to want to eat, but Mirage was happy. Each bite of the food she took felt like a small victory. After all, she was underweight, and she desperately needed food. But he knew junk food would not give her a lot of nutrients that she would need.

Which is why, a week after seeing the Lion King, Saphira had decided she would get a portable gas top. She didn't need a huge one, just a single one. And a long-neck lighter to go with. She did not know how Optimus would react, but it would be the only way for her to cook something. Though she still could not get perishable food. If she bought it, she would have to use it almost straight away. And as Optimus was stricter on keeping her close to them, asking to go to a café was probably a push, but McDonald's might be an option, since they could just use the drive through. But she didn't want to resort to fast food. It was unhealthy.

Plus, Saphira knew eating such processed food could make her sick, especially after not eating much for a long while. Though it was an option if she decided to go that route. So Saphira had to think about how she was going to convince Optimus about getting a portable gas top. She hoped he would agree, as he has tried to encourage her. In his own way. Optimus has been quite softer with her in the last week, and it was a surprise to her. He actually started to greet her in the mornings with good morning and he started to say good night as she got herself ready to sleep. It was a pleasant surprise, but Saphira did not know how long that would last.

She also had begun to draw again. Having seen the Lion King, she had decided to draw an image of the moment between Mufasa and Simba. With Mufasa telling Simba to remember who he is. She felt like it was one of the most beautiful things she has seen in a movie so far, and she was more than happy to recreate it in her own way. Currently, she was just sketching the image. She has not yet begun to colour anything in. Though she would once the sketch was done, and she was happy with proceeding with the colouring. Optimus had been watching her sketch while she would sit in the back of the cab, and he found it fascinating. And he was happy she felt inspired to draw. She seemed to be very good at it as well.

They also found an abandoned factory to have conversations in. Mirage found it by accident, and the whole factory complex appeared to be abandoned. And Saphira was happy, as it meant that she could actually stay here while the autobots drove around the city looking for Transit. She was mostly happy that the toilets here were working. But she still had to ask the autobots to take her to a public shower to use, as the factory had no shower or power, for that matter. So she wouldn't be able to use the fridge, which added to another reason why she could not use perishable food.

The one good thing about this factory is that it wasn't far from the river as well. It was several blocks from the wharf they had been using, and it wasn't right by the river, but Saphira was happy about it. She actually took the liberty of using the time when she is alone to walk over to the river to sit by it and sketch. It was a quiet, calm place for her to just sit and enjoy the weather. Though as it was cooling down, Saphira made sure she was sitting in the sun to soak up the heat from it. That was the downside to the factory. It was cold. She actually had told the autobots she didn't feel safe sleeping in the factory, so she was still sleeping within Optimus's cab. And Saphira was starting to get used to it to the point where she preferred to sleep within one of the autobot vehicle modes.