Wandering Sparks

Chapter 2

Warning- this is a mature story and there is mature content in this chapter

He was lying on something soft. Not only that but something just as soft covered his frame.

That was the first thing that came to Optimus mind as his processor slowly rebooted. For a moment, he almost believed himself back home, in the spacious apartment he had occupied with Flame in downtown Iacon and

Flame.

His Spark seized as he remembered the previous events. His Bonded was dead. The nomad had dragged him out of the wagon, and then someone had tried to take Rodimus and Rodimus! Where was his son?! He sat up quickly, throwing aside the pelt? which had been covering him, optics darting right and left for his precious Sparkling.

His Spark fluttered in relief when he spotted him. Rodimus laid swaddled near him, installed in a basket? It looked like a basket anyway, but Optimus didnt care. He jerked forward, intent on taking his baby in his arms, only to gasp as he almost fell flat on his face, his legs blocked. He looked down at himself, optics widening as he noticed the chains binding his pedes.

A pair of cuffs linked his ankles together, while a length of chain bound him to a mast in the center of the dome-like structure he rested in. He vaguely tugged at the chain before focusing once more on Rodimus. The chain didnt allow him to go far, but it was enough to reach for and take the Sparkling out of the basket and in his arms. Only then did he feel some of his panic leave him. Relief managing to grab him, he hugged him. The little one didnt wake, though he made a soft sound that threatened to make Optimus Spark melt in relief and happiness. Gingerly, he sat back, his cuffed legs giving just enough leeway to sit cross-legged. His back to the mast, he finally took the time to look at his new environment with curiosity and wariness.

It was obvious he had been captured and put in a nomad dwelling, but never before had he wondered what such a place looked like.

The answer was: very spartan. The dome-like structure seemed to be a mix of light, foldable metal panels, fabric sheets, and pelts. Dim light shone through the sheets, allowing him to stay in semi-darkness. Big, weaved baskets with assorted lids and weaved trunks were lining the walls, too far for him to reach. There were only two metal ones, and he noticed with interest they were equipped with outer power-cells. It vaguely resembled a cooler but with a more primitive and massive design -- not to mention they were much larger. Aside from that nothing. And certainly nothing he could use as a weapon.

With a sigh, he reported his attention on his sleeping Sparkling, gently rocking him against his frame, softly humming a lullaby he knew Rodimus enjoyed. The little one moved and whimpered a little in his recharge but didnt wake. Optimus smiled softly. His baby was growing so fast. Already, he could toddle around and, come to think, it probably was the reason the nomads had swaddled him: to avoid the little one wandering around unsupervised should he wake up without anyone around. That was very sensible if it was truly the case.

The images of the gray bodies of his Bonded and the guards and other travelers flashed before his mind and his lips curled. Sensible or not, the nomads had truly lived to their reputation of barbarians. The fact they had kidnapped him, and those two mechs they had tied up what did that mean? Why had they done that? What did they want with them? With him and Rodimus? Nomads werent in the habit of ransoming captives, that much he knew. Heck, they rarely took prisoners when they raided an outpost or attacked a caravan and when they did, those they took were never seen back in civilized society. The fact they bothered to take him and his Sparkling it was more than worrisome. But there was little he could do about it besides wait and see what would happen.